The room was nearly pitch black. Alice, Mr. Star's personal secretary, had huddled underneath a desk. As day turned to night, the celebration took a turn for the worst. What had just hours ago appeared as lovely as a dream now turned into a living nightmare. All she could do was wonder helplessly why this was happening.
It was happening all over again.
Even from the seventh floor, she could hear it. The sound of gunfire, Pokemon attacks, and screams. All the while, she had to endure the television in the room with her. It was on the fritz and riddled with bullets. On end, it repeated part of Mr. Star's speech from the earlier day.
"Our world can finally achieve the peace it has always deserved. Humanity and all Pokemon will be brought into a new age!"
Silently, Alice cursed Mr. Star as she was subjected to his ironic speech without end. Her ragged breath trembled as she listened to the slaughter below. Even as she attempted to cover her ears, the thunderous sound of gunfire pervaded her ears.
It was too much to stand. Alice wanted to get up and run, but to where? Just before this nightmare began, the metal panels installed on the tower's windows isolated those inside from the outside. It was unlikely the people just outside the building even knew what was going on.
"Get back here!"
Alice winced upon hearing a gruff voice shout that. She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone sprinted into the room she was in, their feet pounding on the floor. Although she could not see the person's face from underneath the desk, she felt some semblance of relief upon seeing a Pokeball latched to their belt.
She reached out to confront them, but quickly retreated back into the corner of the desk upon hearing more footsteps approaching. The trainer, reaching for their Pokeball, shouted, "Stay back!"
A man in black rounded the corner. There was a bang, and the trainer dropped limply before they even had the chance to release their Pokemon. Alice had to cover her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Fearful tears welled up in her closed eyes as she trembled, utterly helpless. Every ounce of her body felt sickened to her core.
The trainer's Pokeball began to rumble as the Pokemon inside raged. Before it could release itself, the man in black turned his weapon upon it and fired, scattering the ball into shards, and with it, the Pokemon within.
Then, there was silence. Alice trembled uncontrollably. She was certain it was making some kind of noise, but in spite of how she silently screamed at her own body to become still, it wouldn't listen. Her heart skipped a beat when the assailant took a step toward her.
Had he heard her? Had the sound of her shaking caught his ear? Alice pressed her back against the wall and tried to make herself as small as possible. Yet the man continued to approach, as if seeing straight through the desk. All Alice could do was shake her head and pray.
There was a beep, followed by the sound of crackling and a voice. "C-175, come in. The trainers on the bottom floor are pushing back. We need all men down here ASAP. The stragglers can wait."
The man in black took a step back, pulled up his radio and answered, "Roger that. On my way." With that, the man promptly left the room.
Alice let out a gasp for air in utter relief. Unable to stand it any longer, she buried her face in her trembling hands. "N-no!" She whimpered, not allowing herself to break down. "I need to find Mr. Star. He'll know what to do."
Emerging from the desk unsteadily, she kept a wary gaze toward the door to make sure those people wouldn't return. That, and just so she wouldn't have to look at the trainer. Quickly after ensuring that those men weren't nearby any longer, Alice darted for the other door to her left.
On the other side, she dashed through rooms of ruined, bullet-riddled cubicles in search of the executive elevator. It was an elevator that went through every floor in Star Tower, along with being the only way to reach the floor of Mr. Star's office. That was her only hope. Only he could figure out a way to put an end to this.
Her skin crawled in response to the sounds of screams from behind her. Ducking behind the nearest doorway, she turned and found that the screams came not from people, but a group of three Pokemon. A Sunflora, a Loudred, and a Chatot. The odd trio of Pokemon stared down at the fallen trainer, their mouths agape in horror.
Alice and the Pokemon were alerted to the sound of yelling. The face of Mr. Star's secretary whitened, a sinking feeling telling her who exactly it was. The Chatot suddenly squawked at the other Pokemon. They sent one last glance at the fallen trainer before taking off and running in her direction.
Backing away, Alice rounded the nearest corner to her left just as the group of Pokemon exited the room. They huddled together. She felt bad for them, but there was little she could do for them.
As the Pokemon rounded the corner, they turned opposite to where Alice hid and ran. She winced, retreating back behind the corner as bullets flew into the wall where the Pokemon had just been with a loud series of clangs.
After them came their source. Five of those men Alice saw before came rushing after the Pokemon. She silently counted her blessings. At least they were facing away from her, even if it was because of the Pokemon. But she wondered why they were here. Hadn't they gotten an order to return to the bottom floor? Did this small group of Pokemon really take priority for them?
The Chatot squawked at its companions, urging them to follow. And while the Sunflora obliged, the Loudred did not. It turned back to the five men and bellowed at it. Alice barely had the strength not to cry out as she clutched at her pained ears. It was fortunate that the Loudred's roar was loud enough to drown out any other noise she could make.
To the enigmatic men, this roar did little to bother them. One of them hoisted their weapon toward Loudred's open maw. Its eyes widening with recognition, Loudred quickly snapped its jaw shut and used Protect instead.
Lowering his weapon, the attacker instead reached for a small round ornament. At least, that's what it looked like to the Pokemon. "Heads up," He told his compatriots, "Feint Flashbang coming up."
Immediately after tossing it at Loudred's barrier, the group of men turned away and covered their heads. Loudred didn't even have the chance to react. In an instant, it had been stripped of its senses. Its sight had been flooded with a blinding light that burned its eyes, followed by a deafening ringing in its ears.
Because of this, the Loudred hadn't even realized that the Feint Flashbang had completely torn through its Protect as if it was paper. Raising his weapon once more, the soldier turned a notch on the underside of its tip. With every click the gun made because of this, its tip shifted colors. He settled upon a reddish-brown color, raising it to the stunned Loudred's jaw.
"Seems old Launcher's tech was good for something after all," Spoke the soldier. There was another bang, and then the Loudred slumped over. "These elemental bullets work wonders. A Fighting-Type one will drop a Normal-Type just like that."
Their mouths agape, the Chatot and Sunflora stared down in disbelief. It was like their trainer all over again. Upon being alerted by another clicking noise, the Chatot found the same gun, aimed at it, primed with a yellow glow.
The Sunflora immediately jumped into action and began charging a Solarbeam. What happened next came swiftly and decisively. A lightning-charged bullet pierced straight through the Pokemon's grassy exterior. And like its friend, it fell to the floor in a heap.
While the Chatot cried out in anguish, the soldier merely took the time to admire the weapon he carried. "So even if the type is ineffective, the bullet beneath it is still a bullet." He primed the gun once more, taking aim at the Chatot. "They really outdid themselves with these things, didn't they?"
The other men murmured in agreement. Alice, daring to peek out, silently urged the remaining Pokemon to just flee. Why wasn't it running away? She knew that it must hurt to abandon its friends, but its life was at stake. But then, she saw it. There hadn't been just three Pokemon. There was a fourth, much smaller than the others, hiding behind the body of Loudred.
It was a teary-eyed Azurill. The poor thing whimpered, pushing against the Sunflora as if it would move again. It didn't seem to realize the extent of the situation. The Chatot swooped down and grabbed it, attempting to fly back with it. Upon hearing a click behind it, the Chatot winced in preparation for the inevitable, then tossed the Azurill forward as far as it could.
A third bang echoed through the halls, clipping the Chatot's wings for good. The Azurill fell to the ground with a squeak that pulled at Alice's heart. She turned around the corner slightly, peeking out with her head. Part of her wanted to help the little Pokemon, but every nerve in her body felt frozen to her spot in terror of being found and facing the same fate.
The little Azurill was whiter than Alice had ever thought possible. It looked around in panic, stunned. Its eyes fell upon the peeking head of Alice. A chill ran down Alice's spine upon realizing that it spotted her. Immediately, she retreated back behind the corner.
Noticing the Azurill's gaze, one of the five men followed it toward the empty wall. He stared at it for a moment, almost as if glaring through it, before turning back toward the last Pokemon.
"All guns forward, men," He told the rest of them, taking aim at the Azurill. "Let's save the cleanup crew a little work and turn this thing to paste."
All the Azurill could think to do was run. To where, even it didn't know. The men all raised their weapons. Alice covered her ears when they all fired. Again, and again, and again. Burning tears welled up in her eyes as her heart ached with guilt over the Pokemon she didn't lift a finger to protect.
She took off toward her left into another hallway. One of the men whirled around, catching a small glimpse of her as she passed into the next hall. "There's another one up here!" He shouted. "Spread out and clear the area! Once we're done up here, we still need to give support on the bottom floor."
Alice dashed through the darkened hallway. Small lights around the office doorways were all she was afforded to see. She ran faster than she ever thought possible for herself while the angry shouts of the searching soldiers rang out behind her.
And then, as she neared the building's central overhang, she found it. One of the executive elevators. She nearly slammed face first into it with how hard she had been running. Her burning lungs demanded air that her ragged breathing could not afford them.
Stuffing her key card into the activation slot, Alice felt the first bit of relief since this whole ordeal began when the elevator responded with a ding. "Yes!" She exclaimed, albeit muffled.
"There she is!"
A chill ran down Alice's spine. The moment the elevator doors opened, she threw herself inside and pressed herself against the left wall. She shrieked, shielding her eyes, as bullets flew in through the door and struck the back. Sliding her hand across the wall, she repeatedly jabbed the 'close door' button until it finally shut.
Even after the door slid shut, Alice could hear the bullets banging on the other side. It was fortunate that the doors were made to be resistant to attacks. Her legs grew weak when the elevator began moving up, and she sat among the fallen bullets scattered on the floor. Oh, when she got to Mr. Star, she wanted to give him the biggest hug she could.
"…Do you honestly think I care in the slightest about what humans think of me?"
Alice's head tilted up toward a screen at the corner of the elevator. It was ordinarily just there for news. She wondered why the Legendary Pokemon Lugia was on it.
Soon, she got her answer. To her disbelief, the news showed Lugia and the Elemental Birds firing upon a crowd of people, even as they fled. It changed, then showing a village of some sort being burned down by a group of Pokemon. There were horrific scenes of Pokemon attacking people. Ordinary ones, and the Legends themselves. Scenes of writhing shadowy tendrils, tearing claws, flames scorching entire groups of people.
"We don't know why," Someone spoke over the gruesome footage, "But we're receiving sudden reports all over that Pokemon are attacking people unprovoked! It appears to be like the recent attack on New Goldenrod City!"
As the media spoke of the event, they showed footage of that as well. A yellow Pokemon and a red one, darting through buildings. They tore apart windows as they ran, leaving the shrapnel to rain down upon the people below.
"One man," Spoke the newswoman, "Claims to have knowledge about the situation unfolding. He only agreed to speak if his identity was concealed and his voice altered."
Another voice, a seemingly masculine one, rasped, "What we are seeing today is the true nature of Pokemon." His voice crackled with static as he spoke over the footage. It was strange. Alice swore the voice sounded familiar, but the filter kept her from putting her finger on it.
The two Pokemon of red and yellow continued to do battle over the city, tearing apart all in their way. Alice felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw the red one shoot a laser straight through a building and collapsing it.
"These strings of attacks on mankind are no coincidence." To Alice's further surprise, the footage showed the red Pokemon seemingly facing off against Ash and a group of other people. "They are our enemies through and through. Wake up!"
To Alice's horror, the red Pokemon fired at Ash and the crowd. "It is us," Spoke the voice as Ash caught the beam with his barrier, "Against them. It has always been! This fight against Team Rocket was a distraction! Release your Pokémon and shun them. Better yet, destroy them before they have the chance to turn on you."
Ash had never mentioned this encounter to Mr. Star before, had he? Alice didn't know, but it seemed like something he would have brought up.
"Well," The newswoman said, "You seem to be very…passionate about the subject. Why don't we…"
Alice's head fell again, filtering out the voice and the news. It was too much to look at after all she had been through. Pokemon attacking people? No, it was the other way around! All of this had to be their work. The dirty acts of these putrid men, trying to drive a wedge between people and Pokemon.
All of this was supposed to be over!
The moment the elevator let out another ding, Alice put a hand on the metal bar on the wall and pulled herself back to her feet. Dashing out of the elevator as fast as her weak legs could take her, she ran for Mr. Star's office. The metal plates blocking every window even covered the glass hallway that led to the office.
"Mr. Star!" Shouted Alice, throwing open the wooden doors, "Everyone needs your-"
Her words caught in her throat. Upon seeing what was within the office, she staggered backwards. Her hands raced to her mouth, instinctively attempting to keep the sudden feeling of shock and revulsion from visualizing all over the floor. Her hope was utterly struck down.
"N-no!"
The CEOs and Oleana laid all over the floor, their bodies twisted and limp. Alice's eyes went from one body to another, unable to keep herself from gazing upon them even as her mind yelled at her body to obey her and look away.
She let out a shrill scream and jumped when she bumped into something behind her. When she turned around to see what it was, her heart skipped a beat. It was the old man himself, Mr. Star.
Alice's legs gave out again. A feeling of utter relief, greater than any she had known before, overtook her completely. Her emotions were all over the place. She just couldn't take it anymore. Wrapping her arms around Mr. Star, she wailed into his shoulder.
The old man embraced her as well. He let her stay like that for a while, sobbing helplessly all over his suit. She cried for minutes on end, letting out the entirety of the days sorrows all at once. Eventually, her cries turned to sniffles and whimpers.
"Th-thank you," Alice said to him upon finally finding the strength to speak. As she tried to pull away, she met resistance from the old man's arms. His small arms wrapped around her with more strength than she thought possible from him. Glancing up at him oddly, she asked, "Mr. Star?"
One Hour after the New Goldenrod City Celebration
From atop the tree, Ash and Mew stared down at the oppressive force lined up before the Tree of Beginning with disbelief. Thousands of vehicles the likes Ash had never seen before, and thousands more troops around them. Where had they come from, and how?
Ash grit his teeth. "So this is what my Aura was warning me about." He closed his eyes and shook his head. Would the fighting never end? After a brief pause, he asked, "Mew, could you just teleport them away?"
Pink, glowed in the eyes of the Mother of all Pokemon. Those glowing eyes focused upon the encroaching army, then went wide as she recoiled. "N-no," She answered, "It's like that thing that attacked us. There's some strong force protecting them. I can't even sense them. I can see them, but to my Psychic powers, it's like they aren't even there at all."
Somehow, that sounded all too familiar to Ash, but he couldn't put his finger on why. "Alright," Replied Ash, "Then can you teleport me down there instead?"
"Alone?" Mew questioned, both for the request and of Ash's sanity. "You can't go down there without help."
"What help?" Retorted Ash. "If they see me with a Pokemon, there's no way they'll hear me out."
Mew glanced down at the intruders, then back to Ash. "These are those Nova Branch guys, right? I saw the insignia on that thing they sent at us. If they weren't willing to listen before, what makes you think they would now?"
Every inch of Ash's body trembled. It almost felt like his nerves would explode with how hard he clenched his fists. "I'm tired," He told her, "Of fighting. I've spent so many fights with these people thinking one might finally be the last. But they keep coming. Frankly…"
As Ash stared down at the marching force below, he felt his will weakening by the second. "…I don't think," He began, "That I can stand one more fight like this." Turning to Mew, he added, "And you should worry more about the tree than me."
Her face wrinkling, Mew responded, "I've already spent too long worrying more about the tree than of my own children. I'm not making that mistake ever again."
The way Mew used the word 'children' perturbed Ash. Did she mean him? "Well," He said, "What about your children that live in the tree? They need a home, and the world needs this tree."
Mew's brow wrinkled. Although she certainly did not approve of this, nor was she willing to endanger the Pokemon within the tree. "Fine," She conceded, "But keep your shield up. The moment they shoot at you, I'm pulling you back up, got it?"
Ash nodded. "Got it. Oh, and one more thing." He reached up, plucking Pikachu off of his shoulder and setting him down upon the leaf. Pikachu protested, knowing what his trainer was doing. "Take care of Pikachu for me while I'm down there."
Again, Pikachu protested, crying, "Pika, chu pika pi!"
"I'll be fine," Ash assured his partner. "I just don't want you at risk. After all, if they see you, they might just shoot at us before I can get a word in." He knelt down, affectionately rubbing Pikchu's furry head. His eyes focused upon Mew, and then, he nodded.
With a heavy sigh, Mew reluctantly held a hand out toward Ash. A bright pink light enveloped his body. "Be careful down there," She warned him. And then, he was gone in a flash.
The morning air was filled with the noise of rumbling metal and whirring engines. Smothered beneath that noise was the marching boots of thousands. In unison, this grand march toward the tree shook the valley that laid in its shadow and kicked up a veil of thick dust before long.
One soldier, treading beside a heavily armored tank, wiped his sweaty brow. His heavy, black armor did not do him any favors in the way of marching underneath the rising sun beating at the back of his neck.
That soldier let out an exasperated sigh and turned his head up toward a Black Suit who sat atop the nearby tank and asked, "Hey, sir? How come we didn't just use those rings to get us right up next to the tree instead of dropping us off in the valley?"
To that, the Black Suit glanced up at the towering tree, replying, "Even with all of our preparation, the Tree of Beginning still holds secrets we don't know. There is a reason that no human has ever conquered it before. And…" He flashed a grin, eagerly running a thumb across his plasma knife. "…There is something within our repertoire that better suits us at a distance."
Before the soldier could reply, his and the Black Suit's attention was caught by a sudden fit of yelling from the other troops on their right. Weapon in hand, the soldier ran forward to see if any enemy had revealed themselves. What he saw made his will falter.
From a pink light, none other than the Chosen One appeared before the soldiers. Another Black Suit stood up and whistled, shouting, "All units, hold your positions! Front line, down and forward. All lines behind, take cover and be ready to return fire."
At this command, the line of soldiers closest to Ash went prone, aiming their weapons at him. The vehicles rumbled as their mounted weapons aimed at him one after another. And behind those, the remaining soldiers hid with their weapons twisted around the sides.
Ash could sense fear within the front line of soldiers. Did he intimidate them that much? He glanced past them at the vehicles. There, his senses suddenly seemed to stop working properly. It was there that he sensed utterly nothing from any of them, like there was a void of existence itself.
They appeared so odd to him, especially the armored ones that moved on some long, rotating treading thing and had a cannon sticking out at him from its top. Each and every one of these vehicles bore the insignia of the Nova Branch.
Ash vaguely recalled vehicles similar to these before. They were called tanks, weren't they? There was an instance he recalled where one was used against a particularly oversized Tentacruel. But these looked different. These were far larger and more jagged at its edges. Two of them were utterly gigantic in comparison to the rest.
"Can we beat this guy?" Murmured a soldier to a Black Suit that walked past him toward Ash. "I mean, isn't this the guy that beat Necrozma?"
The Black Suit brandished his plasma knife and ignited it, sending crackling sparks all along the red hot blade. "Don't worry." As this Black Suit walked, he did so in perfect unison with the other Black Suits all along the line of soldiers.
They walked out from the main group to stand ahead of them, extended their arms downward and then flexed with their fists pointing toward the sky. The gadgets upon their arms glowed, summoning their shields in a shining line.
"We came prepared for this."
Ash placed a hand upon his hip and sighed. "Why are you even here?" He asked. "Did you scrounge together the rest of your forces after you backstabbed Team Rocket? Why even attack the tree?"
One of the Black Suits replied, "We are not at liberty to explain our orders nor negotiate how we carry them out. Vacate this area and let us pass unless you want to meet the same fate as the tree."
"Not a chance," Ash swiftly retorted. "An attack on the Tree of Life won't go well for anyone. I've been on the receiving end of the tree's defenses, so believe me when I tell you that even this won't be enough. You'll just be throwing your lives away."
The Black Suit went to respond, but the one next to him held out a hand to stop him. "Boss wants to talk to him." With that, he lowered his shield and turned around, motioning toward something in the crowd.
One of the two giant tanks barreled forward. Several soldiers, crouching as they moved alongside it on all sides, followed it. Ash's Aura slowly seeped out as it approached. His inability to sense the intentions of whoever was inside made him anxious. The Black Suits parted to allow the tank and its escorts to pass.
It stopped, letting out a metallic screech followed by a puff of hissing steam. The top unraveled, each turn eliciting a groan from the metal. The hatch tilted up and over, allowing the short man inside to emerge.
Ash's eyes widened slightly, instantly recognizing him. The short, little weasel of a man. He wore a thick green suit decorated with medals Ash was sure had no real value. Atop his head was a puffy, round, oversized cap with a sharp black brim.
"You?!" Cried Ash, pointing up at the small man. "I saved you! You said you wouldn't show your face ever again, and especially not with these people. You're leading them?!"
The small man sneered down at him. "You should have let me die to Lugia on that island, boy. Leaving the Nova Branch isn't a possibility." He chuckled, pulling out some circular metallic device he held upon his palm. "My name is Commander Thorn of the Nova Branch. Of course, I'm only commanding the ground team. You want the real boss, don't you?"
From the device on Thorn's hand, a blue light projected upward. Ash backed away, turning up his neck toward the image. He gritted his teeth in irritation upon seeing the portly man himself projected above him.
"Well, well, well," Spoke Christopher Lee, twiddling the edge of his goatee, "If it isn't our resident Chosen One in all of his glory."
Ash's eyebrow twitched. "Don't start with that. Why are you here?"
Lee retorted, "I could ask the same of you. You ought to be on an exotic vacation to Alola, splashing carelessly on a beach."
At that, Ash's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?" He demanded.
The face of the portly man turned a bit toward something not within the scope of the projection, then back to Ash. "Not yet, Ash, but perhaps in due time." He pointed up at the tree, adding, "Time you'll only have if you would kindly step out of our way."
"Why," Began Ash, taking a step toward Thorn's tank, "Do you even want this? What did Pokemon ever do to you to make you want to kill them all?" He raised an arm at the colossal tree and exclaimed, "Not to mention this! We all need the tree. Not just Pokemon. Even to that end, destroying the Tree of Life benefits no one!"
Lee cut him off by raising a finger. "Now that is where I must disagree. The destruction of the Tree of Life is more than necessary. It's quite simple, really. We can't get rid of Pokemon with that oversized plant continuing to spawn them."
"You still haven't explained why you want them dead to begin with."
With a shrug, Lee answered, "My story is but one of many amongst the members of our organization. I am but a cog in the machine."
Ash jabbed a finger at him, shouting, "You lead that organization! You are the reason they're here. If not you, then who?! Don't try to talk like you're not the reason our world is in ruins while you're threatening it right now?"
The portly man jiggled from head to toe with a small fit of chuckles. "Ruins?" He repeated. "Ash, you simply aren't seeing the big picture. You of all people should be privy to the bloodied history between man and Pokemon. Our grand goal is not to ruin…"
His arm flexed, and with eyes as wide as his grin, he cried, "…But to liberate! Our world is a gilded cage. The society of our world itself revolves around creatures that could turn on us and destroy us at any moment. My ancestor, King Marcus, was a prime example."
Ash's eyes went wide for a moment before narrowing. "King Marcus? You can't be serious."
"So you recognize the name?" Lee rubbed his chin with two fingers as he inquired about their mutual revelation. "Then surely you know how Arceus betrayed both him and his kingdom, leaving the land of Michina in ruins."
"It was Marcus that betrayed Arceus," Corrected Ash, "And Michina was already in ruins. It was Arceus who mended it in the first place."
"And it was Arceus who returned it to ruins." With a hefty huff, Lee hissed, "The tragedy of King Marcus was passed down through my family well. All King Marcus wanted to do was keep his home from being returned to a wasteland of ice and stone. Countless people lived in that land and relied on it. Arceus knew this, and yet took back the Jewel of Life regardless!"
Ash retorted, "If he hadn't, he would have died! And that jewel was his gift to them to begin with!"
At that, Lee barked out a resounding, "Hah! A gift expected to be returned is no gift at all. Marcus fought to keep his land from rotting and his people from starving, but his reward was to spend the rest of life toiling permafrost for meager crops."
The portly man clenched his fist, his face reddening. "It is unthinkable that one Pokemon should hold the fates of thousands within its hands."
His opened hand shot out backward, toward the masses gathered behind him. "And I am not the only one with this mindset. Any of these men would tell you a story where a Pokemon left their life in shambles. I…" He swung his arm back around, jabbing an extended thumb at himself. "…Lead these fine men so they might find free lives. I follow King Marcus's example and fight so mankind can lead their own fates!"
At first, Ash was utterly at a loss for words. He stood silent, looking at the dust billowing at his ankles. "You…" Suddenly, he glared up at Lee. "…Are so full of it! You say you care about the fates of mankind, but what have you done for them?! You hid from Necrozma while you could have saved thousands if not millions! You and Team Rocket stopped society from recovering. And…!"
Ivory flames danced around Ash in the wake of his growing anger at the sheer hypocrisy he was hearing. "…What about the people of New Goldenrod City?!" His arms flew outward and his twitching fingers furled. "What about their fates, huh? Did they not matter? You don't convince me for a second that what you're doing is for humanity when you've only been working against them!"
"Tch." Lee huffed at him indignantly. And yet, he appeared almost amused. "Well, I suppose the speech is more convincing when he says it."
Confused, Ash asked, "He?"
Ash and Lee were alerted by an outcry from the gathered soldiers behind them. Their guns and tanks aimed skyward, laser sights piercing through the dense cloud of dust that surrounded them. When Ash's gaze traced them up to what had set them off, his heart skipped a beat.
Descending upon the field was a helicopter. Upon its side, the insignia of the Star Foundation shined brightly against the rising sun. As it descended, its blades dispersed the thick dust cloud, allowing sunlight to breach the veil. Immediately, the weapons of the Black Suits surrounding Ash turned their barrels upon the helicopter.
"What?!"
Lee lifted up a receiver and whispered something into it Ash couldn't hear. There was a murmur amongst the Black Suits, their eyebrows creasing in response to something beneath their large sunglasses. Slowly, they lowered their weapons.
The helicopter continued to descend unimpeded. Not a single shot rang out from the Black Suits or the countless soldiers behind them. Even as it turned to land near Ash, right beside the projection of Lee, none made a move on the helicopter except for Ash himself.
Ash sprinted toward it. Within his mind, he had a feeling of who was inside, but doubt plagued his mind along the way. Was it him? Why had he come to a place as dangerous as this? Wasn't he supposed to be at the celebration?
"Hey!" Ash called to the helicopter as it landed. "What in the world are you doing here?!"
Ash couldn't see what was on the inside, but he could sense a pilot and several others. Its door slid open as a set of stairs unfolded beneath it. From that door, the old man himself emerged. He and Ash stared at one another, their jaws agape.
"Ash?"
"Mr. Star? Why are you here?" Ash raised a hand at the group of Black Suits just beside them. "Do you have any idea where we are?"
The old man, still wide eyed in shock, stammered, "A-Ash! Why are you here? You're supposed to be in Alola!"
"Yeah." Ash pinched the bridge of his nose. "There's been a change in plans."
Mr. Star lowered himself from the stairs to the ground. "The satellite we launched earlier," He began, pointing up at the sky, "Showed us what was going on. I dropped everything and rushed to get here as quickly as I could. Why are you here?"
To that, Ash looked away from the old man to glare at the Black Suits. "My Aura was freaking out. I came here to try to figure out what was going on, but…"
The old man grumbled, "You happened to find out the cause on your own?"
Ash nodded.
Scoffing, Mr. Star looked up at the projection of Lee with his old, tired eyes. "It just wasn't enough for you, was it? Goldenrod City. Now you have to go and take out the rest of the world."
Lee, upon spotting the man, grinned from ear to ear. "And the surprises just keep coming! Here I thought an old timer like you would be in bed this early."
Ignoring his remarks, Mr. Star spoke, "Surely you must know the destruction of this tree would only serve to hurt your interests as well."
Beside him, a glowering Ash told him, "Don't waste your breath. I tried explaining it to them already, but if they were the type to listen to reason, this would have ended a long time ago."
Ash gasped when the old man suddenly pulled away from him to avoid his touch. "What choice do we have, Ash? We are talking about the fate of the world!" He motioned toward his helicopter. "I came here to negotiate, not to fight. That's why I came alone."
"Is that still possible?" Wondered Ash as he glanced at the army at their far side.
Mr. Star sighed slightly. "We must try. The Tree of Beginning is not something we can simply gamble with."
He made a move toward the projection of Lee. Alerted, Commander Thorn brandished a handgun. His gaze snapped back and forth between Lee and Mr. Star, anxiously awaiting a signal to fire. To his shock, the Black Suits didn't seem to be phased at all.
"Hey!" He hissed down at them from the port on his tank, "What are you doing?! Get your damn weapons up, soldiers!"
One of the suits, not even bothering to uncross their arms, simply raised four of his fingers up at Thorn like a haphazard wave. A smirk upon his face, he told the commander, "Keep quiet and watch."
Thorn was utterly taken aback at the gall of this person who was supposed to be under his command. "You-!"
"Listen to him," Hissed Lee, making Thorn flinch and go stiff.
"Lee!" Shouted Mr. Star, surprising Ash with his volume. "This is insane! Even beyond everything you've already done, attacking the tree benefits no one. Not even yourself."
Scoffing, Lee responded, "Save it. Coming here without backup was about the single most idiotic thing you could have done, you crust covered bag of bones." He flashed the old man a wry, toothy grin. "We've been planning this for too long. Longer than you could imagine. This tree's coming down."
"There must be something!" Pleaded Mr. Star, taking another step toward Lee. "I am here to negotiate, Lee. I am prepared to offer you anything. Even my life if necessary."
"Mr. Star?!" Cried Ash in abject shock.
Lee chuckled. He caressed his chin, appearing to mull it over before responding, "As amusing as that might be, I'm afraid I'll have to decline. The fall of this tree will pave the way to the future of mankind, free from Pokemon."
"There is no future without Pokemon!" Mr. Star fell to his knees, then to his hands. Ash could hardly believe his eyes. His blood boiled at seeing Mr. Star having to beg, but held his tongue.
The old man continued to plead, shouting, "Anything in the world, Lee! Anything within my power. I can and will give it to you if you stand down. The destruction of this tree is not worth it!"
Lee's eyes rolled so forcefully that his head rolled around his neck with them. "There is nothing you could offer me that I care for, you worthless old waste of air."
Ash barely bit back a retort, but could not stop the infuriated growl that escaped his grit teeth. This did not go unnoticed by Lee, whose eyes soon fell upon him. Those eyes lit up with dark intentions.
"You, on the other hand," Spoke Lee, "May be different."
Mr. Star looked over his shoulder back at Ash. Ash himself continued to let his Aura surge. In this place, it didn't exhaust him at all.
"What do you want from me?"
Lee twiddled with his goatee. "It isn't necessarily about what you have, but what you can do for me."
Ash snapped, "Just get to the point."
"Ash," Protested Mr. Star softly.
With a sigh, Ash silently conceded and tried to relax as best as he could. And yet that gnawing continued. His body constantly felt like twitching. Just looking at the face of Lee sickened him.
"Fine," Replied Lee. "I will make it quick and simple could you…" He pointed to Ash, then to the tree, "Call Mew down here?"
High atop the leaves of the Tree of Beginning, Mew whispered to herself, "He wants me?"
Pikachu looked up at her with a tilted head. "Pi?"
"You want Mew?" Ash asked, somewhat in disbelief. "You must be joking."
Lee lightly shook his head. "No, no." Flipping open a pocket on his coat, Lee pulled out a small cigarette. "I don't plan on having any of my men so much as lay a finger on her. Trust me, I don't want that ticking time bomb within any of our bases."
From another pocket, Lee removed a lighter and flicked its edge. "All I need is a hair." Again, he flicked the lighter. "If we had that, then we could move onto the next stage…" A third flick ushered in the flame Lee was looking for. "…And there would be no need for things to get rowdy."
Goosebumps slowly made their presence known along Ash's skin the longer the conversation continued. Something was deeply wrong. "What do you need it for?"
"You don't need to know that," Replied Lee flatly. "I have made my terms clear. You may either offer me that strand of Mew's hair, or my men will burn this tree to the ground and take it along the way. The choice is yours."
As Ash opened his mouth to shoot back another retort, Mr. Star suddenly cried, "Just call her, Ash!"
Those words hit Ash like a truck. "What?!" Ash's eyes began to burn, and his ears rang slightly. "Mr. Star, if they're willing to call this off for that hair, they'll do something even worse with it!"
"Look around you, Ash!"
Again, Mr. Star yelled loudly enough to shock Ash into silence. Either the old man wasn't brave enough to get off of his knees or simply couldn't. Ether way, the desperation on his face was something Ash had never seen before in him.
Mr. Star raised an arm out toward the army gathered, all waiting for the order to fire upon the tree. "We stand between what could be another tragedy. Another war between people and Pokemon. That is the last thing the world needs!"
Then, he pointed a trembling, wrinkled hand at the tree that towered over them. "Within that tree lies the last untouched bastion of the Pokemon species. The only place in the world still untouched by either Necrozma or Team Rocket. Are you willing to risk that?"
Defensively, Ash shouted, "Of course I don't want to, but if they would give up for that hair after bringing a force like this, doesn't that mean something even worse might happen later?"
"We'll have time later!" Mr. Star's voice quivered as he spoke. It made Ash's will falter, the swirl of brilliant Aura around him swaying in response. "But we don't have time now. If we give them the hair, we'll have time to come up with something—some kind of plan. Right now, we can't do that."
The look of desperation he gave Ash was gut-wrenching. This old man, whom Ash looked up to as a source of unending optimism and strength during the past seven months of fighting, now appeared just as feeble as his age would suggest.
"I…"
"Ash!"
Lee suddenly let out a loud yawn. "I'll have you know I woke up early for this," He told them, "So my patience is running thin. Are you going to bring me Mew…" He raised his lit cigarette above his head, bellowing, "…Or not?!"
In spite of Mr. Star's pleas, every instinct of Ash's told him, nearly screamed at him, that something wasn't right. There was something deeply wrong with this, but he couldn't put his finger on what. All he knew was that his Aura begged him not to go through with this.
Ash shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no. We can think of something else, but my Aura is telling me that, if they get that hair, something terrible will happen."
"More terrible than this?!" Mr. Star suddenly said, "Ash. On that roof, you told me that you did not think Aura was trustworthy. Who do you trust more? It, or me?"
"Don't ask me something like that." Ash eyed Lee and the forces gathered behind him. "We don't only have two options. There's got to be another way."
Irritated, Mr. Star hissed, "That's naive! That's gambling with the lives of other living beings! We can form a plan later, but I need you to bring Mew down here now!"
But Ash merely shook his head. "I won't. Every fiber of my being is telling me not to do this."
"Just do it, Ash!"
"No!"
Mr. Star was stunned silent as Ash's shout ushered in a potent wave of Aura from his body that shot out like a pulse. Ash's breath became labored after. He stood still, his chest heaving methodically for air. Mr. Star did not move for a while. Neither did Lee, or any of the observing Black Suits. Thorn's eyes rapidly went from person to person, not knowing what to think.
Finally, Ash spoke once more. "I'm not betraying Mew like that. There has to be a third option, and I'll find it."
With a sigh, Mr. Star rose from his knees. "Ash," He said, "That is truly a shame."
"Huh?"
Mr. Star's demeanor changed entirely, now wearing a completely vacant expression upon his face. And yet the emotions Ash had sensed in him did not alter in spite of this.
Ash's eyes narrowed at him with concern. "Mr. Star?"
The old man bent his elbow, bringing one hand over his head. "Lee?" The portly man raised an eyebrow at him. Their eyes met, and Mr. Star said, "Time for the adjacent plan." And then, he snapped his fingers.
"Ho!" Guffawed a wide eyed, grinning Lee. "We're really doing this?"
A pit sunk within Ash's chest, an overwhelming feeling of dread washing over him. "Mr. Star? What's happening?"
His attention was taken toward the Star Foundation helicopter when four men in dirty red suits emerged. Those suits had a thick layer of leather over sleek sheet metal that coated their bodies. Their faces were obscured by thick masks with breathers, of which attached tubes stretched down to small tanks on their backs.
Those men marched past Ash and Mr. Star, giving Ash a clear view of the Nova Branch insignia etched upon their chests. They stopped on a dime just in front of Thorn's tank, then snapped around and stomped down on the dirt. Even Thorn himself seemed just as shocked by this as Ash.
"Mr. Star," Ash began with wide eyes, "What the heck is going…"
He glanced back at Mr. Star, cutting his question short when the old man was suddenly nowhere in sight. "What?!" Frantically, Ash's head turned from side to side in an attempt to find him. When his eyes finally landed upon Mr. Star again, he was standing in front of the men in red suits.
Breathlessly, Ash, his mind becoming more muddied by the second, only managed to ask, "What-"
"No more games, Ash."
Mr. Star grunted as he stretched his humped back. For the first time, Ash watched the man's back become straight, following the sound of several cracks. His fingers curled around a watch on his wrist, and upon twisting it, a light enveloped Mr. Star.
That light spiraled up from Mr. Star's boots, twisting around his body and changing it as it moved. Ash could only watch on as the short old man's form changed to that of someone much taller. Flattish shoes became round, black ones. Long black slacks replaced his rounded pants, and his signature lab coat he never seemed to be without was, all of a sudden, now a stainless white trench coat.
Gone was the short, friendly old man Ash had come to know over the past seven months. In his place, a tall, built man with a clean cut face and deep black shades. When the last of the light around this man faded, it took with it the Star Foundation insignia, and replaced it with an exploding star.
Immediately, Ash recognized this man by the coat that he wore. "You! I saw you in Dahara City!" He pulled back an arm, charging an Aura Sphere. "Who are you, and what have you done with Mr. Star?!"
The Man shook his head. "Ash. You are many things, but stupid is not one of them. Foolish, maybe, but not stupid. So stop acting like it."
"What?"
An irritating laugh from the projection of Lee caught Ash's ear. That round man wore a wry grin, scarcely hidden behind a hand on his chin. "Out of the shadows at last. Doesn't it feel refreshing, old friend?"
Without turning, The Man merely responded with a gruff, "Hmph."
"Ash," Began Lee, extending an arm down toward The Man, "Let me introduce you to my trusted partner and the true leader of the Nova Corporation. He is also the creator of that speech from earlier."
"Corporation?" Questioned Ash. "Genesect mentioned that, I think. Is that just a fancy name for the Nova Branch?"
With a voice that somehow sounded smooth and coarse at the same time, The Man calmly replied, "The Nova Branch was merely what we allowed Team Rocket to call our corporation. It was…" He slightly shifted in place. "…Convenient to let them, and the world at large, believe that we were only a branch of their organization. That way, our actions were attributed to them."
Lee added, "Team Rocket was certainly happy about it too. They got all the credit for our work, growing their influence while we got to stay in the shadows." He shrugged with a mocking chuckle. "Just as planned, that gave them pretty big heads. They never noticed that we were outgunning them until it was too late. And we never even needed the guns thanks to you, Ash!"
With a toothy grin, he nudged his head toward their army. "Until now, that is."
Ash wasn't quite as amused as Lee. Skeptically, he asked, "Are you saying you somehow orchestrated that fight?"
"I'm saying," Lee replied with a crooked smile, "That we've been orchestrating the entire world ever since the death of Necrozma."
That one almost made Ash laugh. "Do you expect me to believe that?"
"You," Spoke Lee, pointing down at Ash, "Should believe it easily. After all, you watched those events play out firsthand. You helped us."
Rolling his eyes, Ash flatly replied, "I've had enough of this. What have you done with Mr. Star?"
Lee facepalmed. "Oh, how much more obvious must we make this? Partner, you explain."
The Man obliged. "I will say it plainly. There never was a Mr. Star. Not as you knew him. Everything 'Mr. Star' became was merely a fabrication using our hologram technology."
To that, Ash let loose another surge of Aura. "Forgetting something? My Aura sensed Mr. Star's pure intentions and they never went away. Aura can't be lied to."
"So you would think." The Man put his fingers upon his wristwatch once more. "Sense carefully, and tell me what you find."
Ash's eyes narrowed at The Man, but he made no retort. Instead, he focused on this impersonator, eager to unmask his blatant lies. The Man turned the watch's notch by one increment, and Ash recoiled upon feeling Mr. Star's Aura from this person.
That sensation of purity and genuine care that Ash had known to be the core of Mr. Star's being was now emanating from The Man. That man then turned the notch again, leading to his Aura suddenly changing to portray a potent fury. One more turn of the watch ushered in a sensation of deep sorrow. All while The Man himself did not change expressions in the slightest.
He repeated this over and over, changing the emotions and characteristics Ash felt within his Aura. Ash sensed feelings of doubt, infatuation, fear, joy, fatigue, shock, and other emotions he could not even find words for. The Man's Aura malformed from pure good to pure evil, and from a grey muddiness that felt like fog in Ash's mind to a pure clarity as clear as day.
And then, it changed back to the pure, caring Aura of Mr. Star before The Man finally let go of his watch. "Don't be so quick to praise Aura as infallible," The Man chided Ash, whose jaw had gone slack. "Once something can be put under a microscope, it is simply another science to be tested and understood."
"And you gave us quite the sample with that statue," Added a mocking Lee.
Not giving Ash the time to properly absorb what he had just experienced, "The Man continued. "Under the guise of a fragile old man by the name of Mr. Star, I created the Star Foundation that was to act as the public face of the Nova Corporation. Once the value of Goldenrod City had plummeted after Necrozma made his presence known, I purchased the land for that use."
A grinning Lee said, "We had been working with Team Rocket for years before that. Thanks to our advice, they kept their heads down during that whole incident and…" He rubbed his index finger to his thumb. "…We were able to keep all of our assets while the rest of the world fell apart. When Necrozma was dead, Team Rocket, and by extension the Nova Corporation known as the Nova Branch, became the richest power in the world."
The portly man's arms shot outward. With a booming voice, he exclaimed, "And with that money, New Goldenrod City was born!"
Ash shook his head in an attempt to clear his dizzy mind. He didn't know how to begin to approach what he had sensed, and so instead, attempted to address what he had just heard.
"So you're trying to tell me you created an entire city that wanted to destroy you?"
"That," Said The Man, "Was but the surface purpose of New Goldenrod and the Star Foundation. After Necrozma's death, news of Goldenrod's recovery spread as we wanted."
Lee added, "After all, we were the only ones outside of Galar that could continue to fund the media so early after the war." Somehow, the toothy, crooked smirk on his face became wider. "All across the world, tales of a New Goldenrod City and the Star Foundation were heard. There were new job opportunities, stable wages, and homes. It didn't take long to attract people. Especially those who sympathized with Pokemon."
The finger Lee had pointed at Ash extended into a full hand as he said, "And you, with that advertisement of yours, helped with that. It was thanks to you that trainers from all over the world gathered to New Goldenrod. It was tales of your valor as the world's Chosen One that gave them hope. And because of that, you helped us to achieve New Goldenrod's true goal."
The Man finished Lee's thought. "That goal was to gather the highest concentration of trainers and Pokemon sympathizers to one place. Along with that, our swift rise to prominence as a business power granted us the fastest, most efficient methods of product creation and supply, to the point all other major businesses and organizations relied on us to exist. In short," He adjusted the collar of his coat, "We had monopolized the world."
"And it couldn't have been done without you, Ash," Mocked Lee.
Most of this still flew right over Ash's head. "But what about Team Rocket?"
"Team Rocket," Spoke The Man, ever in a flat, dead tone, "Became obsolete before long."
Lee said, "It is true that the Nova Corporation did begin as partners with Team Rocket as their 'Nova Branch.' In the beginning, two decades ago, we were merely a minor group of domestic informants. However, we were able to grow in time and became a company of weapons manufacturing before time." He chuckled wryly. "Of course, we kept the best stuff for ourselves."
The Man continued. "After the demise of Necrozma, the Star Foundation and New Goldenrod City allowed our funding to let the Nova Corporation grow beyond the scope of even Team Rocket."
"And so you had no more use for them?"
Lee clapped his hands loudly. "Attaboy! You're finally starting to get the picture."
One thing still bothered Ash. "Let's go a hundred steps back and assume I actually believe anything you've been telling me." He crossed his arms, then asked, "Why destroy Team Rocket? Couldn't you have influenced them to help you?"
"An unnecessary risk," Answered The Man. "The goals of us and those of Team Rocket would clash before long. Giovanni told you that much, didn't he?"
Ash's eyes went wide, then narrowed at The Man. "How do you know that?"
Lee went to reply until The Man raised a hand to stop him. "We've spoken enough, and it is clear the boy will not listen." He sent a glance up at Lee, which Lee apparently recognized.
"Actions over words then, hm?" Wondered Lee with an excited chuckle.
"No." The Man twisted a notch on his watch once more, then clutched something on his neck. The same glow that transformed Mr. Star into the enigmatic figure now manifested a necklace. Where The Man gripped, crystalline growths emerged from thin air into the shape of a warped, jagged black star. "Demands."
Stepping forward, The Man retracted his hands into the interior pockets of his large coat and nodded up at the tree. "You. Get Mew to cooperate or we'll force it to obey. I'm not asking anymore."
"As if!" Ash swiped his arm through the air, sending auric sparks through the air. "I told you I wouldn't sell out Mew even when you were pretending to be Mr. Star. What makes you think I would now?"
Lee nearly choked over a brief fit of laughter. "He still thinks there's a Mr. Star. Partner, it looks like those acting classes paid off."
To Ash, The Man responded, "I have come to know you as many things, but blind is not one of them. Look around you."
"Your goons?" Asked Ash with a scoff. "Mew can take care of them in an instant. But neither of us wants that, I'm sure."
The Man held out his arm, slowly curving it up through the air and extending his index finger. "One last chance, Ash," He spoke. "Bring Mew down or you will regret it."
"As if," Ash spat back, even as his Aura flared up in response to something dangerous. "I'm not afraid of any of you, least of all some guy pretending to be Mr. Star. Who even are you?"
There was still nothing that Ash could sense amidst any of the Nova Corporation soldiers. Not even a speck of life. Everywhere they were, from their men to their vehicles, there was nothing. It was like they didn't exist at all. Even as the wind howled and kicked dust past the feet of The Man in front of Ash, it became as if that dust disappeared and reappeared as it passed.
"My name," Spoke The Man, "Has had no meaning for twenty years. What I am is my organization." One of his fingers slid across his coat and landed upon the patch over his heart. "I am the Nova Corporation. I am Nova."
"Nova?"
Lee abruptly clapped his hands together. "Well! Now that one less secret is out in the open, shall we reveal another?"
This man, evidently called Nova, nodded. "Agreed. We have given enough chances." He brought up his watch and said into it, "Men, bring them out."
A footstep on metal made Ash whip around. From the helicopter, two more of the odd men in red suits emerged. They dragged three people, bound by rope and black bags covering their heads, by their wrists toward Nova. The prisoners were draped in ragged white garbs. Like the others, Ash couldn't sense a thing from them.
"What in the-?!" Seeing the hostages, Aura swirled into Ash's hands into a sphere. "You're seriously doing this? Let them go!"
"You open fire and we'll respond in kind," Warned Lee. He snapped his fingers, causing the men in red outfits to hold the prisoners between themselves and Ash as they passed him. "But of course, you wouldn't fire on them, would you? Especially once you find out who they are."
Ash could do little in response to that but scowl and begrudgingly retract the Auric flow. "What do you mean?" He asked tentatively.
In response, the two men carrying the hostages kicked the back of their legs to buckle them, sending them onto their knees. Ash's heart skipped a beat upon recognizing their voices as they cried out.
One of the men in red tossed down a bag beside the prisoners. Several Pokeballs rolled out, one of which stopping against the underside of a crimson boot.
Nova snapped his fingers, and the men in red, moving in exact synchronization, tore the bags from their heads, and Ash's blood ran cold. Three familiar faces were set before him by the enigmatic man.
Paul growled furiously the moment the bag was removed. His eyes, red with blood, wildly scanned the area and glared death at all the Nova Corporation personnel. Those bloodshot eyes widened upon spotting Ash.
Riley, beaten and bruised recoiled in response to the sunlight that touched his face. His blue hair was matted and in shambles. On top of it all, he was thin to the bone. Ash could hardly recognize him. Riley's tired eyes slowly opened to see Ash's flaring white Aura. A spark of recognition stirred his mind, and he managed a small grin upon seeing Ash's progress.
And finally, there was Serena. She was pale-faced and trembling. Ash had never seen her so afraid. If there was any mercy to be had within this moment, Ash could at least be thankful she wasn't hurt like the others. He didn't know what he would do if he saw her like that.
"Ash!" They called out to him.
"You guys!" Ash's furious gaze snapped past the men in red suits to focus solely upon Nova. "What have you done to them?!"
Nova calmly replied, "It didn't have to come to this, but you forced my hand."
"Mr. Star couldn't persuade you, but can they?" Wondered a mocking Lee aloud. "With how much you seemed to care about others, I'm quite shocked you would put your own friends at risk over a hair."
Snarling with all the ferocity of a Houndoom, Paul shouted, "Don't listen to a thing these people tell you! It's all lies! It's always been nothing but lies!" He attempted to thrash against the hold of the man in red who held his wrist bindings to no avail. And still, he continued to shout.
"The Star Foundation. Mr. Star. All of it! They've been using us since the very beginning." His breath went ragged upon spotting the Secretary Bot on Ash's wrist. "Ash, get that thing off of you! They were using those to listen in on us. The moment I found that out, they took me in to silence me!"
Ash stared down at the trusty machine on his wrist in shock. He hasn't believed this Nova character's claim for a second, but Paul?
"H-he's right."
His attention was caught by Serena saying that. She looked at him with eyes full of water, threatening to break loose at any time. "Mr. Star lied to us. All of us. When I went to the celebration, he called me up to his office and ordered his men to…"
She trailed off, unable to finish what she was about to say. But it was more than enough for Ash. Tearing the Secretary Bot from his arm, he hurled it straight at Nova's head with all of his strength. It shot toward him faster than a bullet. No one could react.
The space around the enigmatic man seemed to twist, and the Secretary Bot hung in mid-air. It simply froze, as if time itself had stopped around it. Nova raised his arm, taking the discarded machine into his hand.
"I trusted you!" Bellowed Ash. "The Legends trusted you! The world trusted you!"
Nova tossed the now useless accessory aside and stepped forward. "Indeed," He spoke as the man in red closest to Serena made way for him to pass. "That was part of the plan."
High atop the Tree of Beginning, Mew watched the events unfold below with bated breath. It had been truly fortunate that Ash had managed to keep any blood from spilling thus far, but from what she gathered, it would not remain that way for long.
Had Mr. Star, whom she put her trust in, truly been the false name for their enemy this entire time? Or had it merely been a disguise used by that enemy in an attempt to persuade Ash to have her appear?
She didn't know. She simply did not know. That mysterious veil of nothingness that encompassed the enemy prevented her from seeing into their minds to find the answers for herself. It was almost funny. The moment she was deprived of the ability to take knowledge, she had none. She was utterly at a loss for what to do.
What a hollow being she had become.
Already, she had tried to contact Arceus and yet he would not respond. He had not spent his existence taking from others as she did. He would have known what to do—what the best course of action to take would have been.
And she was deprived of that knowledge herself, having been so dependent on invading the minds and lives of others against their consent in order to learn things she did not know.
What should she do?
What could she do?
As she continued to watch the situation below her unfold, something within the back of her mind told her just to keep waiting. Maybe Ash could figure this out by himself. He was chosen by Aura after all. And that being was more wise than her.
Mew shook her head, getting the attention of the equally worried Pikachu sitting beside her.
No. Letting someone else handle her own problems for her was akin to running away. She had been running from her problems for centuries. It would be as if she hadn't changed at all to let Ash handle this alone. She couldn't run away anymore.
But that begged the question: Should she fight? Her mind wandered to the last time she had taken an outwardly threat against the Tree of Life into her own hands. All she could think of beyond that was the sea of ashes that had covered the land and sky after the last time.
She was at a complete loss as to what she could or should do. But she knew she had to do something.
Reaching into the depths of his overcoat, Nova made Ash's heart sink as he brandished a handgun. It was a light black shade with a glass chamber on its underside. Within that chamber was a black crystal shard suspended in its center. A crystal not unlike the ones grafted together near Nova's neck.
"None of this is for show, Ash," Warned Nova. He nodded up at one of the men in red, making them press down slightly on the Pokeball they had their boot on. "I won't tolerate any more wasted time."
"Don't listen, Ash."
Riley's weak, wheezing voice set all eyes upon him. The once proud Aura Guardian was in a truly pitiful state. Seeing him made Ash thankful that he couldn't sense Riley's Aura. Even with his teeth broken and bloodied, and his eyes glossed over, Riley continued to speak.
"Give them nothing, Ash," Riley told him, his voice little more than a rasp. His lungs heaved with almost every word spoken. "They will take everything from you. From everyone." As he struggled for air, Riley forced his head up to look Ash in the eyes. "Just as they did to me."
Ash was reaching his boiling point. He didn't know what kind of result attacking these monsters disguised as men would bring, but he was beginning to care less. "What did they do?"
"…Lucario. They-"
Nova snapped his fingers, and the man in red who held Riley suddenly kicked him forward and planted his foot upon his head.
"You will see that much for yourself, if you don't bring Mew to us," Warned the enigmatic man.
Even more ivory Aura surged to Ash's hands. "Get off him, now!"
Nova swiftly pointed his gun at the back of Serena's head, earning a yelp from her. "I suggest greater care with your words," He warned.
Immediately, Ash's bravado fell like a stone over a cliff. Even though Ash couldn't see Nova's eyes past his shades, he could suddenly feel Nova's intent as his wrist watch beeped on its own.
"You will bring Mew down here within ten seconds," Ordered Nova, his low voice commanding absolute authority, "Or she will die. The rest of them too, including their pets." And without giving Ash the chance even to breathe let alone respond, he pressed the gun enough to force Serena's head forward. "Ten."
Ash's heart raced, beating like a drum.
"Nine."
His wild eyes went up to the tree, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to spot Mew.
"Eight."
Would she be angry if he called her?
"Seven."
Would she consider it some kind of betrayal if he suddenly asked her to do their bidding?
"Six."
He didn't have a choice.
Nova dragged his boot through the dry dirt impatiently. "Five, Ash."
He had to. If he didn't, his friends would die.
"Four. You can keep me waiting all you want, Ash, but not everybody has as much time as…"
He stopped all of a sudden and went dead silent. His head turned slightly, staring at something beside Ash. Nova's men all shuffled in their spots, murmuring in shock. Even the Black Suits appeared unnerved, brandishing their weapons.
The eyes of Serena and Paul went wide.
"Is that…?" Wondered Paul, unsure if his eyes deceived him.
Serena, at last, felt some semblance of relief. "It is. It's her!"
Ash turned to his side to see what had caught everyone's undivided attention. And to his shock, that thing was pink. Mew herself floated by his side, staring straight into the black shades of Nova.
"Mew!" Ash cried. "Y-you're here!"
Mew turned her head slightly to look back at him, then nodded solemnly. "You did all you could for me. Let me return the favor."
Ash certainly wasn't complaining, but he had to wonder what in the world her plan was. By the strained look on her face, it didn't seem like she came down to fight. She and Nova exchanged stares for a moment, their breath caught in their throats. Something about him was familiar , but Mew couldn't put her finger on it.
"Well!" Exclaimed Lee, finally breaking the silence. "If it isn't the star of the show. Frankly, I never expected you to show yourself willingly."
Scowling at him, she replied, "Yeah, well I'm here now. Why have you come here?"
"You were already listening in, weren't you?" Prodded Lee knowingly. "Why else would you come during the countdown?"
The confidence of this man in her presence was utterly insulting. On top of that, this was perhaps the only time she knew frighteningly little about an enemy. It was a cruel time for the tables to turn.
At last, Nova spoke with the Mother of all Pokemon. "You know what we want. Hand it over."
Mew put her hands upon her hips. "If it's a piece of my DNA you're after, why not just ask your old Team Rocket friends? Didn't you know they had a sample for years?"
Not buying into her provocation, Nova replied, "We were well aware of the fossilized eyelash they acquired." Briefly, he glanced at the silent men in red and added, "That asset played its part. But it was impure. A mere eyelash, muddied by time and stone, was of no use to us."
"We needed a pure strain," Lee chimed in, "Straight from the source." He made a motion as if he were plucking something, earning an even darker scowl from Mew than the one she was already giving him. This only seemed to amuse him.
Mew's eyes wandered down toward Nova, then to the gun in his hand. That was the enemy's bargaining chip. If she could at least remove that, then perhaps the negotiations would go her way.
Her eyes glowed pink as her mind reached out toward the man before her. Still, there was nothing her mind sensed but void. It was like trying to grab air. Her mind told her nothing was there despite her eyes clearly seeing otherwise.
The grafted crystal by Nova's neck began to glow. When this caught his attention, he wasted no time. In response to Mew's attempted attack, he pulled the trigger.
"No!" Roared Ash.
Mew's heart sank and she retracted her psychic power immediately, but it was too late to stop the trigger from being pulled.
Serena winced shutting her eyes tightly. But the bullet never came.
Instead of firing, the crystal within the gun's glass underside began to spin rapidly. Small, violet streams of electricity appeared near the back of the gun on each side and slowly moved toward its barrel.
"Let me make everything crystal clear," Hissed Nova warningly. "When I remove my finger, the gun will fire. Nothing will be left of Serena. That strand of hair will be in my hand in the next three seconds or she dies. If you care about that."
The way he spat that last comment at her, almost as if he knew how she once was, made Mew wince.
"Three."
Ash tried to look at Mew, but she glanced away. "Mew."
"Two."
Ash took a step toward her. "Mew, please! We can figure this out later!"
"One."
Just as Nova loosened his grip on the trigger, Mew leaned forward and shouted, "Alright!"
Nova stared at her for a moment, then pulled his finger back on the trigger to tighten it. "Well?"
Ash, Paul, Serena and Mew stood silent, only sending unsure glances at one another. It was only a delirious Riley who grumbled muffled protests against this. None of them wanted this, but what choice did they have?
It was only Mew who had a choice. It was a choice she made atop the tree not to run any longer, nor to act as childish and monstrous as she once did. Especially not when lives were at stake.
She plucked a single strand of pink hair from her furry body. Nova held out an open hand. Riley, meanwhile, continued to struggle against his bindings. The man in red who held him did not make any extra effort to stop him, merely continuing to hold him in place as he did before.
Not trusting Nova, she did not dare to go near him. The hair was enveloped in the pink glow of her Psychic energy and floated toward him. Halfway, that pink glow shifted to a black one, and Mew could no longer sense it.
When the hair strand fell just over Nova's palm, he marveled at it. Mew asked, "Well? What now? Will you leave like you promised?" And Nova looked to her. Whatever was behind his shades as he glanced between her and the Tree of life was something Mew could not comprehend.
His hand clenched tightly around the hair, and he answered, "Zero." And then, he released the trigger.