Pallet Town, Kanto
No wind blew. Not even the slightest breeze. Some few people walked from place to place with their heads hung. Hardly anyone spoke more than a passing comment. There was an unspoken understanding. Something was deeply wrong. Nobody understood what exactly that was, but it hung over their every breath.
Professor Oak grunted as he handed off a large sack of Pokemon food to Ash's Bayleef, who carried it off with Vine Whip with a sullen look on her face.
"Be sure to share with the others!" Called Oak after her.
The old professor wiped sweat off of his forehead with the cuff of his lab coat and sighed as he returned to his desk.
"I hope I'm not getting too old," He admitted to a computer screen, "Because that bag feels heavier than usual."
On the other end of the screen, Ash's mother Delia replied, "It's getting more difficult to breathe. Please don't push yourself, professor."
She glanced off toward her television where some silver Pokemon she didn't recognize was attacking people on an island. "It certainly doesn't help that the only news channels are only playing these things either."
Professor Oak scoffed. "I don't know what foolishness the media is peddling all of a sudden, but I wouldn't give it your attention if I were you."
Delia's brow furrowed with concern as the television showed Pokemon crowding around a burning village, but for the sake of her dwindling peace of mind she could salvage, she took the professor's advice and turned off the screen.
"Well, you know best, professor," Conceded Delia. She stood up from her chair and went to end the call, hovering her cursor over the button. "I…" She took in a deep, unsatisfying breath. "…Need to take care of some things around the house."
The professor nodded and leaned back in his chair. "I understand. Please be safe, Mrs. Ketchum." With that, he let out a yawn and reached over to end the call himself.
As the call ended, Delia was faced with a reflection of herself on her computer's dark screen. Her eyes were sullen with a lack of rest. The sight of herself made her glance away in annoyance that all her efforts to maintain her youthful appearance failed.
At last, she let out a weighty sigh she had been holding back during the call with the professor. Her trusty Mr. Mime finished placing the last of the dishes in the washer, sporting a fatigued look on its face. Delia gave him a wave of thanks before taking a watering can in hand.
As Delia was about to step outside, her gaze caught sight of a crooked picture of her son on the wall. With another sigh, she righted it, but her attention was still transfixed upon the picture.
At this point, she couldn't remember the last time she had even spoken to her son. The news constantly showed his every achievement from fighting Team Rocket to saving lives wherever he went. It was evident that he was too busy to give his own mother the time of day for at least a call these days.
Forcing herself to turn away at last, she opened the door, stepped outside, and closed it behind her. Her lips curled into a frown when she saw the state of her beloved plants. Most of them were grayed and beginning to wilt.
"Oh, what am I going to do with you?"
When she went toward them to water them, the windless air was beset upon by an ice cold breeze at last. The tingling shock surprised Delia enough to make her cry out and drop the watering can.
When she looked up, she saw brown, billowing clouds slowly meandering across the sky. As the sun gave way to shade, the chill instantly worsened. Flakes of snow began to fall from the sky slowly. Delia reached a hand up to catch one, quickly finding that it was not snow at all, but thick dust.
Delia could only glance up at the oppressive sky with horror. "…Ash…"
En masse, helicopters began to land near the Nova Corporation's rear to pick up as many soldiers as they could carry. By the time some of them were airborne again, the men were clinging onto one another for dear life as they hung from their edges.
Many men screamed and raved, crying out for the helicopters to take them with them, but as they rose back into the air by the dozen, it was too late. They were stuck on the war front, faced by overwhelming odds with even less numbers with which to deal with them.
Not to mention the Azathoth's flaming remnants being hurled down from above.
The tanks at the rear were of little help. As the foot soldiers clumped together, firing out in every direction to pierce their way through the hordes and slip their way toward the tree, it became impossible to loose shells without risking friendly fire.
This, at least, lent toward the soldiers climbing aboard them to hasten the northern trip while taking fire at what the tanks couldn't.
One lone Xatu continued to relay orders throughout the minds of the Pokemon along with other Psychic-Types. A humvee sporting a large disc atop it rumbled across the ground. With the amount of orders the Xatu was issuing, it did not even notice the approaching enemy.
As soon as the driver spotted it, a malicious grin crawled over his face. He tapped a button in front of him, prompting dark energy to coalesce in a ring across the surface of the disc before shooting out in a pulse.
The Dark Pulse struck the Xatu, instantly scrambling the Psychic power it was sending out. As it screeched in agony, so too did all the Pokemon who received mental orders from it.
All across the battlefield, Pokemon began to clutch at their heads in agony. A Machamp smirked and cracked its knuckles as it towered over a fallen soldier. The look on that man's face as he watched the Pokemon snap his rifle in two with his second pair of arms just widened its grin.
But as that Machamp went to finish the job, it suddenly clutched its head and screamed. The soldier beneath it sat still, stunned into paralysis, until another man grabbed him and dragged him along while admonishing him.
The Nova Corporation took advantage of the stunned Pokemon to make their way forward. Cheekily, one of them chuckled as he pulled the pin from a belt of grenades and tossed it into the crowd of beasts along the way.
A savage explosion rang out, sending out a shockwave. Though dozens of Pokemon vanished in flames, the sudden shock stirred countless others out of their stun. That man's smile quickly wore off when he saw the eyes of beasts set upon him.
High above, the blades of many helicopters slashed their way through the air. The myriads of soldiers practically entombed within them fired rapidly on all sides at the Pokemon that intended to cut them out of the air.
A Skarmory, unimpeded by the bullets with its sturdy steel feathers, opened its beak to unleash a Flash Cannon upon one helpless helicopter. A boarding Black Suit that hung from the railing shot his hook wire around its ankles.
The bird shrieked at the sudden sensation and recoiled. It abandoned its intent to attack just to try to slash at the wire with Steel Wing, but the Black Suit was faster. His boots met the bird's body and flipped it. He stuck a small silver disc that beeped with a red glow onto its back and then jumped back toward the helicopter just as fast.
An explosion rang out through the air, and from it, a burning Skarmory wailed as it fell to its demise. The soldiers in the helicopter rang out with cheers. From the ground, Reshiram watched this with narrowed eyes.
"Filth, all of them," She snarled. The deep violet flames of Dragon Breath spewed from between her lips with rage. Yet there was also a sinister glint in her eye. "They have made themselves too easy of a target to not strike them down."
Zekrom nodded along, stomping forward. "Agreed. With how many of their numbers are in flying contraptions, we could thin the enemy numbers and save many lives of Pokemon."
That was all the confirmation Reshiram needed. Bringing her head up and revealing her scarred neck, she unleashed a Dragon Breath toward one of the helicopters. It shot through the air toward its mark until a white beam intercepted it.
The Dragon of Truth scowled and turned toward where the beam had come from. What she saw was something she could hardly describe. A whitish-silver orb with a blank 'eye' floated in the air. Though it no longer seemed to pay much attention to her.
It turned rapidly, firing another of these beams almost every second at something. Each attack smote another Pokemon, letting the soldiers battling them run free toward the tree.
Reshiram's ire grew when she noticed several more of them—dozens more flying about. They shot from place to place to strike down Pokemon with brutal, cold efficiency. It was sickening.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Zekrom and Reshiram both looked up at the sound of a loud, echoing voice. Above them, the Nuada Helicarrier descended. There was a loud ping from it that made the dragons wince.
Instantly, the 'orbs' flying about snapped toward the Nuada and zipped toward it, spiraling around it in bizarre, twisting paths. They continued firing in every direction, either at any Pokemon in sight, or at the debris raining down.
That voice spoke again. "My name is Manuall, commander of the Nuada Helicarrier. I will not let you strike my men down so easily."
Reshiram scoffed and licked her lips, dotting the edges of her mouth with blue fire. "I care not who you are. You are unwelcome in this world."
But before she could lash out at Manuall, Zekrom held a black wing in front of her to stop her. Her eyes narrowed at him in annoyance, but she did not protest. Electricity sparked around the black dragon, and in a flash, he was upon the enemy with a Bolt Strike.
Though the drones of the Nuada sought to defend their controller, the energy coalescing to their eyes could not gather more quickly than the split second Zekrom gave them. However, something even faster could.
Zekrom was suddenly knocked aside by a fearsome blast, sending him spiraling out of the sky in the brief microseconds he had been airborne. He crashed onto his side, dragging across the ground.
Wide-eyed, Reshiram called, "Zekrom!"
A black blur raced between the two dragons and the Nuada, and then the Nuada's drones sent an onslaught upon them both. They scowled and raised their wings to defend against them, but could do little more than that.
Further above, the black blur raced across the air at speeds that would embarrass even a bullet. It twisted and rolled through the air, striking every airborne Pokemon it passed out of the air to allow safe passage of the helicopters
"This is Auto to Commander Manuall," Droned the false voice of the artificial intelligence within the black blur. "Will you require assistance?"
From aboard the Nuada Helicarrier, the gruff old commander kept a tired scowl upon the dragons of black and white, shown on the screen of his charge's windshield.
"If you want to help, save it for the soldiers. My crew will manage."
There was a chuckle on the other end from Auto. "Suit yourself. Auto out."
The aging commander breathed a sigh of relief, content, at least, to know he wouldn't have to worry as much about the other soldiers in the absence of the Nuada's drones. He resolved himself to focus on the task at hand.
Smacking a hand on the railing of the platform he stood on, he held out an arm toward the dragons and ordered his men, "Take them down."
Instantly, weapons all along the sides and underside of the massive helicarrier revealed themselves. In conjunction with the drones, they opened fire upon the dragons of Unova, who roared as they disappeared under plumes of smoke.
Onlooking Pokemon watched on in horror. Turning to one another, they nodded and then leapt into action. Many Diglett, Dugtrio, Drillbur and Excadrill dove down into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt as cover for their comrades.
Beneath the Nuada Helicarrier, the ground began to rumble. It split and cracked, followed by the Ground-Type Pokemon leaping from it just in time to avoid the geyser that followed. A pillar of water slammed into the underside of the Nuada and scattered many of its drones.
Commander Manuall and his crew cried out as the entire helicarrier tilted. "What hit us?!"
A woman frantically typing away at her desk, still struggling to stay on her seat, cried, "A geyser appears to have-" Something leapt at the camera she was looking at, and with one slash, the feed was cut.
Amidst the confusion, a Conkeldurr leapt in front of Zekrom to block the incoming drone lasers with Wide Guard. The constant impacts against its barrier made it grimace as it used every muscle to hold steady.
An Aegislash shot up from the shadows beneath Reshiram to do the same for her. The 'living' sword brought up its shield in defense, summoning its King's Shield barrier.
While the lasers bounced against the barriers, two small Abra teleported beside the two Legends. They and the Pokemon guarding them were enveloped in a brief glimmer before all six of them vanished.
They reappeared atop a nearby hill of splintered stones. Some of the drones that hadn't been disturbed by the geyser locked onto them, only to be suddenly slashed apart. A Bisharp, among other Pokemon with blades adorning their bodies, raced through the drones.
Many were cleaved in twain before their targeting systems could properly lock on. However, the drones were too numerous to be stricken down even by a fraction. Dozens succeeded where their fallen kind fell and locked onto their enemies.
Seeing the energy gathering to the eyes of the round drones, Zekrom quickly stepped forth and launched a torrent of electric bolts that struck upon the drones. Many vanished in plumes of smoke and fire, but the rest continued to fire without cease.
The Bisharp stood against a number of them to protect a small Pawniard. For the sake of its honor, it tried to withhold voicing its pain, but the heat boiled over and an explosion from the beam sent it onto its back. After a brief cry, it remained motionless on the ground.
When the Pawniard moved to go to its senior's side, a drone locked onto its back. Seeing this, Reshiram knelt down. A burst of flame erupted from the engine on its back to send her flying toward the drone, but she was too late.
With wide eyes, she watched as the ensuing beam erased both Bisharp and Pawniard. Snarling, she descended upon the drone responsible and dug her fangs into it. With tooth and claw, she ripped it apart and stomped its remains, bellowing with fury once it laid in tatters.
Aboard the Nuada, Manuall's brow wrinkled as he watched this through a video feed. His attention turned toward the other screens. He couldn't see any people left, save for those rushing north toward the tree.
"Are there any remaining stragglers?"
A woman below him searched their radar and tracking systems. "…Many. Their life signs are dim and they're surrounded."
The old commander grumbled. He took in a raspy breath and shook his head, trying to ignore his ringing ears. "Disperse the drones to their aid. We might be able to divide the numbers of the Pokemon while we're at it."
An ensign shot up from his seat in protest. "We can't combat two Legends without the drones!"
Manuall responded firstly with a snarl that sent a chill up the young ensign's spine. "Know your role," Instructed the commander, "And we will have to. Because I am not leaving those men behind! You knew what you signed up for when you enlisted to be on my crew, ensign. Now sit down and do your job!"
With the young man bowing his head and shrinking back into his seat, the orders were given to the drones. Their eyes lit up, and with cumulative beeps, they shot off in every direction.
Zekrom, Reshiram, and the Pokemon at their sides tensed up and prepared to retaliate at the oncoming hordes of drones until they saw them passing harmlessly over their heads.
Further south, a lone soldier tore off his helmet, unable to stand it any longer. Corpses of man and beast were littered around him, littered with dust. The single man that remained heaved for each breath in the midst of them.
Each breath felt less satisfying than the last, and something in him instinctively told him it wasn't just all the dust and ashes in the air. The air itself seemed to be dying.
He began to wonder to himself. What was the point of this? Each blow they landed to the tree just seemed to make him feel worse. Was it all a lie? All this death and bloodshed in an already war-torn world. For what? To kill it more?
How was humanity supposed to survive in this?
Taking up his helmet with a shuddering arm, he threw it aside at a rock. "Screw it all!"
His voice rang out through the smoke, and his breath caught in his throat when he heard chittering as a response, followed by the loud sound of steam. When he dared to look up at it, for a moment, he felt as if he already had joined the corpses around him.
The four Tapus leered down back at him. Adorning their bodies were wounds of all sorts. Their shells were cracked, their eyes bloodshot. In those eyes, the soldier found nothing but contempt.
Raising up his arms, the lone soldier cried, "Wait, please! I surrender! I want nothing to do with this war anymore!"
A puff of steam erupted from the nose of Tapu Bulu as it scoffed. It floated back and tilted so that its chipped horn pointed at the soldier. Its comrades moved out of the way to let it through, and the soldier felt the world fall away with his hope.
As Tapu Bulu charged forth, the soldier accepted his end. But then, a beam shot out and struck it, earning a cry from the island guardian as it was sent aside. It swung its head furiously as it emerged from the smoke thereafter.
It and the other three watched on as hordes of spherical machines raced across the sky to meet them. Screeching in defiance, the four Tapus nodded to one another and revealed glimmering crystals from within their shells.
In brilliant flashes of light, energy swirled around their undersides and lifted them higher into the air. One by one, they retreated into their shells. The energy from the four crystals condensed into large humanoid forms without heads. The Tapus became those heads.
In response to this, the drones began to cling to one another. Parts of them opened to link themselves together. The drones spiraled and twisted together as they coalesced into a greater singularity, and as they faced off against the four titans of Alola, great gleaming beams lit up the dark, smoke-filled air.
Between them, the lone soldier scrambled for his helmet. He stared at his own pale face in the dirty reflection of his visor for a brief moment before steeling himself to continue the fight.
Reshiram roared, shielding a small Munna with her wing from the intense explosions wracking her body. Missiles from the Nuada Helicarrier howled and whistled as they raced through the air before bathing the ground below in their flames.
The little pink Pokemon she protected squealed. It emitted a Heal Pulse, trying to counteract the damage done to its protector. Reshiram's ire grew with each passing moment. She held onto the Munna tightly beneath their feathered wing.
Through the flames, a streak of blue shot toward the Nuada Helicarrier. Wreathed in crackling lightning, Zekrom smashed head first into the corner of the flying vessel.
From his Bolt Strike, potent electricity began to course throughout the Nuada. Its crew cried out as sparks flew from the walls and the lights flickered. Before long, the entire ship began to tilt once more.
"What now?!" Roared Commander Manuall.
One of his subordinates cried up, "Damage to the hull and…it looks like some of the debris from the Azathoth is stuck in the base of the third propeller!"
Manuall quickly issued orders. "Reroute power from the emergency generators and get a technician on the roof!"
He saw, on another camera, that the helicopters flying toward the Tree of Beginning were no longer in sight. "Let's rendezvous with those at the tree while repairs are underway. We may be able to create more openings for the others."
Reshiram shielded her eyes with her wings as the remaining propellers on the ship spun harder to compensate for the defective one. As she saw it beginning to depart, flames licked the edges of her lips. But as she prepared to shoot after the fleeing enemy, Zekrom cried out to her.
"Leave them!"
She stumbled forward, then glared at him questioningly. "The enemy is crippled! A few more attacks and they're finished!"
Zekrom shook his head and motioned toward something with his wing. When she followed, her eyes widened slightly. She saw smaller Pokemon. Many stumbled over their own injuries. Many did not move at all.
"They came to our aid, Reshiram. We cannot leave them now."
A little humming chirp from below caught Reshiram's attention. She lifted her own wing as the little Munna she shielded fluttered up. It coughed from the smoke pervading the area, and the Dragon of Truth could no longer support her own anger.
With a defeated sigh, Reshiram looked to her counterpart once more with an accepting nod. "You speak truly. That…is supposed to be my role."
Draped in shadow, a single man stepped up to the base of the Tree of Life. Six crimson attendants accompanied him. Just as he neared the entrance, something caught his eye.
On the ground, there was a bulky camera laying in tatters. Wordlessly, Nova approached it and raised his wrist watch to it. Lines of light raced across the camera from his watch to scan it. Once finished, Nova tapped the side of his glasses to send out the accrued data to his forces.
"It seems the Hell Hunters had their uses after all," Mused Nova before silently carrying on into the tree.
As he stepped inside, the man of shadows first noticed the crystals lining the wall. The slightest curl of his lip tipped downward. Taking his attention off of them, he continued forward into the nest of his nightmares.
Nova and his entourage delved further into the tree's endless chambers. The tunnels became darker; burnt black by the Azathoth. Any remains of their crystals were in Nova walked past them, the ones closest to him withered.
Yet when a Red Suit's boot brushed against one, each one began to brim brightly. Nova stopped in his tracks, and the Red Suits surrounded him with their backs turned.
From the tree's shattered crystals, amorphous red blobs of gelatinous material began to form together. They shook and shuddered with their movements, eventually merging into a sleuth of creatures vaguely similar in shape to a Craydily, Kabutops, and Rampardos.
They peered past the men in red to the seething shadow in their center and made a mad dash, losing their form. Gelatinous masses made for Nova, but were quickly intercepted by his guardians.
One of the blobs was frozen still by an Ice Beam, causing it to shatter to pieces. Though the shards shuddered, they did not reform. The other two cells reformed into Kabutops and Rampardos.
When the Kabutops cell slashed at another Red Suit, it ducked and cleaved off its arm with a Leaf Blade. The fallen arm was swiftly erased by the Flamethrower of their comrade.
Irritated, the cell plunged its stump into the wall and pulled out a fully formed arm before diving into the fray. As the Red Suits continued to duel with the cells, Nova marveled at the state of them. In all his research, he had never seen the cells so vulnerable.
"…Now."
Upon his command, one of the Red Suits snapped upright. They made a mad dash for the nearest cell, but when it struck at them, they made no effort to retaliate. The Rampardos cell completely enveloped it hungrily.
In the cell's desperation for sustenance to repair the damage done to the tree, it gave no thought in regards to whether or not it should consume the invader. But as it began to shrink and inch toward the tunnel wall, it suddenly stopped and twitched.
Suddenly, the cell trembled and even screeched. It shook violently, as if it were trying to tear itself apart. Toxic poison began to leak from its body and sizzled through the ground it touched. Inch by inch, it was pulled by the parasite it had devoured toward the wall and melded into it.
A dark splotch began to crawl across the tunnel walls. The little light that remained dimmed as the crystals lining the walls darkened. The remaining cell wailed, and its body stretched out into impossible shapes before falling still into a still, dead puddle.
Beneath the shadows, Nova stared with fiery eyes at the disappearing puddle. His fists clenched as screams of men echoed in his mind. He paid close attention to each singular microsecond that the remains of the cell sizzled away, as if recalling a distant memory. Then, he turned away and walked with the five Red Suits that remained.
"That one's for you, Emily."
For Ash and those with him, the interior of the tree had become much more volatile than before. As they sped through the tunnels, the sounds of gunfire they heard grew louder. And as they neared the tunnel's end, Ash's eyes went wide and he held a hand back to stop the others from proceeding.
"Get back!"
He, Paul, and Serena put their backs to the tunnel's walls. When they peered around the edge, what they saw was like a mirror of the outside. Through a giant hole made in the tree's edge to their far right, men and vehicles were piling through. Pokemon viciously fought to stop them from invading their home any further.
A Liepard leapt for a man's throat, only to be felled by a bullet to its side. The shooter gave a thumbs up to his comrade, yet was blind to the enemy behind him. The man he saved could only watch in horror as an Ariados swooped down from a web thread before pulling the screaming soldier into a tunnel.
"No!" Roared the remaining soldier. He rushed off after his savior, only to be tackled by a Carnivine. It bound the man in its vines and opened its wide, toothy maw, but the soldier managed to free his arm and point his weapon into its waiting mouth. "Get out of my way, you piece of-!"
Serena covered her eyes and that of the little Ralts she held just as another gunshot among hundreds rang out. Ash was only able to resist the urge to dive into the fray by keeping his mind on the steadily fading flame of Mew's life he held in his arms.
Shaking his head, Ash looked up from the war to the countless stone pathways above them. They looked like a web of bridges that led from tunnel to tunnel. Most of them had been shattered besides their main pillars. He assumed it was from wherever that red blast had come from before.
Helicopters encircled the air, regularly dropping off soldiers to either pile into many tunnels or provide covering fire for the soldiers entering the main gash. Gunners on the sides of the choppers ravaged the many Flying-Type Pokemon rushing toward them.
The constant feeling of Aura being snuffed out would have been unbearable for Ash if his adrenaline hadn't shut down the brunt of it. But as he became aware of his senses from this, he gasped, sensing a stronger Auric signature further within the tree.
"Up there!" He shouted under his breath. "The Aura Stream!"
As he pointed the others to look at a certain tunnel, Paul scowled. "The enemy is swarming the place. Getting through won't be easy. But…" He took out a Pokeball. "Ash, follow my lead with your fastest Pokemon. Serena, do whatever you can."
Serena gave him a begrudged look he didn't see as he released a Pokemon. "Ninjask, stand by for battle!"
"Go, Sceptile!"
Two Pokeballs unleashed their contents into the tunnel behind the trainers, releasing the two speedy Pokemon. They glanced at one another before looking to their trainers for guidance. Paul pointed up at the helicopters.
"Ninjask, use Double Team and Agility to confuse them," Ordered Paul. He then pointed to Sceptile. "And you use the confusion to take out the enemy."
Sceptile raised an eyebrow and looked to his own trainer for guidance. Glancing between them, Ash replied, "Maybe we take it easy on that front and just disarm them?"
Though Ash could sense the desire to retort from Paul, he simply turned away and waved him off. Ash gave a nod to him, then to the two Pokemon. Immediately, they sped off.
A gunner on the side of one of the helicopters, noticing an impending Noctowl, shifted the aim of his rotating gun toward it. But just as he began to rev up the weapon, a Ninjask flashed into existence right in front of him.
Crying out, he pulled the trigger, and a hefty stream of lead caused the bug to disappear. "What?!" He shouted. Before his eyes and those within the other helicopters, that bug began to multiply in the air and move rapidly.
"Enemy swarm!" Shouted one of the pilots into their radio. "I repeat: enemy swarm!"
As the gunner continued firing into the buzzing horde, something green flashed across his vision. He recoiled, and when his vision returned, he saw half his gun sliding off its place until it fell.
This repeated with the other choppers until their weapons were cleaved apart also. Falling from the horde of Ninjask's speeding clones, Sceptile touched down beside the target tunnel and flashed his trainer a thumbs up.
Ash returned the gesture and eyed the paths upward. None of the ones that remained intact led to where they needed to go. So, he pulled out a Pokeball.
"Looks like we've only got one option."
He released Charizard and ushered Serena toward it. The little Ralts on her shoulder seemed hesitant to go near the dragon. Pridefully, Charizard gave him a toothy grin that caused the Ralts to nestle against Serena's neck.
She gave the dragon a look of disapproval before boarding onto his back. Ash followed after her, then looked to Paul.
"Have you got any Pokemon that can carry you?"
When Paul shook his head, Ash took out another Pokeball and released Noivern. Energetically, the loyal wyvern went to Ash and opened his talons wide. Ash chuckled and shook his head, then pointed to Paul.
As Noivern eyed the other boy, his face drooped in disappointment. Paul scoffed. "Glad to work with you too."
Noivern's response was to quickly clasp onto his shoulders and, in spite of his protests, began flying up to the platform beneath the target tunnel. Ash patted Charizard, who gave a gruff growl of affirmation before taking off after them.
Above Paul, an explosion suddenly rang out. He and the others looked up, gasping as they saw Ninjask falling from the flames and smoke. Sceptile emerged from the smoke sporting a handful of burns also, though he managed to land gracefully on one of the fractured stone pillars.
"Ninjask!" Cried Paul. He quickly reached for its Pokeball and returned it as it fell. A blinding light made him and Noivern cry out as it fell upon them.
A spotlight from one of the helicopters isolated them. Another one shone onto Ash, Serena, and Charizard to a similar effect. Without Ninjask's clones to obscure their vision, the helicopters had clear sight of the ones who sent it.
On the side of one of them, a man holding a grenade launcher over his shoulder whistled as he knelt to look down at them. His eyes widened beneath his helmet at the sight of Ash and Mew. "Well, if it isn't my lucky day?"
Hastily, he pulled up his transceiver. "This is Helo-22B, interior team with Squad 6. I have visual on Ash and Mew I repeat-"
There was a green flash before his eyes that made him recoil. Before he knew it, he was face to face with Sceptile, who merely shook his head before crushing the transceiver.
Uncaring or thoughtless to his own fate, the man pulled up his grenade launcher, only for a Leaf Blade to quickly slash it in two. The sight of the parted weapon caused him to cry out. The moment he reached for a sidearm, Sceptile's foot crashed into the man's abdomen to send him limply into the helicopter's door.
Sceptile gave the man one last smirk before hopping back down. Ash cheered, "Way to go, Sceptile!"
"Get him!"
Ash's Aura warned him of danger; of the sudden intent to kill from below. Feeling a myriad of weapons pulled on his friends, Ash sent out a spark of his own Aura to alert the Pokemon nearby. Their eyes went wide at the sensation, as well as just how dire they felt Mew to be.
One soldier raised his gun to aim at Serena's head, only to cry out as the fangs of a Persian entered his shoulder. When another soldier turned to aid them, he was blindsided by the Sucker Punch of a Sableye that sent him onto his back.
The chaos of the battle beneath Ash and the others worsened, growing bloodier by the second. Ash tried his best to tune out the feeling. He felt awful just letting the Pokemon fight on their own, but he couldn't risk Mew.
So, putting his lingering regrets aside, Ash leapt from Charizard the moment the dragon touched down. As he helped Serena off, Noivern 'helped' Paul off of his talons as well by tossing him down onto the platform.
Paul scoffed, dusting himself off. The two shared a mutual glare before Noivern huffed and helped himself back into his Pokeball. When Sceptile dashed to Ash, Ash quickly returned him as well.
Quickly, Ash and the others dove into the tunnel, with Charizard giving a parting shot at the roof to cut off the headlights of the helicopters peering at them.
When the rocks tumbled down, the only light that remained was Charizard's tail, the stream of Aura rushing from Ash to Mew, and the dull crystals glowing along the walls.
As Ash and Mew passed by with the others, their dull blue glow sparked red. Ash's Aura alerted him to danger. He stopped in his tracks and motioned for his friends to do the same. From the walls, crimson ooze began to trickle down.
"Wh-what is that?!" Cried Serena.
Ash's teeth went bare at the uncomfortable memory of these. "Cells of the tree. They react automatically to anything it considers threats. Right now, I guess that's any human." He kept his hand upon another Pokeball. "Don't let one touch you. Not even once."
Charizard snarled, letting searing flames across his lips. Three cells appeared from the ooze. They tried to take form into an Aerodactyl, Armaldo, and some other fossil Pokemon Ash didn't recognize. It had a tiny head and a large body.
But they shuddered and hissed, and then, their forms were lost. Once more they became formless gelatin. Their liquids became jagged as they writhed with hunger, and then, they dove for the waiting humans.
Just as Ash was ready to toss out Hydreigon to cause collateral damage, he felt a twinge in Mew's Aura. Her face wrinkled in her sleep. Noticing this, the little Ralts called Shaun cried out for her.
The cells suddenly stopped. They bubbled and twisted in shape and then made a dash past Ash and the others. Instead, they went for the wall of fallen stones and melded into them. It wasn't long before Ash could feel the result of that in the Aura of the soldiers on the other side.
Shaking his head to rid himself of that feeling, Ash continued walking. Though Serena glanced back at where the cells had gone, she quickly followed after him, with Charizard stomping behind. It was Paul that broke the silence by asking the question on Serena's mind.
"Are we not going to talk about those things?" He asked impatiently as he treaded behind the others. "What were they? I've never seen anything like that. Even the Ultra Beasts weren't that bizarre."
Without looking back, Ash replied, "We don't have time. If you see them, stay out of their way."
Paul merely shook his head and followed after. It wasn't worth arguing over.
As they came across the exit of another tunnel, the next chamber they entered made them gasp in horror. It was like a massive canyon, burnt black on all sides. From a massive gash along a wall far opposite of them, the cells of the tree flowed down like blood.
They writhed and swirled in a mass of themselves, striving to grasp any form but unable to. At the bottom was a lake of the cells as they piled together. It was horrible to witness.
Serena finally voiced the question everyone else was thinking. "Is the tree…bleeding?"
They weren't given time to ruminate on the matter when the sound of a whirring engine filled the chamber. Across from them, from another tunnel, two humvees, each with a large silver disc atop them, sped into view.
Charizard let out a small growl before leaping in front of the others defensively and launched a Flamethrower at the oncoming enemy. In turn, their discs whirred to life and sent out a deep blue pulse. The attacks clashed and kicked up a wall of steam between them.
Ash and the others covered their eyes and turned away before the steam overcame them. Amidst the hissing, the rumble of the engines seemed to quiet.
"Well, well, well," Spoke a voice on the other end of the steam, "What do we have here?"
Another similar voice came after. "A familiar face alright."
A third added, "To think that little brat would end up so important. And he even brought us Mew to boot."
As the steam cleared, Ash and his friends were opposed by two men in black outfits. Ash sensed a third and fourth still in the humvees behind them. At a glance, they looked like the Black Suits they had seen, but something about them was off.
Their faces were obscured by masks. Their suits, in fact, covered the entirety of their bodies. One of them held a silver rod made of folding cylinders. The other, a simple handgun.
"Get out of our way," Ordered an impatient Ash, "Or we'll force you out of the way."
Charizard snorted a puff of smoke from his nostrils to accentuate Ash's threat. But this only earned a chuckle from the men in black.
"Yeah, maybe. Or…"
Their intent caused Ash's eyes to widen. With his free hand, he raised a barrier just as the man with the gun fired straight at his head. Though the bullet bounced off, he felt a pang of irritation as he felt the effort tick away at his reserves of Aura meant for Mew.
Charizard lurched in front of Ash as his shield fell away and reared back his head. As he opened his maw to retaliate with a Flamethrower, the two men in black lurched back behind the humvees.
Before Charizard could launch his attack, the discs atop the humvees whirred to life. Two conical waves shot from them, distorting the air they passed through. As these sonic waves overcame Charizard the flames in his throat were snuffed out in shock.
Ash, Serena, Paul, and Shaun cried out as their ears were assaulted by potent sound waves. They could feel themselves being shaken by vibrations inside and out.
They cried silent cries, drowned out by the waves. Though the booming sound paralyzed them, a Pokeball on Ash's belt vibrated before bursting open of its own accord.
Noivern, unbothered by the sonic waves, retaliated with a Boomburst. Its potent screech raged against the sonic waves. These sounds, made power, collided and erupted outward, echoing through the entire chamber.
Stones shook, cracked, and even crumbled. And the cells bleeding down from those walls suddenly cried out in unison as the shockwaves caused their bodies to twist and rave. Suddenly, they lurched onto the wall beneath the humans and their Pokemon, and began climbing.
It was like a wave of angry, gleaming red sludge was steadily rising, raging, raving toward them. Ash, with trepidation, looked to Mew, but unlike before she wasn't moving.
"Guys, we need to get out of here!"
One of the humvees tilted their disc over the cliffside and shot off another sonic wave. They moved it in a line at the cells as they climbed, slowly peeling the screeching liquid off of the walls.
One of the men stepped forward again. "You…" He held out the metal rod and pressed a button, sending blue sparks along its length. "…Aren't going anywhere, boy. We have a score to settle."
Ash bared his teeth. Beside him, Charizard did the same. "I don't care who you are. Get out of our way before we force you out of our way!"
Behind him, Paul and Serena slowly shook themselves back to their senses and each readied a Pokeball of their own. Beside the first man in black, the second stepped forward again.
"You," He began, "Really don't remember us? You'd think getting a truck rammed in your back would at least garner some memory, but I guess we'll have to jog it another way."
Ash's gaze averted slightly. "Truck…? Wait."
Something was coming back to him. A dark forest. Blinding headlights. He ran and ran, yet eventually was knocked back. And men in black suits emerged, took hold of him, and were…
A flash of cyan crossed Ash's memory, eliciting a gasp from him. "Riley. You were the men there when I met Riley!"
At that name, the men in black shifted uncomfortably. "That smug bastard. We owe him a debt after last time.l
The other one chuckled. "But it seems our boss got to him first."
Ash's fist clenched tightly while the men chuckled to themselves.
"So," Continued the first, "Since he's off the menu, we'll just have to finish what we started with you." Beneath his mask, his gaze shifted to Serena next. "And we'll make sure your girl gets a good show this time."
An enraged Serena prepared to toss out Pangoro until Ash held a hand back to her to stop her. Wordlessly, he released Greninja from his ball. In response to the glittering ivory Aura that began to flicker up from Ash, Greninja was changed to his bonded form.
But no order to attack came from Ash. Instead, he merely handed Mew off to him. With his gleaming silver eyes, Ash pierced the souls of the men before him with his stare. They flinched, staggering backward, and then Ash went on the attack.
In a flash, Ash sped to them. One of them grimaced, brought up their arms, and covered their eyes. But instead of pain, there was only a loud metal groaning sound. The man in black turned around to see Ash atop the humvee closest to the edge.
With Aura sparking from his hands, Ash groaned just as much as the metal he pried apart. And with a final loud pop, he ripped the disc from its top and tossed it over the edge. Then, he pulled back his fist and drove it down into the roof, grabbed the man inside by his suit, and pulled him out, tossing him onto the ground in front of it.
The men in black were left stunned. They stared up at Ash in utter disbelief as he slid down the windshield on his heels.
One of them brought up their sidearm. "You freak!"
Instantly, he was struck from behind. He landed upon his face, and above him, Noivern screeched into his ear with such ferocity that he nearly went deaf. Though he struggled against it, Noivern had him pinned by his back and arms.
The other one brandished their gun at Noivern. "Get off of him, you-!" He was promptly cut off when Charizard's tail smacked his hands, shattering them and the gun alike. As he cried out, the fiery dragon forced him against the wall.
Steadily, the remaining humvee turned their disc toward the two Pokemon. Seeing Ash's glare set upon it, the man in black he had thrown to the ground turned and looked for anything he could use to his advantage. There, he spotted Serena, and beneath his mask grew a disturbed grin.
"There."
Brandishing his shock baton, he made a dash for the girl, but he was kicked aside by a gleaming flipper. He cried out as he slid toward the edge. Scarcely, he managed to hold on, albeit barely. Though, as his feet dangled vicariously over the churning sea of cells below, he found his former will quickly slipping away.
He let out a harrowed cry of terror. Above, Greninja peered down at him. For a brief moment, the ninja Pokemon considered leaving him to his fate. But as he looked to Ash, who was currently pulling the second disc away so its pulse aimed away from his friends, Greninja sighed, knowing it's not what he would want.
So, Greninja reached down. Likewise, as a furious Ash tore the second disc from the humvee and sent it tumbling over the cliff's edge, he raised an arm to rip out the last of the men.
At the far edge of the cavern, a boot emerged from the shadow and into the light. Ash froze when he sensed it. That void. That cold lack of anything.
Beneath his feet, the man in black slammed on the gas and turned toward the edge. "I'm gonna finish what we started seven months ago!" He roared. But as he went to open the door at the last second, his heart sank when it wouldn't open—the door bent and dented.
Ash, meanwhile, lost his footing and fell from the car suddenly speeding and fell back. As he tumbled to the ground, the humvee went flying down into the sea of cells while the man inside screamed helplessly for a miracle that wasn't there.
As Ash rose back to his feet, the moment he looked up, he was face to face with shadow and void. Nova peered down at the boy, eliciting a gasp from him as if he had been struck by his presence alone.
Serena and Paul gasped also, though for completely different reasons. Staring at the traitor that had put him and his team through fire and brimstone, Paul's senses quickly burnt away in wake of his anger.
"YOU!"
Quickly, he reached for a Pokeball. Amidst this, the cells, reacting to The Man and his cohorts, began to churn furiously. They scaled the walls with greater fervor to the point that the entire chasm began to quake with them.
Parts of the cliff shook apart as they rose with a cacophony of cracks. The man in black hanging over the edge felt as his support suddenly slid away under his weight. He was scarcely given the time to scream before the cells below cut him off.
Glancing away from Ash, Nova set his sights upon the unconscious Mew in Greninja's arms. Instantly, he pulled up his gun. Flashes of what happened to Riley struck Ash's vision. A wave of dread instantly washed over him.
"N-no! Guys, run!"
At last, the sea of cells rose to the cliff's edge again. Noivern barked out another Boomburst to try to get them away, to no avail. No longer differentiating from friend or foe alike, the cells lurched for Nova and Ash and surrounded them.
Before Nova could unleash the charged bullet, his vision had become obscured by them. Soundlessly, he placed the gun away and reached for his watch. With a single twitch of a notch, the cells stopped, and Ash felt as cold as death itself.
He fell back to the ground, gasping for air that wasn't there. All he could do was look up upon the shadow-cloaked man with dread in his eyes and heart, with ever-widening eyes as he saw the crystal necklace gleaming on his neck.
Necrozma.
Just looking at this man made visions of the war seven months ago flare across his vision. No matter how much he cried out and shook his head, he couldn't rid himself of them. He couldn't escape. All he could do was shout.
The cells ceased their movement. All they did was twitch. And then a gleaming purple speck arose from them. Ash regained his senses with heaving breaths just in time to look up and see violet flickers of light rising up all around him.
From the chasm, those specks arose also, spreading quickly. It wasn't long before the room was filled with them. Gradually, they ate away at the lake of cells. And when they vanished from Nova's way, he continued walking through the specks unimpeded.
Ash managed to snap himself back into reality and made a dash between him and his friends, who were just as stunned as he had been. In spite of his terror, he glared as fearsomely as he could manage up at the man of shadow.
"Don't touch them!" He hissed.
Nova stopped for a moment, then looked to the two remaining men in black. With Charizard and Noivern frozen stiff by what they had just witnessed, the men were free, yet were just as dumbstruck as their enemies.
Nova spoke. "Move."
It was a command to everyone that seemed to stir a chill within all who heard it. Immediately, the two soldiers shakily nodded and ran further into the tunnel. They briefly glanced up at the masks of the Red Suits and found their legs growing even weaker, yet pressed on.
Nova's command for Ash and his friends had a similar effect. Shaun fell unconscious upon Serena's shoulder. Serena staggered backwards. Paul did the same, and despite his mind screaming at him to release the Pokeball in his hand, he couldn't find the strength to.
Charizard and Noivern bowed their heads slightly despite themselves. Though they growled in defiance, even they could not hide their instincts screaming at them to be afraid of this man.
The command made the Aura around Ash and Greninja waver, like a candle flame being blown against. Yet still, it endured. Ash bared his teeth defiantly. And then, he took a step back, turned, and ran.
"Everybody, go!" He shouted, sending out a wave of Auric flame to his friends.
The Aura struck sense back into them as it touched them, and instantly, they abandoned almost any notion of retaliation to follow Ash's command. In turn, Nova held up his hand and sent the Red Suits leaping after them.
Just as they reentered the tunnel they came in from, Noivern puffed up his cheeks and prepared to launch another Boomburst. Potent sound waves shook the ceiling to send down a hail of stones between Nova's men and them A red gloved hand neared the neck of the wyvern until a falling stone cast it down in a plume of dust.
Without hesitating, Ash returned his Pokemon and took up Mew again before continuing his sprint. Nobody else said a word as they followed him, running as fast as their legs could carry them.
Ash, Paul, and Serena said nothing to one another while they ran. The only sound in the darkening halls of the twisted tree interior aside from the dull sound of warfare were their desperate gasps for air.
Those sounds of warfare grew steadily louder the further they went, but none of them had any doubt that whatever was ahead had to have been better than what was behind them.
This came to a head when they, at last, found the exit to their tunnel. As soon as they exited, Paul sent out his Drapion and had it use Pin Missile to collapse it behind them.
At last, the trio allowed themselves to take a moment to breathe. Serena allowed herself a moment to collapse her head in her hands. An enraged Paul hit the wall. And Ash didn't know what to do with himself.
Their pants for air were smothered by the sound of explosions and bestial cries. As they looked up, they found themselves in another large chamber. It was dark and filled with all sorts of plant life, as if they were in a jungle.
Between the trees, vines and bamboo reaching from top to bottom of the chamber, they could see flashes of light amidst dull blasts. Momentarily, they spotted an Ambipom leaping between the vines and glaring down at something.
It cried out and leapt down at whatever it saw. There was a cry and another loud thud shortly after it fell beneath the leaves. Serena looked away, shaking her head and stifling another sob.
Cracking noises filled the air, steadily growing louder. Tall shadows in the jungle fell away steadily. Ash and Paul, putting their lingering feelings aside, reached for a Pokeball.
As the final layer of trees fell, they crashed down into a small stream between Ash and whatever had knocked them down. The trio of trainers grimaced as they found themselves face to face with a massive tank. Its front cannon looked flayed apart, and damage spotted nearly every inch of its hull, but still, it stood.
From within it came a familiar voice, booming from its speakers. "Well, well, well!"
Ash perked up at the voice. "It's you!"
Within the Ares tank, the short commander leaned back in his chair. "This is quite the reunion. Ash and Mew in the same place at the same time." With a smug grin, he held up a hand and prepared to issue orders to the other men piloting the tank's weapon systems. "And a fine prize at that. If I kill you both, I'll be made into a general like Lee!"
Author's Note
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: Those four men in black may seem like a footnote, but they appeared in the story once before a long time ago. They aren't exactly Black Suits but aren't exactly common soldiers either.
The Creator- Apologies for the delay. Admittedly, some of these scenes were difficult to write and find motivation for. I guess taking two months for one chapter is the yin to the yang of having two chapters in one month like last two chapters.
Hydra- Yeah guys sorry it took a bit to release this chapter. Working a summer job this season has really sucked with all the scorching temperatures as of late. When I get home I just feel so drained from being in direct sunlight all day. But enough of that, we have some reviews to respond to!
G: Good chapter, so Mewtwo returned to fights against his former Legendary pals, well, to be honest, i was surprised that he wasn't in the initial assault against the Tree of Beginning, as Mewtwo to be the clone of Mew, he would be a valuable asset for the Nova Branch to the inital assault, as Mewtwo could knows some weakpoints of the place, the defenses of the Tree, and even be capable to match the poweress of Mew.
Well, we'll see if Rayquaza could manages to set free Mewtwo from the control of Mashshadow. Though that for some reason, i have the feeling that Mewtwo could ends sacrificing himself to stop himself from be still threating his pals, as maybe thanks to the assault of Rayquaza, Mewtwo could manages to retrieves partially the control, and he takes the decision of makes the Ultimate sacrifice to stops Marshadows from uses him to attack the Tree of beginning. I don't know, i just think that this is a likely outcome.
Also, i hope that Mew can survives, because after the attack of the Azazoth, she reached her limit, meaning that Mew could dies if she continues recieving more damage by the attack to the Tree, making that Ash and the Pokemon force must to do something soon, otherwise, the Mother of the pokemon will perishes in this war, something tragic, especially as Mew finally became worthy from her title.
As other point, so Yvetal finally become free, well, to be honest, i was feeling a lot pity by him, because if you analyzes it, Yvetal was practically a prisoner of Nova Branch during the entire story, as he was caught after some battle against Necrozma, leaving Yvetal trapped by the Nova Branch during all this chapters, making that the poor Pokemon of Death had to deals with a notable hardships, even worse than the ordeals that Legendary pokemon as Lugia, Keldeo, Latias, Reshiram and Mew had to deals, as at least all them weren't kidnapped and tortured. Without count that now Yvetal has some scores to settles to Ryder, much like Lugia with Lee.
Also, regarding to your points the Creator and Hydra, i really liked to see the realistic points of the story, in the sense that as the Legendary pokemon had to dealed with a brutal and ruthless war against Necrozma, they suffered a lot PTSD, a normal outcome for anyone whom participates and fights in the wars. Adding the fact that in the case of the Nova Branch, the fact that many people harbors a burning hatred against the Pokemon, could implies that this creatures aren't so innocent like the manga, anime, movies and videogames tries to portrays them, because being honest, even the pokemon can show be capable to accepts the evil, much like the humans, even contradicting the mindsets of N and his sisters about that the Pokemon can't be evil without the influence of the humans. Being honest, the only reason to that we never see this side of Pokemon, is by the fact that this is a franchise for children, but since a more realistic point of view, like in this story, the Pokemon could be a destruction force and a threat for the mankind, in some aspects.
To finishes, i wonder if Ash could makes something to the respect, to saves the day, because curiously, despite to the main protagonist in the story, Ash didn't participated much in the current conflict in the Tree of Beginning, as the Legendary pokemons are whom are fighting in the front. So, i hope that Ash can finally makes his contribution, like during the final battle against Necrozma.
Keep the good job.
The Creator- Well, Mewtwo WAS in the initial assault. It's just that he was swiftly taken care of by Mew, and later, Regigigas. Two adversaries that he really had no business fighting. Especially since Marshadow didn't have Mewtwo's full power. As for not helping the Nova Corporation with the tree's interior, well, Marshadow's more than a bit conceited.
Indeed. Mew can't take much more. So with Nova walking around the way he is, she doesn't have much time left without Ash's Aura keeping her alive.
As for Yveltal…you're right. Even I don't remember when Yveltal first got captured except that it was after Arceus's first skirmish against Necrozma. Very, very early on in the story. In real time, it's likely taken six years for Yveltal to be free even though it's been only seven months in the story. Poor Yveltal. At least it will have plenty of chances for revenge, but…where will that take him?
Pokemon and people aren't quite so different inside as they would like to believe. This is a fact they will have no choice but to face sooner or later if they both want to survive. But then again, by the time they realize this, it may be too late. The keys are in Ash and Mew's hands now.
Hydra- One thing I really wanted to emphasize during this whole war is all the different points of view on both sides. They both think that what they're doing is right and that the other side is a ruthless enemy. In doing this however I must admit that Ash was put in the back burner for awhile because there were so many other character arcs we had to address and scenes we wanted to show that didn't involve Ash. However as you saw with this chapter, Ash is finally becoming more central again. I also wanted to ask again who your favorite villain and hero in the story is now considering everything that has happened during the war. My personal favorite is Nova.
SilverWolf1130: Thought the title would refer to Lee and his family history. Cause it does feel like a Butterfly Effect with Damos letting Marcus go after his betrayal which pretty much lead to the creation of the Nova Corps and caused all this destruction and death over 1,000 years later.
Still sad about Articuno…
And finally they learn that Mewtwo is being controlled…
Man, Rayquaza got messed up. I'm still worried you're gonna kill him off.
And looks like Dr. Death has left the building. I would say I'm not gonna miss him but you two just make such amazing hateable villains that I will kinda miss him.
And Yveltal is finally free! Man, this bird has been through absolute Hell! Just like everyone else in this story but it was especially bad for him.
Looking back now, it does look like there are more to the soldiers of the Nova Corps.
People who dealt with tragedy or hardships and then you have Christopher Lee Hitler who gaslights them into an evil cause. Manipulation is a deadly weapon.
Really thought we'd see Mew back in action this chapter to give Ho-Oh's sacrifice meaning. Doesn't look like it though. Thanks, Lee.
Man, Lugia got messed up… again
I think this is the first time we've seen Lee actually scared for his life. No Hoopa rings to help, no teleporters, no holograms. He was only a few meters away from his bloodthirsty enemy.
He ain't paying that fortune though. This entire operation already costs one.
Called it! Ryder's back. And we're about to see his new upgrade…
Ryder killing Xerneas would be another blow for the Tree of Beginning and the Legendaries. And Yveltal… that would sting. They finally find out what happened to him only to lose him right after…
Yup. Everything that has happened in this story has really knocked the Legendaries off their high horse. A majority of them have been slaughtered, there's a dark force behind the scenes pulling the strings aaaand their reputation has likely hit rock bottom. They really are the Jedi.
Once again, I'm ready for the next chapter. You two have been on a roll. :)
The Creator- The King Marcus bloodline is certainly a butterfly effect of its own, but in regards to the battle, what happened to the Azathoth and the tree will…well, I'll let that part surprise you as it happens.
I would say that Articuno got the short end of the stick, but I'm not entirely sure that's accurate considering the end of a stick was the end of Articuno.
Imagine little Groudon's reaction if Rayquaza went down. Poor kid.
About Dr. Death, aka Dr. Benedict Mengele, if you remember Chapter 10 where Charon from Team Galactic was introduced as a member of Team Rocket's Nova Branch, his personality had become much like Dr. Death. He was sort of the blueprint character for what would become Benedict.
And man, reading our old chapters, ESPECIALLY the latter half of Chapter 10…yikes.
If Dr. Death was anything like Charon, then his fate at Yveltal's hands was well deserved. But this now puts an extremely angered and tormented Yveltal in a field of people he hates. Where will this sense of revenge take him?
You seem pretty afraid for Xerneas and Yveltal against a half dead Ryder…or perhaps you know something our other readers don't? Stay tuned on that front.
G has made it obvious to us that our story is really just a parallel to the Star Wars prequels and we've had to come to terms with that. I guess they really are the Jedi like you said.
Thank you for constantly checking in on our progress! It's inspiring.
Hydra- You really said it though about Lugia, he cannot ever catch a break, ever since his first meeting with Necrozma resulting in one of his back flaps getting torn off, to more present day when a flaming hangar collapsed on him when he was literal seconds away from killing Lee once and for all. I'll be honest though I can't stop going back and reading that scene last chapter when Lugia was about to blast the helicopter with Lee in it. It literally reminds me of something out of an action movie. I'm really proud of that scene. I also love just how far Rayquaza has come in terms of personality. Starting as a prideful uncaring legend to someone who genuinely cares for his fellow legends.
The Creator-Next chapter, Ash will face off against Thorn. The Ares tank is on its last legs from fighting so many Legends and somehow fighting its way into the Tree of Beginning, but Ash and his friends are going to find out the hard way that this vehicle is special for a reason. But can they win before their pursuer catches up?
Hydra- alrighty guys I hope you all had a great summer! Make sure to stay hydrated in this late July and early August heat because from what I read it's breaking records. Until next time guys you all have a great day!