A wide grin across his wretched face, Christopher Lee glanced around the room. He carefully examined the faces of every single CEO. They either flinched or glared when his gaze met theirs. Eventually, his sights settled back upon Lusamine.

"Lusamine," He greeted, earning a sour look from her, "The leader of the Aether Foundation. In your eyes, I'm sure making a sanctuary for Pokemon seems noble." He beckoned to the city in flames far below. "How noble is this supposed to be? Regardless, no sanctuary will protect your Pokemon from us by the time we are done."

The fat man then turned his attention toward President Stone. "And you, Mr. Stone." He pointed a jeering finger at the silvery blue-haired man. "You must be proud, being the father of a Champion. It is unfortunate that such a title will mean little when the time of the new world comes. And I must thank you for your contributions to science. Your findings laid part of the groundwork of our achievements."

Mr. Stone went pale at that. "What do you mean by that?!" He screamed. He would have jumped out of his chair if one of the soldiers hadn't held him back. "What did you use my work for?!"

Giving him a look of amusement, Lee replied, "You will all see that much in time." Then, he went to address Silph. Even the white beard that covered most of the man's face could not hide how uncomfortable he looked from just a glance from Lee. "I understand, Mr. Silph, that you have had an experience with us before. At least, with the ordinary Team Rocket. Rest assured, we are here for a different objective."

Then, he set his sights upon the small Mr. Goodshow and belched out a hearty laugh. "Oh, and how could I narrow down what I have to say about you? You, with your Pokemon League. Besides old Mr. Star, it was probably you who's given us the most trouble. Then again, if you hadn't brought people and Pokemon so close together, maybe there wouldn't have been a need for us at all." With another laugh, he shrugged. "Oh, who am I kidding? We were always needed. It is only us who has the sight to realize that we need to be delivered from the entrapping hands of Pokemon."

Oleana gave Lee the most disgusted glare she could muster when the time came for him to speak to her. "Oh, miss Oleana," He started, shaking his head with pity, "Where do I start with you? I was hoping to be able to speak with the Chairman, but it seems he makes a habit of sending others to do his dirty work for him."

"As if you don't!" She hissed back.

The soldier behind her raised his gun, but Lee held up his hand to stop him. Smirking down at her, he asked, "I'm here, aren't I? And this is as dirty as dirty work gets."

With that, he finally set his sights upon Mr. Star. "And finally, the biggest obstacle to our goal."

Mr. Star leaned forward. "What do you want, Lee?!"

Christopher Lee lulled his head, looking about the table once again. "What do I want?" He asked. The round man pointed to himself with all ten of his fingers as he repeated the question as if in disbelief that it was even being asked. "What do I want? Mr. Star, I figured you were more clever than that to have been such a pain for so long."

He took an empty seat across from Mr. Star and rested his hands upon the table. Mirroring Mr. Star's lean, he said, "Let me give you a clue. I am sitting in a room with all of my organization's biggest hurdles, at least on the human end, and I have at least three men holding guns to each of your heads. Does that paint a clearer picture for you?"

Mr. Star scowled at him. "If that was your aim, then why keep us alive?"

In response to that, Lee raised an arm and snapped his fingers. A Black Suit entered the room with a camera attached to a tripod. Following him, there was another with a long microphone in hand. A grinning Lee moved his chair to face halfway toward the camera as it was set up. "Well," He said, "Don't expect it to last for long. On Giovanni's orders, it is my job to neutralize you on camera. The entire city's going to see this. What better way to show the world that Team Rocket's already won than to eliminate the heads of the rebellion in one fell swoop?"

Somehow, the faces of the CEOs became paler than they already were. President Silph let out a weak moan out of terror, nearly falling unconscious if he wasn't jolted back awake by the sudden pain of a rifle's stock being slammed into his head.

Mr. Star's face became dark as he turned his head down at the desk. Under his breath he whispered, "So, that's how it is? Am I to trust that this attack by the Pokemon was by your hand too?"

"That?" He asked with a chortle. "Oh, no. Truthfully, we do not know what set them off, but it gave us the perfect opening to conduct our work here and today. Perhaps they simply grew tired of humanity and are currently proving our point?" Smugly, he leaned back in his chair and kicked up one foot onto his knee. "Either way, the people who live beyond this day will be furious. Surely, they'll be angry at us, but they'll also hate these wild Pokemon for giving us the opportunity to strike down their precious leaders. Perhaps some may even see the truth of their nature as we do?"

Lusamine finally snapped, unable to tolerate his crude remarks toward Pokemon. "Do you expect us to believe you?! Pokemon would never do something like this unprovoked, and they would never go this far!"

This immediately sent Lee further back into his seat with a laugh. "Oh, wouldn't they?" He asked challengingly. "Have you never heard of the Great Pokemon War of Kalos, where Pokemon warred over territory and dragged mankind into the battle? What of the reappearance of Arceus in Sinnoh not long ago? Would it shock you to hear that he came with the intent to end human life?"

Once more, he beckoned to what was far beneath them. "This," He said, "Is their true nature. All we are doing is exposing it."

"All ready, boss," Called the Black Suit operating the camera.

Lee clapped his hands together. "Alright, then! Let's get this show on the road."

Ash narrowly dove underneath a kick from Ryder, allowing Sceptile and Genesect to pass overhead and deliver a Leaf Blade and Cut across his exposed leg as he retracted it.

Ash was lucky to have gotten this blow off. With one arm, Ryder narrowly kept Genesect's rapid assault at a blade's length. Zeraora constantly zipped in circles to try to find blind spots in Ryder's defenses, keeping him mostly in one place. He only had so many resources with which to combat Ash and his team with those two.

And yet the three parties had barely managed to land a scratch on him. Granted, he had yet to do more than graze any of them either, but Ash could barely see a visible scrape on Ryder's leg from that last attack. It was hard to fathom even as Ash fought this man firsthand. Underneath all that metal, was there really a human in there?

Planting a hand upon the ground, Ryder flipped upside down to evade crossed jabs from Genesect and Zeraora, then swept them aside with a spinning kick. While Zeraora was sent rolling, Genesect dug her claws into the street to halt her momentum. She slowly came to a crawl just in front of a group of onlooking trainers.

Sensing her intent, Ash's eyes widened and he shifted focus away from Ryder to prop up a barrier between Genesect and the trainers. With a thunderous eruption of debris, Genesect kicked off of the ground to shoot herself back at Ryder. The trainers cried out as the ground beneath their feet trembled from the shockwave she produced, but Ash managed to at least stop the shockwave.

Sighing with relief, Ash dropped the barrier. But he knew that relief could not last long. "Genesect, what are you doing?!"

Whether or not she even heard him at the speed she was going when she returned to the fight, she did not respond. Her claws met with Ryder's flaming blade like rainfall. Blue sparks of flame were sent in all directions, but even as those flames licked her armored hide, she was focused solely on getting closer and closer to her prey until she could land a blow.

A flash of yellow light signified Zeraora's return to the fight as well. His thunderous paws and Genesect's flashing claws met with Ryder's blurred form as he moved to evade these constant strikes. Scowling, Ash realized his words would mean little to either of them. However, he knew he could get through to the onlooking trainers at least.

Waving his hands to the ones that were nearly sent flying by Genesect, he called out to them. "You guys need to clear out! This fight is too dangerous. It's not like the wild Pokemon. Get out of here!" The trainers nodded obediently, eager to leave after what they had just been through. Seeing them run, many of the others got the picture and began slinking off.

Trusting that they could handle themselves from there, Ash turned back to the battle at hand. He was just about to order Sceptile and Greninja to go on ahead when, all of a sudden, the city lit up. Static began to play on every conceivable screen in sight. From the televisions in store windows to the scrolling news tickers just above the sidewalks on the buildings to many of the buildings themselves, they all turned on in sync as if the news was playing.

Before long, there were hints of a voice beneath the static. At first, it was only incoherent bits and pieces of words. Then, it became more clear.

"All ready, boss."

"Alright, then! Let's get this show on the road."

Something about the second person's voice didn't sit well with Ash, but he couldn't place a finger on why. That was, until the static faded and he was met with the sight of Christopher Lee. Ryder deflected an oncoming slash from Genesect as the two raced across the side of a building. When he raced up the side and made it to the top, he kicked Genesect off the moment she followed him. Upon seeing Lee's face on a building to his right, he tapped the side of his helmet to issue an order.

"Have the Pokemon hold back for now. Let the city watch, but don't let the battle stop altogether."

Ash stepped back in shock, unsure if he was seeing right. "Lee? But how? I watched him die!"

The camera tilted past Lee, showing the entire city the captive CEOs. Immediately, a chorus of gasps rang up from the streets. Then, there was outcry. The trainers who yet lived cried out in anger at the people who held their beloved Mr. Star at gunpoint. Even Ash felt his legs growing weak at the sight, though that feeling was quickly replaced by his blood boiling.

"Greetings, citizens of New Goldenrod," Greeted Lee. "My name is Christopher Lee of Team Rocket. Let it be known that we are not responsible for the assault your city finds itself in on this day. No, that was them. It was you. It was everyone who believed that Pokemon were your allies." Lee centered the camera back upon himself. "But we are not here to punish you. No, you couldn't have known. We are here to punish the ones who implanted these ideas in you. Our greatest enemies. Team Rocket's greatest enemies!"

Lee took the camera in hand. He tilted it toward Mr. Goodshow, extending his hand out toward the small bearded man. "And first, we will do away with this one. This man's Pokemon League has brought mankind and Pokemon closer together than anyone. He is to blame for the tragedy that has befallen New Goldenrod City. He is a traitor to mankind, and therefore, will die as one."

"Charizard, let's go!"

With an agreeing roar from Charizard, Ash hopped atop his loyal dragon. With fire in his eyes, Ash brought up his arm and prepared to touch the Mega Stone on his wrist. Then, like a bullet, a black blur kicked Charizard out from underneath his feet. Before Ash could even fall, a metal hand grasped at Ash's collar and hoisted him back up into the air. His Pokemon hissed in anger, but the blade pointed at Ash's chest made them reluctant to do anything about it.

A dazed Charizard pried himself from the concrete wall he'd been embedded into, groggily shaking his head. When he looked up to see what had hit him, his eyesight suddenly became red. He bellowed out at Ryder with enough force to make the ground quake underneath his feet, but the armored man did not budge. Neither did Charizard dare to budge from his spot beyond grinding his claws against the ground in frustration upon seeing the blade like the others.

Coating his hand in Aura, Ash grabbed the edge of the blade and tried to point it away, but this merely resulted in a metal knee being driven into his gut. Ash cried out in pain, sending his Pokemon into a near frenzy. "Don't be a fool," Hissed Ryder over Ash's sputtering. He turned around toward Ash's team and added, "And you will quit barking before I repeat myself."

Through gritted teeth, Ash forced his eyes open to see what was happening to Goodshow. He could see the old man being walked through the glass hallway to the helipad. He wasn't just going to sit here and watch whatever they planned to do with him. Grabbing at the hand that held him, he brought back an Aura Sphere with his free hand. This was met swiftly by the hilt of Ryder's blade being swiped across his face. Even though Ash sensed it coming, there was little he could do to stop it.

Ash's vision went white when he was struck. "Do I have to beat you until you are unable to move for you to listen?" There was a gust of wind, and then movement from behind. A metal hand grasped at the back of Ash's head and held him high. "Watch!"

Ryder's hand clutched Ash's head so tightly that his eyes shot wide open. What he saw ahead of him, playing out over the city on the side of a building, was Goodshow standing over the edge of the helipad.

"Please, don't do this!"

Goodshow turned his back to the drop and attempted to plead with Commander Thorn. The little weasel of a commander smirked from behind the safety of the three soldiers taking aim at him. Behind him stood Lee and the Black Suits to make sure the entire city got a clear view of the execution. In response to his outburst, the soldiers drew nearer, giving the bearded man a clear view of the barrels' interior.

Though he flinched at this, it wasn't as if the guns would lead to a different result than the fall. "This won't change anything! If you kill us, and try to kill all Pokemon, the entire world will attack you! People and Pokemon were meant to be together!"

While Thorn barked out a laugh at that, Lee merely smirked. "Is that so?" He asked. "Let's put that to the test." Pushing past the soldiers, Christopher Lee hoisted up the small old man by his shirt. He took a step toward the ledge, earning panicked protests from Goodshow when he saw the drop just beneath his feet. "Look down there. There are enough Flying-Type Pokemon to make it impossible for us to see the ground. Surely, if we were meant to be together, one of them will save you."

His infernal grin growing, Lee turned back to face the camera. Even over the sound of howling winds and angry caws, he could hear the hint of protesting screams from below. Beckoning the cameraman, he said, "Here, bring the camera over the edge to give them a view. Watch closely, everyone. Right here, right now, we will see whether or not Pokemon are truly our allies or our enemies. Will the Flying-Type Pokemon save Mr. Goodshow, or will his life spent trusting Pokemon be ended by their indifference?"

Ash watched with helpless horror as Goodshow plummeted from Star Tower. Uncaring of the consequences, Ash summoned forth a burst of Aura to loosen Ryder's grip on him. But before he could make it even a step, a boot kicked into his back, sending him sprawling face first across the concrete.

The moment Ash placed his Aura-coated hands on the ground to push himself up, he felt the connections between all things living in the city. The wild Pokemon, the trainers, their own Pokemon, and those who hid away just trying to survive. He could feel the flames of their lives, as well as Goodshow's. And before he could even get himself onto his knees, Ash felt that flame be suddenly snuffed out.

Suddenly, Ash felt air catch in his throat. He balled his hands into fists and dragged along the cement under them. When he flipped onto his back, there was already a blade pointed at his nose to keep him from doing anything else.

Gritting his teeth, Ash sucked in hot air and screamed, "Why?! Why are you doing this?! I know you hate Pokemon, so why use them to kill people?! That doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe not to you," Responded Ryder, "But to us, it is clear as day. It is no coincidence that the majority of this city's population is indoors." He beckoned to a nearby skyscraper with his free arm. "They are almost all trainers, and yet only a few thousand of the hundreds of thousands in this city are fighting. That is because their work schedules simply required them to be indoors."

At first, Ash had no idea what he was talking about. Even less about what that had to do with his motives. But as he sent out another sensory pulse through the ground, he found that Ryder was right. Most people were indoors, and on top of that, in high places.

Ash asked, "So, you messed with their schedules to keep most people inside? Then…" He glanced up at the building with raised eyebrows. "…Why aren't they coming out? Weren't they trained for this?"

Ryder continued, "If you stay the course set out for you, then you will never need to know. But regardless of what anyone does today beyond this point, people are dying by the hands of Pokemon. That is what they will remember."

Without taking his eyes off of Ash, he directed Ash's attention up to Star Tower. "That, and the deaths of the only ones keeping us…Team Rocket at bay. And this attack on the city by Pokemon is what allowed it to transpire."

"You're wrong!" Ash declared. "I won't let you kill anyone else!"

Ryder scoffed at that. "Even if you did save them, that too is a factor we have accounted for. You are better off returning to help your fellow trainers. It is the route that will cause you the least amount of pain in the end. And-

His warning signal suddenly went off. Whirling around, Ryder reactivated the flames on his sword and swung. His blade crashed into the elongated mimic blades on Genesect's arms. A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder. As Ryder turned back, a white fist smashed into his visor, flinging him across the ground.

Digging his heels into the ground before he could fall, Ryder looked up to see Ash flicking his wrist and glaring back at him. Then, he smirked. Ryder's danger signal rang out again and he instinctively jumped to avoid a sweeping Leaf Blade from Sceptile aimed at his ankles. This left him open to an oncoming Flamethrower from Charizard. Ryder brought up his arms to shield himself as the flames overtook him.

The rest of Ash's Pokemon dove in to attack Ryder when a red blur descended upon him, driving a Metal Claw clear into his visor and sending him crashing into the ground. Genesect smirked down at him, expecting to find a crack in his armor. Yet there was no such blemish. Another danger signal rang out in warning. Grabbing onto Genesect's wrist, Ryder rolled back and brought in his legs to deliver a powerful kick into her abdomen. A streak of incoming lightning weaved out of the way to let her pass before striking the ground.

From the light, a lightning-coated Zeraora brought back his plasma-coated palms. Ryder intended to bring down his blade upon Zeraora before he could strike, but the blow was stopped when Ash summoned a barrier in front of the blade. Zeraora flashed a toothy smirk before driving his palms into Ryder's exposed chest. He was sent hurtling straight into the wall of a building.

"How do you like that?" Taunted Zeraora. "That was Plasma Fists!"

Ryder slid down from the wall and landed firmly upon his feet. Dusting himself off, he emerged from the crater made from his impact and replied, "I was wondering where you had run off to. Was it just to charge that?"

Zeraora scoffed. "Even that had no effect?" He narrowed his eyes at the stricken, smoking area of Ryder's armor. "It's so dark that I can't tell if my attack burned him."

A crimson metal boot stomped down beside him. "Simple," Said Genesect, "Just keep attacking until you see red." And with that, she dove at him. After Ryder dodged, their movements became akin to little more than blurs and sparks as they whirled around one another. With a flash of lightning, Zeraora was right beside her.

Even Ash had difficulty keeping up with them. It became hard to gauge their intent as their movements changed so rapidly. Even as his team returned to his side, he wondered how he could get in the middle of that. They'd tear each other apart, but with their ferocity, the city itself might fall before they did.

His eyes shot wide open, and he quickly created a curved barrier to catch Genesect as she was launched at him. "Are you okay?" He asked. She responded in kind by using his barrier as a launching pad to jump back into the fight. Ash staggered backwards as his shield was shattered. His Pokemon rushed to his side with worry. "I'm alright," Ash assured them, "But…" He glowered in the direction of the fight. "...Some thanks from Genesect that was."

Genesect pressed her arms close to her body to evade an upward swipe, then retaliated with a fierce Blaze Kick that sent Ryder hurtling up into one of the buildings. Ash felt his skin crawl when he sensed the people inside the building. On instinct, he procured another barrier in front of Ryder's flight path. His back slammed into it and shattered it, making Ash recoil but preventing any impact with the building.

"Pika!" Whined a worried Pikachu as he saw Ash's reaction to the barrier's destruction.

His Pokemon wanted to join the fight; to help their trainer. That much, Ash could feel from them intently. But he was not given any chance to answer. He reached past them to raise another shield when Ryder slashed at Zeraora, sending up a streak of azure flames. Zeraora dodged low, letting the flames sail up near a window. Within, a child cried out in terror. It was only Ash's barrier that saved their life, but with that barrier's subsequent destruction, Ash could feel his stamina drain.

The battle between these three was beyond him. He could not keep up. And yet, he had no choice. Ash summoned forth shield after shield to stop stray attacks from hitting the nearby buildings, but this only served as fuel for the battle to continue. Genesect got it into her head to use these appearing shields to her advantage once she figured out they were appearing when something was about to strike a building. Changing her claw into a hand, she grabbed hold of Ryder's blade and hurled him toward a skyscraper.

As she anticipated, Ash created a barrier shaped like half of a sphere to catch him. Her hand changed into a gun and she took aim. Using the data she took from Sniper, she used Lock-On, zooming in on Ryder's visor. There, she saw it. Her strike earlier had managed to deal something after all. Though too small for the ordinary eye to see, there was a single, tiny crack on the right side of the glass. And that was her ticket.

The edge of her elbow tilting open, Genesect fired at the marked target so forcefully that the backblast coming out of her elbow made her stagger forward. She bolted after the bullet's path just as a loud clang filled the air. Ryder's blade had cleaved the shard of metal shot at him in two, but the impact sent vibrations all across his body. Genesect tucked in her knees, then drove both of her feet into his abdomen. The barrier shattered, making Ash wince again.

Genesect's momentum sent them both flying into the side of the building behind Ryder. She quickly followed up by pointing her cannon at his head. The moment it began to glow, Ryder grabbed the cannon by its barrel and shoved it away before kicking Genesect off the side. She fired at him anyway, and he made a run for it across the side of the building.

His eyes shooting wide, Ash tried to intercept the beam with another barrier. It didn't work. Genesect's Techno Cannon plowed straight through his barrier and cut straight through the building. Ash could only watch in horror as the skyscraper began to tilt.

Ryder and his two pursuers quickly darted away in response to this to take their battle elsewhere. Ash, however, felt like his legs were frozen stiff watching the proud building plummet. It didn't matter that he had already sent away the other trainers. The building was more than big enough that its debris would rain upon the next street over and bury everyone fighting there.

Wordlessly, Ash's intent was made known to his team. Together, they stood against the falling building and summoned forth their strongest attacks. If they could destroy at least some part of the building, the impact may have been mitigated.

But when Ash flared his Aura to empower his team, he sensed all the people still inside. At that moment, he hesitated. And at that moment, he failed.

All Ash could do was prop up a barrier around him and his team before the building collapsed on top of him. The noise was deafening, filling the entire city with the sound of cracking and booming.

Those in the next street were like the rest of the city: embroiled in combat against the invading wild Pokemon. However, their fight soon came to a close. Shrapnel made from glass and metal fell upon them like rain. Some of them did not even have the time to scream before they were buried. Enemy and ally. Human and Pokemon, wild or trained. These things did not matter.

The feeling of death all around him nearly made Ash go mad. Flashes of Aura rained down all around him, signifying the hundreds of lives within the building as they fell with it. Flames of life, all snuffed out in nearly an instant. But to Ash, who could feel every one of them, that instant felt like an eternity.

An ivory geyser of light emerged from the rubble, surrounded in a veil of lightning, fire, solar energy and draconic flames. The debris caught in its wake was obliterated, leaving Ash and his team in its wake atop the blackened ground beneath their feet. On their bodies, there were little more than scrapes. Through the flow of Aura, the scars made in those short seconds were felt through all of them. Scars that could not be seen, but could be felt clearly within them all.

A pale-faced Ash gasped for air when he finally released the barrier, covered in spiderwebs of cracks. He would have collapsed if it wasn't for his Pokemon catching him. "Thanks, guys," He sputtered out weakly between wheezes for air. As he looked out at the destruction around him, all he could do was stare. For the time being, the rubble around them served as burials for the hundreds of people trapped in that building.

He could still hear their screams, feel their terror, and the silence that came after it. It sickened him to no end. Why had Genesect done that? And what was it doing so far out here anyways? Quickly, he found himself caring less and less about these questions. His pale skin regained color as he found his blood boiling in response to the wasted lives around him. This fight couldn't continue. Not within the city.

Pikachu hopped atop his shoulder when Ash extended out his arm for him. Petting his partner, he said, "I don't know how much strength I have left in me. So, I'm going to need all of you guys to be my strength."

The battle for New Goldenrod City became a battle for survival wherever Ryder, Genesect and Zeraora went. Flashes of wind and lightning would rage through the streets and across the sides of buildings. Bodies were sent flying in their wake, both of Pokemon and of people. No one on the ground could even perceive what was happening. Blurs of black, red, and yellow tore through the city and left only chaos in their wake. A Weavile evaded one of these blurs, allowing the other nearby Pokemon to take the blow while it watched on.

Genesect and Ryder swung at each other until their danger signals warned them of an oncoming attack. A powerful Flamethrower separated the two and forced them to jump back. Ash, atop Charizard in his blazing red Mega Form, landed in between them. It did not take long for the rest of his Pokemon to follow, stepping protectively around their trainer. They shared the same ivory glow that he did

"Why are you getting in my way?" Hissed Genesect. "I'll hold back once because of the favor you did for me, but that is the extent."

Ash glowered at her angrily. "Why did you kill all of those people? Just because they happened to be in your way?"

Genesect scoffed when Zeraora took to battling Ryder in her place and sped off. "You clearly know this enemy," She hissed, "So why endanger yourself by earning my ire? I only have so much patience. The lives that piece of filth has taken far outweighs anything I could ever do. He'll kill even more if you let him get away."

"Then take your fight outside the city!" Retorted Ash, angrily swiping his hand through the air. "These people don't deserve to have their lives endangered over this! They don't deserve to die for this!"

To that, Genesect looked around them and scoffed. In the wake of both battles, bodies were strewn about. Some moved or moaned as they attempted to get back on their feet. Others did not. "This city is well beyond that point. If you want this fight to stop, help me kill that thing masquerading as a living being."

And with that, she sped off around Ash to return to the fight. Ash could only reach out to her. He cursed silently in frustration, but ultimately, turned to face where Genesect had gone. They raced back and forth across the rooftops, sending sparks of lightning and fire across the air like fireworks. What they left in the wake of this fight was, evidently, beneath them. Unworthy of even consideration. But not Ash.

Reaching down, he sent a small pulse of Aura through the ground before taking off. All he could do was hope that it saved some of the lives of the people and Pokemon strewn across the ground before he silently ordered his Pokemon to join in the fight above the rooftops.

Extending her claws into flaming blades, Genesect attempted to emulate Ryder. She swung at him with one blade and caught his own, then used the other to hone in on his neck. To her annoyances, he moved one arm from his blade to catch hers. Just before he could grab it, Zeraora pulled back his arm and set him alight with lightning.

"Now!" Shouted Zeraora.

Genesect gladly obliged. With the elemental data she gathered from Launcher, Genesect intensified the orange flames on her blades and swung at his exposed neck. Deftly, Ryder crouched down and swung his arm at her so that Zeraora was lifted in between them.

A Flamethrower and a Solarbeam struck Ryder in his shoulder, sending him flying onto another rooftop. Seeing Ash and his Pokémon staring him down defiantly. "Boy, you do not know when to keep your head down. Perhaps that is why my master has such an interest in you." He pointed his blade at Hydreigon, earning a snarl from the two-headed dragon. "I cannot harm you beyond recovery, but your Pokemon are not under any protection. Choose your next move wisely."

He brought up his blade when Zeraora and Genesect rushed near his sides. Ash kept a firm glower upon the metal man. "I know. But the thing about my team and I is that we don't back down. I couldn't ever convince them to stop because they feel the same as I do. That's not just Aura. That's our bond—something you'll never understand!"

From behind his visor, Ryder narrowed his eyes at the white field adorning him and his team. The energy levels from them individually was all the same. "So, you are sharing energy between yourself and your Pokemon to balance yourself. Clearly, my master sees something in you that I cannot to want to keep you alive."

Genesect and Zeraora raced at him from both sides, to which Ryder leapt up. Ash and his team took the opening, closing in on him as a unit. Ryder attempted to swing down at the oncoming Mega Charizard and Sceptile, only for his arm to be pushed up by a small white barrier.

Sceptile momentarily blinded him with a Solarbeam to the visor, at which point Charizard raced past to grab onto Ryder by his blade-wielding arm from behind. From there, Charizard had Ryder in a Seismic Toss.

Although Charizard intended to throw Ryder down into the awaiting Genesect and Zeraora, the armored man managed to wrench his arm back and reversed the situation. The two Pokemon below jumped back when Charizard slammed into the rooftop on its back. Ryder aimed his blade down, attempting to plunge straight through his target.

Charizard snorted smoke, then bellowed out a blazing spiral of fire that overtook Ryder. However, he could sense from Ash's borrowed Aura that Ryder was still descending. Nodding to one another, Hydreigon and Noivern intercepted Ryder with a combined Hyper Beam and Boomburst, impacting his shoulder before he could shift his arms to block.

As he was sent flying from the flames, Genesect raced behind him and delivered a Blaze Kick to his back that sent him careening back. Raising their arms in sync, Ash and Greninja nodded to one another. Burning Aura and glistening water spiraled together to form a single gigantic shuriken that spun like a buzzsaw.

"Aura-Shuriken!"

Seeing this, Ryder sheathed his blade when the shuriken was thrown toward him. He did not flinch when Pikachu flooded the Water-Shuriken with electricity. However, Ryder's reaction did not go unnoticed by Zeraora, quickly recognizing what Ryder planned to do.

"Oh no you don't!" He roared, cupping his hands together. A veritable storm's worth of lightning flew to his palms from his fur, coalescing into a single yellow orb. "Eat this! Zap Cannon!"

Sensing the greater danger, Ryder whipped around in the air. His blade became entombed with swirling sand as he changed its element to Ground. Even lightning as potent as Zeraora's quickly faded when met with the sand of Ryder's sword. However, turning to address the attack from Zeraora left him exposed to the one from Ash.

Ryder barely had time to brace his shoulder before the shuriken crashed into him. The sound of razor-sharp buzzing meeting with Ryder's metal armor was almost ear-piercing. Before long, the energy destabilized and exploded violently, sending down a short-lived gleaming rain.

His armor sparking from the leftover electricity, Ryder fell from the smoke. If he felt any pain from the attack, Ash couldn't sense it. Nor could he discern any damage to the man's armor. Regardless, he was falling directly into the path of Genesect.

She raised her cannon at him, primed with burning emerald light to fire. In turn, Ryder reached for a grenade. However, he would have no need for it. An Ice Beam struck Genesect's cannon just before she fired, causing the heat to well up until it was released around her in a burst.

"Genesect!" Cried Zeraora and Ash.

As Ryder safely landed atop the roof, he drew his blade toward the smoke. He turned his head slightly to address what was behind him and said, "Your orders were clear. You should be directing the attack on the city, so why are you here, Weavile?"

The Weavile, in turn, took its place at Ryder's back defensively and rasped out its name. Ryder merely scoffed in annoyance. "You have some nerve to disobey a direct order."

The smoke surrounding Genesect was suddenly pushed outward by a shockwave. Looking none too pleased, she snarled with fury at Ryder and his new companion. Behind him, Ash, his team and Zeraora closed the distance between them.

"…However," He added, "Given the circumstances, I will pardon this offense." A cyan flash raced across the air when his sword became imbued with an ice so cold that the air it touched seemed to crystallize. "I will allow you to fight alongside me, Weavile."

Ash turned his head up slightly upon recognizing this Weavile. "That one's leading the wild Pokemon," He murmured. "Looks like there's no doubt about who's behind all this then. Figures."

For Serena, the battle wasn't getting any less chaotic. Though she had managed to bunch up with the trainers where she found Pangoro, the wild Pokemon seemed only to be increasing in numbers around her. It was difficult to tell where they were coming from, or how many were left. Whenever an enemy Pokemon was knocked out, the rest would pull them back into the crowd so they didn't get in the way.

Latias, at least, made things more bearable for the rest of them. All she needed to do was fly over the crowd and sweep some of them up with Psychic to take care of a group, tossing them down upon others as projectiles. "Come on!" She urged the trainers below. "Just hang in there! There has to be an end to them!"

Honestly, to Serena, it seemed like Latias was being a better leader than her. Still, she had her role. As Latias soared overhead, she tossed up several Pokemon. "Everyone, fire!" Serena cried. Her Pokemon, upon her order, launched attacks up at the falling enemies. When the other trainers commanded it, their Pokemon followed suit. Shots of all elements knocked the falling Pokemon out of the air, causing their unconscious bodies to fall back into the horde.

"We're doing good," Serena said aloud, more to reassure herself than anyone else. Glancing around at the city, she tried to look for any change in the scenario. She found none. If anything, there were even more Pokemon to deal with. There were too many to even fit on the street, and they had resorted to crawling over each other in piles to get at them. Some crawled along the sides of buildings or on top of them. "...Aren't we?"

There were low booming sounds, almost indistinguishable from the sounds of the battle around her. "Pangoro, on your left!" She cried. Pangoro's eyes whipped to his left, finding a skulking Drapion unaffected by Latias's Psychic swinging at him with X-Scissor. Ducking underneath, Pangoro swung at it with a mean Brutal Swing, eliciting an agonized cry as the attack sent it flying.

Serena sighed with relief that it worked out, but her relief was soon cut short by another low rumble that was louder than before. "What was that? Did a car explode on another street or something?" It appeared again, and then once more. The battle came to a stop when the crashing noises became overwhelming, soon drowning out all other noise. And then, something descended onto the street with such force that it looked like a geyser had been made out of the bodies flying in its wake.

One of the other trainers saw this, then quickly shouted, "Bastion, use Protect!" Their Bastion created a barrier around the group of trainers just as the hail of wild Pokemon rained down upon them. The Pokemon groaned in pain as they picked themselves and their allies back up, and as they gazed upon what exactly they had been struck by, yelps of terror rose out from the horde in spades.

The group of trainers had no idea what to make of the enemy horde suddenly scattering and rushing past their barrier. It was surreal, the feeling shared among the trainers, when those Pokemon were suddenly out of sight. The constant sound of growling, roaring and the sparking of attacks was gone, replaced only with the lingering sound of the panic of those Pokemon to get away.

When the dust settled, there was one man in a crater. One man had terrified those Pokemon so completely that they had abandoned their assault to flee. In that man's hand, there was a blade. He wore a black suit of armor, his face obscured as he stared down at something beneath his feet. Another Pokemon, by the looks of it, was fallen underneath his boot. Its yellow fur was matted with dust and dirt.

Serena felt her spine chill when she recognized this man. "That's-!" Her breath caught in her throat when he turned toward her.

"Ah," He said, "The fragile one."

Serena balked at that. "Fragile?!"

Latias glowered at the black armor adorning this man, a design she was all too familiar with. "One of you…!"

"Watch closely, people of New Goldenrod," Droned Ryder. With the tip of his boot, he kicked the yellow Pokemon up and grabbed it by its chest fur, letting it hang loosely in his grip. He turned around to face the trainers, then shook the Pokemon to stir it, earning an irritated growl. "Give them an answer," He told it. "Why the Pokemon have attacked them and destroyed their homes? What do you think of humans? What is it that you want to do with them?"

Though dazed from the crash, Zeraora snarled with all the might he could muster as he reached up and grabbed the metal arm that held him. Sparks raced along his fur to gather at his paws. Savagely, he bellowed, "I'll kill you!"

Lightning raced all along Ryder's armor, and yet, he did not react. Instead, he raised his blade and pointed it at the Pokemon that surrounded their trainers. "The Pokemon that try to kill you, and the Pokemon that try to protect you. The line between these two is thinning by the day as these beasts return to their true nature." He beckoned with a sparking hand around him, at the scarred buildings and roads. "The true nature of Pokemon compels them to destroy mankind. I would not cling to them for protection for much longer."

A red blur appeared over the edge of a roof and descended onto the street. "There you are!"

Ryder whipped around to face the voice, but was kicked away into one of the buildings before he could react. The onlooking trainers, unable to see what had happened, yelped in surprise. Zeraora was dropped onto his hands and knees. He coughed and sputtered for air as he forced himself back onto his feet. When he looked over to where Ryder had been kicked to, he saw Genesect rushing in after him only to be blown back by a burst of wind.

Sporting whirling winds upon his sword, Ryder emerged from the dust and raced at Genesect, and the two returned to clashing claws against blade. Zeraora attempted to rejoin them, but found himself tripping over his own feet. He pounded at the ground in frustration.

Atop Charizard, Ash flew down to the street with the rest of his team in tow. He kept his glance focused on Ryder and Genesect until his Aura recognized Serena. His head shot up in response to the feeling, and when he saw her, he called out to her on instinct.

"Serena!"

Hearing his voice, Serena and Latias turned their attention from the battle ahead of them to see him. "Ash!"

The name of the Chosen One sent excited murmurs up from the group of trainers behind them. Ash quickly changed focus, having his team assemble in front of the group of trainers defensively. The look on his face immediately told Serena that something was wrong. Even more wrong than anything already happening.

Serena, Latias and Ash rushed to meet each other. "I'm glad you guys are all okay," He said, allowing himself a small sigh of relief. "And you found Pangoro! So you were able to get to the tower?"

The two shook their heads. Latias explained, "I tried to get up there, but many of the wild Pokemon bunched up in a square near the tower. They attacked me from the ground. It was like they were protecting it."

Serena nodded. "We found Pangoro in the battle. I think he came out to join the fight early on."

Unsurprised by this news, Ash glanced back over at Ryder. "I figured that much. That guy's the one controlling them, so despite what Lee says, Team Rocket is behind this." He tilted his head past them to address the trainers. "And don't you believe a word that guy in armor or his boss up in Star Tower tells you. They're responsible for all of this!"

His Aura flared in response to danger, and he raised a shield just as the body of Genesect was thrown at him. When she bounced off the shield and landed on her feet, an Ice Beam from a nearby roof froze her solid. Weavile leered down at her and spat away a cloud of chilled mist.

"That is not true," Spoke Ryder. The trainers cried out when they saw the armored man suddenly appear in front of Ash's shield. Ash's Pokemon growled at him, but this served as no deterrence for his approach. "Pokemon have acted this way long before our organization existed. Today is the result of ignoring their true nature. We are merely reminding mankind of a history that was lost to them."

Stepping forward in defiance of Ryder, Serena pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't give me that! You're the ones causing this, not the Pokemon! They'd have never done this on their own!"

Ryder only entertained her with a short-lived glance before turning his sights upon Pangoro. Though the proud panda bared his teeth at the armored man, he was trembling just looking at him. He stepped back instinctively, which did not go unnoticed by Serena.

"Pangoro…?"

Pangoro suddenly cried out in terror, and a gust of wind blew past the trainers. Serena whipped around, going white in response to a blade pointed at her nose. He had gotten past the barrier, and Ash's Pokemon, in but the blink of an eye. "Clearly," Ryder began, "Your Pokemon have a better memory than you. My orders are to keep you beyond permanent harm. You and the boy ought to find shelter. I cannot afford to permanently injure you by mistake, frail girl."

Though Serena could not find a voice to retort to that with, the same could not be said for Ash. Grabbing at his sword to pull it away from Serena, he roared, "You won't hurt her! Not her, or anyone else!"

Ryder's response was to swing his blade and send him flying. His Pokemon cried out, rushing to catch their trainer. Similarly, the other trainers could only scream as they witnessed their hero sailing through the air. Serena tried to cry out for him as well, and to run to his side. Yet both her voice and her body were frozen. Her sentiments were voiced and acted upon instead by Latias, who shot through the air.

Her eyes gleaming red, she caught Ash with Psychic and gently placed him back upon the ground. As his Pokemon surrounded him to check him over, an equally worried Latias asked, "Are you okay?!"

Ash sighed, then nodded. "Thanks to you."

Serena was only brought out of her stupor when Ryder suddenly shot off after Ash like a rocket. She put a hand to her head and gasped. Even as her own Pokemon worried over her, she found herself stuck in her own thoughts. Why had she just stood there? Why didn't she do anything? Why couldn't she help Ash?

"Ah, the fragile one."

Serena breathed out through her teeth in frustration. This man in armor. Why couldn't she move around him? Through her fingers, she looked up at the worried face of Pangoro. Her eyes glanced down to his stump of an arm on their own. If she even tried to help, would it matter? Or would she just get her Pokemon hurt again?

Ryder came to a swift stop in front of Ash. "What will you do?" He asked. "Are you going to continue to endanger the girl you love? Or will you swallow your pride and protect as many people as you can from the Pokemon? If you do, our battle ends here."

Before Ash could even begin to answer, the sound of shattering ice and the pained screech of something caught their attention. The eyes of the onlookers collectively widened when they saw Genesect and what she had speared on her claw.

"Stop the battle?"

Hanging limply from Genesect's claw was Weavile. Upon spotting it, Ryder gave no reaction.

"No," Said Genesect, "If you let him leave, you're only postponing the battle." She pointed the claw holding Weavile at Ryder accusingly. "That machine pretending to be a human kills as easily as he breathes." She let out a harrowing chuckle. "As a machine pretending to be a Pokemon, I would know. It was partly his data that made it such after all."

She leered with her plastic eyes into the visor of Ryder. To her, what was on the other side of that visor was a clear as day, even if she couldn't see it physically. It was because she was almost the same. Two mechanical monsters with no purpose but to kill. The only thing separating them was their targets.

"As long as he keeps breathing, the killing will never end."

Author's Note

Pokextinction Fact of the Day: Despite already having nanomachines to automatically reshape Genesect's body and undo damage, Genesect still can use Recovery if needed.

The Creator- Originally, this and the next chapter were meant to be one chapter. But…we had already gotten to ten thousand words by the time Serena met Ryder, so we'll see the rest of it next chapter. Otherwise, this one would balloon up to over twenty thousand words most likely. Hope you guys liked it though. We're finally seeing what this new upgrade has done to Genesect both physically and mentally. Can she even be called a Pokemon anymore? Or just a machine?

Hydra- Another day another chapter folks! At this point I can't tell who's more heartless Genesect or Ryder. Innocence that's been turned into an abomination, it seems there's no end to the lengths she's willing to go to get revenge.

SilverWolf1130- I called it! Yeah, with Lee being one of the two villains mentioned in the summary, it was hard to believe he was gone and from how he acts, he'd rather have his limbs torn off than give the Legendaries the satisfaction of seeing him beg for his life (probably used that example before). Lugia's gonna freak out when he learns about this (along with all the Legendaries, I'm sure)

Christopher Lee is totally gonna use this attack as away to slander Pokemon as evil monsters. Considering how things are going and how good he is with his words, I think he'll succeed in rallying people to his cause.

Hmm. You changed the story's pic to the Tree of Life. Could that mean something, I wonder… (probably overthinking this but it's fun to theorize)

The twilight of the Legendaries is near. I can feel it…

Can't wait for the next chapter. Things are getting very very interesting

The Creator- Lugia's going to freak out indeed. But will it be out of anger at Lee's return…or excitement? Twilight of the Legends indeed.

Hydra- Oh I only changed the pic because it looked cool. Absolutely nothing to see there, nothing at all haha…..

G- Great chapter, so the siege of the Nova Branch in the Goldenrod city started, well was very interesting the strategies and plans that the Nova Branch implemented in this chapter, because in the beginning, i was guessing that they only planned to forced this pokemons to attack the city, with Zeraora and Genesect like scapegoats to discredits the pokemon and makes that the people start to shares their human supremacist mindset.

Nevertheless, besides to that this plan was to tried to discredited the pokemon and used Zeraora and Genesect as scapegoats, i saw that the Nova Branch soldiers also took advantage from the chaos caused by the controlled wild pokemon to may sieges the main tower of the city, the tower in that the council resides, showing that the Nova Branch weren't only trying to discredited the pokemon, but also kidnapped or even neutralized Mr Star and his councilmembers. Well this has sense, as Star corporation were whom encouraged the alliance between humans and pokemon, making this organization one of the prime objectives of the Nova Branch, as to eliminates them, the Nova Branch could get easier to spreads their mindsets to the rest of the mankind without that the Star corporation tries to eases the relations between humans and pokemon.

Also, was shocking, yet expected that the identity of the mysterious leader ended being Christopher Lee, well i always had doubts that he truly died during the events of the island, because Lee always showed be a too smart man that certainly has contingency plans to survives or anticipates some outcomes, making that the fact that Lee ended cornered by Lugia easily, was a hint that this man wasn't the true Christopher Lee, but an imposter that impersonificated him. Even other hint to implies this was the fact that "Lee" ended begging for his life to Lugia, something out of character, as Christopher Lee showed harbor an endless hatred and scorn against the pokemon, adding that he showed be a very pride for his believings and objectives, making illogical to see Lee begging or showing some kind of respect to the pokemon, i mean, in the remote case that Lugia would managed to cornered the true Lee during the events of the island, Lee would insulted Lugia and goaded him to kills him to shows everybody the kind of beast that Lugia and the Legendary pokemon are, as someone like Lee will never gives to his enemies the pleasure to see him defeated and humilliated.

As other point, also i liked to see that Pangoro retrieved his battle spirit in spite to his injury, as was depressing to see him discouraged and demoralized as result of lost his arm, as Pangoro was feeling himself useless to not be capable to fights like he used to be anymore. Well, to considers that the Nova Branch is updating their technology, i hope that Star corporation be doing the same thing, and perhaps among the advances, they manages to creates some pokemon robotic prothesis, that can withstand a lot damages, and even can auto-repairs itself through nanomachines, to allows the pokemon replaces a lost limb, like Pangoro's arm, allowing them to could fights like they used to be.

Also, i found funny to see Pangoro saying Goro just when he was attacking the Machamp, to considers that Machamp resembles to Goro, a character of Mortal Kombat, that just like Machamp has four arms and both are very strong physically. Even when i read Goro, i though that this was the name of Machamp XD.

Also, i want to see the future battle between Ryder vs Ash, Zeraora and Genesect, as i would likes to see how much lethal is Ryder with his new gear, as i doubt that Ryder will falls so easily like Launcher and Sniper, making this an interesting battle, especially if Ryder has some tricks under the sleeve. Even i found scary to see Genesect giving Ash some death threat if he even thinks in cross his way, showing that Genesect harbors not only contempt in the Nova Branch, but also in any human being, meaning that my fears about that Genesect can considers become an enemy of any human like Ultron is at hand, especially if the Nova Branch taints more the image of the pokemon and put more humans against them, setting in motion some nasty outcomes.

To finishes, i wonder if the next events regarding to Mr Star, he will be kidnapped or killed? Though that i doubt the latter case, because if Lee kills Star, the Nova Branch ended turning him in a martyr, giving more strength to his ideals and labeling the Nova Branch like terrorists. So perhaps Lee simply kidnapps him to some plan to brings down the Star corporation, like discredit them and leaves them like "pokemon sympathizers", especially if Mr Star isn't here to re-establishes the order. After all, as Ultron said, the best way to destroy someone is taint their legacy.

Keep the good job.

Also, regarding the point of Silverwolf, i also noted that you changed the Story's pic to the Tree of the beginning, like if this means that maybe the next events will involves this place, like that after sieged Goldrenrod city, the Nova Branch go after the Tree of the Beginning, as the destruction of this place will means a hard blow to the pokemon in general.

Adding that i would likes to see Mew finally getting involved in the battles than be still behind the curtain as she was since the beginning of Necrozma, as Mew never participated from any conflict in the story, to the point of caused the resentment and grudge if many Legendary pokemon toward her. Making interesting to see that the Nova Branch will finally tries to seiges the Tree of the Beginning and Mew will be forced to be directly involved in this conflicts, even maybe Mewtwo can be used to attack this place, as we didn't see anything from Mewtwo since several chapters.

The Creator- Imagine the world without the guidance of the Star Foundation. With how manipulative the Nova Branch and Team Rocket can be, it would be difficult for the masses to figure out what is truth and what is lies. And when everyone believes a lie, is it really a lie at all? Who's to say that it's a lie?

No, Christopher Lee isn't just the type to beg. Interesting theory about it being a body double though. How he survived is revealed in a previous chapter though. Can you guess which one?

Hope you enjoyed the fight between Ryder, Ash, Genesect and Zeraora so far. Though it's not quite over, it's certainly been one hell of a showing, wouldn't you say?

As for Pangoro, I admit, I spent a long time trying to figure out what to do for him. With Ash's help, Hydreigon was able to get over its loss pretty quickly, but Pangoro relied heavily on its arms and Serena isn't quite as charismatic. I entertained the idea of a one-armed Urshifu helping it find a new fighting style, but was unsure of how to implement it without detracting from the main overall plot for more screen time than I was willing to give. I even resigned to just let him be inactive for the remainder of the story but had the idea to have him get up and stop the rampaging Pokemon. Now he's back in the game.

Oh, and I wonder what that tree means?

Hydra- Genesect is playing right into Ryder's hands and doesn't seem to realize or care if she kills innocents just to try to get rid of Ryder. Her actions could potentially have serious ramifications. Mew has been sitting on the sidelines for quite some time, can you only imagine what would happen to Team Rocket if she decides to intervene? They wouldn't stand a chance against the powers of Mew. As far as we know the only creature who had the power to take her on died so once she decides to jump in it's game over.

DarkPugLord23- Oh shit, he lives! The Lee is back! I've lost count of those who have a bone to pick with that man. And Genesect, holy crap! She's graduated from John Wick to the Pokemon equivalent of the Doom Slayer, and I'm worried to say that I love it! Also Chairman Rose and Oleana make an appearance (can't remember if they had made their debut in and earlier chapter), and with the quick cameo of Zacian and Zamazenta during the battle against Necrozma, it gives me hope that the other Galarian Legends may make an appearance as well. Probably not, but I remain ever hopeful. And even better, Pangoro has finally gotten out of his slump and decided to make a difference, and I'm happy the one-armed panda is back in action! Great work as always, and I can't wait for the next installment!

The Creator- If she was Doom Slayer in the last chapter, what would you compare Genesect to now? The only comparison I can make is Ryder. She's a bit more mouthy too, like him. About Rose and Oleana, they were in a previous chapter a while back. When Ash was talking to Mr. Star about their lives. These corporations and organizations work together and co-fund one another since the safety net of the Pokemon League is gone. Was there a cameo of Zacian and Zamazenta against Necrozma? I forget. Hope you enjoyed.

Hydra- It's great to hear from you again man! I believe you are experiencing the Mandela effect, remembering something that actually never happened in regards to Zacian and Zamazenta. I can't really blame you though considering so many different legends made an appearance in the war chapters that it would be easy to forget who did and did not make an appearance in those chapters.

The Creator- Next chapter is the culmination of the attack on New Goldenrod City. How will Ryder respond to the death of his "partner"? Will Ash even make it to the tower in time? And…what is that presence entering the city from the south?

Hydra- Alright guys and gals that ends it for this chapter! It's quite sad what happened to Mr Goodshow. Hopefully the Pokemon league will still be able to continue even without his presence, but with how things are currently looking in the world that's not gonna happen. Have a great night guys and we'll see ya on the next one.

PS: We miss you British-Vulture. Thank you to everyone who has continued to follow our story.