Creation began on 08-17-20
Creation ended on 09-09-20
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Perseverance
"…How old is this statue?" Ritsuko asked as they examined the Dragonite statue.
"Over millennia old," the elderly woman explained.
"Does this statue relate to that giant Dragonite?" Asuka questioned.
"It's supposed to, but with old legends and fairy tales, you can never be sure because few take them seriously. But a tale as old as the village itself claims that a giant Dragonite was raised by a man that was able to see the potential in every Pokémon that was overlooked by other people. It started out as a frail Dratini that had been left behind by its group to die alone."
"That's awful," went Maya.
"But the man that saved the Dratini saw its potential to become strong. As time passed, the Dratini grew strong and evolved, becoming the strongest in existence."
The woman then led them to a small shrine that contained preserved carvings and paintings of a story going back several generations.
"The story is all around us in this shrine," she explained, "preserved by the ancestors that founded the Village of Dragons, of how the man that saved the Dratini and aided in its evolution into Dragonite became a legend among legends."
Rei and Asuka looked at a carving depicting a Dragonite wading into water, away from a tree where a person sat.
Misato and Fuyutsuki examined another carving that showed three dragons that were inside a large triangle, colored black, white, blue, red and yellow.
"These three dragons," Fuyutsuki stated, "do they have a history with the Dragonite?"
"The Tao Trio," she revealed. "It's been believed by many a generation that they were once one dragon of great power and insight. But something happened to tear apart the great beast and reduce it to three beasts, each representing a different aspect of its power and insight. Reshiram, representing its fire and pursuit of the truth. Zekrom, representing its thunder and pursuit of an ideal. And Kyurem, representing its ice…but was absent of either truth or ideals, unable to obtain balance without its other two halves."
"Hey," uttered Toji to them as he and Hikari were looking at a painting that dated back a few hundred years, hanging on a wall further away from the carvings. "These two dragons look different from the black and white ones we saw earlier."
The others came over to see and saw two dragons that looked like Reshiram and Zekrom, but with characteristics of Kyurem integrated into their forms.
"It's almost as if they…tried to fuse or something," Hikari expressed.
"Kyurem," the woman revealed. "During a great battle, it tried to reunite with Reshiram and Zekrom, but it failed, resulting in its ability to merge temporarily with either one for a short amount of time, taking their powers…but lacking their insight. In the end, it's believed that the man that saved his Dragonite from death tried to restore the balance between the trio…but was unable to due to there being something that wasn't understood back then."
"Oh," Maya gasped at another painting of a person that appeared to be enveloped by a sphere belonging to Kyurem, who appeared weakened and sporting a scar-like feature on its head.
"Yes…the Kyurem, due to its inability to understand ideals or truth, and being unable to restore the trio to its original state of being…displayed the only emotion that resulted from its failure: Rage. Although the man tried to reason with it, he was injured severely by Kyurem before it fled after Reshiram and Zekrom departed in search of those that believed as they did in their new pursuit of resolving difference. It was said that the man survived…but only lived for a few more days, returning to his home and passing on."
"So…the Kyurem…killed him?" Hyuga questioned; it was difficult to believe that a Pokémon was capable of murder, as there was no such belief of a Pokémon capable of committing acts of evil towards others. "I mean, can a Pokémon really be capable of…such an act of cruelty?"
"Anyone can kill, regardless of what they are," Ritsuko claimed.
"Pokémon can only do so when it comes to living in the wild," Kensuke stated. "Shinji and I once saw a Dewgong eating a Magikarp and a Pidgeot eating a Caterpie, following a food chain. Or the Ursaring Shinji had to catch that was harassing other Pokémon due to its foul behavior. Beyond that, we can hardly consider any Pokémon to be truly evil."
"Kyurem is not evil in human terms," the woman informed, "as it simply lacks what Reshiram and Zekrom retained when they were once whole."
Rei turned her gaze back to the carving of the man that had been sitting by a tree as the Dragonite departed, suspecting that this part of the story was depicting the day the man had died, causing the Dragonite (and all other Pokémon belonging to the man) to feel the hole in their hearts that the man had occupied in their lives. But for the Dragonite to have lived with such heartache for so long, it was…almost comparable to herself piloting the Eva and calling it a bond between herself and everyone else…when it was hardly an actual bond and more of an obligation that carried a consequence she couldn't really fathom, anymore.
The ground shook again, and Misato uttered, "I hope Shinji is doing okay out there."
-x-
It had been a long time since Shinji had to deal with a Pokémon that actually put up a resistance to being defeated, and this Kyurem was, perhaps, among the strongest that were considered Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. Not only was it an Ice-Type with formidable attack strength, but the way it just…kept its gaze upon him in the air… It was as though…
"This Kyurem really seems to have it in for you, young Ikari," said Drayden as he and his Hydreigon flew near his Eevee and Rayquaza. "Be careful."
"I was just starting to notice myself," he responded. "Can Pokémon hold unusual grudges?"
"You think it has a grudge against you?"
"Every time it retaliates from each attack, it keeps going at us instead of you and Hydreigon."
Drayden realized this, as well, and got the impression that Kyurem had really singled out Shinji. It was rare for any Pokémon to go after individual targets instead of a large group.
"Rrraurgh!" Hisui growled, just narrowly avoiding another Ice-Type attack by Kyurem.
"Eevo!" Misato growled.
"Urrr!" Nirvana roared, firing a stream of ice energy up into the sky, which seemed to saturate the clouds and cause a shower of hail to fall from them.
"Oh, yeah, that's Hail for ya," went Shinji, praising Nirvana's Hail attack; so far, this Dragonite knew Hail, Ice Beam, Hyper Beam and Dragon Rage, all of which were quite potent due to its increased size, making it much stronger than a Dragonite of regular size. "Nice work, Nirvana."
Hail struck Kyurem with relentless fury, causing the Boundary Pokémon to roar at Reshiram, who flew over to it.
You have no concept of what you're facing, boy, Shinji heard a voice full of a strange malice in his mind, suspecting that it was Kyurem speaking to him. Anyone that stands between the restoration of the Three into the One…must be dealt a fatal blow.
"Eee!" Misato uttered to Shinji, frightened by Kyurem.
"You heard the voice, too, Misato?" He asked her.
"Eee!"
Flash! Kyurem and Reshiram were bathed in an ethereal light, disappearing from perception…and replaced by a creature that looked like a bizarre, patchwork fusion of the two.
"Oh, Kami," Shinji gasped, unable to express his fear of this Pokémon in any other verbal way.
"White Kyurem!" Drayden yelled. "It fused with Reshiram to gain its strength!"
"Any chance it gained its attacks?"
"No, it's just stronger with a new move it couldn't use without Reshiram!"
Then, White Kyurem's body started glowing bright orange, surrounded by a sphere of reddish-purple energy.
You…must…suffer an inescapable truth! White Kyurem demanded as it unleashed reddish-purple beams at Hisui! The inescapable truth! You must suffer! Ice Burn!
"Go, Hisui! Left, left, go left!" Shinji ordered his Rayquaza, and it flew left, narrowly avoiding the attack! "Whoa!"
"Eevo!" Misato gasped, holding on tightly to Shinji's shoulder due to the increased speed at which Hisui moved to evade Ice Burn.
You can run all you want, but you can't escape from the inevitable truth! White Kyurem told them. Face the end with dignity!
Drayden's Hydreigon then retaliated with its Fire Blast, but it barely left any burns on White Kyurem, which then cackled, as though it found such an attack nothing more than a joke.
Your Hydreigon barely fazes me, and that is a harsh truth, it told Drayden.
"You seem to have a poor concept of truth," Drayden retorted, insulted.
"Yo, Drayden!" Shinji yelled. "We should all attack at once!"
White Kyurem looked back at Shinji and gave a frown.
"White Kyurem might be stronger than any one of us…but it's probably not stronger than all of us, even if it's fused together with Reshiram!"
And that is another undeniable truth, White Kyurem heard the voice of Reshiram in its head; despite melding bodies, the Boundary Pokémon couldn't merge their minds together, resulting in the Vast White Pokémon retaining its own beliefs regarding truth. No one person is a failure in a cause who has friends and allies.
"Go!" Shinji yelled, and his Rayquaza and Eevee, Drayden's Hydreigon, and Nirvana unleashed a barrage of attacks that were a combination of Dragon Rage (Nirvana), Hyper Beam (Hisui), Fire Blast (Hydreigon) and Swift (Misato).
BLAST! White Kyurem was struck with such force that it forced the Pokémon to split back into Kyurem and Reshiram; Kyurem was met with such a dilemma that it was not strong enough to withstand combined attacks from strong adversaries.
"Ieeee!" Reshiram roared, flying away from Kyurem and Zekrom…and joining the group the boy was leading.
Traitor! Kyurem called Reshiram.
Balance and unity can be achieved in other ways, Reshiram declared.
-x-
"…What's with this carving here, ma'am?" Fuyutsuki asked the elder as he looked upon a carving of what appeared to be Reshiram and Zekrom turning against Kyurem.
"Prophetic beliefs," she explained. "Although it never occurred in reality, the ancestors of the Village of Dragons held onto an illusion of the day Kyurem would be defeated. The people that carved this picture imagined the Vast White and Deep Black Pokémon being won over by the unyielding spirit of the one that stands up to the Boundary Pokémon. When truth and ideals are won over, the beast devoid of both must either yield…or face defeat at the hands of the one that would be victorious against it."
"The people that carved this believed that someone could win the trust of two of the three dragons?" Shigeru asked.
"That's the belief."
"Then…maybe Shinji will do that," went Rei, suggesting that Shinji could achieve such a feat.
"With his streak of luck, skill and conviction," added Asuka, "Shinji is likely the best person to defeat Kyurem by winning the trust of this Reshiram and Zekrom."
"You must have some faith in this friend of yours," the elderly woman expressed.
"He's been a Pokémon Trainer for over four years now, but less than six years," Misato explained. "In that length of time, he has been…remarkable."
"He started as a beginner…and has since become an experienced prodigy," added Ritsuko.
"Shinji? As in Shinji Ikari? The same Shinji Ikari that won the Sinnoh League recently?"
"Yes," expressed Toji.
"My grandchildren admire his Eevee, thinking it's so cute."
"Well, he does keep her well-groomed," stated Hikari.
-x-
Without Reshiram, Kuyrem had no other choice but to make do with Zekrom.
FLASH! The two merged into one…and Black Kyurem appeared to settle the feud with this boy for the last time.
Why it felt only resentment towards this human, it could barely understand itself, but something about the way it appeared that these other Pokémon seem to be drawn towards him… There was something…disturbingly familiar with him. In Kyurem's mind, this human…was a powerful echo of the last human it had faced in the ancient past…and cut his life torch down to its final embers when he failed to restore the balance.
He believed in there being a way to achieve balance, the voice of Zekrom told Kyurem as Black Kyurem flew down towards Shinji and his Eevee and Rayquaza. This boy believes in the same. And he values Pokémon beyond all else. Even you can't deny it. He is no different from the man that possessed a great power in him that enabled him to preserve the lives of many Pokémon that most in the world believed should've died a long time ago, the very same power that enabled a weak and frail Dratini to evolve into a colossal Dragonite that has outlived many other Dragonite for over three-thousand lifetimes.
He can't fix what was broken too long ago, Kyurem declared.
"Grrr!" Hisui growled, flying up towards Black Kyurem.
The plan seemed simple enough in this case: Get close enough to Black Kyurem, unleash an Ice Beam right in its face, and then let Nirvana finish it off with a Hyper Beam.
If there is a way to stop you for good, Kyurem, thought Shinji, we'll find it and save all three of you. Whatever pain you have, I'll mend it.
You can't save me. Freeze Shock!
Shinji's eyes widened as Black Kyurem created a large ball of ice in between itself and Hisui, which then became surrounded by electrical arcs.
BLAST! It unleashed the ball at them and dealt a critical blow.
"Rrrrraarugh!" Hisui shrieked, knocked away.
"Eee!" Misato gasped as she was blown off Shinji, who was blown off Hisui.
"Aaah!" He yelled, feeling a sense of weightlessness as he twisted in the air.
He suddenly felt a chill run through his body, seeing darkness surround him. It was then followed by a brief view of…the sunlight…and white clouds and blue sky; he must've been blown above the storm clouds.
Magnificent, he thought as he felt his center of gravity return to normal, and he fell back into the storm clouds.
It must have been a good ten seconds before he passed through them and saw the world below, followed by his Eevee, stripped of her scarf.
"Misato!" He yelled towards her, getting her attention.
"Eee!" She responded, worried for them.
Shinji dove towards her, feeling the wind resistance on his face. He reached for her, snagging onto her tail.
"I got you!" He told her.
"Eevo!"
They continued to fall towards the ground below.
Shinji could see Hisui, but it was too far away to reach them. Further away was Nirvana, but it was currently facing Black Kyurem alongside Drayden's Hydreigon. He couldn't reach for Asuka's Poké Ball without letting go of Misato, putting them in a situation that they had no solution to.
"Ieeeee!" They heard the cry of Reshiram, seeing the Vast White Pokémon soaring towards them. "Ieee!"
"Reshiram!" Shinji called out to it.
It flew faster towards them…and was under them. And then…Shinji felt himself make contact with Reshiram's back.
"Eevo!" Misato went, grabbing onto Reshiram's back fur.
Shinji gripped onto the lower half of its neck bands and sat down on its back.
"Thank you, Reshiram!" He praised the dragon.
"Ieee!" Reshiram replied and flew them back to the battle.
Black Kyurem saw Reshiram save the boy's life and couldn't believe that the dragon of truth would serve such a person.
You can't deny it, it heard Zekrom say. The balance can be restored, but not in the way you believe it should be. Once you realize this can salvation be achieved.
Except he can't achieve it. He can't promise it. He…is a failure before he even begins.
That is defeatist, Kyurem.
No, that is realist. Defeatist is letting him continue, knowing that he will fail.
He can only fail…by not trying at all. True failure is when you stop trying.
-x-
"This is getting extreme too fast," said Antonio as the research crew observed the scene between Shinji and this Kyurem that was now merged with this Zekrom.
"And yet Shinji has managed to endure and persevere," Palkia expressed, quite impressed with this human's persistence. "How does he manage to persist in such an extreme situation?"
"If he didn't persist, he wouldn't get very far in his objectives, whatever they are."
On the screens, everyone watching could see Reshiram unleash a stream of fire at Black Kyurem, who seemed to take the attack head-on instead of evading it. Then, they saw the colossal Dragonite fire a stream of burning energy at Black Kyurem alongside Drayden's Hydreigon and Shinji's Eevee, who could only swing her tail and send several, star-shaped strikes at it.
"Something I don't understand," said one of the women that observed the scene. "His Eevee doesn't seem that strong against such a large and powerful opponent, but still continues to put up a fight. Surely, even Shinji must know this, and yet he continues to rely on her."
"She is his first Pokémon," Antonio reminded. "People take their relationships with their primary partners seriously. Also, Eevee's a Normal-Type Pokémon, so they're not as powerful as Pokémon with a different type, like Hitmonlee being a Fighting-Type or Tyranitar being a Rock/Dark-Type or Palkia here being a Water/Dragon-Type."
"Whichever Pokémon that a trainer has had the longest is the one that has the most influence on how the trainer's other Pokémon are treated," added Palkia.
"What are they doing now?" Antonio wondered as one of the screens showed the others still in the small shrine that related to the Dragon-Type Pokémon Shinji was currently dealing with.
-x-
As they vacated the shrine and saw the battle taking place more in the air above Opelucid City, Asuka, Rei and the others watched as it appeared that Reshiram was now aiding in the feud against Kyurem, who now appeared fused with Zekrom.
"Kami, it looks like a war up there," said Shigeru as the colossal Dragonite flew up higher.
"It kinda is," went Kensuke; most wars, he knew from history, varied due to time and conviction, and this was a small war over beliefs and convictions. "To the victor go the spoils."
Misato looked up and could barely see Shinji's Rayquaza and Drayden's Hydreigon. She had to guess that unlike the giant Dragonite, they were easier to miss because of their size and speed.
Shinji, you had better not get killed facing this Kyurem, she hoped; it was a nightmare thinking that he had gotten killed when the Twelfth Angel was destroyed, but now it was crazy to think that Shinji could actually die facing a Pokémon that nobody else has ever caught, despite the fact that he has faced other Pokémon of exceptional status and power.
BOOM! They heard an explosion in the air above the city; something was clearly happening in the clouds that they wished they could see.
"What is going on up there?" Hikari wondered.
-x-
It was a crazy, ridiculous thought that ran through his mind at the moment, but Shinji had to stay sane in this intense situation. As soon as they were all back on the ground and the crisis had been resolved, he had to replace the scarf Misato had that had been blown off by Kyurem.
Black Kyurem's Freeze Shock was countered by Hisui and Nirvana's Hyper Beams, causing a large explosion that almost felt like it could shake the ground had it gotten closer.
Kyurem can be shaken from its hold over Zekrom through combined attacks, Shinji heard Reshiram tell him.
"Except Kyurem isn't giving us any time to do so," he replied as they saw Black Kyurem fly towards them, spitting out a stream of icy energy from its mouth. "Whoa!"
"Eevo!" Misato gasped, ducking behind Shinji's back. "Eevo!"
"I know, we're in way over our heads."
Then he reached for Asuka's ball and released her into the air.
"Grraurgh!" Asuka roared, her wings stretched out as she spat fire out her mouth.
"Hey, Asuka, we need an assist against Kyurem!" Shinji told her, pointing to Black Kyurem.
"Graaurgh!" Asuka grunted as she flew towards Black Kyurem.
"Be careful!"
She unleashed a Fire Blast at Black Kyurem, which had quite an effect, leaving several burns across its body.
This Pokémon has no flame on its tail, thought Kyurem, reminded of a similar creature from the past back when it faced the other human. It's like that other Pokémon that fell into the ocean and nearly died.
Except instead of nearly dying, that Pokémon simply become stronger by reigniting its flames, said Zekrom to Kyurem. This Pokémon merely adapted to living without a tail flame. If anything, this young man has brought out this Pokémon's strength to its peak.
That's not possible!
Suddenly, Asuka glowed brightly and became larger, black and blue with flames escaping her mouth, also burning bluish.
Mega Evolution again, thought Shinji as Asuka released another Fire Blast at Black Kyurem. It's been a while since I saw it happen during a battle.
"Rrrarugh!" Hisui roared as its body started glowing.
Huh? Shinji went as he noticed his Rayquaza growing bigger than it usually was.
When the glowing ceased, he and Misato saw that Hisui was now sporting different features, looking rather like an Asian dragon adorned with strange jewels and sporting strange, whisker-like strands of energy emanating from its head.
"Eevo!" Misato chirped.
"Hisui can Mega Evolve, too?!" Shinji wondered, unable to believe his eyes. After this, we really need to head for Kalos!
Black Kyurem growled, not believing that a second Pokémon had gained strength through a connection to this…this human, and had to do away with him before he could do something as reckless as making a third Pokémon do so!
He needs to be stopped! It thought. He needs to be stopped!
Black Kyurem prepared to unleash its Freeze Shock on them again, gathering energy to charge it.
"Quick, Shinji!" Drayden yelled as his Hydreigon flew over towards Reshiram. "While it's charging its attack, we can beat it!"
"Right!" Shinji responded. "Everyone, fire! Give it your best shot!"
Nirvana fired another Hyper Beam, Asuka unleashed a Fire Blast, Misato used Swift, Reshiram added Fire Blast, Hisui had another Hyper Beam, and Drayden's Hydreigon used Dark Pulse, all unleashed upon Black Kyurem. They collided with its Freeze Shock, creating a rebound that was…quite unexpected.
FLASH-BOOM! The rebound was so strong that it felt like it shook the sky, sending everyone falling towards the ground.
"Aaah!" Shinji screamed as he held onto Misato.
"Raaargh!" He heard a roaring from above…and saw Zekrom, free from Kyurem's hold, flying towards them. "Raaargh!"
"Zekrom!" He yelled, reaching out to it.
Maybe it was crazy, but Shinji believed that if freeing Reshiram had earned them its respect, then maybe freeing Zekrom had earned them its respect.
Zekrom's eyes then glowed a light blue, surrounding everyone in an aura of the same color, slowing their descent.
Very impressive, young trainer, Shinji heard Zekrom's voice.
They were all then lowered to the ground away from the city.
-x-
Still in the air, Kyurem, back in its original form, looked down at the two humans and the Pokémon that aided them, seeing Zekrom had joined with Reshiram in bringing them down to the ground. Infuriated, Kyurem flew down; it had to stop this child, even if it meant doing so on its own, facing its other two halves in the process.
Stop him, it thought, slightly weakened. Stop him!
-x-
With his feet firmly on the ground, Shinji never thought he'd be happy to be standing again like earlier.
"Thank you," he bowed to Reshiram and Zekrom.
"Eevo," added Misato, bowing to them.
It is not over yet, they heard Reshiram say to them.
Kyurem is coming, added Zekrom.
Drayden looked up and saw the Boundary Pokémon coming down.
"Unbelievable," he uttered.
Slam! Kyurem set down on the ground in front of them, growling.
This ends here and now! They heard it declare.
"Eee!" Misato responded, getting in front of Shinji and baring her fangs.
You really think you're a match for me?!
"Graaurgh!" Asuka roared, standing beside Misato.
"Raaurgh!" Hisui added, floating over them.
"Urh!" Nirvana bellowed, using his colossal size to intimidate Kyurem.
"Kyurem!" Shinji uttered. "That's enough! You've been bested twice now! If anything, you've lost! Reshiram and Zekrom witnessed your defeat! What are you fighting us for, anyway?! What is this all about?!"
You! The balance that once was! You tried to restore the balance between the three of us and you failed! And now, here you are, trying to restore the balance all over again, knowing you'll fail!
"Failure only happens when one gives up!" Shinji told Kyurem. "Failure only occurs when the person trying to restore a balance that once was decides to give up! I haven't even done anything to resolve your trio's imbalance yet! You…you're just throwing a fit over something that hasn't happened yet to resolve the issue!"
You can't fix what is broken. And yet you will persist. You persist and persist and persist. It keeps going on and on and on, without end. Why, you, of all humans to exist, why do you have to be the one to do so? Why do you persist?!
Shinji approached Kyurem, followed by his Eevee, closing the gap in between them.
"Everyone persists," he told the Boundary Pokémon. "Everyone doesn't know when to stop. But you're asking me why I persist? Why I'm trying to restore the balance between the three of you? If I was asked by two out of three of you to resolve this matter, I'd have to find a solution if I could. If you're trying to stop me because you fear the outcome won't be as you expect, then I would have to insist that you stop and accept defeat and take what is for what it is."
Accept defeat? Take what is for what it is? You sound just like he did when I met him! He had this aura of acceptance around him that drew every Pokémon from across great distances, no matter where he was in the world. Even the weakest of them, he saw the potential to become stronger than those that looked down upon them. I could never understand how anyone, why anyone, would believe that he believed in them. He, you, are simply human! You're frail, you vulnerable, you engage in conflict over the pettiest of issues, and you live short lives, yet others build statues and murals after your passing. How can Pokémon see you as some that can bring out their potential when you're the vilest of creatures to have ever existed?
"Eevo!" Misato uttered. "Eevo, eevo!"
You…you say that I'm wrong about your trainer? Kyurem questioned. You say that he brings out your true strength because he believes in you?
"Eee."
That's just a foolish belief. A ridiculous assumption!
You're wrong, Kyurem, went Reshiram. This Eevee speaks the truth. If you asked any Pokémon that has been trained by this young man, you would likely receive a similar answer. They would all say that he brought out their true potential due to their belief in one another.
Yet, humans that sometimes see Pokémon with potential will often exploit them for their own ends. I've seen happen without end. Humans treat Pokémon with indifference and turn them into weapons or expendable tools. Sure, some of them don't suffer such a fate, but they still have to be aware of others going down that dark path.
While that may be true, went Zekrom, making its voice heard, not everyone is like that to Pokémon. Humans are ruled by their desires, both positive and negative, neither of which are entirely wrong. And just as there is no such thing as a human that is completely good, there is no such thing as a Pokémon that is completely good, either. In human terms, we represent what they understand as light and darkness, right and wrong, good and evil.
"Yin and Yang," went Shinji in understanding. Taoism.
You two represent the light and darkness of this existence, Kyurem expressed. I do not represent anything. I can't represent anything. There is no light or darkness. No right or wrong. There is nothing to represent!
Wuji, Shinji suspected. "I think there is something you represent, Kyurem! In Taoism, there's something we call wuji or mukyoku, which is the absence of yin and yang. You represent the absence of positive and negative; you can't feel positive or negative due to your absence of Reshiram and Zekrom, can you…and you're upset about it. And if you're upset about it, then…that's an emotion…which can't be devoid of positive or negative feelings."
"Eevo," added Misato; there was no way any emotion expressed could be devoid of positive or negative feelings.
You're wrong, Kyurem declared.
"You're angry, probably confused, and as much as you try to insist upon the balance between the three of you being restored, your actions speak to preventing such a thing, which implies you believe that anyone that tries will fail, so there's no point in trying at all."
Is this true, Kyurem? Reshiram questioned.
I don't need to answer such a question, it responded.
You would rather not have anyone try to restore the balance because you believe they'll fail, no matter what they do, said Zekrom to it, which is a foul assumption. You can't judge the outcome based solely on the possibility of failure if no attempt is ever made. That would be irresponsible of any of us to just assume failure when we're just as likely to see success. Look at what these Pokémon have become because of their trainers. Look at how they have turned out. Do you honestly believe they would be as they currently are because of the fear of failure?
Kyurem looked at them, all different and in various states of strength. The Eevee, full of vigor and determination, the Dragonite from thousands of years ago, still alive when he should've moved on back when he was a Dratini, the Charizard, just as much alive when she should have departed due to her tail flame going out, possibly much stronger without it than with it, and the Rayquaza, most likely a recent addition to this boy's legion of Pokémon, just coming into its new power because of the situation they were in. It didn't have to consider the strength of the Hydreigon due to its trainer being older and more experienced than the boy. And yet, it could see that all of them were strong, all of them, through a series of trial and error, had gotten to where they were over time and beliefs.
"Eevo, eevo," Misato uttered to Kyurem.
You believe I should trust him? It questioned.
"Eee," she answered. "Eee. Eevo."
Kyurem looked at Shinji, still seeing the echoes of the previous man that it had cut down due to failing in his inability to restore the balance between the three dragons. But there was something in his eyes, a strength that it hadn't seen before with the previous man… There was a pain to his past, still searing through to his present, but tempered by being around Pokémon. And what really made Kyurem think differently about Shinji as it looked into his eyes…was how his soul, his very conscience, saw Pokémon as friends, as allies, and being more than just a means to an end, more than just pets, even.
"I treat my Pokémon the same way I would want to be treated," it recalled the man it punished say to it. "They're my best friends, my posse, my band, my family. I'd do anything for them to be happy. I'd do anything."
And he did, Kyurem had realized. He did everything that he could to do right by all of them. He tamed the wildest of them and made them stronger than they ever could've been on their own. He saw the potential in those that were deemed weak and brought out their true strength. He was worthy of their trust and admiration…and I refused to see him as a savior, seeing him only as a failure…and I cut down his life for that. Balance… There was no balance to restore between the three of us. It was fate that tore us up and it's fate that keeps us as we are.
-x-
"…There they are," went Hikari as they ran over to where the colossal Dragonite stood. "Whoa! Look at the three dragons!"
Kensuke looked over and saw Shinji in front of the Kyurem, Reshiram and Zekrom. He wondered if Shinji had done what he had set out to do regarding the Tao Trio.
Suddenly, the three Dragon Pokémon disappeared…and it looked like Shinji went to where they had once stood…and either picked something up…or put something down.
"What do you suppose are the chances that Shinji just increased his number of Pokémon by three more?" Asuka questioned.
"I would say the chances of Shinji catching the Tao Trio," went Rei, "are very high."
Even the Bridge Bunnies had to agree; Shinji not capturing these three Legendary Pokémon seemed unlikely, even if he wasn't trying to capture them.
"What about the titanic Dragonite?" Toji asked, pointing to said Pokémon that still standing.
-x-
It was quite a revelation to hear from Kyurem. Even if someone had managed to capture all of the Tao Trio, there was no way to restore them to the original Pokémon they once were, meaning the whole goal of restoring such a balance between the three was a fool's errand. Still, Shinji had to admit that he couldn't see himself attempting to do such a thing, even if it was possible. And he didn't want to; he had seen all three dragons in actions and knew they were strong as they were, and that anyone with all three at their command would be capable of causing untold catastrophe against anyone that was viewed as a threat…or just because they thought they could and get away with it.
There is a greatness to your capabilities that has yet to be fully understood, Kyuremhad told them prior to being captured. But beware… As you continue to grow stronger, those that seek power will make things difficult for you and those around you.
Picking up the three Ultra Balls, Shinji sighed at how likely it would be that someone who sought power for the sake of power would make things difficult just to obtain that which was not theirs to covet. Among those that could be in the pursuit of power, he included his father, Team Rocket, Teams Aqua and Magma, Team Galactic and this Team Plasma that he heard about two months after he arrived in Unova.
Zap! The balls disappeared, transporting automatically to Prof. Oak's lab in the Kanto Region.
"Congratulations, Shinji Ikari," praised Drayden to him. "You caught the Tao Trio."
"Except I didn't really catch them," he responded to the gym leader. "They chose me."
"They saw potential in you. There's hardly a difference between catching…and being allowed to catch Pokémon that nobody else can catch."
"Urh," added Nirvana, agreeing with Drayden.
"This has been…quite an exhilarating experience," Shinji admitted, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his right hand.
"Eee," Misato agreed with him.
When Shinji turned to face Drayden again, the gym leader had a badge in his left hand.
"Huh?" He reacted.
"Normally, I wouldn't do this," Drayden explained, "but as you faced three Legendary Pokémon and prevailed, I would say that you have earned the Legend Badge."
"Eee!" Misato chirped as she climbed up onto Shinji's right shoulder.
"I… Thank you, Drayden. Normally, I don't accept badges unless my team defeats the gym leader's Pokémon."
"Personally, if we hadn't been interrupted, I would believe that your Pokémon had the match won against mine. You have a Regigigas, a Shiny Gyarados, and a Rayquaza. Who could face all three and hope to prevail?"
"Anyone with the will to persist."
"That is true."
Shinji accepted the badge and then looked at Nirvana.
"Will you be alright, Nirvana?" He asked the Dragonite.
I'm already alright, Nirvana answered him. You resolved an issue my savior tried to resolve, putting an end to an age-old pain. You looked the problem in the eye and refused to back down. Thank you.
Shinji bowed his head to the Dragonite.
"What will you do now?" He questioned.
Where we go from here…is a choice I leave up to you.
-x-
The Poké Ball transporter acted up again in Prof. Oak's lab, delivering another message from Shinji in the Unova Region.
"Ahh, that's four from him today," Prof. Oak sighed, wondering what new Pokémon Shinji was sending over this time.
"Shinji's message states that it's a Dragonite," went Tracy as he reviewed the data, and then his eyes widened. "We can't open the Poké Ball up in here. We have to do it outside. This Dragonite is big."
"How big?"
"Big."
They went outside with the Poké Ball and Oak released the Dragonite, seeing that it was big.
"Aaahh!" They gasped, and many of the Pokémon around the research grounds saw their newest resident from wherever they were.
"I can't believe that kid actually caught a huge Dragonite!" Oak gasped; this Dragonite had grown far beyond the size limitations of any other Dragonite ever recorded in history.
"Muk!" Ash's Muk had gasped, following Oak and Tracy to see this Dragonite. "Muk!"
And sitting by one of the pools under the watchful eyes of a Tangrowth, an Ursaring caught by Shinji had lost consciousness due to seeing the huge Pokémon, with the Grass/Poison-Type Pokémon bouncer tasked with helping to keep the peace regarding the Hibernation Pokémon, wondering if it would have to be watchful of it, as well.
To be continued…
A/N: I just wanted to do something similar to what Ash had done when he sent Prof. Oak his newly-captured Muk. Who wouldn't be shocked to see such a large Pokémon that was as close to legendary as this? Well, read and review, tell me what you thought. See ya!