You can tell how excited I am for this arc by how quickly these chapters are getting made. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. And now, I address the anonymous reviews.

...of which there are none.

I won't lie, it is a little frustrating to see the website randomly decide that the new chapter just doesn't exist whenever it feels like it. For those of you who wanted to review the newest chapter and couldn't, I am quite sorry. Here's a new one for you to enjoy. Buckle up, it's going to be heavy. I own nothing except the story.

An endless expanse of seemingly nothing, except for the kaleidoscope of blues, pinks and purples surrounding them from all sides. Even the breaths they took seemed to echo for miles. No walls, no floor, no roof, just an assault of color on their eyes.

Ash's attempt to use his aura seemed to reveal nothing. He couldn't sense anything, not even his friends who were standing around him. His mind felt hazy, almost like…it was a dream. "This can't be real…Misty?" But Misty didn't seem to react to his voice. It was then that suddenly another presence made itself known to them, as a small blue creature appeared in front of their eyes. "Huh? You…you must be Azelf!"

Then another Pokémon appeared, this time right in front of Dawn. "Mesprit!"

Finally Brock got his turn, as Uxie appeared in front of the Pokémon Breeder. "Uxie!"

"Finally, we get to meet you!" Ash said as all three Pokémon drew closer to the humans in this dreamscape.

"So this is what you really look like," Dawn said. "Amazing!"

"But why show yourselves to us now?" Misty asked. "Is there something we need to know?"

That's when all three Pokémon started urgently trying to speak to them in their own language, but their lack of personal connection to them kept the teens from fully understanding. "Hey, what's wrong?" Brock asked. "Please, tell us what's happening!"

The Pokémon turned to face the part of the void behind where all the teens were looking, as the color palette suddenly shifted from the variety of bright blues, purples and pinks, to an angry blood red hue and sickly yellows, as a strange shapeless entity started approaching them menacingly.

"That shadow!" Ash again tried to use his aura to shield everyone, but his powers failed him as nothing happened. Even still, it made no difference as the shadow apparently was not after them, as its tendrils went right past them, chasing after the three legendary Pokémon who were attempting to run away instead. "It's after the lake Pokémon! Come on!" Ash started chasing after them as well with his friends right behind him, but it seemed to be in vain as they couldn't keep up with their ghostly antagonist. "Man, this is looking really bad!"

"We've gotta do something!" Brock reached for a Pokéball, but was horrified to see that none were available to him. "I don't have any Pokémon!"

"Me neither!" Dawn gasped.

"Even Pikachu and Piplup aren't here!"

Ash gasped as he realized Misty was right, even their most trusted partner Pokémon hadn't joined them in this dimension or whatever it was. And with no aura powers, Ash was helpless to do anything as the shadow overtook and completely enshrouded the legendary trio. "Azelf, no!"

Ash screamed as he suddenly sat up in bed, his heart racing from the nightmare he'd just endured. As his head swiveled around the room, he saw that Misty, Dawn and Brock were also in the same state. "Y-You guys too?"

"What a dream!" Dawn shuddered out a sigh as she laid back down and covered her face with her arms. "I just saw the legendary Pokémon!"

"That shadow…" Brock huffed as he kicked his legs over the edge of his bunk. "Yeah, me too."

"So…" Misty took a breath before continuing. "We all had the same dream?"

"Looks like we did." Ash slouched and sighed exhaustedly, as he looked out the window and saw that the sun was just now barely starting to rise. "I dunno about you guys, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to sleep anymore after that."

"Me neither." Dawn whimpered and grabbed onto Piplup, hugging him close for comfort. "Guys, I'm really starting to get scared here. What if the lake Pokémon really were trying to tell us something? Like a vision!"

"It wouldn't be the first time a legendary Pokémon has tried to get our attention." Misty leaned against Ash's shoulder. "We've just gotta try and keep calm as best as we can. We've dealt with Dialga and Palkia before…and Giratina, and even Arceus."

"Right." But that reassurance didn't do much for Dawn as she turned onto her side and squeezed Piplup a little tighter, the penguin doing his best to comfort his trainer. "So what do we do now?"

Brock stood up from his bunk, taking a moment to give each and every one of his younger friends a reaffirming look. "We're going to do exactly what we've been doing. When the time comes, we'll do our best to help however we can. But for right this second, we're all physically and emotionally exhausted, and we need to get some rest." Brock smiled. "So I want you all to just relax. I'll be back in a flash with my patented super sleep serum."

"Your what?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"It's a special blend that I'd make all my little brothers and sisters back in Pewter City when they couldn't sleep. Warm milk with a hint of basil and a splash of Cheri Berry juice."

Ash stuck out his tongue and groaned as he put a hand on his stomach. "The warm milk I get, but the rest of it?"

"Trust me, one swig of this and you'll be out like a light for at least a couple of hours." Brock walked towards the door and grabbed the knob, pausing to look at his friends. "We'll be okay guys, I'm sure of it. Be right back."

Once Brock left, the three younger teens were left trying to settle themselves, with Ash and Misty finally laying back down in their shared bunk. "Hey guys?"

"Yeah, Ash?" Dawn asked.

"I've been thinking about what Team Galactic might be trying to do. Why would anyone wanna just create a new world? Wouldn't it just be a copy of this one?"

"I was actually thinking that it would just be an empty void of nothing." Misty snuggled up to her boyfriend without actually looking up at him. "Just think about it…the universe is so gigantic that we can't even imagine what the whole thing is like, all we really know is our little corner of it right here on Earth. So how could Team Galactic want to create a whole new universe if they can't fill it with everything we have here?"

"Maybe that's the point?" Dawn propped herself up with her elbow. "Maybe they want a world where they know everything. Everything that exists is because they want it to exist…and everything that doesn't…"

"Man…heavy stuff." Ash groaned as he stared up at the ceiling. "I can't stop thinking about the lake Pokémon now. The more I think about it, the more I know they want us to help…but what are we supposed to do?"

The room went silent once more, but thankfully Brock soon arrived with four steaming cups of his concoction. "Alright you three, drink up." He handed a cup to each of the younger teens, and chuckled as they all simultaneously groaned at the flavor after taking a gulp. "Hey, it may not taste good, but I promise you it'll get the job done! Just you wait, in a few minutes you'll be-" Before Brock could even finish his sentence, the three teens were fast asleep, having dropped their still half-full cups on the floor, leaving a mess for the breeder to clean. "Just like old times back home."

It was easy to get lost in a crowd, especially when using public transportation. Who would even blink at the sight of a black-haired man in a simple trench coat and hat?

Well, besides himself, that is.

Looker knew that what he was doing could have serious consequences. He was positive that the Officer Jenny in Floaroma Town had already reported his disappearance to Interpol. So as of this moment, he was a fugitive of the law, and he knew that he would be hunted down and brought to justice for his actions.

And quite frankly, he did not care. Looker clenched his hands tight as he sat on the bench of the train he was on. He knew he was on a short leash with this case, his superior never particularly cared for him, always looking for every excuse to send anyone but him in spite of his work record.

He never understood why his boss kept hindering his progress at every turn. At one point he even suspected that his boss might actually be a double agent for Team Galactic…but after a thorough (and strictly off the books) investigation, Looker came up empty. That was actually even more disappointing than if he had found out his boss was dirty. At least then he would've had some explanation.

Looker had no personal attachments aside from colleagues. No girlfriend, no children, his very existence was tied to the mission at hand. He'd always been careful never to overstep his bounds and always focus his entire heart and mind on whatever orders he'd been given.

Except for now.

Team Galactic had outsmarted him, captured him, humiliated him, and ultimately caused his downfall. He would not let that stand. He was going to bring down Team Galactic one way or another, even if he didn't have his resources with the International Police anymore.

However, as determined as he was, Looker wasn't stupid. He knew he had no chance of bringing down Team Galactic all by himself. Even if he infiltrated them and fought to take them down from the inside all over again, he would eventually be found out just like he had before. So if he was going to defeat Team Galactic, he needed help.

And he knew exactly where to start.

Once the train reached its destination, Looker unboarded and took in his new environment. The lush greenery everywhere he saw could rival Floaroma Town, and a river stretched all the way across the landscape and towards the town in the distance, surrounded by massive mountains and some old ruins, where hopefully he would run into some willing allies.

He started the long walk through a cornfield, which would lead him to the town ahead. "Now I just hope that they're here…and that they're willing to help me."

"That depends on who you're looking for."

Looker froze in his tracks at the threatening voice, distinctly male and clearly not happy to see him. His attacker was somewhere in the cornfield, he knew that. So he closed his eyes and listened for movement, leaping suddenly once he pinpointed the exact location.

His aim was true, as he and his opponent collided and tumbled out of the cornfield after his tackle, and the two began wrestling as they tried to bring each other to submission. "I'm not here to cause trouble!"

"Liar!" The man was a tall blond with a blue vest and white pants, and he clearly had experience in hand-to-hand combat to some degree. "Why are you really here? Talk!"

"I'd be happy to!" Looker suddenly turned the tables on his attacker, as he flipped him onto his back and put him in an arm bar. "Now, I really don't want to hurt you. Like I said, I don't want any trouble! My name is Looker, and I'm a friend of Ash Ketchum!"

The man suddenly stopped struggling, as his eyes widened in recognition. "You…know Ash?"

"Yes!" Looker nodded. "I suspect that he and his friends are about to be involved in a massive conflict thanks to Team Galactic. I want to stop that conflict from taking place, and I need the help of you and your companion if I'm going to stop Team Galactic's nefarious scheme." Looker released the arm bar and gave his opponent some space, holding his hands up in a placatory gesture. "I know how much you appreciate the mythology surrounding the legendary Pokémon, so I'm sure you know what could happen if their power were ever to fall into the wrong hands."

"Yes. I'm fully aware." The man gave Looker a suspicious glare. "But what I want to know is how you know this. I've never seen you around here before, and I've lived here all my life."

"True, I'm not from here. But with how often Ash and his friends have gotten themselves involved with the legendary Pokémon, I've made it a point to learn all I can about their adventures, which means I also have an inkling of your contributions as well." Looker leaned in. "Please, take me to your friend, I want to at least have an opportunity to speak with you both and plead my case before it's too late."

The blond man closed his eyes and sighed, thinking for several moments before finally standing back up and offering a hand to Looker to help him do the same. "Alright, I'll take you to her. If what you say is true, then what we've been fearing is about to take place, and we have very little time."

When Gary Oak made it his new life's goal to become a Pokémon Researcher like his grandfather, he was hoping that his life would become a bit more laid back. He would get to observe Pokémon in their natural environment, learn the ins and outs of their natural behavior in the wild, maybe win a Nobel Prize someday far into the future for some grand discovery.

What he was not expecting was to have to play bodyguard for an ancient legendary Pokémon in the middle of Lake Valor. But once Prof. Rowan - and Prof. Oak as well - called on him to go back to his Pokémon Trainer roots and be ready for battle, how could he say no?

His grandfather had shown him the research notes he'd exchanged with Prof. Rowan, and after getting in touch with the Sinnoh-based professor himself, Gary could already feel the gravity of the situation weighing him down. "Can you believe it, Umbreon?"

"Um bre." (I know.)

"Somewhere in that lake is a legendary Pokémon, and it's up to us to guard it." Gary sighed as he started pacing back and forth. "Man, this hero stuff is way more Ashy boy's style. He's in the Sinnoh Region too, why don't they get his sorry tail over here to help and let me do what I do best?"

"Dude, you're starting to drive me more than a little nuts. Weren't you Ash's rival once upon a time?"

Gary groaned in annoyance. As it turned out, he wasn't alone in this particular mission. With everything seemingly coming to a head, Prof. Rowan had made some calls to try and gather as many allies as he possibly could to prevent Team Galactic from succeeding in their plans. So now Gary had this scruffy blond guy acting as his backup. "If you think I'm scared, think again. I was once a competitor for Kanto League Champion after all!"

"Then start acting like one!"

Gary clenched a fist. "Look dude, you don't know me, and I don't know you, so let's just skip the psychoanalyzing and get to work!"

"Fine by me." The man shrugged. "And by the way, the name's D. Shad." The tall blond stood up and walked past Gary, his stance defensive as he listened intently for any sounds of danger. When Cynthia called him and told him what was happening, he dropped everything to go to Lake Valor.

After all, he had a sneaking suspicion that she would be arriving soon.

"Hey, D. Shad, you hear something?"

D. Shad's heart rate quickened, as he closed his eyes and tried to focus his hearing…and sure enough, he heard the telltale sign of jet engines flying overhead, faint as they were. "She's here."

At that moment, a massive airship appeared out of thin air, the hatches appearing to open to drop something out of its hold. "Alright then, it's showtime!" Gary pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Come in, Prof. Rowan! This is Gary at Lake Valor! Pokémon Hunter J has appeared!"

"As expected. She's come for the legendary Pokémon. Alright then, we'll get in touch with Yuzo at Lake Verity, and Carolina at Lake Acuity! In the meantime, you and D. Shad do everything in your power to make sure Pokémon Hunter J does not succeed!"

"You got it Professor!" Gary put away the radio and reached for a couple of Pokéballs. "Ready, Umbreon?"

"Um!" (Ready!)

"Electivire, Blastoise, come on out too!" As Gary summoned his most powerful teammates, the two Pokémon appeared and gave determined battle cries as they pumped themselves up for a battle. "If Hunter J wants Azelf, he's gonna have to go through us!"

"I concur. Toxicroak, use Dark Pulse."

"Wha?!" Gary and D. Shad turned around to see hundreds of dark rings hurtling towards them, courtesy of Commander Saturn's Toxicroak. Gary flinched as he'd totally been caught off guard. "Oh no!" But that's when Blastoise stepped forward and tanked the hit head on, slouching slightly and grimacing after taking the hit. "Blastoise, are you alright?!"

"He is for now." Saturn said, flanked by several generic Team Galactic grunts who all had Pokéballs at the ready. "But that can change very quickly. If I were you, I'd get lost."

"So you're Team Galactic, huh?" Gary snarled. "Well I'm not gonna stand by and let you go! Now, Umbreon, use Psychic!"

"Toxicroak, use X-Scissor." The giant frog lumbered forward with its arm crossed in front of its chest, its knuckles glowing white with power as it fought through the super effective attack from Umbreon. Just as Toxicroak was ready to swing, it was knocked off course by a Luxray giving it a hard shoulder tackle. "You again."

"Miss me?" D. Shad smirked.

"Not particularly." Saturn scowled. "However, your presence here is of no consequence. Pokémon Hunter J is about to drop the Galactic Bomb into Lake Valor and force Azelf to reveal itself. There isn't anything any of you can do about it either."

"I'm sorry, did you say bomb?!" D. Shad whirled around and saw J's ship drop a massive metal object from its cargo hold. Seconds later it splashed into the lake, causing a massive wave that forced everyone to shield themselves. "Maybe there's still time to disarm it!"

"I don't think so," Gary pointed towards the lake. "Look!"

A bright light began to shine from underneath the water, so bright that it was blinding to look at in spite of the fact the source was still sitting at the bottom of Lake Valor. But instead of an explosion taking place, the bomb seemed to cause a massive bubble of energy to form. "Now it begins!" Saturn cackled.

"Aah!" Ash suddenly dropped the spoon he was using to eat his cereal, the contents falling everywhere as Ash clutched his head with both hands, grimacing in pain as his mind was assaulted with the shrill cries of the legendary Pokémon. "Guys…I can feel it, it's Azelf! It's in trouble!"

"You mean like…in the dream?!"

"No," Misty was in similar agony as she shook her head at Dawn. "This is very real! Azelf is crying for help, something is happening at Lake Valor, I know it!"

"I know who we need to call then." Brock led the teens over to the videophones, even as Ash and Misty slowly removed their hands from their heads. "Are you guys okay?"

"The pain is fading." Misty sighed in relief, but she was still frowning deeply. "Thing is, in this case, I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing."

"Well we're hopefully going to get some answers now." Brock looked through his Pokégear to find his contact list, and once he found the number in question, he dialed it in hopes of getting the person he wanted to talk to. "Prof. Rowan! It's Brock, I'm here with Ash and Misty, and they both say that they just felt that something is really wrong with Azelf!"

"You both felt that?!"

The professor's reaction confirmed their suspicions. "So something did happen!" Dawn exclaimed. "Prof. Rowan, please tell us what's going on!"

"Team Galactic and Pokémon Hunter J have now arrived at Lake Valor." The professor explained much to the teens' horror. "Gary Oak and the man who calls himself Darkness Shadow are there attempting to fend them off!"

"Gary and D. Shad are at Lake Valor?!" Ash gasped.

"I'll patch the video feed through so you can see what we see." Prof. Rowan's face suddenly disappeared, replaced with a fuzzy camera feed of what could only be Lake Valor.

As the light dissipated, for a brief moment all was quiet, until the lake water started bubbling, and then a giant vortex formed in the middle of the lake, completely displacing the water and causing the poor Magikarp and other water-type Pokémon to be left flopping helplessly with no water to function in.

Then an orb of light started ascending from the lake, leaving both Gary and D. Shad completely dumbfounded. "I'm no professor, but is that what I think it is?" D. Shad asked.

"I-It…it can't be!"

"Oh but it is." Saturn casually walked up next to Gary with a satisfied smile. "I'll enlighten you both, since your feeble minds couldn't even begin to comprehend our genius."

"I'll enlighten you up like a Christmas tree!" D. Shad made a move to confront Saturn directly, but he was cut off when Toxicroak appeared behind him, a knuckleclaw glowing with power and aimed right at his neck.

Saturn didn't even react to D. Shad's empty threat as he stared intently at the glowing orb in the sky. "The Galactic Bomb, made out of the meteor taken from Veilstone City, is powerful enough to open up a hole in space. You see, the three Lake Guardians don't exactly live in a lake, per say. Rather, the Lake Guardians simply observe our world from another dimension through a portal that looks very much like a lake."

Gary growled. "Even if you manage to swipe Azelf, there's no way you'll get your hands on Mesprit and Uxie! We'll have so many people there ready to stop you that you won't get within twenty miles of Lake Acuity and Lake Verity!"

"Oh, we won't have to." Saturn smirked, much to Gary and D. Shad's confusion. "You see…now that we've threatened Azelf, I suspect the other two will come directly to us."

"Prof. Rowan, come in professor!"

"Rowan here."

"This is Tracey Sketchit with Yuzo at Lake Verity! There's something really strange going on over here, there's a pink light glowing and the water is swirling on its own! I'll keep you updated if anything else happens!"

"Understood."

"Professor!" Another one of the assistants chimed in. "We're getting an incoming transmission from Carolina at Lake Acuity!"

"Patch her through!"

Carolina's face appeared on the screen in a small window. "It's happening here as well! Exactly the same phenomenon Tracey described, only instead of pink, it appears to be a golden hue." Carolina turned to the person standing next to her. "Are you able to get any insight?"

"There's a very strong aura emanating from that lake." None other than Riley and his Lucario had come down from Iron Island to assist at Carolina's request, and the Aura Guardian was getting a very distinct impression from the lake. "It's almost as if the legendary Pokémon is desperately trying to get a message out."

"Did you get that, Prof. Rowan?"

"Loud and clear." Prof. Rowan grunted. "I believe the lake Pokémon are trying to communicate directly with Ash and his friends!"

With everything at a standstill, Hunter J emerged from her ship, standing atop her Salamence's back, taking note of just who was on the ground watching helplessly, causing her to smirk with immense satisfaction.

Clenching his fists in anger, Gary growled through his teeth as he turned to his electric-type. "Electivire, use Thunder!"

But before Electivire could charge and launch its attack, Toxicroak moved from D. Shad to Electivire, launching a vicious uppercut to the electric-type's jaw and laying it out flat on its back. "You stay out of this!" Saturn scowled.

"Shouldn't have done that!" D. Shad rushed forward and punched Saturn right in the gut, causing the Team Galactic commander to crumple as he grabbed his stomach. "Luxray, use Discharge and stop J, hurry!" Luxray began charging its attack, but it quickly had to dodge out of the way once a Flamethrower attack came out of nowhere. "What the?!"

Saturn smirked as he slowly got back to his feet. "Did you really think…that I would come here without proper support?"

Both Mars and Jupiter leaped into the fray, their Purugly and Skuntank flanking them as they smirked victoriously. "So hero," Jupiter giggled impishly. "Do you think you're man enough to take us both on at once?"

"If by that you mean, am I stupid enough to try and fight you both at the same time alone, then no." D. Shad smirked now. "Which is why I brought a friend."

"Huh?" The two girls were clearly confused by that statement, but then they heard screaming in the distance, causing them to gasp in shock at what they were seeing.

"I think I should've put a helmet on!" Brad was riding D. Shad's Staraptor, trying to hang on as they flew in at full speed right towards Hunter J to cut her off from reaching the floating energy orb. "Staraptor, use Brave Bird I guess!"

Hunter J snarled seeing Brad swooping in. "Salamence, up!" Salamence obeyed and instantly gained altitude, causing Staraptor to miss as it flew underneath the dragon Pokémon. "You are by far the most annoying man I've ever met! And I have met my fair share!"

"Sounds like a 'you' problem if you ask me!"

"A problem I aim to remedy right now! Salamence, use Hyper Beam!"

"Oh geez! Dodge, dodge!" Staraptor shot skyward, dodging the super powerful attack even as Brad screamed and held on for dear life. "I hate flying!"

As the aerial battle continued, D. Shad smirked as Gary came up next to him, his Pokémon ready for the battle to begin again. "Ready to rock?"

"You know it!" Gary nodded at all three of his Pokémon who briefly nodded back at him. "Like I said before, if you want Azelf, you're gonna have to go through all of us! Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon, Electivire, Thunder, and Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!"

"Skuntank, use Smokescreen!"

"Hey!" Before the attacks could hit, Jupiter's Skuntank created a massive cloud of smoke that completely hid Team Galactic from view. "Where'd they go?!" Gary shouted through coughs. Then the sound of multiple Pokéballs opening up was heard, and once the smoke cleared, Gary was face to face with an army of Golbat. "Uh oh. Electivire, use Thunder!"

"Luxray, hit 'em all with Discharge! And Golem, come on out and use Stone Edge!"

"Not this time hero! Purugly, use Body Slam!"

"Blastoise, get in there with Rapid Spin!"

"Skuntank, Flamethrower!"

"Toxicroak, use Dark Pulse!"

"Golbat, Air Cutter attack!"

All the attacks collided, and a massive explosion sent all the humans and their Pokémon staggering back as they shielded themselves. And with that, the battle was officially on.

Trainers and Pokémon alike dodged attacks coming from all sides, Gary was doing his best to command all three of his Pokémon at once, but in many instances he was forced to just trust that his team had the necessary battle instincts to fend for themselves. "Blastoise, do what you can to handle that Toxicroak!"

Blastoise of course nodded and immediately launched a Skull Bash attack that knocked Toxicroak off its feet. As Gary's oldest and most powerful partner, the Shellfish Pokémon was quite experienced and knew that in this kind of a matchup, the best thing it could do was play to its strengths. Blastoise was a slow-moving tank, but one who could take a beating and give one back in the right circumstances.

"Toxicroak, use Poison Jab!"

Blastoise was ready for that as well, as after Toxicroak leaped back to its feet and charged ahead with a poisonous knuckleclaw at the ready, the turtle withdrew into its shell and started spinning rapidly, rendering the Poison Jab useless as Toxicroak couldn't pierce its shell. "Way to go Blastoise!"

"Hey kid! Luxray, Golem and I are leaving an opening for you!" D. Shad exclaimed as Luxray launched another Discharge attack to fend off the numerous Golbat still swarming the area, as well as Purugly and Skuntank. "Take down Hunter J while there's still a chance!"

"Right!" Gary nodded. "Electivire, use Thunder now and bring Hunter J down!"

Meanwhile, the aerial battle of Hunter J and Salamence versus Brad and D. Shad's Staraptor was getting more and more heated. Brad had basically resigned himself to keeping his eyes closed and trusting that D. Shad's Staraptor had the necessary battle instinct to keep pace with Salamence, since it took everything in him to just hang on and not fall off.

Then when J heard the sound of electricity hurtling towards her, she smirked as she wordlessly signaled Salamence to ascend…causing the Thunder to strike Brad and Staraptor instead. "I do so love the concept of friendly fire."

"Oh no!" Gary watched in horror as Brad and Staraptor fell out of the sky unconscious, splashing into the water below and slowly being sucked into the vortex. "Blastoise, you gotta save them! Hurry!"

Blastoise looked over its shoulder a moment before turning back to Toxicroak, who now seemed to be smirking at it with immense satisfaction, as the Shellfish Pokémon had no choice but to retreat and follow its master's orders.

"Don't beat yourself up too much, kid!" D. Shad called out his Floatzel for additional support. "J's been tricking people like that since you were probably in preschool! Luxray, fall back and aim for Salamence, use Thunderbolt!"

"Salamence, use Hyper Beam!" Before Luxray could get its attack off, the dragon/flying-type unleashed a vicious beam of raw energy right at the glowing orb in the sky, and the impact caused it to swirl and spread out as the light emanating from it intensified dramatically. "Finally."

The battle came to a screeching halt as everyone stopped to witness what was happening, all except for Blastoise who was still ferrying the unconscious Brad and Staraptor back to shore. Within moments, the orb of light twisted and morphed itself into a definable figure…and as it uncurled from a ball, it gave a yawn and a stretch, revealing itself to be none other than Azelf.

"Oh man, it's Azelf!" Ash watched as the camera tracked the movements of the legendary Pokémon. Azelf was immediately surrounded by angry Golbat, not to mention Hunter J who was circling the small blue Pokémon like a bird of prey. "Azelf, come on, you gotta get outta there while you still can!"

Azelf clearly sensed the threat as it unleashed a powerful Psybeam attack that washed over at least three Golbat, instantly KO'ing them and sending them falling into the water. "Yeah, that's the way, Azelf! Show 'em what legendary Pokémon can do!" Misty cheered.

But that's when things took a turn for the worse, as Saturn ordered the Golbat to all use Supersonic, aiming to confuse the legendary Pokémon and making it an easy target for Hunter J. Fortunately, Azelf was nothing if not elusive, moving in midair at will and with no regard for physics or momentum; one of the benefits of being a nimble psychic-type.

As Azelf launched another Psybeam attack, taking out more Golbat, Gary took the opportunity to try and open a path. "Now, Electivire, use Thunder, and Umbreon use Psychic!"

The Team Galactic commanders gasped, having been so caught up in the awe and wonder of the legendary Pokémon that they'd been caught off guard. Toxicroak took the full brunt of the Thunder attack, while Skuntank took it upon itself to tank Umbreon's Psychic, using its partial dark-typing to neutralize the move.

"We should have known better than to assume you would simply accept your fate." Saturn snarled. "Toxicroak, use Poison Jab!"

"Nuh uh! Golem, block that!" D. Shad grinned as his Pokémon's rocky body shut down Toxicroak's attempt at poisoning its target. Then he called out another Pokémon and hopped onto its back. "It's all you from here, Gary! I'm going after Hunter J!"

"Right, D. Shad! We'll handle them!"

"Make your grandpa proud, kid!" D. Shad gave a thumbs-up. "Alright, Garchomp," D. Shad pulled out his gauntlet and activated it. "Time to finally bring an end to J's madness. Let's go!"

For her part, Hunter J was still trying to find a good position to take her shot with her petrification cannon. "I wish they would call off their Golbat, they're getting in my way!"

"J!"

Hunter J looked up from her target and saw none other than D. Shad hurtling towards her on his Garchomp, his gauntlet locked and loaded and aimed right at her and Salamence. "Still so bitter, my love?"

D. Shad snarled as he blasted a laser bolt at her and Salamence, but the speedy dragon bobbed out of the way of the blast. "I haven't been your love for years! Look at what you're doing!"

"I'm making a fortune beyond comprehension! And you could have been a part of this if you'd only joined me! Salamence, Dragon Pulse!"

"Dodge it Garchomp!" D. Shad sucked in a breath and held on as Garchomp took a harsh turn to avoid the green blast of draconic energy. "You've always been pragmatic, J! Take your eyes off the dollar signs for two seconds and just think for a second!"

"Use Hyper Beam!"

"Garchomp, Rock Tomb!"

The orange beam was deflected by the sudden appearance of a large boulder, as J growled at D. Shad who was looking for an angle to take a shot. "You could never understand my ambition! You always disapproved of me!"

"Yeah, I disapproved of you being an immoral sociopath who was willing to hurt anything and anyone to get what you want!" D. Shad took aim and fired another red laser beam, only for Salamence to dodge it and fly overhead. "How many lives have you ruined, J? How many more have to suffer because you refuse to see what's right in front of you?!"

"All I see in front of me is a self-righteous fool who thinks he's someone he's not! Use Dragon Pulse!"

"Dodge it!" The blast came closer this time, but Garchomp was still able to fly out of the way. "J, open your eyes! Do you even know what Team Galactic is trying to do?!"

"What my clients do with the Pokémon I capture for them is of no concern to me."

"You might wanna rethink that…Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!" Garchomp flew in with a blue aura surrounding it, flying in at full speed until Salamence barely managed to move out of the way, the force of the flyby causing Salamence to spin in midair for a few seconds.

Then both humans cocked their respective weapons, ready to fire at the drop of a hat as they stared each other down, both unmoving as their Pokémon awaited even the smallest signal to act. "You claim to be a hero, beloved by your city. But all that fame and admiration will fade away with time, and you'll be as irrelevant as you ever were."

"And all your ill-gotten riches will fill that hole in your heart when you end up old and alone in some mansion in the middle of nowhere? You're going to spend the rest of your life on the run regardless of how successful you are. And that's assuming Team Galactic's insane plan doesn't succeed."

"By the time they enact whatever they have in mind, I will be long gone."

"J, we'll all be long gone! Don't you get it?! Team Galactic wants to make a brand new world! That isn't metaphorical! They want to destroy this entire world and replace it with a brand new one where none of us will have ever existed! What will all that money they're paying you do for you then?!"

J flinched, grimacing as she pondered his words but refusing to lower her gauntlet.

"Somewhere in there is the woman I loved, the kind and decent person who I was going to take over the Pokémon Breeding Center with. Don't do this, J. Don't sell out the whole world just for the promise of a fortune you won't even get to enjoy…don't sell your soul to Team Galactic."

"David…" J lowered her gauntlet and removed her visor, her eyes watering as she stared intently at D. Shad. "Why can't you see me for who I am? I'm not that woman from before, I'm strong, independent!"

"You're right, you are all those things. But you're not a monster. You don't have to be cruel to be strong, and you don't have to be alone to be independent!" D. Shad lowered his gauntlet as well, extending his hand out to her. "If only for this one time, J. Recognize what's happening here and call this off. Team Galactic will end us all, you included, if you hand Azelf over to them. Don't do this."

J looked over at Azelf, who was still fending off the swarm of Golbat with its Psybeam attacks, then she looked over at D. Shad, who still had his extended hand out to her. Hesitantly, she reached out her own hand to grab D. Shad's, and grasped it tightly. "I'm sorry, David."

"It's alright, J." D. Shad smiled. "We can still make things right." Then the smile morphed into a playful smirk. "I knew you could be saved from the dark side, even temporarily if nothing else."

Then that smirk was frozen in time, as J fired her cannon at point-blank range, petrifying both D. Shad and Garchomp in one fell swoop. "Except for one thing. I don't need saving. Not by you, or anyone else." J ripped her hand out of D. Shad's frozen one as she placed her visor back on her face, watching as D. Shad and his entrapped Pokémon fell into the lake below, sinking all the way to the bottom before J placed her attention back to Azelf. "Now, back to business."

With her cannon reloaded, J chortled as the Willpower Pokémon came into her line of fire, and she aimed her cannon at the Pokémon and fired just as Azelf launched a Psybeam right at her. J crossed her arms to withstand the blast, grinning as her beam went right through the Psybeam attack, freezing Azelf in place and completing her capture. "That's one down."

"No!" Ash and Misty both fell to the ground, their heads pounding as they felt Azelf's pain after being struck by the petrification beam.

But neither Dawn nor Brock could tear their eyes away from the screen, Dawn in particular was crying in sorrow for their friend who'd been lost to the depths of Lake Valor. "They got Azelf…and poor D. Shad, he's been frozen solid!"

"We…we have to do something!" Ash slowly fought to get back on his feet, his head still pulsing with the pressure of his sudden headache. "We have to…have to get to Lake Valor! We have to help Azelf and D. Shad!"

"But Lake Valor is days away on foot!" Dawn shook her head hopelessly. "Even if we left an hour ago we still wouldn't get there nearly in time! We have to find another way!"

"This can't end like this." Ash fell back to the ground, groaning as his headache grew worse. "Make it stop!"

That's when Lucario popped out of his Pokéball, placing his paws on both Ash and Misty's heads and channeling his aura with all his strength, grunting as their pain became his own. "Hang on Dad, Mom…I'll try to take some of this pressure off you." Lucario closed his eyes, the appendages on his head rising as he pushed all his power into trying to soothe them with his limited healing ability.

Eventually, Ash and Misty both stood up, still grimacing but not incapacitated. "Lucario, thank you." Misty said gratefully.

"Of course, Mom. I can't just stand here and let you and Dad suffer."

"Okay," Brock spoke up. "Now we have to-" Brock suddenly gasped, his sentence forcefully cut off as he felt something in his head, almost like a presence physically brushing against his mind. "Guys, just now…I felt-"

"Yeah, so did I!" Dawn looked at all her friends with worry. "It's Mesprit and Uxie, isn't it? I think they might be going to try and help Azelf!"

"Prof. Rowan, come in, please!"

"Go ahead, Tracey!"

"Update for you! I think I saw Mesprit for just a second! And then it just disappeared!"

"Carolina here, I'm reporting the same thing here at Lake Acuity! Uxie appeared for only a moment and then vanished! According to Riley, he can no longer sense Uxie's aura anywhere near here, only faint remnants of its presence!"

"Then that can mean only one thing." Prof. Rowan closed his eyes. "The legends of the lake Pokémon state that they could very well have been created at the same time as the very beginning of the universe itself. Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie work in close harmony to protect Sinnoh. Those same legends also state if one of the Pokémon were to ever suffer some ill fate, the other two would have to appear in order to restore balance."

"Then I'm sure that's where they went." Carolina's voice came over the radio. "Mesprit and Uxie are going to try and rescue Azelf, exactly as Team Galactic planned."

"Professor," Tracey spoke again. "I think at this point we should try and get Ash and the others involved! If the lake Pokémon really are connected to them in some way, they're probably the key to rescuing them!"

"No way!" Daisy's angry voice suddenly echoed in through the radio. "You're talking about throwing my baby sister right into the line of fire! Are you crazy?!"

"But, Daisy, it might not be up to us!"

"I understand where she's coming from, Tracey." Prof. Rowan said calmly. "However, you may also have a point. If things continue the way things are going, our entire universe may hinge on what those children do next. I will speak to them now."

Looker was left in awe at what he was seeing. After being guided through the cornfield and passing a small lake, he soon found himself at the top of a mountain with some old ruins. But what made it so incredible was when he was taken underneath those same ruins, where he found incredible pieces of preserved history. "This is remarkable; this must be a complete chronicling of the beginning of time and space itself!"

"Not exactly." The blond man responded as he led Looker through large metal doors in the middle of the hallway. "But there is a lot of ancient history here. And if there's one thing I've learned about history, it's that it's never as far away as it seems."

"That's rather cryptic." But Looker soon had his attention pulled away, as he saw a beautiful, young light-brown haired woman kneeling in front of a large, strange spinning contraption. She seemed to be praying, or in some other form of meditation. "This is her?"

"Yes."

Looker stood in place for a moment, waiting for permission to approach. Once he received a nod, he walked closer and stood over the young woman. "Forgive me for intruding. I go by the name Looker, and I've come a long way to speak to you."

"I've been expecting you."

Looker's heart jumped. "You have? But how?!"

"The Time-Space Axis has been reacting violently for quite some time now." The woman stood up to face Looker directly, gesturing to how the spinning metal orbs seemed to continually crash into each other periodically, with no discernible pattern. "Every single change in the time-space continuum can be monitored with this device. Any disturbances in the flow of time or stability in space, even damage done to the Reverse World…it's all shown through this."

"But…how is this possible?"

"The how is not important." The woman shook her head. "What is important is your reason for being here. You need allies in the coming battle, the battle that will decide the fate of the entire universe as we know it. There is more at stake here than anyone even realizes."

"Yes…but, how could you possibly know that?"

The woman lowered her head for a moment, her eyes closed as she took a deep breath. "I have read the hearts of all the Pokémon in this area; they can all sense that something is very wrong. I have even captured…glimpses of the future, or the lack thereof for the past several nights."

Looker's eyes widened. "Are you also in contact with the legendary lake Pokémon?!"

"Not exactly. But through my abilities and reading the Time-Space Axis, we know that something terrible is about to happen, and after what Ash Ketchum and his friends did for us and our town, we cannot sit idly by and let them face this threat alone."

"So…you'll help me?"

The woman nodded. "You must go to Mt. Coronet; everything is going to come to a head at the Spear Pillar. Contact whoever you feel you can trust and have them take Ash and his friends there. Their connection to Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie is the key to saving the universe as we know it."

Looker nodded with a grim expression. "I know exactly who to call."

"Excellent. In the meantime, we must prepare. We will meet you on Mt. Coronet as soon as we can. Now go," The woman looked at the device and saw that all of the spheres were slowly converging, scraping and grinding against each other and wearing each other down. "We're almost out of time."

"I'm on my way…" Looker turned to leave, but then looked over his shoulder briefly. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome. Now go!" The woman watched as Looker rushed back outside, then turned back to her companion who had sidled up next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I hope Ash and his friends are ready for what's to come."

"That's why we're going. We'll do everything we can to make sure they can handle it."

Now once again on the screen, Prof. Rowan was doing everything he could to calm the determined young people. "I know how you feel, but I'm afraid it's too late for you to do anything to help anyone at Lake Valor."

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I can't accept that!" Ash clenched a fist. "We have to do something to help them out!"

"Ash is right!" Dawn added. "We believe that the Pokémon are pleading with us to save them! Even if we are too late to join the battle, there must be a way to help!"

"And that's exactly what we're going to do!" Brock looked down at his friends. "We've got to go!"

"Wait!"

But the Professor's words fell on deaf ears as Misty reached over and ended the video call. "Let's go guys, it's time to save the world again!"

As the teens ran out of the Pokémon Center, they were suddenly stopped in their tracks by a jeep that came to a screeching halt right in front of them, and the driver was someone they recognized all too well. "Get in!"

"It's Cynthia!" Ash hopped into the jeep first, with the others right behind him. And before they could even buckle up, Cynthia was already revving the engine and accelerating away at top speed. "Cynthia, what are you doing here?!"

"The three Lake Guardians are in trouble, and you three are the key to saving them." Her voice was level, betraying no emotion; even her face seemed to be set in stone. "I'm here to take you where you need to go."

"Cynthia…" Misty leaned forward slightly, her voice soft as she struggled to find the right words. "There's something you should know…D. Shad-"

"I know what happened." Cynthia's grip on the steering wheel tightened, her hands pale white from the pressure she was exerting, but her face remained as stoic as ever. "Grandmother told me as soon as it happened…there's nothing we can do for him now."

Ash frowned as he studied Cynthia's face. Even without focusing his aura, he could feel her sadness squeezing his own heart, threatening to choke him, and her barely contained rage fighting to take control of his thoughts. "We'll find a way to save him, I know we will!"

The Sinnoh Champion fought back the tears in her eyes, blinking them away as she tightened her lips to keep them from quivering. "There isn't time to worry about D. Shad, I need you four to focus. The fate of the entire universe is at stake, and you may be the only ones who can stop Team Galactic now."

Gary watched in utter horror as the petrified Azelf floated over to Saturn, encased in a glass dome like a mere decorative ornament. "No, Azelf!" But Gary didn't even get a chance to think about approaching, as Toxicroak stepped in front of him and his injured Pokémon, threatening further violence if he tried to interfere. "You…you won't get away with this!"

"Such a cliché line." Jupiter rolled her eyes. "Did your hero friend teach you that? I'd ask him myself, but he seems to be taking a swim." Her comment earned the ire of D. Shad's Pokémon, who were seeing red in their eyes and wanted nothing more than to tear them all apart. "Down boys, unless you'd like to join your master."

"You narcissistic cowards!" Brad had since come to, and his eyes were blazing with hatred as he grabbed two Pokéballs. "I've never been one for revenge, but you're gonna be the exception today!"

But Brad never got the chance to do anything, as J came over and blasted D. Shad with her cannon as well, much to Gary's utter horror. "Somehow that was even more satisfying than David. I never liked him even when I was younger." Then she turned to Gary, raising her cannon to blast him too…but then she lowered it, smirking as she had Salamence slowly withdraw. "On second thought, you're of no threat. Stew in your failure, boy." She then turned to Luxray and D. Shad's other orphaned Pokémon. "As for you, your master should have joined me when he had the chance."

"I like her style." Jupiter snickered.

"Now all that's left to do is wait." Mars looked into the sky to watch for something. "Any moment now, they'll appear."

"What are you talking about?!" Gary's mind was racing, looking for any possible way he could figure a way out of this without his Pokémon being fatally wounded, not to mention saving Azelf. But with D. Shad frozen solid at the bottom of Lake Valor, and now Brad in the same state next to him, he was hopelessly outnumbered. The boy clenched his fists and growled in frustration at the smug Team Galactic members, but then his attention was drawn by two bright lights in the sky, and he gasped as those two lights quickly, revealing themselves to be none other than Mesprit and Uxie. "Get out of here, it's a trap!"

But the two legendary Pokémon paid Gary's words no mind, as they gasped in horror at the sight of the frozen Azelf in Saturn's grip. They growled in anger as their eyes began to glow, but their attack was interrupted by the appearance of a sudden Flamethrower and Shadow Ball courtesy of Skuntank and Purugly, forcing them to rocket skyward to avoid the attacks.

"It's just as Master Cyrus said it would be." Mars grinned. "If one falls then the rest come crumbling down too."

Jupiter snickered. "And that's their final mistake."

"No! I won't let you-" Without even a moment to react, Gary's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes, as he slowly fell to the ground after feeling Toxicroak's knuckleclaw jab into his skin, much to the shock and horror of his Pokémon who immediately went on the defensive, surrounding Gary in a triad to prevent him from taking any more damage. "Blastoise…Electivire…U-Umbreon…"

"I warned you to stay out of this." Saturn glared at the crippled teen. "Suffer the consequences of your actions. I suggest you not command your Pokémon to do anything else, or I'll see to it they suffer the same fate." Saturn then turned his attention to his fellow commanders. "Mars, Jupiter, if you would."

"Golbat, use Supersonic!"

All of the remaining Golbat in the area began blasting waves of confusion-inducing sound at their combined command, causing Mesprit and Uxie to fly around in a panic looking for an opening to escape and try to go back to help Azelf.

That's when J swooped in front of them and raised her arm cannon to fire. But before she could, Mesprit and Uxie both cried out and formed two balls of energy, which launched blinding white lightning bolts into the sky, both of which seemed to disappear into an invisible portal before disappearing.

"It looks like they both used Future Sight at once." Saturn hummed from below. "Do they intend to play the long game?"

J just scoffed after the showing of power. "That was certainly anticlimactic." Again she raised her cannon, blasting two beams at the lake Pokémon. Uxie was able to twirl out of the way, but Mesprit wasn't as lucky, as it was instantly frozen solid, leaving Uxie alone to fend off J and Team Galactic.

Uxie snarled and its eyes began to glow, and in one last show of desperation, Uxie unleashed its most powerful Psybeam attack, forcing J to cross her arms and Salamence to wince as it was shoved back by the blast. Uxie briefly smiled in satisfaction, seeing J's visor suddenly snap in half from the raw power of its attack.

That smile instantly vanished when J growled back at it and blasted her cannon once more before it could react. J smiled, her mission was complete.

"N-No…Mesprit…U-Uxie…"

"You don't look well at all." Saturn hummed casually as Gary struggled in futility to stand back up, the poison rapidly taking effect. "I should inform you, a Poison Jab from a Toxicroak can be fatal if not treated immediately."

Gary, sweating profusely as his body began experiencing spasms, looked through blurred vision at the Team Galactic grunts and executives with a pleading look in his eyes. "I'm begging you…please…don't do this…what you're doing, it's inhuman! You'll destroy all reality!" He curled into a ball again, groaning as his body began to fail him.

"Yes, that was after all, the point." Saturn then turned as Hunter J flew in on Salamence, and then walked over to meet her clients.

"As promised, the three legendary lake Pokémon."

"Excellent work, Pokémon Hunter J." Mars smirked, her voice oozing with sarcasm. "I hope you're not hurt."

"Yes, I can see now why Master Cyrus saw it fit to entrust you with this task." Jupiter added. "We couldn't simply allow ourselves to be pushed around by the Lake Trio, we are the chosen ones after all."

J nodded, glancing briefly over at Brad, and then towards the lake where D. Shad had sunk to the bottom. "Tell me, out of raw curiosity, what will you do with them now that you have them?"

Saturn frowned. "That is of no concern to you." Then the male commander gave a disarming smile. "You've done well Pokémon Hunter J; your reputation is well-earned, as is your payment as we agreed. I have even taken the liberty of providing you an extra bonus for your troubles."

The bounty hunter did not smile, but nodded before hopping back onto Salamence's back and flying back towards her flying fortress, looking down at Brad once more before scoffing and ordering her Pokémon to return to the ship at full speed.

Upon entering, she returned Salamence to its Pokéball and began the walk through the corridor to the bridge, stopping briefly as she caught her reflection in the mirror, her visor cracked in half from Uxie's attack. The silver-haired woman scowled and clutched at her chest, her heart beating painfully with something she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Anxiety. Doubt. Panic?

That's when she received a notification from the earpiece in her ear, and after pressing a button on the computer console nearby, she was met with the total sum of her payment from Team Galactic, and she gasped. "This is more than I've made in my entire career combined…" She stared at the number for several moments…and smiled. "Absolutely worth it."

J finally made her way to the bridge, as she took a seat and leaned back in her chair, folding her hands and slinging one leg over her knee. "Are we ready for departure?"

"We're ready sir!"

"Very well helmsman." J snickered to herself, immensely satisfied. "Set a course, we're returning to base."

Then without any warning, all hell broke loose.

To J, it happened before she could even blink. Two massive bolts of lightning suddenly burst through the hull of her ship, cutting all the way through from the top to the bottom, as hundreds of crucial functions were suddenly completely destroyed, within seconds. "Status report!"

"We're losing power! All helm control is gone!"

"Increase engines to max power! Maintain our speed!"

The helmsman turned to face J with panic in his eyes. "All our systems have gone offline! What hit us, sir?!"

J growled as she rushed up the control panel and practically threw her helmsman out of her way to do the work herself. "Redirect all auxiliary power to engines! Weapons, life support, all of it! Do not let us go down!"

"Power levels are completely dead, sir! There's nothing left to use!"

As J looked up from the lifeless control panel, she saw the spinning vortex she herself had opened up rapidly approaching. For the first time in her life, as her ship fell inside and crashed into the wall of swirling water, her men screaming for their lives as the windshields began to crack and water started flooding in, J felt something she swore she would never feel.

Regret.

"Well…it looks like I needed saving after all."

Back above the lake, everyone was slack-jawed at what they'd just witnessed. Two lightning bolts falling from the sky like a vengeful deity striking down a sinner, and shortly after seeing Hunter J's ship fall into the water, it began to glow bright once more…only this time, that glow was followed by a massive fiery explosion, causing a huge wave to wash over the shore, soaking everyone from head to toe.

"That had to be Mesprit and Uxie's Future Sight!" Saturn looked down as the water receded, and at his feet was none other than the remains of Pokémon Hunter J's visor. The power of these legendary Pokémon…is frightening."

"What should we do with the boy, Saturn sir?"

Saturn turned to look at Gary, who was now only barely conscious and still surrounded by his worried Pokémon. "He is of no consequence. Leave him. We have what we came for, and now Master Cyrus's grand plan is but one obstacle away from complete success."

Within minutes, Team Galactic loaded all their gear into the helicopter, and as they flew off into the sky, Gary used the last of his strength to make one last command. "Umbreon," his voice was barely a whisper. "Heal Bell." The last thing he saw and heard before falling unconscious, was the blue-green aura surrounding his dark-type Pokémon, and the faint sound of a soothing bell chime in the air. "I'm sorry, Grandpa…I failed."

"They got Mesprit!" Dawn grabbed her head and cried out as her connection to the Emotion Pokémon caused its pain to be shared with it. "It hurts, it hurts so much!"

"And Uxie too!" Brock growled as he shook his head to try and stave off the pain. "We have to do something before it's too late!"

Cynthia squeezed her eyes shut for only a moment before she opened them again and jammed her foot down on the accelerator, pushing her jeep to its limit as they raced towards their destination. "If you want to help them, we'll have to take care of Team Galactic first. You're all familiar with Looker, aren't you?"

"Looker?!" Misty leaned forward to the front part of the jeep. "What about him?! Do you know where he is?!"

"I received a call from an unknown number shortly after receiving the news about…" Cynthia's voice trailed off as she forced her focus back on the road, refusing herself the right to cry. "Looker contacted me to inform me he's on Mt. Coronet investigating, and we're going to meet him now."

"So…" Brock grunted as the pain faded slightly. "Looker contacted you to try and help him bring down Team Galactic. Do you also know about-"

"He's on the run from the International Police." Cynthia scoffed. "Bureaucrats. He's a good man doing dangerous work; he should be rewarded for his efforts, not punished."

"That's what I think too." Ash grunted as he looked over his shoulder at his suffering friends. His aura easily picked up their pain both physical and emotional, and along with Cynthia's repressed rage - so strong she didn't even allow herself to be surprised by Lucario's telepathy - he could feel his aura flaring up. "We can't let Team Galactic get away with this, none of it!" He clenched his fists as he growled, his eyes beginning to glow blue. "They're gonna pay for what they did!"

"Ash, you've got to calm down!" Misty exclaimed.

"Dad, you're losing control of your aura!"

Ash gasped in sudden realization, as he felt Lucario's aura wash over him, trying to impart a soothing sensation to his soul. "Lucario, thank you."

"We're going to keep each other going, okay?" Lucario nodded at Ash. "I get it, I can feel everything you're feeling, and right now all I wanna do is tear everyone in Team Galactic limb from limb…but I know in my heart that's not what you would want me to do."

"And you're right." Ash sighed as he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, meditating for a brief moment like Riley taught him to get his power under control. "All that matters is saving everyone, and that's exactly what we're going to do."

Misty again leaned up from the backseat, gently grasping Ash's shoulder and pulling close to him. "We're all with you, Ash. Every step of the way."

"Thank you, Mist." Ash placed his hand over hers, giving her a grateful smile. But it faded quickly after he felt another pang of what he could only identify as heartbreak assault his heart, and it was coming from their driver. "Cynthia…"

Suddenly the built-in screen on Cynthia's dashboard lit up, as Prof. Rowan's face appeared on it. "Prof. Rowan, go ahead."

"Bad news from Lake Valor, I'm afraid."

Ash quickly popped into view on the screen. "Is everyone okay?!"

The elderly man closed his eyes and shook his head. "I regret to inform you that D. Shad was not the only casualty."

Everyone gasped. "Oh no, what happened?!" Dawn cried.

"Brad was also struck by Hunter J's petrification cannon-"

"Brad was there too?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yes. And to make matters worse, shortly after the lake Pokémon's capture, their Future Sight attack completely destroyed Hunter J's ship and all of her equipment…Officer Jenny reports there were no survivors."

"But that means-"

Cynthia grit her teeth before cutting off Misty's statement. "There is no hope of restoring David and Brad to normal." She took a deep breath, one tear escaping her eye as she looked into the sky for a moment before looking back at Prof. Rowan with a deep scowl. "And what about Gary Oak?"

"Gary was not frozen, but his condition as of right this moment is critical. He was found surrounded by his Pokémon, his Umbreon was exhausted and was found using Heal Bell on him repeatedly. Nurse Joy reports that at this moment, Gary's condition is critical. I've already informed Prof. Oak."

"Oh man…Gary too?" Ash tightened his fists. "I should have been there, I could've done something."

"You had no way of knowing, Ash." Prof. Rowan replied. "Please don't blame yourself for something you had no control over." The elderly man then turned his attention to the Sinnoh Champion. "Cynthia, we suspect that Team Galactic is heading back to Mt. Coronet based on the data your anonymous source gave us. Please be careful, you're heading towards what could be the heart of Team Galactic's entire operation."

"Understood." Cynthia cutoff the transmission, taking a deep breath before addressing the teens. "I want you all to listen to me. It's no secret that we're all hurting in some way right now. But we have to stay focused on our goal if we're going to succeed. Do you remember the mural in the Celestic Ruins?" She received a silent nod from the teens. "At this very moment, Team Galactic has the Lake Trio and the two treasures in their possession."

"They got the Lustrous Orb?!" Misty gasped. "I knew it! I just knew it wasn't going to be safe with Cyrus!" The redhead sighed. "Cynthia, I'm sorry, I know Cyrus is a friend of your family, but-"

"You don't need to apologize. We were blind not to see what was right in front of us." Cynthia scowled. "Cyrus played us all for fools. As soon as we realized that the Lustrous Orb had gone missing, any and all of our attempts to contact Cyrus failed, even his home had been completely abandoned. I believe it is his goal to work with Team Galactic to summon both Dialga and Palkia."

"And with Dialga being the ruler of time…and Palkia being the ruler of space…" Brock added. "If they fall under Team Galactic's control-"

"Their new world…" Dawn whimpered as she hugged Piplup close.

"That's not gonna happen. We're gonna stop 'em!" Ash pumped a fist.

As Cynthia continued driving at top speed, doing everything she could to get them to Mt. Coronet as fast as possible, Lucario suddenly growled as the appendages on his head raised up. "Someone's out there."

"Someone?" Ash reached out with his aura too, and that's when he sensed an intensely red aura coming up in the distance, a raw hatred and…glee at what they were about to do. "Lucario, shield up!"

They focused their aura to its full strength, forming a shield bubble around Cynthia's jeep, just before an intense red laser beam struck the front tire of the jeep which had not yet been shielded, causing it to completely disintegrate instantly, which led Cynthia to lose control and just barely avoid crashing into a boulder on the side of the road. "Is everyone alright?!"

"I-I think so!" Dawn exclaimed. "But what was that?!"

"I dunno, but we're about to find out!" Lucario charged an Aura Sphere and launched it at the source of the aura, and out from a nearby tree, a man jumped from the branch and took aim to fire at them again with the same weapon. "Geez, that's strong!" Lucario winced as he kept the aura shield up to deflect the incoming blasts.

Misty squinted to try and see past the shield, and her eyes widened as she shook Ash's shoulder. "Ash, I think we know that man!"

"We do?" Ash looked over too, and that's when Ash realized exactly why he was sensing so much evil. "I don't believe it! It's Saban!"

"What?!" Dawn exclaimed. "You mean that gang leader who framed you and Misty for stealing from the Canalave City Bank?!"

"That's him alright!" Misty nodded. "But why is he wearing a Team Galactic uniform?!"

"Doesn't matter." Cynthia reached for a Pokéball. "I'll put a stop to this, and then we'll get some answers. Garchomp, battle dance!" Garchomp appeared and roared, suddenly startling the man firing at them and giving Garchomp an opening to knock away Saban's weapon. "You! You're going to tell me exactly where Team Galactic is hiding right now!" But Cynthia's attention was diverted when she heard the teens suddenly groan in agony behind. "Everyone…you're feeling it again, aren't you?!"

"Yes! I-It hurts!" Ash fell to his knees as he grasped at his head, Misty falling right next to him as she leaned against him.

"It's so intense!" Dawn actually started tearing up from the pain as she laid out on the ground, Piplup chirping in fear next to her. "It's like they're screaming right into our minds!"

"Yeah," Brock leaned against a boulder, trying to stay standing. "It's much stronger than before!"

Thanks to the diversion, Saban was able to run away and escape from Garchomp. "Hey, come back here!" But when Cynthia heard the teens suddenly shout at the top of their lungs in agony, she watched in utter disbelief as they all, along with Pikachu and Piplup, were suddenly teleported away. "No, it can't be!"

"What happened to everyone?!" Lucario barked at the Sinnoh Champion. "Where did they go?! Where's my family?!"

"The Lake Trio…Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie…they're responsible..." Cynthia looked down at the Aura Pokémon with obvious worry on her face. "Ash, Misty, Dawn and Brock…they've been…summoned."

A/N: Things are coming to a close here on the Team Galactic arc ladies and gentlemen. And if you think you know what I have planned, think again. I cannot wait to spring what I have in store for you all. Please let me know your thoughts with a review, I would love to hear from you all.

In the meantime, there will probably be a short break from this story. My lovely fiancée HollyLu and I are working on collabing for the upcoming Pokeshipping Week, so stay tuned for that story series! With all that said, thank you all so much for reading, and please let me know what you think.

Now, I sleep.