Hoenn, Route 131 Sea
A young Groudon unleashed his earthen bellow across the sea, causing the molten island he stood upon to expand when searing pillars of magma rose up from the waters at his behest. He went slightly slack as air rushed to his vacant lungs.
Watching over him was Rayquaza, coiled around a black spire that rose up from the island's center. The sky lord craned his head around to look at Groudon's progress. This island had to have been twenty times his size. Paltry compared to the work of the original, but for the young one, it was tremendous progress.
As he opened his wide jaw to commend Groudon, something in the air rushed past him. It was a feeling instinctively shouting in his mind that there was something wrong. Something dreadful to every nerve in his body.
All around him, something was deeply, horribly wrong. The island's red glow dimmed, the blue ocean seemed to shimmer less. It was as if the very world had lost a shade of color, becoming ever so slightly more gray.
The world itself had gone wrong; it had lost something integral to life itself. That feeling washed over him like a wave, and as he turned with wide eyes and a slack jaw to where it had come from, he found himself drawn to the source of this loss like a lost sixth sense taking hold of his instincts.
"Rayquaza?"
Groudon's voice made Rayquaza flinch. He blinked repeatedly, trying to rid himself of the sudden haze over his mind. Turning to the young Legend, Rayquaza found his yellow eyes peering up at him curiously, and cautiously as he asked, "What was that?"
A low rumble escaped Rayquaza's throat as he pondered this himself. That sixth sense gnawed at his mind, and intrinsically, he knew the answer. "The Tree of Beginning. The signs are unmistakable. It is what grants us life, but now, it is in danger."
Groudon tilted his head. "And you're going?"
Looking back to the direction he felt the tree, the serpent's eyes narrowed as he growled. "Yes. Something terrible is transpiring. Stay here."
When Rayquaza uncoiled himself from the spire, Groudon suddenly cried out in protest. "Wait! Let me come with you. If this is something important, like a fight, I wanna help."
"Concern yourself only with your training here," Rumbled Rayquaza. His patience, ravaged by the suffocating sensation hanging over him, was drawing to its thinnest point. "I will go alone. If something is powerful enough to endanger the Tree of Beginning, you will not stand a chance."
"Wait!"
Rayquaza clicked his tongue, shut his eyes, and drew a long breath before turning his irate glare upon Groudon. Although the young Legend nearly recoiled at the sight, he stepped forward regardless.
"We promised we would have each other's backs," Groudon reminded his teacher. "I'm coming to help!"
A bead of sweat ran down the side of Rayquaza's head, although he turned it to hide this. "I-I suppose that is true, but that is exactly why I must keep you safe. If even Lady Mew is having trouble, then my power…" He paused to breathe. "I doubt I will even be able to protect myself, let alone you."
Groudon's face twisted in horror. "Even you…?" He stepped to the island's edge adamantly. "Then you have to take me! If you can't do it alone, then we'll do it together. That's what friends are for, right?!" He awaited a response from Rayquaza, who merely turned away. "R-right? Rayquaza!"
"Stay here."
Those were Rayquaza's parting words before darting off, leaving behind the shocked young Groudon. Groudon shouted up at him desperately, but his voice was deafened by the raging winds flying past the serpent's ears. Groudon was left alone and helpless in the middle of the ocean once more.
Thunderbolt. Flamethrower. Ice Beam.
Bullets, shells, explosives.
All of these and more fell upon the battlefield like rain. Every second of every minute was filled with the deafening roars of crossfire. Further south, toward the the tail end of the assault, there was the furious cries between a single man and Pokemon.
A lone soldier grabbed the Nincada that leapt up at his neck. When he tossed it to the ground, it hissed up at him. The soldier stomped down on its abdomen to keep it down, earning another furious hiss from the Bug-Type.
Its claws shimmered an emerald green as it prepared to use X-Scissor on the offending human's legs. The soldier grit his teeth, drew his weapon, and fired. Kicking the smoking bug away, he stepped away from it. It didn't move.
Removing his helmet, the soldier, a youthful man still steepled with wrinkles regardless, wiped the sweat from his brow. Each breath he took felt labored, regardless of how much air he took in. He turned north toward the tree. Barely, he could make out the forms of his comrades in the smoke, as well as the ceaseless hail of attacks coming from within.
"When…" He took in another sharp breath of air. "…Is this all going to end?"
The northmost campaign was met with the heaviest resistance from the Pokemon. Despite the fallen branch that split their ranks, the areas closest to the tree were still the most densely numbered. Two squads, each headed by a Black Suit, followed the orders set by Nova to rout the tree's forces from the Northeast and Northwest points of the valley.
Regirock and Regice ceaselessly beeped even as they toppled swarms of man and machine alike. Those signals were not lost on the Psychic Type Pokemon around them. Upon hearing them, their eyes glimmered blue. A pulse, nearly invisible to the eye, went from Psychic to Psychic to convey these signals to one another. That glimmer in their eyes spread from the Psychics to each and every Pokemon around them.
Amongst a sea of beasts, the hot orange streaks of gunfire were all that stood between a squad of ten men nearing the northwest base of the tree, and the fangs and claws that anxiously awaited their opportunity to tear apart the invaders of their home.
Narrowly, a soldier tossed himself into a roll to evade the descending Slash attack of a Scyther. As he aimed his pistol up at it and fired, it deflected the shot with Metal Claw.
"You gotta be…!" The soldier bit back an expletive and leapt back just as the bug brought up its claw to attack again. He hissed in pain when the claw drew across his arm straight into his armor. Were it not for that, he would have lost his arm outright rather than making it out with a cut.
Drawing his rifle from his back, he aimed up at the Scyther between its eyes, but before he could pull the trigger, a vine pulled the gun back. Shocked, the soldier turned and saw the perpetrator: a small Tangela glaring at him amidst the crowd of beasts.
The bullets narrowly shot past the Scyther's head and made it wince. Its eyes momentarily followed where the bullets had gone in its shock, but that shock quickly gave way to fury when its gaze turned back upon the soldier.
That gaze chilled the soldier to the bone. When he tried to rise back to his feet, he tripped, gasping as he found another vine now wrapped around his ankle. Even as the man drew his sidearm against the Tangela, the furious hiss of the Scyther made him quickly realize he wouldn't be able to shoot two Pokemon in time.
His heart nearly exploded with every further beat. Each breath came ragged and shrill. He tried to find his comrades, but they were in no better shape than he. All he could see were faint shadows amidst the horde, furiously scrambling in their fights to keep the surrounding beasts away. One of them was in the constriction of a Seviper. Their free arm reached for a dropped weapon, only for the beast to bare its poison-coated fangs and bite down.
Before he knew it, the Scyther was upon him. He cried out in terror, attempting to grab his pistol instinctively, yet futilely. It opened its maw to cry out in victory with its blade drawn overhead. Amidst the horde, a wire flew from between the bodies and wrapped itself around the Scyther's arm.
The wire retracted. Just as the Scyther shifted focus, a red hot blade was shoved into the side of its skull. It fell to the ground instantly. Atop its corpse, a Black Suit quickly turned and drew upon the Tangela. It was given only a split second to realize its life was in danger before a bullet spelt its end.
"Two can play at that game, right?" Asked the Black Suit as he quickly pulled the soldier up.
Still in disbelief that he continued to draw breath, the soldier took in a weighty breath. "Thank you, sir," He replied between breaths.
Before replying, the Black Suit brought up his barrier in front of them. Beneath his sunglasses, his eyes went from beast to beast in an attempt to see which one would strike first. "I haven't saved you yet. Wait until the last of these things are down."
"We're nearly at the tree! If we get inside and set the damn thing on fire, this will all be over!"
The Black Suit did not share in the soldier's enthusiasm. Rather, he was transfixed on the eyes of the Pokemon. Each and every one of them shared a blue glint. "Come to think of it, for wild ones, these ones are showing an awful lot of strategy and teamwork."
Uncomfortably, the soldier shifted in place at the near memory of the Scyther and Tangela. "You're telling me. Aren't only the trained ones supposed to act like this?" His eyes widened as a realization struck him. "Wait, you think something's giving them orders?!"
A nearby Xatu opened its wings, its eyes glimmering blue. Immediately, the Pokemon nearest to the two men opened their jaws and fired an array of attacks.
"Get down!"
The Black Suit suddenly dragged the soldier down and raised his shield over their heads. Although most of the attacks sailed over their heads, they could feel the sheer impact even through the shield. The explosions bore down on them, assaulting their every sense all while the shield groaned against the impact.
Rolling to the side, the Black Suit raised his gun and began firing into the smoke, confident it would be impossible to miss against the sheer numbers surrounding them. There was a cry from above. A human one. He turned just in time to see a Fearow pluck one of his other squadmates off the ground with its talons.
The Black Suit aimed at it, but decided against firing. The Fearow had already taken the poor soul so high that shooting it would only kill them anyways. And while it might have meant a more merciful end than what that Fearow had in store, the Black Suit needed every bullet he could get.
Just as he took aim, the Black Suit was alerted by a panicked cry. The soldier he had saved now had one leg knee deep into the ground. Upon trying to pull himself out, something beneath the ground yanked harder.
The Black Suit clicked his tongue in annoyance, seeing an Ursaring and an Avalugg head the group of Pokemon closing in on that soldier. He took aim and fired into the crowd, sending an array of angry hisses and roars up from them. For better or worse, he had succeeded in drawing the attention from at least some of them.
"Come on!" The Black Suit extended his free arm out to the soldier. Before their hands could meet, something struck his barrier and sent him onto his back. The unsightly maw of a Hippowdon chomped at his shield, threatening to crush him under its weight before it could even break his shield.
He fired into its throat and rolled away before it could collapse on top of him. Behind him, he heard the agonized cry of another of his men, followed swiftly by the triumphant cacophony of roars from the beasts that took them. All that was left of his squad was the soldier in front of him.
Blindly, he fired at the beasts closest to the soldier in the ground, briefly relishing in their cries as he took the opportunity to make a move on his last man. He extended his arm, reached for the man, and when that man tried to reach back, the Black Suit was suddenly blasted back by a blinding blue beam from above.
The explosion sent the Black Suit tumbling across the ragged ground. He dug his fingers into it, slowly grinding to a halt. Above him, he heard a roar, and circling high overhead was a Salamence. His gaze slowly lowered back to his last soldier, finding only a smoldering crater instead.
If only for the briefest moment, the Black Suit pursed his lips, lowered his head, and swallowed a variety of spiteful words. Those could be saved for later. For now, he raised his head once more to look upon the horde that surrounded him. Everywhere, from every angle, in both land and sky, there were nothing but savage beasts ready to relieve him of his limbs.
They encroached on him, bloodthirsty looks in their eyes. He brought up his wire on his wrist, having no intention of giving them that satisfaction. The fact of the matter was that he no longer had anything to protect. His men were dead. All he could do was rendezvous with another squad and fill them in.
He set his sights up at the valley's northwest edge. A small cliff jutted out from its side. That was his way out. He brandished a grenade, pulled the pin, and dropped it before firing his wire up at the cliff. It soared through the air over the heads of the horde of Pokemon, until a blue eyed Bisharp leapt up and cleaved it apart.
The Black Suit's jaw nearly went slack. His skin suddenly crawled as he remembered the danger he had just ushered and quickly brought up his shield just before his grenade went off, and he was blinded and deafened all at once.
When the light faded, the Black Suit was surrounded by flames. His ears still rang loudly. Around him, there was flailing. Beasts in the shadow of smoke batted at their skin to rid themselves of the fire accompanying it.
Painstakingly, he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up. The Pokemon nearby, still licking the last of their wounds, noticed this, and they went wild. Bellows of fury for their injuries filled the air, causing the Black Suit's ears to ring even more. And as they approached, he took a weapon off of his back.
The Black Suit grinned as he raised the drilling spear gun in defiance of the horde. "My orders," He rasped, "Were to save this for the Legends if I encountered any. But you know what?" He primed the trigger, causing the spear to spin in its holster. "This makes a good substitute in my eyes."
Loud, pained cries caught not only his attention, but the Pokemon as well. All before he had even released the trigger. He squinted past the smoke, and to his surprise, his cracked shades picked up on a radio signal, and a large one at that.
Something massive was ravaging any beast that dared to get in its path. His eyes going wide, he dove to the ground and held his sparking shield over his head as a wave of bullets felled every Pokemon in sight.
Frantically, he went for his radio, praying to whatever Gods were out there, besides the ones they were trying to kill, that it still worked. "This is Black Suit Unit 083, copy, this is Black Suit Unit 083, do you read my position?!"
Evidently, his message went through. In lieu of the hail of bullets, he was able to stand on his feet once more. Beyond dead and fleeing Pokemon, he could see something massive approaching in the distance. It was a tank, but far from the ordinary ones the Nova Branch had in stock.
This was one of two Anti-Pokemon War Tanks specially built for the war against Pokemon. Surrounding it was no less than twenty men, all encircling it with their guns pointed in every direction as the tank slowly trudged along on its rolling treads. The massive tank had not one, but three long barrels jutting out from a variable head.
Below those barrels were dozens of turrets on all sides. Thick green metal lined its every inch. To call it a mere tank was inaccurate. It was so massive that it was more accurate to call it a moving fortress, larger than even ten normal tanks.
"Black Suit Unit 083, this is the Terrestrial Armored Vehicle 'Enyo,' do you read?"
"A-Affirmative," Responded the Black Suit, still unable to take his eyes off the majesty of Metal before him. "My squad has been wiped out, and my shield and weapons damaged."
"Understood. Rendezvous with Squad Eighteen. They should be further south. A line has been cleared for you."
Overhead, the loud bellow of a Salamence made the Black Suit clutch his weapon instinctively. But before he could do much as lift a finger against it, a boom nearly as deafening as his grenade shook his body.
The Salamence disappeared in a plume of white smoke, but the Black Suit quickly realized that this was actually frost. From that frost, the Salamence fell, encased in ice. It shattered like glass on impact. The Black Suit glanced back at the Enyo, finding a similar white frost leaking from one of its barrels. All he could do was sigh in awe before trudging off to regroup.
From within the massive tank, an older man with a large, gray, squared mustache squinted up at the Tree of Beginning looming overhead. They were only a handful of Pokemon away from making contact. He snapped his fingers, and the myriad of guns along the tank's exterior set off like a light show.
Bullets and shells of specific elements whirred loudly through the interior of Enyo, aimed at the remaining Pokemon in their way, both on land and in the sky, and attacked magnanimously. The elemental weaponry whirred through the air and met their targets before they knew they were being aimed at. The colorful explosions that resulted appeared almost akin to fireworks.
Seeing the bodies rain down amidst a sea of flame and color, the commander piloting the Enyo could not help but to let out a booming laugh and clap at the show. "Wonderful! With this, we'll be bringing down that parasitic tree in no time."
Unimpeded, the Enyo and its entourage made its way to the base of the tree before long. The soldiers walking alongside it anxiously aimed at the colossal horde of Pokemon still behind them. After the grand showing they had just witnessed, the Pokemon were in shock. The blue glow had faded from their eyes. They merely stood still and watched on with slack jaws and wide eyes.
Within the Enyo, the commander pulled a transceiver by its chord from the control panel. "This is Commander Ward to General Lee. The Enyo is positioned along the northwest edge of the tree."
There was a moment of only static before a response came, although the voice was not of Lee. "Commander Thorn and the Ares have also reached their designated positions along the northeast edge." Ward's face wrinkled at the voice. It was warped and almost smothered with static. "You are both permitted to engage the next phase of the-"
Shaking his head, Commander Ward suddenly interrupted them. "Hold on, who is this? I requested instructions from General Lee, not some-"
"This is Nova."
Those three words made Ward's blood run cold in his veins. Throughout his years working with Christopher Lee, there were rumors among the Black Suits of a man even Lee worked for. He had never believed it until that man shed the form of their sworn human enemy and combatted Mew itself.
"I-I, um…"
"Lee is occupied aboard the Azathoth. Do you require me to repeat your instructions, Commander Ward?"
Even though he was alone, Ward shook his head, more energetically than before. "N-no, sir! We will proceed as planned in the briefings."
"See that you do."
And then, there was static. Slowly, Ward lowered the transceiver back to its holster on the panel and shifted his fingers back to the controls. He took a deep breath and decided not to waste any further thoughts on the experience. It appeared that he would simply have to rely on his own wits.
With his thumb, he switched channels to speak his men outside the tank. "Men, flank the Enyo and cover your ears. We're going in the hard way."
By his order, his men piled behind the rear of the massive tank and doubled over, shielding their ears. A thunderous boom shook the ground, each of the men trembling as the shockwave passed through their bodies. That explosion was followed by a loud crack.
As the twenty soldiers emerged from behind the Enyo to resume their prior positions, they witnessed a large chunk of the tree's bark fall away. The stricken area of the tree was splintered. It was barely a scratch compared to the tree at large, but for the Enyo's efforts, it would suffice.
The three barrels near the top of the tank retracted into the main body. In their place, a panel near the front opened, unveiling a large drill. With a whirr, the heavy piece of metal began to rotate in place, growing faster until it grew white hot, distorting the air around it. The tank's treads ushered it forward, and the drill began to work its magic.
The thick bark of the Tree of Beginning, splintered by the blast, gave way to the drill. Enyo pushed into the tree's bark, nearly unimpeded. Behind it, the soldiers carefully followed, keeping their weapons pointed out at the Pokemon in case they tried anything until they had all breached the bark. The stunned Pokemon were left in a haze of dust and ashes.
For much time, the drilling went smoothly for the soldiers and Enyo. The cave dampened much of the noise from the drill from where they marched, leaving them only with that hum and the sounds of their boots clacking against the hard floor. It was difficult to believe it was supposed to be wood.
The soldiers at the head of the group stopped all of a sudden, flinching. One of them quickly pulled out their transceiver. "Commander Ward, stop." Behind the Enyo, there was a smaller tunnel that stretched out on either side, rising slightly on their left. Adorning the walls were crystals that gleamed orange, illuminating both tunnels. "It seems we bisected a natural tunnel."
Within the Enyo, a dark smirk crept up Commander Ward's face. "So we did. One of you, scout ahead. The rest, stay behind me in case any beasts are still around."
"Yes sir," Replied the soldier with the transceiver. As he placed it back to his chest, he slid down into the adjacent tunnel, turned to face up at where it led, and marched. Unbeknownst to him, from the crystals he passed, an orange ooze leaked from the crystals and melded into the ground.
After much walking with the rumbling of the tank behind him as it widened the tunnel to accommodate its size, the soldier came upon a light source different from the crystals lining the tunnel walls.
"Commander, I believe I've found something."
Emerging through the light, the soldier came upon a large chamber. All along the walls, stone rises led to other tunnels. Wilting grass coated the ground. Light poured down from a gap in the roof onto a shimmering lake. He wondered how that was possible. Nothing on the outside of the tree suggested there was a hole like this. Even if they had made it, wouldn't there be smoke and fire?
The sound of a rumbling engine and splintering rock reminded him that it soon wouldn't matter. Serenity gave way to the disruption of stone and steel once the Enyo's drill burrowed its way into the chamber. After it breached, the remainder of the accompanying squad piled in.
Within the Enyo, Commander Ward whistled at the sight. Even through a mere screen, he could tell this place was beautiful. Shimmering waters, serene grass, and gentle light petering in from above. It was such a shame that it was a mere nesting ground for beasts.
The thought of those worthless monsters infesting such a pristine lake made Ward's blood boil. He swallowed the lump in his throat, unable to take his eyes off the shimmering water. All he could see within it was the sight of a monstrous Gyarados laying waste to its surroundings, and the screams of those crushed underneath.
"Harry, my boy," Ward whispered, drawing one trembling hand closer to his transceiver, and the other hand to the Enyo's controls, "You'd be twenty years old today. And today, you can finally rest, as I repay everything these monsters have done to us."
He took one moment to shakily breathe before addressing his men on the transceiver. "Place the Toxic charges on the stone supports. We'll pick out another tunnel to drill to the next chamber from there."
"Yes, sir!"
On his order, the soldiers spread out amidst the chamber. One after another, they removed cubic containers of black metal from packs they carried, placing them all along the supports of the chamber. Once detonated, explosions would be set to cause the chamber to collapse on itself and spread deadly toxins throughout the tree's veins.
As one soldier stuck the charge onto the bottom of a pillar holding an overpass, he froze suddenly, noticing an orange glow spreading from the area he placed the charge. From the bark, a glowing, amorphous thing emerged around the charge and consumed it.
He leapt back, priming an Ice-Type round in his sidearm. The orange mass suddenly leapt at him, and he fired. As the bullet penetrated the gelatinous creature, its stretching form slowed. Crystals of ice emerged from within it, encasing it entirely before long.
The soldier held his firearm steady, his hands trembling. Mere inches from his face, the creature had stretched out from the wall in a now crystalline statue. Had he fired less than a second slower, it would have touched him. He allowed himself a short, shaky breath to recuperate before pulling up his transceiver and stepping back from the ice sculpture.
"Commander," He said, putting every ounce of his nerve into keeping his voice from trembling, "We've got cells."
"What?!" Commander Ward shot his gaze over to the radar signals. They reported nothing except for his own units in the vicinity. "Are you sure? Nothing is being shown on my end."
The soldier breathed out something of a laugh. "Well, on my end, one of the damn things just ate my charge and nearly got me." Slowly, he began stepping away from it, keeping his sights on the frozen cell. "If I hadn't used an Ice round, you wouldn't be getting this report-"
His boot landed upon an orange spot of ground he hadn't noticed. The moment of contact, another cell lurched up from the ground and engulfed his leg.
"What the-?!" A burning shock suddenly ran up every nerve in his leg. "No. No, no, no, no!" Frenzied, he kicked his leg up in an attempt to rid himself of the attacker, resorting even to kicking it against the wall of the pillar with all of his might. All it afforded him was a splintered knee and tibia, and, unbeknownst to him, part of the ice chipped off from the impact.
Ward quickly shouted, "All units, get to him now!"
Immediately, the other soldiers darted from their posts to aid their comrade, leaving behind the charges. More luminous orange glows emerged from the chamber walls to swallow what the soldiers had left behind. Amidst the chaos, none were able to give any attention to the lake, and at the base of its depths, a fissure opened, and the water poured inside.
Growing desperate, the soldier loaded another ice round. Whatever happened next would certainly be preferable to letting the cell have its way. But as he raised his gun, he suddenly felt that burning sensation cover his arm as well. In horror, he turned, seeing that the other gelatinous monster had escaped its icy prison.
"No!" He screamed out, crying in terror and agony. He reached out to his approaching comrades while the cells crawled up his body. "Help! Please! Don't let it take me, please!"
The other soldiers stopped, their mouths agape in horror. Their faces collectively went pale. Still reaching out to them, their fellow soldier could only scream and gargle once the cells had engulfed his head. His body morphed to fit theirs, and before long, he and them were one, shrinking down to fade into the ground.
One man quickly brought up his transceiver. "Commander, we gotta go. Now."
"Agreed," Ward replied, already turning the Enyo around to face the entrance into the chamber. "The cells weren't supposed to be here after that shot from the Azathoth. We're heading out to…"
His words fell still in his throat. In a horrific, slithering mass, a single cell crawled through the tunnel, inflated all the way to its walls. Without hesitating, he fired a single shot down into the tunnel with such blistering force that it collapsed. Ward backed the Enyo out of the ensuing dust cloud.
"Scratch that plan! We're finding another way out!"
Orange globs emerged from the tunnel heads. They writhed, twitching into nameless shapes. Among those shapes were those of beasts Ward recognized. And then, they pounced. The soldiers opened fire with Ice-Type rounds as orange matter rained down upon them.
Although some shots landed, not all were so lucky. One cell, frozen by an ice round, crashed down upon the one who fired at it. He cried out and fell to the ground. From the shattered bits of ice around him, pieces of the cell re-emerged and engulfed him before he could even yell.
"Forget retaliation!" Shouted Ward. "All units, return to the Enyo and fall prone!"
Not needing to be told twice, the men sprinted for the massive tank. Screams from their slower, unfortunate comrades rang in their heads from behind them as their numbers thinned along the way. And when they reached their goal, only eight of the twenty were left.
There was a loud electric hum in the air. Around the Enyo, a dome shaped barrier sparked to life. On contact, a cell that was mid pounce was burned black. A shrill screech filled the air as it fell.
Within the Enyo, ice rounds were set to every single one of its weapon ports. The soldiers, hearing the sound of shells rumbling and clacking into place once the ports opened, quickly shielded their ears. What followed would put even a Blizzard to shame.
Glimmering streaks of frost sailed through the air. On impact, either with the walls or with the cells themselves, a blast of cold shot out at everything. There was a loud crash, and everything went white.
As the soldiers blinked, trying to adjust their vision. When the Enyo's shield went down, they were greeted with ice as far as they could see. It coated the cells, tunnels, and even the skyline. As well as their fellow men. Whatever was left of them was immortalized in crystalline ice statues, forever half consumed by their attackers.
One soldier tentatively brought up his transceiver and asked, "What now, Commander?"
Ward let out a long sigh. "Now, we get out of here." He eyed the numerous screens that surrounded his seat, each giving him a viewpoint of the world outside his mobile fortress. His face soured upon seeing that ice had coated every tunnel entrance in sight.
"We can't just drill out," He muttered to himself, scratching at his chin. "That would shake up all the ice, and then we'd be back at square one."
"Look, Commander."
Ward eyed his men from the screens. One pointed off at something, and as the commander followed, his eyes landed upon the lake. Miraculously, it had not frozen like the rest of the room. In fact, there was no water within at all. It was empty.
"What in the…?" Ward cleared his throat. "Men, behind me."
Carefully, Ward rolled the Enyo across the icy ground to the lake's edge. Indeed, it was empty down to the last drop. And at its bottom, a new tunnel. One more than large enough to accommodate the Enyo. He was not given the chance to ruminate on the matter before a terrible voice boomed out from that tunnel.
Cries of the soldiers as their ears were assaulted were drowned out by the fearsome bellow. The sound shook the entire chamber, causing the ice lining the walls and floors to crack. Pieces of it shattered and fell to the ground, causing it also to break open. From the broken ice, a dull blue ooze slowly seeped out. But before long, its orange color returned.
Ward could feel his heart sink in his chest. He gnashed his teeth, breathing heavily through them. "All men, into the lake bottom now!"
And with that, the tank's treads roared as they carried the fortress down to the tunnel. One glance at the emerging cells was all it took for the other men to follow suit, sliding down the barren lake bed after it. Once Ward and the remainder of his squad breached the tunnel entrance, he wasted no time shooting it with another ice shell to freeze it solid.
"That ought to buy us some time," Said Ward with a sigh. He turned his attention to where they now were, but beyond what light shone in through the ice covered entrance, it was pitch black. "Shine some light, men."
The soldiers removed flashlights from their waists. With a handful of clicks, many beams of light breached the darkness. Along the corners of the Enyo, four bright beams accompanied the rest. Each sliver of light shifted about the room.
Footsteps and the low rumble of sluggish treads echoed about the dark room. Beneath their feet, the soldiers found not just stone, but large, grey bricks. Much of it was covered in vines and small vegetation between the cracks. They soon came to the realization that what they stood upon was a declining bridge wide enough to accommodate the Enyo.
As they turned their lights upon the walls and ceiling, they found their every inch covered in odd shapes. Shapes of man and beast. Of land and sea, stars and earth, and innumerable other depictions engraved on the stone.
"Murals." Ward whispered this to himself in disbelief.
The further down in they went, the more the walls and ceiling opened. One soldier flinched as his flashlight landed upon something new, but when he found it to only be a pillar, sighed in relief. On either side of the massive bridge, equally massive pillars stretched up from the ground to the ceiling. They were just as worn down as the bridge. Ward thought it a miracle that they still stood at all.
One of the soldiers muttered, "What in the world is this place?"
They continued forward, their unease steadily growing. But an eerie old crypt or altar was far more preferable than a frozen den of amorphous monsters. More pillars lined the way they walked. One man suddenly gave a muffled cry, making the others jump.
He pointed at something ahead of them, his trembling hand lighting whatever he saw. The others turned their lights upon it as well, giving similar reactions of shock. Before them was a black, ashen statue of a bald man. His arms seemed to reach out toward them, and his face frozen in terror. In his hand, he clutched some sort of rod.
Slowly, the soldiers and the Enyo shifted their flashlights up from the body and found yet another statue. Where the bridge finally came to an end, what they found could only be described as colossal.
There was a throne, just as tall as any of the pillars, yet wide enough to accommodate a mansion sitting upon it. And what did sit upon it was even larger. Perfectly round feet, covered completely in bushy moss, were placed firmly on the ground. Round black chains bound its knees, stretching off into the darkness somewhere.
The statue's body above this was wide, appearing almost square shaped aside from the rounded, golden edges of its head and shoulders. Where its head met its body, no one could say. Its arms hung in the air limply, held by chains not unlike what bound its legs.
Between the rounded golden growths, there were six colorful round things that the men could scarcely describe. "Are those…eyes?" One of them wondered aloud.
Suddenly, the men were alerted by a sound all too familiar to them. They whipped around toward it, showing their lights upon the walls. Orange cells sloshed into the chamber through the murals on the walls, briefly accommodating their shape before fully emerging. They crawled along the walls toward the Enyo.
That horrific sloshing sound came not only from the walls in front of them, but behind them as well. Flashlights from the terrified men briefly shone over innumerable shapes lining the walls and ceiling, but as those shapes slithered past the men, it became apparent that the cells were not after them.
Drops of orange ooze fell from the ceiling onto the gigantic statue. They slithered alongside its body towards the chains that bounds its arms and legs, coalescing into one another as they spread along those chains. A loud hiss pierced the room. Steam arose from the bodies of the cells until, with a loud pop, the chains snapped.
As the chains swung back into the darkness, the statue's hanging arms fell down upon the sides of a throne with a thunderous crash that shook the bridge, nearly making the men fall. The shaking caused the ashen to crumble into the ground in a heap of dust.
What remained of the cells hastily slithered away. Some fell onto the bridge and quickly dashed for the men, only to slip right past them as if they weren't there at all. By that point, the men, Ward included, were too stunned to move, let alone make sense of what they had just witnessed.
But as the ground quaked once more, and a low grumble seemed to emanate from the statue, it was only then that they finally realized it was no mere statue after all. The noise it had made was the same that had shattered the ice before. Ward was suddenly stricken with the idea that the lake draining was its work as well.
"Men, open fire on that thing! Don't let it wake up!"
Orange streaks of bullets were launched at the dozing titan. Yet not a single one could penetrate its skin, or even leave any mark that they could see. Not even when they struck at its six eyes.
Waves of explosive shells were launched up at it from the Enyo. Shells of all types, all elements bathed the titan in a rainbow of smoke and fire. Ward halted his assault. With wide eyes and a pale face, he looked up at the titanic monster expectantly to see what had become of it.
Illuminating the room from within the smoke were six gleaming colorful eyes. It was then, when those eyes narrowed squarely upon him, that Ward realized just how small he truly was.
The ground quaked once more. Dust and splintered stone ushered in the titan's awakening. Slowly, it rose out of its throne, towering even further above the heads of the doomed men.
"ALL UNITS, RETREAT!"
Commander Ward's order sent his men running, all too eager to follow his command. But the Enyo did not turn to pursue them. It backed away from the rising colossus, setting its weapons lower. Rather than attack it, he fired at the ground beneath its feet.
Rapidly, he sent shell after shell into the ancient bridge, and before long, produced the results he wanted. The colossus let out a warbled buzzing noise as the stone it stood upon crumbled, no longer able to withstand its weight after the shelling it endured.
Loud cracks ushered its end. The ground fell beneath the titan's feet. Ward backed the Enyo away before the falling ground could take him with it, yet still, he stayed behind to witness the results of his efforts with bated breath.
The gigantic beast fell amidst the crumbling bridge, though far from Ward's hopes. Rather than sail down into an abyss, the drop left the titan at eye level with Ward and the Enyo. It rose back to its full height, bringing up is massive arms and pointing its palms at him.
"Well, damn," Remarked Ward with a dry chuckle. He pulled on a lever to load another shell into the main barrel, only to hear a light clicking sound. "What?! No! I can't be out of ammunition!" He quickly checked the side ports. "Is there anything?!"
Everywhere he looked, for every port ammunition within the mobile fortress, only a bright red 'zero' awaited. Within the hollow palms of the titan, two orange lights appeared. Steadily, they grew larger and larger.
Ward buried his face in his hand, then shook his head vigorously. "This isn't over. I can't let something like you reach the surface, so…" His eyes landed upon the drill activation. With shaky breath, he resigned himself, and slammed his fist down upon the button. "I'll bury both of us!"
Whirring to life, the massive drill began tearing into the air as it spun. The lone commander pushed the ignition as far forward as it would go. His thoughts wandered toward his son. If there was anything beyond, if there was a place they would meet again, he was certainly about to see it. He cried out in defiance as his tank rolled toward the titanic beast.
"Command, this is A-17 with a visual on Enyo's entry point, over."
Far above the field of battle, a Nova Branch jet circled around the last sighting of the Enyo and its crew. Unlike Thorn and the Ares, no report had been delivered by the Enyo in some time.
"No news?" Came Lee's voice.
From the jet's cockpit, the pilot eyed the hole made by the Enyo. "No movement or signal has been detected ever since the team entered." Then, something caught his eye. He narrowed his gaze at the hole, having sworn he saw the area near the hole trembling.
"Wait, I see movement. I repeat, something is coming out of the-"
His voice caught in his throat when, from the tunnel entrance, a colossal Hyper Beam shot out across the valley's edge. The pilot found himself at a loss for words, his eyes wide and, beneath his oxygen mask, his mouth agape. Within the Azathoth, Lee, along with every member of the bridge's crew, wore similar expressions as they witnessed the beam.
Gradually, the beam closed in on itself before disappearing altogether. A new hole, far larger than what had been left in the Enyo's wake, was left behind. From that hole, a massive white arm emerged and grabbed onto the tree's thick bark. Moss covered legs followed, each stomp sending shockwaves in all directions.
The Pokemon nearest to this new figure darted east past the soldiers they were combating in an attempt to put as much distance between themselves and it as possible. Those soldiers felt their nerves slowly slip away as they beheld the colossus that loomed over them.
That colossus, after fully pulling itself out from the Tree of Beginning, held its massive hand over the hole it had made. Emerald green waves seemed to emanate from the tips of its fingers. Loud crackling filled the air as new bark appeared to grow from the hole's edges until it closed altogether.
With its work complete, the massive creature turned its attention to the battlefield. Its six colorful eyes gleamed and dimmed in odd patterns, making chilling noises with each 'blip' until the eyes, all at once, glowed. A low rumbling sound, like something heavy being dropped down a deep chasm, shook the valley and all things in it.
Pokemon and people felt their knees buckle under the sheer weight of that sound. It reverberated through the ground beneath their feet and their very bodies. Their bones and muscles quivered from the inside out.
For mankind, this sound was a threat. Or perhaps a warning. For the Pokemon, it was an order, and despite their instincts screaming at them to naturally fear this great titan, something compelled them to obey, and they began stampeding toward it.
But for Regirock and Regice, this order meant something else entirely. Their yellow eyes shifted in color to match those of the titan's keeping only one orange colored one of their own in the center.
Many soldiers, unprepared after the titanic Pokemon's display, suddenly cried out when the Pokemon around them began running toward it. The most unfortunate were by their ankle, knocked to the ground and could only cry out in muffled protest as thousands of beasts crushed them underfoot.
The white titan slowly turned toward the east and raised its right leg. It leaned forward and took one step. That alone was enough to make the valley tremble yet again. The Pokemon approaching it still gave it a wide berth, lest each stomp of its foot send them into the air. As they ran north, the titan lumbered southeast.
Steel against steel. One man and Pokemon, both draped in steel, crashed their fists against the bodies of one another. Each collision did little but send the other back slightly. This did little to dissuade them.
Harper held out his hand, and from his palm, a red hot blast of concentrated fire shot out at his adversary. In turn, Registeel's eyes lit up, and it retaliated with a gleaming Flash Cannon.
The two attacks collided midway, their impact causing both to detonate in a plume of smoke. From that smoke, Harper launched himself at the steel golem. It brought up its arms in defense and their hands collided, but Harper's momentum sent them both into a roll.
It ended with the Burned Man pinning Registeel. The golem's hands sizzled and reddened on contact with Harper's palms. "Answer me!" He roared, pressing it further into the ground. "Where is Moltres?!"
The only response he received came in the form of indiscernible beeping, followed swiftly by another Flash Cannon from its eyes that impacted Harper's visor. Flailing backward, Harper fell and grasped at the stricken area, the attack assaulting his every sense.
Sensing an opportunity, Registeel returned to its feet, looming over its downed opponent. Its arm lit up as it prepared to use Superpower until a low droning noise shook its body. Suddenly, it turned upright. It began beeping with colorful eyes, turning to see a great colossus walking in Registeel's direction.
It answered the call, mimicking the colossus's beeping before darting off to meet it. Behind it, a seething Harper removed his hand from his visor and snarled. He pointed an open palm at Registeel, orange light moving along the crevasses in his arm toward his hand.
"This is far from over!"
Further south, a man draped in shadow and his crimson entourage stared up at this new obstacle. Nova sighed, tossing away his used cigar and lighting a new one.
"So it was hiding here after all." He took in a breath of smoke, then slowly, puffed out an ashy breath. "I suspected as much, but…" Even he couldn't help but marvel at its sheer size. "…Our reports said it was nowhere near this size."
His expression did not change in spite of this. "Lee," He spoke into his transceiver, "How's that railgun looking?"
"The Azathoth's central railgun is only at 78% charge. You'll have to deal with that thing without me. Unless you want me to shift the turrets' focus from the tree?"
Nova's gaze went up from the titan to the wound splitting the tree. Even still, the wound's edges emanated the green light that seemed to heal it despite the constant bombardment it endured. If it kept healing, and Mew returned to the battlefield, the titan would be the least of their concerns.
"Keep those steady. Reroute any power you can manage to the railgun."
"Sir, yes, sir."
Nova let out another sigh as he switched channels on his transceiver. "All units, prepare to engage Regigigas, and fast."
Regigigas's march came to an end when it centered itself with the Tree of Beginning. Behind it, the Pokemon that once flooded the valley lined against the tree. Nova's eyes glided over them, humming to himself in apparent thought. With all of them simply lined up like dominoes, it would take only a sweep from his air team to take them all out.
Bringing up his transceiver, he prepared to give an order. "All units," He spoke into the microphone, "Hone your weapons on Regigigas only. The ordinary Pokemon are of no consequence."
That order sent chills up the spines of many soldiers. Merely staring up at the gargantuan Pokemon was enough to dampen their wills.
"We've conquered Mew," Nova reminded them. "The largest hurdle is behind us. Take up your arms and remind yourselves what your enemy is. Your enemy stands right in front of you, and you all have the means to strike it down."
Regigigas let out another hum that shook the earth. Its eyes brightened and darkened as it pulled up its head and arms. The titantic Pokemon leaned back, and its hum rose with it. The crystal dangling from Nova's neck glowed. Nova glanced down at it, then quickly shouted into the transceiver once more.
"All units, shields at max!"
"GIII-GAAAAAAAAAS!"
All at once, the earth and sky swelled from the force of Regigigas's roar. All men dropped prone, bright barriers sparking in the air as they surrounded them and their vehicles.
Dust and stone rose like a tidal wave across the entire valley from the thunderous bellow. Even with their barriers, the helicopters in the sky were ravaged by the blow. Cries from the men on the ground as they prayed their shields would hold were drowned by the veritable storm awaiting just outside those walls.
All of this, with merely a single roar from the Pokemon that once pulled the continents together. When the dust cleared, a deeply frowning Nova stared down at the weapon in his hand, and the crystal within it.
"I can spare a bullet."
Author's Note
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: Dedicated readers will remember the Hell Hunters, poachers that infiltrated the Tree of Beginning in an attempt to capture its Pokemon. Including the Regi trio. They're the reason Shaun ended up in the tree.
They utilized Nova Branch technology to that end, including a convenient weapon called a Petrifier that they used to encase Pokemon in a veil of bronze to make them easier to capture.
Such weaponry would prove useful to the Nova Branch here at this battle, wouldn't it? The reason the Petrifier goes unused is because, in a large scale war where shots are being fired frequently, Petrifiers would potentially hit their own units.
Not to mention, the Regi Trio displayed abilities to unpetrify one another using Hidden Power. Due to the random nature of Hidden Power, the Nova Branch was unable to fully utilize it in their weapons, and thus using Petrifiers would be a far greater risk than necessary.
Any Pokemon with Hidden Power could undo the effect of a Petrifier. However, any soldier stricken by friendly fire would stay petrified. It was a risk not worth taking, and they were expensive to create as well. Thus, Nova thought it more cost effective to simply substitute the effect with Ice-Type ammunition.
Creator: Hydra and I have been wanting to show off more of the common soldiers versus the Pokemon. I like to think we got that and more. Regigigas in particular and his appearance here have been almost as anticipated as Nova's reveal. I even wrote some beta scene to do with Regigigas at this war all the way back during Arc 1 when we were writing the chapter where Ash and Serena fought Misty at her Gym. That far back. And now we're here. Never give up on your dreams, people.
As for what that scene in particular is, it hasn't happened yet, but it will happen soon.
Hydra: Regigigas finally appears and his power seems to be on a whole new level. That scene with the cells absorbing the soldier gives me goosebumps, what a horrible way to go getting infused with another being then turning into energy. Even though the tree is so beautiful and exquisite it sure seems to host many horrifying monsters.
Northstar Pokeshipper: "Nice."
Creator: Nice
Hydra: Gaming
G: "Good chapter, good indeed, so Ash, Serena and Paul are struggling to retrieves the will to fight, particulary the two formers, as Ash and Serena were still grieving for Riley's death, to the point that they were blaming themselves for this.
Well, after see their grief by Riley's death, i can't help in noted again the similarity between this situation and the Walking dead, specifically about that after that Glenn's was executed, this outcome leaves Daryl with a notable guilt within himself, for blamed himself for this incident, as Negan killed Glenn in retaliation for the defiance of Daryl, leading him and Rick to became more obedient with Negan. Much like in this story, in that Serena and Ash were blaming themselves for that Nova killed Riley, to the point that Ash to even wanted to prevent that Serena went to fights, leaving clear that Nova managed to demoralized notably Ash with this murder. Well, i just wonder if Ash will ends like Rick, in the sense that both characters ended becoming more ruthless and prone to violence after suffered several losses and dealed with notables hardships. Well, perhaps in the next chapter could see a new Ash...
As other point, was very interesting to see the Burned man in action, seriously, when i was reading the parts that narrated his battles, i can't help in remembers the narrations of the battle scenes of the Doom Slayer in some Doom Fanfictions, as both guys were basically butchering and smashing their enemies with a brutality and bloodlust unmatched, to the point that most of this battles even mentions detailed about how the Pokemons and the Demons ends shredded and suffering gruesome deaths.
And to be honest, among his kills, i felt more pity by the Shinx and the Aerodactyl. In the case of the Shinx, this poor cub should to see how the Burned man killed his mother in front of him, something traumatic for this young pokemon. And also i felt pity by the Aerodactyl, by the manner in that he was killed, to be forced to swallow an explosive, that killed him in a blast, an experience that should be very terrific for Aerodactyl, at least just before to that the bomb exploded.
Also, was interesting to see Lee and Nova talking about the Burned man, as the latter revealed that apparently the Burned man's suit has an integrated kill-switch to incapacitates or even kills the Burned man, in case of become too much unstable. Well, this makes me think in Darth Vader, as apparently Darth Sidious ordered to the doctors and scientists that tended Darth Vader after Mustafar, to fits him a life-support suit with outdated and even obsolete technology, than a last generation gear, something that the Sith lord did it intentionally, to makes that Darth Vader's suit was vulnerable to the Force lightnings, as way to kills Vader easily in case of that his apprentice planned to betrays him.
To finishes, to considers that the campaigns of the Tree of the Beginning will be still continues, i wonder if we'll see other Legendaries pokemon coming here to the rescue, like Kyogre and Lugia. Or even who knows, maybe could comes to this place Moltres, and the Burned man could finally has his fateful encounter with the Fire Bird, to may enacts his revenge against the Pokemon that mauled him and leaves him tied to a life-support unit forever. Well, if this battle occurs, i wonder if the Burned man could kills Moltres, or do him something worse, like strips the Fire bird from the Fire type, using some possible experimental weapon, like an elemental bullet Water type, but modified to be capable to purges the Fire type from any pokemon, something that the Burned man could want to do, to gives Moltres a taste of his own medicine, for stripped Harper from his capability to lives with a normal person. Well, we'll see if the Burned man could finally has his revenge in Moltres, at least before of that Nova considers neutralizes him for see him like a liability.
Keep the good job."
Creator: Aerodactyl probably had the worst death, yeah. Imagine being forced to swallow a grenade. For a Pokemon, it wouldn't even know what hit it. Although for the Shinx, I think at least it got away. For now. I like the Vader comparison. Especially how Sidious made his suit vulnerable to lightning. It's like Lee intentionally making Harper's suit built around flames knowing he was burned alive.
This chapter's intro seems to indicate some Legends coming to the front lines themselves. And while Moltres is certainly a possibility, the chain of revenge around Harper's neck isn't solely related to Moltres. There are some Pokemon who have their own grudges against him too. What should happen if they reunite?
Hydra: I'm still shocked by all the correlations this story has with Star Wars. When I was getting inspiration for the story Star Wars was never originally a big source of it, I would definitely get some from it, but for the most part it was from a bunch of other media. Fun fact though I did get inspiration from that one scene from the 2003 clone wars cartoon when Ventress was picking off the clone troopers one at a time for scenes with Genesect. Oh gosh if Lugia were to appear at the tree and he saw Christopher Lee… that would not be good. Who are you liking more now between Nova and Christopher Lee? They're both very different in personality but I felt like asking since Nova has technically been here since the first chapter.
SilverWolf1130: "Man, poor Ash… this kid has been through so much. Even if they defeat the Nova Branch and bring balance to the world, he'll never be the same…
Please don't be a damsel in distress, Serena…
The Siege of the Tree of Beginning was absolutely brutal… and hard to read, honestly. You two really know how to pull at people's heartstrings…
Oh, man… Mr. Burns has got a Necrozma crystal. That'll make things 50x worse for Moltres, who will have to relive the horrible beating Necrozma give him…
About time the Un Un Un trio showed up. Though I'm gonna guess they're gonna be the first Legendaries to die at the hands of the Nova Branch…
I'd say my favorite scenes are probably the Mew scenes, particularly the ones with Shaun. Mew is usually portrayed as cheerful and playful but yours has been intriguing with how twisted she could be. Glad to see her trying to redeem herself though.
I hope she's not down for the count. She's gotta confront the ghost from her past that's come back to haunt her and hopefully take him down.
These last few chapters have been insane. Can't wait for chapter 70 (damn. You two have come so far)"
Creator: There are some things you can't go back to. The world keeps turning. Nothing stays the same. The world he knew is long past. All that's left is to build a new one before it's gone for good. Of course, Nova has that same plan. Whose ideals should win between them?
As for Serena, I have something special planned for her. Something only she can do.
It seems the Regi Trio have some unique backing behind them now. Maybe all hope isn't lost for the Tree of Life. And the cells are alive and kicking. That's good news for Mew. How can she redeem herself is she dies here?
Hydra: I have to agree with you that Mews scenes are definitely some of my favorites. I used to read a lot of fics where she was the main protagonist and many times the antagonist. Some of the most noteworthy ones that I read about her was "In mews world" which has sadly been deleted forever :( "The child of Mew" all the way to the end of book one and another one where Mew made a deal with a boy that she would heal his father with her powers slowly each day and in return he'd be her playmate. I always like the ones where she was the bad guy, but I never found one where she was just pure evil, it was almost always some tragic past experience that made her that way. If you know any where she's the bad guy please feel free to share!
Creator: Next chapter, we'll get to see the extent of Regigigas's power. It is a fearsome and terrifying opponent for Nova, whose forces used most of their power against Mew already. However, they still have many tricks up their sleeves.
Hydra: I just wanted to let you guys know I'm heading back to college this spring for a degree in Broadcast Journalism so I imagine I'll have more time now to work on the fic now that I'm not working full time. Anyways guys we look forward to seeing your reviews and I just wanted to say thank you so much to Silverwolf1130 and G for always sharing with us their thoughts and opinions, you guys make this story worth it! Have a good night guys!