With Zekrom and Reshiram at Keldeo's side, the surrounding soldiers stood little chance. Zekrom in particular kept up fields of lightning to isolate each soldier from one another while Keldeo cut them down with his horn. Though they fired back, it was difficult to properly aim with lightning all around you.
Keldeo let out a breath of relief after looking around and seeing those in his immediate sight fleeing over the rocks. When he opened his mouth to say something on the matter, he cut himself off with wide eyes seeing the brilliant furred form of Reshiram fly past him, followed by a pained cry.
"You missed one," She remarked. With her wing, she pinned down a lone soldier who was squirming and crying out helplessly, his gun fallen beside him. "You are lucky I spotted him, Keldeo. His weapon was pointed right at you."
And with that, Reshiram opened her maw to silence the man with Dragon Breath. She tossed what remained of his corpse into the surrounding smoke where it disappeared, her face contorted in disgust as she glared at where he had flown.
Keldeo and Zekrom exchanged a glance, though to call it one of concern would have been an understatement. "Er…" Keldeo wasn't quite sure how to address her. "Th-thank you, Reshiram. You really saved my flank there."
She nodded back at him, her expression unchanging. "Kyurem thought highly of you. I admit that I feel some of that lingering sentiment out of the body we once shared." Glancing over at Zekrom, she added, "He feels the same."
Zekrom shifted in place, his feet making loud thumps against the ground. "Perhaps Reshiram is correct. Kyurem's lingering sentiments live on through us. There is also the matter of the pact we made before."
"That is why you must not be so careless again," Spoke Reshiram flatly, her eyes harrowing.
Admittedly, Keldeo felt his will tested under Reshiram's steely gaze. It reminded him of when he fought Kyurem so long ago. "W-well," He said sheepishly, "I, uh, certainly appreciate it, guys. I'll be more careful next time."
The eyes of the Dragon of Truth softened upon hearing his answer. "I will hold you to that. Foes are incoming."
Pebbles along the ground by their feet began to stir. It grew from mere shifting to being juggled upon the shaking ground. A metal sound whirred in the air. And from the smoke from the north came the rumbling of tank treads.
Red targeting beams shone out from that smoke, and upon meeting the trio of Legends, those beams instantly ceased. A barrier of green light dispelled some of the smoke, revealing a colossal tank that dwarfed the size of Zekrom and Reshiram. Around a dozen men marched alongside it, cautiously keeping their guns trained on the foe before them.
While Zekrom and Reshiram glowered at the approaching threat, Keldeo stared up at it in awe. He had passed by many similar looking machines, but none ever were this large. His gaze was particularly drawn to the burnt, curled back pieces of metal jutting out from the front.
"First, Rayquaza," Came the voice of Thorn from the Ares tank's intercom, "And now, as fate would have it, I come across not one more Legend, but three."
He laughed mirthfully. Keldeo, Reshiram, and Zekrom flinched defensively as the tank's plating shifted to allow for the emergence of dozens of weapons. They heard a fatigued sigh.
"So be it."
The men slunk down to prone positions as the tank began firing with its auxiliary weaponry. Bullets and relatively thin beams shot out from nearly every inch of the tank. Reshiram and Zekrom held up their wings defensively, having no hope of evading.
Keldeo, meanwhile, deftly evaded what he could, and flinched whenever a stray attack grazed his hide. Scowling at these injuries, the lone Sword of Justice brought up that sword upon his horn and aimed to cleave into the massive tank until a barrier emerged to stop him.
With wide, disbelieving eyes, Keldeo watched as his Sacred Sword attack was easily deflected. Following that, several of the weapons nearest to him took aim, and all he could do was wince.
Quickly, he became engulfed in smoke as he was bombarded, his cries drowned out by the blaring roar of the weapons. He was sent skidding back along the dirt. When he rose, he was greeted with the sight of several beams of raw energy curving through the air to convene upon him.
In a haze of cyan lightning, Zekrom stepped in to take the blows. "Retreat, Keldeo!" He roared. "Reshiram and I will take it from here."
From behind the safety of her wing, Reshiram brought swirling blue flames into existence. "Zekrom is correct. As it stands, if your attacks are ineffective against the enemy, then your uses lie elsewhere."
Keldeo's jaw dropped at what he was hearing. "No way! If you're fighting then I'm fighting!"
Reshiram's jaw clenched.
"You two," Started Keldeo, his head hung, "Have helped me out so much. It's not the way of a Sword of Justice to leave their allies behind…" His head shot up, and with shimmering, reinvigorated eyes, he cried, "So let me fight here and now alongside-"
A furry white wing smashed into Keldeo's snout as the Dragon of Truth backhanded him away. Stunned, Keldeo sailed through the air with wide, empty eyes.
"You're too weak," She spoke flatly, and truly, before turning back to face the Ares tank. Letting out a bellow, she unfurled her wings and sent forth a haze of Blue Fire upon her enemy.
Keldeo at last came to a rough landing further south, just on the edge of the Azathoth's shadow. His body skidded across the jagged ground before smacking a gigantic upheaved stone wall.
Letting out a cry as he struck it, Keldeo fell to his knees briefly before rising up. "Sticks and stones, huh?" He muttered under his breath. For all the scrapes and bruises adorning his body, it was his pride that stung the most.
Growling to himself, he shook his head before raising it to the sky in anger. "What a load of…!"
Again, his rambling was cut short. This time, by himself. Above him, Keldeo witnessed a ball of orange fire falling. Within it, there was screaming. Furious screeches and screams.
Latias shot through the smoke-filled air with all the haste she could manage in her search for Ash. Believing her to be a jet flying far too low, she was spared bullets being hurled her way. Rather, there were shouts instead, admonishing the 'jet' for its needlessly risky behavior.
This allowed Latias to search freely, though she has had no luck thus far. Her eyes raced from body to body, living and dead, for any signs of her dear friend. Again and again, she had soared over what she thought was the entire battlefield, but there wasn't even a trace of him.
With an aching heart, Latias flew up from the smoke to cough and catch her breath. When at last the closest thing in the vicinity to clean air reached her lungs, she hung her head, sputtering out a sob she could no longer withhold.
Her mind told her not to worry. Ash was strong, and he had so many friends to help him. He had to be safe. He just had to be. Both he and the world itself had survived the likes of Necrozma. There was no way he could die here. Right?
A high-pitched whistling rang out through the air. She turned her teary eyes upward at the sound, and those wet eyes widened as she beheld what appeared to be a meteor falling down from the giant machine in the sky.
In a ball of fire, metal fists and sharp talons met over and over as the two falling combattants fought for supremacy. Over and over, they flipped, trying to pin the other toward the approaching ground. But when Harper next claimed that small primacy, he clenched Moltres's neck tight to and aimed his other arm skyward.
A blast from that hand sent the two hurtling down like a bullet. As Moltres's back splintered the ground into a crater, it let out a choked gasp, but Harper's hold on its throat prevented any air from actually escaping.
Not letting Moltres catch even a hint of a breath, Harper lifted it over his shoulder and slammed it back into the ground before quickly driving his thick boot into his back, boosted at the heel by flame, and sent Moltres flying. He pulled his arms back and shot after it.
The moment Moltres first skidded upon the ground, Harper was right behind it to drive its head into the stone as they flew. It let out screams, muffled by the burnt earth fracturing across its face.
When Moltres was pulled out, it was immediately met with the rapid fists of the Burned Man. Moltres screeched and tried to retaliate with the batting of its wings and tearing of its talons, to no avail. Harper roared, madman that he was, as his fists beat Moltres without mercy.
Within Harper's suit, the tiny shard of Necrozma's crystal spun rapidly. It fueled his suit, his movements, and above all else, his fury. Before him, he did not see the Moltres that was being helplessly beaten to a pulp. He saw the Moltres that pressed down onto his body and burnt it slowly with its wing.
Now, he felt it all over again. A thousand times. He screamed not just out of pain, but out of unparalleled rage as he fought against that fate that flashed across his vision ceaselessly. And just as it was ceaseless, so too were his punches.
When Moltres fell back, Harper grabbed its neck once more and began beating into its face with his free hand. It couldn't resist. Over and over, Harper's massive metal fist smashed down, deepening the crater they were in.
Moltres could offer little resistance than cries and flailing. It was simply no match for the fury of the Burned Man. And yet, for all the pain it felt, Harper was the one who was wailing.
A black, metal fist rose high into the air, pulled back by the elbow. Orange light crawled to that elbow, releasing flame that turned from a burning orange to a searing white before it descended upon Moltres. A heavy explosion rose up around them in a geyser of smoke and fire.
Amidst those flames, Harper stood over the body of Moltres. Yet still, the bird of flame continued to draw breath, though its beak had cracked and bent slightly. Kneeling down, he took Moltres by the neck and hoisted it up.
For a long time, silently, he just stared into the face of the foe that had driven his every thought and action since that fateful day on the Elemental Islands. Moltres weakly heaved for each labored breath, unable to give any sort of resistance against the Burned Man.
Harper wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. He had unleashed everything into Moltres all at once. Every punch came from his heart. Each flame, his soul.
Every second of every hour of every day, his mind was spent on Moltres. The thought of giving back the pain of being entombed in flame to Moltres had been his life. And now…it was so easy. Now, Harper didn't know what to think. And so, he pulled back his fist.
From the smoke, something shot toward Harper as quickly as a jet. Three small claws grew large and green as they became a Dragon Claw attack. As the figure shot between Moltres and Harper's its claws raked against the armored man's visor.
Harper recoiled and clutched at his face. Moltres was enveloped in a light red glow before being pulled after the figure. Seeing this, Harper let out a furious bellow to the blackened sky, his boiling rage having returned in full force once more.
Victini flapped its little wings as fast as they could carry it. Its breath was ragged as it took in the smoke-filled air. Cinders from Ho-oh, meant to heal the hurt Pokemon, now burned them like any other fire. No matter what it did, the Pokemon of Victory no longer seemed to be able to summon its victorious power.
It was that man's fault. That horrible man, drenched in shadow. When Victini saw that man, it was difficult to believe he was human. In him, it didn't see a man, but a monster. That wave he had emitted was not something a human could do.
In him, Victini could not see a human. It saw Necrozma. And so, it fled from him and his men. Bullets flew all around it. It clutched its head and shut its eyes tightly until a stray bullet, cloaked in dark energy, grazed the tip of one of its wings.
Victini cried and fell flat upon its face onto a large, flat stone. One of Ho-oh's gleaming ashes fell upon the wound and the Victory Pokemon cried out in anguish. With tears dotting Victini's eyes, it rolled over, trying to shield its wounded wing. And it wondered to itself: why was this happening?
With bullets flying all around it, and its power and wings tarnished, Victini could do little more than tuck its head into the stone and wince.
"Hey, I found one!"
Victini's entire body became cold with fright upon hearing a human's voice. Worse still, when Victini heard the sound of approaching boots, they weren't alone. Four men approached Victini with their weapons drawn and primed, keeping their aim steady.
One of them put a hand to their helmet. "This is PV-3099. We have encountered Victini and it appears to be downed. Preparing to engage."
The little Victory Pokemon let out a shrill whimper. Its power was drained. Its wings were stricken. And the ashes raining down, meant to heal the Pokemon, now only worsened their injuries. Right now, the last thing Victini felt was victorious.
A golden ring seemed to appear in midair, sporting a gleaming blue rift within. Instantly, the soldiers shifted their focus, and their weapons, toward it. From it, a veritable hail of jagged pink gems came flying out from both sides. The men cried out as their armor was easily penetrated, and they fell to the ground.
On one side of the ring, Azelf and Uxie fluttered out and soared off to combat the forces of the Nova Corporation approaching from the south. On the other side of the ring, the elegant Diancie dropped. Her body was covered in burns and cracks, much of her elegant gemstones chipped apart.
After her came a particularly determined looking Hoopa, who quickly flew off elsewhere into the smoke.
Still, in spite of her own injuries, the princess of gems wasted no time grabbing hold of Victini and shielding it with her body. "Do not fret, dear Victini," She spoke gently, kneeling over to keep the weakened Legend safe, "I will allow no further harm to come to you."
Diancie stirred with a slight gasp as she heard rustling. One of the men, despite the myriad of jagged stones poking out from his chest, still moved. He raised a trembling hand to the comms system on his helmet before speaking.
"T-two confirmed Legends in vicinity. Whole squad mortally wounded. Requesting…" He coughed, causing his whole body to tremble. But still, he refused to stop looking upon the two Legends before him. "…An aerial sweep on my location."
And with that, the man fell silent and collapsed. Diancie stared at him for a moment with wide eyes of concern. "Aerial sweep? What in the world is…?"
The sound of a roaring engine in the sky answered her question before she could finish it. Though it was impossible to see the lurking jet above through the smoke, Diancie, by now, recognized that frightful sound. She gasped, holding onto Victini closely and using Protect shortly before something large fell onto them, bathing their surroundings in flames.
Gnashing teeth met with imitations of human hands in a ferocious battle amongst a swirl of elements. While Nova continued his steady march toward the Tree of Beginning unimpeded, his surroundings were flush with chaos.
His Red Suits dueled with the Beasts of Johto in a terrifying display of ferocity. The elements emitted by them ravaged the landscape, obliterating any who got near. The human soldiers had made it a strategy to drive the Pokemon toward the swirling inferno of elements where they swiftly met their ends.
Within that chaos, Suicune fired an Ice Beam, combated by a Flamethrower from one of the Red Suits. Another of Nova's crimson followers leapt over the shoulders of the first and with its arm contorted into a Leaf Blade. It grabbed onto Suicune's head crest and sent electricity through its body to Paralyze it long enough to deliver the blow.
However, as it raised the Leaf Blade, it was tackled and bitten by Raikou, whose Thunder Fang attack plunged into the skin of the Red Suit, flooding its body with lightning. Whether or not it felt any pain, Raikou didn't know.
The moment the Red Suit in its grasp moved its arm, Raikou knew better than to keep hold. It opened its mouth and lifted its head to throw the 'man' away before roaring and preparing to use Thunder on its fallen adversary.
Two more Red Suits descended upon Raikou from above, but were intercepted by a Fire Blast that carried them off. Entei, standing proudly, let out a puff of smoke from its nostrils as it watched them disappear into the haze.
When Raikou stopped roaring, the beast clenched its fangs shut and cast its head down, summoning a terrible Thunder attack from the sky to smite its enemy. And yet, another of the crimson men emerged to shield its ally with Protect.
With one hand, it held the shield steady to endure the bolt. And with the other, it shot down a Heal Pulse to its ally, and the wounds on their body swiftly faded. Wordlessly, they got up, and a white light encapsulated their body as they dashed together toward Raikou with Extreme Speed.
Raikou let out a ferocious roar and leapt backward as they approached, but their speed outstripped even that of the Beast of Lightning. Savage blows seemed to strike it on all sides, depriving it of its senses as it was struck endlessly.
But then, one stray punch struck Raikou upon its fang. The fang a certain boy had healed. When it was stricken, it chipped once more, inciting Raikou's fury. Its eyes dilated into thin slits as its rage boiled over, and when it bellowed, it used Discharge to send lightning in all directions.
The two Red Suits jumped high and brought up their arms to use Protect against the bolts of lightning. As they fell back down through the bolts, they brought back their fists and slammed them into the ground on either side of the electric beast.
From their fists, they used Earthquake, and both quakes converged beneath Raikou. The result was the ground beneath it veritably exploding up like a geyser and sending Raikou flying into the air with a screech.
Entei barked in anger and tried leaping up after its comrade, only to stagger forward slightly as something pulled it down. Two Red Suits, cloaked in black ashes, were half entombed in the earth below, both grabbing hold of Entei's rear legs. With wide eyes, Entei watched as the burns it had inflicted upon them earlier faded away.
It yelped as they descended into the ground, attempting to pull it down with them. With a bellow, it unleashed an Eruption attack, causing the ground to blast outward in a haze of fire and molten stone.
Without waiting to see what had become of them, it turned its head down and shot a second Fire Blast down into the hole. But as it did this, it heard the sound of splintering stone behind it.
Instantly, Entei turned to deliver a Heat Wave. It was met with a Blizzard in kind from one Red Suit. Ice mixed with fire in a swirling haze that grew into steam the further out it went. The second Red Suit used Wide Guard and plunged headfirst into the frey. And when it met with the Beast of Flame, plunged a Poison Jab into its abdomen, earning a roar of pain from its target.
Entei ceased with its Heat Wave, and in turn the Red Suit ceased its Blizzard. Instead, it held one hand forward and grabbed its extended wrist with the other hand before launching a Hydro Pump at the vulnerable Entei.
That attack was intercepted by an Ice Beam just before it could strike Entei's face, and ice crept along the jet of water to instantly freeze the one producing it. The Red Suit striking Entei immediately turned its head and darted off to prioritize rescuing its partner.
Entei lowered its head for a moment and shook itself to clear its head. When the shock had worn off, it stomped down with its powerful front paws and splintered the ground beneath it before bellowing into the sky above.
It turned its head to see Suicune, who was holding its own and darting around the attacks of two more Red Suits, and the two exchanged a brief nod in gratitude for Suicune's interference before Entei bounded off to meet its adversaries, sporting a limp.
Suicune summoned a Whirlpool attack around itself and caught the Red Suits within the swirling waters. Around and around, they were spun. As the Red Suits' hands sparked with electricity, Suicune's mouth churned as it prepared an Ice Beam to freeze them within the Whirlpool's waters.
As the elegant Beast of Water brought back its head to deliver the attack, it let out a sudden yelp when the body of Raikou smacked into its side. Suicune was sent hurtling across the ground, though it slowed to a halt by digging its heels into the ground.
For a moment, it snarled back at the Red Suits as two more descended down, four now surrounding the fallen body of Raikou. Suicune quickly went to fire an attack upon them to prevent them from attacking Raikou until something caught its eye.
In Suicune's peripheral vision, it saw that man these odd humans were protecting, if they were even humans at all. That horrid man, bathed in shadow, still walked forward through the war as if nothing was wrong. If Suicune could deal a blow, then this all could come to an end.
Suicune opened its mouth to fire an Ice Beam at Nova. Crackling ice, fast as lightning, shot toward the man from behind. But as it neared him, the attack ceased moving altogether as if time had stopped. And then, it disappeared. It was simply gone, in an instant, like it had never existed at all.
And Nova kept walking.
Suicune watched on with wide eyes, as if entranced by the sight. That trance quickly came to an end when a crimson glove smashed into Suicune's cheek. It let out a cry of rage as it turned upon them, but then another glove grabbed at its head crest.
When it opened its mouth, a gloved hand forced its mouth shut. A Leaf Blade scraped across its skin. A Dragon Claw was driven into its abdomen. Suicune's furious cries soon turned to panicked screams as all six Red Suits converged upon the Beast that had attacked their master, and those screams rose up through the smoky veil.
Dull quakes and booms permeated the walls of the Tree of Beginning, paired only with the sound of shoes clacking against the cave floors within it. As Ash and the others sprinted through the tree as fast as their legs could carry them, Mew constantly winced and whimpered.
"N-no-!" She wailed suddenly and loudly, making the group stop suddenly.
Ash hovered an ivory hand over her, but Mew rebuked him in spite of the tears dotting her eyes. "It's not that, but…" When she opened her eyes, the tears fell freely. "I can feel them! My children…they're dying out there! I have to help them!"
A pink glow emanated from the Mother of all Pokemon, earning gasps from the group. "Stop, Mew!" Shouted Ash. "You can't use any more of your-"
"NO!" Mew's vehement wail in response shook the entire tree, stunning the three humans and the little Ralts accompanying them. Heavily, Mew panted for air. Her teeth grit hard enough to shatter a Steelix's hide between them. "No. I'm not letting them die for my sake. I won't fail my children again!"
Ash stared down at her with a slack jaw for a brief moment before staring at her intensely. She gave him the same look back, though it faltered in her desperation. Ash closed his eyes and mouth, summoning Auric flames to his hand and hovering over Mew with it.
"Then…at least let me help."
Above the smoke, Ho-oh batted away round drones with its wings and sent spires of gleaming flames out in all directions. That Helicarrier it faced, the Nuada, had loosed these drones by the hundreds into the sky. These round drones, with large round 'eyes' of glass and steel, targeted Ho-oh's body with thin beams.
For almost any other target, these beams may have spelt a near instant end, but Ho-oh was more than used to heat, and so they did little but singe its brilliant colored wings. Ho-oh glared past the drones into the Nuada Helicarrier itself and folded its wings in, preparing to scorch the skies with Sacred Fire.
But then, it heard a scream from below, and its heart skipped a beat upon recognizing it as Suicune. This distraction earned a wicked grin from Commander Manuall within the Nuada. Quickly, he picked up a transceiver from his desk.
"Now, Auto!"
Speeding through the air, the AI-piloted black jet appeared and disappeared in an instant. Ho-oh never had the chance to even comprehend what had happened before it felt a sharp pain along the right side of its body.
"Eat lead," Vehemently spoke the computer copy of Auto within the jet as it sped away.
Hundreds of bullets from the ebony jet bombarded it with pinpoint accuracy. Its feathers were torn to shreds, and with them, the skin and bone underneath. It was as if half Ho-oh's body had been ripped apart. Its eyes were wide, in shock.
Commander Manuall raised an arm over the balcony of the Nuada's bridge and shouted, "Fire! Open fire, all weapons systems!"
On his order, the crew on the bridge began to work quickly on their respective control pads. Weapons all along the Nuada revealed themselves from turrets to missiles. Ho-oh was consumed in a plume of dust and fire as its body was ravaged.
Ho-oh screeched loudly as it sent a sea of flames in every direction, to little avail. The hundreds of drones from the Nuada began to attack Ho-oh with pinpoint accuracy. Its vision went black as they targeted its eyes first and foremost. Each open wound on its body was shot and made worse.
Every inch of its body was assaulted, rent apart, burned, ravaged. Little by little, the body of Ho-oh was giving way. And with a final, powerful screech, the great rainbow Phoenix fell down. Commander Manuall watched this with a growing grin of pride.
Wreathed in flames, its own and the enemy's, the screeching Ho-oh fell down through the smoke. It glowed so brightly, like that of a fallen star, that nigh everyone on the ground could see it.
Diancie and Victini looked up in horror. The soldiers surrounding them laughed and cheered in celebration. All manner of Pokemon wept and shouted in despair. And the Beasts of Johto, limping away from their battles with scars covering nearly every inch of their bodies, collapsed upon seeing the one who gave them new life falling to its demise.
Ho-oh fell upon the scattered rocks on the valley floor and collapsed motionlessly. The flames of its body, flickers of its life, steadily faded. And as they shrunk, those looking upon it slowly lost sight of it. In defeat, the Beasts of Johto raised their heads and let out a sorrowful howl before falling like their master.
Brilliant flames dulled to little more than a candle flame. And from a candle flame to mere sparks, and then cinders. From the Tree of Beginning, there was a horrible, sorrowful tremble. And then, along the ground, a stream of pink light zigzagged toward Ho-oh.
Instantly, the flames of Ho-oh's life were reinvigorated. Swirling flames shot up from Ho-oh's body in a brilliant twist that reached high and far. Each flicker was a new color, creating a veritable canvas that swirled around Ho-oh's body.
The smoke seemed to disappear in the wake of Ho-oh's light. Rather, the fire seemed to be burning away at the smoke itself, eradicating all impurities within the air over the valley.
Cries of awe and terror rang out from the soldiers. Instantly, orders to pull back rang out across the valley. And as they backpedaled, the Pokemon could only stare with wide eyes and slack jaws at the miracle unfolding before their eyes.
Battles across the valley seemed to halt. Azelf and Uxie halted their Psychic onslaught. Reshiram, Zekrom, and Commander Thorn ceased fire as rainbow flames filled the skies above. Rayquaza ceased scraping at the burns on his face as those flames surrounded him.
Raikou, Entei, and Suicune raised their heads to look deep into the colorful flickers of fire. Within, they saw the shadow of the phoenix within as it rose back onto its feet. And with great speed, it shot off the ground and into the sky.
With great pride, Ho-oh spread its wings and let out a powerful cry. To the Pokemon, it sounded like a war horn, reinvigorating their will to fight. To the humans, it sounded shrill and nigh deafening. A threat.
Upon spreading its wings, great waves of rainbow flame exploded outward in all directions, as if repainting the sky itself. Immense sunbeams pierced through these flames, scorching the men and their machines with great and terrible light, yet leaving the Pokemon unharmed as these beams passed over them.
And there was Ho-oh itself, wreathed in brilliant golden feathers to replace the red ones there before. At the center of these flames and sunbeams, it proudly flew through the air once more.
Ho-oh seemed to twirl through the air, dancing as its wings guided the flow of its flames until it flapped them forward, and the flames converged upon the ground and sky like a wave. Any and all caught within were obliterated, but for the Pokemon, their wounds once again sealed shut on contact with the flames.
These flames washed over nearly all things in the valley, scorching any man not shielded by a barrier or stone. Diancie, still holding Victini in her arms, watched with awe as the chipped parts of her body regrew. And Victini could feel its wings do the same.
High above upon a branch of the Tree of Beginning, Latias hovered over the bruised and battered Moltres with worry, unsure of what to do. Her prayers were answered by a rainbow veil, and with wide eyes, she witnessed these flames mend the broken Bird of Flame.
Nova's steps came to a halt as rainbow flames swirled around him and his Red Suits. His necklace gleamed as it raged against the light of the Tree of Beginning. He cast his gaze up at Ho-oh, then down at the stream of light in the ground that was now receding back into the trunk of the tree.
"…Mew." Nova grabbed up his transceiver and shouted, "All units, fire upon Ho-oh!"
War cries rang out as his men followed the order. The barrels of guns pointed up from the valley in rows, followed swiftly by the loosing of bullets. Cannons atop tanks boomed as shells flew up toward their target. And all across the sky, helicopters, jets, and drones filled the air.
But even as all of these things struck and tore against Ho-oh's golden feathers, Ho-oh's elegant dance of fire did not halt. Each flap of its wing brought a rain of colored embers, and when cast its wings to its sides, it brought up waves of fire that fell upon the soldiers in a beautiful cataclysm.
From whatever cover they could find, the Nova Corporation retaliated. On land and sky, Ho-oh became the central target of the war, and for all the phoenix's efforts, its healing flames still mesmerized the Pokemon into a stunned rest. A rest Ho-oh was happy to provide in their stead.
Even as bullets chipped at its feathers and tank shells reopened sealed wounds, Ho-oh's elegant dance that commanded sunlight and colorful flame did not cease. Even the Nuada Helicarrier and the SR-71 "Raiden" jet could not cease this brilliant show.
What seeped from Ho-oh's wounds was not blood, but a flow of light specks that emanated across the sky like red stars. And with a flap of its wings, those stars fell upon the valley like meteors. The cries of men erupted in crowds as they were assaulted now on three separate fronts.
Within the Nuada Helicarrier, an operator aboard the bridge shouted, "Our ground forces are taking heavy casualties!"
Commander Manuall snarled with fury. "We can't afford more losses! Send down the drones to shield the men!"
Below, an ensign stood up and saluted to his commander. "Sir? Won't that leave us unable to attack Ho-oh as ordered?"
"Forget the orders!" Barked Manuall from above, making the young ensign flinch. "Send them down! I won't stand by as our men die, and the drones aren't doing much damage as is!" He turned to his desk and pulled up a transceiver. "General Lee, respond!"
There was a moment of only static before a sudden crackle before at last Christopher Lee's voice appeared. "This is General Lee reporting, Commander."
Commander Manuall's face wrinkled with rage as he barked, "Our men are dying down there and we still haven't used all of our assets! Call in those seventy spatial weapons! What else did we have Palkia for but that?!"
Eyes of the crew on the Nuada's bridge widened en masse.
"Completing the artificial Hoopa Rings," Replied Lee flatly, "And I do not have time to discuss this with you. The SR models did not have time to be completed in lieu of all other factors, so-"
There was another pitch of static, and the automated voice of Auto rasped, "General, Commander, there's no need to worry. I took the liberty of installing those capabilities on the SR-71 'Raiden' in my spare time."
"What do you mean-?" Lee cut himself off when a realization struck him. "So that's why you called it the SR-71."
There was a chuckle on the other end. Rainbow flames scorched the barrier of a black jet as it raced through. "That's right. This is…"
On the underside of that jet, a silver weapon with a horizontal slit at the end lowered. Pink energy coalesced within that slit. And upon breaching a wave of rainbow flames, Ho-oh came into view.
"The Spatial Rend-71 'Raiden.'"
Toward the risen phoenix, Auto's black jet launched a pink crescent wave, making the nose of the vehicle bend slightly. While the jet itself disappeared as soon as it had come, the wave continued on toward its target. Ho-oh turned its head just in time to see something making its flames bend and warp.
It flapped down to send itself up out of harm's way, only to be clipped straight through the edge of its left wing. Amidst a rift of warped space, A portion of Ho-oh's wing cracked and crumpled, twisted by the warped space as the Spatial Rend passed off into the distance.
Ho-oh shrieked and hissed, moreso out of rage than pain. More flames began to pour out from the wound in lieu of gleaming blood until those flames coated its body entirely. Sensing the turmoil of the Pokemon still below, it screeched and flew higher into the air.
Even still, the unending stream of projectiles from below still soared after it. Little by little, its body wasted away. The flames of its soul burned more brightly yet, and though the sunbeams from above ceased, Ho-oh itself began to shine more brightly than ever.
"Ho-oh, don't do it!" The voice of Mew permeated Ho-oh's mind, her desperate cries ringing within it. "This isn't what I gave you this power for!" She sniffled helplessly. "This power was meant to save you! Not me!"
But this only earned a content smile from the risen phoenix as it made up its mind. It soared between the branches of the Tree of Beginning and let out a final proud cry before releasing all of its flames—all of itself—to give back to the mother that had saved it. As if sensing what it was doing, the Beasts of Johto howled up at their twice savior mournfully.
Cascades of all colors licked at the wounds of the tree, pairing together cracks and splinters. Parts of the great wound made by the Azathoth's main cannon began to close in on itself, but before it could get far, the last of Ho-oh faded. Within the last echoes of its consciousness, the proud phoenix heard its mother, sobbing in grief.
Atop the Azathoth, Ryder deftly dodged jagged icicles from Articuno's Ice Shard attack. He flipped over the Hyper Beam of Lugia, then ducked to slide across the metal when the beam came back for his head.
Above, the Silver Beast and the Bird of Ice launched these attacks while flipping through the air to evade the stream of bullets from the ship's turret systems. Lugia was more than annoyed, as all the bullets and smoke made it difficult to focus on his target enough to catch him with Psychic at his speed.
This game of Meowth and Rattata went back and forth between who exactly was who. Ryder set his blade to Electric-Type mode and flicked it toward them repeatedly to send curved waves of lightning up at them. Though Lugia was able to largely bat these away with Steel Wing, Articuno tried to intercept them with Ice Beam.
The result was the stricken electric waves exploding and catching Articuno off guard. For a moment, it was paralyzed, and it fell down into the smoke. Lugia tried to give chase only to be intercepted by more bullet streams. Enraged, he opened his maw to unleash a Hyper Beam upon them that swept across the top of the Azathoth, taking with it a myriad of turrets.
Articuno fell upon the metal with a loud thud. It let out low cries as it fought off its momentary paralysis. Rapid footsteps caught its hearing, and it quickly let out a Blizzard attack in all directions with a loud howl. It caught sight of a shadow for a brief moment amidst the frosty winds before it retreated.
Then, there was a spark.
Ryder flicked his flaming blade around himself, and Articuno was met with the sight of that man in black diving headfirst through the Blizzard, bathed in a ring of fire. His sword slashed down upon Articuno's chest, making it shriek.
It momentarily lowered its head in pain before turning toward Ryder with fury in its gaze, only to find an armored hand grasping its beak. Ryder thrust his blade forward faster than the eye of the Bird of Ice could follow. And then, that eye met his blade.
Ryder pierced the vision of Articuno, switching his sword to Electric-Type mode once more. He didn't even give Articuno time to process the injury before flooding its brain with lightning. Articuno shrieked loudly, and then fell, its body twitching.
Pulling the blade out of the corpse, Ryder swung through the air to rid his beloved weapon of its new dirtiness and sheathed it. Taking Articuno's wing in hand, he dragged the bird from its cold resting place, glanced up to find Lugia amidst the smoke, and then hurled the body up at his remaining enemy.
Lugia let out an angry puff from his nostrils as he rid himself of the last annoying turret in range. It was then that something cold struck him. He recoiled and brought up a Steel Wing, but his narrowed eyes slowly widened as he came face to face with his lifeless underling.
Before Articuno could fall, Lugia caught it with Psychic. "H-hey, Articuno! What happened to…?" Then, he saw the wound on the bird's eye. Half its face was singed grey, and the void in its eye was haunting.
Lugia stared into the dead face of Articuno, too stunned to even think, before the slits of his shaking eyes fell upon Ryder. Gradually, Articuno was lowered onto the top of the Azathoth. With a dark expression fitting of a beast, Lugia howled with such anger that the metal hull of the Azathoth shook beneath Ryder's feet.
In anticipation, Ryder caught Dark-Type energy upon his blade and swung around himself to prevent Lugia from putting a Psychic hold on him, but what he didn't expect was for Lugia to barrel toward him with Steel Wing.
Ryder barely managed to bring up his blade against the blow, but it meant little, and he was sent skidding across the airship's hull toward its edge. He was stopped when his body became engulfed in a cyan glow, and in spite of his attempts to move, he could no longer get his arm to swing his blade against the hold this time.
As he was raised into the air, Ryder came face to face with the Beast of the Seas and the fury within his eyes. When Lugia opened his jaw, orange light gathered into it. Rings of energy coalesced, bubbling as the Silver Beast drew forth as much power as he could muster.
It grew to the point the air was distorted from heat. Ryder's suit warned him of immense energy levels gathering in close proximity, and inwardly, he spited it. In spite of his struggles, he couldn't even manage to move his arm. There was nothing he could do.
Amidst a savage, bestial bellow that rang out across the sky, Lugia launched the most potent Hyper Beam of his life, so powerful that the beam initially split apart into five before coalescing into one. It engulfed Ryder in an instant and sent him barreling down toward the Azathoth's strengthened barrier.
Helplessly, he crashed through it, sending warning signals of intense damage blaring inside his helmet. The beam carried him all the way to the battlefield below like a comet, and he crashed down at last upon a barren field of black ashes. There, he rested in a crater amidst smoke, dust, and regret.
Lugia panted for air, each breath a harrowing snarl. And then, the Silver Beast turned his gaze downward, falling upon the motionless body of Articuno. Each beat of his mighty wings lowered Lugia until his feet fell upon the metal below, where he stared down at his underling in silence.
Ryder's armor was cracked and scorched, sparking intensely. Slowly, with a shaking hand, he reached his arm up and pressed something on his helmet to silence the damage alerts on his helmet, as if he didn't already know. Then, he turned on his comms and gave a message.
"This is Ryder…reporting in, master."
He waited for a moment before the voice of Nova replied, "Your life signs are diminishing. Ryder, what happened?"
With a rasping, weak voice, and a trembling hand that still clutched his blade, Ryder replied, "I have no excuse. I was caught off guard, and…it cost me. I have failed you. This is…the third time."
Ryder received only silence for an answer. Each second without one felt like an eternity as Ryder watched his life signs continue to fall within his helmet. And then, his master finally responded. To Ryder, it was as if an Angel had heard his call.
"…As long as you still breathe, you haven't failed me yet. I do not give you permission to resign from the Nova Corporation. Not even in death. Rest for now. I still have use for you."
But Ryder, for as much as he wished to respond to his master, could no longer speak. His vision went blurry and darkened, and the constant sound of beeping from his life signs were dull. His vision went black, and his injuries overcame him.
Author's Note
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: The word 'blast' is something we try to use sparingly. In Arc 1, you'll have noticed that nearly every other verb used in combat during the Necrozma war section, especially in regards to where Necrozma himself was present, was 'blast' or 'blasted' or 'blasting.' As such, we often hesitate to use the word these days, and each time, are reminded of Necrozma.
The Creator- The flames of life can burn in many ways. Hatred of those who spited you, or love for those you could protect. Those are merely some examples. How will they burn next?
Hydra- This chapter was really hard to write just because of how heartbreaking it was. So much death on both sides. That scene with Ho-oh literally seemed like a death scene you would see in a movie and poor Lugia being forced to look upon his dead underling not even having it fully register that Articuno was dead. The stakes seem to be elevated.
SilverWolf1130- Man… that was such a tense chapter…
Man, poor Paul. He's been through so much shit… just like everyone else in this story…
Man, it's not looking good for Mew…
Reshiram's out for blood…
Lugia is finally here! Man… every time he fights I just get so worried he's gonna get killed…
And now the battle between Moltres and the Human Torch begins… and it ain't gonna be pretty…
Man, I'm so worried something's gonna happen to Rayquaza. That last interact with little Groudon makes me think something is gonna happen…
Anyways, I can't wait for the next chapter. :)
The Creator- I'd be hard pressed to find a single character who hasn't gotten messed up in some way in this story. Maybe the Phione got lucky. But the seas are a bit emptier than they were before.
Speaking of Mew…oof.
Reshiram's definitely out for blood and won't be sated just yet, even if she does have a small soft side.
Hope you enjoyed the savage beatdown of Moltres by his archnemesis.
You've gotta wonder who Lugia hates more now between Ryder and Lee. The birds just have no luck.
Hydra- Poor Lugia the walls continue to close around him. By the time this battle is done will there even be any semblance left of his old personality or will he completely lose himself and become the mindless monster Christoper Lee has proclaimed him to be? Will he sacrifice everything to satiate his thirst for revenge?
G- Great chapter, very good indeed, so many legendary pokemon finally came to the rescue, and to helps our heroes to fight back against the Nova Branch. Well, now with the reinforcements, could being the counter-attack against the villains, though that i will wonder if we'll several notable casualties for Pokemon's side.
Also, was cool to see Victini in action, as to be honest, the victory pokemon also has a little spotlight in the story, only making a brief apparition during the war of Necrozma. Though that i guess that this was like a "game balance", in the sense that the skills of Victini, could makes her a very powerful pokemon, especially like a supporter, as her allies will be notably boosted, to the point of be capable to fights viciously, even in the death's doors, making that the Nova Branch prioritized to stopped her, to prevents that the pokemon were too much strong.
As other point, in the beginning of chapter, after see the interactions between Paul and Ash, in that the former was blinded by the rage and his revenge wishes, to the point of be reckless to attack the Nova Branch, while Ash was trying to calms Paul and be reasonable, i can't help in imagines this somehow similar to the interactions between Reshiram and Zekrom, after the mission in the island, as the dragon of truth also ended overwhelmed by her revenge wishes, for her near death-experience, to the point that Reshiram became a bloodthristed and ruthless pokemon, that even enjoys the suffering of her enemies, leaving Zekrom shocked for the new behavior of her counterpart.
I mean, if we analyzes it, we can see that Ash is like Zekrom; idealistic, composed and reasonables, despite to the current grim situation. While Paul is like Reshiram; pragmatic, vegenful and wrathful, to the point that both prefers a more violent approachment against their enemies, to makes them pay for their respective griefs and suffering. Well, could be cool that with this analysis, Ash become the hero of ideals of Zekrom, while Paul become the new hero of truth of Reshiram.
Also, regarding to your point the Creator, about the Red suits, i must to check it out again, to see the detail about the eyes. Though that with this point, i wonder if this could implies that the Red suits aren't only voluntaries of Nova Branch, but also "drafted people", that were turned in this mechanized abominations against their will, and enslaved to serves their new masters, much like the Stroggs of Quake 4.
And regarding to your point Hydra, i agreed that if Mew was still the old Mew, maybe this would possibly gave some upperhand to the pokemon world against Nova Branch, as Mew would be more capable to be ruthless and aggresive to attack her enemies, than be holding back and trying to negotiates. Yet, i also think that this could be also a double-edge weapon, because even if Mew was more capable to eliminates the Nova Branch with her original mindset, what did stops her to become another potential threat? I mean, after watched the notable psychololgical effects that this war is causing in some characters and Legendary pokemon, i fear to thinks that if Mew was still the old Mew during the Tree of Beginning seige, could exist the possibility that Mew ended becoming similar like Nova Branch, but in the opposite way; human's purge, as Mew could ends becoming a very cruel and ruthless pokemon, that could thinks that the humans are unworthy to lives with their own free will, making that Mew start to considers drastic measures, like enslaves the mankind, or eliminates like the half of the population of humans in the pokemon world, making me thinks that maybe the fact of be still the old Mew to this point, couldn't be a good idea in the end.
To finishes, so finally will be the waited confrontation between the Burned man and Moltres, well, i certainly want to see this battle. Adding that was funny that the Nova Branch members considered to makes that the Burned man took Moltres away from the ship, like if they anticipated that this will be a very destructive and violent battle. Well, even if the Burned man is more than capable to kills Moltres, i wait to see a very good battle, like that the Burned man don't only plans to kills the firebird, but also humilliates it, after all, i doubt that Harper be satisfied with inflicts a quick and painless death to Moltres, he will want to makes that the firebird feels all his pain and suffering, making that maybe the Burned man want to tortures Moltres before to kills it. Or even also, that the Burned man reveals a secret weapon, like a syringe with a special chemical, that will neutralizes the Fire type of a pokemon, permanently, like to took away something from Moltres, like the firebird took away something from him. Well, i can't waits for this battle.
Keep the good job.
The Creator- Well. Well. Well. The hour has arrived, hasn't it, G? Years ago, you predicted the Burned Man before he showed up in his proper attire. You predicted his destined vengeance upon Moltres and held steady with it for all that time. And now, here it is. But…there are others who want vengeance upon Harper, just as he wants vengeance upon Moltres. And he'll have to contend with them first.
It's a good thing the Nova Corp targeted Victini first. Imagine if it had boosted Ho-oh too! Or if it got here earlier and boosted Regigigas. Then again, maybe it has a certain amount of its own energy it can give to others, so Pokemon that are already powerful wouldn't feel as much of a difference as normal Pokemon?
With Reshiram, my model for her writing is that the truth hurts. And boy, does she. Imagine always knowing truth, believing it can never change. It probably does something to your mindset. Ideals, meanwhile, lead to ideas of change and a best possible outcome, which is why Zekrom is comparatively less violent despite his scarier look.
Like you said, Ash and Paul are quite similar. Paul has experienced the torment of the Nova Corporation firsthand, and compared to most others, he was lucky. Even in spite of all Ash has gone through, with him doubting his own free will, losing friend after friend, realizing there's no going back to how things used to be, and not knowing if Aura could decide to come back as an enemy they'd have no hope of defeating while using HIM as a host, despite all of that, Ash still clings into hope for a better future. What else does he have at this point?
Hydra- You were certainly right with those casualties on the Pokemon's side, so much brutality. I really like how you pointed out Paul and Ash's similarities with Zekrom and Reshiram. It's ironic how Reshiram and Paul both were beaten and abused and how they both seem to act very similar now because of it. I have to admit I really do think an evil Mew story would've been cool to write because you almost never see those. No one wants to make the small pink cat into a conqueror of worlds lol. Who knows maybe someday if I'm feeling up to it we'll see the true dark side of Mew.
The Creator- Next chapter, a certain Legend missing from the fray will appear, as will their counterpart. Harper will find himself against three instead of his promised death match of vengeance, though he will still claw for that vengeance and burn the world to get it if necessary. What will Lugia do upon the Azathoth next, and will Ryder get up once more despite his injuries?
Hydra- Alrighty folks that does it for this chapter. We finally after years released two chapters in the same month ago even if it was just barely. This will certainly be one of my most remembered chapters when I reread it, such an emotional rollercoaster. Anyways guys the fight continues to get deadlier and deadlier so I hope you guys are excited for next month's chapter! Have a good weekend guys!