A serene breeze gently brushed against the forest leaves. One lone Pokemon slept within. For better or worse, no other Pokemon was left to disturb it. Besides itself, nary a soul was left. This Pokemon, coated in yellow fur, slumbered upon a tall tree stump with its head resting in its hand.

There was a sudden chill in the air. The breeze soured, and the trees all quaked at once. Zeraora's eyes opened suddenly. "What is this?" He wondered aloud. His claw tip touched the air as if it were alien to him. "The air, it's…what has happened?"

Zeraora held out his hand and concentrated. Like a wisp, a little white flame appeared in his hand. His eyes went wide when it wavered in the foul breeze, and then, he clutched it tightly between his fingers.

"Ash is in danger, and something is very wrong. There has to be a connection." The electric wolf turned his eyes to the sky between the leaves. His pupils narrowed. Lightning sparked along the tips of his fur until it enshrouded him completely. And then, in a flash, he disappeared through the leaves.

The titanic Regigigas slowly pulled its arms up into the sky. They hung over the valley, making the soldiers of Nova collectively wince anxiously. A mere bellow was enough to disrupt their forces. An actual attack was unthinkable.

"I admit," Spoke Lee to Nova, "Though the scouting reports left us with the belief Regigigas was likely here, I never would have anticipated the size increase." He whistles in awe. "Look at that thing! Even that whole Dynamax thing Galar's got going on doesn't compare!"

Nova placed a thumb to his chin. "Those reports took place before Necrozma announced himself. Perhaps Mew anticipated the danger and recalled it and empowered it."

"But Necrozma never attacked the tree. You think Mew just left it there?"

"It is a possibility." Nova motioned for the men in red accompanying him to follow as he began marching toward the titan. "Whether it was foresight or forgetfulness, it doesn't matter now. Reallocate all unnecessary power to the railgun."

He aimed his handgun up at the towering Regigigas. "I'll take it from here." His finger turned a notch on his transceiver. "All units prepare to engage Regigigas. It must be brought down before its Slow Start ability wears off."

Steeling their remaining resolve, the men gathered on the battlefield aimed their weapons up at the massive Pokemon. Orange lights suddenly dotted the valley with a great booming cacophony. Those bullets, wreathed in heat, sailed toward the titan.

Regigigas suddenly cried out, revealing why it had raised its mighty arms. From its fingertips, a gargantuan red screen appeared. That screen reached out until it touched both walls of the valley. The ballistic hail homing in on the titan were intercepted by the screen, their explosions causing little more than ripples on its surface.

Nova held his finger over the trigger of his handgun steadily, weighing his options. At the distance between himself and Regigigas, the bullet might end up erased by the crystal's energy before it even met its mark. Not to mention that, should it destroy the Wide Guard, Regigigas could merely make another.

So, he lowered his arm, pocketing his weapon to instead bring up his transceiver. "All aerial units, flank the barrier and aim at Regigigas's legs and hands. Black Suits, depart from your squadrons and accompany the Helo's. Ground units, continue forward. Hold your fire until I order otherwise."

Many of the Black Suits looked to the sky as the roaring jets soared overhead toward their new destination. They aimed their hookshots up at the landing rails of the helicopters that followed. One by one, they were lifted into the air, heading for the valley walls.

"Marshadow."

As that dreadful name was spoken, so did the shadowy parasite puppeteering Mewtwo's body appear. An amethyst flash of light ushered 'Mewtwo' to Nova's side where he swung one arm down, curling around itself to bow.

"At your service."

Nova nodded up at Regigigas. "Bring down that barrier."

Marshadow, rising back to its host's full height, chortled. "Straight to business as usual. Haven't you been wondering where I've been?"

"You were observing individual battles, as well as debating whether or not to take Mew's body," Nova stated, walking past Marshadow with his accompanying men.

Immediately, Marshadow's yellow eyes went wide. "H-how did you…?"

Nova did not bother turning back to face Marshadow as he replied, "You are predictable. That is all. As for Mew, I would recommend against it. When the tree goes, so will Mew." Briefly, he stopped. "Of course, I would not be opposed to you taking Regigigas, if you can manage it." And then, he continued his march.

Mewtwo's face contorted with rage. "Predictable?" Shadowy energy sparked along the host's twitching hands. "How dare…!" It shook his head. "No, no, don't be hasty." His lips parted in a wry grin as it stared up at the motionless colossus ahead. "Our partnership still contains some value."

Kicking off the ground, Mewtwo disappeared in a flash of light. Nova calmly reached into his coat, took out a cigar case, and placed it on his lip. As he pocketed the case, one of the men in red accompanying him, reached out their index. A small flame sprung up from it, lighting Nova's cigar.

A violet flicker in the air ushered Mewtwo before Regigigas. Spreading his arms wide, Marshadow summoned forth its host's Psychic energy. He could feel it writhe against his consciousness, but with its control over the host, it had no choice but to bend to Marshadow's whim.

Psychic energy washed over the massive Wide Screen. A shrill groan filled the valley as its edges, inch by inch, collapsed into itself.

Mewtwo smirked down at the titan through the screen, its eyes furiously beeping back at him. "Come!" He shouted as black jets rushed past. "Let us see which host will be more worthy!"

As the jets passed the barrier, they swerved into the line between the tree and Regigigas. Rotating guns along their undersides took aim at the titan's legs and fired. The Pokemon nearest cried out before they were consumed in a plume of smoke and fire.

Snarling up at the passing jets, many Pokemon launched their own attacks into the sky in retaliation. However, the attacks that managed to even strike the speeding jets merely bounced off the potent barriers that emerged in response. Flying Pokémon that tried to meet them were swiftly swept aside.

The eyes of the Psychic-Types went wide suddenly. Their eyes became enveloped in a cyan glow that spread to the Pokemon around them. Many Pokemon created any barrier around themselves and others that they could manage just before the next wave of jets bombarded them instead of Regigigas.

Loud beeps filled the air. At Regigigas's feet, its three creations of rock, steel and ice perked up and listened intently. As Regigigas's eyes flickered and beeped, it was mirrored within each of these three. When Regigigas's orders came to a close, the trio walked past their master's legs, looked up, and set their sights on Mewtwo.

Each groan from Regigigas as its legs were assaulted made Mewtwo's smirk widen. "How long will it be?" He sent out another wave of Psychic energy, crushing the edges of the Wide Guard further. "Until that shell of yours finally cracks wide open?"

His smirk disappeared upon sensing something approaching rapidly from below. Something brown spun blisteringly quickly as it rose, narrowly scraping against Mewtwo's skin as he evaded.

"Was that…?"

The spinning creature halted itself midair, spreading its arms wide. "R-E-E-EGIROCK!" Chimed the golem. Jagged stones appeared around its arms and hurtled down toward Mewtwo, followed swiftly by a Hyper Beam at their center.

Two more projectiles honed in on Mewtwo from below. An Ice Beam, and a Flash Cannon. "Tch!" Before they could strike, Mewtwo warped out of the way and allowed the attacks to crash into one another.

The two golems on the ground cast their sights through the air in an attempt to lock onto their target. Violet light flashed in front of Registeel's face, and when it dissipated, Mewtwo was in its place with his arm drawn back. Registeel barely had the time to jump back before Mewtwo slung a Shadow Ball up at it, carrying the golem away in spite of its efforts to dig its heels into the ground passing underfoot.

Grinning wryly at the remaining two, Mewtwo noted, "According to my host's memories, he once had quite a bit of trouble with you three." Regirock beeped angrily at him. Stepping forward, Regice raised its arms and prepared a Zap Cannon, but the electric orb froze just as soon as it was launched.

His eyes wild, Mewtwo cackled. "But you're much weaker than you were before." With a mere flick of his finger, he sent the Zap Cannon to strike Regirock. Its beeps turned frantic as lighting coursed through its body. Regice chittered with worry before facing Mewtwo again.

Mewtwo's eyes turned sharply as he sensed something behind him. Registeel, evidently having overcome the Shadow Ball, rocketed toward him with an Iron Head. With one hand, Mewtwo halted its movement mid air. With the other, he lifted Regice and Reigrock as well.

In spite of how they squirmed, their efforts did nothing. Regirock attempted to shoot a Hyper Beam at Mewtwo only for it to explode in the golem's face the moment the beam made contact with the Psychic light holding it. Mewtwo threw his head back at this, cackling.

"What a fall from grace!" He exclaimed loudly. "To think the likes of you were once able to contest with Rayquaza and my host."

The triad were smashed into one another. As they fell, Mewtwo caught Registeel in his grasp once again and swung him into the other two. It bounced off Regirock's hull and staggered it, but before Registeel could fall, Mewtwo appeared from underneath it, grabbed its foot, and slammed its body down into Regirock's.

From behind, Regice pointed its prismatic fingers at Mewtwo's back. An Ice Beam was shot, which a smug Mewtwo casually sidestepped. With a lazy flick of his wrist, the attack curled in the air and struck Regice's two companions to encase them in jagged ice.

Regice flinched, its beeping becoming uneven and shrill. When it tried instead for another Zap Cannon, Mewtwo spun in place, tossing the ice chunk at it. It shattered on contact, leaving the Regi trio sprawling across the ground.

Once they had slid as far as the blackened soil would carry them, Mewtwo lifted them into the air once more. "Without that tree of yours, you're all pathetic!" His fingers closed together, causing the golems to fly into one another where they remained suspended in the air.

One after another, Shadow Balls emerged all around them and grew to enormous sizes. "If all of you are this weak, then perhaps your master would be a similarly pitiful host."

Far above, the eyes of the titanic golem loomed over its creations. Those eyes glimmered, releasing loud, slow, echoing beeps. The orange eyes of the trio below suddenly grew colors mirroring their creator.

Mewtwo merely sneered at the golem king. "It appears," He said, "That your master is worried for you. How touchi-"

A loud explosion interrupted him. His smile faltered when, where the trio had once been, now only a cloud of smoke remained. "Where did they-?!" Jagged stones flew from the smoke in all directions. They sped for the myriad of Shadow Balls all around them. On contact, the stones pierced their edges, and the Shadow Balls erupted violently.

A dome-shaped barrier emerged around Mewtwo to shield him from the coming smoke and fire. Below him, the ground splintered. Bursting from it was Regirock, throwing up a stone fist from below. Mewtwo narrowly brought up his arms in defense before the rocky blow sent him into the air where he was intercepted by an Ice Beam and frozen stiff. From above, Registeel descended upon the encased Mewtwo with an Iron Head. The ice was shattered, sending Mewtwo hurtling to the ground among its pieces.

Snarling, Mewtwo turned in the air and stomped into the ground as he fell. The trio of golems honed in on him from all sides. A harrowing voice of rage arose within Mewtwo, making his body tremble. Once his jaw opened, a furious roar bent the air itself, sending the three Regis hurtling back. As they slid across the ground, they unanimously launched Hyper Beams back at their attacker. Those beams froze in the air when Mewtwo's eyes shined cyan.

"Back at you!" Roared Mewtwo. He swiped his hand through the air, sending the beams hurtling back at their creators. Though the golems tried to dodge, they found their movements reduced to little more than a twitch. A grinning Mewtwo leered at them before their vision was blackened by smoke.

Howling with laughter, Mewtwo rose back to his full height and lifted the trio from the smoke. "One small second wind and you mere playthings believe you stand a chance? You no longer possess even a fraction of the strength you utilized before." The Regis were smashed into one another, eliciting erratic beeps of shock from them. "You are weak and foolish." A swath of Shadow Balls appeared from thin air and crashed into the three. "Mere toys of Regigigas it created for its own amusement." In spite of the protesting, shrill groans the Regis cried out against their enemy, they were helpless to prevent themselves from being thrown into one another repeatedly while subject to the mocking laughter of Mewtwo.

He stopped only upon noticing the color in their eyes. "Hmm?" His gaze flew from his captives to their creator. "Ah, I see why you broke free before. You were taking orders from Regigigas. Let's fix that." His eyes glowed cyan with Psychic energy. Between Regigigas and its creations, Mewtwo could see a tether of sorts. An invisible signal transmitted to the three. "I see. Even if the orders themselves are complex, the transmission is a simple matter…" His eyes flashed briefly. The string connecting the Regis shattered, causing them to twitch in shock as the orders from their master ceased. "...And easily broken."

Lowering his palm to one side, Mewtwo summoned forth a Shadow Ball. "And now…" Steadily, the Shadow Ball grew. "I shall obliterate you annoying pests and take your master as my prize!" His arm, and the Shadow Ball, were pulled back. But before he could throw it, he heard a shrill noise. He turned his head to see a cloud of billowing smoke. At its head, a hulking suit of black armor sped across the battlefield, spewing flames from its back.

"Ah, Harper," Mused Mewtwo, setting his sights upon Registeel. "Your battle was short lived, but amusing. It may be worthwhile to see it again!"

Separating Registeel from its brethren, Mewtwo pulled the steel golem around himself and swung, sending it hurtling toward the Burned Man like a bullet. The approaching target appeared on Harper's radar with a shrill beep. He raised his hands and caught Registeel with a deafeningly loud clang, wasting no time in driving his fist down into its face and showering it with flames.

Mewtwo chuckled at the sight. "You two," He spoke, pointing the gigantic Shadow Ball at Regice and Regirock, "Are no longer worth my time. Begone." The attack was loosed upon them. It crashed into them, carrying them off toward the lumbering ground troops far behind. "Have fun playing with them."

"This is Nova to Commander Thorn. Status and position."

Behind Regigigas's Wide Guard, the war had become so condensed that nary a sound beyond the constant explosions in the land and sky could be heard. But for the Pokemon standing along the barrier's eastern edge, they could feel a rumble in the ground, and the screeching of metal. They turned toward a large hole in the base of the tree, baring their fangs and growling at whatever lurked in the darkness. That metallic screech from within became loud and shrill as the Pokemon peered inside. Many of them winced, covering their ears until it finally came to a stop.

Gradually, the Pokemon near the cave entrance uncovered their ears, inching closer and closer toward it. All fell still as they waited with bated breath for something to appear from within. Their fur stood on end when several clicks filled the air. A Gothitelle's eyes went wide when its Anticipate ability alerted it to impending danger, but it was too late. The moment it cried to the other Pokemon, orange streaks flew out from the cave with all the rapidity of rainfall.

Boots of men stepped out from the darkness. Those men held their weapons steady as they felled beast after beast with their guns. Amidst these men, a massive tank rumbled as its treads carried it toward the light of the cave exit. The only Pokemon to survive were the few who were quick enough to dart away the moment they heard gunfire. They sprinted toward the rest of the horde between the tree and Regigigas for backup.

One by one, the soldiers piled out of the Tree of Life, followed by the colossal tank in their midst. A bright red symbol, like a round shoe of a Rapidash that opened in both directions along its bottom, was embedded on the side of the tank. This was the Terrestrial Armored Vehicle "Ares," sister weapon of the Enyo. Within the hulking machine of war, the grinning commander Thorn held a transceiver in one hand as he beheld the show of war before him.

"We have emerged from the Tree of Life with no casualties," Answered Thorn at last. "Whatever Commander Ward did to those cells seemed to scare them off at least."

"Commander Ward is no longer responsive, nor are his men. You will resume his duties."

Needing no further orders, Thorn replied, "Loud and clear, sir. Over." After placing the transceiver on its holster, he quickly took hold of the Ares's controls and primed its weapons. Several turrets appeared from the panels along the tank's side. Its main variable cannons changed shape. Its pieces slid back and forth, creating a single large, hollow cannon. Upon the screen of the targeting system, several reticles appeared one after another along the back of Regigigas's left leg.

Thorn's men went prone around the tank and took aim into the sky between the Ares and its target. Their bullets joined with thousands of others in the air as they went to clear away whatever Flying-Type Pokemon was in the way. The air inside the cannon churned with a loud buzz as energy gathered within its it fired, it came in the form of a gargantuan emerald-colored beam, followed by the deafening noise of the turret fire accompanying it. That beam sailed up into the joint behind Regigigas's knee, making the titanic golem wail in shock and pain. It, and the bombarding fire from the turrets, caused the stricken leg to collapse.

Regigigas lowered one of its massive arms to support itself in lieu of its leg. People and Pokemon alike fled in terror in wake of the falling arm. Jets and helicopters swerved to higher skies. Pokemon ran for whatever cover they could find. A thick barrier emerged around the Ares and its accompanying men just as Regigigas's hand smashed into the ground. With thunderous force, dust and stone were launched outward. Like a wave, it washed over the Ares.

"Shield Capacity at 89%"

Thorn scoffed as that warning flashed across the Ares's interior computer.

With its other arm, Regigigas continued to maintain the Wide Guard, though it briefly fluctuated as it fell. Black Suits within the choppers, circling around the area while its gunners picked away at the Pokemon below, observed Regigigas with ice mines in their hands. Though Regigigas's size far exceeded the Nova Corporation's expectations, there was still a contingency in the briefings. A contingency the Black Suits awaited anxiously. At last, those orders arrived in their earpieces.

"All available Black Suits, initiate Contingency 014."

Dozens of wires were looses from the sides of the choppers. One by one, they stuck onto different parts of Regigigas. Hooks wrapped around its legs, back, arms, and head as Black Suit after Black Suit swarmed the titan. They were stopped for a moment as a low, rising rumble from within the titan made its body tremble, until a cyan glow froze it in place.

Far above, Mewtwo smirked down at it. Unimpeded, the Black Suits crawled along the titan's body to their designated target areas. They stuck the ice mines to its skin along its joints and near its eyes. And when their work was complete, they flashed a thumbs up to one another to confirm their target completion before shooting their hook shots back onto the landing rails of the choppers, which quickly vacated the area.

The Black Suits, gripping onto those railings, turned to stare down at Regigigas as they readied the detonators, then slammed their thumbs down. Regigigas cried out briefly before a haze of frost completely overcame its body in an instant. Along the ground near the titan, ice spread out from the frost. Even the air seemed to freeze. Many Pokemon felt their spines crawl as the temperature over the entire valley suddenly fell. Even the ground forces further away noticed the drop. When the cloud of frost around Regigigas faded, the titan was left encased in ice like a statue. The protective Wide Guard had completely disappeared as well.

"Contingency 014 successfully conducted, sir," One of the Black Suits reported before sitting down to man a rotating gun on the side of the chopper he rode.

"Understood. Resume thinning the numbers of the lesser beasts. Commander Thorn, support them from the ground."

The cannon of the Ares lowered toward the horde of Pokemon, causing many of them to cry out in terror after seeing what it had done to Regigigas. As the men walking alongside it took aim, a crackling noise from above caught the attention of one. He snapped around, pointing his gun into the sky. Instantly, a bolt of lightning crashed down onto the top of the Ares and sent the man onto his back. Along with the bolt, a yellow paw slammed into the metal, splintering the ground as the vehicle was plunged into it up to its treads.

Within the Ares, Thorn was thrown onto his back, crying out. From the yellow paw, lightning so thick and potent it burned the air flooded the vehicle. An alarm blared around Thorn as he slowly climbed back to his feet. His jaw steadily dropped as he witnessed the Ares's systems and computer steadily deactivate. He snatched up the transceiver.

"What's going on?! Respond!"

No answer came from the transceiver. Thorn spat out a curse as he tossed the device aside. Reaching up to the cabin's roof, he manually twisted the hatch, eliciting a screechy whine from the metal with each turn, until it opened. Snarling as he forced it open at last, he pulled himself out and angrily barked, "Men, respond! Show me the dead beast that dared to-"

His voice caught in his throat as he looked up. A beast of black and yellow fur, standing on two feet and drenched in lightning, leered down at him. Thinking better of confronting it, Thorn instantly descended back into the Ares and pulled down the hatch with him. Zeraora's yellow paw stopped the hatch from closing entirely. He flipped it back open, preparing to flood the tank's interior with plasma until the sound of gunfire made his ears twitch.

As he turned, he found several bullets rushing up to meet him. Lightning rushed along the spiked up fur of Zeraora. In comparison to lightning, a bullet may as well have been a snail. He shot up high into the air in a shroud of electricity to evade the bullets. But as he rose, his eyes widened as he spotted a jet racing toward him, two long, rotating guns in full motion.

Hails of bullets shot out from them with blistering speeds compared to the ones below. With nowhere to dodge, Zeraora could only raise his arms in defense before they pelted him. A loud, low buzzing noise, like a swarm of angry Beedrill, sounded off from these guns as they fired. Zeraora briefly disappeared within a cloud of dust and smoke before the jet smashed into him.

Cyan blue electricity from the jet's barrier coursed all throughout Zeraora's body as it carried him along. Most other Pokemon would have had their bodies annihilated on extended contact with this, but to Zeraora, this electricity was nothing. Yellow lightning scoured the barrier's electricity from his body. He brought up his paws, coated in this burning lightning, and smashed his palms down into the barrier to overload it.

Blaring alarms from within the jet alerted the pilot. He glanced around the cockpit briefly before spotting something yellow on a camera on its wing. Upon looking up, he found Zeraora glaring down at him through the windshield. The pilot quickly twisted the wheel, causing the jet to drill through the air in an attempt to throw Zeraora off. Snarling, Zerora buried its claws in the metal hull he hung onto and brought up a lightning-coated paw.

Even over the roar of the wind and the jet's engine, the pilot could hear repeated thudding against his windshield. "Barrier down, unknown electric beast on me. I repeat: barrier down, unknown electric beast-" The thudding against his windshield became cracking. To his horror, small fissures were beginning to form. Each slam of Zeraora's paw ushered in bigger and more numerous breaks than the last. "Windshield is taking damage, windshield is taking damage, I need immediate assistance, I-"

Scowling beneath his mask, the pilot reached into a compartment next to him, pulled out a small pistol, and aimed it at the offending beast. His finger rested on the trigger, anxiously awaiting the rush of wind for when the glass finally broke. But Zeraora, seeing the weapon, stopped his onslaught. With feral eyes, he glowered at the pilot before looking up and vanishing in a flash of lightning.

After a moment of anxious waiting, the pilot breathed out a sigh of relief as he leveled out his aircraft to stop the spin. Though, as he reached out to place his gun back in its compartment, he stopped upon seeing his camera screens. Static lined every exterior camera along his jet. Before he could even think more on the matter, a deafening bang rocked the jet's hull.

The pilot dropped his sidearm to grab onto the controls as alarming beeps filled the cockpit. Another impact rocked the jet, sending it into freefall. Sirens and alarms of all sorts became louder than the sound of the engine itself. Enough was enough. The pilot reached for the eject button as a third impact wracked his aircraft, but just as his finger hovered over it, a yellow arm burst through the metal behind him. He screamed with terror as sharp claws grabbed onto his suit and pulled him back through a veil of smoke and fire before tossing him out into the open air.

Zeraora kicked off of the jet shortly before it nosedived directly into the ground. A short ways away from the explosion, Zeraora landed. He hissed, falling to one knee and clutching his left arm. Red began to blot the yellow fur on that arm. "Crap…!" He hissed with pain, shutting his eyes tightly. "That damn thing did more damage than I thought…"

His ears twitched at the sound of metallic clicks all around him. Upon opening his eyes, he found the humans from before, along with the tank. "Are you kidding?!" Zeraora briefly glanced back at the flames of the jet's remnants. "It carried me all the way back here?!" He tried to bolt away, only for a searing pain in his leg to send him onto his face for trying. The men, in turn, silently aimed their weapons down at him. "N-no!" He cried in protest, forcing himself up in spite of his body's protests. "I won't die here. Not to some nobodies!"

The men opened fire. Like before, their bullets came at him with all the speed of molasses, making it all the more frustrating to Zeraora who could no longer evade. His eyes widened at the realization that he wasn't going anywhere. Just before the bullets struck, a red glow enveloped them, freezing them in place. Zeraora barely had the time to be confused before that glow enveloped him as well, pulling him into the sky.

He cried out as wind rushed past his ears once more. Had some other jet gotten him caught on something? Electricity swirled around his fists as he prepared to make whatever had taken him regret it until he looked up and saw not a manmade machine, but a fellow Pokemon rushing through the air alongside him. A little white and red dragon, its eyes gleaming the same color that now surrounded him, briefly glanced at him.

Latias glanced back upon hearing the shrill roars of two jets pursuing her. Baring her teeth, she turned back to face ahead before swerving up into a loop to let them pass. Zeraora cried out at the sudden maneuver. Seeing the two jets mirror her movement, Latias turned toward the sky. Her body became enveloped with light as she prepared to use Extremespeed. With speeds even Zeraora found surprising, she shot further into the air.

The next thing he knew, he had been set upon the ground again. However, it felt odd and rough to the touch. When he looked down, he found that he was not on the ground at all. He sat upon a branch, far above the war below. The branch was comparatively thin. As he glanced toward the tree, the branches were so thick that he couldn't see one end from the other.

His fur stood on end at the sound of a sigh. His eyes turned on Latias, who floated down gently beside him. "I think we lost them," She told him, glancing off the edge of the branch. Turning toward him, she pointed toward the tree. "You should try to find a way inside. With those wounds, you wouldn't have lasted long down there."

Zeraora scoffed. "I would have been fine."

She eyed him oddly. "...Right. Well, I'm heading back down. A dear friend of mine is somewhere in that battle, and I intend to save them."

In spite of his wounds, Zeraora forced himself back onto his feet with a grunt. "Same here. Injured or not, there's someone I came here to help."

"You too? What's their name?"

Zeraora scanned his savior silently. She did save him, after all, and she was a fellow Pokemon. "It's a human, actually. Strange, I know, considering I was about to get shot by some."

"It's not so strange actually," Replied Latias, shaking her head. "I'm here to save one too."

The electric wolf's eyes widened slightly. "Are you serious? What's their name?"

"Ash."

That name made Zeraora guffaw. "You-you're serious?! I'm here for him too!"

"No way!" Shouted Latias at the impossible coincidence. "That's great! How did you…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "Nevermind. There's no time to talk. I'll search down there, you look in the tree."

Before Zeraora could question her more, she took a nosedive off the side of the branch. Sighing, he slowly turned toward the tree itself. She had left him on a rather thin branch far away from the central stem. It was going to be difficult for him to get inside with his injuries. Still, it was Ash on the line. That kid had saved him in more ways than one. If he died here, Zeraora wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"Come on!" He hissed to himself, preparing to leap to the next branch. His leg flared with pain. His arm was dotted with dried blood. Every inch of his body ached with bruises and burns. It refused to listen to his mental commands. "Ash's life is on the line!"

The branch beneath his feet seemed to quiver at his voice. A single signal rushed throughout the branch, hitting neuron after neuron, each giving it a boost. It traversed the tree's innards amidst an uncountable number of signals like itself. Almost all of them were of pain. Stray bullets striking the thick bark. Explosions from missiles hitting its edges. The turret fire from the Azathoth fending off its regeneration. And the attacks from the Pokemon who lived within its protection.

These sensations coursed throughout the Tree of Life. But that one singular signal of desperation was carried amidst this sea of pain into the depths of the tree. Countless nerves. Innumerable neurons. It traversed all these and more until the signal came upon a tunnel far below the rift the Azathoth's blast had made. One Pokemon laid unconscious within that tunnel, its pink tail curled around a dull blue crystal lining its wall. When that singular signal crawled down through the wall into that crystal, her body twitched.

Beneath Zeraora's feet, a green mist emerged from the branch. On instinct, he tried to swat it away, but as his arm cleaved through the mist, the wounds on it completely disappeared. He watched with awe as the mist enveloped him, clearing away his wounds like a sponge would wipe away grime. Every cut on his body welded itself back together. Each bruise softened and returned to its original color. And just as swiftly as it had come, the mist disappeared, leaving Zeraora bereft of any injury.

"What in the-?!" Befuddled, Zeraora glanced around for any remnant of the mist. His body no longer ached at all. It was like he was never damaged at all. No, he felt better than he had ever felt before. He was unable to stop himself from laughing at the feeling. "This tree…I knew it was something else from its size, but what in the world…?" He shook his head. "No, it's like that other Pokemon said. I don't have time to sit around."

In a flash of lightning, he darted from branch to branch and launched himself headfirst into the first tunnel he saw.

Mewtwo smirked down at the frozen titan. It was immobile. Helpless. Ripe for the picking. But now, Marshadow had to weigh his options. Size and power, or mind and flexibility? Teleportation would certainly be an ability he would miss should he give up his current vessel for Regigigas. The added size could be just as much of a hindrance as it was an advantage. But then again, his current vessel still withheld portions of its power and memory from him. Regigigas was unlikely to have the same willpower.

Marshadow's train of thought was cut short when a sizzling noise caught his attention. Steam began to well up from within the frozen statue, first breaking out from a single vent. Then, a second, and a third. The ice began bubbling on its surface. Marshadow watched with intrigue.

"Let us see, then. If even being frozen from the inside out would not impede you, perhaps you may make the worthier vessel yet."

Further south, Nova watched as clouds of steam began to emit from Regigigas. Slow Start had undoubtedly begun to wear off. "Lee, I need that railgun online."

"90% and rising."

"That's not good enough." Nova puffed out a cloud of smoke as he pointed the flaming end of his cigar at the ice-coated colossus. "If Slow Start wears off, the majority of our forces will be annihilated. The majority of my crystal's energy has been utilized merely surviving Mew as is."

Lee sighed, leaning forward in his chair on the Azathoth's main bridge to look at the various angles of the war its cameras had its sights on. "Well, you're just going to have to think of something, as we both know is your forte. An incomplete shot of the railgun will be nothing more than a waste, as well as risking its complete shutdown outright."

"Then hasten the doctor's methods," Retorted Nova, earning an exasperated eye roll from his general. "If anyone can elicit a greater response from Yveltal, it's him."

As if that monster in human form hadn't already been pushing that damned bird well over its limits already. Refraining from letting out a sigh, Lee responded, "I can make no promises unless you want that thing dying and taking the rest of us with it, but I will see what I can do."

"Understood. All units, take aim at Regigigas. Do not open fire until my order. Prioritize this over any other threat if possible."

Lee switched off Nova's voice and changed to a different channel within the Azathoth itself. "Dr. Benedict Mengele, this is General Lee. The man in charge needs faster results. Do what you need to do."

Far below the bridge room and just above the railgun, there was a dimly lit room with thick steel walls. There needed to be, for this room to not be shaken apart by the firing of the railgun itself. Scientists tapped away at control panels stationed around a large glass container. Within it, the Pokemon of Death, Yveltal, was bound by chain and steel. Tubes sticking into its body siphoned a black and red burning substance up into the walls. These tubes converged above Yveltal into a small chamber containing a large shard of Necrozma's crystals before the deathly energy was taken into the ceiling.

In front of the glass, a wide-eyed, grinning Doctor Benedict Mengele stared into the eyes of the screaming bird as it writhed against its bindings and shook the room with its roars. As Lee's instructions came over the room's intercom, Benedict slowly picked up the transceiver from its holster on his desk and answered.

"Understood," Came his crooked voice, unable to take his eyes off the raging beast. "Yveltal is responding well to the crystal shard. Whatever is inside it is fueling Yveltal just fine."

"Speed up the process, but don't go too far. If that thing dies, I don't need to tell you what will happen to us."

The good doctor felt a terrible grin crawl up his wretched face. His fingers set upon dials on the control panel in front of him. "That," He rasped, "Can be arranged, sir." As his fingers slid the dials up, electricity began to run up the binding chains of Yveltal. It bellowed in agony, shaking the entire room. The other scientists clung to their desks not to fall. But Mengele, the doctor of death, merely chuckled.

"Oh, what fun it has been, Yveltal."

Author's Note.

Pokextinction Fact of the Day: The Burned Man was originally designed to be more slender like Ryder, only really having flame spewing devices around his palms. He was changed to be much bigger and heavier since most of Ryder's squad were the same body type as him or similar. Heavy was the only exception. That, and to account for the space he would no doubt need for a power source for that suit and being able to spew flames from plates all over his armor.

Creator: I can't believe Ash's story is coming to an end. Around thirty years with this guy. I never thought it would come to an end. But to every Ash, there is a season I suppose. It's so weird to see him go. Well, after the real Ash is gone, at least ours will still be around for a while longer. Sorry this chapter took longer than usual despite its size. Christmas vacation and all that. Hope you guys had a great holiday.

Hydra: I never thought I would see the day where the anime actually replaced Ash. I really hope they have him make good on every promise he ever made in his final 11 episode miniseries. Maybe he'll finally take Latias with him on his adventures. I really wanna see Giovanni finally pull one final scheme in the anime to try and take over the world, I feel like that would be full circle.

SilverWolf1130: "Poor Groudon. That scene has me worried this'll be the last time he sees Rayquaza…

Man, this isn't looking good for the Pokémon… that poor Scyther. Finally about to kill one of these monsters but nope…

Is it really that difficult to believe wild Pokémon can use strategy? Oh, you poor brainwashed fools…

Yup. Those cells will get you, Mr. Fancy armor. And you only have… your*cell*f to blame.

Oh, man. Mega Un Un Un is here! Let's hope Slow Start doesn't screw him over!

Are you sure Mew is down for the count, Mr. Star?

Anyways, another great chapter, my dudes. Can't wait for chapter 71. I'm ready to see some Legendaries in action!"

Creator: In time, we may see this war push humanity, even these humans, closer to Pokemon than either side could ever realize. Especially for Psychic-Type Pokemon which are probably smarter than humans. It's just that humans have the advantage of a society where generations of information are catalogued and built upon. Epic cell pun btw.

Hydra: We finally got to see a few of the legendaries arrive and when they did they immediately got ganged up on, but honestly we kinda saw that coming. I love the scenes where humans get outsmarted by Pokemon. In their minds it's unthinkable that a "beast" could ever be as smart as a human. They're all in for a huge surprise once more legends start showing up.

G: "Good chapter, so continues the seige of the Tree of Beginning, well was very interesting to see the battles of the squads of Nova Branch, especially for the inner opinion of some soldiers, like that they considered beautiful the inner parts of the Tree, to the point of lament that this place was a safe haven for the "beasts of pokemon", leaving clear that this soldiers have their own personalities, than be faceless and disposable grunts without personality. It was cool to see this details among the soldiers.

Also, so the Tree of beginning still has its "white cells" defense, despite to the damages suffered by the railgun, well it was convenient, to considers that if this won't occured, Nova Branch would managed to damage the Tree permanently with the toxic charges, meaning an inmediate victory for them. Causing that the battle was still prolonging, something that could allows that the reinforcements of Legendaries comes to the rescue.

And talking about Legendaries, i agreed with your point the Creator, in the sense that besides the possibility that Moltres appears here, and this triggers a notable battle between the Burned man and the Fire bird, we shouldn't ignores that Moltres isn't the only legendary pokemon with a notable bad blood with the Burned man, only ask to Latias, whom basically had to see as the Burned man took over her home Altomare, and stole the Soul Dew, leaving her possibly thristed for revenge against this man, meaning that possibly Moltres won't fights alone against the Burned man, making more interesting, and possibly ruthless this battle.

Also talking about grudges, would be interesting to see other confrontation between Lugia and Christopher Lee, to considers that the Sea Guardian showed a notable interest in set score with Lee, meaning that if Lugia comes here, he could go after Lee, even getting too far to ignores his allies in this conflict, like an irony, if we remembers the battle in the island, when the Burned man ignored and disobeyed the orders of Christopher Lee for be obsessed with his revenge against Moltres, making interesting to see that Lugia was dragged by the abyss, turning him in a vengenful pokemon, that only cares for his revenge against Lee, much like the Burned man only cares for his revenge against Moltres.

And regarding your question Hydra, personally, i liked more Christopher Lee, as to considers that he was showing his true face during more time in the story than Nova, whom was disguised as Mr Star for most of the story, i think that Lee managed shared more about him with us, especially his notable hatred against the pokemon, that makes him even capable and bold to talks and treats the legendary pokemon like animals, making him my favorite villain in the story. Adding that Lee always showed be a guy with a lot tricks under the sleeve, making that this man be a notable, versatile and dangerous villain.

To finishes, regarding the future confrontation of the legendaries in this conflict, i wonder if could occurs some casualties, from legendary pokemon side? I ask, because for some reason, i have a hunch that if some legendaries intervenes here, even if they managed to draws away the Nova branch and protects the Tree, maybe this outcome could ends in a pyrric victory, with the demise of some legendary.

And in that case, if could occurs some casualties, whom could be the most possible victim? Moltres, Latias, Rayquaza, Lugia, or other.

Keep the good job."

Creator: Thank you. We plan on having even more scenes to show that the human side of the war is indeed run by people rather than faceless monsters. Even if those people do monstrous things for their belief. When both sides come crumbling down, those who witness the fall will receive a rude awakening.

And now, Latias is here. What should happen, I wonder, if she would find Harper? Would she ignore him to find Ash? Or is her grudge too immense to resist? Furthermore, if Moltres was added to the mix, how would things go? What do you think will happen between Harper and Registeel?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised you like Lee more than Nova. As you said, Lee's been in the spotlight for longer, even if Nova as "The Man" and Mr. Star were technically there more. Nova as himself has only just finally gotten his spotlight. That just means we need to make Nova even cooler throughout the rest of these chapters.

Hydra: One thing I've learned from big action movies is that its always better in the end to give actual face to the villains so the viewer can somewhat understand their motives and see where they're coming from. I like to imagine that most of the Nova Corporation soldiers are fighting because they genuinely believe that the world would be a better place without Pokemon or they have had negative experiences in the past where Pokemon destroyed their lives. If Lugia were to make it to the tree and see Lee its pretty easy to imagine what would happen. Thanks for the review brother!

Creator: Next chapter, we will see the might of the guardians of the Tree of Life. Regirock and Regice have been thrown dead center into the approaching ground troops, which make up the majority of Nova's forces. Registeel is occupied with Harper. Can Regigigas emerge from the ice in time to save its three children? Or will it be forced to watch them die?

Hydra: It's hard to believe we're 70 chapters in. I never thought the story would get to be this long, but honestly it's for the best instead of having huge 40000 plus word chapters that we have many smaller chapters. Anyway guys I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Years, we'll see you on the next one!