Ash repeatedly tried to chase down the Black-Suited Man to no avail. Every move he made would be responded to, and even when he sensed the man's intentions and responded appropriately, his enemy seemed to act without even thinking, purely on instinct, and countered in some way.
He threw a small Aura sphere to the man's ankles, which was responded to by the Black Suit jumping and thrusting his barrier beneath him, making the explosion launch him skyward. Raising his arm to trace the man, Ash waited until his ascent stopped before shooting another sphere his way. Yet just as he fired it, something stuck into the ground beside him.
Looking at it was a grave mistake, which he only realized when it was too late. It was the edge of a hookshot wire. The Black Suit brought his shield up to block the Aura Sphere and plunged through its explosion with a plasma knife in hand. One clean strike from that and Ash would likely find himself one limb short at best. At worst, he was done for.
He ducked and kicked backwards. The knife narrowly missed his ankle before tearing into the ground like butter. Ripping it and the wire out, the Black Suit smirked up at Ash. He fired his hookshot at Ash's leg, catching him around his ankle and leaping up. The two were pulled toward one another, the Black Suit with his shield and knife ready depending on Ash's response.
Ash grabbed the wire and yanked it toward him, earning a look of surprise from his enemy. The Black Suit readied his knife until he saw Ash creating an Aura Sphere, to which he brought up his shield. Ash changed his position midair, digging his feet into the ground and plunging his attack into the man's shield. Following this, he continued to thrust forward with all his might and pushed the Black Suit into the ground.
The Black Suit's shield was the only thing between him and an end by the Aura Sphere of an immensely angered Chosen One. Yet, even as his back was pressed further and further into the ground, he continued to smirk up at Ash and recalled the rest of the wire of his hookshot. Ash gasped as his legs were pulled from underneath him. In the blink of an eye, Ash found their roles reversed, with the Black Suit twisting their bodies around and holding his plasmatic blade to his throat and a shield pressing down on his Aura Sphere arm.
With his free arm, Ash grabbed the man's wrist and wrenched it away from his throat before throwing him off with a backwards somersault. As Ash returned to his feet, he saw the Black Suit skidding backwards through the dirt but staying on his feet. Ash was panting by now, still exhausted by blocking the spear and its explosion. Yet his adversary looked no worse for wear. In fact, he looked exhilarated. This was going to be an uphill battle.
For the Beasts of Johto, their fights were going much better than Ash's. Their natural speed allowed them to weave around the Black Suits's attacks with moderate ease, though their own retaliations did little. For humans, they were nimble. When they could not dodge an attack, their barriers blocked whatever they threw at them with surprising efficiency.
Being frozen by Suicune while still clad in one's shield was no issue for him. With his knife, he could cut his way out with ease. Fire and lightning proved no issue for the others either, who could continue to hide behind their shields while Entei and Raikou slowly wore themselves out. If they went for a physical strike, they could always dodge with some form of trick.
Suicune soon found herself annoyed. She stood still, watching the Black Suit circle around her. They were both looking for an opening. Some blind spot or a misstep could be the deciding factor between life and death for either of them. If Suicune attacked too hastily, the man could easily cut the tendons in her legs. If the man did the same, she could pry away his shield and turn him into a statue.
Both of them knew this, so their status quo remained as such.
Raikou's bout was much more heated. Lightning ravaged the field around them, concentrated upon wherever the Black Suit it fought stepped. He kept his shield raised skyward to deflect any bolt of lightning. Though he was much slower than Raikou, he was nimble enough to maneuver his body in ways the beast never thought possible of a human when Raikou came his way.
Laughing, the man fired his hookshot to the ground and dove to his back, letting the wire drag him along the ground in a curl around his target. He threw some kind of white disc underneath Raikou as he passed, then recalled the wire and ducked behind his shield. Raikou leapt away with wide eyes, knowing from Lugia exactly what this thing was. The disc exploded, instantly chilling the landscape closeby.
Raikou was splashed by the ice from head to toe, instantly turning him into a statue. The ice crept along the ground for a while longer before stopping and cracking. Entei, seeing this, did not even think before shooting Raikou with a Fire Blast attack. He knew his fellow beast could take it, but being frozen from the inside out was something else entirely.
The blast luckily sent an intact and mostly dethawed Raikou flying from the ice sculpture that imprisoned him, but was still a bit singed. Entei himself was another story, soon caught in a heavy metal net. Entei barked in surprise, preparing to let loose an Overheat attack when he remembered the nets Lugia warned them of. If he used any flames, the net would shock him to his core.
Entei resolved instead to bite at the metal, attempting to pry it apart to escape. The Black Suit responsible for his trapping smirked watching this. "Looks like they learned from the operation at the Elemental Islands. Clever beasts." He readied his spear gun, the last of them all among the four, and aimed it between Entei's eyes, which widened upon seeing it. "Open wide, you filthy animal."
Raikou tried to run to Entei, but was stopped by the Black Suit who froze him. "Not so fast," He said, twirling his knife in his hand. "These are one on one fights. Teaming up is cheating." Raikou roared at him, but he remained unaffected. The electric beast was worried. He was beginning to feel fear. His skin had become tender from the ice, and though Entei's attack saved him, it still hurt him badly. The Black Suit seemed to know this as he stepped toward Raikou without fear.
Suicune barked to the others with worry, breaking the focus between her and her enemy. He fired his hookshot underneath her and slid, aiming for her legs. Suicune leapt above, shooting an Ice Beam in his path to create a frigid ball of spikes. Recalling the wire, the Black Suit shot it to the side and kicked off the ground. He raised his shield, breaking off a few of the spikes he impacted before sliding to safety.
Without taking the wire out from the ground, the Black Suit bolted away into the bent trees. Suicune raised an inquisitive brow as she watched the wire continue to be pulled. Was he preparing some kind of slingshot attack? Well, he'd have a rude awakening. Suicune crouched down and lowered her head, gathering energy to her mouth for an Ice Beam. The moment she saw him, he'd be nothing more than a statue. If he survived with that accursed shield, she'd rip it out of his hands.
The wire stopped moving. Suicune eyed it for a moment, then looked up to where the Black Suit was last seen. It began moving again. Rapidly, at that. She tried to empty her mind of all else but her target, even if it meant ignoring her brothers. If she did not survive, neither would they.
When she saw the Black Suit, she immediately fired the Ice Beam. He responded in kind by kicking up from the ground and propelling himself into the air. The attack missed, freezing only the trees behind him. Recalling the wire, the Black Suit shot it again directly into Suicune's back. She hardly had the chance to react before he descended upon her and drove his knife into her back. She threw her head to the sky, roaring in agony.
Reshiram thought staying above the clouds and bombarding the island would have given her an easy way to attack without garnering too much attention from them so long as she stayed moving. Evidently, that was untrue. The orange streaks of bullets ascended through the white below, chasing after her with alarming precision. She tried to counter this by firing her attacks wherever they came from, but the clouds seemed to offer them more cover than her given the fact that they did not cease.
Growing tired of this, she turned down and cupped her arms into a circular shape. A massive orb of fire grew between them, Fusion Flare, and her tail engine began to glow. She shot down like a rocket with her signature attack in hand toward the island. When she appeared from the clouds, more of the island's turrets turned to intercept her rather than Lugia and the birds. Reshiram narrowed her eyes, summoning Protect to stop the streams of bullets that tried to intercept her.
The hordes of Black Suits below began rapidly spreading out from Reshiram's impending impact location. Seeing this, the soldiers followed their example, doing their best to try to stay ahead of them because they knew their shields would soon be necessary if they were fleeing. One of them, realizing he would never catch up in time, winced, knowing he wouldn't be getting out of this unscathed and hit the deck.
Reshiram threw the Fusion Flare beneath her, plunging into it with a Blue Flare attack that scattered the combined flares. The entire island seemed to tremble when she landed, but remained intact. The same could not be said for those on it. Entei winced when the Black Suit pulled the trigger, but Reshiram's collision swept both of them off their feet, making the spear sail harmlessly into the sky.
Some of the unfortunate foot soldiers were completely incinerated by her wrathful fire, while others screamed in agony as it licked their suits and flesh. The Black suits raised their shields, shielding themselves and everyone else behind them. Blue and red flames rose high up in spiraling walls, twisting around one another. Within those flames, trees and vines met the same fate as many soldiers. Within it all, the Dragon of Truth's shadow sent a piercing glare toward her adversaries. Many soldiers felt their legs become weak under her wrathful gaze, but it had little effect on the Black Suits.
"Disperse," Ordered the Black Suits to the surviving soldiers. Oddly, they all did it in perfect sync so that no soldier near them did not hear the order. "Focus your attacks on the sky. Prevent Lugia, Articuno and Moltres from joining Reshiram." Though bewildered by the cumulative direction, they did not question it and quickly ran far from the white dragon's wrath.
Reshiram did not give them the time of day, instead closing her eyes to listen to the sound of the turrets' firing. "It is unfortunate for them that their weapons are so loud," Mused Reshiram aloud. "That just makes it easier to focus upon them." It did not take long for her to gather their locations. She could hear the truth of all things, animate and inanimate.
Letting out a deafening roar, Reshiram flapped her powerful wings down, pushing the fiery walls outward and impacting the Black Suits. They were forced to stay still within them for fear of losing ground even while protected. This gave Reshiram the perfect opportunity to strike at her true target. Raising her head, she spat out an orange ball that glowed like a miniature sun. It exploded violently, sending down a cascade of meteors all over the battlefield.
"Damn, that's Draco Meteor!" Cursed one of the Black Suits. He winced, preparing for the impact against his shield, but became bewildered when they seemed like they weren't going to hit any of them. "Wait...what is it aiming-" Then it hit him. "Crap! It's aiming for the anti-air turrets!"
But there was little they could do to stop it, save for panicked orders for the foot soldiers to fire upon the falling stars. Their bullets proved ineffective at detonating them before they reached their intended target. The meteors crashed into dozens of turrets, leaving none behind when they were hit. Reshiram continued to send volley after volley into the air in the effort of getting rid of every last one. They fell upon their weapons like hail, coating much of the island in fire before long.
Despite the efforts of the Black Suits, they could not do much besides slowly progress toward Reshiram one step at a time. If they lowered their shields, they'd be incinerated by the flames that bathed the outside air in an instant. "Dammit!" One cursed. "Lee! We're gonna need extra support-"
"Already on it."
A black figure raced through the flames with all the haste of the winds. Reshiram shrieked in pain as something sliced at her neck. She doubled over and choked ceasing her attacks to grab at the wound. Luckily, her thick scales and fur stopped the attack from being lethal, but she still bled from it. As she turned back to glare at them, she tried to growl with rage, but ended up coughing and sputtering from the injury.
"That should stop it from using Draco Meteor," Said Ryder without turning back to look at her. "Finish it off. I have other orders."
With that, he disappeared into the fire. Reshiram tried to give chase, but something small and sharp impacted her back, making her stagger forward. Far away, in the cover of vines and trees, Sniper reloaded his smoking gun. "Heavy, Auto, Launcher," He said in his radio, "We have the authority to engage." Then, he fired once more, aiming for the eye that glared at him.
Ash cried out in pain as he was forced to abandon his shield time and time again. He hardly had the strength to stand any more and his arms felt like they were on fire. The Black Suit he stared down looked no worse for wear. He laughed at Ash mockingly with each thrust of his knife. Ash continued to block them with another barrier time after time, yet each blow knocked away his hands, and it was becoming ever more tiring to continue to raise them.
"What's the matter, Chosen One?" Mockingly asked the Black Suit, thrusting his knife forward again. "Can't even take down a lowly human?" Ash barely managed to deflect it. The man scoffed, saying, "Or is it that you're finally seeing sense and don't want to fight your own kind?" He spat in disgust. "Well it's too late for that. You've already picked your side and now you have to face the consequences!"
He jammed his knife straight into Ash's shield. The Pokemon on the sideline gasped in horror. Ash was barely hanging on. If his body failed him now, his shield would fade and the knife would pierce clean through him. "ASH!" Cried Serena in desperation. "Keep fighting! You can't let him win!"
Ash grunted, hissing in pain and exertion. "S-side?" He asked. "Wh-what the heck...are you t-talking about?! There aren't any s-sides to pick! Humans and Pokemon…" He pushed his shield forward against the Black Suit. "Were always meant to live together! What happened five months ago should have taught you that! We need each other...to live!"
The Black Suit scoffed with a scowl. "Spoken just like the traitor you are." He swiped his blade sideways, destroying Ash's last shield. Ash's trembling arms tried to rise to make a new one, but he just couldn't find the strength. He was grabbed by his shirt and pushed to the ground. Ash's eyes widened in horror seeing the man's blade rise. "I can't stand looking at your putrid face anymore. If you side with Pokemon…" He brought the blade down. "Then you'll die with them!"
Serena's face paled. "NOOOO!"
There was a loud clang, metal against metal. The Black Suit's plasmatic knife cl clashed against a long black one. Ryder flicked his blade up, sending the knife flying out of his hand and marching toward the man, who backed away with a look of horror on his face seeing the armored man.
Keeping his blade pointed at Ash, Ryder marched up to the Black Suit and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him close so that he was forced to stare into his black visor. "Your orders were clear," He hissed. "You were to capture him alive! The only reason you continue to breathe is because of the situation we are in." The man's breathing became ragged with fear when Ryder pulled him so close that their heads touched. "Must I remind you what happens to those who defy a direct order from our master?"
The Black Suit shook his head vigorously. "N-no sir!"
He was shoved away. "Make sure you never repeat this mistake," Ryder said. He turned to Serena, earning a fearful look from her. "Take her as well," He said. "Master wants her alive." Serena's Pokemon cried out in protest, but did not dare to act for fear of her safety.
"...Really?" Asked the Black Suit. "I never got that order." He took out his radio and inspected it for damage as he started making his way toward Serena.
Ryder merely replied, "You're getting it now."
Ash shielded his tired eyes from the sunlight, trying to make out the figure who had temporarily saved him. When he got a clear view, visions flashed before his eyes. In a forest, the night after they rescued Zero, Ash saw the shadow of this man.
"Y-you!" He stammered, glaring up at the man furiously. "You're the one...who fought Zero!"
The armored man tensed hearing her name again. His black, empty visor turned down upon Ash. "...That is not a name I've heard for a time now." He forced Ash's chin up with his blade. Ash could only glare indignantly. "Tell me," Said Ryder. "Do you know how she died?"
Hearing this, Serena ceased her attempts to tear away from the Black Suit and gasped. Ash, helpless to do anything but glare, merely continued to do so silently.
"Your silence tells me no," Ryder said. He looked to the sky, and when he pictured her grand explosion, he laughed scornfully. "We were able to see it quite clearly with the help of a few satellites. In her incomplete state, she would have spent her life either fighting endless battles until her body expired, or she would have turned to us and lived the life she was meant to with a completed form and power equal to the Legends."
Slowly, his gaze fell, turning back to Ash with dangerous silence. "...But," He said, his voice so low it was nearly a whisper, "She thought she found another solution. Project Zero destroyed herself to also eliminate Necrozma's fleet, preventing them from scorching the surface world."
Again, he laughed, shaking his head. "Foolishly, she believed that she found a third solution. But now, I see differently." He threw his head back and laughed yet again. The Black Suit appeared disturbed by this. "Had she never saved the world, our operations would be impossible. The survivors underneath Goldenrod were few, but the majority of the Legends survived. We would have been slaughtered, but thanks to her, we now have the power to remake our world into the one it was always meant to be!"
An infuriated Ash screamed murder at Ryder, rising to grab hold of his blade. But a swift stomp felled him again, knocking the wind and fight right out of him.
"Ash!" Cried Serena. Taking advantage of the Black Suit's stunned state, she pushed out of his grasp and tried to run to him. One look at her and Ash's Pokemon told them all they needed to know and they jumped into action.
The Black Suit quickly took out his remote and shield, looking to Ryder for approval. "No," Answered the armored man, looking up to the Pokemon that descended upon him. "Our orders were only to capture the boy and the girl. Their pets…" His form blurred. "...Are unnecessary."
Sceptile and Greninja's clashed with Ryder, stalling his movement momentarily. Greninja's Cut collided with his blade while Sceptile had tried to attack from behind with Leaf Blade, he was surprised by a barrier that had sprung up to stop his hit from connecting. Ryder's blade soon fell through the Cut attack and Greninja had to swiftly leap away to avoid a swift end. He whipped around and sliced at Sceptile, sending him skidding back when their blades collided.
Pangoro became bewildered when his Brutal Swing appeared to strike the armored man, yet only hit air. "DODGE LEFT!" Cried Serena. Obediently, Pangoro ducked and rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding a right swing that would have sliced him clean in two.
"How did she…?"
Ryder brought up his blade to stop an aerial Iron Tail from a very angry Pikachu. "Pika...CHUUUU!" The yellow mouse unleashed a potent Thunderbolt so strong that the grass beneath them was blackened by its heat. The powerful bolts, however, were unable to leave so much as a scratch on Ryder's barrier.
Serena shouted, "Pangoro, use Dynamic Punch on the ground, then Braixen, use Psychic from underneath him and lift him into the air!"
The nearby ground heaved and cracked when Pangro drove his fist into the ground. Immediately, Braixen followed this up by taking the splintered rock and throwing it skyward. This, unfortunately, had little effect besides temporarily slowing Ryder. He gazed down at Serena from the flying stones, cursing his inability to eliminate her and be done with it.
Serena was grabbed from behind and shoved to the ground by the Black Suit. "That's more than enough out of you," He hissed into her ear. Ash felt a sudden heat, his anger spiking. This immediately turned Serena's Pokemon's attention upon him instead of Ryder, which was a major mistake.
Ryder descended upon Braixen with his blade pointed down, eager to be rid of an annoying Psychic-Type. The fox's eyes went wide, but when she noticed him, it was too late. Greninja raced to her aid and brought up a Cut kunai to stay the blow. Figuring that a Leaf Blade would end up with the same result as before, Sceptile opened his mouth wide and shot a Solarbeam at Ryder.
The potent green laser was powerful enough to uproot the dirt underneath where it traveled, but made nary a scratch on Ryder's shield. At least, that's how it seemed. Inside Ryder's suit, the cracked black crystal became uneasy. It still sported the damage sustained in the battle against Mewtwo.
When Ryder returned to face his master after his battle against the Genesects, he expected his punishment to be severe. Yet that punishment came in the form of a gift. Ryder was charged with a small shard of one of Necrozma's crystals and an experimental barrier that used the shard as a source of power.
The technology was unstable and hastily made, which Ryder assumed was the actual punishment. He was told by his master that, should the limits of the shard be pushed, it would explode with tremendous force. Ryder would have to be the one to deal with that.
Ryder flicked up his blade and split the beam. The cut went halfway through before returning to normal. Greninja yelped as he was grabbed by the wrist. Ryder thrust the frog into the Solarbeam, eliciting a cry of pain from the frog. A wide-eyed Sceptile swiftly stopped the attack, but when he did, he found the frog's limp body hurling his way.
It was then that Ryder decided to change targets. The weaklings could be dealt with easily and posed no threat to his barrier, but if he wasted time on them, the more powerful ones could get in attacks like that Solarbeam.
Sceptile evaded Greninja on instinct, but tried to reach back to grab him. He caught a black blur out of the corner of his eye, forcing him to abandon Greninja and block the incoming attack to save himself.
Noivern swooped down from the air and caught the flying frog, though the effort sent them both into the ground. Groggily, Greninja rolled off of Noivern's chest and thanked the wyvern. Noivern sat up and simply nodded, then flew back to Ash's side.
Evidently, Noivern and Hydreigon took to defending Ash. One stood in between him and the Black Suit that held Serena whereas the other guarded against Ryder. Looking down upon Ash's collapsed form, Greninja felt very thankful that he was not in his Bonded state, otherwise Ash would have felt his same pain.
Serena dug her fingers into the dirt, clenching her jaw in frustration. She looked at Ash as much as she could under the rough hand of the Black Suit. Similarly, Ash tried to raise his head against the protests of his tired body to see her. They were both unaware that they felt the exact same anger at their inability to help the other.
Her Pokemon, no longer receiving orders, couldn't help but to anxiously focus their attention on her while Ash's kept Ryder busy. Though, Braixen occasionally looked over to Greninja. The Black Suit was well aware of this. He kept his knife close to her hand. His only orders were to keep her alive, but not necessarily in one piece. With his shield, he could easily keep himself and her safe while getting rid of the surrounding annoyances by detonating the spear, but that damnable Chosen One would be caught in the blast.
Ryder knocked away a Slash attack from Charizard, then whipped around to kick away an approaching Pikachu. Greninja and Sceptile raced into action, one keeping his attention on them while the other prodded at the shield. One circular thrust knocked them both away. Charizard reared his head back, using the newfound space without his teammates to focus a powerful Fire Blast upon him. In return, Ryder sheathed his weapon, confusing the dragon.
In a swift, powerful motion that Charizard couldn't even see, Ryder swung his blade up and created a concentrated wave of wind. When it impacted the Fire Blast, Charizard's attack was sliced clean in two and its heat was seemingly absorbed. Charizard merely snorted at this, completely unafraid of the attack. When it neared him, he caught it in his claws. The force behind it pushed him back, but he had taken worse. Letting out a prideful roar, Charizard ripped the attack in two.
Smirking at Ryder, Charizard blew flames onto his claws and rushed at him. Sharp claws met with an even sharper blade, yet the dragon showed no signs of fatigue. "...You are strong for a beast," Commended Ryder. Charizard's smirk fell clean off his face as he stumbled forward, his enemy suddenly disappearing from view. A metal boot stomped down on his tail, and a blade was pointed toward his back. "But a beast is still just a dirty animal."
Hydreigon's attention was caught by a purple glow on Ash's wrist. "Dreigon!" Chirped the hydra.
When Ash noticed this, he became confused. "My...Key Stone?" He asked aloud. "But...Sceptile's already transformed...then why…?" His tired eyes widened when he remembered the words of Mr. Star. He said something along the line of his Key Stone being particularly pure, or something along those lines. But could that really mean…? "You two," He said to Noivern and Hydreigon. The two stood alert. Ash nodded to his bag. "Get that stone...to Charizard."
The two looked back to the dragon, concerned about leaving their master's side. "D-do it!" Ash cried, surprising the two. Ash's breaths were weighty and loud, his head becoming woozy from trying to yell. "They will not hurt me," He assured them. "They need me alive...for something. But here...and now...we can't afford to lose. If we fall here...it's the whole world that will pay!"
Ryder's blade was prevented from stabbing through Charizard's spine by a powerful Volt Tackle from Pikachu that knocked Ryder away, though not for very long. He raced back to Pikachu, aiming to slice him in two. Pikachu responded in turn with a defensive Iron Tail to deflect the blow, though due to their difference in weight, he was sent flying up into the air. Crouching down, Ryder aimed his blade skyward and prepared to skewer the rodent.
He was forced to evade an oncoming Flamethrower from Charizard, but ended up evading right into the range of a Boomburst from Noivern. His crystal rattled, but not to the point it was worrying. When he faced Noivern, he made no sudden movements. Rather, he sheathed his blade and began walking toward him through the attack, unnerving the wyvern. A Focus Blast from Hydreigon trailed toward him, but he did not evade.
The Focus Blast's form warped for a brief moment when, to the surprise of all, Ryder thrusted the palm of his hand into it and stopped its movement entirely. He whirled back toward Noivern, throwing it overhead straight toward them. Noivern shrieked, swiftly cutting off the Boomburst to evade. But, when he evaded, it was right into the path of Ryder. Ryder sliced up, cutting deep into Noivern's back, though not before the wyvern was able to throw a gleaming stone to Charizard.
Noivern's cries of pain were cut short when an irate Ryder kicked him away before turning to the new threat. "A Mega Stone?" He glanced to Sceptile, then back to Charizard. "That one's definitely already Mega Evolved. Are they simply unaware, or…?"
He looked back to Ash, finding the boy weakly reaching for his Mega Bracelet. The Keystone within still glowed somehow. Not asking questions, Ryder made a mad dash for Ash with the intent of slicing off the bracelet. Yet, a sudden surge of heat from behind quickly made it apparent that he was too late.
From within a typhoon of fire, Charizard shook the surrounding trees with a mighty roar. The Beasts of Johto and the other Black Suits momentarily ceased their fight hearing it, as it shook the ground beneath their feet. Ryder swiftly slashed at Ash's wrist, but the blow was held back by Pikachu's Iron Tail.
"P-Pikachu…" Ash said weakly.
Ryder scoffed, swiping Pikachu up by the tail with his free hand. "Insignificant rat." He said coldly, whirling around to hurl Pikachu toward an oncoming Hydreigon who was trying to save his friend. Pikachu's Iron Tail ended up colliding with Hydreigon's main face with a sickening crack, and both of them bounced off in opposite directions.
Yet, this bought enough time for Greninja and Sceptile to return to Ash's side. Greninja knelt down, gently taking Ash in his arms before bolting away while Sceptile continued to clash with the armored man. "My patience wears thin," Said Ryder, pushing his sword against Sceptile's Leaf Blade. He felt heat rapidly approaching from behind. Sceptile disengaged, pushing off of Ryder and leaping back to gain some distance.
Ryder turned toward the new threat, tilting his head as a sharp, flame-coated Slash sailed past him. The flames around Charizard died down as he landed by Sceptile's side. His form had a new edge to it, retaining his old color while giving him more jagged wings and claws, as well as third horn. They smirked at one another, bumping their fists together, then looked back to Ryder. Greninja appeared from the shadows, Water-Shurikens in hand. Following him, Pikachu returned to the battle, his cheeks sparking angrily. Hydreigon was the last to arrive, roaring loudly with his three heads.
"...You're down a member," Noted Ryder. He chuckled, a hollow sound from behind his empty black visor.
Greninja had hidden Ash close by next to where Noivern had been thrown. The wyvern tried desperately to get up, but every twitch he made caused his newfound wound to sting worse than fire. Though his Aura was weak, Ash was still able to sense Noivern's pain, which elucidated him somewhat. His vision became less hazy until he saw the large gash across his back.
Ash gasped, instinctively reaching toward Noivern in an attempt to heal the wound. Yet, no significant Aura surfaced. The effort only served to further exhaust him, but Ash did not stop. "C-come on…!" He rasped. Uncaring of the effect it had on him, he tried to force more Aura to surface. He got about as far as touching the bleeding wound before his arm gave out, sliding to the ground.
He growled in frustration at his own weakness. "Darn it...why?!" He tried unsuccessfully to raise his arm in spite of the pain it caused him. "Why?!" He cried again weakly, his throat dry. Angry tears lightly dripped to the ground. Noivern, a dear friend, was right here in front of him with an injury, but he couldn't do a thing about it. His other Pokemon fought in his defense without him and he couldn't help them. He couldn't help Serena either. "W-work! Wh-what use are you...if y-you won't work for me?! Aura!"
Green, blue and black blurs raced across the field, occasionally spiraling toward one another for a brief clash. Ryder was gaining better footing over the fight than his opponents. While Ash's Pokemon had to constantly watch each other's backs, Ryder could keep focus exclusively on his targets. He would occasionally aim a strike at one enemy, only to turn it on those who came to defend them to leave both of them with at least scrapes before rushing off before the others could catch up.
The only ones who could consistently keep up with him were Greninja and Sceptile, but with neither being able to do any visible damage to his barrier, each trade of blows gave the two more and more cuts while Ryder was unscathed. Greninja winced, suddenly feeling a burning pain from his ankle. His next step made him collapse on the wounded foot and sprawl across the floor until he eventually grinded to a halt.
Sceptile made the mistake of turning away from Ryder. He whirled back around, anticipating a strike to his neck. Instead, the armored man slid to the ground, aiming to end Sceptile's knees but only scraping one of his feet when he jumped away. Pikachu approached before Ryder could give chase, hurling a series of angled Iron Tails down upon him. Though the yellow rodent was fast in his own right, Ryder was far beyond him in that aspect. Without Ryder's barrier, his electric attacks may have had a chance to bypass his armor. But that was but a dream to Pikachu now.
Ryder eventually countered with a powerful slash that cut even the wind. His blade pierced the Steel-Type armor, cleaving off a small part of his tail as he sent the mouse flying. Hydreigon flew up and caught him before he could fall. When he saw the ghastly wound he had endured, his face paled. Visions of his past sufferings from Damian flashed before his eyes. Lashings, beatings, berations and blood. He shook his heads, ridding himself of those nightmarish memories.
Those were in the past. Right now, he had to work to prevent a worse fate. He had a family now, and he was going to protect them. Charizard soared past him and beared down upon Ryder, unleashing a volley of Fire Blasts down upon him. Keeping his shield's limits in mind, Ryder was quick to evade them, leaping back and forth to avoid their explosions. He jumped into the air, slicing one that was right on top of him and soaring out the other end of its detonation.
While those two dueled, Hydreigon flew back to Serena's Pokemon with Pikachu in hand. They were snapped out of their focus on their trainer by the hydra's cries. When they saw the state of Pikachu's tail, their faces collectively became white. Pikachu himself tried to act tough and smile in spite of it, but it was clear how much pain he was really in.
Clefable was quick to take Pikachu into her arms. Her Heal pulse was swift to work its magic and stopped the bleeding, but it could not fix its wound entirely. What remained of Pikachu's tail was all that was left of it. The rest would never recover.
Pikachu hopped out of Clefable's grasp, twitching his stubbier tail. At least it was lighter now. He chirped up a thanks to Clefable for what work she was able to do. She and the others all gave the mouse looks of concern. He was taking the loss rather well. The same could not be said for Pangoro, who growled Ryder's way. He was sickened by his own inaction. He was a fighter, a warrior! Not someone who was helpless on the sidelines!
Before the others could stop him, he bolted off in a mad dash toward the armored man. Serena watched this in horror. "No, don't-!"
Her head was shoved down again, silencing her. "Let it go," Said the Black Suit with a chuckle. "If it wants to commit suicide, by all means."
Pikachu tried to give chase, only to be stopped by Hydreigon. When he gave him a questioning look, Hydreigon motioned over to Ash. He was Ash's partner. Though Hydreigon loved Ash with all his heart, he knew Pikachu was the one closest to him. He should be the one to guard him, because right now, Ash needed it desperately. Pikachu gave Hydreigon a solemn nod, wished him good luck, and took off to be with his best friend.
Sceptile managed to knock Ryder's sword up, though the man retained an unbreakable grip on the weapon like his life depended on it. This allowed the perfect opportunity for Charizard to swoop by for a Steel Wing that struck and rattled Ryder's shield and carried him off. Ryder laid down and fell to the dirt to let the dragon fly past. Swiftly, he rose back to his feet and sent a wind slash toward Sceptile to keep him occupied.
He turned back to look at Charizard flying above. He crouched down, then jumped up at the dragon with all the speed of a bullet. Charizard flapped his wings to push himself sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack. Ryder hurled a grenade forward and turned back. The explosion sent him hurtling down like a meteor into Charizard's back, sending them both sprawling across the ground. Ryder's grip on Charizard, even as they fell across the ground, was like iron.
Raising his black blade, Ryder aimed its edge at Charizard's neck. Sceptile dove, narrowly deflecting the blow, though it did not miss Charizard entirely. Instead of piercing his neck, the edge cut through one of Charizard's wings and left a sizable hole. The mighty, prideful dragon did not yell out in pain. Rather, he roared in a blazing anger, grabbing Ryder's barrier and hurling him away.
Sceptile lost a bit of his usual cool when he saw the wound, silently wincing. Noticing this, Charizard merely grinned down at him with a thumbs up. It would take far worse to put him down. Sceptile gave a small chuckle and the two turned back to face Ryder. The smiles upon their faces soon wore away when they saw Pangoro approaching Ryder from behind.
Hydreigon cried out from behind, desperately pleading for Pangoro to stop. But he would not. For someone who would dare to harm Serena, he had no mercy. Ryder glanced back at him and caught sight of a flurry of Bullet Punches headed his way. Though the attack was incredibly fast to the ordinary eye, to Ryder, he may have been getting attacked by a Slowpoke.
The metal-coated fists met empty air time and time again. Ryder's blurred form sidestepped each punch, testing each attack for possible feints. But there were none. "An amateurish attack from an amateur beast…" Sceptile and Charizard raced to his aid as fast as their legs and wings could take them. Their hearts sank when Ryder deflected a blow and sheathed his blade.
Hydreigon flew as fast as he could. His heart was pounding. Now that the hydra thought about it, he remembered a story Zero told him on the final day before Necrozma's arrival. She told him of a dark figure who wielded a blade sharp enough to pierce even her skin. That figure had defeated her, and she was only saved by Ash, Serena and another friend of hers.
But what else she had told him was that this man was ruthless and merciless. The first time they met, it was through his murdering of a young Eevee. He had forgotten that story in the wake of all that had happened the day after, but seeing this man, if he could even call him that, there was no mistaking it. This had to be him, and Pangoro was in danger.
By the stretch of his arm, Hydreigon managed to push Pangoro. This was a grave mistake. He was too late. Ryder unsheathed his blade, cleaving through the wind. The upward slash made contact with both Pangoro and Hydreigon's arms, severing them both at the elbow. The two screamed in agony, though Pangoro was swiftly silenced by a devastating kick to the underside of his jaw.
Ryder sneered down at Hydreigon as Pangoro's large body fell behind him with a thud. "Our sources," He said, "Kept a close eye on Project Zero at all times. Shortly before her neutralization, she was seen with a Hydreigon." He stomped down on Hydreigon's wound hard. Hydreigon was in so much pain he couldn't think, let alone hear his wail of a roar. Ryder grasped his maw and shut it tightly, making sure Hydreigon's eyes met with his visor. "I take it you were a friend of hers?" He pointed his blade right over the hydra's heart. "Then allow me to send you straight to her."
Sceptile reached him before he could do anything further. When their blades clashed, Sceptile pulled him back with his and threw him over his shoulder to the approaching Charizard. He dared a brief look at Hydreigon's and Pangoro's wounds. While he was no stranger to battle...they were difficult to look at. Pangoro, at least, wouldn't be feeling it until later, but Hydreigon was not as lucky. He glanced down at Hydreigon with pity, but right now, pity was all he could offer. If Ryder wasn't stopped here and now, much worse would be done to them all.
He returned to Charizard's side, clashing blades with Ryder again and again while the armored man alternated targets. The other Black Suits had the Beasts of Johto running right around their fingertips, just out of reach. Their shields held firm, and their blades cut deep. The Beasts were fighting a losing battle. Reshiram found herself swarmed, constantly throwing her enemies aside only for them to return with unending persistence. Above, Lugia and the birds still hardly had the room to breathe due to the fire they were taking. They couldn't land, or even retaliate without being pelted by bullets when they tried. Kyogre and Giratina, meanwhile, were nowhere in sight.
Something terrible was happening. Something that the Legends never anticipated. They were fighting a losing battle. From his perch in the Hall, Arceus could no longer stand to watch. If he did nothing, Lugia's squad would be killed, or perhaps even worse fates may await them. Though he hated to ignore the wishes of Xerneas, Ho-oh and Zekrom, what he was looking at was an absolute worst-case scenario. He no longer had a choice in the matter.
He called upon their respective gates, preparing to forcibly summon them when he noticed something on the island. Shadows, dozens of them, were appearing en masse. Arceus knew he should have been happy to see them, knowing what they were. But something at the back of his mind said differently.
"...Giratina…why did you take so long?!"
The island began trembling under the sudden, growing black fields of gravity that appeared. Some were on land, flat against the ground, looking like black cyclones. In the sky and sea, orbs appeared. Lugia and the birds suddenly found themselves no longer under fire, for the orbs' gravitational pull had taken them all. Soldiers futilely tried to run, and their Black-Suited superiors believed that their shields would protect them from whatever was happening. They were wrong.
Massive, shadowy tendrils sprung up from the voids on the island's surface like pillars. The world seemed to distort around them wherever they moved, and when they curled back down, the singular, red claws at their ends wildly attacked whatever was not in reach of their gravity. When fired upon, the bullets appeared to freeze in place for a moment and elongate, curving down into the void at the tendrils' base. Another rift appeared behind some of the soldiers and Black Suits, and they found themselves under fire from their own ammunition.
The island's trembling knocked the Black Suits fighting the Beasts off their feet, with the Beasts themselves not faring much better. Another rift appeared right in the center of their battle, making their eyes collectively go wide. The Black Suits raised their shields when it became clear escape was not possible, which, like their brethren, offered no safety. Shield and all, they were being pulled deeper and deeper into the void.
Yet when the void met with the feet of the Beasts, nothing happened. They were able to stand upon it without issue. One of the Black Suits temporarily evaded death by catching onto a tree with his hookshot, then threw a silver disc down to the void. It exploded, cascading the rift with a layer of ice. Yet, to even this, the shadow crawled over it and slowly ate away at the frigid material. Suicune eyed this man with untold fury, still feeling the burning sting of his knife in her back.
She fired an Ice Beam up at him, to which he defended with his shield. While the shield guarded against the attack, the sudden weight from the ice that enveloped his shield snapped the branch he held onto, and with no way to latch onto anything else with her ice in the way, he fell right onto the platform of superior ice he had made.
His own ice quickly ate through Suicune's until it met his barrier, and soon, it as well. He hardly had the time to scream before he was turned into a statue from the inside out. Suicune bowed her head, glaring into the ice with burning hatred. Her vengeance was not yet over. She launched an Aurora Beam straight into the ice, shattering it, and the man inside, like glass. His shards fell into the rift and were swallowed, disappearing without a trace. This was the last thing the other two saw before meeting a similar fate.
"Wh-what the hell?!" Cried the last of the four, who was still atop Serena. "What is this?!" He dared a glance at Ryder, who seemed to be able to stand within the void without being swallowed, and wagered his chances of living between continuing to follow his orders and having to deal with the darkness that swallowed his comrades, or disobeying orders to flee and facing his wrath later.
Unbeknownst to him, another rift opened up in the ground. Serena saw it, and when she did, her blood went cold. The void quickly encased the ground she was forced onto, but to her surprise, she did not sink into it. It felt cold, though not unpleasant. The same could not be said for the Black Suit. As soon as he noticed the new rift, it was too late.
"Gah!" He cried, making the mistake of staggering backwards, away from Serena who was unaffected. Like the others, he began to sink, shield and all. He fumbled for his remote and aimed it at the now half-sunk spear. "Screw this! At this rate, the island's going down either way! I'm not going down with i-"
He was cut short by the sound of his own gurgling. One of the tendrils had snaked up behind him, piercing his shield like it was cheap glass. He hardly had the time to look down at the red claw piercing his stomach before it pulled back, taking the wailing man and the remote into the dark abyss.
Serena struggled to push herself up, her back and arms aching after being held in place for so long. She yelped when, from where the tendril had disappeared to, a mass of raw shadow emerged. It soared into the air, rising high like a black pillar until it curled down to face her. The shadows wore away, revealing the massive, terrifying form of Giratina leering down at her.
She was frozen in shock, feeling a new level of fear not even the Black Suit had been able to instill. The titan's crimson eyes had a magnetic pull, not letting her look away. "...Are you unharmed?" He asked, snapping her out of her trance. He offered one of his tendrils to her. After a brief moment, she took it and was gently picked back up onto her feet. "A few bruises," Mused Giratina as he briefly sized her up, "But you will recover. I am glad to have joined in when I did."
Still shaken, Serena could only reply with, "Y-you're Giratina, right? Thank you so much for the rescue! If you hadn't come when you did…"
The Renegade chuckled, a low, droning noise that Serena could feel all throughout her body. "Think nothing of it," He replied. "None of us will die today if I can help it."
"Giratina!" Roared a voice from above. An irate Lugia landed behind them with the two birds in tow. "You had better have a damned good excuse for why it took you so long to arrive! While you were off doing what the hell ever, we were on the verge of defeat!"
Lugia's anger faded in an instant, replaced with utter shock when he saw what Giratina did next. Serena's jaw dropped, and her expression was mirrored by the birds. Giratina, lord of shadow and the Renegade Pokemon, bowed his head to Lugia.
"I am truly sorry," He said. "I was keeping an eye on the battle at all times. If anyone's life was in danger, I'd have come. In the meantime, I was preparing something to make sure our victory was certain."
The Beast of the Sea blinked, closing his mouth as he regained his composure. "...And what would that be?"
To that, Giratina looked over to Ash's collapsed form, holding onto Noivern with the last of his fading strength while Pikachu did his best to console him. He turned to his other Pokemon. All but two were collapsed, and even they were badly scarred. With fury-filled eyes, he turned his fiery gaze upon Ryder, who held a defensive stance as he faced them from afar. Finally, he raised his head and glared at the entire battlefield, blackened by the fires of battle. The soldiers scattered across the battlefield as they tried to regain their bearings. The remaining Black Suits, who were observing him from the treetops. And those clad in the same armor as Ryder, who still fought with Reshiram in spite of his onslaught.
"...Their graves."
Author's Note
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: The spear-drills that the Nova Branch use are potent enough to seriously wound some Legends. For major Legends like the weather/creation trio, it would be like a hornet sting. For medium Legends like Lugia, it could probably tear open a hole in his body. For minor Legends like the Elemental Birds, the drill would go straight through them and out the other end after a few seconds. Ash managing to hold both the spear and its explosion off is no mean feat. While Psychic powers can naturally stop them quite easily, Aura cannot. This is why he became so exhausted after dealing with it.
If Ash never had to stop the drill, he and his team together could have dispatched of the Black Suit with relative ease by putting constant pressure on his shield until it broke. He still would have lost to Ryder due to two factors. 1. Ryder's barrier. Though it was on its last legs against Mewtwo, it was still strong enough to resist Mewtwo's power. Ash cannot come close to Mewtwo's power even with his full team. 2. Ryder always goes for lethal blows. Even if he didn't have his barrier, he would still seek to dispatch the weaker Pokemon like Sylveon and Clefable first, but Ash and his Pokemon would never let that happen. He's too nice for his own good in this respect. He and the stronger members of his team would probably take hits for the weaker ones, leading to them getting injured and killed in only two or three direct hits from Ryder.
Creator: We finished this in a week since we were so pumped for these island chapters. This chapter was really meant to showcase Ash and Serena, and how they are far from invincible. The last war didn't go well for them either, but this time, there's no Aura entity to save them. Ryder has also been on a bit of a losing streak recently, so hopefully you all see what he can really do.
Hydra: Well as per usual we have returned! And not a moment too soon. Hopefully you guys enjoyed the focus going more on Ash and Serena this chapter, it had been so long since we had their Pokemon do anything of value so this was a really nice one.
Amourshipper35: "I hope Ash can win this and save Serena from that guy."
Creator: Sorry to disappoint. He's not in any position to save himself, let alone anyone else right now.
Hydra: Yeah it's gonna be a bit before Ash is ready to take on anyone.
Guest: Great chapter, so finally started the raid of this island by the heroes, well as we already could see, this definitely would be a very hard and a titanic battle, as Christopher Lee and the Nova Branch are certainly prepared for any normal battle style and power of the Legendary pokemon, as if they had some countermeasures for any legendary pokemon, much like the countermeasures of Batman against the Justice league in case that they became rogue or were brainwashed. Adding that don't help the fact that the Legendary pokemon lost most of their power after the battle against Necrozma, as a notable amount died, some of the survivors suffered permanent scars, emotional and physically, and Arceus was left powerless after his actions to restore some of the destruction of Necrozma, leveling the playing field to the favor of the Nova Branch.
And don't helps that Mewtwo was enslaved by the Team rocket and the Nova Branch, to be honest, to considers the connection between both organizations, i wonder if possibly other reason to that the Team rocket created Mewtwo, was to makes a weapon to kills the Legendary pokemon, and the Nova Branch has some device or method to could enslaves Mewtwo to uses some part of his design, like a microchip or a subliminal message within his brain, that once activated, would override and eliminates the free will of Mewtwo, and turn him in a mindless weapon that follows a primary programmation; obeys the Team rocket, and destroy the pokemon.
As another point, it was really cool to see finally the apparition of Mr Harper, now known as the Burned Man, to be honest, to consider his characteristics, gadgets and new personality, he reminds me of three characters: Darth Vader, Doom Slayer and Nemesis. Darth Vader, by the fact that both were severely burned after a intense battle, leaving their bodies heavily damaged, forcing them to wears special power armor to be still alive, adding that both harbors a great hatred against the responsibles of their current situation; Doom Slayer, as both have deadly and powerful armors that carries a notable amount of weaponry and other functions that makes them more deadlier in combat, adding that both harbors an obsession for "rips and tears'' some kind of creature; Nemesis, because both appears be beings created to hunt down some particular group that is a threat to their superiors, adding that both are very intimidating beings, as their mere presence causes a notable tension.
Well returning to the story, as we could see in the first battle of the Burned man, his armor showcased an advanced metal alloy that can withstand a notable amount of punishment, as all the attacks of Keldeo proved be completely useless to even breaches it, adding that among the weaponry, the power armor of Harper carries sharps claws made from the same metal, it can shoots fireballs and conducts extreme amount of heat, that even gives the sharp claws a heated coat that amplifies their cutting capability. To be honest, this last aspect makes me think in the Silver samurai armor of The Wolverine movie, as both armors are made from a highly resistant metal alloy and both can become enveloped in high temperatures to amplify the cutting capabilities of their knives and swords. As curiosity, regarding the metal alloy of the Power armor of Harper, i wonder if this is made from something similar to the Adamantium, that could explains their massive resistance to attacks and even maybe to high temperatures, because to considers his wishes to setting a score in Moltres as payback for his mutilation, that his armor be like the Adamantium could gives him a notable advantage against Moltres, as the Adamantium is practically invulnerable to high temperatures that even matches to the Sun's.
To finishes, even if the power armor of Harper only showed some abilities related to the fire with his battle against Keldeo, i guess that this armor could hides and has more weapons that the already showed, and to considers his revenge wishes against Moltres, it is likely that his armor also has ice weapons specialized to overpowers and defeats Fire type pokemon. And who knows, to considers his huge grudge against the Fire bird, perhaps Harper gave some suggestions to Lee regarding the weaponry to his armor, like a special and experimental formula of a chemical that absorbs and eliminates the fire permanently and forever, and this compound could be incorporated in some weapon of his gear, like the freeze bombs or some dart that injects this. To be honest, perhaps Harper could has the latter, as with this, he could injects this to Moltres, and leaves the Fire bird powerless and without fire, adding that possibly too weak to could flies by itself, and Harper could enjoys finally his revenge to kills Moltres slowly, because in this way, Harper could not only kills the fire bird, but also humiliates it to strips it from its fire and leaves it defenseless while Harper kills it, as Moltres could be incapable to retaliates in this weakened state. At least that Ash and his friends interferes with this last part and saves Moltres, yet Harper could still has the satisfaction to took away some part of Moltres, as it took a part of him. I would really like to see this future battle.
PS. To be honest, to consider all the gear and intimidating demeanor of Mr Harper, other proper name to him could be "The Poke Slayer", as he is now a literal killing machine of the pokemon, adding his endless hatred against them.
Keep the good job :)
As another point, regarding the specific effects of this possible experimental weapon anti-fire type pokemon of the Burned man, i think that this weapon could have an effect similar to the negative effect of the fire type attack, Burn Up, in the sense that the pokemon loses their Fire type. Nevertheless, while in the case of the Burn Up, this side effect is temporal, perhaps in the case of the experimental weapon, would be permanent, adding that besides to strips the Fire type, this also could causes that the Pokemon loses any capability to uses any fire type attack, and even maybe the Pokemon could became weak to the fire type, ironically in the case of that the victim would be a Fire pokemon.
And maybe could works in this way, as Harper could no only wants to humilliates Moltres, but also could wishes to tortures it and kills it slowly, with the fire element, ironically, as a way to that Harper can inflicts the same pain in the fire bird, that Moltres inflicted in him. And even if Ash and his friends managed to saves Moltres from be executed and flee from this place, perhaps the poor former fire bird would needs to be in medical intensive cares to could be stable in its weakened condition, like that Moltres ended inside of a tank filled with a medicinal chemical that could stabilizes its corporal temperature through a different way to rises it to high temperature, at least until finds a way helps Moltres. And maybe this could serves as warning to Ash and his friends that makes frontal attacks against the Nova Branch is basically a suicide mission, meaning that they would requires a brilliant strategy to brings them down.
Creator: I cannot stress enough how awesome your reviews are. It's like reading an essay, but actually fun!
It definitely seemed like the Legends would have an upper hand against the Nova Branch, didn't it? Now we get to see what they're really capable of when they're unified. And oh, is it glorious. Mewtwo doesn't have any microchip, per se. Remember Marshadow? He took control of Mewtwo and gained access to a sizable portion of his power and memories, so he simply said what he did using Mewtwo's voice to destabilize the Legends a bit.
Doom Slayer and Darth Vader were definitely inspirations for the Burned Man's character and abilities, and I suppose Nemesis's drive toward a certain goal is reminiscent of Harper's single-mindedness toward revenge against Moltres. There's even a similarity with the name "Star" or Stars in RE's case with the organization names, though the Nova Branch is an exploding star. But in terms of how he fights, Genos from One Punch Man is probably the biggest inspiration.
Fun fact about the armor worn by Ryder, his men and the Burned Man: It comes from Iron Island in Sinnoh. Since it was destroyed by the earthquakes caused by Necrozma, they were able to dig for even better material for the Burned Man's suit. So technically it's just made out of extremely pure iron and steel. Steelix's skin is said to be harder than diamond after all.
This was only a test drive for the Burned Man, so you're correct when you assume that he has more up his sleeve in the future. To know what, I'd look at what he could do previously and expand from there. You seemed to be pretty hyped for Harper's vengeance, so we'll be sure not to disappoint.
Hydra: I wish I was as good as the creator at writing long responses to reviews lol, but anyway in response to your wolverine reference, I can definitely see the relation between the burned man's weapons and the same ones that are used by wolverine. I don't think the burned man's suit and weapons would be as strong as adamantium, but it would definitely be close. Overall if a fight did happen between the burned man and wolverine, wolverine would still win because he has the ability to heal wounds whereas Mr. Harper does not.
Guest2: "Christopher Lee: "Mewtwo, the time has come. Execute Order 66."
Mewtwo: "Yes, my master."
(And Mewtwo turns against his former allies.)"
Creator: Arceus: "Terrible feeling, I have. In danger, the force is. Hrmmm"
Hydra: "This is where the fun begins."
British-Vulture: "THIS IS MTF COMMAND TO ALL MTF SQUADS. SCP-457 HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENT. I REPEAT, THE BURNING MAN HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENT. ALL SQUADS TO GATE B NOW.
Oh boy, this is really HEATING up, isn't it?
I'm sorry, that was bad, even for me. But this chapter shows exactly what you stated in the Review Reply thing below; the Legends aren't invincible. Honestly, the way it's showing is brilliant. All the build-up made it look like the Legends would have to be blindsided or beaten down by another force before the Nova Branch could face them one-to-one, especially with guys like Lugia and Kyogre, who are borderline gods. And then this chapter hits with the wham episode pedal down to the max. Nova Branch can face the Legends one-to-one, and by God is it terrifying. From the Wicker Man showing why water and fire are more equal than what Keldeo, a water type, may expect (too hot a fire and the water will evaporate, after all), to the island showing that more Dakka is an option, this chapter is going full speed, and it's probably gonna go to eleven.
In short, I bloody loved this chapter. Keep up the work, lads! But, you know, take a rest in a while. Seriously."
Creator: The Burned Man VS The Burning Man would be one hell of a fight. Get it? Cuz Hell is hot? Huehue.
Maybe that was the case with the Legends before Necrozma's arrival, but now, they're on their last legs. Without Giratina, their loss would have been decisive. Zekrom and Xerneas's arrival would have evened the odds, but the winner in that case may surprise you even more. I hope this chapter was a good 'eleven' for you...now to shoot for twelve. Thank you again for your awesome reviews, and I can't wait to see your reaction to this one.
Hydra: I'm sorry to say but we will never rest until we finish this dang thing! We've sunk too much time into it now to give up or take a break lol. In all seriousness I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, but I bet this one really blew your hat off I'd say.
Anonymous: "Please update."
Creator: Nah (Never updates again).
Hydra: And that's a wrap folks the end of the fic! Hopefully you all enjoyed this cliffhanger ending! There will never be a sequel to this chapter and everyone ended up dying to the Nova Branch and Team Rocket thanks for reading!
StarSaber10: "Why did you write replace? Who are you replacing?"
Creator: This is in reference to Chapter 37, where in a review, I said that anything that dies could not be revived but could be replaced. I meant that Arceus or another creator deity could replicate someone that is deceased, but they wouldn't be the same. Even if they acted the same way, they still wouldn't be the same person. We've already seen what I mean by this when it comes to the new, younger Palkia and Groudon.
Hydra: What the creator said.
Creator: We kid about our review to Anonymous. Next chapter, Giratina will continue his rampage. Will the combined forces of the Nova Branch be enough to stop him? Or will he soon fall under their power like the rest? We'll also get to see Lugia's reaction to what Ryder did to Ash, Serena and their teams. Look forward to that.
And also...Mr. Star.
Hydra: Well guys that wraps it up for this chapter. Once again we hope you enjoyed seeing Ash and Serena get more attention during this one and hopefully you all enjoy the conclusion to the raid in the next chapter. Who will live? Who will die? Guess you're gonna have to find out hehe.