Pokextinction

by THE CREATOR and Hydra

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

45. Chapter 45: Anger Withheld

TWO MONTHS AFTER THE NOVA BRANCH'S DEFEAT

Serena wrapped her arm into the strap of her bag, throwing it over her shoulder. She walked by the hotel room's mirror, not giving it the care she used to, to the sliding glass door at the room's edge. When she opened it, she found an all too familiar sight and sighed.

Pangoro was sitting down cross-legged, looking down on the city below as its people went about their business. The doctors had recommended that Pangoro stay outside of his Pokeball for a while to adjust to the loss of his arm in the real world, but most of his time was spent silently sitting in the exact same spot, day in and day out.

He obviously couldn't fight as he used to, but now, he didn't want to. Serena felt unendingly sorry for him, but she had to spend just about every waking moment training with Ash. She always asked him to join, but on the few days she received a reply, the best replies she got were apathetic grunts. Meanwhile, the rest of her team were making strides in their training. It must have been even harder for Pangoro, knowing he was being left behind.

"Hey, Pangoro," Greeted Serena. "How are you holding up?"

Pangoro did not reply. He didn't even look at her. Serena merely sighed and walked behind him. It was his usual response, so she was used to it, but it never made her any less sad. From behind, she wrapped her arms around him, gently stroking his fur.

Over his shoulder, she looked to where Pangoro did. He was looking down at the innumerable people and their Pokemon walking in and out of Star Tower. This was usual, but these days, the people looked much younger, and the volume of Pokemon that accompanied them increased. Ash's plan worked. His words, along with those of Mr. Star and his associates, successfully touched the hearts of the remaining trainers and inspired new ones.

"...It's wonderful, isn't it?" Serena asked Pangoro. "I didn't even know there were this many trainers left. We might win this after all." Still, there was no response. She stayed with him for a while in spite of this, continuing to run her hands along his fur.

Serena often wondered about what went through Pangoro's head these days. At first, seeing Pangoro was really hard for her. There were times she wondered if Pangoro hated her for letting the injury happen to her, but Ash was able to at least confirm it wasn't that. He left the rest up to her to find out though, which she was fine with. It was her fault the injury happened. It would be up to her to make it up to him as much as she was able, but deep down, she didn't believe that was possible.

After a while, she said, "We're heading back out today, you know. Ash says we've trained enough, but really, I can tell he's not confident about that. It's his Pokemon that want to go back out there."

She waited to see if there would be any response to that from Pangoro. He responded to her in the same way he usually did as of late, so she showed him a Pokeball. "Braixen and the rest feel the same way. I'm not going to put you on the front lines again if you don't absolutely want to. Frankly, I don't...want to see any of you hurt again."

Taking in a deep breath, Serena removed her arms from Pangoro and went to the doorway. Ash had already gone on ahead to talk with Mr. Star, but Serena had stayed behind to take care of Pangoro. "I left you a big bag of Pokemon food near my bed," She told him. "Plus, I got an extra room card for you so you can head out and explore the city if you want." Though she knew he wasn't looking, she pointed over to the desktop that separated her and Ash's beds. "It's right there below the lights. There's a bag too, so you can carry whatever you need."

Pangoro didn't even look at her.

Sighing, Serena stepped inside, leaving the sliding door open for him. She fit the last of her things necessary for the mission at hand, whatever that might be, inside of her bag and then went for the door. Pangoro remained motionless as he heard the hotel room door close.

---

Though Ash had been possibly the most famous person alive next to Mr. Star, that fame only recently extended to her. She always wanted to be famous, but now, she regretfully knew what that entailed. There was nary a moment she was in public where she wasn't being hounded. At best, she was embarrassed by a crowd of cheers. At worst, crowds would nearly smother her and Ash for autographs or battles. That was usually only when Ash was around.

Tobias found his first lucky streak in months in the sense that he wasn't nearly as plagued by the masses as she and Ash were. She had no inkling how this could be. At one point, he was known as the strongest trainer in the world and a man who commanded Legends. Even though that was no longer the case, surely that title would have made him just as famous as they.

But, that was not the case. He didn't take care of himself much, spending most of his time tending to Poipole and Salamence. This left him as a grizzled-looking, dark-faced, pale man with black, shaggy hair that fell over his eyes and a crimson robe that covered most of his body. It was little wonder that not many were willing to go near him now that Serena thought about it.

These days, Serena took taxi rides from Mr. Star to get around. She was offered a number of more grandiose vehicles from him, but she declined. Back in the days she and Ash explored Kalos, she'd have been thrilled to ride in a limousine. It seemed like those days were so long ago now, even if it had only been about a year.

As her taxi made its way through the city, she looked out through the window at the many trainers walking the street sides. They looked so excited for the task at hand. To them, they were ushering in peace again. They were, but she wondered if they truly knew what that meant. There wouldn't be much peace at all without more fighting, and there had already been so much of that.

Still, it was nice to see so many of them. Most were either very young or middle-aged. She guessed many started their journeys after the ad campaign, or restarted it in the case of the older ones. But she didn't see any her own age. It was around the prime of a trainer's age after all, and most of them went off to war against Necrozma.

Eventually, her taxi made it toward the southern edge of the city. She thanked the driver as she exited, then went on her way. Ash and Tobias usually went ahead of her and today was no exception. They trained every day at the edge of Ilex Forest, so she knew that's where she'd find them.

It wasn't long before she heard the sounds of clashing attacks. That was the odd thing about Ilex Forest. It was always so quiet. She'd only been here once before when the entire world's Pokemon population had flocked to Goldenrod, so its current silence was odd to her. On top of that, Ash had told her he didn't sense a single Pokemon within it. She often wondered why that was. After all, it was the first forest Xerneas restored.

When she found Ash and the rest, he was orchestrating another battle between Sceptile and Charizard in their Mega forms. Charizard's wing injury ended up not being too detrimental to his flight after all. Though the hole was unmendable, the heat expelled by him could keep him aloft.

Tobias sat off to the side with his Salamence. He stroked it gently while Poipole, eager to get out of Tobias's robe once in a while, fluttered around the dragon's head happily. Salamence looked uncharacteristically relaxed, even allowing itself to close its eyes. Though, when it heard her approach, its eyes snapped back open.

She waved at the group as she approached, causing the bout between Charizard and Sceptile to cease, and for their transformations to subsequently end. "Hey, guys!" She called. "So, are we ready to head out?"

Ash smiled her way. "Now that you're here, we are." His face fell a bit and, sheepishly, he asked, "Ah...any luck with Pangoro?"

Sighing, Serena shook her head. "Unfortunately not, as usual. Even if his mood improved, I'm not sure I'd feel confident sending him into battle."

"Understandable," Said Tobias. "I'd make the same decision if I were you. A lost arm is something that cannot be replaced for a Fighting-Type. I doubt any amount of training could bring Pangoro back to the level he was before."

Serena knew Tobias meant well with his advice, but a part of her was put off by it. Her intensified training gave her a new perspective on Pokemon. As she became a better trainer to be worthier of the Pokemon under her command, she understood the endless lengths a Pokemon would go to for a trainer they loved. If she forced Pangoro to fight, she had no doubt that he'd at least try, but she often saw behavior from him that was hard to watch.

There were times Pangoro would try to reach for things with the arm he no longer had, and when Pangoro realized it was doing this, it became very frustrated. If he battled, he might try to use attacks with that arm on instinct and get himself hurt. His pride and body would be degraded even further than it already was, and it would kill him on the inside. Perhaps the outside too if she was foolish enough to bring him to a battle against Team Rocket.

Often, Serena contemplated retiring him altogether, but she didn't want to make that decision for him. She realized she was bothered by Tobias's advice not because of him, but because of her. The realization that she'd failed her Pokemon hung over her every day, driving her to continue her training until she collapsed or the day was over. Though she gained new skills as a trainer and packed on some muscle from this, it hardly helped her guilt for Pangoro.

"...Honestly," She said, "I'm starting to think that way too. But, I'm not going to give up on him." She then looked to Ash and asked, "So, what's on the agenda today?"

Returning Charizard and Sceptile, Ash replied, "That's what we're going to find out." He turned to the side and held out his wrist. His eyes flashed silver a moment, and then, a gold ring manifested into thin air. This was another trick he'd finally figured out during their training. "I haven't actually gotten the chance to talk to Arceus since our last meeting, so I've got no clue if he even has anything for us. If he doesn't, maybe Mr. Star can think of something."

When Ash and the others stepped through the ring, Ash was relieved to see that it had actually worked and they were in the Hall of Origin once more. Arceus was alone like usual, but Ash was surprised to see him actually standing. There were a multitude of oval-shaped 'screens' in front of Arceus which he seemed to be watching intently.

Though it was nice to see that Arceus had regained some of his strength, his behavior was odd. Odd possibly was not enough to describe his current actions. He was looking back and forth between the numerous screens with such speed it looked like every movement of his head was a twitch. On top of that, he was muttering to himself even more than last time.

"Arceus?" He asked, announcing their presence.

The alpha in question recoiled. As the screens faded, a shaken Arceus turned to them. "Ash!" He greeted as if nothing was wrong. "It is good to see you well again. How do your Pokemon fare?"

Though he raised a brow at Arceus's behavior, Ash decided against mentioning it. "Well, they're all alive at least. We've been pushing each other pretty hard in our training ever since."

Arceus nodded along, seemingly aloof. "Wonderful to hear. I was worried when I heard their condition was grave. In any case, what brings you here?"

"I was wondering," Said Ash, "If you needed any help." He motioned to his friends. "We've been training nonstop these past two months so we could be of more help, y'know. And, for the sake of our Pokemon."

Seemingly thoughtfully, Arceus nodded. To himself, he murmured, "Help, hm?" He turned away, continuing to murmur to himself. Ash, Tobias and Serena looked at one another as if they had any answers. Shrugging, Ash turned back to Arceus to wait for whatever his response would be. He saw Arceus shake his head before looking back at them. "Not long after the Nova Branch's defeat, Keldeo discovered a large number of Team Rocket members operating where Kyurem used to live. If I had to take a guess, they plan to use the ice that coated his cave to replicate the Nova Branch's freezing mines."

"Is Keldeo alone?" Asked Ash.

Arceus replied, "No. He fought against them briefly, but was forced to flee. Since then, he's been roaming Unova to try to ally with Reshiram and Zekrom to retake the Great Chasm." He looked off to the side, summoning another screen. After a brief pause, he said, "It seems like you came at the perfect time. Keldeo appears to be nearing the Great Chasm now."

Serena raised her head, attempting to see the screen. "Are Reshiram and Zekrom there?"

Squinting his eyes at the screen, Arceus shook his head. Two more appeared, and he replied, "They are both flying elsewhere. It seems they're on their way."

"Looks like they're going for round two," Aptly added Tobias. "You think they even need us?"

Arceus nodded. "Nothing else at the moment seems to be quite as...pressing. At least, no matter that I am aware of. I am sure Keldeo would welcome the support as well." He looked back at the screen. "...The operation seems quite large," He noted. "I have little experience with Team Rocket and how they differ from the Nova Branch, but it would be for the best if we had as many on this case as possible."

He turned his head left toward one of the pedestals. His eyes shined brightly for a moment, leading to the appearance of another gateway ring. "This will take you to the Giant Chasm," He said. "I will inform Keldeo of your arrival. Try to rendezvous with him before taking on Team Rocket."

"Got it," Replied Ash and Serena.

As the trio walked through, Ash hesitated for a moment. Arceus's emotions were in turmoil, and though he looked convincing, Aura was something that could not be lied to. Something was bothering Arceus immensely, but Ash chose not to pry. Arceus was capable, after all, and he would tell Ash if he needed help.

Or so he thought.

When the ring disappeared, Arceus let out a weighty sigh. "...Was that the right choice?" He wondered aloud. Talking about Palkia was something he could not trust himself to do. Dialga was the only one he could trust. Every other Legend couldn't be trusted to keep their mouths shut, as the last several meetings proved to him.

Ho-oh was far too passive to do anything. They'd agree to search for him if he asked, but what that meant for them was merely looking down at the clouds and reporting a sighting on the off chance that Ho-oh actually saw Palkia. Kyogre may already know of Palkia given that he knows of Groudon, but he and Rayquaza already had their duty to him. Lugia's temperament would lead to more feuds, he had no idea how Zekrom and Reshiram would react and if they could keep quiet given that Reshiram was the Pokemon of truth, and Giratina was obviously out of the question. That was, if he was uninvolved.

Not to mention Mew.

Ash was about the only completely impartial person he knew. If he couldn't trust Ash with knowledge on the new Palkia's existence, who could he? It drove Arceus mad, being so worried for his young son and being completely and utterly unable to even mention his name for fear of someone listening in. Dialga already knew his worries and felt them himself, so voicing them to him would do nothing for his mental state.

All he could do was, ironically, pray that something came up.

---

In a forest near the Great Chasm, Ash and the others stepped out from the golden ring before it disappeared behind them. They were immediately alarmed by the sound of whirring metal and chopper blades in the distance. On instinct, they crouched low behind the nearest bushes. Ash peeked his head up, his eyes going silver.

The Great Chasm was much closer than he thought. Arceus apparently dropped them right near the action. There were large carts and vehicles going in and out of the chasm's main cave from a bridge. Above, helicopters patrolled the area. Their blades roared through the sky, filling the air with their unending noise. All along the site, countless Grunts decorated the area like ants.

Ash whistled. "Arceus said there were a lot of them, but I didn't expect to see this much. Maybe the message hasn't reached as many people as we thought."

"Could be a bunch of loyalists," Speculated Tobias. "Or, maybe some people just aren't quite there yet. As far as we know, Team Rocket still outnumbers us by a mile. Maybe they think they'll win?"

Narrowing her eyes at the Grunts below, Serena replied, "Then I guess we'll just have to prove them wrong."

Tobias stood up, using a nearby tree as cover to prevent being seen, and looked off to the side. He brought his hand to his forehead and squinted, trying to spot any sign of Keldeo. "We're supposed to be meeting with the Legend named Keldeo, right? I'm not sure if I've met it before."

While Ash and Serena made their way to another tree, Ash replied, "You probably saw him at that meeting you went to. Imagine a Ponyta but with blue hair and a…" He recalled the chipped-off horn on the young Legend's face and cringed. "...He's got a bit of a horn. In any case, Arceus said he'd tell Keldeo about us. I'll recognize his Aura, so…"

He trailed off, kneeling to the ground. From his palm, an invisible pulse of Aura shot into the ground and spread out across the landscape. He was alerted to the presence of every living thing within the pulse's radius, scanning across the entire chasm and beyond. Suddenly, Ash rose from his position again and pointed directly south from the bridge leading to the chasm's cave.

"He's arriving from that direction," He said, "But...the way he's heading, I really hope he isn't planning on doing anything reckless."

Serena couldn't help but snicker. "I never thought I'd hear that from you of all people. Before all this, you were the king of recklessness."

Sheepishly, Ash chucked, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment and averting his gaze from her. He replied, "Yeah, now that you mention it, I guess I was." He recalled the bygone days where he'd rush headfirst into danger no matter how great it was. He didn't realize how lucky he'd been to get out of those situations unscathed until now. "It's almost hard to remember now."

Kneeling, Tobias began walking ahead of them. "We've had plenty of time for reminiscing," He reminded them. "Let's get moving."

---

Narrowly, Ash and the others managed to intercept Keldeo. At the speed he was going, it was difficult to stop him. Ash had to send out another pulse of Aura specifically for him to let him know of their presence, otherwise he'd have run right into enemy sights. Keldeo came skidding to a halt nearby, turning toward them with a modicum of surprise on his face.

"You guys are here!" He said astutely. "Arceus...he told me you were coming, but I didn't know it would be so fast."

Casting a quick glance back at the enemy, Serena asked, "What were you planning to do? It looked like you were storming right in front of them all!"

Tobias nodded in agreement. "We heard that you were forced to retreat last time you fought them, so why are you doing it again?"

Keldeo scoffed, asking, "Did Arceus tell you that?" The three nodded, earning rolled eyes from him. He nodded up past them, toward the Rocket operation. "Those guys are all weaklings. They're not comparable to the guys with the Nova Branch. But their numbers are annoying. I could take 'em down in one hit, but ten more would show up in their place."

"That sounds like them," Ash replied with a sigh. "But that doesn't explain why you tried to fight them again."

Looking to him, Keldeo asked, "Did Arceus tell you that I already had the support of Reshiram and Zekrom?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, but he said they weren't nearby."

Keldeo scoffed again, though it was half accompanied by a laugh. "If they wanted to, they could cross Unova in less than an hour. That's why it took me two months to track them down. They'll be here soon. I was only going to cause a bit of chaos until they showed up."

"That...actually makes a lot of sense," Admitted Serena. "But two months? Legends can open portals to Arceus at any time, can't they? Couldn't you just ask Arceus to get them for you?"

Keldeo's eyes shifted uncomfortably. He looked around the forest, to each tree and bush, then up to the sky. "...I didn't want Arceus to know," He told them, earning looks of surprise from the three, "But I guess it doesn't matter after all. It seems like he knew all along."

Worriedly, Ash asked, "Keldeo? Are you alright? Did something happen between you and Arceus?"

Keldeo suddenly became very still, hearing that.

"Arceus has become so weak that he cannot see his suffering world without his children to remind him of it! And Mew...perched atop her precious tree, willfully ignoring the world that she has the power to save with a mere finger! Two self-titled gods who do nothing for their creations while their world burns right under their noses!"

The harsh words of Giratina rang in his mind, echoing like drums. Loud, thunderous, and inescapable. Yet truer than he could deny.

"...No," He told them. "I'd just rather my business wasn't made his." He began walking ahead before they could ask any more questions. "Anyways, you're here to back me up, right? Not sure if we needed you, but the more the merrier. Let's get a move on before they can desecrate Kyurem's home more than they already have." He turned away from them, harboring a dark scowl aimed pointedly toward the Rocketers in the distance.

Under his breath, he muttered, "I'll serve them all justice."

Then, he took off before the others could stop him. Though the three had much on their minds, they realized it was no use talking further. They wouldn't have any time to spare if they wanted to thin out the enemy's numbers before they could be surrounded and enclosed. Nodding to one another, they took off after Keldeo.

"All right, Keldeo," Said Ash, taking out a Pokeball. "You want chaos? We're here to help, so we'll do things your way."

---

Keldeo wasted no time shifting into his Resolute Form. He was far beyond 'resolute' right now, seeing not people and a cave. Instead, he saw only a goal, and annoyances getting in his way. The first Grunts didn't know what hit them before they were slapped aside by Keldeo's blade.

Alarms started blaring all over the Giant Chasm. Before Keldeo could make it to the bridge, dozens of Grunts raced out from the woodwork to impede him, throwing down their Pokemon to act as a wall. "It actually came back!" One Grunt exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "After two months and a beating, I didn't expect to see your face again." He beat his fist into the palm of his hand, showing off a toothy, savage grin. "That's fine by me. The boss'll pay a fortune for y-"

An upward slash from Keldeo knocked the Grunts and their Pokemon skyward. Paying them no heed, Keldeo ran past as they rained down behind him. Among a series of pained groans, one Grunt managed to sit back up, rubbing his aching head. A shadow loomed over him, and when the Grunt opened his eyes and saw who stared down at him, he wished he hadn't sat up at all.

The chosen one, clad in a silver glow, glowered down at the Grunt. The Grunt felt his breath catch in his throat. "A-Ash?!" He scrambled backwards, reaching for a Pokeball to defend himself with. But when he threw it, Ash caught it. He released the Pokemon inside, a Golett, and was about to crush the Pokeball until he sensed a sharp increase of fear in not only the Grunt, but also his Pokemon.

"...What's your name?" He asked.

The Grunt fumbled over his words, tripping over them nearly a dozen times before he managed to say, "A-Allen!"

When Ash stepped toward him, the Golett raced in front of its trainer and opened its arms wide to block him from taking another step forward. It was confused when Ash smiled at this behavior. Ash said, "Well, it's clear you're good friends with this Pokemon. That means you're one of the good ones. Why are you still with Team Rocket? Haven't you heard that Mr. Star is hiring trainers?"

"I…" The Grunt, Allen, swallowed a large lump in his throat. "I...I can't afford to go! Unova's only city with a working airport is Mistralton, and that's on the other side of the region!"

Gently, Ash held out an Aura-coated hand out toward Golett to let it know he was no threat. He guided it with his hand until it was out of the way, then knelt down so he could speak with Allen face to face. "You can," He told him. "It'll be hard, sure. It'll be rough, it'll be tiring, and it might even be painful. But you know what? Do it anyways." He jabbed a thumb toward Golett. "You've got a Pokemon that loves you. With that, you can do anything."

He pointed at the red 'R' on the centerpiece of Allen's suit. "But before that, do yourself a favor and take that off. We're here to crush Team Rocket, and I don't want a good guy like you getting caught in the crossfire."

Without giving the Grunt time to respond, Ash walked past, letting his words ring in the man's mind. Allen looked back at him for a brief moment before tearing at the 'R' on his suit.

Each swing of Keldeo's blade sent more of the annoying Grunts flying, yet even as they fell by the dozen, two dozen more were always showing up to impede him. "It's just like before," Keldeo said with a scowl. "Where do they keep coming from?"

From above, the blinding shine of a helicopter's spotlight forced Keldeo's eyes shut. From inside, two Team Rocketers ordered their Pokemon to fire down on Keldeo, but yelped when the helicopter suddenly jostled. "What the-?!" Seethed one of them. They peered down to see what happened, finding a Noivern peering right back up at them, hanging from the landing railing. Before they could cry out the order to fire on it, Noivern opened its maw and let loose a Boomburst that sent them and their Pokemon flying out the other end.

Noivern kicked off the railing, letting the helicopter spiral out of control and fall into the chasm before racing off to its next target. Keldeo watched it fly away for a moment before turning back. "Isn't that Noivern a Pokemon of Ash's?"

He tried looking for Ash, but if he was behind him, he couldn't tell. A black swarm of Rockets blocked his view, but he definitely heard the sounds of battle. "...Well, Ash is strong," He decided. What was important was cutting a path into the cave. He had his job, and Ash had his own. After all, they were only supposed to cause chaos until Reshiram and Zekrom arrived.

His eyes drifted left toward the side of the bridge he'd come from. Now, there was practically a sea of black racing toward them. The entire site was up in arms now. But who did they think they were fighting? Turning back toward the cave, Keldeo readied his sword to cut down any who stood between him and the cave. Kyurem's soul could rest easy soon.

---

"Thunderbolt!"

A cascade of lightning struck down an enemy Ekans. The Grunt who owned it stepped back, somehow surprised that she'd been bested by Ash, and tried to return it.

Ash swiped his arm through the air, then ordered, "Knock the ball out of her hand!"

Pikachu zipped through the crowd of Rockets, leaping up to intercept the red beam of the Grunt's Pokeball with an Iron Tail before bringing the attack down upon the ball. As he fell back to the ground, Pikachu slapped the ball toward Ash, who, upon catching it, did not hesitate to crush it in his hand. The glare he sent to the Grunt paralyzed her, stripping her of the will to fight. She collapsed to her knees, breathless.

His gaze softening, Ash set his sights upon the fallen Ekans. He knelt down, hovering his hand over it to alleviate most of its injuries. Its eyes opened hazily, but when it saw Ash, they shot wide with fear. "You're free," Ash told it, showing it a piece of its Pokeball. "Now go."

Fearfully, the Ekans nodded before slithering off through the crowd of Rockets. Confident that display would keep the Rockets who saw it off his back for a while, Ash turned to Serena and Tobias, who were taking care of the back end of the bridge while Ash cut a path forward. It was fortunate that Tobias's Salamence was large enough to take up nearly half the width of the bridge.

"It seems like all eyes are on us," He said, "So I'll use that to my advantage here and now."

Serena looked at him curiously as much as she was able without fully turning away from the horde of Rocketers. She asked, "What are you planning to do?"

To that, Ash leapt high, releasing Charizard beneath him. His faithful dragon let out a booming roar that further announced their presence to any who weren't looking Ash's way already. As Charizard took him higher, Ash replied, "I'm going to put on a lightshow to show them how outmatched they really are."

When Ash looked down at the sea of Rocketers, he smirked, seeing all of their eyes on him. Breaking their will one at a time would take forever, but if he could reach their hearts all at once, then perhaps he could end this fairly quickly.

Of course, he'd have to be more dramatic about it than he would have liked.

He took in a deep inhale, both for the effort of what he was about to do, and swallowing his pride so that he could actually say what he was about to.

"Team Rocket!" He bellowed, flaring his Aura to the point it looked like a silver star.

One part of his training during the past two months was focused upon his Aura. Riley had told him, after the war, that his Auric abilities would develop naturally, so he had been slacking on that front. But the battle against the Nova Branch taught him that they weren't growing fast enough. There was hardly an hour of his training where he wasn't focusing on it, and his efforts had borne fruit.

Though most of what he had learned was merely an increase of the potency of his existing skills, he had also picked up another trick: pressure exertion. He could manifest his will through his Aura, forcing it against the wills of others. The idea came from him wanting a technique to combat Team Rocket without harming them. He thought of it when he recalled the awe he felt being in the presence of Aura the entity.

If he could imprint that same sense of humbling awe he felt upon other people, then perhaps he could win the enemy over. That, or he could at least break their will to fight. One of the responsibilities of an Aura Guardian was to speak to the hearts of people and Pokemon after all.

Ash smirked, sensing Keldeo's eyes drawn to him as well. Perhaps his words could reach whoever was leading this particular operation as well.

Raising his arm, he shouted, "You all know who I am! I am Ash Ketchum, chosen one of Aura and slayer of Necrozma!" He had to force himself not to grit his teeth in embarrassment after saying that. Nevertheless, he continued.

"You fight for a meaningless cause! One that many of you do not even believe in! To those I speak of, I ask this: Why? Why do you continue to betray the world? You fight for domination after billions, some of which were your own family and friends, died for the sake of peace?!"

He swiped his arm through the air aggressively, inwardly smirking, sensing their eyes follow that movement so closely. "There is no future there!" He cried. "What will happen when every Pokemon is enslaved?! When there are no more Pokemon left to take, what will happen?!"

Ash pointed down to one of the Grunts, making sure to single them out. "There will be nothing left for Team Rocket to pay you for!" He pointed from person to person, saying, "You, you and you! All of you! They'll throw you out of a job, only letting some of Giovanni's most trusted members control the Pokemon! Then, they'll use the Pokemon you stole for them to keep you under their thumb!"

Slowly, he swept his arm across the open air once more to make the point of addressing each and every one of them. "All of you are just means to an end to them! They'll throw you out and create a world without hope for their own greedy end! But you can be better than that!"

He extended an arm out to them, as if they could grab it. "Fight with us instead, against Team Rocket! It will take time, and it'll be hard, but eventually, we can make the world go back to the way it used to be! Mr. Star is already recruiting trainers to make that happen! So, what do you sa-"

There was a sudden, high-pitched blaring noise that cut him off. Everyone and every Pokemon that was subjected to the noise hastily covered their ears, crying out in protest to the assault on their hearing."

When it finally disappeared, it was replaced by a voice. "Ash Ketchum," It spoke in a deep voice over an intercom, "Cease your attempts to spread sedition in our ranks immediately."

Ash and Charizard turned back toward the cave. "Who are you?!" Demanded Ash. "Are you the one commanding these guys?!"

"You are in no position to ask questions, but I will at least afford you that," It replied. "Your suspicions are correct. I lead this operation and will continue to do so until the boss's will is done. Your attempts to turn our ranks against us will not be tolerated, nor will this assault be."

Trying to retort, Ash opened his mouth, but was interrupted. "However," Spoke the operative, "These offenses can be easily overlooked. You, Ash, are invaluable to any organization. Your talents are wasted on that old fool."

Ash scoffed in disbelief. "Are you seriously trying to recruit me?"

"Suspend your refusal for a moment," They told him. "As I said, you are considered invaluable. Should you join Team Rocket, you would become Giovanni's right hand man within months, or even less. Our victory would be swift and decisive, and then, this war could come to an end. The world would be in the palm of your hand! You are Aura, slayer of Necrozma! You said that yourself! You have the power to dominate the world, and you could do so in an instant alongside Giovanni if you ally yourself with Team Rocket!"

Just as the man wanted, Ash's response came swiftly and decisively. Holding out his hand toward the cave, he shot an Aura sphere at the first intercom pole he saw. "I knew you people in Team Rocket were idiots, but how stupid can you be? If I gave a Rattata's behind about world domination or any crap like that, don't you think I'd have already done it? And another thing…"

He jabbed a thumb toward himself. "I am not Aura. I am Ash Ketchum! I am me, nobody else! And I'm going to tear down Team Rocket, free every person and Pokemon enslaved by you, and make sure the world is as if you never existed!"

A heavy silence hung over the Giant Chasm for a while. Ash stared down the cave entrance as if it were the face of the man he'd been speaking to. Below, the members of Team Rocket stared on in silence and awe. The gazes of some were focused on the cave rather than Ash. On their faces, they were pale with fear. Keldeo took the opportunity to start running toward the cave entrance again, speeding past the dazed Rocketers in his path.

For a moment, Ash thought he might have damaged the entire comms system until he heard a long, sharp inhale. "...Make peace with that decision, Ash Ketchum," Hissed the operative, "Because you will never be offered an opportunity of that scale again. You could have been useful to Giovanni, but he has no use for fools."

Ash raised a brow at him. He couldn't help picturing a certain trio when the man mentioned fools.

"You are finished," He continued. "Do you even comprehend the scale of the decision you've made? Our organization comprises of millions. More people exist within Team Rocket than those who do not. You stand no chance against our might! And...for those currently employed in this operation…"

A wave of trembling washed over the crowd of Rocketers as a shiver ran up the spines of many when the man suddenly addressed them. "...For those of you who may entertain the notion of sedition that this fool poisoned your mind with, I suggest reconsidering. When you were employed, many of the Pokemon under your employ were taken and redistributed. Additionally, you gave us your names and addresses. We know the locations of your Pokemon, and if you do not care about them, we know the locations of your families and will act accordingly in response to treason."

Gasps and cries of shock rang out from the horde of Rocketers. Below, Serena couldn't believe this man. "You piece of…!" She cursed over the surrounding noise. "Their families don't have anything to do with this!"

Panic amongst the Rocketers soon turned to fearful outcry. In spite of the awe Ash imprinted on them, unrest began to rear its ugly head. Worriedly, Tobias and Serena turned back to the horde, afraid that they might restart their attack for fear of their Pokemon, their families, and themselves. Keldeo made it to the end of the bridge, but when he saw what was happening behind him, he thought of turning back to help the others. After all, there was nothing more aggressive than a cornered animal, and he knew from experience that nothing was more precious than family. There would be little the Rocketers wouldn't do under that man's ultimatum.

And yet, Ash did not appear worried. "We stand no chance, do we?" He sensed two beings moving toward them at incredible speeds. Evidently, Team Rocket did as well somehow, as sirens began to wail once more. "Why don't you tell that to them?"

At the sound of two loud bangs in the sky, all eyes went up. Keldeo was the first to spot their sources. Two streaks raced across the sky. One black, cast in a blue hue of crackling lightning. The other was white, leaving a trail of burning flames in its wake.

The Grunts near Tobias and Serena scattered as the blazing black dragon descended upon them. In front of the two, Zekrom crashed down onto the bridge. On the opposite side, near Ash, Reshiram followed suit. Their roars shook the entire chasm, threatening to sink the bridge they stood on.

"Zekrom! Reshiram!" Ecstatically cried Keldeo.

Luckily for everyone else, the bridge managed to hold steady until it was over. Though, for the Rocketers, this luck did not last for long. Zekrom stomped his mighty foot down, throwing many on the bridge onto their backsides. Even Serena and Tobias were caught in it, as well as their Pokemon.

On the opposite end, Reshiram brought her wings close before throwing them out to her sides. Two potent gusts of wind sent hundreds of Rocketers flying straight off the bridge into the chasm below, piling into the water at the chasm's basin.

She turned back to look at Ash, saying, "I've cut you a path. Get inside before more show up."

Zekrom spread his arms and legs to block off any Rocketer foolish enough to try to pass. "We will halt any from crossing the bridge. Put an end to this quickly, for Kyurem's sake."

Ash nodded to them. "Will do." He looked down to Serena and Tobias. "Come on!" He called, waving his arm back. "Let's get going!"

"Right!" They replied. Tobias hopped atop Salamence. Returning her Pokemon, Serena did the same. With a powerful thump of its tail, Salamence took flight after Ash and Charizard. Though the grounded Rocketers, staring in the faces of Unova's most powerful Legends, were not nearly confident enough to pursue them, those in the choppers did.

As the closest one neared, the Grunt inside pointed toward Ash and ordered, "Swoobat, Psybea-"

Then there was a great, fearsome roar that cut off their order. Zekrom raised his head, bellowing to the skies to command them to his will. Black clouds manifested over the Chasm, drowning out the light of the sun in seconds. Above, the dark clouds were lit only by the raging lightning that Zekrom summoned. The black dragon stared up at the choppers swarming above, daring them to attack.

They weren't given the opportunity to choose. The distraction gave Ash and the rest enough time to reach the cave entrance. As they soared overhead, Keldeo followed them through. Zekrom and Reshiram leapt over to the cave's entrance, blocking anything else from following.

Together, Zekrom and Reshiram let loose fearsome bellows that weathered the will of all who beheld them. Yet, the luxury of giving up was not afforded to them. Their employer spoke once more.

"Capture, defeat or repel Zekrom and Reshiram by any means necessary," They commanded. "That is a direct order."

---

The cave interior was dark. Darker than Keldeo remembered. Ash sensed the presence of many within it, their intentions ill. While they were still relatively close to the entrance, Ash held up his arm, glowing with Aura, to signal the others to stop before landing.

Keldeo turned back to the others when he felt the ground tremble from Salamence's landing. "What are you guys…?" When he saw Ash's silver glow, Keldeo knew he sensed something and turned back to the darkness, leaping back toward the others to prevent an ambush. "So, that's it, huh? Get out here and show your faces!"

Instinctively, Ash created a barrier around the group in case the enemy tried something. And indeed, they did. Twin headlights of a massive truck lit toward them brightly, momentarily blinding the group. The roar of tires and an engine blared, and then, it was upon them.

"Charizard!" Cried Ash simply.

Getting the message, Charizard raced ahead of the group and grappled onto the truck. The powerful dragon easily overpowered it in spite of the size difference, throwing it onto its side. With the vehicle disarmed, Charizard flew back to Ash's side, puffing out a small plume of flame indignantly.

"Great work, Charizard, "Commended his trainer.

There was a sudden, slow clapping from within the darkness. With Aura, Ash gauged the source from a man at the cave's far end. Then, he no longer needed to, because the lights were turned on. Lights that shouldn't be in a cave once ruled by a Legendary Pokemon. They hung on large wires, dangling from the ceiling. Entire rows of the trucks were lined up on their left, filled to the brim with icy crystals. Those same crystals now dotted the floor, having dropped out from the back of the truck.

"Those are…" Whispered Keldeo. Seeing the remains of Kyurem, harvested as if they were just any other material, made him sick to his stomach.

More Rocketers surrounded them, leering down at them from the rafters lining the cave walls, smirks upon their faces. These didn't look like ordinary Team Rocket members. Ash could tell they were confident and cruel. These were veterans, perhaps having joined the organization long before the war. At their head was the one who clapped, descending toward them from a set of steel stairs. He was the only one among them without the team's signature crimson 'R.'

"Not even an injury from that ambush," He remarked. Ash and the rest glared at him, recognizing the voice as the one who spoke over the intercom. "Just as I would expect from the Chosen One and friends. But not even being 'chosen' by Arceus or Aura or whomever else can save you from idiocy it seems. Only the dullest would dare to challenge Team Rocket in this day and age, and duller still is the one who would walk right into an operation of this scale and expect to walk away with their lives."

Ash's Aura flared like a star once more. The weight of his will was forced down upon theirs, but they did not seem too disturbed by it, unlike those outside. "Who are you?!" He demanded still.

The man chuckled. "Are you attempting to intimidate us with light? Any light can be snuffed out as if it were a candle. Necrozma proved that five months ago." While Ash and his friends tried to keep themselves from retching in disgust of this man's comment, he gave a mock bow and said, "The name's Pierce, personal agent of Giovanni. It is a pleasure to meet you face to face."

Tobias glowered at him with a look that could kill. "Wish I could say the same."

When Serena glanced to Tobias, she couldn't help but notice that Tobias and Pierce looked startlingly alike. The dark blue hair and brooding faces certainly matched. Even their sense of clothing was similar, both wearing long cloaks that went down to their ankles. It was just that Pierce's hair was shorter and less messy than Tobias that revealed any difference between them. She decided against making any comments on the matter.

"What are you…" Ash stopped himself halfway through the question, turning away with a scowl for a brief moment. He rose out of his battle-ready stance to rise to his full height, allowing his Aura to shrink back down to its normal size and gentle flow. He stared Pierce down with narrowed eyes, but allowed his anger to fade.

Serena looked at him with worry. "Ash?" She asked.

With a sigh, Ash said, "Forget it. I can tell you're not the type of people who will listen to reason."

What Ash learned about his pressure exertion technique during their training was that it was far from perfect. Weak wills were easy to break, but strong ones proved difficult for him. Strong wills came from people with convictions, desires, and beliefs. These Rocket agents surrounding them were able to resist the technique because they believed fully in their cause; that every Pokemon naturally belonged to Team Rocket, and that every person not aligned with them was just another obstacle to be rid of. These people had the gall to believe this. There was no point talking to them.

"I'm not going to waste my breath on these guys," Ash said calmly. "They won't listen until they're defeated and bound."

Hearing that, a series of boisterous laughter erupted from the surrounding Rocket agents. Pierce's smirk grew further, but Ash gave no reaction to it. So, Pierce said, "Defeated? Us? Ketchum, I don't believe you fully comprehend the situation you are in."

From his robe, Pierce pulled out a thin remote and pointed it toward them. Ash instinctively held up his hand, summoning forth a barrier. Yet, this didn't seem to deter Pierce at all. "It's a shame, Ash," He said, pressing a button on it.

A high-pitched noise was emitted from the remote. Ash could see the Rocket agents wince, but the barrier stopped its effect from reaching his group. Ash was still concerned when the Rocketers started running toward Pierce and his sound emitter rather than running away or shielding their ears.

Then, he heard a light rattling, and saw the spilled icy crystals beginning to vibrate right outside the barrier. Remembering what the ice mines did to a barrier before, Ash's eyes went wide. He created a second barrier, using it to quickly pull the others closer. Though this earned surprised cries from them, it was better than potentially freezing.

A wall of white encompassed the shield. Outside of it, jagged ice crystals had encompassed half of the cave's floor, as well as Ash's barrier and the fallen truck. A frigid, unmoving dome appeared to the Rocketers as all that was left of the Chosen One and his friends. Then, light shined out from within it, and the dome shattered like glass.

The smirks of the agents faltered, seeing the angry glares of those they thought to be nothing more than statues of ice. "It wasn't enough?" Pierce said aloud. "There is still something else that the Nova Branch has that we don't?"

An infuriated Keldeo stamped his hoof down, dragging it across the stone floor as he prepared to charge. "That's it!" He roared, rushing straight toward Pierce before the others could stop him. Seeing Kyurem's cave overtaken with trucks, lights, and other Team Rocket technology was too much for him. Seeing his remains, the ice he left behind, being used as a weapon right before his eyes was too much for Keldeo to bear. "I'm ending this now!"

"Keldeo, wait!" Cried Ash. His words fell on deaf ears.

Summoning forth a red-hot Sacred Sword over his horn, Keldeo made a mad dash toward the man leading the operation that desecrated Kyurem's remains. The bright light of released Pokeballs impeded him, forcing him back as an Accelgor and Escavalier appeared in his path, followed by two agents.

"Where do you think you're going?" Asked one.

The other chortled, saying, "You gave the Grunts outside quite a bit of trouble last time. But they're nothing like us. You should have stayed away when you managed to escape, but now, I hope you enjoy serving Team Rocket."

Hearing that, Ash went into action. Nodding to the others to follow his lead, Ash ran after Keldeo with Charizard at his side and another Pokeball in hand. This caused the other agents to leap into action, and the fight was on.

Skillfully, the agents placed themselves between Ash and Keldeo, blocking the others from reaching the Legend. Scowling, Ash stepped back, allowing Charizard to take his place. He quickly scanned the area to count their numbers to devise a strategy. There were twelve, barring Pierce. Since Keldeo had two of his own to deal with, that left three each for Serena, Tobias and himself plus one left. But if they thought they could overwhelm him and his friends with numbers alone, they were sorely mistaken.

"You're not half the monsters the people in the Nova Branch were," He said, eyeing the circle of agents around them, "But we already took care of them."

Pierce replied, "That blue Pokemon said as much the last time he attacked, but do you honestly expect us to believe such a blatant lie? We received no word of such a thing happening."

Surprised by this, Ash asked, "Wait, Giovanni hasn't told you? Why are you here, then? We thought you were stationed here to replace their ice mines."

"If only the world was that simple," Said Pierce with a shrug. "Though,you are right in assuming our objective here was to replace their mines, it will take far more than that to ever take down the Nova Branch. Far more than anything you could do."

Ash smirked coyly at that. "We didn't exactly do it alone, you know." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder toward the cave exit where Zekrom and Reshiram were fending off the outside Rocket force. "I had a little help, just like now."

Unfaltering, Pierce merely tilted his head to look past Ash. "Ah, yes, the Legendary Pokemon." Without further clarification, Pierce pressed the remote again, causing another truck to start rumbling. The agents surrounding Ash's group suddenly bolted to the right, which Ash mirrored, grabbing hold of Serena's hand and rolling just in time to avoid the truck as it barrelled past. But instead of stopping to turn, the truck kept moving forward.

Then, Ash realized Pierce wasn't really aiming for them at all. The truck was moving toward the cave's exit.

---

Fending off the hordes of Grunts and their vaguely-ranked superiors was a simple task for the two Legends. Most of them were far too meek and unconfident to dare to actually attack. The unfortunate ones who were pushed to the front were easily swept off the bridge into the chasm's river. For those who had the spark of battle in their eye, the ones who fought for Team Rocket's name rather than merely their paycheck, mercy was fleeting.

A young, brash Rocket girl grinned up at the two Legends, eager to prove herself. "Lampent, use Shadow Ball and aim for Zekrom's eye!"

When the Pokemon obeyed her command, Zekrom easily batted the attack away and slammed its dark hand down upon the Ghost-Type. It glared death into her eyes, quickly melting away her confidence. Then, she and her Pokemon were thrown off the bridge like the rest.

"Are you getting soft, Zekrom?" Asked Reshiram, eyeing her counterpart from behind.

With its deep, scratchy rumble of a voice, Zekrom replied, "It is not necessary to end their lives. They are young and foolish, but ultimately, they are doing what they believe they should be."

Annoyed, Reshiram sighed. "It's their ideals you find admirable? What of the ideals of those we fight for? You would sacrifice their ideals for those of our enemy?"

"In time," Replied Zekrom, "Those ideals may become one in the same. That is the difference between truth and ideals. Truth spends most of its time rooted, set in stone. But ideals are always changing, and they can change even the truth."

He looked back to the Rocketers, making them shrink under his gaze. "They may be our enemy now, but they hold the potential to be allies. I believe that is the thought process of Ash, and why he fights so hard to keep them alive if possible."

Reshiram stormed past him, raising her arms high. "Exactly!" She roared. "They are our enemies now! Ones who kill, enslave and torture Pokemon and perhaps even their own kind! The regretful looks upon their faces tell me that much, and yet, they chose to align with their tormentors!"

She raised her head, revealing the long gash across her throat, and began summoning forth the swirling fires of Fusion Flare. Beneath his feet, Zekrom felt the pebbles littering the bridge begin to vibrate, followed by the roar of an engine. He whipped around, catching the massive truck heading for them just before it hit, then hoisted it over his shoulder and threw it down into the ravine.

He did not notice the vibrating ice crystals that lay atop the truck, but Reshiram did. Quickly, she turned and unleashed the Fusion Flare attack at the truck. An explosion of ice met with one of fire to a devastating effect. Though Reshiram succeeded in keeping the ice away from them, the same could not be said for those who were knocked into the ravine.

There were statues of people, forever immortalized in time by ice as they tried to swim to shore. Some actually made it, but were unlucky enough to be caught in the blast. Those were the lucky ones. Seeing the truck falling, a few people dove down. Those people were now pounding at the ice that now covered the water's surface desperately, and fruitlessly.

"Don't bother saving them," Hissed Reshiram, nodding up at the sea of Rocketers before them. "Focus on keeping the ones on our side safe from them."

Prying his eyes from the ravine, Zekrom looked at his counterpart with worry. "...Reshiram," He said, "You are acting odd. You ask why I am soft, and yet, right now, you seem more merciless than the enemy."

Reshiram snapped back, "Their inaction is from helplessness, not mercy."

"You know that is not what I meant."

Growling, Reshiram turned away from him to the Rocketers. "If Keldeo and Ash were not keeping their leaders busy, they would be just as merciless to us as I am to them! I know that to be truth!"

Zekrom lowered his head, looking upon the scar on her throat. When Reshiram saw this, she retracted her own head to hide it. "I hope," Said Zekrom, "That scar of yours is not clouding your vision of the truth."

"Keep your hopes to yourself," She replied angrily, "And focus on the battle at hand."

---

"Braixen, Flamethrower!"

The giant Bug-Type Pokemon, Scolipede, fell unconscious as Serena ordered the attack that finished it. Serena couldn't help but smile at her progress, a sentiment shared by Braixen. Their training, as grueling as it had been, paid off. Serena often wondered if Braixen would evolve, but when she asked, it seemed like Braixen was opposed to the idea. Of course, Serena supported the wishes of Braixen, so she came up with a way to make Braixen more powerful without evolving.

In New Goldenrod, she found a stall selling an Eviolite, an item that improved the defenses of a Pokemon wearing it as long as they weren't fully evolved. Serena wasn't quite sure how it worked, but it worked nonetheless. Braixen hardly had even a scratch on her.

"Why you…!" Seethed the Rocket agent she was battling, returning the Scolipede to its Pokeball. "This isn't over!"

With a chuckle, Serena retorted, "Yet your Pokemon is down and mine's still raring to go."

There was a sudden loud clang that brought their attention away from one another. Keldeo was panting heavily, but Ash could tell it wasn't from exertion. He stood over the Accelgor and Escavalier with a wild look in his eyes. A look that was pointed like a dagger straight at Pierce.

He made a mad dash for the man. In response, some of the agents tried to give chase.

"Not happening!" Declared Serena, reaching for another Pokeball. "Ash, back me up!"

Though initially distracted by a concern for Keldeo, sensing his true emotions and intentions, Ash snapped out of it at the sound of his lover's call. He nodded to her, taking out a Pokeball of his own and throwing it in the path of the agents alongside her. The agents growled in irritation, suddenly finding a Sylveon and a Sceptile in their way. Flashing confident grins at one another, the two Pokemon knelt down into battle-ready positions.

Without anything to impede him, Keldeo went on the attack. "You can't stop me anymore! You can't hide behind anything else anymore! You're through!" He knelt down, summoning another Sacred Sword as he rushed at Pierce.

Yet, Pierce did not seem even the least bit perturbed by this. "I don't think so." He reached into his robe and threw down a series of small, black, pronged objects that stuck into the ground after settling. Keldeo tried to skid to a stop before reaching them, but at the speed he was going, there was nothing he could do to stop himself in time. Pierce pressed another button on his remote, and then, the pronged discs were set alight.

Keldeo cried out as waves of electricity were loosed from the tips of the discs, wracking every inch of his body. His nerves locked up as the electricity coursed throughout his body, keeping him firmly rooted in place.

"Those are shock traps," Explained Pierce. "During your last visit, you used Hydro Pump from your hooves to propel yourself into the air. A neat trick, but we were able to deduce that you were a Water-Type Pokemon from it. Good luck doing anything while you're being pumped full of electricity. Even a Wailord couldn't escape this voltage."

Feeling Keldeo's pain, Ash dashed for the agent ahead of him and threw them aside. When he saw this, Pierce held up the remote to make sure Ash saw it. "Stay where you are!" He commanded, pushing his thumb toward a notch on the remote. "One step closer and I'll set it to lethal."

Ash saw a sudden shine in the man's eye that he didn't like, especially when he looked back down to Keldeo. "Say, how much does this Pokemon mean to you?" Pierce asked.

"...What's it to you?" Ash asked. Pikachu, atop his shoulder, sparked angrily.

Pierce chuckled. "It seems to mean quite a lot to you if you tried to abandon your battle to save it. Am I wrong?"

Ash did not respond.

The lack of a response was enough for Pierce, who slid the notch slightly. The electricity began to spark more wildly, eliciting further cries of pain from Keldeo. "I've heard tale of your bleeding heart, Ash, but seeing it in person is something else. I'll make my terms clear. Tell your friends and the Legends outside to surrender and give themselves up to Team Rocket if you value the life of this Pokemon."

With a creased brow, Ash looked to Keldeo. At first, he didn't even consider Pierce's demand. He could have a barrier around Keldeo in an instant. The only thing that held him back was worry about what Pierce told him about the trap's lethal setting. If Pierce's finger was faster than Ash's arm, Keldeo would be dead. Tobias and Serena were still in the midst of their battles, unaware of the situation at hand.

Maybe he could think of something. He could surrender, then strike later. It was a dirty tactic, but he was fighting dirty people. There was no way he was going to forfeit Keldeo's life, or allow the capture of his friends. Zekrom and Reshiram would certainly never go along with it, even if he could convince them he had a plan without Team Rocket listening in.

Before he could give an answer, he heard a pained wheezing from Keldeo as he gasped for burning air. "F-forget it!" He sputtered. "Don't give this monster a thing, Ash! Not now, not ever!"

"You're talking awfully loud for someone whose life could be ended with the flick of my thumb," Pierce remarked, making sure Keldeo saw the remote. "If you want to stay alive, keep your mouth shut."

In spite of the electricity, Keldeo smirked at him and chuckled. "Me? In danger? I've taken worse than this, and fought worse than you!" From Keldeo's horn, a blazing red sword appeared. He swiped down at the traps and sent their metallic remains scattering at Pierce's feet.

Pierce stepped back, looking at the scraps in shock. "What in the-?!"

Keldeo's Sacred Sword dispelled the remaining smoke that enshrouded him. He was covered in burns from head to toe and glaring death at Pierce in spite of the clear injuries adorning his body. "Leave him to me, Ash," He said. "You take care of those other guys. I'll make sure this one gets what he deserves."

"...How in the world?" Pierce asked aloud under his breath. Tearing his eyes away from the scraps to look back up at Keldeo, he asked, "How did you break free?! You're a Water-Type, aren't you?!"

"Sure," Replied Keldeo, "I'm a Water-Type. But types aren't everything." The look of astonishment on Pierce's face was oh so gratifying. "I'll have you know I'm a Legend too. But more than that, I am Keldeo, a Sword of Justice like those before me! And I won't allow you to tarnish Kyurem's home anymore!"

Pierce's eyes lit up in recognition. "A Sword of Justice, you say?"

Keldeo was shocked that he knew them. With narrowed eyes, he asked, "What's it to you?"

Shrugging haphazardly, Pierce replied, "Not much. Our intel told us that they once patrolled this area for generations, but after the war...well, we no longer needed to worry about that."

Keldeo's breath caught in his throat.

"Even stranger was that our intel never indicated they were present during the war," Added Pierce. "Did they simply die beforehand?"

A red glare tore through the air as Keldeo brandished Secret Sword. Keldeo snarled at Pierce like a demon, pointing the attack squarely at him. "Don't you put their names in your filthy mouth!"

Ash quickly tapped Pikachu. "Go help the others, okay?" He said. "I've got a bad feeling about Keldeo."

Nodding, Pikachu hopped off, joining the rest in battle. Ash turned back to watch Keldeo. He wanted to respect Keldeo's desire to face Pierce alone, but he sensed something very dark in him. When they first met him again earlier, he sensed it too, but it was so small that Ash wasn't sure if it was what he thought. Now he knew it was real. He sensed the intent to kill in Keldeo, a dark, maddening feeling that would certainly lead him down a dark path.

Swiping his horn through the air with a roar that didn't sound like it was from Keldeo at all, Keldeo unleashed Secret Sword toward Pierce, who nimbly rolled underneath it. Pierce turned the notch of his remote until it could no longer turn any more, then threw out dozens more of the traps. But Keldeo was faster. Before Pierce could activate them, Keldeo lurched forward as quickly as the wind and with such force that the ground cracked beneath him, then sliced the traps to pieces.

His eyes widening, Pierce raised his arm, firing a hookshot around a support beam above them. "Leave it to a Sword of Justice to have this level of tenacity!" He said ecstatically. "You'll be of great help to Giovanni once you're under Team Rocket's control."

Keldeo shot up after Pierce using the water from his hooves. Just before Keldeo cleaved the beam Pierce stood on in two, he shot his hookshot onto the edge of one of the trucks, carrying him straight to it. "It's been fun," He said, reaching in to grab one of the crystals. The glove he wore was slowly becoming icy just from holding it. "But you're done for!"

Pierce's arm flew out like a whip, hurling the ice crystal at Keldeo as he landed. On instinct, Keldeo tried to slice it, but when he saw what it was, he became still. Pierce activated the ice, freezing him in place before Keldeo could even react.

Ash's eyes went wide. "Keldeo, no!"

He bolted toward Pierce with Greninja's Pokeball in hand, but stopped when he felt a sudden surge of life from Keldeo, even within the ice. The red glow of Sacred Sword penetrated the ice, wiping away Pierce's confident expression. The sword cleaved through the ice, splitting it in two and releasing Keldeo. Pierce fired his hookshot to his right, but as it dragged him away from the truck, Keldeo swiftly sliced up at the wire and sent him tumbling.

The moment he got back up, Keldeo was upon him. Pierce dashed back, reaching for something else in his cloak. Another slash from Keldeo stopped him in his tracks. It hit the palm of his other hand, shattering the remote in his hand.

Pierce stifled a cry of pain and crouched over to cover his wounded hand. When he looked back up, Keldeo's blade was pointed at his throat. After taking in a sharp inhale, Pierce asked, "Do you think that I will surrender? Even if I did, there is no prison in the world that could hold me."

Keldeo's breaths were ragged and spastic, never seeming to get enough air in spite of his rapid gasping. "Surrender?" He said shakily. "You...you don't deserve that!"

Pierce's eyes widened as the blade descended upon him. Everything became very slow to him. The last moments of a life filled with wrongdoing, coming to a close as the world slowed to a crawl. And then, just before the blade struck, a gleaming white barrier sprung up to stay the blow. Keldeo was knocked back, and Pierce looked just as surprised as he did.

"Ash!" Cried Keldeo, his gaze shooting toward him. "Why did you protect him?!"

Lowering his arm, Ash replied, "Don't make the same mistake Lugia did." He glowered at Pierce in disgust, earning the same look back. "Maybe he does deserve it. Maybe the world would be better without him. But killing an enemy completely erases the chance for them to change. Sometimes, you don't have a choice. I know that."

He pointed at the man, turning Keldeo's attention back upon him. "But here, you did have a choice. You were about to kill a helpless man. I barely knew the other Swords of Justice, so maybe this is out of line, but that? That wasn't justice. Would they kill the helpless?"

When he heard that, Keldeo looked at Ash as if he'd just been struck across the face. "I...you don't…" He looked back at Pierce. The man was despicable to the core. Just looking at him made him sick. His instincts screamed at him to end the man's life, but Ash's words pulled him back. He was right. The Swords of Justice would never approve.

Unable to stand looking at Pierce any longer, Keldeo turned away. "Fine," He said mirthfully, "Just...get him out of my sight."

Ash didn't need to. The moment he looked back, Pierce was nowhere to be found. When Ash sensed for him, he found that he had gone further into the cave.

"Forget him," Said Ash, turning back toward the others. They were still in the midst of their own battle, and Ash could sense the fight outside still raging on. "The fight isn't over yet. We can get the information we need from the rest."

---

The rest of the battle went smoothly. Without Pierce, the rest of the agents fell like dominos. They never stood a chance. When the lower-ranking members outside found out their leaders were defeated, all it took was another light show from Ash, and ground-shaking roars from Zekrom and Reshiram, to make them surrender. The two departed soon after, returning to their usual patrols.

Though Ash told Mr. Star about the situation, no police arrived to do anything about it. With how heavy the influence of Team Rocket had been in this area, there may not have been any left in the neighboring cities. Ash had no choice but to let most of them go, but kept the agents they fought in the cave firmly trapped within a barrier.

Ash watched the hordes of Rocketers depart over the hills with mixed emotions. He had no way of knowing which ones would actually seek to change their lives, or simply rejoin Team Rocket. Little by little, he would make the world know that Team Rocket's time was limited.

Serena came up beside him, sighing. "I feel bad for saying this," She said, "But this was kind of...disappointing. It was too easy. I didn't get to make much use of my training…" She reached into her bag, pulling out a Pokeball. "...Or even get to use my new team member."

"It's probably a good thing," Tobias said, stepping up beside her, "That we didn't need to go all out. It just shows how much we've all grown. Maybe the worst is already behind us."

Nodding, Serena replied, "Maybe you're right."

Ash frowned, crossing his arms. "Something still bugs me," He told them. "That agent guy, Pierce, said he didn't know that the Nova Branch went down. But they were still trying to get those mines, and the way they talked...it sounded like they were planning on betraying the Nova Branch at some point."

Keldeo announced his presence with a heavy sigh. "Figures," He said. "It seems they're trying to make enemies of everyone. Even each other." There was silence among them for a while until the last of the Rocketers were no longer in sight. Then, Keldeo added, "A part of me still isn't sure I should have let that Pierce guy live. But...I know killing him wouldn't sit right with me either. So, thanks for stopping me."

He began walking back down toward the cave's bridge. "I'll stay here a while," He told them, "Just in case they come back."

"Three Legends will probably make them think twice about that," Ash replied, "But still, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Team Rocket's never been the brightest bunch."

Keldeo looked back to him. "Four Legends actually," He added, shooting him a smirk.

Ash chuckled. "Oh yeah. I guess I forgot."

"Only you could forget something like that, Ash," Serena said with a giggle, smiling brightly. This earned further laughter from the four.

When it settled, Keldeo turned to look at the cave once more and began his descent. "I guess I'll be seeing you then," He said simply. "And...thanks for the help."

As he departed, the remaining three cast their gazes to the agents, still trapped within Ash's barrier. "Now then," Said Ash, "What do we do with them until Mr. Star's guys show up?"

---

Author's Note

Pokextinction Fact of the Day: For millions of years, Arceus forbade the entrance of even most of the Legends to use their ability to create portals to the Hall. It was only recently that he stopped caring. Still, this fear of provoking Arceus became instinct to the point that most Legends would only use these portals if they were ordered to by him. Giratina no longer cares much for Arceus's authority, which is why he opened one to the Hall to rescue Reshiram. Still, he knew better than to open one near the Nova Branchers, which is why he first pulled her into the Distortion World before sending her back to the Hall.

Creator- Agent Pierce is a real character from the Pokemon Anime's Black and White series. He never got a proper showcase since the Team Rocket VS Team Plasma special was canceled, so we decided to give him one. Like Dr. Namba, Biff and Cassidy, you'll be seeing many such named Team Rocket agents appear later as well.

I wanted to show off the growth of Ash's group a bit more, especially Serena, but I suppose that will have to wait for later chapters. If any of you can guess her new Pokemon, you'll get a trophy. It'll just be invisible and intangible. But it'll totally be there.

Hydra- Keldeo almost went off the deep end, but luckily Ash was able to stop him. Can you guys imagine what would happen if he killed Pierce, but then his death wasn't enough to satiate his rage? Sounds like a certain someone doesn't it, but who I wonder? You get an invisible cookie for finding out.

DarkPugLord23- Wow, I almost forgot Shaun was a character here. And Mew's finally deciding to turn her life around! I was also surprised to see Aura again; I thought they'd be a one-shot character, but it's good to see them nonetheless. It's really shocking that Mew has the potential to become the next destroyer of worlds, but then that is the nature of a cat, right? And also, Regirock! Can't wait for what happens next!

Creator- There are very few circumstances in which Aura would willingly enter the universe. Necrozma was a threat he could not ignore. Similarly, a new Necrozma in the form of Mew would be something he couldn't ignore either. Mew would be like Anubis at that point, right? More like Mewbis.

Hydra- Oh god. Just imagine if Mew became the next Necrozma. She would literally force people into playing her games for fun until their usefulness ran out then she would throw them away like a broken toy.

Hall Gowrt- you guys are something... have no words for you

i checked... i last reviewed a long time ago and yet you recall me, can't say how much I am elated

and thanks!

the chapter was great as well... could feel shaun's turmoil... wonder if the John guy escaped? who is he now?

considering, I have skipped chapters... I feel this could or couldn't be a obvious thing

Creator- When it comes to the fans, especially the reviewers, we've got good memories. We could never forget anyone who would take the time out of their day to comment on our story. Thanks to you as well.

Hydra- Honestly knowing what's happened to pretty much any living human that's entered the tree of life, John probably didn't make it. That whole scene mainly showed the brutality of the tree and Mew. I'm happy you loved the chapter though. I was wondering which character in our story is your favorite overall? Is it a human or pokemon?

British-Vulture- HOLY FUCK. Break the haughty doesn't begin to describe what happens to Mew here. The fact that it's Aura doing it as well makes it much more terrifying. Seems he was right about becoming more of a monster the longer he... 'remains manifested'?, is what I'm going to phrase it as. In all honesty, the fact that Mew is starting her reform from the get-go, and starts it with a fucking EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN, has made me hate her significantly less. If she holds it up, then I'm certain that bit of hate left will go away. And Arceus... well...

It all depends on HOW he uses that rage. Will he return to his old self because of it? Or will he keep it in check? It's quite well done, actually. Arceus is trying to reform, but not even a beatdown and traumatisation by a magnificent bastard like Necrozma is gonna immediately change someone.

I'll be honest. When I first read this, I was neutral to Arceus, but gradually grew to dislike him. But with him actively trying to learn from his mistakes, and the fact that it's not put on, Necrozma slaughtering his children and crippling him TRULY hurt him, I've come to genuinely love him, and a lot of the others as characters. And I am, honest to god, cross my heart hope to die, scared that Arceus will regress back to a tyrant.

No prediction time for this chapter.

Figured, seeing as it is Pokémon Day, I'd make this chapter extra big. I'm excited for Pokémon Legends Arceus, even if I need to wait a year.

Thanks for the Story, lads. I look forward to it's future chapters and the reviews I'll write for them.

Creator- No prediction? Aww, those are our favorites!

Aura believes firmly that it would become more and more of a tyrant the longer it existed within the universe. In a sense, it was right. Arceus and Mew did, and they were its own direct children. The powerful naturally become tyrannical unless they fight their urges and emotions every second of every day. It was only the creator of the Ultra Beasts, who destroyed itself, that avoided becoming this tyrant...until Necrozma stole its power and became the biggest tyrant of them all.

Even now, Arceus is becoming more unstable because his worry has returned in full force, and with it, his frustrations, which turn to anger. And anger leads to rash decisions.

"Not a day goes by that I do not feel the urge to return to my inborn nature. What is better? To be born good? Or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"

-Paarthurnax

Hydra- I'm hoping now that people will start to like Mew a lot more because she's one of my favorite characters. It always sucked that people hated on her, but obviously that hate isn't unwarranted, she's done a lot of messed up things ever since she started to get an ego as we saw in the vision, but the true question is, will she be able to change?

G- Good chapter, was great to explored some of the past history of Mew and Shaun, as he could see how some adventurers ended being killed by Mew and the Tree of beginning, to the point of that Shaun begin to see Mew like a monster, curiously analogue to the mindset of the Nova Branch, as they see the pokemon, particulary the Legendaries. I wonder if Shaun could forgives Mew for this finding, or even if she is truly regreted, the seed of the hatred was already planted in Shaun.

I mentions this last point because i read that while Shaun was trapped in the "detention room", he feels as his fear turned in anger, making me thinks in one of the most famous phrases of Star Wars; "The Fear leads to Anger, the Anger leads to Hatred, the Hatred leads to Suffering". Meaning that even if Mew is regreted and wants to ammends Shaun, perhaps he could still harbors some anger toward her, that could ended turning in a destructive hatred, especially to considers that now Shaun blames her for the death of his father, as he would never forget the actions of Mew.

And talking about the actions of Mew, i really liked as Aura gaves her a reality check to showed her the past battles of the Legendary pokemon against Necrozma, as Mew was unaware in general of the exact details of this carnage, to be protecting the tree. And even if i understand her point to protects this place from Necrozma, the behaviour of Mew during the Terror Reign of Necrozma was nasty and bad, because as Giratina pointed during some of their meetings, Mew showed be insensitive with the situation of her children, to be acting like if anything wrong ocurred, even showing a naive behavior toward the Legendary pokemons that suffered notables loses, like Lugia, the Bird trio and Keldeo, as if Mew was indifferent to their suffering, to be closed in her imaginary and perfect world, than faces the cruel truth of the world. Good thing that now Mew is aware of what exactly happened during the events of Necrozma, to makes her understand how much insensitive was her toward the surivors, and i hope that the next time that she attends other meeting, Mew would apologizes them for her previous naive attitude when Necrozma destroyed the Orange islands and killed the adoptive parents of Keldeo, and that the Legenary pokemon can be amused for this notable changes of personality of the once childlike DNA Legendary pokemon.

To finishes, even if the Nova Branch ended dismantled, i wonder if the Team rocket could begin to uses their resources and gears to became more stronger and powerful, and even maybe Giovanni assigns some of the remmanents soldiers of Nova Branch to each group of Team rocket soldiers, to could supports more his troops in his conquest campaign, especially as now the trainers of the world are joining to take down the Team rocket. Adding that could be interesting see more of Ryder, as this guy is certainly a dangerous soldier, and of course, also the Burned man, i still want to see if the Burned man could set score in Moltres as payback for burned him severely, and perhaps even ended stripping Moltres from his fire type with some experimental weapon that the Burned man was hiding as final surprise when he finally has the chance of revenge.

Keep the good job.

Creator- Shaun is very young. I imagine his anger more like the aftermath of tantrums kids go through. But, given time, that could evolve into something dark. Unless Mew really does change and prove that change to him, that is.

Here's the scary thing, though. Mew was well aware of what happened to her children. She saw the burial in the Tree of Life right in front of her eyes. But she convinced herself that she didn't care, pushing it out of her mind so that she could live her life filled with only fun and games.

Aura holds the power to augment emotions as we saw during the war against Necrozma, so it used that to tear down the endless emotional walls Mew had built up, then forced her to experience those deaths firsthand. Imagine watching your children die in front of you, and feeling those deaths within your own mind and soul. Most would give into madness to escape from it, but Aura prevented even that so she was forced to witness every single moment.

Aura's quite terrifying, isn't it?

Hydra- As you saw in this chapter Team Rocket sure is wasting no time in taking the Nova Branch's assets, Ash and Keldeo were able to stop them from getting the ice mines, but how many other technologies has the Nova Branch created that Ash and the legends aren't even aware of? On another note I like the connection you drew with Shaun's hatred flaring up right when Mew is trying to change. Will he see it as an attempt of trickery or some sort of game? Or will he actually believe her?

Bankerrtx01- So many jokes in the review section I can't tell if it's deeply leveled foreshadowing or just plane stupidity...oh and the chapter was good too, very good that the people are getting back together, now we just need to have ash get married and...well that's impossible what am I saying (church bells in the background) Arghhhhhhh!

Creator- Nah they're just jokes. Yup. All jokes and nothing more. Be sure to never read between the lines because there is definitely, absolutely, totally nothing there. Gee, imagine if these comment replies actually had layers upon layers of foreshadowing to the brim. All these chapters and reviews, holding key information and hidden messages? Silly.

Ash getting married? Hmm...

Hydra- Foreshadowing? Pfft what even is that? I've never heard of that word in my life. We're just here. Sitting. Waiting. Reading your reviews with wide open eyes. Never blinking. Never sleeping. ALL NIGHT LONG.

SilverWolf1130- Thank you, Aura! I was so sick of Mew's behavior. Her mothering skills were on par with Casey Anthony's. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a new Mew.

For fuck's sake, Giratina...

I still REFUSE to believe that Christopher Lee is dead. I mean, he's the one who's built up as the ultimate villain, the guy mentioned in the summary and the killer of Necrozma. No way he's dead! And I'm not letting this go

Creator- Giratina's always the renegade, doing his own thing. He's hard to pin down. But everything he does, he does because he believes he's doing the right thing. But is it?

Hydra- A ding ding ding! Congrats on being the 200th reviewer You've just earned yourself NOTHING! Isn't that great!? Lol, but seriously thanks for the review bro we really appreciate it. Hopefully you start liking Mew now since she's finally trying to change. I'm just afraid that no one will want to forgive her after all the horrible things she's done in the past.

Creator- Next time, we revisit another familiar Legend. One we haven't touched on since the war against Necrozma. It's one that is very close to Ash. Can you guess? You'll get an invisible, incorporeal Kmart coupon if you're right. It's the only thing we had left.

And can you guess who will find them first? Ash, or…?

Hydra- Another page! Anoth- oh wait I already did that on the last chapter crap. Well regardless guys I hope you all enjoyed seeing Ash and Keldeo interact more. Just to clarify if some of you are still confused, this chapter took place two months after the last one and as you see Team Rocket has become enemy number one, but regardless when are they never. Alrighty guys well that does it for this one. The next chapter might take a bit longer because we're going to be going on vacation, but I hope you all enjoyed this one. Have a great spring break guys and we'll see you next time!