Tree of Beginning, Interior.
Ash, his friends, and the little Ralts that had accompanied them came across a terribly large ravine within the tree. As they looked to their side, they could spot a massive gash far away, though all that came through was obscuring dust, smoke, and the ringing sounds of gunfire and explosions beyond the veil.
"You think that's the outside?" Asked Paul, reaching for a Pokeball.
Sensing his intention to leave and join the war front, Ash held his arm steady and shook his head. "Don't. It's tough to feel amidst the tree, but there's nothing good out there right now."
Unbeknownst to the humans, the little Ralts peered over the edge of the ravine and squinted its eyes down at something.
Paul pulled away from him angrily. "I don't recall taking orders from you. Those bastards out there tortured my Pokémon and I for months! And I intend to pay them back!"
He attempted to throw out a Pokemon, but Ash's grip on his arm resumed with greater force. Small Auric flickers surrounded his fingers.
"You-!" Paul attempted to tear his arm away from Ash, but Ash did not budge an inch. His will to resist faltered when he stared into the intense ivory glint of Ash's eyes. Ash shook his head at him slowly.
Not wanting to get between them, Serena merely glanced away and waited for their feud to be over. The Ralts made a small cry, only noticed by her. When she glanced over, it was making excited chirps and shouts, pointing down into the ravine at something.
"Hm?" Serena knelt down by its side. "Found something, little guy?"
The Ralts continued to shout out as loudly as its little lungs could manage. It pointed, with a trembling arm, down at something at the bottom of the ravine in the tree. Its eyes were wide. Serena peered over the edge and narrowed her eyes.
As she tried to follow where the Ralts pointed, her eyes landed upon something pink at the bottom of the ravine. There was a Pokemon laying motionless upon the ground far below.
"Is…is that Mew?!"
The Ralts looked up at her and nodded.
"You'll just get yourself killed!" Shouted Ash.
"Worry about yourself!" Retorted Paul. "I know these bastards well. More well than I'd like. I can handle myself!"
Serena interrupted their argument and waved at them. "Hey! Come look at this! The Ralts found Mew!"
Evidently, her words fell on deaf ears. Ash kept a firm hold on Paul's arm. "I understand your want for revenge. I want the same thing. But rushing out blindly is just going to get you killed!"
Ripping his arm from Ash's grasp, Paul screamed, "I'll be fine!" The wild look of his eyes was unlike anything Ash had seen from the ordinarily collected Paul he had seen before. "If you understand, then let me go! You know the same pain of loss I do from these monsters wearing human faces! You should be itching to confront them the first chance you get just like me!"
Serena tried to speak over them. "Guys?"
"Pain of loss?" Asked Ash. "Didn't they spare your Pokemon until now?"
Paul clenched his scarred fist, snarling. His arms twitched as he clenched his fists, attempting to bury as much of his emotions as he could manage without boiling over. "Spare isn't entirely accurate. But that's not what I mean. Before me, they went to my brother to get me to cooperate."
"Hey, guys?"
"Your brother…?" Ash's eyes softened at the realization.
Paul let out a huff of hot breath, his face contorted in a deep frown at the stinging memory. "As soon as they had me bound and my Pokemon under control, they burned my house to the ground and…I watched them kill my brother."
He turned and pulled up his shirt. Ash and Serena gasped upon seeing the assortment of red and purple scars all over his body. "And ever since that day, this is what I was treated to because I figured out the Star Foundation was a front before anyone else."
Before Ash could even think of a reply, Serena stepped forward. "I'm sorry about what happened, and I'm sorry if this comes off as heartless, but we do not have time for this! None of us will even live to get revenge if the tree comes down on our heads while you two are arguing!"
Bringing down his shirt again, Paul nodded in agreement. "Exactly." He held up a Pokeball. "So, if you'll excuse me…"
"Wait, please!"
Paul begrudgingly held himself back to hear what she had to say, but made no effort to hide his impatience. Bowing her head slightly in thanks for not simply taking off, Serena pointed back to the Ralts, who was still making noises of worry beside the ravine's edge.
"That Ralts found Mew down there. If anyone can help us all, with revenge or in general, it'll be her. I've been trying to tell you both, but you weren't listening!"
Something seemed to change, if only slightly, in Paul's narrow gaze at the mention of Mew. Similarly, Ash's eyes widened in surprise. It was difficult to sense much of anything Aura related in the tree, but Mew's Aura should have stuck out like a sore thumb if she was close enough to see.
"Are you sure?" He went over to the edge. When he spotted her motionless body at the bottom, his gaze became sullen. "I…can't even sense her Aura. But the tree is still alive."
Paul marched up beside him. "If Mew's here and alive, she can help us with that bastard. How do we get that far down, though?"
Ash let out a shaky breath, clutching an ivory flame within his hand. His mind wandered to an old technique with Aura that Riley had used once before.
"…Get near me. I'll take us down."
An ivory barrier surrounded the group. They gasped in response to the glistening light. Paul merely looked on in confusion. The Ralts cried out in panic. Serena appeared shocked for a moment until realization flashed across her expression. She winced at Ash, and her eyes wettened slightly.
Ash took them over the ravine's edge. Within the orb of Aura, they floated down between the layers. Tunnels upon tunnels decorated the walls of the ravine on the way down, along with floating green bubbles that floated up as they descended.
When they landed, the Aura orb burst and they landed on their feet. The Ralts seemed to shake off what it had just witnessed to immediately rush to Mew's side. She was motionless, but seemed to cling onto one of the crystals jutting out from the wall.
Aura flared around Ash as he followed the Ralts to her and knelt down. Ivory flames washed over Mew's body. His eyes narrowed when they didn't seem to do much. There were glitters on her skin, small cuts stitching closed, but the massive gash on her chest seemed unable to heal.
It was the most bizarre thing. It looked as if it was being healed by him, slowly, only for more damage to appear and belay the effects of his Aura.
And yet, her eyes fluttered open. Instinctively, she could feel the identity of the Aura that washed over her. For a moment, she saw a certain entity bathed in light. That vision faded, giving way to the blurred world around her.
"Ash…?"
Sounds of worried cries caught her attention. She looked down to see a little Ralts staring in horror at the wounds covering her body. It cried and wailed as it looked upon her, wanting to embrace her but not knowing how without causing her further pain.
"And…Shaun, too?"
The name caused the trio of humans to raise their eyebrows. "Shaun?" Questioned Paul before anyone else. "You gave it a human name?"
Mew attempted to sit up, only to cry out as the pain of her wounds debilitated her. The Ralts, evidently named Shaun, cried out in despair at its inability to help. Ash redoubled his efforts to fuel her body with his Aura, and though Ash could feel a positive response within her from it, she shook her head.
"Please…don't waste your energy." Her eyes slowly widened and turned pink. Within Ash's mind, a vision of the Aura Stream at the tree's core appeared briefly. She spoke again, each word seeming labored. "Take me there. This is…different from last time. The Aura stream was…corrupted from within before. Now…it may make the difference."
Serena still had trouble getting over Mew's marred appearance. "What in the world happened to you?"
Weakly, Mew shook her head. "There is…no time. Please! We must…" She broke out into a fit of coughing. The Goddess of all Pokemon, reduced to this state. Too weak to even lift her own head for more than a moment.
Ash quickly swept her up into his arms, making sure to keep healing her with his Aura in spite of her order to the contrary. She did not have the strength to protest. The little Ralts climbed up his pant leg and to his shoulder. Ash did not stop it, but frowned, the Ralts's action reminding him of Pikachu.
He forced himself to put it out of his mind and have faith. Pikachu was as hard headed as himself. He'd be sure to survive.
"All right. Let's go."
Surrounded by smoke and flame, Nova watched as the wounds of the tree were slowly stitched together by an ivory light. He frowned, tightening his hand upon his gun.
"That damn boy." Quickly, he grabbed his transceiver. "Lee, come in. We need those turrets back on the tree."
Lee's voice came back over the line amidst a sea of static. "Are you insane?! Twenty-one Legends appeared at once, some of which I'm scarcely fending off with the Azathoth as it is, and you want me to focus fire elsewhere?!"
Nova continued his march toward the tree, along with his Red Suits. "I don't need to tell you," He began, his boots stomping across the blackened dirt, "That Mew is more dangerous than every other Legend combined. We scarcely survived her the first time. We won't be so fortunate again."
On the other end, Lee seemed to be murmuring orders to different people before he replied. "And I don't need to tell you that our remaining forces will not survive these Legends."
"We won't have to. Carve me a path through, and I'll destroy the tree from the inside as planned. I can't do that if Mew gets back up."
There was an annoyed grumble on the other end. "…You know what you're doing. If you want the Azathoth still in the sky, I can't fully focus fire on the tree. I'll do what I can." He paused. Alarming beeps sounded off from the other end. "In the meantime, some of the Legends are closing in on your location. I'll engage the Nuada and Auto's failsafe."
Hooves galloped across blackened stone with splintered clacks. A gleaming sword from a horn swiped at any human soldier in its path. Keldeo wore a firm scowl upon his face as he stampeded through the smoke-filled valley. Bodies of people and Pokemon alike littered the ground around him. He could see a few of them, on both sides, dragging bodies elsewhere.
It was sickening.
"So, this is what the Swords of Justice had to deal with? Can't say I blame them for not wanting anything to do with humanity after that."
Something whizzed through the air, momentarily knocking him off course. He winced and stopped, turning his attention to the ground when he heard a bullet clatter to the ground. It wasn't nearly enough to break his skin, but it certainly caught his attention.
He darted out of the way as more bullets came soaring at him, sprinting perpendicularly to their source as he tried to see them through the smoke. Growing irritated, he used Secret Sword toward them and dispelled the small bit of smoke in his path.
On the other end, there were many human soldiers with their weapons pointed at him, and one man in a black suit, raising some sort of barrier. Keldeo narrowed his eye at the man as he ran. Cladding himself in Resolute form, he began to rapidly launch more Secret Swords.
The squad of soldiers dispersed, allowing the Black Suit to drop his guard of them to dart away using his hook wire. One by one, the men disappeared into the smoke. Keldeo turned his attention upon the last one he could see, and before he could get away, activated the blade on his horn.
He raised his head and prepared to strike when a wire latched onto his leg. The moment he turned, he felt something stick onto his flank. Using his momentum, the Black Suit retracted his wire and shot it off into the smoke once more. Keldeo tried to swipe at him, but only succeeded in catching the man's barrier before he slipped away.
Before he could give chase, bullets began to fly on all sides. He shielded his eyes as they pelted his skin. Though little more than an irritation compared to what he's faced before, continued fire would be certain to bruise him before long. He dug his hooves into the ground and summoned a wave of water in all directions.
The device that had been stuck to his rear beeped, and then exploded violently. In a cone of fire, the water was scoured before it could properly be used against the soldiers. Keldeo was sent hurtling out from the blast, coming to a skidding halt as his hooves dug into the soot.
He snarled angrily. There was laughter from the smoke on all sides. They had him encircled. It was impossible to see anything through the smoke. Keldeo held his horn-blade steady, turning to each voice that sounded the loudest.
"Frightened?" Asked a voice.
"Just lay down and die, beast."
"It's the era of man!"
Other such quotes rang out all around Keldeo. He kept his teeth bore and sword primed.
He at last saw a shadow and flicked his blade at it, but his attack, though dispelling the smoke, was scattered by the barrier of the Black Suit on the other side. With the snap of his fingers, bullets began to pelt Keldeo again. There was no room to dodge. All he could do was kneel down and shield his face.
"How pathetic," Mocked the Black Suit. "After that show Regigigas put on, I expected a lot more out of you." He took his spear gun from his back and took aim at Keldeo. "Die alone, you worthless beast."
Keldeo opened his eye at the man as he saw the spear spin in its chamber. Over the sound of bullets, two engines roared through the sky with rising sound. The soldiers slowly ceased fire of their own accord when they realized these were not their own engines.
On either side of the circle of soldiers, pillars of lightning and fire fell, dispelling much of the smoke and dust around them. The obscuration of the soldiers fell away, leaving them exposed to the hateful glares of Zekrom and Reshiram. The dragons of yin and yang roared, forcing the soldiers to their knees.
With a chuckle, Keldeo shook off his bruises and stood tall again. "It's a good thing I'm not alone then."
The wing flaps of the dragons nearly sent all twenty soldiers onto their backs. Thinking quickly, the Black Suit raised his shield to prevent such a disadvantage to himself and hatched a plan. He fired his hook wire toward Zekrom, dropped an ice mine, and wired himself away just as quickly as he had come.
His spear continued to whirl in its chamber. Behind him, the ice mine exploded. Reshiram cried out in surprise as her counterpart became cloaked in ice.
"What?!" She roared. "But we stopped the operation at Kyurem's roost! How do you still have those mines?!"
The Black Suit took aim at her. "Necrozma crystals, beast. They're handy in generating substitutes."
His finger hovered over the trigger. Seeing this, Reshiram's wings beat into the ground to send her into flight. But she was too slow. The Black Suit adjusted his aim and pulled the trigger.
An orange blade slashed through his gun, making him cry out. He watched with horror as the remains of his gun rained down by his feet, then turned a deathly glare upon a smirking Keldeo.
"You piece of-!"
"Now, Reshiram!"
Nodding to Keldeo, Reshiram landed back upon the ground and craned her neck to the sky. As she raised her wings, a massive orange ball of fire appeared over her head. She used Fusion Flare and sent it straight at the Black Suit.
Knowing his shields couldn't endure the attack, the Black Suit quickly dodged with his hook wire. However, the attack sailed straight into the frozen Zekrom. A cloud of steam erupted around the black dragon. Then, there were blue sparks, and the red gleam of his eyes.
Empowered by Reshiram's Fusion Flare, Zekrom surrounded himself with the brilliant lightning of Fusion Bolt. He shot at the Black Suit like a bullet, giving him only enough time to raise his shield in a futile attempt to stop the inevitable before his body was reduced to ashes.
Reshiram smirked at the sounds of shock arising from the Black Suit's surviving squadmates of soldiers. They looked up at her and Zekrom in panic. Being in their presence, with the world a shade greyer than it was before, made the scar on her neck itch.
And she intended to satisfy that itch by erasing every last one of these people.
Along the southern edge of the Nova Corporation's ground troops, four Pokemon darted through the soldiers' ranks. The Guardians of Alola, locally known as the Tapus, attacked with relentless fury as if they were fighting in defense of their own islands.
Every second away from their respective islands filled them with a sense of irritation, of which they eagerly took out onto the sea of soldiers. Tapu Koko darted between their numbers, shocking any and all it neared. Those who took aim at Tapu Lele quickly found their guns removed from their hands, at which point Bulu rammed through them as if they were paper.
Others looked up into the sky in horror as a wave of water rose from the ground and bore down upon them. Tapu Fini let out a harrowing siren's song as she took many to a watery grave. However, her song was interrupted by a cry of pain when the soldiers retaliated with Electric-type ammunition.
Seeing this, Tapu Koko quickly protected Fini and folded its body into its tiki-like outer shell. The bullets merely bounced right off harmlessly. When Tapu Fini darted away, Tapu Koko took it upon itself to throw itself upon the soldiers below with a Discharge.
Lightning was sent in all directions. That, coupled with the water from Tapu Fini still covering much of the ground, resulted in many lives meeting an instant end. As soon as Tapu Koko stopped the Discharge, a wire was shot into the shell of its arm.
A Black Suit, raising his barrier with one hand and holding an ice mine in the other, shot himself toward Tapu Koko. The Tapu tried sending an electric shock down the wire, to no avail against the Black Suit's barrier.
Tapu Bulu intercepted the Black Suit before he could use the ice mine and rammed headfirst into his shield, sending him hurtling back. Skidding to a stop on his boots, the Black Suit silently cursed, then barked out orders to the surrounding soldiers.
"Set up smoke bombs! We need to divide these four away from one another!"
Tapu Koko's eyes narrowed as it saw the other humans nearby following the Black Suit's command. If this human counted as a leader of sorts for the others, then it could strike down their morale by getting rid of them.
It craned back its head and let out a warbled roar to the sky. Seemingly recognizing the call, the other three Tapus let out similar cries in response before flying into action. As the soldiers raised their smoke bombs, Tapu Fini's eyes gleamed pink, and they suddenly found their arms no longer under their own control.
Tapu Fini shot a Hydro Pump at the Black Suit, who kept his shield steady. However, he was being pressed back into a stone wall, uprooted by Regigigas moments prior. With nowhere to go, the Black Suit could only wait until the attack stopped or his barrier shattered.
"Dammit!" He cursed. However, he had at least one plan. If he could unleash the ice mine, it would sprout ice through the Hydro Pump and back to its source. The ice would certainly creep its way through his shield, but at least he could say he took down a Legend on his way out.
A grin crept up the Black Suit's face as he held the ice mine, preparing to plunge it into the Hydro Pump when Tapu Bulu suddenly rushed in like a mad Tauros from his left. He had only a moment to comprehend this before Tapu Bulu smashed headfirst into his shield.
It shattered and deactivated. He was sent flying, dropping his ice mine. Tapu Lele grabbed it with Psychic and hurled it into the air while Tapu Fini shot a Water Pulse at it. It exploded in a mass of jagged ice that fell down upon the battlefield.
The Black Suit, meanwhile, had been tossed right toward Tapu Koko. It opened its arms wide to catch him, and upon doing so, folded its shell around itself to prevent escape. It used Discharge within its shell. The surrounding soldiers could only look on in horror as they heard muffled cries and electric shocks.
When silence followed, Tapu Koko unfurled its body to let a blackened corpse fall face first onto the ground in front of the soldiers. Their faces paled, and many put hands to their mouths to prevent themselves from losing their lunches. Tapu Koko sent them a knowing stare, daring them to attack again.
Within the Azathoth, engineers hurriedly worked along the walls, removing panels to perform maintenance upon the wiring within. One engineer flinched as sparks flew wildly from the wiring. The battle against Regigigas had overcharged much of the ship's systems. The main computer and shield paramount among them.
Cries of shock rang out from the crew nearby when a silver ring appeared in a hallway. As it enlarged, a man in black armor dashed out at high speeds, blade in hand, and quickly disappeared down the long hallway.
He left the bewildered crew behind to see the ring shrink. But before it could close and disappear, massive silver wings pushed the ring back open once more. As the head of Lugia peered into the Azathoth's interior, the crew shouted in terror and quickly ran.
It was fortunate for them that Lugia had his sights set upon one man. He pushed the ring open to accommodate the rest of his body, letting water from the temple flow freely. That water only ceased when Lugia forced himself through the ring and allowed it to finally close.
The ring began to fly of its own accord back to its owner, giving Lugia the perfect opportunity to chase it to find his target. He let out a terrifying bellow that made the steel halls quake before scrambling through the hallways after Ryder.
"This is Ryder, reporting, sir," Began Ryder as he dashed through the ship's corridors. "The Sea Crown has been secured and is being delivered to HQ. I will report to Lee as ordered."
Nova's voice responded within Ryder's helmet. "Acknowledged, Ryder. Well done. What of Auto or the ships?"
"Unknown. My transceiver could not receive any signal outside the temple."
There was a sigh on the other end. "There were reports of Kyogre's appearance there from Lee. It seems we can assume the worst. That leaves only you, Ryder."
Ryder took a moment to respond, his mind paused as his body robotically moved him through the ship's corridors. "It does not matter."
He stumbled slightly as a roar from the furious Lugia shook the very floor beneath his feet and grinded to a halt. "Scratch that. It appears something followed me through the ring. I will lure it out of the Azathoth."
Turning to raise his blade, Ryder took a stand. Dark-Type energy coated his weapon. People scrambled for safety around Ryder as the quaking he felt grew more intense. From around a corner, his Hoopa ring copy flew. He grabbed it and set it back into a slot on his suit.
A silver wing reached around that same corner. As it pushed, the metal crumpled to accommodate the size of the Legend behind it. Lugia's enraged face peered at Ryder as he forced his body through, and then, he roared.
The bellow was enough to force the men and women around Ryder to their knees. Even those who had taken refuge in the rooms nearby felt their entire bodies shake, and their cries of pain were drowned out.
But Ryder had an idea. The digital schematics of the Azathoth showed him that he was near the ship's edge. The wall behind him was all that stood between him and the outside. So, when Lugia began to charge an Aeroblast, he stepped out of the way for more reasons than one.
Sidestepping the innumerable blades of wind that came rushing at him, he waited for them to cut through the wall before flicking a curved, condensed arc of dark energy from his sword at Lugia.
The breach of the wall resulted in severe winds pulling at Ryder due to the difference in pressure. People who had not yet buckled down in a nearby room found themselves being pulled outside. Screams and wind filled the air as Ryder allowed himself to be pulled outside as well.
People plummeted from the ship, and as they met its barrier, were obliterated. As Ryder fell, taking a grenade in hand, he saw the face of Lugia peering down at him from the hole he had made. Lugia's wrathful glower became a smug look of contentment as he watched Ryder plummet toward the Azathoth's barrier.
That was, until an explosion sent him careening back toward the ship's hull. The moment Ryder's feet touched upon the ship, he took off, dashing upward along its side. He flicked his blade to send an arc of Electric-Type energy at Lugia as he passed.
The electricity exploded on contact with his face, eliciting an enraged screech from him. Dispelling the smoke with his wing, Lugia writhed against the metal to pry himself out of the ship before following.
Lugia's presence attracted the attention of the Azathoth's automatic turrets. Those nearest to Lugia shifted their aim from the Tree of Beginning to prioritize the flying Legend. Lugia hissed in annoyance as he felt the turrets' ammunition strike his body and used Steel Wing to shield himself before retaliating.
His Hyper Beam swept across the Azathoth's side, making many of the turrets disappear in a plume of smoke and shrapnel. Wasting no further time with them, Lugia took off to follow Ryder.
The armored man shot up from the side of the ship and into the air. A powerful gust of wind from behind told Ryder all he needed to know, and he turned around with his blade raised. He was met with Lugia's Steel Wing, and with a blaring clang, he was sent crashing down onto the top of the Azathoth.
Lugia opened his maw to follow up with a Hyper Beam when he spotted something. Above him, on the other side of the airship's barrier, he spotted Moltres and Articuno. They were exchanging fire with the turrets as they bobbed and weaved through the air, though their own attacks were merely bouncing off the barrier.
"What the-? Why are they here?!"
His eyes fell from them down to the ship. All he had seen was metal, so he had assumed this was merely some base of the Nova Branch, but now that he looked upon it from the outside, this was no mere base. It was some kind of fortress, floating in the sky!
When he turned around to stare down over the side of the Azathoth, his eyes widened further. He was staring down at the Tree of Beginning. But then…why did it look like that? It looked almost split in half!
Turrets from the ship were sending a veritable rain of burning lead down upon the tree to worsen it still. And below the tree, along the valley, he could see little but dust, smoke, and fire. Everything seemed much grayer than it was before.
"What in the world…" Lugia seemed breathless as he spoke, suddenly realizing the air didn't seem as rich as before. "…Has happened?"
Sounds of crackling approaching from below caught his attention. He swatted away a projectile with Steel Wing, only for the stricken wing to end up frozen. A scowl quickly appeared on his face as his flight became lopsided. Ryder leapt up at Lugia, eager to make use of that fact.
When Lugia fired a Hyper Beam to combat this, Ryder twisted his body and rolled along the beam toward Lugia's face. The sea beast's eyes narrowed, and he quickly cut off the beam to raise his free wing, using Steel Wing, and blocking the ensuing slash with a loud clang.
"How many times are you going to continue to do that?" Asked Lugia. His narrow eyes widened when ice began to creep along his wing like the first.
Ryder retorted, "As many times as it works," and then kicked off of Lugia to allow him to sail down.
Bereft of his wings for flight, Lugia lifted himself with his Psychic power instead, but Ryder foresaw this. Dark-Type energy covered his sword, and he flung that darkness upon Lugia to erase the Psychic hold on itself.
Panic briefly set in for Lugia before he fell, until anger took over. Bringing his arms out wide, Lugia smashed his ice-covered wings together to send the crystalline remnants falling to the ship's barrier. He used his wings to pry off the Dark-Type energy coating his body, then let out a roar of fury.
That roar caught the attention of Articuno and Moltres, who briefly stopped their onslaught with wide eyes as they saw Lugia on the other side of the barrier below them. Lugia's eyes turned toward them. His Psychic gaze created a Safeguard around them before telekinetically prying them through the ship's barrier.
The sound of a deep, warped grinding sound caught Ryder's attention as his boots fell back upon the top of the Azathoth. He looked up to see Articuno and Moltres being pulled down through the barrier. How that happened, he didn't know, but the looks upon their faces indicated to him that they were stunned.
And that was something he intended to take advantage of.
He knelt down before rocketing toward the duo with a jump. His blade let out a resounding clang as it was put back into its holster, but Ryder kept his grip firmly on the handle. He could see the whites of their eyes and a brief recognition from them of his approach, but before he could draw his blade, he was hit dead on by a Hyper Beam.
Ryder let out a cry, more of fury than pain, as the attack knocked him off course. His armor reddened slightly from the direct attack, and he briefly rolled along the Azathoth ship's top before grinding to a halt on his heels. Smoke rose up from his armor steadily.
When he looked up, he saw the faces of three angry Legends peering back down at him. "This…" He slowly put his other hand upon his sword's hilt as well. "…Will be irritating."
Streams of fire, ice, and wind bore down upon him all at once. He dodged back before they could strike, but the attacks followed him narrowly. As the attacks ran along the Azathoth's hull, one by one, they activated the defense turrets.
Lugia instantly recognized them as they rose up from the ship by the dozen. But then, an idea struck him.
Ryder slid to a halt, expecting the turrets to give him enough cover to devise a plan, but when a Psychic glow enveloped them and forcibly turned them on him, he quickly realized that was not the case and drew his blade.
Massive bullets from the turrets honed in on Ryder from all sides. But his blade met them midair. He swung all around himself, quick as a blur. Sparks flew like a geyser as he deflected each and every single one of them. It was difficult for Lugia to believe this man was truly human beneath his armor.
Moltres, however, was less impressed. It opened its beak, summoning swirling orange flames in its throat. But then, a chill ran up its spine. Behind the fire bird, there was an unending, unmatched sense of enmitt. And when it turned, there was another man in black armor, bathed in flames, that plunged straight through the airship's shield.
Billowing jets of fire propulsed the Burned Man toward Moltres from his back. And with a harrowing roar of rage, he concentrated power from his suit into his fist. The torment. The burning. Harper would repay it all. And with a thunderous shockwave that knocked even Lugia and Articuno back, Harper drove his fist straight into Moltres's skull.
Lugia's eyes widened with shock. "What?!"
He was given little time to comprehend what had happened before the turrets set their sights back upon their intended targets. He and Articuno were forced to prioritize defense over offense as a hail of lead converged upon them, and with them pelting him, Lugia could no longer find a moment to focus enough to stop them with Psychic.
Ryder allowed himself a small moment's reprieve when the turrets turned away from him. Though, that was soon cut short by a loud metal slam and the infuriated screeching of Moltres.
Hopping up onto a turret for a vantage point, Ryder looked over the pipes along the ship's top to see Harper barreling toward him with Moltres pinned , he darted sideways to let them pass.
White flames gathered to Harper's free arm as he raised it. They screeched as they burned at the very air itself, growing blindingly bright. Memories flashed across Moltres's vision when Harper's flaming fist descended upon him, but a Psychic hold swept Moltres out from underneath Harper.
His fist smashed into the Azathoth's top, sending up a massive explosion that made nearly the entire ship quake. All actions momentarily stopped within the bridge as those within felt the quakes. Lee swiftly called Ryder on the transceiver.
"The shadow man informed me of the changed plans," He began, "But what in the name of Aura is happening?!"
Ryder held his blade steady as he looked into the flames. Harper was raving to himself as he pulled out his fist from the crater he had made. "The Burned Man has made contact with Moltres atop the airship. It has gone as well as you would hope."
Over the transceiver, Lee's voice was irate. "How did they get through the-" He cut himself off, realizing the situation was time sensitive. "Get Harper and Moltres off of the ship by any means necessary!"
"Understood. Ryder out."
As he hung up, he stomped over to Harper's side and bashed his fist into the larger man's visor faster than he could react. Harper clutched his visor and cried out
"You're doing more damage to our own forces than the Legends." Ryder ripped Harper's arms away from his face and forced him to look up at the trio of Legends above, who were in the midst of attacking the turrets, and pointed his blade at them. "I will cut you a window of opportunity. Don't mess up."
With that, Ryder kicked off of the floor, shooting toward the three Legends. He slashed through the air around himself with Dark-Type energy to prevent Lugia's Psychic waves from meeting their mark. Lugia and the two birds opened their mouths to counter.
Before they could launch their attacks, Ryder swiped his blade their way, sending a mass of dark energy at them that coated their body like a writhing web. They flinched, bringing up their wings to shield themselves. Ryder's blade became entrenched with lightning, which he wasted no time in bathing the three with to momentarily paralyze them.
"Now!"
Needing no further instruction, Harper crouched down. The rising whirr of heat emanated from his suit as his back plating opened. Flames shot out like an explosion, jettisoning him toward Moltres.
He grabbed on, snarling like a feral monster as he took the bird of flame over the side of the ship. They roared together in their mad tumble, both bathed in flames, as they plunged through the barrier to the battlefield below.
That left Ryder alone with Lugia and Articuno. He fell to the ground and dashed off, using the smoke of the destroyed turrets as cover while sending arcs of Dark-Type energy at them to get them to follow. If he could lure them to more turrets elsewhere on the ship's top, he may be able to handle this swiftly…
…And return to his master's side.
On the ground, the war had begun to centralize just north of the Azathoth's shadow. By now, most soldiers and Pokemon were below the branches of the Tree of Beginning, though it was impossible for any to tell with how much smoke blackened the sky.
Man and Pokemon alike were disoriented, firing at shadows in the smoke. Though the humans had prepared themselves with filters in their helmets for the smoke, the Pokemon had no such luck. Certain types of Pokemon like Rock, Steel, Poison and Fire were naturally attuned to deal with dirtied air, but the rest were not so lucky.
The Flying-Type Pokemon that attempted to blow away the smoke were swiftly shot down, having removed their only cover. They fell into chasms and mazes of stone, the once flat landscape having been contorted by Regigigas's rampage.
A lone young Shinx panted and coughed for air that just wasn't there. It limped, sporting cuts and bruises all along its body. Through the smoke, it could barely see a Leavanny weakly trying to carry another Pokemon in its arms. There was a bang, and it dropped.
A lone soldier rounded the corner, tapping the fallen Pokemon with its boot to make sure it was finished before setting his sights on the young Shinx. The small Pokemon could offer little resistance. Its thoughts wandered to its mother before a bang rang out.
But the Shinx felt no pain. As it opened its eyes, it saw a small Pokemon of yellow and orange color holding a Reflect screen in front of it. The bullet fell to the ground, spinning like a top.
As the soldier staggered back and began relaying something into his transceiver, the Pokemon turned around to face the Shinx, gave it a kind smile, and touched its nose with a glimmering finger before flying off.
"I have eyes on Victini!" Shouted the soldier. "Repeat: I have visuals on Victi-"
Suddenly, he heard a roar. The lone young Shinx, just on the verge of death, suddenly flared with wild lightning that scorched the rocks around it. As the soldier raised his gun, the Shinx took off like a bullet and smashed into the soldier with Spark. He was sent flying into a wall of stone before slumping over, lightning coursing across his body.
Victini flew from Pokemon to Pokemon, granting them the power to stand and fight once more with renewed vigor the likes of which they had never known. One by one, defeated Pokemon rose up again in spite of the innumerable injuries that adorned them, bellowing ferociously.
They smashed through the rocks in their paths to get at the soldiers again with new speed and power. The soldiers suddenly found themselves overwhelmed by fangs, claws, and elements of all kinds. Even as the Pokemon were shot, the damage didn't seem to phase them unless it was fatal.
"Pull back! Pull back! Let the artillery handle them!"
By that order, the soldiers opted for a small retreat, trying to suppress the movement of the Pokemon as best as they could with their fire. However, small specks of red dust began to catch the attention of the men. It fell as gently as snow, and yet burned the men when they tried to touch it with their open skin.
For the Pokemon, however, the result was quite the opposite. Each speck of Sacred Ash that rained down upon them seemed to alleviate them of all their wounds. The soldiers watched in horror as the wounds they had inflicted upon the Pokemon were sealed shut with a sizzle.
Far above the veil of smoke, Ho-oh flew, decorating the landscape in its healing Phoenix flames. It sailed across the sky elegantly while its trio of beasts below stamped across the rocky ground.
Victini, feeling a sudden fatigue, wiped its head and sighed. It had gifted much of its energy to give the Pokemon a second wind. A yelp escaped it as Entei raced past the Victory Pokemon, its paws beating against the stones with every step.
Entei, Raikou and Suicune navigated the maze of stones the battlefield had become as they followed Ho-oh's trail. They wasted no time in ending the lives of any soldier in their path, bathing them in their elements.
Something in the sky caught Ho-oh's attention. There was a sound of deep, whirring blades. Its eyes turned upward, and from the Azathoth descended some mess of metal the likes of which Ho-oh had never seen in all its years. Though, that much could be said for this entire war.
In the air, a massive vehicle of sorts was suspended in the air by four large propellers along its corners. Thick green steel coated nearly every inch of it, save for the windows at its head. Like the Azathoth, this comparatively much smaller vehicle was covered by weaponry on all sides.
From within, a burly looking man with grey remnants of a beard on his chin smirked as his eyes landed upon Ho-oh. He picked up a transceiver and announced. "This is Commander Manuall, operator of the Armored Helicarrier Unit "Nuada" reporting. I am within range to engage Ho-oh."
"Blow it out of the sky!" Came the irate voice of Lee, amidst the sound of rapid keyboard clicking and murmurs from his end.
Commander Manuall smirked eagerly. "Copy that." As he hung up, he stood up from his seat and looked down upon his men over a set of bars. "Man your battle stations! We are removing that stain from these skies!"
On the ground, bullets and stray attacks flew on all sides. Soldiers and Pokemon met swift ends alike, even with Victini and Ho-oh's powers elevating one side. Behind his allied lines, Nova approached the main front along with his Red Suits.
Attacks came at him from all sides. While his Red Suits dashed all around him to intercept any incoming threats, Nova continued to walk calmly. He saw the Pokemon, moving in odd, impossible mannerisms. Their speed and strength were almost like that of minor Legends.
Those Pokemon were making short work of his men. That, he simply could not abide. Raising a hand, he tampered with his wrist watch, causing the grafted crystal dangling from his neck to shimmer and let out a high pitched chime.
A wave shot out in all directions, engulfing every Pokemon in sight of Nova. One by one, that newfound strength failed them. The Sacred Ashes falling like snow now seemed to have the opposite effect, burning open the wounds that had previously been healed.
Like dominoes, the Pokemon fell to their knees and writhed in agony as the works of Victini and Ho-oh were undone. And when that wave struck Victini itself, the little Pokemon cried out and clutched at its chest, its victory energy suppressed.
Like that, the battlefield became much quieter, filled only with the moans of fallen Pokemon, and the gasps of Nova's men as they looked upon him. Without saying so much as a word, Nova began walking through them, merely staring up at the shadow of the tree behind the smoke.
While his men parted, staring at their leader with awe, the Pokemon could not find the strength to stand in his way, looking up at him and his contemporaries in horror.
However, Nova stopped before long as the sounds of heavy footsteps reached him. Paws of red, yellow, and blue stamped upon the ground. Swiftly, the Red Suits took defensive positions around their master, one of them using Protect around the group.
Through the dust, the Beasts of Johto converged upon Nova, letting out feral roars. Nova gave a hand signal, and the Red Suits leapt up to intercept them. What ensued was chaos and bloodshed as the trio of Legends and the horrors of man clashed.
Nova kept walking.
"Lee," He said, pulling up his transceiver, "How's the railgun charge?"
"Ten percent." There was a low, dull whirring sound on the other end, followed by an elated chuckle from Lee. "Oh, and would you look at that? Our shields are recharging again!"
"Good. One more shot, and we'll be able to blow the tree wide open."
Beneath the Azathoth along its southern-facing end, one Legend remained unaware of much else besides its fight. The emerald, serpentine dragon of the sky, Rayquaza, snaked through the air with speed and precision as he curved his body through the streams of bullets coming his way.
Rayquaza, likewise, retaliated with Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam. However, unlike the bullets that seemed to penetrate the ship's barrier with ease to get at him, his attacks were well-warded off by that shield.
It was infuriating. Moments prior, his attacks could at least pierce the shield with prolonged exposure, but the shields seemed to gleam more brightly now, no longer flickering. And just like that, he could no longer make a dent.
In spite of his best efforts, he could no longer Mega Evolve either. No doubt that had something to do with the sensation he felt earlier. Everything seemed a little greyer. The air seemed less dense. And now, Rayquaza held less strength in the absence of his Mega Evolution. The keystone within his body simply didn't respond.
But dragon of the sky was not one to give up easily. He had endured beatings from Necrozma for crying out loud! A mere ship only a fraction of the size of the one that demon had, made and operated by humans no less, should be nothing to him!
So, he opened his maw, congregated all the draconic energy he could muster, and took aim. But then, he spotted movement along the ship's edge. A piece of its plating shifted up to expose part of its interior. Then, something black shot out, straight through the barrier.
Instantly, Rayquaza shifted his focus, his eyes wide. Whatever that was put the speed of the turrets firing at him to shame. He hadn't seen something move so fast since Arceus unleashed his fury upon Necrozma.
The black blur raced by Rayquaza's face amidst a blur of afterimages. He hardly had the time to perceive it before the bullets it had fired caught up, pelting the stunned dragon relentlessly.
Growing irritated, Rayquaza swiped the remaining bullets away with Iron Tail before moving away from the Azathoth to prevent having to face a war on two fronts. Narrowly, he caught the enigmatic thing move downward, toward the base of the tree. So, Rayquaza followed.
As the thing neared the ground, it slowed. Rayquaza, at last, caught a glimpse of what it looked like. It was much like the other manmade flying things that were buzzing around. Jets, he believed they were called. This one was sleek, black, and shiny. It sounded like a perpetual bolt of lightning as it moved.
Within the black jet, there was only whirring and beeping. No pilot sat within it. There was not even a pilot seat. There were only wires and chips attached to every facet of the jet's interior from its controls to its engine.
The voice of Lee came in. "Well, Auto's loss was truly regrettable. However, I would certainly say he outdid himself with you."
Another voice replied. "Initiating Auto personality. Acquiring data files." There was a brief pause as it loaded. The voice spoke with a different tone. It made something of a gagging noise. "To think I would die before I got to see the future of mankind. It is fortunate that I had the foresight to implement this AI into a body as fast as my mind."
There was a boisterous laugh from Lee followed by clapping. "Truly outstanding! Auto's genius truly knows no bounds even after his death!"
The Artificial Intelligence chuckled. "I aim to please. Even if I am no longer human, I, Auto, will continue to serve mankind." A series of clicks rang through the jet as its parts shifted. "I will rendezvous with Commander Thorn and the Ares."
It let out a chuckle as if it were human. "Of all the named vehicles I came up with, I think this one, the SR-71 "Raiden," is my favorite."
Within the towering airship, Christopher Lee leaned back in his chair with a grin. Now that the shields were running at normal capacity again, he felt a bit more at ease. "From where I'm sitting, I thought you would have been more inclined to call the Azathoth your crown jewel."
Lee could hear a mirthful scoff on the other end. "It serves its purpose," Spoke the AI of Auto, "But I cannot truly accept that my months of hard work on the remains of Necrozma's ship were tainted by the wiry hands of that Ultra Beast. It's no better than the beasts we're fighting."
The general merely shrugged, though Auto's copy had no means of realizing that. "Meh. Fair enough. Good luck on your end, Auto V2. Lee out."
When Lee hung up, the Auto AI returned its focus toward its mission. With the SR-71 "Raiden" slowing down as it approached Thorn and the Ares, its sensors alerted the AI to Rayquaza's approaching presence.
"This is Auto," Relayed the computer, deciding it was more time-friendly to simply assume the guise of its creator than to explain the situation in full, "Requesting cooperation in terminating Rayquaza. I am the black jet you see approaching. Provide covering fire."
"Rayquaza, are you seri-" There was an exasperated sigh on the other end. "Request acknowledged, Auto."
The moment the SR-71 "Raiden" shot past Thorn, his men, and the Ares, set the sky alight with curved beams that raced up to intercept Rayquaza. His eyes widened, but he managed to curve his body through the beams. However, as he looked on ahead, he realized that he had already lost his target.
That only left the irate dragon to set his focus upon the thing that had gotten between him and his target. Rayquaza shot higher to increase the gaps between the beams and gain a vantage point. As he looked down, he could see a large armored vehicle of some kind. Human machines were never his forte in terms of memorization.
Just as he thought he spotted humans between the beams, he could hear the roar of the jet's engine. The moment he raised his head, the sound was already fading behind him. But around him, scattered throughout the air, were some sort of orbs.
He didn't have long to contemplate this before one the lasers touched one, and just like that, the sky was set alight. It exploded, setting off a chain reaction of all the others. Those explosions darted across the air, consuming Rayquaza in their midst. Large rings of energy flew out in all directions with every pulse.
Swirling winds began howling. They circled round and round amidst the explosions until the energy itself began to be sucked in. Those winds became a savage cyclone. With wide eyes, Thorn ceased fire and raised a shield around the Ares and his men to prevent them from being sucked into the raging winds.
Rayquaza's head poked out from the typhoon to see the black jet in the distance. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and fired. In a flash, the SR-71 "Raiden" was upon him.
It rolled and twirled through the air around his attack, and upon nearing him, fired into his face. There was a burning sensation Rayquaza felt as an explosion struck him. He recoiled and hissed.
Rayquaza bent and twisted his body as he attempted to strike down the annoyance flying around him with every possible attack. Hyper Beam, Dragon Claw, Iron Tail. No matter what he used, this infuriating thing seemed to anticipate his every move before he even made it. And all the while, it was pelting his body with its own attacks.
Within the jet, the AI copy of Auto felt a sense of pride for giving Rayquaza this much trouble after its creator had fallen to Kyogre.
As Rayquaza missed a Dragon Claw for the umpteenth time, the jet tilted to dodge past its arm. It spun through the air like a drill as it fired rapidly on Rayquaza's exposed face, and at that point, the dragon's patience had worn thin.
"Impudent…!" Rayquaza could not even finish his sentence before letting out a roar that blasted back the very air around him. Instantly, the jet turned and rocketed off faster than the wave could hit it.
As an infuriated Rayquaza went to give chase, his ire lent him to making a grim mistake: forgetting about Thorn and the Ares. From below, Rayquaza was struck with the full power of the green beam that had previously brought the mighty Regigigas to one knee.
Instantly, the emerald dragon disappeared in a veil of smoke. After a moment, he fell, letting out something between a furious roar and a wail as he sailed down. He fell before Commander Thorn into a large ravine Regigigas had opened up.
Before long, Thorn could no longer see or hear his adversary. Ordinarily, he would cheer for having brought down such a powerful Legebd. But something in his skin crawled. His instincts warned him of danger. In staring down into that abyss, he swore he could see the permeating eyes of Lugia he saw in that storm before.
"There's no way it was that easy!"
He quickly took the controls of the Ares back into his hands, titling the large tank's main cannon down into the ravine. Just as green light began to color its tip, Rayquaza bolted up from the darkness with a Hyper Beam primed in his maw.
The eyes of both Thorn and Rayquaza widened when they came face to face once more, neither having expected the other to have already readied another attack. At once, they fired.
When the two beams collided, there was a thunderous shockwave. The men near the Ares were blown back, and the already splintered ground was scattered and burned even further.
Rayquaza was the first to exit the dust, sporting a burnt face as he took off somewhere into the sky to recuperate from his wounds. Those wounds were more inflicted upon his pride than his body.
It was only when that dust settled did Commander Thorn see the damage the Ares had incurred. Along with several twisted, burnt, or outright missing plates of armor on the front of the tank, the entire main cannon had been reduced to peeled sheets of metal.
Author's Note.
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: Auto was perhaps the biggest asset of the Nova Corporation in terms of creating technology, up until they acquired Xurkitree. It was Auto who first designed the suits that Ryder and his squadron wore, as well as what Harper wears now.
When he saw the success of Ryder, he had himself go through the same training and experimentation in order to better serve mankind. For all Auto's genius, he is a bleeding heart and cares deeply for humanity. At least in the same twisted way the rest of the Nova Corporation does.
So, he took to the battlefield in spite of his scientific upbringing. That is why he created an Artificial Intelligence of himself. So he could continue to serve mankind even in death. However, when be found out that Xurkitree had taken over the Azathoth project's development, he refused to put the AI inside of that. Currently, the AI only exists in two places: the Raiden jet, and somewhere else…
The Creator- Welcome back, everyone. This chapter was out slightly faster than usual. However, the brevity of February prevented us from getting two chapters in one month. Fate has a funny way of working out. I don't think this chapter was quite as eventful as the last, though I'm sure G will be very happy with this one due to a certain scene. More will come on that front, we assure you.
Hydra- Were now getting to the chapters that are showing off pure battles. That's expected when it comes to war, but it's interesting to see each individual one play out and who's doing well and not. That last scene with Rayquaza was pretty similar to another scene in one of the movies though wouldn't you say?
SilverWolf1130- Finally got the chance to read and wow… this really was an emotional rollercoaster of a chapter…
Ash, you gotta get in there, man. The world needs a hero more than ever…
Man. The death of the Regis were brutal…
The Nova Branch/Corp has finally killed some Legendaries… we knew it was coming and it's not stopping there…
Rest In Peace, Un Un Un gang. Gone but your memes shall live on.
And now the Legendaries are here. The real battle begins next chapter…
Hopefully Mew is able to get back into the fight soon…
Oh Moltres… You're about to meet an old pal…
I cannot wait for the next chapter. It's gonna be insane… It's gonna be brutal… It's gonna be an All Out War.
The Creator- I guess you could say the Regi trio was… Un Un Undone. Ba dum tssh. Hope you enjoyed seeing the Legends get started. For all their weaponry, mere bullets are going to have a tough time penetrating the skin of even the weaker Legends.
Hydra- And a war it surely was. The brutality of war sure is horrifying and in the end no one really comes out unscathed. Those different vehicles the Nova Corporation keeps deploying is very intriguing as well, it seems each was made with a certain type of legend in mind. Hope you liked this chapter!
G- Good chapter, good indeed, so the battles of the Golems ended with their tragic defeats and demises, well, even if i guessed correctly that Registeel will ended neutralized by the Burned man, look like that the scenario ended being worse than i was originally imagining, as not only Registeel fell, but also Regice, Regirock and even Regigigas, seriously, this outcome only proves how much lethal and powerful are the Nova Branch.
Adding that regarding this battles, i really get interested in the Red Suits soldiers, as to considers that besides their superior gear, they showcased some superhuman skills, adding that when Regirock managed to takes off one of their mask, it saw that the Red Suits lacks features of normal humans, as they appeared like reanimated men, to show an unnatural pale skin, lifeless eyes and a flat nose, like if they weren't even living things anymore.
To be honest, to considers this details about the Red suits, they makes me think in the Universal soldiers from Universal soldier, the Monster Squad from Predator Jungle Concrete, the Tactical Stroggs from Quake 4, or the Reanimen from Invincible, as they all are basically reanimated person, that were enhanced to get superhuman capabilities, and advanced gears, turning them in a kind of "undead super soldiers".
Well, regarding to your question Hydra, to be honest, when Mew had her old personality, for a moment, i also though that she could ends being another potential antagonist in the story, to considers her lack of empathy for the suffering of the other legendaries, and her general indifference for the collateral damage caused in this war, to the point that Mew get too far to be joking around, while the Legendaries were losing their homes and companions, as if she simply couldn't be capable to feels empathy for others, making that Mew was even capable to considers some drastic measures, to makes "happy" the others again, like a child with reality warping powers.
Though that more than evil, i was thinking that Mew was simply too gullible and innocent, in an unhealthy scale, to the point of be pathologically incapable to be aware from the true situation of the world and their habitants, making her insensitive and incapable to feels empathy. Well, i likes the fact that in the end, Mew proved be capable to change, mature and get better, to become a worthy mother of this world, than be still a crazy child with reality warping powers.
Regarding to your point The Creator, i also would likes to know what happened with Ryder during his confrontation with Lugia, as even could be interesting to see them both joining to the Tree of Beginning seige, to support their respective sides.
To finishes, so finally will occurs the battle that we all were waiting for; Burned Man vs Moltres. Well, about the time, as i was waiting for this confrontation since long time ago. Well, i really want to know that could happens in this confrontation, because to considers the poweress and lethality of Harper, he is more than capable to kills the firebird, though that to considers that this will be an important battle for Harper, i doubt that this ends in an anti-climatic way. I mean, maybe the Burned man will not only kills simply Moltres, but he also will humilliates the firebird, as payback to burnt him, like that the Burned man reveals some secret and experimental weapon, like a syringe with a liquid capable to purges and neutralizes the fire type of a pokemon, forever, and the Burned man uses this weapon against Moltres, to strips the firebird from its fire type, as retlatialion for his burns. And once that Moltres be defensless, the Burned man will kills it finally, to get revenge for his mutilation.
Keep the good job.
The Creator- Speaking of the Red Suits, did you notice a certain detail about their eyes when one of their masks was removed? I'll give you a hint: a certain other character had the same detail.
Never heard of Universal Soldier before. I'll have to check it out.
In terms of Lugia, I hope this chapter answered such questions and gave you much to look forward to. It's about time Ryder got his hands truly dirty with Legends. Harper has had his fun thus far.
And speaking of Harper, well, I hope you're excited. You've been a very loyal reviewer and your massive reviews have given us so much writing inspiration. It's time to pay you back with the moment you've been waiting for. The grudge match of the century.
Hydra- It's very interesting to think about Mews situation though because if she ended up being a caring mother in arc 1 she would've ended up just like Arceus if not worse. Ironically her being cold and unempathetic might've actually saved the world during this fight because she had enough energy to stop Nova from just walking in and annihilating the tree instantly so maybe that's just fates way of making everything happen for a reason.
The Creator- Next chapter, what will Mew do when she senses the pain of her children? If she acts, she may harm the Tree of Life even further. But if she does not act, what will happen to her children? Could she stand to feel them die a second time? Or will she, in spite of her injuries, perform a miracle?
But even if she did…would it even matter?
Hydra- Okay guys that's all for now! The war continues in the next chapter so I hope you guys all enjoyed and we shall see you in the next one! See ya!