Pokextinction

by THE CREATOR and Hydra

The world is on the verge of collapse when a man who despises Pokemon with a burning passion and the ruthless rampaging Necrozma threaten world destruction. With tensions rising between every single Legendary Pokemon, even Arceus and Mew won't be able to stop the coming fire... And when all hope is lost, the world will turn to Ash.

8. Chapter 8: Grief

Hall of Origin

The Hall was nearly pitch black. Though, that blackness did not last long as two red eyes snapped open, coating the Hall of Origin in a bright white hue and revealing countless elevated pedestals. Each elevated white pedestal stood empty, save for the usual one that held the Alpha Pokémon, Arceus. The Lord of all Pokémon stood proudly as always, scanning each one of the pedestals that would soon hold their respective Legendary Pokémon. Finally, Arceus closed his eyes and let out an echoing sigh. A storm of metaphorical defecation would soon befall him once the Legends appeared, surely, but this was something that needed to be done. Quickly, at that.

The Alpha raised his mighty hoof and slammed it into the golden-white hued pedestal of his, sending a golden shockwave in all directions like a single ripple of water. As the ripple made contact with each pedestal, their respective Legendaries appeared from a portal hued to match that Legend's color. Rayquaza in particular had a deep frown plastered on his face; for he knew exactly why this meeting was taking place. He turned his gaze to Xerneas to see her reaction, but her poker face remained stalwart as ever. He was surprised to see Giratina even attending after the incident with Mew.

"Might I have thine attention?" Boomed Arceus.

"Umm, Milord?" Jirachi tentatively asked, wiping her tired eyes to adjust them to the brightness of the Hall. Her egg was much darker than this, "Lugia and the Elemental Birds have yet to appear. Shall we wait for their arrival?"

Arceus let out another loud sigh, "...That is exactly why I have called you here today."

With another stamp of Arceus's hoof., four ethereal golden orbs appeared. Inside those orbs lied the Three Elemental Birds and Lugia, unconscious and brutally injured. Rayquaza winced as he recalled his failure amidst the countless horrified gasps and screams of the other Legends. Even Giratina appeared perturbed at the sight of the battered Legends. The scowl plastered on Lugia's unconscious face did not go unnoticed by the Renegade Pokemon. That face...felt eerily familiar, but for the life of him, Giratina could not place his tendril on it…

"What...what happened to them?!" Mew demanded furiously. The other Legends winced and shrank away as far as they could manage without leaving their pedestals, save Arceus of course. Giratina did his best to do the same as his father, but his wings seemingly had a mind of their own and he, too, shrunk away from Mew.

"What happened to them?!"

If Arceus had a mouth, he would have scowled at the memory, "Necrozma happened."

Another wave of panicked gasping rocked the Hall and the smaller Legends began chittering away in panic while the larger Legends either scowled or did their best to look indifferent. Rayquaza gritted his teeth and winced. It was only a matter of time, now. Deoxys's DNA-like tendrils merged to become two large arms with their fists tightly clenched.

"He's...already here?! Was Rayquaza not keeping watch?!"

And THERE it is.

"THAT NECROZMA, I'LL KILL HIM! I SWEAR IT!"

"Calm yourselves!" Arceus bellowed, stamping his hoof down.

Giratina took note of the fact that Mew, too, took heed of Arceus's order. He hadn't ever seen the two even come close to blows before, so the Renegade never got the chance to see who was truly in charge.

"Deoxys, you are correct. Rayquaza did fail his mission..."

Deoxys sent Rayquaza a death glare, making the Sky High Pokemon flinch. If this were any other circumstance, the glare would have been met with one of equal contempt, but Rayquaza was not so much of a fool as to deny his wrongdoings. After all, the conditions of the Birds and Lugia were his fault.

"However, it is not his fault."

Wait, what?

Arceus nodded, "From what Lugia told me before he…fell unconscious, Necrozma was toying with him and the birds the entire time. It is unlikely that Rayquaza being there would have any impact."

Arceus turned his gaze to Rayquaza swiftly, "No offense to you."

"N-None take, Milord," Rayquaza replied with a bow.

"He was never there?!" Deoxys demanded, "He never even saw Necrozma?! YOU LET HIM JUST SLIP BY?!"

"I…" Rayquaza said, struggling to find words and bowing his head in shame, "I...I have no excuse. This is my ultimate failure of my duty…"

Deoxys was about to retaliate to an attack that wasn't there when Arceus held up his heel, ordering silence wordlessly.

"Deoxys, I know you are angered. Lugia felt the same way after I had decided not to punish Rayquaza for his, and I am sure you feel similarly now that you have heard it as well. However, you did not sense Necrozma when he touched down either, correct?"

Deoxys lowered his enraged glare, "W-well I-"

"And unlike Rayquaza, you have actually seen Necrozma with your own eyes."

Deoxys caught on quickly and hung his head similarly to Rayquaza, "...You...you are right. I have no right to be angry at anyone. I have only myself to blame for this, but I will ma-"

"SILENCE," Boomed Arceus, albeit in a scolding tone more than an angry one, "NOBODY IS TO BLAME."

"What?" Deoxys asked, "How can you say that?!"

"He's right!" Agreed Rayquaza, "We let something onto our planet with enough power to destroy it!"

Arceus shook his head and chuckled, "Don't you think that I would have eradicated Necrozma already if his energy was that easy to sense?"

Giratina let out a booming laugh, earning an annoyed glare from Mew and a tired sigh from Arceus.

"Getting rusty, are you?"

"Getting close to banishment to a plane of pure blackness, are you?"

Mew let out a small chuckle, earning a scowl and much-appreciated silence from Giratina.

"Though you do have a point. I have done very little to aid in stopping Necrozma. That changes today. I am sure you are all aware of the fate that befell the Orange Islands. That too was Necrozma. Though I am incapable of tracking that monster down I am entirely capable of undoing his damage."

Xerneas finally piped up, "Milord, I mean no disrespect, but how are you planning on recovering an entire sub-region? Not even you have that power, at least not anymore."

Arceus gave the Pokemon of Life an eye-smile.

"That is where you are wrong, Xerneas. The jewel of life is entirely capable of reviving such an amount of land."

A collective gasp rang throughout the Hall.

"The Jewel of Life?! Again?!"

"HAS HE GONE MAD?!"

Arceus stamped his foot once more, silencing the Hall.

"I am well aware of what happened the last time I used it, but I cannot blame the entirety of the human race on one single individual. After all, it was humans who ended up rescuing me. You can all say the same, right? That boy, Ash Ketchum, saves us all on a number of occasions."

Giratina chuckled, "Ah, yes. Ash Ketchum: the one human I don't despise with every fiber of my being. As much as I like that kid, did you not just say you could not blame the entirety of the human race's actions on a single individual?"

"Giratina, you would be wise not to speak for the duration of the meeting of the hall."

---

Ash and Serena stood proudly on a hill overlooking the beachy shores of Vermillion City. Pikachu stood atop his usual place upon Ash's shoulder. The ocean breeze flowed through their hair, earning bright grins from the trio.

"So, this is Vermillion City," Serena stated, "Wow, it's beautiful!"

Ash nodded, "Mm-hmm! And there's more where that came from! Hey, Pikachu! How about we pay our good friend Surge a visit?"

"Pi!" Pikachu cried in agreement. He grinned in anticipation for the chance to pay that smug Raichu of Surge's a second time.

"Surge?" Serena asked, "You mean the Gym Leader, Lieutenant Surge? You were telling me about him back in the forest, but we were interrupted by that creepy circus tent!"

Ash shrugged, "The only Pokemon he used against me was his Raichu. I honestly have no idea what else he could possibly use."

Serena put a finger to her chin in thought, "A Raichu? So, we can at least assume he'll be restricted to Electric Types...but I don't think I have anything to combat those…"

"Well, you could try to give Clefable a shot," Ash offered, "Those things can really take a punch!"

Serena snapped her fingers, "That's right!"

Serena began fumbling throughout her bag, shuffling around until she popped out Clefable's Pokeball.

"Alright, Clefable, I choose you!"

Serena tossed the Pokeball skyward and the pudgy, pink Fairy-Type Clefable appeared in a flash of white. Upon release, she grinned and pointed her fingers outward in a "V" shape.

"Fay! Fable!"

"Say, Clefable, how do you feel taking on a Gym?"

Serena's response from her Pokemon was another grin.

"Fable!" The Fairy-Type cheered.

"Looks like that settles that," Ash stated with a grin of his own, "Now, how about we head down there and flatten this Gym, eh?"

"Let's go for it!"

"Pi-Pika!"

"Fay!"

---

A loud rumble echoed as the two trainers raced down the hillside, making Ash nearly trip.

"Whoa!" Serena exclaimed, "What was that?!"

The rumble echoed once more, and Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"I think that's me, Serena. I haven't eaten since Cerulean City!"

Serena facepalmed, "Figures. I suppose we'll have to stop by a restaurant before our Gym fight, then."

A light grumble emanated from Serena's chest shortly afterward, making the young trainer's face turn pink. Pikachu and Clefable giggled at her expense.

"Hehe," Ash chuckled, "Looks like the both of us could use that restaurant detour."

As the two of them made their way down the hillside, the beach and ocean came closer and closer. At one point, a rogue wave splashed against the hillside and soaked Serena to the brim, earning a laugh from Ash. Serena gave him a dark look and began chasing him, threatening to get him soaked as well. Though Clefable was having immense fun at the two trainers' expenses, she soon found herself attempting to catch back up with them, to great impediment due to her short legs and chubby stature.

Finally, their chase led to a sand-coated road sitting next to a vast beach. Far off to the side, many docks were stationed with countless ships constantly docking and deploying out into the open seas. In particular, one massive-looking ship was stationed next to an equally massive pier. It had the "S.S. Annabelle" painted red on the side of it. But this all was somehow unnoticed by Ash and Serena amidst their extreme game of tag. What did go noticed by Ash, however, was a large, arced sign that said "VERMILLION CITY" titled brightly on it.

Serena grinned menacingly as she watched Ash suddenly stop in his tracks to read a sign and took the initiative. She lept into the air, aiming to to tackle him into the ground when Ash suddenly turned out of the way to get a better look at what he was reading. Serena's smirk was immediately wiped off of her face in favor of one of regret as she plummeted into the ground flat on her face with a thud. Clefable huffed heavily, furiously attempting to regain her breath as she did her best to sprint towards the two trainers, only to end up tripping and rolling flat onto her face next to Serena.

"Vermillion City," Ash stated, unaware of the situation behind him.

"Pi, Pika-pi."

"Hey Serena!" Ash called, "We're at Vermi-"

It was then Ash saw Serena collapsed on the road, facedown. Clefable was in a similar situation.

"Serena, what are you doing? Isn't it hot down there?"

Serena slowly raised her head and got to her knees, giving Ash a disgruntled look. Her face was completely red due to being in contact with the heated asphalt for so long.

"Dunno, you tell me."

"Faaaay…" Clefable moaned, getting back onto her stubby feet dizzily. She too, had her face painted red. If Ash didn't know any better, he would have provoked them further. Pikachu gave his trainer a look saying not to go any further.

"Alright you two," Ash said with a chuckle, "C'mon, we're close to our destination! We're already at Vermillion!"

At hearing that, Serena discarded her petty anger and hopped to her feet.

"Oh, good! I've been wanting to do some sightseeing, but we hadn't really had the chance."

A rumble of their stomachs interrupted Serena's train of thought, making the two of them giggle.

"I think we should worry about food first," Ash said with a chuckle.

Serena put a hand to her empty stomach, "Can't argue with that!"

---

As the two trainers walked throughout the streets, Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and landed next to Clefable who was trailing behind. Pikachu took this time to strike up a conversation with Serena's newest addition since he hadn't had the chance beforehand.

"Excuse me," Ash said, tapping the shoulder of a random bystander, "Do you know any restaurants around here?"

The bystander turned out to be another kid. He had a blue cap on that was turned backwards, a yellow t-shirt, and blue jean-shorts. Oddly enough, he also had a band-aid over his temple.

"Huh?" The boy said, "Oh, sorry, but I only just got here. I'm actually from Unova, so I don't know much about Kanto. I just got off the S.S. Annabelle. Sorry!"

With that, the kid waved an apology and ran off.

"Hey, kid!" A gruff voice called out to them from an alleyway, "Over here! Heard ya needed a place to eat?"

"Uh, yeah," Ash replied, "You know a place?"

"Ash, this guy looks kinda shady," Serena whispered with worry.

"Do I?!" The gruff man shouted, laughing heartily, "Boy, I know the best place to get some grub in town!"

"Awesome!" Cheered Ash to Serena's dread, "Does it serve Pokemon?"

"You bet!" The man replied, showing himself in the sunlight. He was absolutely massive. He was decked from head to toe in muscle, shown off by the fact that he wore short, black gym shorts and a giant, black tank-top. His hair had a military-like shave to it. The man had his massive hands placed on his hips and a smirk planted on his face as he stared the two of them down. Serena nearly fainted at the sight of the giant man.

"Anythin' to serve Lt. Surge's newest challenger!"

"Oh, you know the Gym Leader?" Ash asked.

"Know him?!" The giant man bellowed with a hearty laugh, "Me and Surge have been friends since the crib! Though, he's usually tied down by his Gym and me, bein' a wanderin' trainer and all, we usually don't get t' see each other often."

The giant of a man bent down and slapped Ash on the back, nearly making him fall over, "But you? Surge has been sayin' amazing things about you, kid!"

"Wait, really?" Ash asked, "I mean, we fought once before, but I didn't think he'd remember me."

The gigantic man shrugged, "Well, it was enough to get ol' Surge's gears goin', that's for sure!"

"Maybe he saw our match with Misty?" Serena offered with a nervous grin and attempting to join the conversation.

The man turned his attention to Serena, "And who might you be? His girlfriend or somethin'?"

"Actually, yeah," Serena replied with a straight face, taking the giant of a man aback.

"Oh," The man exclaimed, breaking into a fit of chuckling, "Weh-hell, I'll be damned, hehah! By the way, you said you two fought Misty right?"

Serena nodded, "Yeah, but it was mostly Ash."

"What?" Ash demanded, "No way, you were amazing during that match!"

"Yeah, I heard about that little bout of yours," The man said, "I didn't get t' see it myself, sadly, but I heard it was quite the show! Not many people could have claimed to beat a Gym Leader at their best!"

Ash was about to reply with a thanks when a loud grumble wafted from Ash's stomach. Serena's followed shortly after, making her giggle sheepishly. The man laughed heartily at this.

"Yeah, I think I've been talkin' yer ears off enough, eh? C'mon, I'll show ya the grub."

The giant of a man turned around and began walking into the dark alleyway, waving his hand over his shoulder in a way that motioned for Ash and Serena to follow. Ash, Pikachu, and Clefable all followed him without a doubt in their minds, but Serena hesitated.

"Huh?" Ash asked, turning his head over his shoulder, "Hey, Serena, what's up?"

Serena frowned, "I dunno, it's just...he looks...shady, you know?"

Ash gave Serena a reassuring smile, "He seemed fine to me, and if he tries anything, I got a belt of Pokemon raring to fight!"

Serena sighed, but gave in, "Alright, if you think it's safe."

"That's the spirit!"Cheered Ash, taking Serena's hand to lead her into the darkness of the shaded alleyway. Once the two trainers got to the end of the alleyway, they saw the giant man waiting for them at a dead end. Serena's face paled as she and Ash got closer to him.

"U-um," Serena shuddered, "W-where's the restaurant?"

The hulking man simply gave the two of them an equally massive smirk and balled his hand into a fist. Serena began shuddering horribly as the massive man approached them, yet she didn't even feel Ash move a muscle. In fact, she ended up bumping into him due to him making a complete stop. The bicep-coated man stopped just in front of Ash and Serena, shining another smirk down at them. Suddenly, he raised his massive fist and Serena closed her eyes, awaiting the worst. But, the pain never came. Instead, there was an incredibly loud thud.

"Ey, Steve!" The Man bellowed into the wall he just impacted with his fist, "Open up! I got Surge's guy, and he brought a lady friend!"

Suddenly, a brick in the wall at around the giant man's waist disappeared backward and was replaced with two beady eyes.

"What's the password," A deep, scratchy voice croaked out. Its response was the giant man squatting down and jabbing his massive index finger into the hole, earning a cry of pain from whoever was on the opposite side.

"We ain't got no password, ya mongrel, now let us in! Ya wouldn't want me to tell Surge ya denied entry to the kid he's been tryin' to get his hands on for weeks now, would ya?"

"Ack!" The voice cried out, rubbing his eyes, "N-no, sir!"

With that, the small voice put the brick back in its original place and began shuffling wildly with whatever was on the other side.

"Sooo," Serena said, attempting to spark up another conversation with the giant, "We never got your name. Also, what did you mean by "Get your hands on Ash"?"

Ignoring the latter question, the giant of a man squatted down once more to face Serena and Ash eye-to-eye, unnerving Serena greatly.

"Aw, where are my manners?"

The giant gave them a quite-literally shimmering smirk that caused the two of them to squint, and stood up to his full height, giving them a thumbs-up.

"The boys call me Commander Black, but between you and me, my real name's Chuck. I'm a master of Dark-Type Pokemon, if I do say so myself."

"Awesome!" Ash cried, "So, you must be a pretty strong trainer, huh?"

"You bet!" Commander Black bellowed, "But I'd probably lose to you pretty badly if you beat Lieutenant Surge."

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu cried proudly, jumping on top of Ash's shoulder.

"And who's this little scamp?" Commander Black asked with a chuckle, kneeling down to face the electric mouse.

"This little scamp," Ash said, "Is the Pokemon that beat Lieutenant Surge's Raichu years ago when I was getting the Kanto badges the first time around."

"Really, this little guy?" Commander Black asked incredulously, lightly pulling on Pikachu's ear, "I ain't ever heard of a Pikachu that could take down its evolution before!"

"Pii…!" Pikachu warned, sparking his cheeks warningly and sending little bolts of electricity racing up the walls. Commander Black immediately released Pikachu's ear and backed off.

"Point taken, little buddy," Commander Black said, laughing nervously, "Yeah, I should be careful about provokin' the Pokemon that single-handedly beat Lieutenant Surge's Raichu."

"Pi," Pikachu replied, crossing his arms and nodding in approval. Finally, the clanking on the other side of the brick wall came to a stop and a large chunk of it slid inward and moved to the side, revealing a wooden floor with a flight of curling stairs going downward. A dim, orange light emanated from the floors below and the loud chittering of many conversations and dishes clanking together could be heard.

"There we go, finally!" Commander Black exclaimed, "Geez, what took ya so long, Steve?"

A short, stubby man clothed in dirty rags appeared from behind the side of the wall, "Well gee, maybe because I'm four-foot-one, alone, and payed half of minimum wage."

"Shaddup, you get free housin' 'ere anyways, and it ain't like ya pay rent!"

Commander Black shoved Steve aside roughly and waved his arm, inviting the two trainers in.

"After you."

"Thanks, Commander!" Ash said.

"Pika, Pikaa!"

"Fay, Fable!"

"It's no problem, you guys are guests here of the highest honor! Anyone Surge respects is to be treated with the highest authority!"

"Commander of what?" Serena muttered to herself under her breath as Commander Black shut the brick door behind them.

"Same thing Surge is Lieutenant of," Commander Black replied, making Serena flush red.

"No need to say anything," Commander Black said with a chuckle, "These ears have been trained to be my eyes in the dark. They hear everythin', ya hear? And fuggetaboutit, people ask me that all the time, it's no problem, really."

"S-still, sorry," Serena apologised, her face still beat-red, "It was rude."

"Aww, well ain't you a polite one. Between you and me, I can see why the kid there chose you."

Commander Black let out a hearty laugh and made his way down the stairs, leaving Serena a blushing mess. Ash chuckled at her expense and motioned for her to follow, making his way downstairs as well. Upon following, Clefable trailed faithfully behind her trainer and the two of them were met with quite a sight as they reached the bottom of the stairs. A massive restaurant filled to the brim with equally large men awaited them. Waitresses made their way up and down the aisles of large, white tables delivering meals to the giant men. Serena had to cover her ears due to the room echoing with the loud laughter and yelling of men filling the restaurant.

"Like it?!" Commander Black shouted, "This is a secret restaurant that's been around fer over a thousand years! Sailors from all over the world used this place to get together and relax from the harshness of the open waters, even to this very day!"

Serena stared at the sight in awe. Even she could not deny the feeling of honor she felt at simply being there.

"That's amazing!" Ash cried ecstatically.

"Pi. Pika, Pi!"

"Indeed it is," Commander Black stated proudly, "And you know who started it all?"

Ash and Serena couldn't help but ask in unison, "Who?"

Commander Black let out another shimmering smirk, "Why, m' great forefather and his best friend! Lieutenant Sir G and Commander Blackbeard where amazin' sailors who spent their life's fortunes, amidst their group of comrades they called Private Gresselle, Colonel Flaresso, Major Seaman, and General Normandy, makin' this place! Those six put their life's fortunes into building this city and spent the rest of their days in this restaurant. They were so great that their children ended up passing down their titles, hence Commander Black and Lieutenant Surge."

"Woooaah," Ash and Serena said simultaneously in awe, "That's incredible!"

"Pika, Pi…"

"Faaaay."

Commander Black nodded approvingly at their reactions, "Indeed they were."

Suddenly, Ash felt himself get pushed forward by another slap on the back from Commander Black, "But that's besides the point! Aside from talkin' yer ears off, we're here for food! The best food in all of Kanto, just as it's been since this old joint's creation!"

Commander Black cupped his hands around his mouth as if to mimic a megaphone, "Oi, you lot! Rev up those fryers, would ya?! We got Surge's guy, and he brought himself a lady friend!"

Ash and Serena were physically blown back by the response Commander Black got. If they thought it was loud before, then a bomb might as well be going off now. The entire dining hall was wracked by the hooting, cheering, and bellowing from hundreds of sailors, along with the cheering and whistling from the waitresses. Ash and Serena doubled over in pain, clutching their ears in agony. Pikachu followed suit, but Clefairy found herself at the full wrath of the sound due to her stubby arms hardly being able to reach her ears. Commander Black bellowed out a hearty laugh at the two trainers' reactions, earning the entirety of the dining hall to follow suit. Ash and Serena gave Commander Black a glare due to the noise somehow increasing further from the laughter he wrought. Commander Black managed to stifle down his laughter into small chuckling and turned around to face the crowd. He raised his arm and flattened his hand, lowering it to tell the dining hall to quiet down. Ash and Serena slumped to the ground in a heap as they finally managed to rip their hands from their ears.

"Oi," Commander Black said to the two collapsed trainers, a cheeky grin plastered on his face, "The seats are over there, ya know. C'mon, I'll show ya to yer seats. You two are the guests of the house, ya know."

Commander Black grabbed their arms and hoisted them to their feet, earning a yelp from Serena.

"Guests of the house?" Ash asked as the five made their way down an aisle of cheering sailors, "Is it because of Lieutenant Surge?"

"Yeah, how come he's so fixed with us?" Asked Serena.

"Well, it's mostly the boy, lassie," Commander Black replied, "Yer just an added bonus from yer little bout with Misty. In truth, Surge got pretty bored with Gym challenges after he was beaten by...yer name's Ash, right?"

Ash nodded.

"After he was beaten by Ash. He used to love crushin' cocky little youngling trainers underneath his boot, but eventually, he got bored of them. In his words, it became swatting away flies. There was the occasional trainer who managed to beat him, but those were usually incredibly seasoned trainers with many badges under their belts who ended up doin' the reverse and swattin' him like a fly! There was never an in-between who could give him a fight on equal terms except you, Ash! But eventually, Surge trained so hard that he became too strong. It's been two years since a trainer managed to beat him, and the League is threatening to make him step down because he's became too powerful of a trainer! It's a good thing Kanto has eleven Gyms instead of the regular eight, else there might not have been any Indigo League tournaments because of Surge."

"Woah," Ash exclaimed, "Now I'm even more pumped to fight him!"

"Pi, Pika!"

"So, in short," Serena said, "Lieutenant Surge is using Ash as a way to keep his job?"

Commander Black nearly choked on his own spit laughing, "Gyahaha, that's one way to put it, girlie! Though, I don't think one loss would save him from that, and Surge knows it. No, I think Surge is just aiming for one final battle before he steps down. Somethin' to get his gears goin' one last time before he's forced into retirement."

"Oh…" Serena said, hanging her head, "Well, when you put it like that, now I feel bad for saying that about him."

"It's no trouble, lassie," Commander Black replied, "I can see why you'd think that."

Ash scowled, "Still, it sucks that he's getting fired. Maybe I'll have a talk with Mr. Goodshow once I get back to the League about this."

Commander Black shook his head and crossed his arms, "That'd probably make it worse, Ash."

"Who's Mr. Goodshow?" Serena asked.

"What?!" Commander Black bellowed, "He's the head of the Pokemon League itself! He's practically the world's leader!"

"Woah, geez, he's that powerful?" Asked Serena.

Commander Black shrugged, "I've never seen the old dwarf actually fight, but I'd imagine he's incredibly powerful seeing as he's practically the Champion of other Champions!"

"I dunno," Ash said, "I've talked with Mr. Goodshow a fair number of times. He even let me carry the torch of Moltres' flame once. I could probably talk him into letting Lieutenant Surge stay."

"I appreciate it, Ash, I really do. But I think it's for the better that you leave these things be. Lieutenant Surge has already resigned to stepping down, and I'm sure he'd feel better going down in a blaze of glory rather than spending the rest of his career beating up a bunch of Rattatas."

Ash sighed, "Still, it doesn't feel fair."

Ash's faithful partner leapt onto his shoulder and chirped in agreement, "Pi, Pika!"

Commander Black let out a long sigh until finally, a small grin crept up his face, "...I can see why Surge likes ya so much, kid. Anyways, we're here!"

As the group of five neared the opposite side of the large underground restaurant, they neared an incredibly large, circular table draped in white sheets. Fourteen chairs surrounded the table.

"There ya go, kids," Commander Black announced, clapping a hand on their shoulders, "Twelve seats for your Pokemon, and two seats fer you. Have fun!"

"Wait, before you go," Serena interjected, "How do we order?"

"Ah, right!" Exclaimed Commander Black. He clapped his hands, and a waitress with a Drowzee, a short, pudgy bipedal yellow Pokemon with beady eyes and an elephant-like trunk for a nose, appeared. "Throw out yer Pokemon, would ya? Yer meal depends on the strength of yer Pokemon, and Drowzee here'll read yer mind as to tell what yer personal tastes are."

"Sounds convenient," Commented Ash.

"Aye," Agreed Commander Black with a wink, "We're called the best restaurant in Kanto for a reason, Ash."

"Umm," Serena said tentatively, "My Pokemon aren't, well...that experienced, you know? So what would we get?"

"Nonsense, lassie!" Commander Black bellowed, slapping Serena on the back, "You were able to beat Misty at her best! Even with Ash here, that's still an impressive feat! And it isn't as if we'd treat ya like garbage fer bein' weak! It'd just be less good by default, ya know? Anyways, enjoy yer meal! I'll be back shortly with Surge. He's off at the Gym gettin' ready."

"Thanks for everything, Commander Black!" Ash called out to him, "You can be sure I'll give Lieutenant Surge the fight of his life!"

"I'll be lookin' forward to it, Ash!" Called back Commander Black as he disappeared into the crowd, "But worry about that later! For now, enjoy yer food!"

"We will! Alright, guys, come on out!"

"Uh, right!" Serena said, remembering the terms of her meal, "Come out, guys!"

In eight flashes of light, Ash and Serena's teams appeared with eager looks on their faces. They'd heard everything from inside their Pokeballs, and their mouths were watering the entire time. Pikachu and Clefable eagerly hopped over to their respective comrades, forming a line for the waitress and Drowzee to examine them. First, the waitress walked over to Ash's team and knelt beside each one, uncomfortably prodding at each one and lightly pulling on some of their limbs, as if testing their dexterity. Each of Ash's Pokemon made faces of discomfort, but did nothing to stop the waitress. Drowzee waddled over to Ash and motioned for him to kneel. Ash crouched down so that they faced eye-to-eye and Drowzee's own eyes lit up a bright, cyan blue. After a minute or so, Drowzee nodded and waddled back to its compatriot, doing the same thing it did with Ash to the waitress. With a nod, she wrote something down on a clipboard and went on to do the same thing to Serena's team. Drowzee followed suit.

"I see," The waitress stated, "Ash Ketchum, you will receive the Second-Class, S-Rank Meal. Serena Yvonne, you will receive the First-Class, B-Rank Meal. Your meal will be designated and diluted or enlarged by your meal class."

"Meal class?" Serena asked, "What does that mean?"

Expressionlessly, the waitress replied, "Each meal's quantity and quality is dependant on a "rank" that is further dependant on the trainer's Pokemon. Ranging from D at the bottom, to S at the top, a meal's class is further divided by "class" that ranges from Third Degree at the bottom, and First Degree at the top. In accordance to your specific meals, Ash Ketchum will receive a medium-sized meal of the highest-class meal we can offer. Serena Yvonne will receive what would be classified outside of this restaurant as a "4.5 star meal" at its largest. These meals will further be divided for your Pokemon."

With that, the waitress and Drowzee quickly bowed and walked off to deliver the meal's statuses. Ash and Serena simply stared at her, dumbfounded.

"You catch any of that?" Asked Serena with widened eyes.

"Not a clue," Ash replied with a similar expression on his face, "Geez, I didn't really think that a restaurant for sailors would be so complicated."

Serena nodded numbly, "Right with ya...Oh! We should probably sit down and wait for them to come back."

"Hey, you two!" A random voice called out to them. Ash and Serena's gazes landed on a sailor sitting at a table with two Pokemon, a blue, bipedal frog with a large, rounded body, white boxing gloves, and a massive swirl on its equally massive chest and a massive, grey humanoid Pokemon with four, muscle-coated arms, an odd beak, and a black speedo with a championship wrestling belt. "Poliwhirl and Machamp here are bored outta their minds. Think you could spare two Pokemon of yours to keep 'em occupied?"

"Is that allowed?" Serena asked, to which the sailor heartily laughed.

"Is it allowed?! You must be new here; 'course it's allowed!"

Ash smirked, "I'm in. Hawlucha, how about it?"

Ash needn't even ask twice, as Hawlucha eagerly nodded and leapt over to meet his opposition, using Bulk-Up to drastically increase his muscle mass.

"Lu-CHA!"

To Serena and Ash's surprise, Pancham hopped over as well. He gave Hawlucha a nod and turned to face the larger Pokemon with a cocky smirk.

"Huh?! Pancham?!" Serena exclaimed shrilly.

"I think Pancham wants to make up for what happened against Flint," Ash offered.

"Alright then," Serena said, "Be careful out there, Pancham!"

---

On the opposite end of the restaurant from where Ash and Serena were battling, a hulking man, easily as large as Commander Black, walked down the stairs. He wore a greenish-yellow tank-top, bage gym shorts, deep-black sunglasses, and two dog tags around his neck.

"Ey, Surge!" A gruff voice called out to the hulking man, "I got him for ya!"

Wordlessly, the hulking man took off his sunglasses and folded them into his pocket, revealing his yellow eyes, and grinned.

---

"Pancham, use Force Palm!" Serena ordered. Their battle had attracted a large crowd of sailors who were whooping and cheering on the battle. Some of them were making bets who'd win and passing money around their tables. Poliwhirl lied unconscious with swirls that matched the one on its chest in its eyes.

"Hawlucha, throw Pancham into Machamp!"

Pancham raised his tiny fist skyward, making it glow white brightly. The tiny panda Pokemon let out a yelp as he was swept off of his feet by Hawlucha who was smirking at him and dangled him upside-down by his ankle. Remembering what Ash had ordered Hawlucha to do, Pancham smirked back and raised, or lowered depending on how you looked at it, his glowing fist. Hawlucha began spinning around, picking up wind as he did. Finally, he released Pancham, sending him careening into Machamp's face and sending the four-armed Pokemon sprawling onto its back. Pancham bounced backward, landing on his feet next to Hawlucha, and the two gave each other a congratulatory thumbs-up. The crowd burst into loud cheers, save for the sailors who'd lost, whether that be by battle or by bet, and yet, Ash and Serena didn't feel an ounce of pain as they did before. They grinned at the crowd and clasped one of their hands together, raising them skyward in victory.

"Well dang," The sailor who'd lost said as he returned his two Pokemon, "The way you had Pancham use Vital Throw on my Poliwhirl into Hawlucha's Flying Press was genius! No wonder Lieutenant Surge has gotten so psyched up about seein' you two. You'll be bettin' I'll be watching that fight of yours later!"

Serena winked, "You better believe it! It'll be the fight of a lifetime!"

"Is that right?" A gruff voice said from within the crowd, "I should hope so, seein' as it's my last."

The crowd began mumbling hysterically as they parted to make way for the new voice. Commander Black could be seen walking through the gap of people, but another person; an equally giant one, at that, walked towards them as well.

"It's Lieutenant Surge!" A sailor's voice cried. Suddenly, the masses of the room began frantically cheering, whooping, and chanting Lieutenant Surge's name. Serena couldn't help but regret her statement from the earlier heat of the moment as she watched the two hulking men approach them. Ash, however, felt his pulse begin to race in anticipation. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. Pikachu seemed to agree, seeing as he hopped onto his best friend's shoulder and gave the hulking men a cocky smirk.

"Ash," Lieutenant Surge stated with a booming voice as he stopped on the opposite side of the circle the crowd had made for them, "You can't believe how long I've been waitin' for this moment. Finally, my final fight as a Gym-Leader...promise me this, Ash. Promise me that this will be a fight I'll be rememberin' for the rest of my life!"

Ash narrowed his eyes and gave Lieutenant Surge a sharp grin, "Lieutenant Surge, I wouldn't dream of doing anything otherwise."

Lieutenant Surge trembled in anticipation. He couldn't stop himself from quaking. The Electric-Type Gym-Leader gave Ash a sharp grin of his own and took out two yellow, sunflower-like Badges between his fingers. These were the Thunderbadges.

"You cannot tell how much this means to me, Ash. We're gonna give this fight everything we've got, isn't that right, Raichu?!"

From behind Lieutenant Surge, a large, orange mouse-like Pokemon with black and yellow ears and an elongated wire-like tail with a thunderbolt at the tip leapt into the circle and crashed into the ground in front of Lieutenant Surge. It had an anticipating grin plastered on its face that practically matched its trainer's.

"This is getting me pumped!" Ash bellowed, "Pikachu, up for one last rematch?"

"Pi, Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried back, not needing to be told twice. He bolted from his trainer's shoulder and crashed into the ground in front of Ash. The four of them practically matched in their facial expressions, though Serena took a step back, not wanting to get in between the two incredibly powerful trainers.

"Oi, lassie!" Commander Black called out to Serena, "You ain't gonna get yer badge by sittin' around twiddlin' yer thumbs! C'mon, I'll take you on! Go, Honchkrow!"

"O-oh, right!" Serena stammered, "Go, Clefable!"

In a flash of white, a large, black bird with incredibly puffy feathers and a crest on its head that looked like a fedora. It tipped its hat-like crest to Serena before spreading its wings and screeching at her. The pink, pudgy Clefable bounded into the ring and did as best as it could to give Honchkrow a menacing look. The waitress from before with the Drowzee stepped in between the four trainers and raised her arm.

"Begin!" She ordered, slamming her arm downward. Her Drowzee, who was off to the side, used Psychic to lift its partner out of harm's way.

"Raichu!" Lieutenant Surge ordered, "Hit 'em wit a Thundahbolt!"

"Pikachu, catch it on your tail with Iron Tail!"

Raichu grinned anxiously and leapt into the air. Sparks erupted from the orange mouse's cheeks violently, coating itself and tearing apart the carpet below. But that wasn't even the attack. It was the preparation. The sailors were nearly blown backwards as five colossal bolts of blindingly bright bolts of electricity shot out from Raichu's body towards the smaller, yellow mouse that had beat it five years ago. In retaliation, Pikachu raised his tail into the air and coated in a silver, metallic sheen. The tail acted like a lightning rod and absorbed the incredibly powerful bolts of plasma into itself, practically making Pikachu's tail light up like a Christmas tree. Pikachu gritted his teeth as he tried to hold the bolt in place, but he could feel himself slipping with every passing moment.

"Piiikaaa!" Pikachu called out to his trainer in desperation.

"Pikachu, Electro Ball quick!" Ash ordered. He could practically feel Pikachu's urgency as his own. Pikachu blinked in realization of what Ash was attempting to accomplish and attempted to channel the plasmatic lightning into a ball, but found it incredibly difficult due to that lightning not being his own.

"Raichu, don't give 'em the chance!" Lieutenant Surge bellowed, "You know what to do!"

Raichu nodded to his trainer in affirmation and turned back to Pikachu with a menacing grin on its face. Raichu shot its pointed tail upward and Pikachu found himself shot off of his feet. Pikachu scrambled wildly in the air as he was dangled from his tail. Ash's other Pokemon gaped at the odd technique.

"Woah, what is that?!" Ash asked in shock as he witnessed his partner being held up by the very lightning he was trying to control.

Lieutenant Surge chuckled and put his sunglasses back on, "That's a technique we've been workin' on fer years specifically t' combat electric types! It's all a matter of power and control! Raichu, demonstrate fer me, will ya?"

Raichu began moving the tip of his tail around, causing Pikachu to let out a yelp as he was dragged by his own tail and stopped abruptly parallel to where Raichu's tail was. The orange mouse let out a dark chuckle as he whipped his tail to the opposite side, making Pikachu follow at an incredible pace.

"How are you doing that?" Ash demanded.

Lieutenant Surge smirked, "Like I said, it's all about power and control. In our last bout, you showed me that there were things my Raichu missed out on because it wasn't a Pikachu long enough. So I thought to myself: "I wonder if there's anythin' a Raichu could learn that a Pikachu couldn't?" And then it struck me, no pun intended. An evolution naturally has more proficiency in their respective element than their predecessor. So, I trained my Raichu here to learn to better control its lightning, which led to me discoverin' a neat little trick I like to call Psycho-Shock. If Raichu can land an electric attack on somethin', especially another Electic-Type, it can hold the bolt in place and its tail to make that lightning follow where it wants to. It's like Psychic for Electric-Types! Raichu, let's show 'em what Psycho Shock can really do!"

Raichu gave the flailing Pikachu a menacing grin before hopping into the air and slamming its wire-like tail into the flooring, causing Pikachu to be carried further into the air and slammed into the ground. Pikachu, being the stout little Pokemon he was, immediately attempted to get up, only to be pulled back into the ground by his , his tail began glowing brightly and Pikachu looked back to get a split-second's glance at Raichu's cocky sneer before the electric bolt keeping him in place exploded. Ash's Pokemon on the sidelines winced.

"Clefable, Dazzling Gleam!" Serena ordered. However, the attack seemed to be in vain as the incoming Dark Pulse cut through the blinding flash of white with ease and rocketed into the pudgy Pokemon, sending it into a nearby wall. "Clefairy, no!"

"Oi, get yer head in the game, lassie!" Commander Black spat, "Ya can't count on type advantage alone, ya know!"

Serena growled and clenched her fists, but she knew Commander Black was right.

"Clefable, are you alright?" Clefable's response was to push herself out of the wall and bound back into the circle, earning cheers from the sailors.

"Alright, Clefable!" Serena cheered.

Commander Black scoffed and crossed his arms, "Ya may be a cutie, but bein' the Pseudo Gym-Leader I am, I ain't lettin' ya take this badge without a proper thrashin'! Honchkrow, make em eat another Dark Pulse!"

"Not this time!" Serena cried, "Clefable, use Metronome!"

Clefable nodded and began waggling her fingers back and forth. Unfortunately, Honchkrow wasn't about to give the pink, pudgy Fairy-Type the time to finish the dangerous move and spat a beam of swirling dark energy towards its face. Serena's team on the sidelines cried out as they watched the Dark Pulse rocket towards their partner.

"Agh!" Serena cried in desperation, "Clefable, abandon Metronome and use Moonblast to protect yourself!"

Reacting quickly, Clefable quickly stopped waggling her fingers and thrusted out her tiny arms, summoning a ball of white from her hands to take the incoming attack. Clefable was forced backward violently as the Dark Pulse made contact with Clefable's Moonblast that she held in her hands, but she managed to stand her ground long enough to step out of the way and allow the attack to sail into a wall behind her. The waitress let out a sigh and began writing something down on her clipboard; probably something regarding the cost of repairs.

"Clefable," Serena exclaimed, "Are you okay?!"

Clefable gave Serena a smile and a wink as an answer.

"Alright, then let's continue!"

"Girlie," Commander Black stated, "I admire yer resolve, but yer gonna have to work a little harder than that. Your lack of experience is glaringly obvious. Yer gonna have to pull out some hell of a strategy outta yer skirt to beat me!"

Serena scowled and was about to retort when she heard a loud blast beside her. She turned just in time to see Pikachu enveloped in an explosion of electricity. She was about to scream out something along the lines of "Pikachu, no" when she heard another blast right in front of her. Turning back, she saw Clefable bouncing along the ground and rolling to a stop at her feet.

"Clefable!"

"What in Distortion World do you think yer doin'?!" Bellowed Commander Black, "Why in Arceus's name would you take yer eyes off a battle, lassie?!"

"I-I was just-"

"Endangering your Clefable, that's what! If yer too fixed on someone else's battle, how are you supposed to concentrate on yer own?! Over there? That ain't your fight! Focus on what's happenin' right here and right now! This is your fight, and that one is his! You're gonna have to fight fer yerself one day, and how are you gonna do that if yer watchin' someone else?!"

Serena gaped at Commander Black's words. They couldn't be more true. Serena had always spent her battles right beside Ash, and the one time she wasn't beside him, she lost. To a Butterfree. She had always been staring at Ash's back and never to his side. Commander Black was right. Serena wouldn't get anywhere if she was relying on Ash all the time.

"You're...right." Serena said, "If I'm gonna be a trainer, I can't rely on Ash for everything, nor can I let my life completely revolve around his. If I'm going to be a trainer, there are some things I have to do on my own! Clefable, can you stand up?!"

At hearing her trainer's inspiring words, Clefable managed to push herself off the ground and gave her trainer a confident smile, to which Serena mimicked Clefable's look and the two faced Commander Black with determined looks on their faces. Serena's team on the sidelines began cheering on their trainer and comerade, especially Pancham who was frantically hopping up and down whilst doing so.

Commander Black gave the two of them a confident smirk of his own, "Aye, that's it, lassie! Now let us just hope that you can back those words up!"

"Pikachu, no!" Ash cried as he saw the plasmatic explosion of Psycho-Shock envelop his partner. When the smoke cleared, Pikachu lied flat on the ground, though he quickly managed to get back onto his feet.

"You okay buddy?" Ash asked, to which Pikachu turned back to give his best friend a thumbs up. "Alright!"

"Gyahaha!" Lieutenant Surge guffawed, "That's what I like to see! Most Pokemon would have been in a coma from that, but here you are with barely a scratch! Not a battle I've had in years has lasted this long!"

"Rrrrraaaaai!"

Ash and Pikachu gave Lieutenant Surge a sharp, determined grin back, "We'd promised you the fight of a lifetime, and that's exactly what we're planning to give ya, isn't that right, Pikachu?"

"Piiiii!"

"Alright then! Raichu, use Iron Tail!"

"Pikachu, you too!"

Both electric mice gave one another a sharpened smirk, their eyes sheening. Pikachu lifted his tail skyward and coated it in a silvery metallic sheen while Raichu simply held his wire-liked tail out in front of him and the metallic sheen slowly crept up its tail and glinted in the light while Raichu gave him a menacing grin behind it. Pikachu leapt forward into the air and began a midair rolling maneuver to gain momentum before plummeting his tail into Raichu's own, to which Raichu whipped his tail outward like a blade to counter it. The two iron, blade-like tails smashed into each other hard enough to create a blast of wind outward, causing the sailors to frantically hold their hats in place so that they did not rocket across the room. Raichu grinned sadistically at Pikachu for a brief second until its tail was forced to the ground from Pikachu's momentum. Raichu's cocky smirk was completely wiped from his face as everything seemingly went into slow motion. As Raichu's tail plummeted into the ground from Pikachu's attack, rubble and dust from the ground shot from the ground like a volcano, covering the area in dust and blinding everyone. Pikachu took the opportunity as he shot down onto Raichu's tail with his own to use his tail as a pogo stick and shot towards Raichu, twirling around to rocket his tail into the underside of Raichu's chin. The wind was blown away as Raichu was rocketed upward and onto its back.

"Gah!" Lieutenant Surge cried as he reeled from the wind. He turned back only to see Raichu flat on its back with Pikachu standing over him.

"Raichu, no!"

"Alright, Pikachu, way to go!" Ash cheered. Pikachu ecstatically cheered, hopping up and down in celebration of his victory. The rest of Ash's team, save Sceptile who simply smirked, all burst into cheers.

"Well, well, well," Lieutenant Surge announced as he took off his sunglasses and tossed them to the side, "Ash Ketchum...you really did it. You're really an amazing trainer, ya know?"

Ash chuckled and grinned, "Thanks, Lieutenant Surge. That was an amazing fight, and I won't be forgetting it anytime soon."

Lieutenant Surge chuckled darkly, making Ash raise an eyebrow, "Ash...I really respect ya, and all. You're the first person to gimme the thrill of battle in years...but I have to be disappointed in you. Did you really think...I WOULD GO DOWN THAT EASY?! RAICHU, GRAB 'EM!"

Ash gasped, "What?!"

Pikachu whipped around only for Raichu's wire-like tail to smack him across the face like a whip, sending him sprawling into the ground. Pikachu, however, didn't get a moment of solace as Raichu's tail came for a second blow and wrapped itself around Pikachu's neck and hoisted him into the air.

"Raichu!" Lieutenant Surge bellowed, "Show 'em why you should never celebrate early! Hit 'em wit a Thundah!"

"Pikachu, no!"

"RRRAAAAAAIIIIIII!"

"Piiiiiiiiii!"

"Clefable, hold on!" Serena desperately cried as her beloved Fairy-Type Pokemon was pinned down by a Dark Pulse from Honchkrow. The aforementioned Dark-Type bird was currently soaring over Clefable and blasting her into the ground with constant fire. Serena gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She looked around furiously, desperately attempting to wrack her brain for any ideas to get her out of this situation and fast. Clefable clearly had little time left. Suddenly, it struck her. It could either win her the match or completely screw her over, but it wasn't like anything else she could do would work.

"Clefable, please! Hold out a Metronome for as long as you can!"

Commander Black scowled, "Have you learned nothin', lassie?! Yer only leavin' yerself open! Honchkrow, double the firepower!"

"KrrrrOOOOOWWWW!"

The swirling beam of darkness intensified into a cone-shape, completely embedding itself over Clefable and smothering it. Nevertheless, Clefable held true to her orders and continued to twirl her fingers back and forth in preparation for the Metronome attack despite the agony she was currently facing. The watching sailors had to raise their arms to take the brunt of the violent winds made from the Dark Pulse, and money could be seen scattering from the hands of their owners as they bet on who would win.

"Awroight, that's it!" Commander Black roared, "Honchkrow, finish 'em off! Hit em wit a Drill Peck!"

Serena gasped, "No! Clefable, hurry please!"

Honchkrow closed its mouth, cutting off the gigantic Dark Pulse attack. The sailors simultaneously let out a sigh of relief, but that was relief Serena could not hope to share in just yet. Honchkrow spread its jet black wings over Clefable and a small twister of wind began racing around its beak. The tornado grew in size until it slowly enveloped Honchkrow altogether. Suddenly, Honchkrow bolted downwards and Serena felt her heart stop. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and threatened to drop tears at any moment. She could only watch helplessly as Honchkrow, in her eyes, slowly began descending upon Clefable's exposed belly.

"Metronome, now!" Serena cried. She was practically begging at that point. To whom, she didn't know. Suddenly, Clefable's fingers stopped moving and she lied her arms out to her sides. Serena couldn't believe her eyes. Was Clefable...giving up?! Two white, glowing blades suddenly shot out of Clefable's arms and the pudgy, pink Fairy Type crossed her arms together violently, crashing the two blades into the descending Honchkrow and making it rocket back up into the ceiling where it hung limply, embedded in the ceiling with swirls in its eyes. Everyone who was watching Serena's half of the fight gaped dumbfoundedly, completely silent. It wasn't until nearly a minute later when the crowd finally broke into their roaring cheers. The rest of Serena's team, especially the ecstatic Pancham, began cheering and whistling loudly. Serena felt the weight of the tension leave her all at once and she nearly collapsed then and there. The only thing keeping Serena on her wobbly feet was the fact that her Clefable lied, brutally injured and embedded into the floor. Serena quickly sprinted over to her fallen Pokemon.

"Clefable, are you okay?!" Serena demanded, worry plastered on her face as she dropped to her knees besider her Pokemon."

"Faaaaaaaay…" Clefable managed to say. The Fairy-Type Pokemon attempted to stand on her feet but quickly collapsed back down.

"Woah there," Serena cooed, "Hey, don't push yourself. You did amazing out there! I don't know what happened back there, but you should feel proud. You really saved us."

"Damn, lassie," Commander Black exclaimed with a weak laugh as he walked over to meet the kneeling girl. Serena paled. She thought that Commander Black would be fuming from their quick comeback, but instead he was grinning from ear to ear. "Of all the things t' come from Metronome, of course it had to be Guillotine. I'll still count this as a win fer ya, but ye should be a bit more careful in the future. That luck won't last forever, ya know."

"O-oh!" Serena said, "O-of course! I'll try to get stronger!"

"Gyahaha!" Guffawed Commander Black, "Aye, I'll be lookin' forward t' that. Ye best return that Clefable of yers, though. She be lookin' rather beat up, she does."

"R-right!" Serena agreed, returning the Fairy-Type to her Pokeball. She jumped at a loud buzzing noise to her side. She whipped around to see Pikachu being held up by Raichu's tail while the two of them were coated in blindingly bright lightning.

"Aye," Announced Commander Black, "Now might be a good time t' be watchin' Ash's fight."

"Pikachu, no!" Ash cried as he watched his partner helplessly being assaulted by Raichu's Thunder, "Try to fight back!"

"PiiikaaaaaCHUUUUUU!"

Pikachu desperately attempted to gain back the upper hand by firing off a Thunderbolt to hopefully counter Raichu's Thunder, but it proved to be in vain as Raichu quickly began overpowering Pikachu once more. Ash growled and gritted his teeth. There wasn't anything he could come up with. It was obvious Electric-Type attacks wouldn't be good for anything, and Pikachu couldn't exactly maneuver enough to make Iron Tail worthwhile.

"That's enough, Raichu!" Lieutenant Surge announced, "Finish 'em off!"

"Pikachu, quick, use Thunderbolt at full power!"

"CHUUUUUUUUU!"

But their efforts were in vain. Pikachu's attack was quickly torn apart by Raichu's Thunder and the powerful bolts once again began wracking Pikachu's helpless body. Raichu smirked menacingly and flicked Pikachu into the air, unraveling its tail.

"It released him?!" Demanded Ash in confusion.

"Hardly!" Bellowed Lieutenant Surge, "Raichu, you know what to do."

Raichu gave its trainer a nod and slammed his tail roughly into the ground. Ash winced as he realized what was coming next. Pikachu was rocketed into the ground by the static bond it had now shared with Raichu's tail due to the effects of the orange mouse's Thunder attack currently racing through Pikachu's body, ripping apart the hard flooring. Lightning suddenly exploded from Pikachu violently. Ash clenched his fists as he heard the agonized cries of Pikachu quickly being drowned out by the sounds of Raichu's powerful, crackling lightning exploding in every direction. The watching sailors sprinted behind tables for cover as the lightning quickly made its way across the floors, walls, and ceilings in little arcs, bouncing from surface to surface. The waitress let out another sigh as she apathetically wrote things down on her clipboard while this was going on. Her Drowzee managed to pull her from her spot behind a table as a bolt ripped past where she was once standing. Finally, the bolts began to die down. Once the smoke and debris settled, Pikachu was nowhere to be seen amidst the crater. Ash dropped to his knees in despair and hung his head.

"Is that it, then?" Lieutenant Surge demanded, "Is it over already?! Well, I suppose I can't be too disappointed. After all, you did give me one hell of a fight."

He let out a sigh, "Well, if that's it, I might as well get the Gym ready for packu-"

Pikachu suddenly burst from beneath Raichu. Lieutenant Surge and his orange compatriot barely had time to gape as Pikachu clad itself in a yellow aura, making it so that the only visible part of Pikachu was his outline. Pikachu rocketed into Raichu's chest, making the orange menace double over in agony as he was carried into the ceiling. As the two mice rocketed into the ceiling, the following explosion clouded the two of them in smoke, but Raichu was quickly ejected out of the cloud and landed harshly on his back while Pikachu leapt out of the opposite side and onto his feet, covered head to toe in scratches and burns, but looking raring to go nonetheless. A closed smile crept up Ash's face and he slowly stood back onto his feet.

"Lieutenant Surge, I believe you were scolding me about letting my guard down earlier, were you not?" Ash cockily stated.

"What?!" Bellowed Lieutenant Surge, "How's this possible?! Your Pikachu should've been fried!"

Ash chuckled and Lieutenant Surge could have sworn Ash had a cyan glint in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, "Ya know, it's weird. It was almost like me and Pikachu could understand each other's thoughts without actually speaking. We both devised the strategy of using the force of the explosion of your Psycho-Shock to eject him downwards. After that, it was only a matter of getting you to believe you'd beaten me, and you know the rest. Though, I didn't expect Pikachu to relearn Volt Tackle! Good on ya, buddy!"

"Pi, Pika Pi!"

Lieutenant Surge's look of pure dumbfoundedness slowly turned into a smile. Not a cocky grin or a smirk, but a genuine smile. He hadn't felt excitement like this since their last fight. Seeing his Raichu get back up and have a standoff with Ash's Pikachu, he couldn't help but to get a flashback to their original fight. Those two looked completely different from how they used to. He hadn't really noticed how much he'd changed in comparison.

"Ash, you are one hell of a trainer. But we're far from done here, ain't that right, Raichu?!"

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAIII!"

"That's right! Raichu, hit 'em wit a Thundah!"

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle one last time!"

"Pikapikapikapikapikapikapi-KAH!"

CRASH!

The two powerful attacks rocketed into each other with enough force to blow back the tables that the sailors were hiding behind, sending both them and the tables they were hiding behind flying. Serena was nearly rocketed back as well but was caught by Commander Black.

"Yer gonna have t' be able t' withstand these kinda conditions as a trainer too, ya know," He said to her.

Pikachu and Raichu were giving their attacks all they had. The very ground beneath their feet was beginning to disintegrate due to the colliding powers, but none of the four even bothered paying attention to it. Pikachu and Raichu managed to stare each other down even through the powerful lightning. Ash and Lieutenant Surge did the same, even throughout the harsh winds.

"RAICHU, GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!"

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIII!"

"PIKACHU, GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!"

"PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKAAAAAA!"

The two attacks somehow increased in force, scattering the concrete flooring everywhere. Suddenly, Lieutenant Surge felt incredible fatigue, but this didn't deter him one bit. Raichu had felt the exact same thing, and the four of them all roared as they gave all their strength into their attacks. Finally, Pikachu managed to gain some ground, and that ground slowly gained more and more until the yellow mouse managed to completely tear through Raichu's Thunder and blast into the orange mouse, sending smoke throughout the entire restaurant. When that smoke died down, Pikachu was seen standing over the unconscious body of Raichu. He was covered from head to toe in injuries and panting wildly for air, but standing nonetheless while his opposition wasn't. Lieutenant Surge collapsed onto his knees, panting heavily. As he panted for air, a sudden smile overtook his face and he began laughing.

"Ash," He managed to say, "That...was...THE BEST FIGHT I'VE HAD IN YEARS!"

The crowd, at hearing this, leapt from their hiding spots and began roaring loudly, cheering their heads off and regaining their circle formation around the four trainers. They vigorously raved, pumping their arms wildly. Ash made his way over to his partner and managed to catch him just before the yellow mouse collapsed alongside his orange adversary. Lieutenant Surge managed to push himself off the ground and reclaim his own partner in his arms.

"Ash, I cannot thank you enough. This final battle...was everything I could have hoped for. My last battle couldn't have been a better one thanks to you…"

Ash chuckled and smiled brightly, "I gotta thank you as well. That was one of the best fights of my life, and I've fought many battles."

Lieutenant Surge chuckled back and put a hand on Ash's shoulder, "And be sure to have many more, Ash. Have a battle, one day, so amazing that I couldn't ever dream of fighting it."

"I will," Ash promised.

"That's all I could ever ask for...oh!" Lieutenant Surge exclaimed, fumbling through his pockets, "I almost forgot yer badge! You, girl, get ovah 'ere!"

Serena blinked, still stunned from their display of power from earlier. She hadn't been expected to be called out so suddenly. Commander Black chuckled and gave Serena a light push towards them. Serena looked back for a second, to which Commander Black waved her off. Serena smiled and nodded, walking over to Ash and Lieutenant Surge.

"I didn't see yer fight wit Commander Black," Said Lieutenant Surge, "But I assume ya beat 'em right?"

Serena furrowed her brow and turned back to Commander Black, "I dunno if I could call it a win...it was entirely luck-based…"

"But ya still beat 'em, didn't ya? Luck is usually an essential part of a battle as well, ya know."

"Wait, really?" Serena asked, turning back to face Lieutenant Surge.

Lieutenant Surge let out a bellowing guffaw and slapped Ash on the back, "'Course it is! How else do ya think Ash 'ere beat me?"

This snide little comment caused Ash and Lieutenant Surge to begin laughing. The other sailors followed suit and soon the entire restaurant was drowned in the sound of laughter. Eventually, Serena couldn't hold it in anymore either and began laughing along.

"Aaahahaa," Laughed Lieutenant Surge as he wiped a tear from his eye, finally having calmed himself down minutes later, "Anyways, here ya go. Two Thunderbadges."

Ash and Serena took the two gleaming, sunflower-like Badges in their hands as if they were gemstones. Finally, the two of them lifted the badges skyward.

"Alright!" They cheered unanimously, "We got...THE THUNDERBADGE!"

"Aye!" Commander Black shouted in their ears from behind, nearly making the two trainers drop their new prizes in surprise, "And ya know what the best part is? It's time fer food! All you lot, get to cleanin' this place up, will ya?!"

The sailors Commander Black was referring to quickly saluted and began overturning the collapsed tables onto their rightful positions and mopping up the broken glass scattered about...with their hands. Ash and Serena looked on and chuckled weakly as they witnessed the place they had unintentionally destroyed practically be rebuilt before their eyes. Before they knew it, it looked as if the place had rebuilt itself. The waitress's face relaxed a bit and she began erasing something on her clipboard.

---

Ash, Serena, and their Pokemon were all gorging themselves around their table now that their meal had finally arrived. Pikachu and Clefable were having difficulty due to their injuries, but Braixen had helped them out by using her Psychic powers to lift small chunks into their mouths for them. Lieutenant Surge was watching on with a smile plastered on his face until Commander Black had approached him behind and tapped his shoulder. The look on his face told Surge everything.

"Aye...he's here…"

"...I suppose nothing good lasts forever…" Lieutenant Surge said, exhaling deeply.

With a sigh, Lieutenant Surge slapped his hand on Commander Black's shoulder and began making his way towards the opposite side of the restaurant. Lieutenant Surge managed to push past the partying sailors who gave him concerned looks as they saw his passing face, but knew better than to ask for it. As Lieutenant Surge approached the stairway, he turned his gaze toward Ash and Serena at the opposite end of the restaurant and smiled weakly before heading upstairs. As he reached the top, the dwarfed doorman, Steve, gave Lieutenant Surge a pained look, to which Lieutenant Surge simply nodded. Steve let out a sigh and and opened the brick wall for Lieutenant Surge to step outside. A skinny man with glasses and a blue suit was waiting for him. He had his nose in a sheet of paper on a clipboard he was carrying until he saw Lieutenant Surge staring down at him.

"Ah, Lieutenant Surge," The man stated as he looked up to face the giant trainer, "I suppose you know why I'm here?"

"Gym's yours," Lieutenant Surge spat halfheartedly. He was attempting to sound angry, but he couldn't even manage it.

The man raised an eyebrow, "I'd expected that to be marginally more difficult."

Lieutenant Surge let out a long, deep sigh, "No point in arguing anymore. I just finished my last Gym Challenge to two kids downstairs. I'm more than ready."

The suited man adjusted his glasses, "Very well, then. The Thunderbadge will be considered a legal Badge in the Indigo League for the next two years. After that, it will become useless. Your Gym will be occupied by dojo of Fighting-Type users from Saffron City from now on. I must say, they were quite exci-"

The man's train of thought was interrupted by Lieutenant Surge turning around and making his way back inside without a further word. Steve the doorman took the hint and quickly closed the brick wall, giving the League Official a look of distaste before the wall closed. Lieutenant Surge made his way downstairs and collapsed into a sitting position with another deep sigh. Commander Black strode up to him with a concerned look on his face.

"Ya gonna be okay?" Commander Black asked his best friend, to which yet another long sigh was loosed by the ex-Gym-Leader. He glanced upwards to see Ash and Serena laughing with their Pokemon. He closed his eyes and let out a halfhearted laugh.

"Yeah," Lieutenant Surge said with a pause, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

---

The evening skies were a deep orange, mimicking the islands that were once underneath. A hole of white skewered the orange, sending beautiful golden rays of light shooting out. Out from the hole, the brilliantly-hued Alpha Pokemon Arceus soared over the barren, watery seas where the Elemental Islands once stood. These islands were fairly small, so regenerating them would be no problem for him. The real problem would be attempting to regenerate the Orange Islands themselves. Arceus let out a deep sigh, for he knew that many troubles would surely arise from doing this if the situation with Ash and Damos was anything to go off of. But this was something that could not be put off for his own selfish doubts. With a large intake of air, he exhaled deeply and secreted five, almost flat polygonal Plates from his body. The Flame Plate to rekindle Moltres's Fire Island, The Zap Plate to rekindle Zapdos's Lightning Island, the Icicle Plate to rekindle Articuno's Ice Island, and finally the Stone and Earth Plates to give the Islands their physical form. The three elemental plates that were secreted flew off directly over where the original Elemental Islands while the Stone and Earth Plates flew in between the three Elemental Plates. Arceus grunted and his eyes began glowing brightly, the Plates following suit. The Elemental Islands began rebuilding themselves from the bottom-up with golden glowing dust rising up in the open air and leaving stone in their place. In mere seconds, the Elemental Islands were back once more.

Arceus allowed himself a deep sigh and returned the five Plates into his body, "Well then...I suppose it is time to address the Donphan in the room…"

The Alpha Pokemon Arceus's red eyes began glowing a crimson red before shooting out in harmless shockwaves that dissipated quickly. In doing this, Arceus opened another white portal and flew inside, leaving his recreations behind to stand in the calm evening waters. Once the portal had opened on the opposite side, Arceus was greeted with a devastating sight. The Orange Islands, now that the tide had drifted down, was reduced to nothing more that a bunch of scattered patches of land and spires of stone that pierced the sea from below. Hundreds of boats were swarming the area like bees. Humans were desperately scavenging the desecrated lands for anything that might have remained from the Orange Islands. Many were in hysterical tears, collapsed on their knees amongst the small patches of land that remained. They were typically burying their faces in blankets and the such; probably remainders of whatever humans lived here before. Their partner Pokemon were either desperately attempting to comfort them or ravaging the rubble with their human compatriots. Arceus could not stand it any longer. He could no longer watch as his children suffered. He might not be able to bring back those who've fallen, as not even he had power of the entire universe, but he was more than capable of restoring their land with the Jewel of Life, even if it endangered his own life.

"My children," Arceus announced, scaring the life out of those below until they'd stared up with awed faces, "I cannot bear to see you suffer like this. I have come bearing a gift that will ease your suffering."

Arceus exhaled deeply and allowed the Meadow, Splash, Earth, Zap, and Draco Plates. The multicolored Plates hovered slowly around the Alpha Pokemon's body like a wheel until they floated outward parallel to Arceus's face, where they closed in and merged together once more. The people and Pokemon below were blinded by the brilliant light of the Plate's fusion until finally, the light died down and in it's place was a brilliant green orb crackling to the brim with energy. The orb slowly descended downward and, upon contact with the ground below, fused into it. Almost immediately after the orb's fusion into the ground, a wave of green, white, and gold exploded outward. The humans screamed in shock and turned their backs, only to realize nothing had happened...or so they'd thought. Once they'd slowly opened their eyes, they were greeted with a beautiful sight. The Orange Islands had completely returned. Many of the people who were in boats now found themselves beached on solid land, but they didn't care. They were all attempting to process what had just transpired. Finally, it dawned on them: the land had returned...it was all back! Many of the women immediately burst into tears once more while the men whooped and cheered. The Islands were back! This was nothing short of a miracle...no, it was divine intervention. Through their tears, they gazed up upon their savior who, in turn, smiled down at them. Immediately, humans and Pokemon by the thousands sprinted over beneath their hero and either collapsed beneath him, spouting gratitudes through happy tears or jumping, cheering, and whistling.

Arceus chuckled at their display, "It is of no consequence, my children. For you, I would let my own life end so that yours may continue, just as I have done many times before."

"W-who are you?" One of the awed men spoke, "What is your name, our savior?"

The Alpha Pokemon smiled down at him, "I AM ARCEUS, MY CHILD."

"Arceus…" The awed man repeated, "Praise you! Everyone, praise Arceus, our savior!"

The once-awed crowd immediately broke into more cheering, continuously spouting the likes of, "I love you, Arceus!", "Praise Arceus!", and the like. At one point, someone mentioned something about a helix, but the Alpha Pokemon had missed most of it. Arceus floated downward and allowed himself to personally meet the humans he'd saved. Questions began passing around for Arceus to answer, which he happily did, like "How powerful are you?" "How did you revive the land?" and yet again, something about a helix, to which Arceus replied that he had no idea what that was. Finally, someone asked the question Arceus was dreading: "Did Lugia destroy the Orange Islands?" This would be quite the explanation.

"...My child, the destruction of the Orange Islands was not Lugia's doing. Lugia himself does not possess enough power to even perform such an act. No, this was the work of a mysterious being called Necrozma."

"Necrozma?" The awed man from before asked, "Is that a Pokemon?"

Arceus shook his head and scowled at the memory of the conditions of Necrozma's victims, "Necrozma is destruction and malice incarnate as far as I know. Lugia, as I've said, was not responsible for this tragedy. In fact, Lugia tried to stop Necrozma's assault with the aid of the three Elemental Birds...but they all failed."

The humans and their Pokemon below all stared up at Arceus with terror etched in their eyes.

"Have you killed it yet?!" One of the humans screamed, "If that thing can take down Pokemon as powerful as them, the world is in serious danger!"

Arceus held up a hoof to silence them, "No, we have yet to slay that demon, but I have every Legend scouring the Earth for him on high alert. As soon as he is found, I will personally strike him down for the pain he has caused you all."

The humans began cheering once more.

"Yeah, take him down!"

"Make him suffer for what he's done!"

"With Lord Arceus on our side, Necrozma doesn't stand a chance!"

"You fools!"

Arceus raised an eyebrow at this, as did the humans below. They parted way to make room for a single man that strode down the aisle with a crazed, enraged look plastered on his now-bearded face. He had a balding head with grey hair for its remainder and was wearing a black business suit with a patch over his heart that looked like a supernova surrounded by stars. This man was Christopher Lee, and he looked none too pleased about the situation.

"Look at you fools!" Lee bellowed, "Have you forgotten what this monster has done to us?! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE PEOPLE WHO'VE DIED AT THIS...THIS BEAST'S HANDS?!"

"How dare you!" One of the other humans roared, "Arceus has restored our land for us!"

"YOU DAMNED IDIOT!" Bellowed Christopher Lee once more, "This beast has restored this land for his POKEMON to return to! He had Lugia wipe us all from the map to have his precious beastlings return to!"

"My child, I-" Arceus tried to protest, only for Christopher Lee to explode back at him.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU DAMNED MONSTER! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME YOUR CHILD! I WOULD SOONER DIE THAN BE THE CHILD OF A BEAST LIKE YOU!"

It was at that point that one of the other men stomped up to Christopher Lee, ready to put him in his place only for Lee to grab him by the arm, twist it around his back and shove him into the ground.

"You're brainwashed by him!" Christopher Lee roared, "He's using you, dammit! This monster cares nothing for us! He only cares for his spawn! That is why he had Lugia wipe us from the map!"

Arceus was about to speak back, only for the pleasant surprise of one of the other humans to do so for him. It was the woman who held that blanket from earlier.

"Lugia didn't cause this!" She cried, "You heard Lord Arceus! It was Necrozma who did all this!"

"A likely story!" Christopher Lee shot back, "A clever little ruse to get us to praise him while he STABS US IN THE BACK! It's all a ploy to cover up one single detail: THE FACT THAT HE HAS YET TO REVIVE THOSE LUGIA KILLED!"

"Wait a minute, Lee's right!" One of the bystanders said, "Lord Arceus, why have you not brought back our loved ones?!"

Arceus paused for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, "...My chi- er...Mr. Lee. You are right in saying that I have yet to restore your people's lives...but I have no such power available to me. I cannot revive the dead. Such power is beyond me."

"BULLSHIT!" Commander Lee roared, "LOOK AT ALL THIS PLANT LIFE AND TELL ME THAT AGAIN!"

"W-well,," Arceus stuttered, "This life is different. It's not so much that I revived them as simply creating new one-"

"SHUT YOUR DAMNED LIE-SPOUTING MOUTH!" Lee spat, "You think you can just get away with whatever you want, don't you?! You come strutting in outta nowhere to cover up the fact that your own spawn killed our loved ones and then act like you're some benevolent god?! You're nothing more than a tyrant and a monster, isn't that right, folks?!"

The people looked around, unsure of what to do. Both sides sounded believable. Yes, Arceus had restored their land, but it was awfully convenient that every single Pokemon escaped. Finally, someone stepped forward.

"You know what? Lee's right! "Destruction and malice incarnate"? That sounds all too much like a fairytale!"

"WHAT?!" Arceus roared, "NO, I-"

"Yeah!" Another person said, "Lee's story sounds a lot more believable than some demon doing all this!"

Arceus's eyes widened as he watched the people who treated him like a father mere minutes ago now turning and standing against him.

"How dare you lie to us?!"

"You're a monster!"

"You're the only demon here!"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Arceus pleaded, "I'M ONLY TRYING TO HELP!"

"We don't want your help!"

"Let's get him!"

"Yeah, let's kill the real demon! Attack!"

The people released their own Pokemon that weren't already out and thrusted their arms towards Arceus, ordering them to attack. But nothing happened. The Pokemon frantically looked back and forth between their trainers and Arceus, unsure of who to obey.

"What are you doing?!" One of the humans demanded, "Attack him!"

The Pokemon, terror etched on their faces, furiously shook their heads and tried to make themselves all look as small as possible.

"What?!"

"They're traitors too!"

"Fine, let's take him down ourselves!"

Returning their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, the angry mob of humans began grabbing whatever they could, whether that be rocks, clumps of dirt, or tree branches and began furiously throwing them at the being they once called a savior.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Arceus demanded, soaring back into the air, "YOU FOOLS, I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU!"

"Then bring back the ones you've killed!" One of the women screamed as she tossed a stone at the Alpha Pokemon, which actually ended up hitting him on the forehead due to his Earth Plate being occupied as part of the Jewel of Life.

"I HAVE TOLD YOU!" Arceus bellowed. He unintentionally began glowing a deep crimson red in his rage. As he bellowed once more, he sent a shockwave flying across the horizon, "I CANNOT!"

This outburst stopped the humans in their tracks. They were all too terrified to move as they looked at the crimson deity. Arceus soon realized what what he had done and quickly managed to calm himself, erasing his crimson outline. And although the humans' terrified faces would haunt him, nothing would haunt him more than the voice he'd heard in the back of his mind as he had his little outburst. His vision flashed back to the incident with Damos and King Marcus. Arceus could feel his past rage nearly overtake him for a moment, but he promised himself he would never let that rage overtake him again. Arceus used his Psychic Plate to lift the humans, making them scream and flail until he'd set them back into their boats.

"Fine, then." He spat. "If you do not wish for my help, then you will not receive it."

Arceus lurched the Jewel of Life from the ground, immediately returning the land to the barren watery wasteland that Necrozma had reduced it to. Arceus split the Jewel of Life back into the original five Plates it was created from and returned them into his body. The Alpha Pokemon ripped open another white portal and, glancing back for a moment only to see Christopher Lee grinning cruelly at him from ear to ear, disappeared back into the Hall of Origin. To his surprise, Rayquaza was waiting for him there.

"Milord," Rayquaza said with a bow, "How did it go?"

Arceus closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, "...Not good, I'm afraid. The humans...did not wish for my assistance…"

"What?!" Rayquaza demanded, "Why would they not wish for their homes to return?!"

"...Grief And anger do things to people, Rayquaza. It was not their homes they were concerned with. They had lost many to Necrozma's attack. If I could not bring them back, what use was I?"

"Do not say that, Milord!" Cried the serpentine Legend. "They are not deserving of your kindness!"

"Don't be so hard on them, Rayquaza," Arceus told him, "...They lost people they loved. Blind rage can make people wild...I know that all too well…"

---

Author's Note

Creator- Welp...we did it! Two chapters before summer! ...Well, for us at least. Some of you might already be on Summer Break, but me and Hydra are not...so...it counts. Also, I still really hate the last chapter, but I feel incredibly proud of this one...Chapter 5 is still my favorite though. Speaking of which, I'd really like to hear your opinions on what your favorite chapter so far is! So please, tell me what Chapter you liked the most.

Hydra- We have only 4 more days until summer then you will be seeing much more chapters getting done quicker, so what did you guys think was it pretty intense?

Creator- Review time!

Armorshippingfan

"Wow good chapter I Iiked seeing the Pokémon tech school again and AJ again and I liked how they took care of team rocket and I really hope Riley can get to the tree of beginning and try stop that big bad Pokémon"

Creator- "I honestly don't think it was a good chapter. The only good thing about it, in my eyes, was Riley. Speaking of Riley, you will be seeing him a lot from this point on ;)

Hydra- It was really fun to write the part at the Pokemon tech school when AJ busted down their door with Sandslash and literally made the kids cry their eyes out, it was my favorite part last chapter.

Pikajew

"Sweet mother of lawdd, that Necrozma fight 0_0"

Creator-Your name, your comment, I love everything about you.

Hydra- dude that Necrozma fight is only the beginning you are going to absolutely love how the next fight is. Stay tuned:)

Little Matt

"Been readin' for a while, but I've been too shy to review until now.

...I can't help it anymore, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS KILLED LOOKER! XD You monsters!"

Creator- AND MANY MORE WILL DIE BY MY KEYBOARD AHAHHAHAHAHAAA!"

Hydra- thank you for reviewing man it's good to know that we have a lot of silent viewers who are enjoying our fic even if their to shy to review. P.S… sorry about Looker.

Bronysonicfan0000

"My god, that was long."

Creator- Almost as long as my di- gets punched by Hydra

Hydra- LANGUAGE!

Hy6r1d60y

"For arceus sake can arceus warn ash about necrozma... im really want to know why every legendary that meet ash dont ask ash help for aarceuss sake he is a chosen one... Are arceus forget that or will arceus dumbly warn ash when necrozma frickin destroy all region until kanto... Sorry for my outburst but i just wonder why the legendary dont warn ash about necrozma…"

Creator- Patience is key, my child. It will come.

Hydra- it's ok to get frustrated because that makes you appreciate more once you finally get the answers to the questions you've been asking.

Creator- This chapter was MUCH easier to write than the travesty that was Chapter 7...even though I was awake till like two in the morning writing that Lieutenant Surge battle. I wouldn't expect another chapter until, say, June 10th at the earliest. I got so many finals and projects to do, it's insane! But anywaaaaaaays, be sure to keep the reviews coming...they're pretty much what I feed off of these days…

Hydra- I really hope you get loved this chapter it took a little while to make that's why we're very glad we were able to get the two chapters out before summer because we want to show you guys that were very dedicated to this fic. Well it seems we're done so hope you guys have a good week and if there's someone who been reading, but is too afraid to review don't be shy we won't bite. :)