Hall of Origin
"...So," Said Kyogre, "Are we considering him a Legend now too?"
This time, Arceus had invited all the Legends, save for Mew who was still unresponsive to his calls. Xerneas in particular was necessary to heal the wounds incurred by those on the battlefield. She and those Legends were currently on the Hall's floor doing exactly that rather than atop their usual pedestals. The others all looked at the Hall's guest with discomfort, since they had not been to the last two meetings. Still, Arceus felt it important to make their victory known to everyone. They had the right to know.
"Oh, I would never seek to call myself something as important as that," Replied Mr. Star casually. "Ash asked me to stand in for him. His Pokemon were all gravely injured, but he did not want Xerneas to use any energy that could be used instead for the Legends that were harmed as well. He is currently receiving aid from doctors in Goldenrod, and while I would not dare to say they could be on par with a Legendary Pokemon's abilities, they are the next best thing."
Arceus nodded, then addressed the Hall altogether. "Though not a Legend, Mr. Star's aid proved instrumental in the defeat of the Nova Branch. On top of that, he has Ash's favor. As it stands, it is for the best that the Hall cooperates with the Star Foundation in the collective effort of defeating what remains of Team Rocket."
Giratina looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it.
Mr. Star smiled up at the old god. "And I thank you for that. Truly, there is no greater honor I can imagine than standing here with you. We must work for a better future together. On that note, were we going to discuss our movements toward that end today?"
Again, Arceus nodded. "That we were," He told him. "Though first, congratulations are in order." He first turned to Lugia. "It seems your choices for the job were right, though Mewtwo's situation was regrettable. We were able to succeed without any losses." Lugia merely nodded to him. He had a thousand-yard stare in his eyes. Clearly, there was much going on in his mind.
So, he turned to Giratina next. "Your performance was also excellent," He commended. "Thinking to prioritize saving Reshiram over attacking the enemy was excellent, my son."
Giratina seemed to tremble a bit when he heard that last part, but he kept a lid on any visible feelings regarding that. "If only we had such foresight five months ago," He replied simply, reveling in the discomfort Arceus showed with that remark.
"...Indeed. We must work hard to make sure such things never happen again," He said softly. "I applaud your efforts on that matter."
After Giratina was Kyogre. To him, Arceus said, "Combatting someone as powerful as Mewtwo was no easy feat, and you did it alone. But even greater than that was the restraint you showed. Transforming too early would have been disastrous for your fellow Legends. It took great inner strength to resist the urge to do so. For that, I am proud."
Kyogre only gave a slight bow in response.
Arceus lifted his head to address the Hall as a whole. "To all who partook in the battle, you have my thanks. And to those who were injured, my apologies. Had I the strength to fight alongside you, the victory may have occurred without such things happening. Therefore, I have made a decision. From this day forward, I will once again pull energy from faraway stars to supplement my own."
This caused an array of surprised expressions among the Legends, along with whispers. "Is that even still possible?" Asked Dialga. "Pulling that energy from so far away took great power in the first place. In...your state, can you still accomplish this?"
"I will have to," Responded Arceus, turning to him. "Though, you may be right to worry. I will have to expend much energy to even reach the stars. With my current weakness, the loss of power in the long run may even be permanent." Dialga tried to protest, but was interrupted by his father before he could. "However," He said, "I do not mind this. When I take power from the first star, reaching the next will be easier. It is all for the sake of a better future."
Dialga was not satisfied. "You speak of the long run, but you clearly do not think of it! When the rest of Team Rocket is dealt with, will you have the strength to repel any future threats? We are talking about eternity! Energy taken from outside sources is not permanent. The deficit to your natural strength will be!"
"Oh, let him be, Dialga," Came the voice of Giratina. "Arceus is older than all of us, and wiser at that. It is clear he is also thinking of eternity. We do not know the extent of Team Rocket's power. An eternity of the world's subjugation by their hand is unthinkable. We will need all the help we can get to stop such a thing."
A glare from his brother was immediately sent Giratina's way after saying that. "Don't pretend to be so noble," He hissed, earning an abashed expression from the renegade. "I am sure you would love nothing more than for father to weaken himself. You have not exactly been so covert about your intentions of dissent."
"I would love nothing more than to not see all of us in cages at the mercy of our enemies," Retorted Giratina mirthfully.
Arceus was quick to end this. "That is enough from both of you," He said. The two of them looked away from one another, not arguing. He gave a brief sigh, then added, "Even if I were to grow too weak to lead the world due to this decision, Giratina knows that his next opposition would be Mew long before he could ever take my throne." The name of their mother sent shivers all across the Hall. Mr. Star observed this behavior with a raised eyebrow.
"In any case," Said Arceus, "Now is not the time to argue amongst ourselves. We all know that this Hall has seen more than enough of that. Now is the time to rejoice in our great victory, and to plan for the future." He nodded down to Mr. Star. "On that note, Mr. Star, you have the most experience tracking down these people. What do you propose we do?"
The old man looked surprised to be called upon so suddenly. Taking out a clipboard and rummaging through its pages, he hastily said, "W-well, the answer to that is natural. There is only one man I know that may know where the location of Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, might be. I've been tailing Christopher Lee for quite some time now, so it was a huge relief to know he's been dealt with. We should be able to get our answers from him."
Lugia felt his heart sink. He looked away in shame when Arceus turned to him, knowing the expression on his face without seeing it. The other Legends traced Arceus's view to him, waiting expectantly.
Confused, Mr. Star looked up from his clipboard around the room. "...Is something the matter?" He asked.
Arceus decided to save Lugia the embarrassment of saying it himself. "Er… On the island, the situation became a tad...heated. At that moment, Lugia...slayed Lee."
Immediately, the eyes of the Legends widened with shock.
"H-he did what?!" Demanded Reshiram with a scratchy voice.
Lugia immediately turned back to the others in an attempt to defend himself, though he was unable to look his compatriots in the eyes for little more than a moment. "That man was a danger every moment he continued to breathe!" He yelled, attempting to justify the action even to himself. "When he came to the Elemental Islands, he was able to disappear without a trace in seconds! He would have found a way to do it again had I not taken him down!"
He continued to look around the hall wildly, taking in rapid, heavy breaths. The continued stares of the other Legends only made him feel worse. Just when he thought he could not stand it any longer, Giratina spoke up and said, "It does not matter. Without Celebi or Dialga's full capabilities, we cannot alter the past. What's done is done. At the very least, let us just be thankful that this world is one monster less."
With the Hall's attention now off of him, Lugia could breathe a sigh of relief. He glanced at Giratina gratefully, earning only a simple nod.
"I must agree," Said Arceus. "We can no longer change the past, so we must look to the future. To that end…" Once more, he turned to Mr. Star. "With Lee out of the picture, we must next learn how to deal with Team Rocket without him. Mr. Star, you are, once again, the most experienced on this matter. What should we do next, and watch out for? Spare no details."
The old man looked back down to his notes. "...Well," He said, "The loss of Lee is...certainly a shame. Though I can't say he didn't deserve it, predicting Team Rocket will be much harder without him. The Nova Branch's leadership is destroyed but they in their entirety are not. It is likely that Team Rocket will seek to absorb their assets and abandon the branch altogether. It will be more difficult to distinguish the two."
His head perked up, remembering something. "That reminds me, Lord Arceus. Earlier, you mentioned the existence of a 'Mewtwo.' You also said it possessed immense Psychic power, and that it fought against our forces."
"That I did," Replied Arceus. "But why do you mention him?"
Mr. Star looked back down to his notes, muttering under his breath. "So it is male… Er, I brought it up because it seems like a threat worth noting. A Psychic-Type Legendary Pokemon would be almost impossible for my weapons to attack, so I figured that we might need a plan to face such a thing in the future."
Turning to Kyogre, he asked, "If I may be so bold, may I ask what happened to it? Did it escape, or were you able to neutralize it?"
Kyogre grumbled, "That traitorous bastard teleported away before I could finish him off."
"Traitorous?" Asked Mr. Star inquisitively. "So he was once on our side?"
Arceus gave a long, tired sigh before replying, "Indeed he was. Not too long ago, he was considered one of our most reliable members as well. Five months ago, he fought Necrozma alone for a time. As such, his treason is a mysterious subject."
Soon, Kyogre became fed up with this. "We are going off topic. Human, you asked about Mewtwo because you were concerned about his power, did you not? Get to the point."
Appearing shaken by the ferocity of Kyogre's tone, Mr. Star quickly nodded. "R-right you are. My apologies. We are still in a desperate condition." He cleared his throat and asked, "The only way I can imagine countering a Psychic-Type is with another Psychic-Type or a Dark-Type, but…" He looked around the Hall. "There...do not seem to be any Dark-Types here. So I was wondering where the original Mew might be. Is its power equal to Mewtwo's?"
Once more, mention of Mew's name made the Hall's denizens uncomfortable. "...Mew," Started Arceus, "Far surpasses Mewtwo in terms of power. However, she is my equal, so I have no jurisdiction over her actions. Lately, she has not been in the best of moods, so it would be for the best if we found an alternative method of dealing with Mewtwo."
Mr. Star hummed in thought. "I see. Well, if that is the case, then at least we have the luxury of time on our side to come up with another solution."
"Do we?" Asked Giratina. "This comes as a surprise to me. Please, explain."
The old man replied, "The Nova Branch will be almost impossible for Team Rocket to replace, even if they do employ the branch's remaining members. Right now, they are reeling from their losses far more than we are. On top of that, I am currently recruiting trainers from across the world. We don't have much yet, but our numbers are growing. With proper leadership and numbers, I can send them to intercept Team Rocket's attempts to meet with the Nova Branch bases."
Giratina asked, "But what of those men in black armor? Did you or your men ever see them?"
Mr. Star raised an eyebrow at him, asking, "Armor? Do you mean those odd soldiers that wear tuxedos for some reason?"
"No," Giratina replied firmly."There were men wearing black armor of some kind. To call them human would be an understatement. They could move and attack in ways no human should be able to, but I am sure they are human."
Concerned by this, Mr. Star began rapidly flipping through his clipboard to see if he could find any mention of these men. He said, "That...is concerning. I have no data on such people existing. Are we sure they were not drowned with the rest of the island?"
Giratina scoffed at the notion. "One of those crazed madmen dove headfirst into the Distortion World over an endless abyss and battled with me. He possessed no ability to fly, but was well able to combat me despite that. I saw five of them in total. They were able to grievously wound Reshiram. If I did not pull her from the battle, there's no telling what they could have done. I highly doubt they could be killed so easily."
This seemed to surprise Mr. Star very much. He looked down to Reshiram, noting the large gash still occupying her neck. She did not appear to notice the talk about her, focusing instead on resting. "That...is definitely concerning. Up to this point, I believed those men in suits were the Nova Branch's most elite soldiers. I had no idea they were strong enough to do something like this. This is more dire than I once thought…"
"Wait, was one of them a big-looking guy with a head that was even darker than his suit?" Asked Keldeo from below.
Giratina looked up in thought, trying to remember. "There was one considerably larger than the others, but I don't recall their helmet looking much different than the rest of their armor."
Keldeo scowled. "That means there's at least six. There was one of them who Lee called 'Harper' and 'The Burned Man.' He had to be three times my size, and when we fought, he threw me around like a ragdoll! That darker part on his face seemed to hurt him when I hit it, but it didn't look like I hurt him at all… If Ash didn't save me...I'd be dead for sure." He chuckled dryly. "But, the Burned Man? The Burning Man would be a better name. That guy could shoot crazy hot flames outta his suit."
While the others spoke, Lugia wondered about those men in black armor as well. He was not sure if, in his moment of shame, that he should put the Hall's attention on himself again. Giratina already had to bail him out of that already, and it would be even more humiliating if any of them decided to return to the point of Lee, if a bit karmatic given how the usual flow of Hall meetings typically go.
But there was one point that Lugia was surprised was not yet brought up, given the sheer scale behind it. Finding the courage to speak, he said, "There is...another thing." And once more, all eyes were on him. Pushing out a swift, breathy sigh, he added, "The one with the sword did something else."
In an effort to keep further attention off himself, Lugia looked to Arceus and asked, "You saw that giant explosion, didn't you? The one that obliterated half the island?"
Arceus nodded. "I did, though I do not know its cause. My focus was on Giratina at the time."
"Well," Said Lugia, "I do know. Ash did as well, so it is unfortunate he is not here. It was caused by that man with the sword somehow, though I do not know the means by which he did it."
Giratina said, "So, it was that man who caused it. That is alarming indeed, but…" He looked up in thought. "If he had that power, why did he not use it on me?"
Lugia recalled how the man ran past him, ignoring all attacks sent his way until he was at the island's edge."I do not believe the explosion was intentional," Noted Lugia. "Before it occurred, that man had a barrier that shielded him from even my most powerful attacks. It gave him immunity to Psychic power as well. I think Ash, his friends and I managed to break it, and then he ran away and threw something. I assume that was what caused the detonation."
The renegade hummed in thought when he heard that, looking around the room but at nothing in particular. "...He had no such shield during our battle, so you definitely broke it. But...there was something about it more concerning than its size…"
He reached out, carving a portal out of thin air with his tendril. "I tried to use one of these to absorb the explosion, and yet, the particles within it ate away at the rift itself."
A series of murmurs erupted from the other Legends. "Is that even possible?!" Cried Keldeo. "That's a dimensional portal! How does anything even touch it?!"
Giratina shook his head. "I do not know, but...there was only one thing that had ever done that before." He gave Arceus a knowing look, receiving another one in kind. "The ability to destroy anything… That power was similar to that of Necrozma's."
The faces of those in the Hall paled at the name.
"Necrozma is dead," Arceus said confidently. "Were he still alive, we would certainly not be. Though I agree the similarities are palpable. It sounds like we know what to watch out for."
He looked down to the Legends being healed by Xerneas. Most of them were no longer even paying attention. Reshiram had even closed her eyes. "Well, perhaps we should save further talk on this matter for later if you believe we have time to spare. I'm sure those who partook in the battle are weary and would like their rest. I'm glad for what everyone has done during the battle, and I'm very thankful we didn't lose anyone."
Mr. Star pocketed his clipboard in the inside of his coat. "So suddenly? Well, I suppose I had better fill in the Star Foundation's partner companies about the battle. Everything was so sudden that I did not have the time."
Arceus said, "Take care, Mr. Star, and you are welcome to partake in future meetings alongside Ash. Your further assistance would-"
He heard the noise of someone appearing through a gate beside him and paled. That could only mean one thing.
From the portal closest to Arceus, Mew emerged, glancing at the wide-eyed faces of her children with an amused smirk. "Hey, guys!" She greeted cheerily. "I saw that you were having a meeting, so I decided to pop in. How come I wasn't invited?"
Giratina wanted none of this. "And that is my cue to leave," He remarked, quickly turning tail back through his portal and leaving without a second thought. Arceus gave the others a brief signal with his eyes, so they soon followed Giratina's example.
"H-hey, wait!" Cried Mew, though it was too late to stop the rest from leaving. "Where are they all going?"
Quickly, Arceus said, "The meeting was coming to a close anyways. You wouldn't have missed much. In any case, what brings you here? I thought you were still…"
Mew casually brushed him off. "Oh, that?" She merely laughed, though it was clear she knew exactly what Arceus was referring to. "I just wanted to congratulate you all for winning that big battle, but I was a bit late because I had some business to attend to within the tree." She shrugged, still wearing her usual smile. "I suppose nobody has any time for poor old Mew these days."
Arceus was surprised. She had been watching too? "I did not know you were also observing the battle."
Nodding, she flew up from her pedestal. "Yeah, I was pretty worried for a second there!" She made a number of bombastic movements as she talked, flipping about in the air and shadowboxing. "Those Nova Branch guys were kicking our guys's butts for a while! There was that really fast dude with a sword! He took on Giratina by himself and somehow lived! But then those flying things came in and were like beeeewm! Say, whose were those anyways?"
"Er," Piped up Mr. Star, raising a hand slightly, "Those would be mine. Say...you wouldn't happen to be Mew, would you?"
Upon noticing the human occupying the pedestal of a Legend, Mew tried to give Arceus a sideways glance, but couldn't pry her eyes away from him. "Arceus...why is there a human in the Hall?" She asked.
Mr. Star was quick to give as much of a bow to her as his back would let him. "It is you!" He cried excitedly. "Oh, you look just like the ancient murals! This is such an honor!"
Immediately, Mew's mood was swayed. "Hah!" She laughed. "Finally, someone realizes that." She gave Arceus a quick side eye, whispering, "I like this guy already."
She smugly put her tiny hands to her hips. "Well," She said to Mr. Star, "It's a pleasure to meet you two, Mr…?"
"This," Interjected Arceus, "Is Mr. Star. He's a friend to Ash and myself, and has been an enormous help in the campaign against Team Rocket." He knew this was a delicate situation, given how the last time he saw her went. Mr. Star was luckier than he knew to have pressed the right buttons with Mew right away. "Those...flying weapons you saw during yesterday's battle belong to him, though he assures us he would not use them lightly."
A glint of interest shined in her eye. "Is that so? How did you manage that?"
"I'm quite glad you asked!" He enthusiastically said, once again rapidly scrolling through his notes. "You see, after Necrozma obliterated Goldenrod City with only one shot from that ship of his, I knew we couldn't let something like that happen again. For better or worse, most of the world's greatest minds did not partake in that battle, so I was able to recruit them to create a weapon system that might be able to counter it!"
Mew's eyes started to droop, suddenly losing interest.
In his excitement, Mr. Star continued to ramble on and on about the weapon systems and machinations of his design. He told her and Arceus every last painstaking detail, all the way down to the individual names of the men who worked on it. Not only did Mew seem to have a tough time staying awake through it all, but even Arceus seemed bored.
His babbling was interrupted by a loud yawn from Mew. He cut off what he was about to say. "Oh, my apologies! All of this must seem boring to the world's creators." His smile when he said that went from ear to ear. "Ahh, I'm talking to the two creators of the world at once! So many people could only dream of this moment! I, er...apologize for my excitement."
Wanting nothing more than to end the meeting before something could go awry, Arceus replied, "It's quite alright. But we should really put an end on this meeting soon." Looking to Mew, he said, "It's quite clear that this is already growing tiresome for you, Mew, and those below us need their rest as well. Perhaps we should save this for another time?"
Mew lazily rolled her head to the side to look down at the injured Legends, who were either resting or, in Keldeo's case, too terrified to speak, and tried to nod while a yawn escaped her.
"Eh, you're probably right," She said, wiping her eyes. "I expected this meeting to be a big, fun celebration since we just bagged a big victory and all, but this is so boring! I'm out."
Frantically, Mr. Star brought up his arms and waved them to get her attention before she could return through her portal. "W-wait, wait wait!" He protested. Mew gave him a look of annoyance, but complied if only to briefly hear him out. "I deeply apologize for boring you, Mew. I should have known that mortal stories would mean little to you. But being here with the two creators...it's a once in a lifetime experience! If I'm too boring, then is it alright if I ask you some questions?"
Mew looked at the old man with scrutiny. He seemed innocent enough, though she herself was proof that seeming harmless meant little. Briefly, she took a little peek inside his mind to see what kind of a person this man was...and she found very little. Recently, most of his time was spent filing papers. It would probably take her a long time to sift through the memories of that. Bor-ing.
In the effort of not boring herself into a coma that Jirachi would have been jealous of, she merely rolled her eyes and replied, "Fine, ask away. But if it's gonna still be boring stuff, I'm just gonna head out, alright?"
"Y-yes, Mew!" He said enthusiastically. "Th-thank you very much for your time." Mew merely beckoned him to move on with a lazy hand gesture, propping up a psychic balloon beneath her. Clearing his throat, Mr. Star said, "It is the belief of scientists today that the world was once populated exclusively by Mew, which then gradually changed into other Pokemon as time went on. Is this true?"
Mew looked at him like he was the biggest idiot she ever met. "Where the heck did you hear that? I'm the only Mew there's ever been. The earliest life Arceus and I created were stuff like Omanyte, Legends not included."
Mr. Star scribbled into his notes. "I see...then I suppose I'll need to get to rewriting history soon… The Board of Science won't like this." Realizing Mew's judging eyes were still on him, he tore his attention from his notes and said, "S-sorry about that! I tend to...never mind. Let's just move onto the next question."
Impatiently, Mew rolled her eyes.
"The belief that the world was once populated by Mew stems from data scientists found from old fossils," Explained Mr. Star. "Fossils of hair believed to be yours were found in a jungle. When tested, they found that portions of DNA within them matched every known Pokemon life form on Earth! How was it that you created life from yourself like this?"
To Arceus, this question was something he wasn't sure should be answered so casually. "That," He said in Mew's place just as she was about to give her own answer, "Is something not meant for mortal ears. Please do not be offended. It was knowledge only Mew and I had until Necrozma's invasion."
"Keeping secrets again, Arceus?" Jabbed Mew with a shrug. "You really don't learn."
Arceus gave her a look of irritation. "I'm saying this for your benefit, given the location involved in the story."
Mr. Star looked especially intrigued hearing that.
"...But," He continued, "I suppose it would be hypocritical of me to deny him since I employed my policy of new bonds between the Legends and the public world. If you have no qualms telling him, then by all means."
At that, Mr. Star's eyes glinted like, ironically, stars. He swiftly swiped up a page on his noteboard and put pen to paper, anxiously awaiting what Mew would say next.
Mew looked like she was mulling over the idea for a moment before saying, "Nah, it'd take too long."
Mr. Star looked utterly devastated. "...Th...that's f-fine…" He wheezed. Shaking off his disappointment, he realized something he wanted to ask earlier. "Ah, that's right!" He said, perking back up. "Mew, do you know the situation with Mewtwo?"
Arceus leaned forward in an attempt to stop Mr. Star from completing that question, narrowly holding back an outburst when he failed. "I...had wanted to bring that up with her in private later."
Realizing he might have touched a sensitive subject, Mr. Star's eyes widened, and he bowed in apology. "Oh, m-my apologies, Lord Arceus! Would it be better if I left now?"
Mew sat up in her pillow, intrigued by the old man for the first time. "No, no, no," She said. "What's this about Mewtwo? I want to hear it from someone who won't…" She gave Arceus a dark look. "...Skew the details."
Arceus sat back and looked away, unable to meet her gaze.
"...Hmph." Mew looked away from him, turning to look at Mr. Star. Arceus did the same in case something drastic arose. "Go on," She urged. "What exactly happened with my double?"
Rightfully looking nervous under the pressure of Mew's gaze, Mr. Star found himself suddenly unable to look her in the eye. "W-well," He stammered, "For the record, I know little about Mewtwo, only learning of his existence a few minutes ago actually, but for unknown reasons, he seems to...have turned traitor…"
To the surprise of both Arceus and Mr. Star, Mew appeared to be dismissive of it. "Pfft, is he really starting trouble again? That little jerk! To think I let him in the tree, and he thinks he can go and stab us in the back after that?"
"The tree?" Silently mouthed Mr. Star.
"Let us not be too hasty," Arceus said carefully. "Remember that the tree accepted Mewtwo and bestowed Aura upon him. If he had any intent to betray us, he would have been destroyed by the tree."
Mew looked at him precariously. "I guess that's true," She admitted, "But this isn't the first time he's gone around making trouble of himself. If his heart can change once, it can change again. I suppose I'll just have to punish him if he shows his face near me again."
Arceus shook his head. "Mewtwo gave me the location of the Nova Branch headquarters shortly before disappearing. We only found out he turned traitor when we went to the island itself. I do not think he joined the enemy willingly."
Nonchalantly, Mew shrugged. "Well, something had to get 'em to change. I'll knock out whatever caused it and then it won't be a big deal."
A sudden, low beep caught the attention of the three. Mr. Star raised his Secretary Bot and said, "It seems I've run out of time. I need to break the news of our victory to the world. The end of the Nova Branch will surely convince many trainers to step up to the plate. If I can secure their help, the end may be in sight without Lee."
An end to this meeting sounded good to Arceus. Nodding, he replied, "That sounds for the best." He sent a sideways glance to Keldeo, who still had wide eyes looking at Mew. "As I said before, the injured Legends need their rest, and you seem like you're going to be busy. Send my regards to Ash and his friends."
Mr. Star nodded to him. "Will do. But before I go, I have one quick, final thing I want to ask of Mew." He turned to her, ignoring her look of annoyance and responding in kind with a friendly smile. "I don't ask what you can do for me, but what I can do for you."
She looked at him with moderate surprise. "...Come again?"
Still smiling, he motioned up to Arceus. "I have already offered my support to him and the other Legends, so I merely felt I should do the same for you. Should something arise and you feel like you need help in the matter, then you are more than free to ask." He turned around, pointing at the portal behind him. "You'll find me in New Goldenrod. Just look for the tallest building and you'll probably find me at the top."
"...Uh huh," Muttered Mew, giving him an unsure look. "Well, I'm pretty good at handling things on my own." She popped the bubble with her tail, momentarily falling before flying over to the portal she came from. Before entering, she slightly turned to him and said, "But I guess if I think of something, I might give you a call."
With that, she playfully bobbed her head at him, and then flew through her end of the portal. Mr. Star stared at it until it fizzled out, at which point he shook himself out of his brief trance.
"...Well," He said, pulling up his tie and straightening his back, "I suppose I'll be off then. Take care, Arceus, and the rest of you as well." He waved to Arceus, who responded with a silent nod before the old man turned and exited the Hall.
Ash paced around the hospital's hallway impatiently, anxiously awaiting the statuses of their Pokemon. Serena, meanwhile, sat still in a chair with her face buried in her hands. Though she did not cry, Ash sensed immense sorrow from her. They were far too tired for tears. Unlike the typical Pokemon Center, New Goldenrod City's 'Golden Hospital' as it was so aptly named treated both Pokemon and humans alike. Another difference was that it did not have the typical window where trainers could see their Pokemon.
While he walked, he wondered if the lack of that window was either a design flaw or a mercy. The effect of Lugia's song had worn off, leaving him without his Auric abilities, meaning he could not sense the statuses of his Pokemon. He kept himself from going mad with worry by trying to figure out which ones he knew would be fine. He had Serena's quick thinking and Clefable's healing to thank for their odds being raised.
Pikachu was a no-brainer. Serena had tended to him before anyone else, and he didn't seem too worried about his shorter tail. Still, the doctors wanted to check to see if there was still any internal bleeding. He'd live, but if the cut was too bad, his tail might become useless. Charizard and Sceptile were also fine thanks to their new Mega-Evolved forms. Ash knew he'd have to thank Mr. Star endlessly for that. He was definitely worried about Charizard's wing though. Maybe they'd have to stitch it up.
Then there was Greninja. While most of his body was unwounded, there was a massive gash over his knees, which was immensely worrying. Greninja's legs were the key to his speed and leaping ability, and he had no way of knowing just how much blood he'd lost. At best, he'd be unable to fight for a while. At worst...he didn't want to think about it.
Noivern...poor Noivern… Ash had sealed the wound in its back and wings, and while he knew there wouldn't be any further bleeding, he worried immensely about what had already been lost. It wasn't as if Aura magically replaced blood. It healed wounds and replenished stamina, sure, but all the blood Noivern lost would have to be up to its heart to replenish. He really hoped the thing was up to the task. He learned from the doctors here that blood transfusions for Pokemon were very tough to come by these days, so the chance of another Noivern to be around was slim to none.
Yet even worse than Noivern was Hydreigon. He felt his pain back on the island, but had no way of knowing the extent of it. His heart skipped a beat when he heard that his right arm had been taken clean off, and one of his three heads with it. That poor dragon had already been through so much at the hands of Damian. This was the last thing he needed.
Pangoro had received the same injury, but given how often it used its arms, it may be even more devastating for him than Hydreigon. Serena was especially in a state because of those two. One of the doctors had told her that, since the cuts were clean, they could reattach the arms and fill in the broken parts of the bone with metal as long as they had the other half, but Serena had Clefable seal off the wounds and left the arms behind when their Pokeballs did not respond to them.
Now, whatever was left of the arms were at the bottom of the Hoenn ocean. Serena was beating herself up over it badly, and Ash's attempts to console her were ineffective. She had no way of knowing at the time. After all, she was a hostage while the injuries happened, and she was no medical expert. She only thought to stop the bleeding of their Pokemon, but when Ash brought that up to her, she did not reply. He wished he could do something for her.
The door nearest to them, which held their Pokemon, opened suddenly. Ash and Serena raised their heads at the noise, hoping for good news. Pikachu raced out, happily jumping up into Ash's arms. "Pikachu!" Joyfully cried Ash, tightly pulling his partner into an embrace with a laugh. Though, that laughter ceased when he was quickly reminded of Pikachu's smaller tail. Noticing Ash's look, Pikachu twirled his tail around, almost flaunting it to make Ash less worried.
They heard footsteps and looked back to the door. From it, an old-looking, silver-haired doctor and a Nurse Joy emerged. Ash and Serena awaited the news from them anxiously. Eventually, the doctor took in a deep breath and said, "Your Pokemon will all live." Ash and Serena hunched over, sighing in relief. The old doctor smiled at them and moved out of their way, beckoning them to enter the room. "Don't be loud now," He warned as the two trainers stampeded past him. "They still need their rest."
Sceptile and Charizard smirked at Ash as he walked in, showing him they were still raring to go if needed. Their bandages said otherwise. Charizard's wing was folded in, with a large, circular paper of some kind over each side of the hole in it. Sceptile's arms were covered in bandages. But for their trainer, they acted like their wounds were nothing.
They parted to allow him to see the others, who were much less spry than them. As Serena ran to the room's end to see Pangoro, Ash went to Greninja. He was surprised to see Greninja awake. Greninja was strapped up to numerous tubes, most of which to his bandaged legs. Still, he tried to tell Ash he was fine by flashing him a thumbs-up.
"...Good to see you guys are alright." Ash said. He turned around and asked, "Hey, doc? How are Greninja's legs looking?"
From the doorway, the doctor took a brief moment to carefully choose his next words. "...Given time, they should heal. However, we will need to perform surgery to arrange the bones correctly." He walked over to a board and pressed a button beside it, making an image of Greninja's skeleton appear.
He pointed toward the knee area where Greninja had been cut. "The cut luckily didn't go far through, but the lower end of the femur where the kneecap was shattered. It will take a few months to recover it."
Ash figured he could cut that time down a bit with his Aura once he was back to full strength. "Will he be like he used to?" He asked.
The doctor replied, "At this stage, things aren't looking so good. A Greninja's legs are its most powerful tool, so its leg bones are naturally durable. The trade off for this is that it is difficult for them to recover from leg injuries, especially near the knee area which is the most crucial area for jumping."
He and Ash looked back at Greninja, and the doctor said, "Greninja will walk again in time. But battling may be up to chance at best."
One look between Ash and Greninja told each other all they needed to know. Things would turn out fine for them. They exchanged smirks knowing this. One injury wouldn't take Greninja out so easily. "You rest up, Greninja," Ash said, bumping fists with him. "You've more than earned it."
With that, Ash next looked to Noivern on the next bed up from Greninja and made his way to Noiverns side. The Wyvern was still unconscious, and the only bandages on its skin were accompanied by a tube with IV fluid. "As I told you before," Said the doctor, walking to Ash's side, "Noivern will be fine as well. However, it lost fifteen percent of its blood. We humans can lose up to forty before dying, but this is vastly different for Pokemon depending on the species. For Noivern, that amount is less than twenty."
He turned to Ash with an odd, wrinkled expression, raising his finger as he spoke. "Now...I've been a man of science all my life," He said, "But I know you're the Chosen One and all, so maybe you can explain this to me. You brought a Noivern in here with a nearly-lethal amount of blood loss, but no wound?"
To that, Ash flicked his fingers, creating a small, ivory flame into the palm of his hand. "That would be the work of Aura," He said. "Not the one that killed Necrozma...or maybe it is? It's complicated. Basically, I used this to seal him back up."
The doctor looked at the flame in Ash's hand blankly, then sighed. "Professionally, I can't abide the use of...that in a medical fashion, but that stuff's probably above my head anyways. I only ask because I'm wondering where you've been taking your Pokemon for them to be injured this badly."
Ash snuffed out the flame, briefly putting a hand on Noivern's head before moving to Hydreigon. "Well," Said Ash, "Mr. Star will likely be announcing exactly that fairly soon, once he's back from his meeting with Arceus."
For a moment, the old man's eyes seemed to bug out when he heard the name, then squinted at Ash. "I beg your pardon?"
Ignoring him, Ash's eyes scanned Hydreigon intently. What was left of Hydreigon's left arm was covered in a cylindrical cast. Where it was cut, the end was rounded. Like Noivern, Hydreigon still slept. That was probably for the best, since he'd always been so fragile. But Ash silently swore that he'd be there for him, and he knew the rest of his team would be too.
"When you wake up," He said to the sleeping hydra, "I'll see what I can do about that arm."
From behind, the doctor asked, "Can Aura do that?"
Ash gave him a lazy shrug. "Dunno. But I'm going to try either way. If I don't, what kind of trainer would I be?"
Sighing, the doctor said, "I only ask these questions because I am concerned for them. There are so few Pokemon left, and even fewer trainers. Pokemon are my life, as I am sure they are yours."
"I know you mean well," Ash replied. "You were working hard to keep them alive, and I'm grateful for that."
He heard mutterings from beside him. The Nurse Joy from earlier was trying to console Serena, though to little effect it seemed. He walked over, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking down upon Pangoro. He had a similar cast over his missing right arm, and on his others, light bandages over his knuckles and fingers. Serena, to Ash's surprise, did not cry. She was silent like before, gripping the fur of his chest with balled fists.
They stood like that for a while, not speaking a word. The Nurse Joy took the hint and left them alone, shooing away the old doctor with her. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder. He gave Ash a sorrowful look, sharing in his pain, but thought it best to leave him and Serena alone. Sceptile came over and pulled back the curtain around them before walking back to his bedside with Charizard, Pikachu following close behind. And for a while longer, no words were spoken.
"...We need to do better, Ash," Serena said eventually. "Better than this. For them."
Ash gently ran his hand across her back and nodded. Quietly, he responded, "...Yeah. You're right. We can't let this happen again. And it won't."
Serena shook her head, turning to look up at him for the first time since they came here. Her face was pale, and the undersides of her eyes were black. "We don't know that," She said, her voice scratchy and tired. "We can't know that. Not until...all of this is over. But...we also need to make that happen…"
Then, she said something that surprised Ash. "Please train me," She said. "Teach me how to be a better trainer, because right now, my Pokemon deserve better than me! I couldn't do a thing on the island. I wasn't there for my Pokemon when it mattered. If I had been a better trainer…" She turned back to Pangoro. "...I could have stopped this...and I could have stopped what happened to your Pokemon. I want to fight beside you, Ash, more than anything, because you're the strongest trainer...the strongest person I know...but I'm always lagging so far behind…"
Her breaths were raspy and labored when she was done. It was the only noise that filled the room. Besides that, Ash and Serena fell silent for a short while once more. Ash tried to find the right words, but he never knew what to say in situations like this.
"...Serena," He finally responded, "Don't blame yourself for this. I was no better than you back there. If it wasn't for Lugia, I couldn't have saved Noivern. And I had no idea about what happened to the rest of my Pokemon at the time. If you didn't have Clefable heal Hydreigon...he wouldn't have made it." He put a hand atop her head, gently pulling it to his shoulder. "But you're right about one thing. Both of us need to train harder. Harder than ever before. Mr. Star thinks we'll be getting a lot more trainers here once he reveals what happened to the Nova Branch. We'll have no shortage of trainers then."
He turned to their side and pulled open the curtains. His Pokemon were waiting for them. "But for now, what we all need is rest more than anything. We're already halfway there."
Serena let out a deep sigh. She'd been holding that one in for hours. "...I love you, Ash."
"I love you too."
Outside, the doctor pulled down a set of blinds in the window to allow his patients their privacy. He spoke with the Nurse Joy for a short while until he noticed another doctor, one more senior than him, approaching. "Ah, Dr. Ben," He said, shaking the older man's hand, "It's a pleasure to see you!"
Nurse Joy seemed surprised at the name. "D-Dr. Ben?! The head scientist in Pokemon biology and Type Theory?!"
Dr. Ben chuckled at the nurse. "Oh, please don't act like I'm so important." His voice carried a thick accent behind it, though it sounded much more young than his wrinkled face would suggest. "Doctors, I believe, should not put themselves ahead of one another. Science is a collaborative effort! One which bears many more benefits for us when we collectively work to create!"
He coughed into his fist. "But that is besides the point. I heard the Chosen One himself is under your care?"
The other doctor nodded. "Yes, though he and his Pokemon are all resting right now."
"I see," Said Dr. Ben, looking to the room Ash was in with interest. "If it is alright with you, could I take over your position here? I must admit, I am very intrigued to meet a person such as him."
Without question, the other doctor nodded. "But of course! He is invaluable as a patient! One such as him deserves the best medical help there is, and I can think of no one better suited than you!"
Dr. Ben gleefully smiled hearing that. "Excellent!" He cheered. "I cannot wait to meet him!"
Great Chasm Area, Unova.
Keldeo emerged from the Hall portal, eager to be as far away from Mew as possible once the majority of his injuries were healed. He neglected to have them all taken care of since Moltres and Reshiram had worse wounds. Ash took care of most of his in the basement area of the island anyways. He felt fine, but there were a number of red marks covering the lighter areas of his skin that looked almost like tree roots.
They were, at least, easy to ignore since they no longer burned. His decision to come back to the Great Chasm was sentimental. He wanted to tell Kyurem and his family about the victory he and the others had just achieved. Though he had no idea if his words would reach them, wherever they were, he felt like they would at least offer him some semblance of peace.
But there was something about the area he noticed rather quickly that was odd. The forest was unusually warm. It hardly ever got this warm near the Chasm even in summer. Now, it was the beginning of October, and it did not feel like it. The last time he was here, he was facedown in frigid rain! There should have been a distinguishing chill in the air!
He ran to the forest's edge to look upon the Chasm's main cave for himself, and when he passed the trees, he could not believe what he saw. People in dark suits, hundreds of them, covered the area. There were helicopters patrolling in the air and land vehicles doing the same around the bridge that led to the cave entrance. On every single person's chest, there was a bright red 'R.'
A bright light suddenly blinded Keldeo. The spotlight of one of the helicopters descended upon him, along with the roar of its rotary blades. Growling in irritation, Keldeo wasted no time summoning Sacred Sword. He leapt into the air, slicing clean through the helicopter's blades. Warning signals began to blare across the area, and frantic beeping arose from the aerial vehicle as it began to spin out of control. Before it plummeted into the Chasm, three Rocket Grunts leapt from it, rolling to a stop near Keldeo.
"Why you little-!" One of them, an orange-haired woman, hissed. She and the other two reached for their Pokeballs and tossed them into the air. "Go, Croagunk! Let's teach this punk Pokemon a lesson about messing with Team Rocket it won't soon forget!"
Keldeo sneered at them as their other Pokemon, a Shelgon and a Watchog, appeared at the Croagunk's sides. "You people never give up, do you?! The second the Nova Branch is gone, you guys have to show your faces where they're not wanted?!"
The female Grunt barked out a laugh, "The Nova Branch, gone?! You must be dreaming!" She pointed her arm out, making the three Pokemon duck down into battle-ready stances. "But a talking Pokemon such as yourself has gotta be one of a kind these days. Showing yourself to Team Rocket was about the dumbest thing you could have done."
A smirk crept up Keldeo's face. He was going to enjoy this far more than he should. "Guess the news hasn't reached the lower echelon yet. If this is a dream, you're in for a rude awakening." He whipped his Sacred Sword attack across the grass and pointed it at them. "If you think you can desecrate the home of Kyurem and the Swords of Justice, you're dead wrong!"
Author's Note
The Creator- School has once again started for us, so we were surprised that we were able to complete this chapter so quickly. That's what happens when you have a neat schedule and a plan. I bet you all noticed how well Arceus was able to keep the peace during this meeting. He's more experienced now. We also wanted to show off Mew again since...well… Let's just say she's going to be important soon. And Team Rocket is adapting to the loss of the Nova Branch faster than anticipated.
Hydra- And thus brings the end to another great chapter! Ash and Serena are quite lucky none of their friends lost their lives during this fight and it looks like most will eventually recover (Key word being "most"). We also finally got to see the first meeting between Mr. Star and Mew and might I add that he does quite seem to be fascinated with her role in the creation of the world.
Guest 1- Serena needs an upgrade on her team. Pikachu's iron tail is gonna be weaker with his cut tail, right?
Pangoro without hands...I guess he can't fight anymore. Will he be on the ranch? Hydreigon's fighter days are over too? Am I forgetting another injured Pokemon?
The Creator- Serena definitely needs a rounded-out six team members in my opinion. One of my greatest mistakes I wish I could change was going back to the beginning of Arc 2 to give her two more, but we'd have to rewrite so many chapters that it's just not worth it. But...we may now have a way to remedy that problem. Pikachu's Iron Tail will be weaker, but that missing weight may prove favorable for other aspects.
Pangoro and Hydreigon also haven't lost both of their hands, just one each, so there is some hope for them. You may be forgetting Charizard and the hole in his wing, but not anymore I suppose.
Hydra- I'm not sure she needs a new Pokemon as much as she needs to train her current one's to be more stronger to take on the growing threat of Team Rocket.
Guest 2- Amazing chapter, was really cool to see the final parts of the battle in the island, seriously, this Ryder is practically like a Master chief, as both showed a lot tenacity to fights in impossible odds, adding that both are versatile and adaptable to many circumstances, this guy certainly is someone that you don't want to mess. And talking about dangerous men, look like that the revenge of the Burned man would be postponed, well this could makes more interesting to see their future battle, because to considers the mindset of the Burned man, he harbors a great hatred against Moltres that he is capable to disobeys direct orders by his grudge against the Fire bird, well i wouldn't surprises that the Burned man ended AWOL and goes to his personal mission to hunts down Moltres, especially as Christopher Lee died, making that now would be less people to controls him.
And talking about Christopher Lee, look like i found another similarity between him and the Count Dooku; premature death. As Christopher Lee and the Count Dooku were villains that apparently would live until the final parts of their respectives stories, yet they were killed early in an unexpected outcome by one of the protagonists. And as other similarity regarding their demises, Lee as Dooku were to the mercy of Lugia and Anakin, meaning that the protagonists had the option to spares them and arrests, yet they killed them in cold blood when Lee and Dooku were trapped and defenseless, though that in the defense of Anakin, he ended killing Dooku in part by the encouragement of Sidious, while that Lugia don't had qualms in killed Lee in cold blood, even despite to the protests of Ash about not kills him.
Well, talking about Anakin, i dares to says that Lugia shares some similarities with Anakin, in terms of traumas and general attitude, as Lugia and Anakin suffered some notables tragedies (the destruction of the Orange Islands / the death of Anakin's mother), that caused them a notable awakening of their dark sides, to the point that Lugia as Anakin begin to shows certain rebellion and dark attitudes, to the point that both are prone to disobeys orders, both shows be prone to the violence, and even both allows that their emotions overwhelmed them easily, like their grudge against Lee and Dooku. Adding that the disrespectful attitude of Lugia in the Legendary council, makes me thinks in the attitude of Anakin when he became part of the Jedi Council in the Revenge of the Sith, and we knows that occured after this events; the complete falling of Anakin to the Dark side.
To be honest, after that Lugia killed Christopher Lee, i wouldn't surprises that he ended being target of a severe scolding from Arceus and the other Legendary pokemon, as his reckless action caused that now Giovanni is beyond of their reach, giving the Team rocket the upperhand against them, as without Christopher Lee, they don't have any means to reaches Giovanni and stops his plans before be too late. And as result of this, i guess that Arceus could ended expelling Lugia from this council, because this events only showed that Lugia is a liability, especially as he cannot control his emotions, and perhaps this causes that Lugia and the remaining birds leaves the Legendary pokemon forever.
And perhaps this could makes easier the revenge plans of the Burned man, because if Lugia, Moltres and Articuno aren't part of the council anymore, then they wouldn't counts with the full support of the other Legendary pokemon, allowing to the Burned man could set scores with Moltres without any interference this time.
To finishes, talking about Legendary pokemon, i breathed in relieves when Giratina saved Reshiram, because i was afraid that Reshiram ended death as result of this ambushed that caused a nasty injury in her neck and her tail, without count that the poor Reshiram become a target by her rampage caused by her pain. I says this because to be honest, Reshiram is one of my favorites pokemon, as i always likes her angelic appearance, adding her majestic appearance and elemental combination, because Reshiram is one of the fire types pokemon that isn't weak to the water type.
As other point, to considers the explosions in her neck and her tail, i wonder if Reshiram, after be healed back, she could ended without the metal collars that were located in her neck and tail, as perhaps this attacks could shatters this metal collars and by her rampage, the broken collars ended dropped in the soil and lost after that the island was destroyed.
I really liked this chapter, and i would be still waiting for the revenge of the Burned man. Keep the good job.
As other Star Wars comparison, i was thinking in this characters:
1. Burned man and General Grievous. After see more of the personality of the Burned man, for some reason, he also makes me thinks in the General Grievous, because even if the Burned man has some resemblances with Darth Vaders, physical and psychological, to difference of the Sith lord, the Burned man shows a reckless attitude, a rebel behavior and a bad temperament, to considers that he allowed that his hatred by Moltres blinded him, to the point of insubordinate with Christopher Lee by accomplishes his revenge, much like the personality of the General Grievous, that in some occasions he insubordinated with the Count Dooku during some missions, showing that Grievous as Burned man aren't so disciplinated nor composed like Darth Vader. And as other similarity, Grievous also harbored a personal grudge against Obi Wan Kenobi, the man that caused the severe burns of Darth Vader, analogue to Harper/Burned man with Moltres.
2. Lugia and Anakin. Besides the previously points mentioned about their traumas and their rebel and harsh personalities, Lugia as Anakin ended dismembered after a lost battle against a too powerful opponent (Necrozma / Dooku), and both lost a part of their bodies; Lugia lost one of his blue scales and Anakin lost his right arm. Though that in the case of Anakin, he simply replaced it with a robotic prothesis, and i doubt that Lugia can or want finds a prothesis to his lost blue scale.
3. Giovanni and Darth Sidious. Both are the true mastermind of all the operations, both works since the shadows, while that Lee and Dooku were their external contact to do their dirty job. Nevertheless, Lee and Dooku were nothing but pawns in their schemes, and even this is proved by the fact that Giovanni as Sidious don't showed any concern for the demises of Lee and Dooku. Even in the case of Sidious, he simply found another succesor to replaces Dooku, making me wonders if Giovanni could also seeks another lieutenant to leads the remmanent of the Nova Brach, like Ryder or other agent.
As other notable aspect, the demises of Lee and Dooku also proved be a fatal mistake to the protagonists, because this two men could be the key to leads the protagonists directly to their bosses and the mastermind of this; Giovanni and Sidious, as Lee could spills everything after a rigorous interrogation, even maybe a mind probe, while that Dooku could tells the Jedi about the identity of his master out of revenge against Sidious for encouraged Anakin to kills him. Yet, Lugia and Anakin committed the mistake to kill them, eliminating this loose end, ensuring that Giovanni and Sidious would still be hidden from the protagonists, prolonging the conflict as result of the reckless actions of Lugia and Anakin. And in the case of Anakin, this also proved the downfall of him and the Jedi, because to couldn't finds earlier whom was Sidious, the Sith lord had the time to could persuades Anakin to sides with him to blackmailed him with his wife, who would dies in a premonition, setting in motion the events of the Order 66, the Jedi purge, and the rise of the Empire. Well, I wonder if the actions of Lugia could also have similar consequences to long term, like the Anakin's.
The Creator- At this point, should we rename the story to something regarding Star Wars? 'Poke-Wars'?
Sorry to betray your expectations regarding Arceus's reaction to Lugia's actions, but Arceus is old and tired. He doesn't want to drive another wedge between himself and Lugia since there are already so many. A few thousand years ago, and your prediction probably would have been somewhat accurate actually. He used to be much more brutal.
Giratina has undergone some change as well, valuing the lives of his comrades. Perhaps seeing what happened to Palkia firsthand sparked something within him? Time will tell. But I wonder how Reshiram will act from this point forward.
The first thing the Burned Man thought when released with his suit was, "Time to abandon ship."
His vengeance is at hand. Thank you again for your awesome reviews.
Hydra- You know your so good at drawing correlations between our fic and Star Wars that I didn't even realize before and I must say it makes it even better to see this because Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back is one of my all time favorite movies, so maybe apart of my mind is getting inspiration from the films without even realizing it.
British-Vulture- Ah, victory! Though, it seems that the war against Team Rocket isn't over. As much as it is satisfying to see Lee get his comeuppance (for once, a somewhat quick death is something I wanted a horrific villain to have, instead of them suffering, that's how much I hate Lee), it is sad to see Lugia start the route of a lot of other characters who get revenge do; constantly going for the next man up, until they can't, and it's never sated. Hopefully this doesn't happen here.
Nice to see Giratina (one of four Pokémon to tie for my favourite Ghost-Type) kick ass. And I do share his concerns regarding Star's tech. They were designed to kill Necrozma, and he could easily kill Legendaries, so of course it would be bad if they turned the guns on them.
Prediction Time!: In both the games and anime, Necrozma was indifferent or misunderstood with its intentions. In this fic, Necrozma was, unlike Lee, a villain who despite being so sadistic and monstrous was very entertaining. In the games and, presumably, the anime, Eternatus is actively hostile or taking its rage out on the wrong people (who would love to take Eternatus to smash some Macros Cosmos teams? Me). In the games, Rose was well-intentioned and less antagonistic and more misguided. In the anime, Rose was more antagonistic. My prediction is that Rose will be a blend of his two incarnations, whilst Eternatus will end up like Necrozma and be the opposite of its incarnations. In this case, actively friendly, or neutral.
Of course, this is if Rose and Eternatus play a part. Maybe they will. Maybe they won't.
Hell, even if you don't use them, I know the story will be a blast all the same. Love this shit, keep it up lads!
The Creator- You were right to want a quick death for Lee. If it took a while, he'd have slipped away again. I'm glad you thought Necrozma was entertaining, considering his motivation was just to entertain himself in an existence that was becoming more meaningless and empty. I'll always love the 'Trophy' thing he did to Terrakion. As for Rose and Eternatus...well, there are some plans for them. Moreso Rose.
Hydra- The one, the only British Vulture! Good to see another review from ya buddy! You're quite right in your assumptions about Lugia. He's on a dangerous path at the moment where every time he takes out an enemy he'd think that would bring him satisfaction and finally satiate his lust for revenge, but instead it just leaves him feeling empty and still feeling that same rage. Lets just hope by the time Team Rocket is taken care of that rage is gone...
SilverWolf1130- Christopher Lee is dead? I don't believe it
The Creator- It's hard to believe. He was already as elusive as a ghost in life. What happens when a ghost dies?
Hydra- But he was hit at point blank range by Lugia's most powerful hyper beam attack, there's no way he could survive that…right?
Anonymous- Please Update!
The Creator- Only because you said please. We were thinking of never updating again, but I can't resist repaying peoples' politeness. You've saved the fic.
Hydra- Your wish is our command!
DarkPugLord23- Ding ding ding! Total KO! Christopher Lee (and the Nova Branch) is no more, taken out with a Kame Hame Ha courtesy of Lugia! On the downside, things don't look to be ending anytime soon, which can only mean the war against Team Rocket will soldier on. I'd be upset at Lugia for practically dooming everyone else, but he was more than justified in his actions. And you're right, I certainly wasn't expecting Ryder to actually survive, let along go toe-to-toe against Giratina. But, I wasn't disappointed at all. Can't wait to see what happens next.
The Creator- "We did it, Obama! Poke-racism is no more!"- Skipper on the subject of the Nova Branch's demise.
No, we still have quite a ways to go to end the war once and for all. And while Lee is gone, his assets are most certainly not. That is something Giovanni will most certainly capitalize on, Thanks again for the review.
Hydra- It just shows that sometimes it's best to capture an enemy and get information instead of killing them because due to Lugia's actions he just prolonged the war and may have blown their only chance at stopping Giovanni.
The Creator- Next time, we will be re-visiting a certain someone who we saw in this chapter. But who, I wonder?
Hydra- Well that concludes this one folks! My my has our review count been going up lately! I'd just like to give a special thanks to all the people who have been giving us their thoughts lately and hopefully you all continue to do so. This chapter was more so about recuperation for all our heroes and their thoughts about the battle. Alright boys and girls we'll see you all next time, maybe in a cold chasm with the most evil team on Earth or maybe with a child that's trying to escape his prison of a home.