Smoke clouded the sky without cease. Amidst the war, its source was the least of their concerns. Man and beast fought in darkness, littering bodies on blackened ground beneath a blackened sky. Their parting cries rang out into the darkness before they joined it.
South of the growing grave lied a hole where smoke rose up in great plumes. Far, far within, a hulking suit of black armor was sprawled on its back. It laid upon a large chunk of charred stone, floating over a pool of magma.
The magma churned and boiled. Large bubbles erupted periodically, splashing their molten contents about. Any sight of Pokémon that had once called such a place their home were no more. There was only the armor, and one other.
On another floating rock, Moltres, the Bird of Fire, rested motionlessly. With bruises, gashes, and scars adorning nearly every inch of its body, there was little to indicate that it would ever move again. The same, however, could not be said of the perpetrator.
"Hey, Harper!"
"Huh?"
A young man looked up from his paper as another man walked up to him with a wide grin. Upon his chest was a patch depicting an exploding star. The man waved to him as he approached and, upon looking down at Harper's paper, whistled.
"So you're taking on that Black Suit program?"
Harper nodded, returning the grin eagerly. "I really have no clue what this place is really about, but if I can move up higher, I might as well take the chance."
The other man smirked. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a paper, unfolded it, and smacked it down upon Harper's desk.
"You and me both. Promise we'll both make it?"
He extended his fist out toward Harper, whose grin widened as he returned it. "You know it."
A large metallic finger twitched with a slight electric whir. Then, the suit's fingers clamped together and unfurled. Static lined the vision of The Burned Man as his suit returned to functioning. Whenever it faded and he could see clearly, there was still a large crack across his sight.
Harper groggily stumbled back onto his feet. His heavy armor swayed back and forth, threatening to send him tumbling into the surrounding magma if he misstepped. Growing irritated with the static, Harper smacked the side of his helmet until his sight was at least tolerable.
There, he glanced around at his surroundings. With his mind still foggy, the fact that he was glancing around at a pool of magma did not yet dawn on him. The pool itself stretched further then he could see. Large stones of varying sizes and shapes floated along it.
And upon one of them slept Moltres.
Arceus and Mew leered down at three young Pokemon. A trio of colorful birds. One blue, which cowered in their presence. One yellow, which puffed itself up at them to appear threatening. And one red, which seemed utterly indifferent.
Mew seemed utterly infatuated by them. She floated around them, causing the yellow one to shift in place to keep facing her. It tried to screech at her to intimidate her, but this afforded it only an amused laugh in response.
"I like these ones," She told Arceus.
The Alpha Pokemon nodded. "They don't appear to have any sort of lineage. They must have appeared directly from the tree's roots."
Mew's eyes sparkled. "Ooooooh, so you think they could be new Legends?"
Again, he nodded. "I would say that is likely. You may have them for the time being. Just control yourself."
Squealing with excitement, Mew quickly zoomed around the young Pokemon, sweeping them up in her arms. Though the yellow one tried to shock her for it, it did little more than tingle her fur.
"They're so cuuuuute!" Unable to contain herself, Mew swung the trio around and laughed. Her eyes reopened when a realization struck her. "Ooh! Ooh! We still have to name them!"
She looked to Arceus, who merely nodded his head toward them to give his approval. Enthralled by the proposition of naming new Legends, Mew rubbed her hands together enthusiastically.
She pointed to the blue one. "I can sense this one is Ice-Type. So I'll call it Articuno!"
Then, she set her eyes upon the rambunctious little yellow one. "This one's got an attitude. I'll call it Zapdos!"
Finally, the mother of all Pokemon acknowledged the third bird. "This one's also yellow, but look at those red flaming wings! I'll call you Moltres!"
Squealing, Mew rolled in the air and giggled to herself. "I can't wait! We are going to have so much fun!"
Harper's senses suddenly kicked in, as well a boiling, burning heat far worse than the magma. Groaning, Harper began to drag himself to the edge of his stone. He crouched down, allowing heat from his suit to amass along its lower openings.
Propelling himself, he shot up from the stone and landed upon Moltres's. There, with a single minded fury, he hurriedly stomped toward the fallen bird. He raised his arm. The armor of his elbow opened, releasing a growing flame while he held his arm still.
Moltres remained unaware of the impending doom. Lost to the slumber incurred by his wounds, he laid helplessly.
"Moltres, wake up!"
Moltres stirred slightly at the call of his name. But from where? It seemed to come from everywhere at once, but how? Who? It sounded desperate. Was that Mew? No, it couldn't be. Mew would never sound so worried. Moltres and the birds of its likeness had always been little more than an afterthought to her.
"Wake up, please!"
Pressure continued to grow upon Harper's poised arm. It trembled as he held the impending blow back. He stared intensely at Moltres's body, awaiting the moment where he could watch his arm driven through it.
"I won't let my children die any more!"
Moltres's eyes shot wide open. Suddenly, he lurched forward, throwing himself off the stone. Harper's fist shot down like a bullet. The force of his punch splintered the stone where Moltres had just been and sent up plumes of magma. With fury, he turned and roared just as Moltres disappeared beneath the magma.
As he looked over, suddenly, the magma began to rise before him. Pillars of it shot into the air, rising to the roof of the chamber. Arising from the molten stone, glimmering white flames replaced red ones. Moltres flapped its wings and screeched triumphantly, parting the magma with its newfound power.
Harper's fury boiled over. Within his suit, the tiny crystal shard given to him spun in its chamber and gleamed brightly. He roared in challenge to Moltres's newfound power as his own flames burned white with the crystal's power.
Blinding fire exploded from them both, covering the magma chamber with a heat that surpassed its natural state. It began to melt even the charred stone underfoot. At the last moment, Harper knelt down and launched himself up at Moltres.
His fist smashed into Moltres's beak, sending the bird careening back. But then, just as quickly, Moltres returned amidst a swath of its new flames. It drove into Harper with a white hot Flare Blitz that shot him away, then quickly gave chase after him.
Harper fell upon the magma, bouncing roughly across its molten surface before landing upon a massive black stone. It tilted to accommodate his weight. When Moltres slammed its talons down on the other end of the stone, it rocked in the opposite direction.
Pulling himself back to his boots, Harper snarled and sprinted toward his adversary. Just the same, Moltres knelt over and ran to meet the metal man with its beak. They shot toward one another. Moltres's beak and Harper's fist drove into the shoulders of one another.
Groans of metal and sickening cracks of crumbled flesh ensued, and the two were launched away from each other. Gracefully, Moltres landed upon another nearby stone while Harper was helplessly flung across the many black stones until he managed to drag himself to a halt by his fingers.
Harper stood shoulder to shoulder with many men in black suits. Adorned with gear the likes of which his younger self could never have imagined, he silently kept his joy to himself for the sake of professionalism.
"Attention!"
At this call, Harper and his fellow soldiers stood tall and saluted, standing as still as could be. A portly man with a goatee, escorted by two bizarre men in shining black armor, walked between two rows of the men in black.
Christopher Lee couldn't hide his smirk as he saw them. "Congratulations, men. The experiments and training, I dare say, were a complete success. From this day forward, you are known as the sixth regiment of the Black Suits."
The two rows of men shouted in unison. "Sir, yes sir!"
Lee clapped his hands together. "That's what I like to see! You will all receive your debriefing as to what this role means when you return to your quarters. Remember that no soul below the rank of Black Suit may know about what it means to be one."
As Lee continued his speech, the man beside Harper nudged him with his elbow. Harper glanced at him irritably, but the other man shot him a grin he couldn't stay mad at.
"Drinks on me tonight," He whispered to Harper.
Infuriated, Harper smashed his fists down and splintered the rock, hastily jumping to the next one forward before the last one fell apart and sunk into the magma.
He let out a breathy growl as he eyed Moltres. The Bird of Flame narrowed its eyes at him in kind. The armored man knelt down and quickly ripped apart half of the stone he stood upon before tossing it at Moltres and rocketing himself toward them from the flames on his back.
Though Moltres dodged the stone by leaping into the air beside it, it was unable to evade The Burned Man smashing into him. His fingers dug into Moltres's wings and refused to let go.
They flew across the chamber in a terrible tumble. Their bodies were driven into the stones to no avail for either of them. At last, Harper let go with one arm and brought the other up, managing to turn Moltres's body down toward the magma.
A loud shockwave rushed across the fiery ocean, sending up waves of molten rock. Moltres gave a short lived cry before being dunked into the pool. The magma shot out in all directions when Moltres's enraged screech parted it.
Imbued with blinding fire, Moltres rocketed up toward Harper. Their combined flames made them appear like a single glimmering star as they rose to the chamber's ceiling.
When they crashed into it, the entire roof splintered and cracked, sending stones falling into the magma with great splashes. Above, the war was briefly brought to a halt by a great quake that knocked the people and Pokemon off of their feet.
Plates along the back of Harper's suit shifted to spew out flames that propulsed him forward. His grip like iron, he held Moltres in place as he dragged the bird across the stone ceiling.
In turn, Moltres managed to grab Harper with its talons spun in the air to give its adversary the same treatment. Their enraged cries of war rang nearly as loud as the crackling of stone they left in their way as they tumbled and twisted through the air.
"And the winner is…Moltres!"
The Bird of Flame screeched with victory as it stood over its fallen kin. Articuno sighed and bowed its head. Zapdos, however, was far less sporting. It turned away, huffing, before taking off somewhere into the Tree of Life.
Mew floated beside Moltres, watching Zapdos fly off with a pout. "Sore loser." Turning to the Bird of Flame, she smiled. "Congrats, though! I thought for sure Zapdos would win."
When she saw the look Moltres gave her for that comment, she quickly added, "But that just goes to show how strong you are!"
Behind them, a golden-white gate appeared from the air. Arceus's hoof emerged, planting upon the ground. As he exited the rift, he glanced up at the parting Zapdos.
"Call it back," He instructed. "It is time."
Mew's expression sunk when she heard that. She looked up at Moltres and Articuno with an expectant look, but even she didn't know what to reasonably expect. Just as she feared, they began walking toward Arceus.
As they walked into the gate, Arceus explained, "As they find their way in the world, Lugia will watch over them from now on. I believe he is well suited to…"
He trailed off upon glancing back at Mew. She was staring at him and the gate despondently. He raised a brow at her in confusion.
"Mew?"
Her head perked up as she snapped back into reality. "O-oh, right. Sorry, Arceus. I'll…" She turned away, slowly floating up into the air. With a slight shudder, she took off. "…Go get Zapdos."
At last, Moltres gained the upper hand and managed to pull away from the ceiling. Holding Harper in its talons, it brought back its wings and amassed greater flames upon them before smashing them into the armored man.
Harper cried out as he flew helplessly over the magma sea until his back crashed into a wall. Just as he sunk down to an obsidian floor, Moltres crashed into him with a Drill Peck. The attack pressed him further into the stone and threatened to pry apart his armor to get at the man inside.
Heat built along the right arm of The Burned Man. Clenching his hand into a fist, he unleashed an eruptive punch to Moltres's side that sent the bird tumbling across the black beach. It managed to recover by leaping into the air and stopping its movement with the fiery flap of its wings.
With narrowed eyes, Moltres hissed at Harper who pried himself out of the wall. He groaned and doubled over. Taking this as an opportunity, Moltres sped toward him. However, every plate along Harper's armor suddenly shifted to expose the heat vents underneath.
Moltres's eyes went wide, but it couldn't halt its movement in time. Harper let out an inhuman bellow before unleashing a torrential explosion in all directions. The concussive force splintered the entire chamber wall, reducing the stone nearest to him to powder.
A shockwave smashed into Moltres, followed swiftly by an all consuming flame. When Moltres was laid on its back, a large shadow dove through the flame. The bird's eyes went wide, but it was unable to move before a metal fist drove down into its stomach.
Moltres cried out, only to be silenced swiftly by a hand clamping its neck. Pulling Moltres up, Harper brought his fist back and drove his nightmare into the stone wall's remains. Then, he knelt over, pulling both arms back and letting flames from his elbows.
The moment Moltres erupted from the wall with fire and screeching, Harper's fists impacted it like bullets. He roared, stomping forward as he threw punch after punch without cease. Even as small pieces of his armor began to fall away, he drove forward uncaringly.
All that mattered was Moltres's end. Bringing the fiery avatar of his waking nightmare to oblivion. Repaying the burns lining his body a thousand times until the monstrous bird laid dead at his boots. But Moltres had other ideas.
Lurching out from the wall, Moltres thrusted its beak like a spear into Harper's visor. His every sense impacted, he screamed and recoiled, grabbing the stricken area.
Moltres's wing collided with Harper's side and sent him flying across the obsidian beach. His armor sparked against the ground as it bounced off of it before crashing into another end of the chamber.
There, Moltres collided with him with its talons. Metal groans erupted from his armor as it began to crumple underneath Moltres's talons. Moltres seemed to smirk with a grim satisfaction at the empty visor of Harper before taking him and rocketing off toward the magma ocean.
Moltres tossed Harper down, allowing him to careen across the molten floor and smash into the stones atop it before pulling back and shooting him down into the magma with another Drill Peck. With his visor drenched in magma, visions of that island overcame Harper's mind.
That infernal burning. It all came back to him. He grabbed onto Moltres's wing and, crying in just as much agony as he was fury, punched the bird down further into the magma. He unleashed a burst of flame to emerge from the magma, only for Moltres to fly up after him and latch onto him with its talons once more.
Its sharp appendages gripped Harper's back. The platings along his rear opened to unleash potent streams of flame into Moltres's flames. Though it recoiled, Moltres did not relent. Instead, it shot down, smashing Harper face first into one of the floating stones.
Harper scrambled to rid himself of the bird to little avail no matter how much he clawed at the stone. He couldn't reach Moltres's legs. Fury boiling over, he raised his arms and smashed apart the stone. It's shards and the magma beneath were sent up like a geyser.
Being pelted by the debris, Moltres recoiled and covered its eyes with his wing. Its body was impacted while it was blinded, and it cried out as its back scraped against another rough stone.
A metal hand pulled Moltres's wing away from its face. The bird screeched with wide eyes when it looked up to see Harper's fist pulled back. The armored man launched his fist down like a rocket, splintering this stone the same as the last.
Again and again, Harper drove his fist into Moltres's face, but no matter how it flailed, it couldn't seem to loosen itself from his grip. Its talons clawed up at his armor and scraped away at the outward plating. Uncaring of the damage and the warning signals of it from his suit, Harper continued unleashing his rage until the stone beneath him could no longer support itself.
He pressed his feet upon the belly of Moltres and then boosted off of what remained of the stone, sending it and Moltres under as he flew to another one. This one was much larger than any he had yet seen upon the molten lake.
Up from the magma, a screeching Moltres arose. It's flames burst out in all directions angrily and showered the chamber. Harper leapt back to avoid a streak of fire just before it erupted where he stood. Moltres crashed down after it and sent the flames outward until the entire stone was ignited.
On opposite ends of the floating stone, Moltres and The Burned Man exchanged glares oozing with a mutual hatred. Then, with flames exploding from their bodies, they launched themselves at one another.
Their collision caused the sparks of their flames to shoot out in all directions. The air was decorated with flickering flames like a multitude of fireflies. Harper felt his blood curdle at the memory.
That only succeeded in driving his rage further.
He bellowed as he threw a punch, and Moltres screeched as it met him with its wing. Flicking him away with its wing, Moltres went on the attack as it sprinted toward him.
Harper met it face to face. He drove his fist straight into Moltres's beak. It recoiled and turned away before, in its rage, retaliating with a smack from its wing that knocked Harper onto his back. Harper shot flame from his arm that pushed him out of harm's way just before that wing smashed down.
Moltres scowled at Harper when its attack missed. Ripping its wing out from the imprint in the stone it had made, it shot into the air and chased after him. Harper turned and readied himself for a charged punch until an error sound rang in his helmet.
When he glanced at his right arm, he saw a hole in the fist of his armor. He scarcely had the time to recall his punch to Moltres's beak before the Bird of Flame was upon him.
He was pinned to the ground by Moltres's talons digging through his armor. Raising his wings, the bird began to ruthlessly beat Harper down into the charred stone. More and more alarms blared within his suit as pieces of his armor fell away with each strike.
Each wing strike fell like one hammer after another, burying Harper deeper. He could feel his suit heating up from within as he was driven closer and closer to the magma. So, he decided to retaliate with even greater heat than that.
His entire armor glimmered white. Moltres held up its wing to strike, but shrieked with wide eyes and stopped itself. It leapt back just before Harper emerged with a thunderous eruption. He landed in a heap of smoke as a sizable chunk of the stone behind him broke off.
Wordlessly, he roared and made a dash for Moltres. When Moltres again tried to bat him down with its wing, Harper stopped it and held on tightly. He turned and brought Moltres over his shoulder before slamming him down into the rock.
Standing atop Moltres, Harper knelt down, summoning flames beneath his feet before rocketing up. The force of his jump buried the bird in stone. And with that bird stuck, Harper sailed high into the air until he reached the top of the chamber. Planting his feet upon the ceiling, he mustered all of his strength.
Within his suit, the shard of Necrozma's crystal spun rapidly, making a loud electric whirring noise as it channeled energy throughout the suit. Flames grew upon his body to the point he was no longer visible to Moltres, who squirmed against the stone.
Just as it had freed itself, Harper blitzed down like a meteor. The moment his fist made contact with Moltres's exposed chest, the bird's eyes whitened over. It briefly made a choked wail before the force of the punch, ravaging the stone below to powder, sent both of them careening down into the magma.
The sheer force of the punch split the magma chamber. The magma shot up in titanic, blistering waves that further scorched the chamber walls. Far, far below, Harper and Moltres were bathed in the lower recesses of the chamber's magma. It nearly made Harper go mad.
Summoning the remainder of his sanity, Harper took hold of Moltres by its neck and rocketed upward until he emerged from the magma once more where he proceeded to hurl the bird down across the scattered rocks.
It bounced across them, raving with rage, until it neared one of the massive volcanic waves. Chasing after it, The Burned Man caught Moltres in a brutal clothesline before driving through the wave. Moltres sputtered out an agonized caw when it felt something crack.
Hurling it, Harper sent Moltres careening back toward the obsidian beach. But, as Moltres's back impacted the wall, it snarled with fury and recovered its senses to shoot back toward him.
Seeing it approach, Harper boosted higher into the air, raised his arms over his head, and unleashed a burst from his back to send him careening down. With an inhuman bellow, he crashed down upon Moltres's head with a double-handed slam.
The sheer heat from the blow turned their flames to plasma that danced along their bodies before Moltres was sent careening down with a fiery splash. It re-emerged, latching onto Harper's right arm with its talons and tossing him down onto one of the stones.
His stricken arm sparked. Much of its plating had been worn away and torn, with holes dotting it. At this rate, it wouldn't last much longer.
Screeching with enough force to call down stones from the chamber ceiling, Moltres spewed a white hot Flamethrower down upon the armored man. Bringing up his left arm to shield himself, Harper stood his ground until the attack faded. But when he made a move toward Moltres, his legs refused to move.
Looking down, he found that the stone had melted slightly under duress from the Flamethrower. He recoiled and gasped as the past flashed across his vision once more. Roaring in defiance, he prepared to split apart the stone, only to be impacted from above.
Ivory flames burning across its wings, Moltres knocked The Burned Man onto his back. The two slid across the stone until they reached its end. Harper's helmet dangled over the molten abyss just beneath them.
Moltres brought up its wing, then slammed it down onto Harper. Ivory flames licked at every inch of his suit. And ravaged his visor. The force of its wing tilted the stone, plunging the armored man headfirst into the magma. Something akin to a smirk appeared upon the face of Moltres as he watched the armored man writhe.
"So…" Harper felt a hand clap on his shoulder. "This is it then? The time we finally made our move?"
Harper nodded solemnly, slipping on his glove. "If all goes well. This is what we trained for."
The other Black Suit chuckled, hardly able to contain his ecstasy. "The Elemental Islands. We're escorting General Lee personally!"
There was a long pause between the two as they continued to prepare themselves in silence. No sound occupied the air except for the slight clacking of metal and plastic.
At last, the other man broke the silence. "You think we can do it? Take on the Legends? Are we ready for that?"
With one arm, Harper pushed his heavy bag back up into the locker above him. His breath was steady. "We," He began, "Are going to have to be."
A metal hand clamped onto Moltres's wing. Moltres's grin slowly fell away when he felt resistance. Loud, metallic groaning sounded out as The Burned Man rose from the fiery lake. Moltres pushed down, making Harper's legs buckle until he sent flames from his left arm to push it back.
Drenched in magma, Harper held Moltres's wing up triumphantly with one arm. "Now, I am ready."
The Burned Man pulled back his right arm. Within his suit, the crystal shard spun within its chamber with greater speeds, growing brighter. A crack emerged along its surface. Just below it, a charred husk of a man managed to smirk in satisfaction.
Flames erupted from Harper's damaged right arm. They spewed out in all directions, bathing the air. Moltres tried to pull away to little avail despite its screeching. It pecked at Harper's visor repeatedly. Yet it earned no reaction.
As the intense flames grew hotter, they became a blindingly bright plasma that scorched even the surrounding magma. Its bolts reached the chamber walls and ceiling, ripping them apart. Then, Harper stepped forward, drove forth his shoulder, and unleashed a ravaging, explosive punch into Moltres's chest.
The sheer concussive force behind the punch sent up shockwaves that carried the nearby magma into the air after Moltres, who sailed into the ceiling with devastating force. The remnant scraps of Harper's right arm fell beside him.
An irate Moltres scowled and scoffed to itself as it nursed its injuries. It could still feel the effect of Necrozma's blows. The devastating force of that monster's punch. It infuriated Moltres. And terrified it.
The Bird of Flame could scarcely remember the last time it had truly known fear. This reminder was far from appreciated. Anxiously, Moltres raked its talons across the obsidian stone of Fire Island's mountain. Next time would be different, and it would make that demon pay.
But, as it ruminated on this, a strange noise caught its attention. Perking its head up, Moltres spread its fiery wings and took into the air. As its sight passed the mountain's jagged black peaks, its pupils dilated with fury.
Humans occupied its beach. Its territory. They marked it as their own flagrantly, planting their bizarre constructs upon sand that did not belong to them. A fury-filled screech erupted from its beak. And with boiling blood, Moltres pointed its beak down and dove toward the intruders.
All at once, the entire ceiling to the chamber began to spill down from where Moltres had been sent. As the wall of falling stones expanded, nearing Harper, he could spot flickers of white flame between them. That was all the motivation he needed to dive headfirst into the stones with his own flames to match.
Harper's remaining fist and Moltres's talons tore into one another. They screamed and roared as they attacked with all of their remaining might. Harper's explosive flames met with a white hot Heat Wave from Moltres.
The sheer heat the two emitted, as well as their constant, savage exchange of blows, pulverized the falling stones that approached. Harper's fist drove into Moltres's face, and he took the bird's talons in turn. Moltres batted him with his wing, earning a boosted elbow to the throat for its efforts.
There was a punch, and a slash. A peck, then a backhand. Over and over, the flaming warriors attacked with greater savagery than their last attack. But then, Harper's punch sailed past Moltres's head. It lurched toward him and raked his body with its talons.
Metal bent and crunched. Harper's vision was suddenly filled by the jagged talons before all went black. Blindly, Harper swung his remaining arm and managed a handful of grazing blows, but Moltres's attacks were doing more damage than he could come up with.
Moltres slashed across Harper's chest repeatedly, rending apart the thick metal until it crumpled and fell to the ground. Just as the final blow was stricken, the stones ceased to fall. And within the hulking suit of armor that had scourged so many Legends was a man, thin as bones.
From the center of the massive suit of burning steel, a misshapen man with skin charred black rested. Tubes and wires covered the man's body. They entered the man's every orifice and seemed to poke innumerable small holes along his limbs, waist, and torso, carrying unidentifiable liquids in and out of these holes.
The sight of this wretched figure actually caused Moltres to cease its attack. It recoiled as it beheld him. The man fell forward, hanging like a puppet on strings from the tubes and wires digging through his body. His chest slowly rose and fell with each labored breath from a tube he took.
Something suddenly occurred to Moltres. Its eyes widened as it recalled an incident at Fire Island. The invading humans, and the strange ones wearing black. It recalled the one it had burned beneath its wing. That seemed like ages ago. Yet this was the armored menace that had caused it so much trouble?
Moltres gave the man a scoff out of sheer pity. Just seeing what had become of him gave the bird the impression that anything it could do further would only be a mercy. So, it turned its gaze to the ceiling, narrowing its eyes at the hole that reached to the outside, and kicked off of the stone to give itself a boost into the air.
And then, a metal hand clamped onto its leg. Shrieking with shock, Moltres craned its head around to see The Burned Man. Upon the charred corpse of a man's face, in spite of the tubes invading his crooked mouth, there was a smirk.
It was then that Moltres spotted something glowing in the recesses of the wretch's suit interior. Above his head, something purple was glowing brightly. It made a loud whirring noise as it spun rapidly in its chamber, trembling wildly as more and more cracks arose on its surface.
Something in Moltres's mind cried, "Get away! Now!"
It opened its beak, spewing a white hot Flamethrower down upon Harper in an attempt to sever his grip. His grin did not falter even as he vanished amidst those flames. But as he was erased, so too was the chamber containing the crystal.
In an instant, a terrible Violet light erupted. It consumed all it touched, quickly swallowing Moltres just as it tried to cry out in shock. The stones were erased. The magma was erased. As the light expanded, it reduced all it touched to oblivion.
That light raced up through the chamber ceiling, rising higher and higher. On the surface, the remnants of the war came to a halt as another quake struck. Upon hearing cries of terror, all eyes were drawn to its source. It was not long before the choir of cries gained new singers.
Sounds of splintering stone rang through the air. From the south, the ground itself seemed to be falling away. A chasm expanded out across the valley. As it stretch north, the chasm's gaping maw opened wide to swallow everything into its darkness.
The men and Pokemon turned and ran toward the Tree of Beginning. No one, save those who could fly, dared to look behind them. Innumerable cries of despair rang out from those who found the ground falling beneath their feet. They fell down into the magma far below, swallowed by the abyss.
"Into the tree! Go, go, go!"
One Black Suit waited to enter for his soldiers to run in his stead. Rather, he waved his arm for his men to find refuge within the tree, firing upon the Pokemon who tried to enter by the same way. But as the abyss drew near, he was no longer afforded the luxury of waiting and dove inside.
He stumbled, falling to his knees as the tree itself quaked. To his horror, even it slowly began to tilt.
"No!"
The abyss did not stop with just the battlefield. As it approached the Tree of Beginning, the ground beneath gave way. A terrible, dull groan from the ancient giant blared across the sky as it tilted forward. Its mighty roots, embedded in the world, were left exposed as the tree's supporting pillars in the ground fell away.
Though those roots cracked and splintered under the sudden duress of the tree's weight without the ground to offer support any longer, they managed to keep the tree from falling into the abyss below. However, they were unable to halt its tilt.
Pokemon and soldiers fighting along the inside of the tree were carried off of their feet. They slid down as the ground beneath their feet suddenly became diagonal. Those who fought along its branches fell from them like leaves. Their final cries decorated the air as they fell down into the abyss.
But, as those cries faded, all had become silent once more. The tree halted its movement, and the chasm ceased to grow. When the chaos had at least drawn to a stop, the Tree of Beginning was left suspended by its roots over a pool of magma.
Those who survived on the valley floor only did so by merit of their ability to fly, clinging to those who could fly if they themselves could not, or being fortunate enough to have been near the valley walls to avoid the rift's opening maw.
The survivors ceased their battle, staring out at the chasm. The Legends were no different, looking out at it in disbelief from above or standing by its edge. With stunned expressions, man and Pokemon exchanged blank stares.
And then, they took up arms once more.
Along the southern end of the chasm, a small group of young Pokemon fell upon the ground, heaving for air. They had been lucky enough to survive, though not without cost to their lungs and limbs. Exhausted, they flopped down, unable to keep themselves standing any longer.
When at last they had regained a semblance of steady breath, for as much as they could amidst stagnant air, they stood and dared a look out across the chasm. In their minds, they pictured the memory of the beautiful valley that had once been. Tears dotted their eyes.
But before those tears could loosen, something shot up from the chasm just before them. They cried out and sped backward just as something crashed down where they had been standing in a plume of dust.
The helpless gaggle of young Pokemon cried in despair at this. So shaken by all that had happened, anything more had shattered what was left of their nerves. And as rough sounds of something dragging across the ruined ground came from the dust, they feared the worst.
Then, a yellow wing emerged from the dust. White flickers of fire rose up from that wing, but as a second one curved out of the dust, the white flames dulled to red.
Heaving for air, Moltres made pitiful whines as it forced itself to keep moving in spite of the endless injuries covering its body. There were so many bruises, cuts, and burns upon it that there was more black than yellow.
When its eyes slowly fluttered open, Moltres looked upon the trembling Pokemon. It turned away from them to try to pivot itself around. Where was the tree? It needed to know.
Slowly, Moltres scraped its way in a circle until it faced the chasm it had arisen from. Squinting its eyes, it saw the state of the Tree of Beginning. Hanging from its own roots over the chasm, it looked much like that man as he hung from his own suit like a puppet.
The prideful Bird of Flame had scarcely given this place a sparing thought since leaving it. Even as Moltres fought for it, its own survival was all it had in mind.
But now, looking upon the tree's fallen state caused a sense of mourning it had never known to well up inside itself. Pulling itself to the chasm's edge, Moltres craned up its neck and howled with grief.
Its pitiful cries caught the attention of the young Pokemon behind it. Slowly, they dared to reopen their eyes to see just what had come up from the chasm. The last thing they had expected to see was Moltres. Much less how injured it was.
Crying out in shock, the young group of Pokemon bounded up beside Moltres. Appalled at the state of it, they parted to allow a Happiny through. The little Happiny took out an egg from its pouch and tossed it into the air. When the egg burst open, a Soft-Boiled attack rained down upon Moltres.
Countless glimmers of light fell from the shattered egg. At first, the young Pokemon watched on with relief. But then, another speck of light appeared from Moltres's body, rising up to meet those of Soft-Boiled. It was a deep violet color.
Another violet speck arose from its body. Then another, followed swiftly by more. These violet specks seemed to eat away at the Softboiled raining down. Happiny watched this with confusion until the purple glow intensified upon Moltres's body.
To the horror of the young Pokemon, the specks of violet multiplied along the talons of Moltres, which began to vanish into yet more of them. They cried out in despair seeing this, urging Happiny to do something. At a loss, Happiny used Soft-Boiled once more, but all of its light was quickly snuffed out by Moltres's affliction.
While the young Pokemon continued to wail with despair and panic, so too did Moltres. But it did not cry for its own sake. As it looked upon the Tree of Life with all of its focus, it lamented old memories; of the lost opportunities it had thrown away.
Within its mind, Moltres could hear helpless sobbing. Countless apologies. And the same lamentations Moltres itself felt. The Bird of Flame wondered if its mother could feel those very same feelings from itself. Pride and stubbornness had robbed them both, only knowing it in the end.
Pushing itself up with its wings while it still could, Moltres gave a final cry toward the tree it had been borne from. And then, the violet light covered the remnants of its body. As its wings faded, Moltres fell and disappeared. The last of its cry was cut short. Mew could only wail as Necrozma took yet another of her children.
A stunned group of young Pokemon was left behind to watch countless specks of violet light rise into the air like stars before vanishing amidst the smoke-filled sky. As the last speck disappeared, they were left in darkness once again.
Author's Note
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: As I just learned after writing that last scene, Happiny cannot learn Soft-Boiled. Only Chansey and Blissey can. But Brock's Happiny could lift giant rocks over its head in the anime straight out of the egg, so I guess anomalous growths from Pokémon aren't completely unheard of.
Creator: I hope this chapter makes up for how long the last one took. Had to channel a bit of my old writing speed from the good old Arc 1 days.
So it seems like Moltres had a little bit of care beyond its territory at the end. Remember to count your blessings in your life. Sometimes, we aren't happy with our parents. Tell them you love them anyways. Not many people hear that enough. You never know if you may never get the chance again.
Hydra: Bet you guys weren't expecting another chapter so soon. This chapter has been envisioned for years and the fact that it's finally here feels unbelievable. This one was an emotional rollercoaster.
G: "Great chapter, so each side are still suffering notables casualties, well, its understable to see how the Nova Branch and the Pokemon manages to kills each other during this war, after all, in this conflicts the casualties are always inevitable.
Also, so Ryder showcased his tenacity in battle, to fighted against two Legendaries at once for himself in a coordinated way. Well, i have to admit that Ryder show an impressive combat skills, that makes him lethal, even more than the Burned man in some aspects, because Ryder clearly shows be a level-head, smart, skilled and analytical warrior that is capable to fight strategically against far more powerful opponents, making him a truly dangerous enemy. In contrast, the Burned man is a berserker that fight with a brutal battle style, lacking from strategy, analysis or discipline, as he prefers a more aggresive approachment, focused in overpower and destroy his enemy with his raw power, making him more like a Shock trooper, than a Special force like Ryder.
Even it was interesting to see the cunning of Ryder, to basically makes that Xerneas and Yvetal ended hitting themselves with their own attacks, inciting an infight between both Legendaries, especially to considers that Yvetal was notably traumatized for all the tortures that he suffered when he was prisoner, to the point that he ended intentionally attacking innocent pokemon for be in the crossed fire, disgarding their lives coldly, prompting Xerneas to fighted Yvetal and stopped his rampage, that sadly costed that Yvetal was knocked out, and Xerneas was attacked by Ryder with his blade, leaving her badly injured.
Well, regarding Yvetal, to be honest, among the traumatized Legendaries, i think that Yvetal could be who possibly suffered the worst hardships, because Lugia only lost his home and the respect of the people that used to worships him, Latias, Keldeo and Genesect lost their families, but at least they were free during all their ordeal, allowing them get some emotional support from others, like Ash. Unlike Yvetal, who ended kidnapped practically since the early parts of the story, and until recently he managed to escaped, meaning that during most of the story, Yvetal was trapped and being tortured, to the point that this grimm situation could easily warped his perception from the world and maybe made him developed a notable mysantrophy, to the point that even maybe Yvetal won't see Ash in good terms like Lugia or Genesect, making him possibly the most affected Legendary pokemon.
To finishes, besides the events of the Tree of Beginning, i wonder if we'll see the possible situations that could be happening in the pokemon world, particulary by the attacks caused by the Nova branch to paint the pokemon like monsters. As i guess that the other Ash's friends could be busy dealing with this conflicts, to prevent collateral damage, avoid casualties, and control the negative propaganda against the pokemon, as certainly, the Nova Branch could get more support with their ideology, regardless who wins this war.
Keep the good job."
Creator: I like to think that Ryder fighting Yveltal and Xerneas at the same time was more of an advantage than disadvantage. Fighting them alone, he would have never gotten past their defenses and healing. Almost any attack they landed would have meant instant death if Lugia is anything to go by.
Whereas by bouncing back and forth between Yveltal and Xerneas at the same time, he could dislodge their focus, use their attacks against one another, and have them get in each other's way. It was especially crucial to take advantage of their opposing natures.
You're also right about Yveltal and Ash. They practically have no relation with one another, only ever meeting during the Diancie movie. So, here, their only meeting was as enemies already.
Thank you for your awesome reviews as always!
Hydra: You know me and The Creator would always keep you in mind when writing scenes for The Burned Man because of how much you loved his character. We finally got to see the end of Moltres and Harper, I hope it was as magnificent as you imagined! In the end I think we always knew that there would be no winner when they finally came to blows. This one was for you G! Thanks for your review brother. I look forward to your reaction to this chapter. :)
Floatyy: "So I've been confused for a while ever since Necrozma was beaten by aura Ash, but why are you just killing off legendaries like crazy, and shouldn't there be an effect after killing them? Like yveltal and xerneas were life and death so no more life no more death? I get that there's a group that hates Pokémon, but let me tell you it got confusing after the Palkia being stolen bit and Mew learning compassion part. I like the story but am completely clueless as to where it's going lol. You don't have to tell me but can we see the pov of all the leaders from each side? Arceus and Mew's thoughts, Aura itself's thoughts, team nova leader's thoughts, and maybe Ash? I mean I'd think ash is completely confused but helping regardless. Or forget this entire spiel and tell me which chapter to look at to understand the story more. Good luck and nice chapter!"
Creator: Why are we killing off Legends? Well, there would hardly be any stakes if they all just lived. Necrozma could have killed all of them with just a thought if he wanted to, given his later performance against Aura. Who lived and who died until Aura's appearance were at the whim of Necrozma.
Though some Legends hold sway over powerful forces, they aren't completely in control of them. Otherwise, Arceus would never be in danger since he created most of the Legends. Wouldn't that mean he has domain over everything?
In this story, the Legends are much like their anime counterparts in the sense that they are limited and can be brought down. The games, meanwhile, paint them as absurd forces that can, sometimes individually, bring ruin to the entire world if left unchecked.
And certainly, some of the Legends in this story could do just that, but they aren't meant to be invincible. Arc 1 was meant to bring that idea to light by having a force appear that was so great in its power that the Legends were completely helpless. This was to humble many of them, but for some, it only drove their pride and anger further.
As for why the deaths of some Legends don't affect the world around them, for most, they simply aren't powerful enough to affect the world just by existing or not existing.
In the second movie, the fighting between the elemental birds was moving a great sea current, which was why the world was changing so much. No fighting means no weather manipulation from them.
Some Legends are inconsequential in terms of their existence, such as Keldeo or Latias. They create a niche for themselves in their own lives, such as making themselves consequential for the world by protecting Ash.
However, one thing that the world is absolutely dependent upon is the Tree of Beginning which supports the way their world was made via the Aura stream and the roots of the tree that stretch all across the entire planet's interior.
There were two explanations of the world's origin. One from the perspective of Arceus in chapter 15. And one from the perspective of Aura in chapter 18. Mew also briefly explains how the roots of the Tree of Beginning work in chapter 63.
I don't blame you for missing the stuff from the earlier chapters because Arc 1's chapters were ridiculously long.
Hydra: You bring up many great points and I wanna answer them so badly, but if I were to do so it would lead to spoilers.
The main thing I want to convey is that there are many plot points that have yet to be explained because they will make a reappearance later. Kinda similar to this chapter how Harper and Moltres suddenly disappeared in the prior chapter and then this one finished their story. There are many more chapters that will make everything more clear by the time the story is finished.
I appreciate that you're liking the story though! What's been your favorite aspect of it so far? Do you have a favorite character, favorite villain? I look forward to hearing your response! :)
SilverWolf1130: "Man, everyone is being affected by the dying Tree. Dying from lack of oxygen is a terrifying way to go…
Ryder's fight scenes are always fun to read. Guy is such a slippery bastard who always knows what to aim for.
Interesting backstory for Ryder. Man, he really evolved, didn't he? From weak child to terrifying monster.
Damn. I remember Ryder had a Sneasel or Weavile with him that was killed by Genesect. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Man, just when you think Ryder is down, he gets right back up.
Poor Yveltal. After everything, he's so messed up he's endangering one of his comrades.
Damn. That was brutal. Cool dudes don't look at burning deer, it seems. Yikes.
Is Xerneas dead though? Like Kyogre, I'm not too sure here.
Sorry, guys. Bullet hell is over. Along with your fancy tank.
Ash ain't making the same mistake like last time. He's done with trying to talk it out.
And that's the end of Thorn. Man, he was a real *thorn* in the good guys side.
Uh-Oh. Creator's last message tells me we're gonna see Nova confront Ash and Mew and reveal the truth. And I'm guessing Mew won't survive…
Another great chapter, guys. I think the next one will be the deciding chapter of who wins this ongoing battle."
Creator: Ryder VS Xerneas and Yveltal was a fight we were very excited to write for a long time, imagining this half dead guy managing to somehow overcome the incarnations of life and death itself through sheer loyalty and ingenuity. The indomitable human spirit at work.
Yeah, he had a Weavile, though it wasn't quite explained. Why would a guy trained to hate Pokemon his whole life, by an organization built on hatred of Pokemon, use a Pokemon? And to have it just croak to Genesect like that? Seems like such a shame.
There has to be more to it, doesn't there?
As for Xerneas and Yveltal, Floatyy had the same concerns. Their deaths should have some incredible effects, if they're really dead that is. Could they be alive?
Or could it be that the consequences of their deaths are just so heavily outweighed by what is already happening to the Tree of Life that it cannot be felt by comparison?
Also, nice pun. I'm a sucker for puns.
Hydra: Thorn finally kicked the bucket which was a long time coming. He was one of those side villains that you couldn't wait to see get bodied. It's funny because he originally was only meant to be a character in chapter 39 who got his memory wiped by Lugia. However, at the last second I changed it to him just suddenly getting teleported by Lugia out of pure disgust because I thought he'd make a good lackey for Lee. It was a last second decision, but I think it paid off wouldn't you say? Thanks for the review brother!
Creator: Next chapter, Ash and his friends will have to find their way through the tilting Tree of Life. A familiar face from the past will make its unwanted reappearance. The secret of the Red Suits will be unveiled, shocking all who witness it.
Hydra: That's the last time we'll see The Burned man…. I'm finding it hard to say goodbye. He genuinely was one of the coolest villains to write and to finally see his story come to an end is sad. I'm gonna miss him and Moltres. May they both rest in peace.
