The dark skies were nearly pitch black, though the storm, both figuratively and literally, had already come and passed. The Ultra-Beast Lord, Necrozma, was soaring throughout the night skies, content with his earlier work when one of his crystals began glowing and darkening repeatedly. Once Necrozma tapped it with his finger, Necrozma's right-hand man, his main scientist Xurkitree, appeared on a screen-like projection being displayed over his crystal.
"Milord," Xurkitree said with a bow, "Your partner is ...requesting to speak with you over transmission."
"Send him over," Necrozma ordered.
With a nodding bow, Necrozma's right-hand man let out a few small electrical bolts onto his keyboard and soon enough, Xurkitree disappeared with The Man in his place.
"What did you do?!" The Man demanded, "You weren't supposed to arrive for weeks, yet you abandon your fleet to arrive before my preparations were completed, and the first thing you do when you arrive is fight four Legendary Pokemon and sink an entire Sub-Region?!"
"What time I arrive on this planet makes no difference. It is inconsequential to our plans."
"Inconsequential?!" The Man bellowed, "You've alerted the entire planet! You're lucky the Legends you've fought are dead and I had Commander L- ...my commander nearby to rally the people with a story, otherwise Arceus himself would be on our tail by now!"
"Calm yourself, partner," Necrozma said, "It is unbecoming of one of your...power, correct?"
"Do not insult me, Necrozma," The Man spat, "I have more power than you can fathom."
Necrozma chuckled, "I'm sure, I'm sure. It's just difficult for me to believe you hold this power, yet rely on me for assistance."
Necrozma raised a hypothetical eyebrow when The Man simply chuckled.
"You hold a very...integral role to our plans, partner."
"Ominous," Necrozma complimented, "I can respect that."
"In any case," The Man stated, "You cannot go off and destroy whatever you feel like anymore. Remember, diligence is of the-"
"Utmost importance, yes I know. Though, I can hardly help myself when I get bored, you know."
"You can and you will help yourself, Necrozma. I will not stand for you ruining this whole operation simply because you feel fidgety in your little wooden chair for now. If this is to succeed, you cannot do whatever you feel like simply on a whim!"
"Is that an order?"
"It is."
Necrozma let out a dark, machine-like laugh, "Perhaps I am not the only one who needs to control themselves. Watch yourself, partner. I could wipe out this entire planet without batting a hypothetical eyelash if I so felt."
"By all means. Arceus would have your head on a platter before you could try if you summoned that much energy."
"And where would that leave you? Alone and without your firepower."
"I could manage. You being here only makes it easier on my part. And besides, without me, how will you find those three that you're after?"
"...You make a fair point," Admitted Necrozma, "Yet still, I would advise against further provocation, else I might be content on simply destroying this planet and taking them out with it without crushing them beforehand."
"You and I both know you won't be content with just that. Remember who is truly in control here."
Before Necrozma could respond, The Man cut off the connection, sending the projector screen back into Necrozma's crystal.
"...I will look forward to seeing him in utter despair once I end this planet once and for all."
Serena let out a loud yawn as she slowly opened her eyes once the sun had shone through one of the Center's windows onto her sleeping eyes. The young girl raised her arms in a stretch, loosening her tensed muscles and letting out a relaxed sigh once she had finished. Looking to her side, she noticed Ash had disappeared from where he once slept.
"Pikachu, do you know where Ash went?" Serena asked the mouse beside her.
"Pi, Pika, Pi." Pikachu responded, pointing towards the Pokemon Center's main doorway.
Serena rubbed Pikachu's head in thanks, earning a purr-like "chaa" from the mouse, and headed out to hopefully meet her companion. She rubbed her tired eyes as they were assaulted by the bright sunlight, blinking repeatedly to attempt to adjust her eyes to the blinding light.
"Ash?" She asked into the open air, still blinded by the intense sunlight.
"Oh, Serena!" A voice rang out to her left, "You're up early."
Serena finally opted to cup a hand over her eyes to cover them with whatever shade they could manage. Finally, she could make out Ash hunched over his backpack and messing with his belt of Pokeballs.
"What are you doing out here so early?" Serena inquired, "You usually sleep in."
"Guess I'm just excited for our Gym Battle," Ash said with a shaky laugh.
Serena frowned, "You okay, Ash? You don't sound good…"
"I'm fine, Serena," Ash said nonchalantly, but Serena didn't buy it.
"I can tell when you're not okay," Serena scolded, sitting down next to Ash, "Please, tell me what's bothering you. I haven't seen you this distraught over something."
Ash sighed, pausing for a moment to phrase his next words, "You got me...the thing is Serena, I'm scared about what the future may hold. I just have a feeling something very bad is about to happen."
Serena was taken aback, "What?! When did this start?"
"Last night," Ash replied, "I remember...I remember having a horrible, vivid nightmare last night. The thing is...I can't even remember what it was about now...just that it happened."
Serena looked down, seemingly in deep thought before reaching out to put her hand over Ash's.
"If you can't remember it, you probably shouldn't worry about it. I remember you telling me after my failure of my first performance to not worry about what the future holds. You told me to take life as it came and not to let my worries cloud my life, remember?"
Ash took a seat on the ground, "I know, but it felt different, Serena, not like some random dream you have once in awhile...No, it felt like someone or something was trying to show me something."
Ash leaned over and buried his face in hands, "I don't want anything to happen to you, Serena. If something were to happen I don't think I could forgive myself..."
Serena tenderly put an arm around Ash and leaned her head onto his shoulder.
"Ash," She started, "If something happened to me, my last dying wish would be for you to not let that hold you back from living a happy life."
Ash let out a long, drawn-out sigh, "You're right. I shouldn't let my fears consume my life."
Serena let out a yelp as Ash jumped up onto his feet and knocked her to the ground unintentionally.
"That's right!" Ash cried, "I can't give up on my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master because of some nightmare! C'mon, Serena, let's head to the Cerulean City Gym!"
"Ash!" Serena complained as she watched her companion sprint off, "Pikachu and my stuff are still in the Pokémon Center!"
"Oh, whoops, that's right!" Ash exclaimed, turning on his heel to run past Serena and into the Pokemon Center.
Serena sighed at Ash's hopelessness, but couldn't help cracking a smile at his antics. Though, she supposed those antics were why she fell in love with him. She loved how he could bounce back from anything with ease.
"Hey, Ash!" She called out, running back to the Pokemon Center, "Wait for meee!"
"You seem in a good mood despite what happened earlier," Serena commented with a bright smile, "What's up?"
Ash let out a small chuckle, "I just remembered an old friend of mine. You'll met her soon enough."
"Oh really?" Serena asked, "...Wait, "her"?"
"Here we are!" Ash announced, motioning towards a large building with a picture of a Dewgong on the front of its roof, "The Cerulean City Gym!"
"W-wait!" Serena pleaded as Ash sprinted towards the Gym, "What do you mean "Her"?"
"Hey, Misty!" Ash shouted into the Gym as he burst through the double doors.
Ash's grin began to die down as he scanned the lobby before him. Just as he remembered, fish tanks lined the walls, pink tiles lined the floor, and another set of double double doors stood in front of there were no people in sight, for whatever reason. Last Ash checked, this Gym in particular was the most famous of them all, only being rivaled by Celadon's. Assuming the place was simply closed or something, Ash dropped his shoulders and disappointment and was about to call out to the approaching Serena that it was a no-go on the Gym when Pikachu's ears perked up.
"Pi?" The mouse inquired to no one in particular.
Pikachu turned his attention back to the pink double doors in the Gym's lobby. The Electric Mouse could have sworn he heard something from behind those doors. Pikachu hopped off his trainer's shoulder to investigate, pointing his ears into the doors to attempt to locate the source of the noise.
"Pikachu?" Ash asked, "What's up, buddy?"
"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu cried out, pointing to the pink doors.
"Huh? Is it open?"
"Aaaaash!" Serena cried out, finally managing to catch up to the boy only to let out a yelp as she slipped and faceplanted on the Gym's floor.
"Woah there," Ash said with a chuckle he couldn't hold back, "You okay?"
His response was an annoyed grumble, earning another chuckle.
"Alright, c'mere," Ash said, hoisting Serena to her feet.
Serena let out a groan as she stretched out her back before turning to Ash with an annoyed expression on her face.
"Please stop running on without me." Serena chided. Ash simply gave her a nervous grin, rubbing the back of his head.
Serena rolled her eyes and turned around look at the infrastructure of the Gym.
"By the way," Serena began, glancing over the numerous fish tanks coating the walls, "You referred to this Gym Leader as "Her". Were you two close?"
"Yeah, kinda," Ash replied, "Her name's Misty. Me, her, and the son of Flint, Brock, travelled through Kanto together! Johto, too, though she had to take over the Gym for her sisters since they went on to be dancers or something like that.'
"Dancers?" Serena inquired, "Like performers?"
Ash nodded, "Yeah, though it's probably for the best that they quit the Gym. From what I remember, they weren't great battl-"
"We should go see them!" Serena exclaimed, springing herself in Ash's face.
Ash chuckled at her eagerness, "Sure, I guess we can look around."
"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu protested, pointing at the pink doors, but his trainer and Serena had already began wandering off.
"Pii…" Pikachu growled, annoyed.
Pikachu sprinted up past his trainer and turned his heel into the floor to stop himself, widening his arms to stop the two.
"Pii, Pika!" Pikachu cried, pointing back to the doors.
"Huh?" Ash asked, turning around to look at whatever Pikachu was pointing at, but only saw the empty hallway.
"There's nothing there, Pikachu."
In frustration, Pikachu tugged down on his own ears before firmly pointing back to the doors once more.
"Pi! Pika, CHU!"
"Pikachu," Serena started, "There's nothing over there. What do you want us to see?"
Pikachu's eye twitched and he crackled his cheeks, stonewalled with frustration. That's it, these two were going to get shocked if that's what it took to get their attention.
"CHUUUUUUU!"
"GAAAAAH!"
"WAAAAUGH!"
"P-point taken," The two blathered out as they collapsed.
"Pi." Pikachu said smugly, crossing his arms and nodding.
"So," Ash said as he stood in front of the pink double doors, "What's this about?"
Pikachu facepalmed and made a pulling motion before pointing to the handle of the door.
"Oh!" Serena caught on, "You wanted us to go through here?"
"Piii!" Pikachu cried with exasperation, furiously nodding.
"Well, okay…"
Serena tentatively pulled the handle, expecting it to be locked only for it to actually open a tad to her surprise. She began opening it further, only for the three of them to be deafened by the loud cheers of hundreds.
"Gah!" Serena cried out, clutching her pained ears.
"I think we found who you're looking for, Serena!" Ash shouted over the roaring crowd.
Serena sent him a look that practically said, "Ya think?" before walking through the doors.
Ash gave Pikachu a shrug and a grin before heading inside himself. Pikachu simply sighed and trotted after them.
Once the three were inside, Serena gaped at the sight before her. A large circle of bleachers surrounded a giant pool filled to the brim with gracefully dancing Water-Type Pokemon. She could make out three other figures in the water. Squinting her eyes, Serena could see the figures were three absolutely stunning women. One of them was blonde, one of them had bright pink hair, and the final one had a deep blue coloring to her hair.
"Huh?" Ash asked while looking around the pool, "I don't see Misty anywhere."
Though, Serena was far too enthralled with the three performers below to notice what Ash was saying. Her eyes practically glittered watching the three Water Trainers practically gliding throughout the water with their Pokemon, hopping to and fro as their Pokemon lifted them above the pool so that they could perform spins and flips before diving back into the water to repeat the process. Before she knew it, Serena found herself cheering along with the rest of the crowd, earning an amused chuckle from Ash.
"She's certainly having fun, eh buddy?" Ash asked his partner who had hopped onto his shoulder once more.
"Pi!" Pikachu chirped in agreement.
The blonde one was raised out of the water standing atop a slowly spinning Starmie.
"And now, for our grande finale!" She spoke to the crowd, "Please welcome our little sister, the Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty, to the stage!"
Ash and Pikachu perked up at this and Serena snapped out of her stupor, unable to keep her expression from dropping ever so slightly..
The Starmie floated away, signaling the rest of the Water Pokemon and the other two girls to swim to the edges of the pool. Suddenly, bubbles began appearing from the middle of pool. The crowd sat on the edge of their seats in anticipation for whatever was coming next. Nobody dared blink or even breathe as they waited with baited breath. Suddenly, a giant jet of water erupted skyward, making a large water spout that rained down onto the once more cheering fans in the bleachers. A figure blurred by the water shot upwards out from the spout and gracefully flipped backwards in the air before landing on top of the water stream, extending their arms outward for the crowd to see. Though, the audience didn't even have time to cheer as a loud roar deafened the audience. The water spout stopped abruptly and a massive Gyarados bolted from its place, rising up speedily to Misty with its jaws agape. Ash let out a gasp and Serena covered her eyes in horror. Though, their fears were for naught when Misty fell and latched onto the large protrusion on Gyarados's head and rode the falling creature down back into the pool with a shimmering grin plastered on her face.
Serena and the rest of the audience let out gasps as a large wall of water rocketed towards them from the Gyarados's splash. She let out a screech as the wall impacted and drenched her from head to toe, while Ash just let out an amused laugh despite being in the same situation.
"Leeeeet's hear it for our beautiful Mistyyy!" The blonde one summoned, waving her arms upward repeatedly to get a response from the crowd.
The crowd jumped to their feet roaring loudly, pumping their arms up and screaming loudly. Even Serena couldn't help doing the same. Ash and Pikachu, meanwhile, were jumping and cheering loudly; so loudly in fact that he began drowning out the other members of the audience to the point where he was earning a few odd looks.
The pink-haired one floated up atop a Staryu in a similar fashion and spoke up, "Don't forget to buy our Sensational Sister Merchandise in the lobby on your way out!"
The blue-haired one followed suit, "And a trip to the Cerulean Gym is never complete without an autograph from the Sensational Sisters themselves!"
"Have a Sensational day!" The three chirped.
With one final bow, the stage lights disappeared and the crowd erupted into one final round of cheers before slowly making their way towards the exit amidst the darkening room.
"Wow!" Serena exclaimed, starry-eyed, "They were amazing! They moved in perfect sync with their Pokémon and each other like it was second-nature!"
Ash chuckled at the girl's excitement, "Ya know, those three were battlers long before they were performers."
"Wow, really?" Serena asked, "I would've guessed they were just naturals from how well they did."
"Y'know," A voice called out from behind them, "Skills like ours didn't come overnight. We practiced and trained for years on end to get where we are now."
The two trainers turned around to gaze upon a woman clad in a sky-blue open jacket with a white bathing suit underneath that didn't cover her legs in the slightest. Her hair was bright orange and it looked like it was all over the place despite being short. The bottoms were curled below her ears, the top was frilly and spiked outward at the same time, and somehow the back remained clean-cut and straight. She placed her hands on her hips and gave the two trainers before her a bright smile.
"You've gotta work everything you have into your training if you wanna be like us. Being a performer requires both the aptitude of intense training as if you were an everyday Pokémon Trainer along with the elegance and precision a performer needs."
"Wait," Serena said with her voice choking up, a squeal threatening to break out at any moment, "Are you one of the performers here?!"
The girl nodded with a chuckle, "Sure am. You're talking to the one and only Gym Leader Misty!"
Serena's face inwardly fell a little while massive grins overtook Ash and Pikachu's faces.
"Misty!" Ash exclaimed, "You look amazing! How long has it been? Johto? Maybe Hoenn."
The girl raised an eyebrow and tilted her head past the young girl she was talking to and her eyes practically turned into dinner plates at what she saw.
"Ash?!"
Misty pushed past Serena to get a good look at her childhood friend, earning a distressed cry from Serena.
"Ash!" Misty exclaimed, "And Pikachu!"
"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu cried out enthusiastically, hopping atop Misty's shoulder and nuzzling her affectionately.
"It's great to see you again!" Ash said with a smile, "Shame Brock couldn't make it to the reunion."
"Oh, right." Said Misty, "What happened to him anyways? Don't tell me he finally got arrested for all those proposals…"
Ash shook his head and smiled, "Actually, he finally found a Nurse Joy that ended up falling for him back, and now he's a happily wedded doctor."
Misty's jaw dropped, "Woah, he actually got one of them?"
Ash laughed, "Yeah, it surprised me too at first. Though, the two did look a lot happier than Brock did with Professor Ivy."
Serena's ear perked as she could've sworn she heard someone scream after Ash had mentioned this Professor Ivy person. In any case, she decided now would be a good enough time to hopefully get this bad taste out of her mouth regarding Misty.
"Hey there!" Serena said, sliding in, "My name's Serena! I must say, your performance back there was one of the best I've ever seen!"
"O-oh," Misty stuttered at the intrusion, "Thank you, but my sisters are the real stars of the show."
"What?!" Serena demanded, "You were amazing out there!"
Misty shook her head, "I'm a trainer before a performer. It took my sisters years to convince me to do a performance, and now I just do it to kill time."
Misty tilted her head to see Ash again.
"By the way," She said to Serena, "Are you and Ash friends or something?"
"She's my girlfriend." Ash replied with a clueless smile.
Serena became completely pale and stiffened up in a panic. Misty stood there with her jaw practically touching the floor. She turned her gaze to the whitened Serena and then back to Ash repeatedly. Her jawline began receding into a small grin and she slapped her forehead. A fit of giggles slowly overcame her and she soon found herself flailing wildly in a fit of laughter on the floor.
"Hey!" Serena shouted, snapping out of her stupor at Misty's laughter, "What are you laughing at?!"
Misty continued laughing, struggling to get a word out, "Ash...a girlfriend…" And she once again lost herself to laughter.
Serena huffed, "Ash, say something!"
"Uhh?" Ash started, "Misty, I don't see what's so funny about it."
"Wait," Misty said from her spot on the floor, "You're not...serious, are you?"
"Yeah, what's the big deal?"
Serena let out a yelp as Misty appeared from behind her somewhere and placed her hands on her shoulders with a fake grin.
"Ash, can you...excuse us for a moment?"
Without waiting for a response, Misty quickly dragged the protesting Serena backwards into the hall and quickly darted into a nearby room, slamming the door behind them.
Ash and Pikachu simply stood there, blankfaced.
"Geez," Ash said to his trusty Pikachu, "What's her deal?"
"Pi…" Pikachu replied with a sigh.
Serena yelped as she was pinned against the wall of what she believed to be a Janitor's Office.
"How did you do it?!" Misty demanded.
"D-do what…?" Serena asked nervously.
"Get Ash to fall for you!" Misty bellowed, "I've known Ash for years; there's no way someone like him could ever get a girl, much less even try!"
Well, she was right on the trying part.
"So?" Misty prodded, "How did you get him?!"
Serena's cheeks turned pink, "I uh…" Serena muttered something Misty couldn't hear.
"...Come again?"
Serena gazed downwards, "I kinda, maybe…" Serena's voice trailed off once more."
"Speak up!"
"I KISSED HIM!"
The room was filled with silence as Misty dropped her arms in deadpanned silence as she stared, mouth agape, at Serena who was covering her reddened face by burying it in her hands and sitting firmly on the ground.
"You...you wha-"
"Please don't make me say it again!" Serena cried out, face still buried within her palms.
"I mean," Misty prodded, "Like, out of nowhere, or-"
"Of course not!" Serena bellowed, raising her face from her hands, "We journeyed through Kalos together!"
"Still," Misty said, "I did the same with both Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto, and I spent some time with him in Hoenn, but he showed no romantic attraction to me."
Serena gave her an odd look.
"N-not that I would've wanted him to!" Misty quickly stated, waving her hands in denial.
"Well, you're right about one thing," Said Serena, "Kalos wasn't the start of it…"
"Where is everybody?!" A young voice cried out into the wilderness, scared and alone.
She let out a scream as a nearby bush began rustling intensely, causing her to fall over in terror, only for a small, blue Pokemon with a swirling pattern on its white belly to hop out of the bush. It gave her a quick glance, making her recoil in fear before simply hopping off back into the woods.
"I knew I didn't wanna come here," The young girl sobbed, "I knew it…"
She raised her head skyward and wailed, "MOOOOOMMYYYY!"
Her breath was sucked back in as she watched the rustling bush shake once more. Her eyes widened in terror as the bush rustled violently, refusing to show its horrible contents. Finally, something emerged out from the shrubbery and the young girl's heart simply couldn't take it. Clenching her eyes shut, the girl waited with dread for whatever would come next.
"Poliwag?" Another young-sounding voice called out.
The young girl assumed it was another one of those blue things from earlier, thinking it was saying its own name as all Pokemon did. Boy was she surprised when the thing spoke normally.
"Hey," The voice said, "Are you okay?"
"Huh?" The young girl questioned, daring to open her eyes to see a young boy, her age by the looks of it.
"Hi, I'm Ash!" The boy greeted, "What's your name."
The girl didn't notice his question so much as she did the fact that he was simply there.
"I hurt...my leg!" The girl winced.
With a smile, Ash pulled out a blue handkerchief out from his back pocket and delicately wrapped it around the girl's injured knee, tieing it into a knot.
"All done!" Ash said reassuringly.
Upon attempting to move, the girl quickly sat back down with an "ow" as she soon realised her leg wasn't actually healed.
"Now watch this!" Ash said with a grin, moving his arms as if he were attempting to perform a spell of some sort, "Feel better, feel better right away!"
The young girl quickly and painfully found out once more that she still couldn't move.
"Still hurts, I can't stand up!"
Ash simply stood up with a bright smile and offered his hand to her.
"Don't give up 'till it's over!" He cheered, "Come on."
The girl tentatively held out her hand and let out a yelp as she was pulled to her feet suddenly and into Ash's embrace. With a light gasp, she opened her eyes to stare into Ash's own, feeling that the pain had already subsided.
"There ya go." Ash said, giving the girl a bright smile, "I think we should be getting back to the campsite. C'mon."
With that, Ash led the girl to safety from the forest, holding on to her hand tightly.
"...He saved my life a long time ago…"
Misty let out a sigh, "That sure sounds like something he'd do."
Misty offered Serena her hand, pulling the Kalos trainer to her feet and offered her a smile.
"Well, if you two really love each other, don't let me stop you."
Serena brightly smiled back at the Cerulean Gym Leader, "Thanks, Misty."
The two jumped as a loud knock came from the opposite side of the door of the Janitor's Office.
"Hey!" Ash's voice called out from the other side, "You two okay in there? It's been, like, twenty minutes!"
"Pika, Piikaa!"
The Electric Mouse could be heard chirping in agreement.
Misty growled and kicked open the door, imprinting Ash and Pikachu in the wall where the door hinge ended.
"Don't mess with a woman's private business!" She roared.
"Ash!" Serena cried out worriedly to Misty's surprise, running up to the immobilized boy to check for injuries.
Misty stood in awe at Serena as, instead of being just as angry as her for his intrusion of their privacy, actually went to check if he was alright, whereas she would've taunted him and scolded him for his actions without a second thought. Watching Serena express her concern over Ash despite his wrongdoing slowly put a small smile on her face. Yep...these two were meant for each other.
"Ash! Serena!" Misty called out to the two of them, "How does a match sound to the two of you? A double battle between the two of you VS me? I wanna see how well you work together!"
"Fine by me!" Ash shouted, still trapped in the wall, "We were planning on challenging you anyways! Serena and I need a Gym Badge from ya!"
"A badge?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow, "I get you, Serena, but why do you need one, Ash?"
If Ash had free control of his movement, he would be rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed way.
"I kinda...forgot my old Badges at my mom's house…"
Misty toppled over in disbelief with a thud.
"That's just like you, Ash…" Misty said, getting up to her feet with a hand on her forehead, "Anyways, I'll be meeting you down by the pool area. Don't keep me waiting!"
"You got it!" Ash and Serena said challengingly as Misty disappeared down the hallway.
As Ash and Serena made their way to the pink double doors in the lobby, a voice suddenly called out to them.
"Like, what are you two doing over here?" A girlish voice called out to them.
The three Sensational Sisters stood behind them, posing with their hands on their hips.
Serena gawked with sparkles in her eyes at the three, but Ash spoke before she got the chance to.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, "We're heading to a battle with Misty."
"Like, how do you expect to get down there?" The blue-haired one, Violet, asked.
"Follow us, please," The blonde-haired one, Daisy, said with a wink, "We'll take you to your battle."
Ash and Serena suddenly found themselves forcefully shoved into a pitch-black room with the door quickly shutting behind them.
"Wha-hey!" Serena protested.
"Geez," Ash commented, "Where are we right now?"
The two let out a collective yelp as a loud, invisible voice reverberated throughout the dark room.
"Llllladiiiees and gentlemeeeeen! Welcome to the first ever Cerulean City Gym Battle Live! Never before has a Gym Battle been allowed to be viewed by the public here...UNTIL TODAY!"
Ash and Serena recoiled as bright lights appeared from overhead, blinding them momentarily due to the contrast in brightness. When they regained their vision, they jumped back as they saw a massive pool inches away from their feet. A roar shook their ears and threatened to deafen them from all sides. Desperately covering their ears, they looked around and let out a drowned-out gasp once they'd seen the source of the noise. Surrounding them from above, thousands of people sat in bleachers cheering their heads off.
"I didn't know this was gonna be a public thing!" Serena whisper-yelled to Ash, gazing upon the crowd with widened eyes.
"I didn't either," Ash protested, "But it doesn't really matter. Besides, you're gonna have to work with this stuff once you're a professional performer!"
Serena tried to soothe herself with a sigh, "I know, I know…"
"Hey!" A voice whispered to them.
Ash and Serena turned their attention to See Daisy holding a mic away from her head.
"You better be grateful about this! We had to cancel our back-to-back showing for this!"
Without giving the two time to respond, Daisy turned around, cleared her throat, and began speaking once more.
"Now, give a warm welcome to today's challengers…"
Daisy turned to the two with an apologetic smile, "Uhh, what are your names again?"
Ash and Serena nearly fell over in disbelief.
"Ash and Serena…" Serena muttered.
"Aaaash and Serenaaa!"
The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers once more.
"And on the opposite side, we have the Sensational Sister's Sensational Sister, Gym Leader Misty!"
Serena and Ash were practically blasted back by the cheers that followed.
"You ready for this?!" Misty demanded with a smirk, "Go, Corsola and Gyarados!"
A pink Pokemon with coral-like protrusions from its back appeared in the water, and the serpentine Gyarados appeared behind it with a bellowing roar. Out from the water, a bunch of small, white platforms rose.
"Say, Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner, "Still don't wanna fight Misty?"
With a smirk, Pikachu shook his head smugly and hopped off of Ash's shoulder to stand off to the side.
Ash simply chuckled at his partner's antics.
"Your loss, buddy. Guess I'll choose...Sceptile, then…Go, Sceptile!"
From his Pokeball, the cocky, green lizard appeared in a flash of white, standing tall and crossing his arms with his signature twig placed inside his mouth. Arrogantly, he threw a smirk in Gyarados's direction that earned a vicious roar in return
"So, who are you gonna chose, Serena?" Ash asked.
Serena looked over her four Pokeballs, contemplating her choice.
"Hmm…" She muttered to herself, "Braixen is weak to water, so that's a no-go. Pancham's eager for redemption, and Corsola is weak against fighting, but he'd have trouble on those platforms...I don't know how able Clefable is just yet...so I guess that leaves Sylveon!"
Out from her Pokeball came the ribbon-frilled, pink and white Eeveelution who stretched and shook her fur for a few moments before realizing there was a crowd in front of her. Swiftly, Sylveon winked at the audience and posed, earning a few "awwws" here and there.
"Umm," Serena started, "Hate to burst your bubble, Sylveon, but...this isn't a performance. This is a Gym Battle."
Sylveon blinked blankly, turning to see the giant Gyarados leering down at her. A shiver ran up her spine as she gazed into the beast's eyes, but she quickly turned her sights on the small Corsola and smirked at it confidently before getting into a crouching battle position.
"Begin!" Daisy ordered over the intercom.
"Leaf Blade!" Ash ordered.
Sceptile could barely be seen bending his knees ever so slightly before seemingly blurring from existence.
"What's this?" Daisy commentated, "Sceptile disappeared!"
Gyarados's eyes squinted as it noticed a green shimmer above its head, though it was stricken from above as it attempted to look upwards.
"Now from below!"
Gyarados didn't even get to impact the water as Sceptile blinked into existence once more on one of the white platforms and delivered a devastating uppercutting Leaf Blade to the leviathan's chin.
"Gyarados, snap out of it!" Misty cried out, "Dive under and use Hyper Beam!"
Gyarados used its upward momentum to flip backwards and dive underwater, kicking up a wave of water with its tail to obstruct Sceptile's view.
"Sceptile had the upper hand before," Daisy said, "But how will it fare against an opponent it can't see?"
"Just fine!" Ash cheered, "Sceptile, you've grown really strong while I was gone, so you got this, right?"
"Tile," Sceptile responded confidently with a nod.
The arrogant, but ever-cautious lizard snapped his gaze towards a dark splotch that appeared underneath the floating white platform that Sceptile was standing on. He let out a smirk and blinked out of sight once more just before a massive orange laser incinerated the platform.
Serena, meanwhile, wasn't having much luck. Sure, Sylveon could jump from platform to platform fairly easily to avoid Corsola's attacks, but the Coral Pokémon always managed to duck down into the water out of harm's way as well. So in short, the battle was going nowhere fast. That is, until a massive orange beam shot up and engulfed one of the other platforms, sending the pool into a frenzy of waves that knocked Sylveon off her platform and into the air.
"This is our chance!" Misty rallied, "Corsola, use Pin Missile!"
The coral on Corsola's back began glowing brightly and shot out a flurry of shimmering spikes towards the helpless Sylveon.
"Fairy Wind, quick!" Serena ordered.
Sylveon puffed up her chest and released a pinkish wind to deter the Pin Missiles, but the shape of the projectiles allowed the wind to glide off of them and Sylveon soon found itself pummeled by the exploding projectiles.
"Sylveon, no!" Cried Serena as she watched her Pokémon fall from the debris.
"Oh no!" Daisy cried, "It seems that one of the challengers might be down for the count already!"
"Now let's finish this!" Misty cheered, "Corsola, use Spike Cannon and Gyarados, change targets and use Hyper Beam on Sylveon!"
Ash smirked, "Not so fast! Sceptile, rescue Sylveon and show Misty here why you should never turn your back on you with a Solarbeam!"
Corsola's back glowed once more and a white ball soon appeared growing over the pink menace, but upon firing, Sceptile blipped in front of Corsola's target and batted away the ball with a Leaf Blade into the water below onto the unsuspecting Gyarados. Unfortunately, the explosion didn't deter Gyarados into releasing its own attack and another massive orange beam soon erupted from the pool in the direction of the two falling Pokémon. Sylveon tightly shut her eyes, expecting the worst when it felt itself stop falling suddenly. Upon opening her eyes, she let out a gasp as she found out that she was currently riding Sceptile's back as he pushed back the orange laser with a green one of his own.
"Nice job!" Serena complimented, "Now Sylveon, help out and use Moonblast!"
Sylveon nodded to her trainer and raised her head to charge a shimmering, pinkish-white ball in front of her mouth that sent the crowd into a state of awe at its beauty.
"Oh no you don't!" Misty intervened, "Corsola, stop that Moonblast with a Water Gun!"
The Coral Pokémon quickly shot a jet of water from its mouth towards the two floating Pokémon. In return, Sylveon spat the Moonblast at the jet of water instead of her original target to defend herself and Sceptile. As the two attacks collided, the water jet began glowing luminescently. Suddenly, the two attacks exploded, sending glittering droplets of water slowly raining down across the arena.
Unperturbed by the series of events, Sceptile continued pushing his opponent's attack back downward to the point that the water began splitting at the declining epicenter of the two beams. Gyarados desperately fired its attack with all of its power to push the Solarbeam back, but it was to no avail. The effects of Hyper Beam were taking their toll.
Misty watched these events unfold, pursing her lips.
"I'm impressed, Ash." Misty admitted, "You're not the same newbie trainer who barely knew what they were doing anymore."
"And you're not the same annoying little tomboy you used to be," Ash shot back with a smirk, "But this fight is over. Sceptile! Finish this!"
"Rrrraugh-TIIIIILE!" Roared Sceptile as he intensified the Solarbeam enough that it shot forward, slowing down in front of Gyarados's open maw but very much still trekking forward.
"Misty is being overpowered!" Announced Daisy, "Is this battle over already?!"
"You didn't let me finish!" Misty bellowed, "You're not the same newbie trainer you used to be anymore, but you're still leagues from surpassing me!"
Misty smirked and pulled out a necklace from inside her jacket. She placed it firmly around her neck and revealed to her opponents what was attached to the necklace, causing them to gasp in shock. At the bottom of the necklace lied a golden casing that held a rainbow-colored stone. Upon tapping the stone with her finger, a bright light blinded everyone in the stadium from below the pool save a smirking Misty, blinding Sceptile into cutting off the Solarbeam and Sylveon into hiding behind Sceptile to shield her eyesight.
"What is this light?!" Daisy spoke, "Does Misty have a trump card after all?!"
Out from the water, a colossal beast erupted forth amidst a pillar of water. Gyarados had changed form, now looking immensely bulkier on its back. Massive fins protruded from the beast's back and smaller ones did the same towards the edge of the tail from the top and bottom respectively. Red dots decorated the sides of Gyarados and its underside had turned a deep black.
"Meet Mega Gyarados," Misty said with an excited smirk.
Ash's jaw dropped, "You have a Mega Stone?!"
"How'd you get one of those?!" Serena demanded with widened eyes.
Misty chuckled, "I'm sure you remember, Ash, that the whole reason I took over the Gym was because my sisters won a trip around the world, and that trip led them to the Kalos Region. The three were visiting an aquarium of some sort, and noticed two beautiful stones on display. When they asked if they could buy it, the attendant at the time laughed at them and told them that unless they had a Gyarados, they wouldn't find much use out of it, and that it cost a fortune anyways."
Misty sent a judging look over to her commentating sister, earning an embarrassed wave back.
"Of course, they bought it anyways, only to remember that I was the only one of us four that could control our Gyarados, so they ended up just sending it to me, and the rest is history."
Serena sent a nervous look to Ash, "What are our chances?"
Ash gave her a reassuring smile, "I'd say still pretty good."
Misty gave a mocking laugh at Ash.
"Hah!" She mocked, "Don't get overconfident, Ash!"
Ash chuckled at her, "Mega Gyarados is a Water and Dark-Type, Misty. You've just made it so it's now weak against both Sceptile and Sylveon."
"Oh wow!" Daisy announced, "It seems that Misty's trump card has backfired!"
Misty growled and her face reddened.
"Whatever!" She cried, "You of all people should know that type advantage isn't everything, Ash! Gyarados, use Dark Pulse!"
"Sylveon," Serena shouted desperately, "Use Moonblast before it has the chance!"
Quickly thinking, the Eeveelution spat a quick Moonblast in Gyarados's direction, impacting it in the side of its head and creating a cloud of smoke from the explosion. A dark beam of rapidly spiraling dark energy shot out from the smoke immediately afterward, catching Sylveon and sending her flying into a nearby wall.
"Sylveon, no!" Serena cried.
"OOOOOH!" Winced Daisy, "That's an attack Sylveon won't soon be forgetting! Perhaps Misty was right in saying that type advantages aren't everything after all!"
"Sceptile, help Sylveon!" Ash ordered.
With a nod, Sceptile blinked from sight and reappeared falling out of the dust cloud that had resulted from Sylveon's wall impact with said Eeveelution in his arms. He offered her to Serena as she ran over to them, getting a nodding thanks.
"Sylveon, are you alright?!"
Sylveon slowly opened her clenched eyes, staring into her trainer's. She gave a weak smirk before forcing herself out of Serena's grasp and ran back to the pool. Sceptile soon jumped and landed next to her, giving her an approving smirk and placing a twig in his mouth. Sylveon returned the smirk and sent a glare at Gyarados and Corsola, sending out her version of a war cry that earned a roaring cheer from the crowd.
"Unbelievable!" Daisy cried over the intercom, "Sylveon shrugged off that devastating attack and has re-entered the battle! What a magnificent Pokemon!"
The crowd roared once more.
"All right!" Cheered Serena as she ran back over to the battlefield herself, "Sylveon, let's show 'em who's boss! Ash, you take Corsola, I'll take on Gyarados while you're busy with that."
Ash raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further.
"All right, Sceptile, you heard her!"
Sceptile gave his trainer an odd look, to which Ash simply shrugged. Rolling his eyes and letting out a sigh, Sceptile blurred to one of the few remaining platforms and stared down upon Corsola darkly, giving it a paralyzing glare.
Misty raised an eyebrow, "Not sure why you'd fight the stronger of the two, but I can respect your bravery. I'll reward that bravery by not holding back! Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!"
"I'm looking forward to it, Misty!" Serena shot back with a grin, "Sylveon, Dazzling Gleam!"
As the water beast reared back its mighty head to prepare itself to launch the Hydro Pump, Sylveon took the initiative and blinded everyone in the stadium by releasing a searingly bright white. Those in the audience were forced to turn away and duck after they'd soon found out that shutting their eyes did nothing to dim the bright lights. Gyarados, however, was much less lucky than the audience due to being directly in the Eeveelution's face. It screeched in agony as its eyes were assaulted in a way that it felt like it were forcibly staring into the very sun.
"Aaaugh!" Daisy shouted, "What is this light?! Some kind of trump card of the opposing team as well?!"
"Gah!" Misty cried, ducking downward to try and avert the blazing-white wall of light in front of her, "What is that?!"
"Charge Moonblast, now!"
The light began receding into its source, letting some of the audience members regain their vision once more. Though, Gyarados did not end up as fortuitous. The Atrocious Pokemon flailed wildly, kicking up waves and roaring madly. It shot off a Hydro Pump randomly, nearly impacting someone in the audience until a Starmie flew in its path and projected a Light Screen to destroy the attack before it could do any damage.
Misty slowly opened her eyes as she noticed the light dimming. She'd been hearing Gyarados rampaging, but there wasn't much she could do with that light there.
"Gyarados!" She cried, "You have to control yourself! Look, the light's dimming!"
Under normal circumstances, a Gyarados this powerful wouldn't even bother acknowledging this speech. However, this was no ordinary Gyarados. This one knew better than to let its instincts blind it, at least not for long. Slowing its thrashing to a stop, the beast listened intently to its trainer, though it could not yet open its eyes for the fact that it was in the direct vicinity of Dazzling Gleam.
"There you go, Gyarados!" Misty Cheered, "Now Corsola, hop on top of Gyarados and use Recover! Let's get those eyes patched up!"
"Intercept it with Leaf Blade!" Ash intervened.
Corsola dove underwater and swam towards its hulking partner, aiming to share its Recovery with the beast, but it was not meant to be, As soon as the Coral Pokemon resurfaced, it was struck back down into the water by a swift, quadrouply supereffective strike. It bounced roughly on the bottom of the pool before slowly rising back to the surface, its eyes swirly.
"Corsola, no!" Misty cried out.
"Oh no!" Daisy cried out as Misty recalled her fallen Pokemon, "One of Gym Leader Misty's Pokemon has fallen! Will she be able to pull a win back with her one remaining Pokemon, or is this one Badge loss this Gym Leader won't soon be forgetting?!"
Apparently so, as the light finally simmered down to reveal one massive ball of light hovering above Sylveon's open mouth. The giant ball loomed over Misty and Gyarados menacingly, etching their shadows behind them.
"Now, fire!" Serena said ecstatically.
"No!" Screamed Misty, "Gyarados, it's time to reveal our true power!"
Her look of fear turned to one of menace.
"Ash, Serena. You have proven much more capable than I originally thought, but I haven't been sitting idly all this time! This next attack is a trick Gyarados and I have been practicing for months now, but we've only ever succeeded in using it while Gyarados here has been in Mega form. Gyarados, use Hydro Beam!"
"Hydro what?!" Ash cried with widened eyes.
"Sylveon, you have to fire now!" Serena urged desperately, "That attack sounds dangerous!"
Gyarados, despite being blind, could very well still see Sylveon's giant Moonblast from behind its eyelids and with a mighty roar, its gaping maws opened to reveal an orange ball forming in its mouth surrounded by intensely swirling jets of water. Sylveon and Gyarados shot their awe-inspiring attacks towards each other, forcing the water underneath rocketing downwards and shooting out from the sides of the pool, though it was frighteningly apparent who was winning this struggle. Almost immediately upon impact, the giant Moonblast was sent rocketing towards its sender, making the terrified Eevelution widen its eyes as it stared into seemingly certain doom.
"Sceptile, Solarbeam the Moonblast and push it back towards Gyarados!"
Sceptile rushed in front of Sylveon and fired a green glowing beam out of his mouth, stopping the two colliding attacks in their tracks with Moonblast trapped in the middle.
"What?!" Demanded Misty, "How are you actually holding that attack back?!"
Ash chuckled, "I'll let you in on a little secret, Misty, since you're my friend and all. This Sceptile took down a Darkrai once. It'll take more than that to bring this one down! Sceptile, full power!"
"TIIIIIIILLLEEEEE!" Bellowed Sceptile. Following that roar, the Solarbeam's size increased dramatically and Gyarados's vision flashed back to not too long ago when it was pinned down from above with that same attack. Enraged, the Atrocious Pokemon bellowed so mightily that the Gym itself seemingly shook, and the Hydro Beam attack soon matched its opposing Solarbeam with the Moonblast firmly pinned in the center of the pool once more.
"You never won against me before, Ash!" Misty shouted, "And I'll make sure you don't win this time either! THROW EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT AT 'EM, GYARADOS!"
Ash smirked, "We both know who would've won if we got to finish, Misty. SCEPTILE, GIVE 'EM YOUR FULL POWER!"
The entire building began to shake as the two powerful attacks increased in size once more, now almost dwarfing the Moonblast. Many Staryu and Starmie began flying towards the scene and surrounded the pool with Light Screens, creating a transparent dome in order to protect the audience from potential harm if the two attacks exploded.
"Please stay calm!" Daisy shouted to the audience, "This battle is perfectly under control!"
Her shaky voice seemed to be a giveaway of her worry, and as a result some of the watchers began evacuating the shaking building,trying not to fall on their way out.
"Don't leave just yet!" Serena shouted with a grin, "This show's still going, and you're about to miss the main act! Sylveon, use Moonblast once more!"
Another, smaller ball of gleaming white impacted Mega Gyarados in the side of its head. Through the smoke, Gyarados glared at Sylveon who was currently standing on the only remaining platform in the pool, smirking irritatingly at the Atrocious Pokemon. She motioned her eyes to the left of Gyarados, making it look back in horror as it realised it had ceased fire in its distraction. Though luckily for it, and everyone else in the building, Sceptile had ceased fire as well.
"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade on the Moonblast!" Ash ordered.
Sceptile shot forward and slashed at the giant ball of white, sending it flying towards Gyarados.
"Gyarados, dodge it!" Pleaded Misty.
Gyarados's fatigue hit it like a truck and it found itself completely immobilized as it tried to dive. The giant Mooblast slammed into Gyarados's face, making its head reel backwards.
"Now, Leaf Blade from above!"
"TIIIIIIIILE!" Bellowed Sceptile as he appeared over Gyarados and the Moonblast. With the world slowing to a hault and the Moonblast positioned perfectly above Gyarados, Sceptile rocketed downward like a meteor, leaving an afterimage of a green streak behind him as he shot down with his arm outstretched like a meteor as he impacted the white ball, sending both the Pokemon into the bottom of the pool. The ball crumpled and bent like putty above Gyarados and began glowing dangerously.
"Solarbeam out of there!" Ash ordered.
Sceptile sent one last smirk towards his adversary and spat his twig into its exposed face below before releasing a familiar green beam from his mouth, impacting the Moonblast and trapping Gyarados in its place as Sceptile was pushed out of the water by the attack. He looked down at the water below for his comrade and was pleasantly surprised to find that Sylveon had already evacuated back onto land. Smirking, he followed suit and blurred his way over back to his comrades to stare at the inevitable explosion together.
"Gyarados, no!" Misty cried out helplessly as the pool was engulfed in white and a pillar of light rocketed up from it, tearing through the roof of the giant gym like it was tissue paper. The protective barrier created by the Starmies and Staryu was blasted to smithereens, sending its creators flying backward before they scurried off in a panic. The people of Cerulean stared in awe at the massive beacon that suddenly erupted from the Gym and the audience sat mesmerized by its destructive beauty. When the light dimmed down, Misty opened her eyes and gazed upon her unconscious partner at the bottom of the empty pool, its Mega form gone.
The entire crowd sat silent with baited breath. Not one person in the audience dared move a muscle. They sat completely still, unmoving from their awe at the scene that had just taken place before them. Finally, someone dared to slowly clap. Then the others began slowly but surely began joining in. Ash and Serena let out exhausted smiles as the whole stadium began clapping, whistling and hooting.
"Well it seems our winners are clear!" Daisy announced, "The challengers, Ash and Serena, have defeated Gym Leader Misty!"
Misty returned her Gyarados to its Pokeball, her face darkened by the spotlights overhead.
"Ash...Serena…" She said. She raised her head, ridding her face of the shadows. She gave the two trainers a jubilant grin.
"You two...you truly are great trainers."
With that, Misty turned to walk back out of the door behind her. Before she disappeared into shadow, Misty turned around once more to face the trainers.
"By the way, Serena...you're a good kid. Take care of Ash for me."
"Don't worry," Serena shouted back, "You can count on me!"
Waving a final wave towards the two and, to a lesser extent, the audience, Misty disappeared out of sight.
"What'd she mean by that?" Ash asked obliviously, only getting a light giggle from Serena which only served to make him more confused.
Daisy floated unsteadily towards the victors whilst riding one of the Starmie from earlier, holding out two shiny blue badges.
"And to the victor go the spoils, folks!" Daisy announced to the still roaring crowd, "Here are the Cascadebadges, you two!"
Serena and Ash grinned ecstatically as Daisy held out the two Badges.
"Alright!" The two proclaimed in sync, holding their hard-earned prizes out for all to see, "We got...THE CASCADEBADGE!"
"VEOOON!" Sylveon cried, bouncing around and doing dramatic poses for the audience
"Tile," Sceptile said simply, ripping a hair off his tail to use as a makeshift twig and putting it in his mouth with his usual smirk.
The two trainers stood over a hilltop, overlooking Cerulean City with bright smiles on their faces. Even after that fight, pushing their way through the crowds cheering for them outside of the Gym, and searching for Misty to no avail, there still was plenty of time left in the day, to which Ash hastily decided to use that time for getting to the next Gym as quickly as possible, much to Serena's short-lived annoyance. Though now, the two stood proud over their accomplishment with smiles plastered on their faces. Pikachu hopped upon his trainer's shoulders to overlook the town once more. With that, the trio turned around to continue their journey.
Hall of Origins
Arceus sat silently within the Hall of Origins, meditating and blissfully unaware of the outside world when the Lord of the Skies, Rayquaza bolted into the large room through his respective green portal above his pedestal. Arceus gaped at the grisly sight before him. Rayquaza carried in his talons the three Elemental Birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres while on his back, he lugged the Beast of the Seas, Lugia. Arceus seethed with rage as he gazed upon their horrid condition. The Legends before him, save Rayquaza, were all battered and beaten to the point they were hardly recognizable; gashes, bruises and scars covering their bodies.
"Lord Arceus!" Rayquaza greeted with a bow, lowering the unconscious Legendaries, "We need Xerneas! They will not last much longer!"
Arceus nodded, daring not to ask questions that would prolong the Legends' suffering.
"Xerneas!" Arceus summoned, ushering in the azure Life-holding deer.
Out from above another pedestal, the blank, portal behind it shone blue and Xerneas, affectionately nicknamed the Life-Giver by those who met her, walked through the portal with her head held high.
"Milord?" Xerneas inquired with a bow.
Arceus motioned his gaze towards Rayquaza, "Lugia and the three elemental birds appear to be gravely injured. I would ask that you restore them."
Xerneas nodded, "All at once? I shall do it, but it will take longer-"
"Time is of no value so long as they live, Xerneas."
"I understand." Xerneas replied with a bow. She made her way towards the dying Legendaries, to which Rayquaza backed away to allow the Life-giving Legendary space to work her magic
Xerneas closed her eyes and took a long, sharp intake of air, "...Geomancy…"
The Pokémon of Life glowed a brilliant white hue, somehow illuminating the already white Hall even further. This light began spreading around the Legendary, slowly encompassing the four wounded Legends around her. Apparent blue streaks snaked their way from Xerneas's brilliant, multicolored horns and implanted themselves into the fallen Legendaries' backs. The light flashed brightly for but a split second before disappearing entirely, taking the blue streaks with it.
Xerneas let out a sigh, "Milord, it is done. I have planted the seed of their recovery. It is good that you brought them here as quickly as you did, otherwise they would not have made it. Though, these seeds will take many months to take full effect and restore them to their fullest state. Do take care to make sure they don't end up in any fights in that time, otherwise the seed may lose its effect."
The Alpha Pokemon nodded, "I thank you, Xerneas. I will make sure they do not enter such a situation again."
"So, Milord, may I be dismissed?" Asked Xerneas with a bow.
"Not yet," Stated Arceus, "While you still remain here, there is something you might as well hear."
Arceus turned his attention on Rayquaza, "You brought these four here. Do you know what happened to them?"
"I am not sure, Milord," Rayquaza said with a scowl, glaring into the floor, "But as much as I hate to say it, I believe it was-"
"I-it...was...N-Nec-crozma…" A choked voice wailed.
The three whipped their sights around onto the fallen Legendaries to their side. They watched as Lugia struggled to lift itself from the floor, shuddering violently. Arceus took it upon himself to ease Lugia's suffering by encasing him a light golden hue and lifting the Beast of the Sea off of the ground.
"Do not push yourself," Arceus said gently, "Xerneas, might I ask for some additional energy."
"I...am fine…" Lugia persisted.
"You are far from fine, Lugia. You and the birds are all on Yveltal's doorstep!"
"I m-must...t-tell you…" Lugia wheezed, "N-Necrozma...he's...h-here!"
Lugia managed to give Rayquaza a glare.
"R-Rayquaza...f-failed!"
"What?!" Rayquaza bellowed, "You ungrateful- I saved you!"
"Y-you let Necrozma t-through...he destroyed everything! Because o-of you...T-The Orange Islands...T-The Elemental I-Islands...t-they're g-gone!"
Rayquaza growled furiously at the Beast of the Sea.
"You and the birds still lost to that thing! It is because of your own failure that your homeland is gone, you cretin!"
If Lugia could have managed it, he would have fired upon Rayquaza then and there.
"You...y-you…! If you h-had done y-your job, I w-would not...I would not have need of defending my home! You...you have no idea...how powerful that t-thing is! I n-never stood a c-chance! Look at m-my back!"
Rayquaza raised an eyebrow but obeyed and nearly let out a gasp when he saw that one of Lugia's frills were missing.
"B-because of your f-failure...I may never...fly correctly ag-gain.."
"Never fly right again?!" Rayquaza demanded, "Fool, do you not realise whose energy is coursing through your veins?! After I spent hours lugging you four around into the ozone layer where my own portal lied, Xerneas saved your lives! With her energy, you will likely fly again in but a few months!"
"Incorrect," Xerneas stated, "My powers heal wounds, but I cannot regenerate limbs. I apologize, Lugia."
"I-It is no fault of y-yours, Lady Xerneas," Lugia rasped, "O-only...his…"
Rayquaza's patience snapped, "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU, LUGIA! I HELP SAVE YOUR LIFE AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!"
"YOU HAVE SAVED NOTHING!" Lugia managed to bellow, "YOUR LACK OF ACTIONS HAS CAUSED ME MY PRIDE, MY PROPER FLIGHT, AND MY HOMELAND!"
The two sent death glares at each other as they readied Hyper Beams to eradicate each other from the face of the planet, though the Lord of Pokemon had other ideas. With the stamp of his mighty hoof, a golden pulse rocketed throughout the room, making a great pressure overcome the two arguing Legendaries that forced them into the ground.
"That is enough! Arceus bellowed, "I will not tolerate this meaningless fighting in my midst! Lugia, there is no need for hostilities against Rayquaza! Especially not in your condition! Rayquaza, Lugia does bring up the point that you failed my orders and let Necrozma slip through your grasp. What say you?"
"Milord," Rayquaza struggled, "I apologize...for my failure...I did not see nor sense anything, I swear it! It was not until...I felt a great shockwave... that I decided to investigate, and by the time...I'd found the source, these four were...already in critical condition."
Arceus let out a deep sigh in thought, "Very well… I shall pardon your failure this once, but I expect better from you in the future."
Rayquaza bowed, taking it upon himself to make his way towards the portal from which he came, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Milord…"
"WHAT?!" Demanded Lugia, "You're letting him go?! You aren't punishing him for his failure?! Father he cost me everything!"
"Necrozma cost you everything, not him," Arceus stated, "Lugia, I am disappointed in you. Normally you are one of, if not the most composed legend here. Yet here you are, blaming your grievances on others."
"MY grievances?!" Lugia demanded, "If Rayquaza had been there, he would have-"
"Been ruthlessly slaughtered by Necrozma."
"...Well, he could have-"
"Been completely eradicated in an attempt to fulfill his duty."
Lugia was at a loss for words to continue the argument.
"But...he-"
"Would have died a valiant hero's death trying to protect you and the Elemental Birds. You know that, Lugia, and this is exactly why I am disappointed in you. I do not care that you lost to Necrozma. Everyone makes mistakes, no matter how horrible or miniscule."
The Sea Guardian's eyes widened as if he'd just been struck. "You don't care?! Do you not care for me and the birds, or our homes?! What of the other denizens of the Orange Islands?! Do you not care for them?!" His eyes glossed over, becoming bloodshot from his anger. "This is more than a mistake, damn you!" Lugia bellowed, "My home is destroyed, Necrozma is running rampant, and the one responsible for it is getting off without more than a meager slap on the wrist!"
Arceus stared sadly into the eyes of the berserking Legend at his feet; Lugia's eyes diluting with hate. "Lugia…"
"You are a coward, Father! No...Arceus! Why, pray tell, have YOU not gone out to personally stop Necrozma yet?! No, all you do is sit on your little perch watching as your CHILDREN DIE BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES!"
Arceus sighed, "It saddens me to see you like this, Lugia my child, it truly does...but I cannot let you continue. You are being irrational. Logic and reason are seemingly flying over your head, and I refuse to speak with you further until you have come to your senses."
"I WILL NOT BE SILENCED!" Lugia bellowed, frenzied, "I WILL NOT BE APPEASED UNTIL NECROZMA IS DEAD! UNTIL RAYQUAZA IS PUNISHED! UNTIL MY HOMELAND RETURNS!"
The berserked Sea Guardian, in spite of his wounds, started pushing himself off of the ground with his wings. "AND IF YOU WON'T DO IT, I WILL! I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS! I'LL MAKE HIM PA-"
Arceus's will nearly shattered at the way Lugia wailed, but his stance remained.
"I AM SORRY, MY SON."
Lugia let out a cut-off, choked scream before its eyes went wide and the Beast of the Sea fell unconscious once more.
"I PROMISE...I WILL MAKE THIS UP TO YOU…"
AN
Creator- GEEEEEEEEZ, that took forever to write. I might be able to release one or two more chapters before Summer Break...maaaaaaaaybe….but during Summer Break, you can expect MANY chapters….if I can worm my way outta Summer School. Stupid Math…
Hydra- Well… that was interesting wouldn't you agree. I hope you loved this chapter. It sucks because we already have this whole story planned out and I'm just itching to get further into it because everything that is happening now is NOTHING compared to what's coming.
Creator- Onto the reviews!
TeamPiperM
"They also put him in the Unova region with the whole Team Plasma thing, but who wants to remember Best Wishes? I still can't believe that Gen 5, my favorite Generation, got the shaft when it came to the anime. Even Ash vs. Roxie, my favorite battle in the series, cannot save it from being the worst. I mean, I like Best Wishes a little, but they could've done SO MUCH BETTER."
Creator- Absolutely. At least SM is funny, the BW anime as a whole was trash compared to their glorious game counterparts. Massive step back from Sinnoh.
Hydra- So much good ideas that was either ignored or poorly executed in the anime.
Guest1
"Necrozma is not an ultra beast. It is clearly stated as being a separate entity from them. If you played the game, or even looked into what it was then maybe I could take this seriously, but that is one giant mistake to make. Other then that, great story."
Creator- I am well aware Necrozma is not an Ultra Beast in the games. But here, it is a massive plotpoint as to why he's referred to an Ultra Beast rather than a Legendary, but I'm not gonna spoil it ;)
Hydra- He basically summed up what I was going to say.
Armorshippingfan
"Good chapter I can't believe that guy killed poor Looker and I felt so sorry for lugia losing one his scales to an Ultra Breast like that and i liked how ash and Serena sent team rocket away and how Serena got a new Pokemon and I wonder what that dream Ash had was about and I think his aura is waking up"
Creator - "An Ultra Breast" That made me laugh a lot, thanks XD.
Hydra- I'm happy you liked it, I'm sorry about Looker. :(
Johnny Spectre
"actually, it's wouldn't be TOO difficult for adding Marshadow. After all, Ash does seem to have uncanny luck when it comes to surviving so many fiascos. and that could also be why he's gotten through meeting so many legendaries unscathed... the Tears of Life from the First Movie and him being "stoned", that could be when Marshadow possibly "bonded" with the Ash's shadow, potentially fighting off the unseen threats of death against the "Chosen One".
Creator- Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe dunno tho
Hydra- ;)
Guest2
"This story is amazing and I love that now I have some Pokémon based that I can read in my free time and I'm definitely going to stay updated. I look forward to reading this to the end. Also p.s. AshxSerena was really cute
Creator- Glad you liked it! There's PLENTY more where that came from.
Hydra- thank you so much for that kind review it really got my hopes up that this story can be a huge success and entertainment to people.
Creator- well, that's all for now, folks, it's a bit of a bumpy ride for now, but once school ends, hopefully we'll be able to tear through this Fic over the summer.
Hydra- Thank you to anyone who view's this story and a special thank you to our kind reviewers who go out of their way to tell us what they think of the story. I hope you guys continue on this adventure with us and that we can bring you some entertainment and joy, thank you and have a nice week. P.S we already started working on the next chapter.