Far south of the chasm that had opened in the valley laid a crater among many, resting in a cloud of dust. Motionlessly, an emerald colored serpent laid within the dust. Rayquaza, bereft of his short lived Mega Evolution, groggily opened his eyes.
With a groan, he raised his head. Around him, he could see little. In his vision, everything was hazy and shifting. Wincing as a result of his headache, Rayquaza wracked what he could manage of his mind. Where was he? What had happened? These things, he needed to know.
Pondering the first question, the serpent grumbled against his pounding headache. But then, his eyes shot wide. The last thing he remembered was a shadow pinned against a barrier, and himself rushing toward it with Dragon Ascent.
"Mewtwo!"
Just as that revelation had struck him, Rayquaza shot up. He attempted to, at least. Before he could fly fully into the air, a dark glow enveloped him and pulled him back to the ground. From the dust, the shadowed form of Marshadow and his host emerged. Much of his body was fractured. The crystal jutting out from his shoulder was chipped off.
Yet still, he stood with a wide grin, eagerly taking hold of Rayquaza to enact his revenge. "You called?"
Rayquaza narrowed his eyes. "I did not. You are not Mewtwo!"
But Marshadow, chuckling, merely showed off the body of his dark puppet with his hand. "I am now. All that ever was of Mewtwo is gone. He used the last flickers of his consciousness to allow you that final strike, but…"
Marshadow closed his three fingers and his Psychic powers squeezed Rayquaza's throat, forcing out a choked sputter from him. "…It seems to have been for naught." He grinned and then laughed as he summoned a Shadow Ball in his free hand, rising higher to smite Rayquaza once and for all. "Farewell, old friend!"
Before Marshadow could bring his arm forward, he heard a rumbling in the ground growing louder. Turning, he found red hot spires of stone rushing across the ground toward him, melting the surroundings they touched. When they reached Marshadow's underside, they shot up.
Deftly, Marshadow teleported out of harm's way and snarled in annoyance. "Who is there?!"
At last, the dust cloud parted in wake of steam, and within it was a panting young Groudon. "Stay…away from my friend!"
What Marshadow suddenly stared at in confusion and intrigue, Rayquaza did so in horror. "How curious," Muttered Marshadow, "A young Groudon. There was more than one?"
Rayquaza writhed with new strength against Marshadow's stolen Psychic power. "Get away!" He roared. "You aren't supposed to be here! I told you to stay on that island!"
But the young Groudon stood his ground. "No way! Real friends…" He stomped down, causing the land beneath his feet to swell and churn as heat coursed through it. "Stick together! They don't leave each other behind!"
Opening his mouth wide, Groudon let loose a superheated beam. It burnt the ground beneath it black and crackled the air above as it sailed toward Marshadow. Then, threatening to engulf the shadowy puppet master's vessel, it was casually tossed over Marshadow's shoulder.
Groudon's eyes went wide, and he staggered back. "Wh-what?!"
Marshadow set his full attention upon the young Legend. "Fascinating. It truly is a new Groudon!" For a short while, Marshadow studied Groudon as if he were the most intriguing thing in the world. And then, he haphazardly flung the Shadow Ball in his hand at him.
"Die now."
Rayquaza's emerald skin paled. "NO!"
With all of his strength, he writhed free of Marshadow's grip and shot toward Groudon. Just before the Shadow Ball could impact the young one, his guardian coiled his body around him defensively. He cried out as his injured body took the attack.
More shadows swirled together into another orb to replace the first. "An unwise move, old friend," Chided Mewtwo. "You should have saved yourself!"
Once more, another Shadow Ball impacted Rayquaza's body, stinging his open wounds like a ghastly fire that seeped into his very body to claw at his soul. Within Rayquaza's protection, Groudon grimaced as his friend could not obscure his pain from vocalization.
The young Legend helplessly cried, "Rayquaza!"
With howling laughter, Marshadow brought up his host's arms like a puppet on strings. Like a toy, Mewtwo's head was hung nearly limply, tilting. Marshadow's piercing yellow gaze eyed the dragon before him. And then, all around Rayquaza, a series of Shadow Balls emerged around him in a dome.
One by one, they fell upon the serpent's aching body. He growled and bellowed in defiance, trying with all his might to not let Groudon know he was on his last legs. But he could not manage it for long. His proud roars became pitiful shrieks of pain. And once the final Shadow Ball was loosed, Rayquaza's coil loosened, and his body fell limply.
Groudon's fiery blood felt colder than he knew was possible upon seeing his friend on the ground. "Rayquaza!" He shouted, rushing to kneel by his head. "Please, no! You can't leave me!"
Gradually, Rayquaza's eyes opened. When he managed to speak, there was no remaining pride. There was only a weak desperation as he whispered, "Please, Groudon…run…!"
But a dark glow encased them both and hoisted them into the air to see the host of Marshadow peering into their eyes. "I think not. I'm afraid neither of you will be leaving this place alive."
Marshadow's stolen arm reached into the smoky skies. Dark shadows swelled together, sending up a chilling wind that made even Groudon shudder. It was the cold of death rushing to meet them. There, it swelled together until a massive Shadow Ball surged over their heads.
In terror, Groudon tried to move to no avail. He glanced over at Rayquaza to see what his reaction was. In all his time with Rayquaza, even though they butted heads often, the dragon never lost his pride or nerve. But now, that was not the case. Groudon's hope fell away when he saw his friend closing his eyes in defeat.
"Groudon," He rasped mournfully, "I am sorry."
The young Legend was left speechless. He simply stared at his mentor with his jaw agape, in utter disbelief. The weight of the inevitable hung over him, but he did not know what to make of it. All he could do was close his eyes tightly.
A sniffle of terror that Groudon could not hide evidenced his thoughts on the matter. When Groudon at last found his words, he replied, "I'm s-sorry too. I wanted to help, but…"
Rayquaza took a moment to respond. "I know."
Marshadow, grinning widely, leaned forward in preparation of smiting them once and for all. "Farewell, old friend. Thank you for all the memories!" But just before he could launch the attack, his arm froze.
And his grin widened further.
"Ah." Gradually, the Shadow Ball shrunk until fading altogether. Marshadow looked toward the black sky with even greater jubilation. "At last. At long last!"
A glittering light enveloped him. Rayquaza and Groudon were dropped onto the ground. They looked up in horror to see power swelling around Marshadow, manifesting in a brilliant shell.
"My host withholds Mega Evolution from me no more!" He roared triumphantly. "Now, I need nothing! Not any man nor Pokemon! I alone will-"
And then, he faltered. His eyes, if only for a moment, shifted from yellow to amethyst. And then, his power exploded outward in a triumphant roar. His voice came not in one, but two. One, a proud bellow from the heart of a Legend. The other, a shrill screech of a shadow bereft of its castor.
Mega Evolution changed the form of Mewtwo. From him, a black, shriveling, shrieking mass was ejected. Mewtwo's steely gaze locked onto it, and without a shred of remorse, grabbed it with Psychic and crushed its quivering, crying form back to the abyss of nothingness where it belonged.
And then, his power left him, and he fell to the ground on his hands and knees. Air seemed to escape him for a long while as he breathed with his own lungs, of his own accord, for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Once more, he saw with his own eyes. Heard with his own ears. Felt with his own hands. Even staring at those hands felt alien to him.
Bowing his head, he whimpered, "Finally…my fight is over."
Gradually, he raised his head to peer at Rayquaza and Groudon. The latter of the two tensed and raised his small body like a shield for the former, but Rayquaza spoke up.
"Don't worry about him," He said reassuringly. "He's a friend, I think." The dragon's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's you in there, isn't it, Mewtwo?"
Mewtwo gave a long sigh, taking in each breath of the stagnant air as if it were like the crisp oxygen of a forest, and rose back up. "I think so."
Rayquaza continued to intensely stare at him before eventually rumbling out a sigh. Content with his answer, the Sky High Pokemon rested his head on the ground once more. He replied, "Then I am relieved. Welcome back."
Turning to face the field of battle, Mewtwo felt agony in his heart. Black stone ground where there once was grass. Craters in place of rivers and hills. That awful chasm swallowing so much beauty. And the Tree of Beginning, hanging by its own roots. The sheer level of devastation that had reached this place was like seeing the remains of the old Goldenrod City all over again.
Mewtwo clenched his hand into a trembling fist. "You two ought to retreat," He said quietly, not able to pull his gaze from the dead land that had accepted him. "I will gather myself. And then, I will set things right."
"Hi-yah!"
Hoopa slammed her ring's rift down upon the man with Zero's face. The sound shook Ash, Serena, and Hydreigon out of their trance. A red hand reached back out, aiming to swipe at her for it.
Irate, Hoopa glared at the others. "What are you just staring for?! Get your heads back in the game!"
Then, avoiding a Hyper Beam shooting up from the portal, Hoopa launched a Dark Pulse into the Red Suit as it reared its head from out of the rift. Already, its mask had regrown over its uncomfortably familiar face. Hoopa then dove in after it, and her ring closed until vanishing.
Ash physically shook himself. Serena and Hydreigon remained petrified. The latter of the two timidly held his aching stub and looked with worry toward the other Red Suits leaping about.
His trainer seemed to voice his thoughts when he asked, "Do…they all look like that underneath?"
"Who cares?" Paul whipped. "I agree with whatever that Pokemon with the ring was. We don't have time to be gawking at their faces!"
Serena was quick to jump at him. "You don't understand!" She exclaimed. "She's-!"
But Ash cut her off. "N-no, Paul is right." When the two trainers looked at him, his face had grown almost as pale as the color of his Aura. Cautiously, he tried to eye the other Red Suits, but it was difficult to see them in the midst of the fight with their Pokemon. "Whatever they look like, even if it's her, we need to fight."
Beside him, the air distorted. A purple spark in empty air betrayed the hidden location of something. It took aim. Hydreigon yelped and flew between Ash and the shadow, quickly blasting it with a point blank Hyper Beam.
Ash and Serena were knocked down. Confused, they cried out and shielded their faces from the ensuing smoke rushing past them. They saw Hydreigon growling at something in that smoke fiercely.
Violet streaks of lightning appeared in the air periodically. Upon seeing it, Ash quickly brought himself and Serena back to their feet and placed himself defensively in front of her. When those sparks faded, a flickering shadow was left in their wake.
The Pokemon huddled around their trainers as much as the Red Suits would allow them to. With a sigh, Nova put away his gun, seeing as he no longer had a clear shot. Instead, he stepped back a handful of paces to allow one of the men in red to descend upon the ground where he once stood, holding down Hydreigon by his neck.
"Hydreigon!" Ash cried.
When Hydreigon opened his mouth to charge a Hyper Beam at his attacker, Nova made a hand signal, and the mask of the Red Suit suddenly retracted to show the same deformed face of Zero the one from before had. The shock of seeing it again snuffed the attack from Hydreigon's jaw, his nerve lost in an instant.
"Call off your beasts," Ordered Nova, "And I'll call off mine."
Though Ash grimaced, he was not about to risk the lives of his friends. Tentatively, he held Mew more tightly in his arms, but ultimately nodded. He looked to Serena, who did the same, then to Paul, who quickly scanned their surroundings. Not seeing any way out without some form of loss, he clenched his hand, but ultimately conceded.
"Everyone, stand down."
At the call of their trainers, the Pokemon ceased fighting and turned to them with worry. Nova twisted a notch on his watch, suddenly rendering the Red Suits as still as statues. The hand clenching Hydreigon's neck stiffened like a statue, refusing to move despite his struggling.
Ash shouted, "Let him go!"
"No."
Boldly, Nova stomped toward Ash. With each step, his boots loudly crunched the ashy ground underneath and left notable prints upon it. "Enough games. Enough running."
Squinting his eyes, Ash could now see the state of Nova's crystal necklace. And the light leaking from it. "Can't hide behind your stolen power anymore?"
At that, Nova unveiled his handgun and pulled the trigger, causing the shard in the canister on its underside to begin to surge with energy. "This one still works fine." Then, he lowered it to point at Mew. "And if you want to leave this place alive, you'll cooperate when I tell you to hand her over."
Ash's eyes darted from place to place, searching for anything that could buy him enough time for some kind of opening. The looks on Serena and Paul's faces indicated to him that they were sharing similar thoughts. But, as he opened his mouth, Serena was the first to speak.
"Why do…" At a loss for what to call the Red Suits, Serena motioned to one of them. "…They look like…?"
Nova pulled the trigger, causing lightning to begin swirling up the length of his gun. "You mean Project Zero? These ones were scrapped together with its leftover data. Figured leaving the idea alone after so much resource usage was a waste. That's all."
A flash of recollection washed over Ash's face upon recalling the shattered pod where he had found Zero. "So that's what that was."
Suddenly, Nova had his gun pointed at Mew. "If you thought buying time would work, then sorry. Time's up. Hand over Mew or die with her."
Ash grimaced. There was absolutely no way he was going to hand over Mew, even if it meant his end. But without him, she would just die anyways. And without her, the tree would die, spelling the end for everything anyways.
He was at a loss.
"You know what will happen to the tree, and the world, if Mew dies, right?" He asked hopefully.
At that, Nova responded, "Of course I know. Do you honestly believe we would come this far without a plan?" His finger twitched over the trigger. Letting go would end things in an instant, but he hesitated.
"I don't want to kill you if I don't have to, Ash," He admitted. "Your Aura could be instrumental in preventing much human suffering when the Pokemon are gone. Let go of Mew."
There was a shout from his side. "As if!"
All eyes turned toward the sound just as Keldeo came barreling toward Nova with Aqua Jet. At the last second, he slashed down upon where the man stood and sent up a blinding array of sparks that forced the trainers to shield their faces.
With great crackling, the ground where Nova once was crumbled away and fell over the cliffside down into the horde of cells. Keldeo quickly turned and shouted, "Run! Get Mew out of here!"
Mew held many a bitter memory for Keldeo. When he thought of her, all he could also think of was the sight of Kyurem's limp body in Necrozma's claws because of her selfishness. But, seeing her so pale, laying deathly still in Ash's arms, brought so low…
…Made him feel a lot of complex things. He didn't quite know how to deal with those feelings. So, he just did what felt right. At the very least, he definitely couldn't let Ash and his friends die, so Mew was lucky.
"Don't you dare let her die! I still…" He grimaced. "Have a lot to say to her."
Ash gave a thankful nod, keeping an expression of pity off of his face for the sake of Keldeo's pride. "You got it. Hydreigon, return!"
Holding Mew with one arm, Ash took advantage of the stiffness of the Red Suits to free Hydreigon from their grasp with his Pokeball. He and the others turned and ran, with Latias sparing a look of thanks back at him before following the others through the nearest tunnel.
As Charizard stomped after them, Keldeo went to follow. But before he could enter the tunnel, he heard a voice call out from behind him.
"Kill the beast."
Keldeo whipped around to see Nova standing exactly where he had been struck. Upon his body, there was no injury. Not even a scratch. Furthermore, he stood in place, over empty air, like it was solid ground. On his order, the four remaining Red Suits turned toward their new target with bullet-like speed.
Keldeo knelt down and summoned energy upon the broken stub of his horn. "How are you still alive? What the heck are you?!"
The shadows adorning the enigmatic man flickered. Scoffing, he grabbed the edge of his coat and cast it from him. It flapped in the air as it sailed down the cliff's edge. However, Keldeo was not given the chance to see Nova's true visage before his minions were upon him.
His vision was filled with red. Wincing, Keldeo swung with Sacred Sword. His gleaming red blade brushed past one of them by a hair as they leaned back to let it sail over their head. The others closed in with haste.
A Thunder Wave sent paralytic bolts coursing through his body and brought him to his knees. He scarcely had the time to scream before the others were upon him. They clawed and punched and slashed and beat down upon him.
He glanced up, managing to see a gleaming fist before it descended upon him. A hefty Focus Punch down upon his head made his vision flash. All went white. All became silent.
A face stuck out to him. He saw Verizion. And she was not alone. Terrakion, and his old master Cobalion stood ahead of him. They stared at him with pity and turned away. Their heads craned back, motioning toward something ahead which was too bright for him to see.
As Keldeo stepped forward to follow them, his body instantly felt lighter. The strife and struggle, weight and worry, pain and panic. All fading away. But then, Keldeo felt a familiar chill in the warm air. He flinched and blinked, his eyes widening in realization.
"…Heh." With a dry chuckle, Keldeo summoned Sacred Sword and cleaved apart the image before him. The light was torn to ribbons and fell around him, leaving him alone in darkness. "As if I'd fall for that twice."
He knelt down, gathering his power in a cyan glow. "Sorry, but I can't go with you guys just yet." And then, he shouted and was consumed by the glow fully. His crimson mane grew long, as did the cyan hair of his tail. The stub of his horn grew into a blue, bulbous shape.
With his Resolute Form engaged, Keldeo threw the four Red Suits off of him. With a wide, challenging grin, the lone Sword of Justice dragged his hoof through the dirt.
"I'm not dying just yet. Who's going to uphold justice if I go?"
Nova held up his hand. "The likes of you and your kind never held justice. Your imitation of it died when Necrozma killed them."
Then, he motioned with his hand, and the Red Suits flew into battle once more. Keldeo leapt up to avoid one of them using Thunder. Keeping his grin wide, the Resolute Sword of Justice let his fiery passion surge upon his horn.
"Eat this! Secret-!"
He stopped when he felt a Vine Whip wrap around his abdomen. Preparing to slice it away, Keldeo reared his head back. But then, the four men in red held up their hands. Potent orange light gathered upon their fingertips, growing into large orbs.
It was then that Keldeo's bravado faltered. "W-wait a minute!"
The four Red Suits concentrated their Hyper Beams upon him. His cries were swiftly cut short by a blaring shockwave and burning plasma. The effect of the explosion washed across the walls, making much of them splinter and crumble down. The cells below found themselves being pelted by the remnants of their own body.
From the smoke, Keldeo fell. His Resolute Form faded swiftly. The Red Suits did not even wait for him to hit the ground before they were upon him. Again, Keldeo was at the complete mercy of the monstrous men. And mercy was something not programmed into them.
Between the monsters in red, Keldeo could see, at last, the face of that man, no longer hidden by shadow. As he passed, he finally answered Keldeo's question.
"I am just a man. But a nova is only a star that has already died."
With that, he walked into the tunnel after his target, leaving Keldeo as little more than an afterthought.
Ash forced himself to keep moving despite the sounds of explosions ringing out behind him. He had to have faith in Keldeo. He just had to.
His group sprinted through the tunnel as fast as their legs would carry them, but the ground underfoot was splintered and broken. It, at least, held steadily even despite the weight of their Pokemon.
The noise behind them grew silent. No one dared to utter the thoughts of what this meant, ringing endlessly in their minds. Their answer came in the form of periodic sounds of wind. Something dashing after them.
Serena dared a look back and saw one of the Red Suits bounding across the walls and ceiling. Drawing near, it leapt above Ash and prepared to attack.
"Ash, look out!" She cried.
While Ash had only barely turned to see, Serena went to give an order. Yet her mind was distracted. The cracks along the wall made her hesitant to call upon Rhyperior or Pangoro, but she did not know how effective the attacks of her other Pokemon would be. Biting her lip, Serena became paralyzed by indecision.
Latias decided for her. Diving into the way of the Red Suit, her eyes gleamed upon using Psychic to render it still. Yet the energy of Dark Pulse crawled along its body from its fingertips, rendering the Psychic attack useless.
Its gloved fingers clenched around Latias's neck. Swinging her above its shoulder, it tossed her down with blazing speeds. Ash, Paul, and the little Ralts named Shaun were thrown forward from the impact. Serena and her team were knocked back.
Just as Serena fell, the ground beneath them began to shake and rumble. More cracks began to crawl along the ground toward her. She and her Pokemon murmured anxiously as they tried to stand back up. Beneath the grip of the Red Suit, Latias squirmed as it raised a Dragon Claw.
Ash's eyes went wide seeing the cracks along the floor and ceiling growing. He made a dash for Serena and Latias, outstretching his hand toward them. They did the same. Seeing this, the Red Suit shifted its attention toward its original target.
And then, the floor collapsed beneath them. Ash shouted in despair and flew onto his stomach, trying to reach down for them in vain. They fell, matching his screams with their own. Ash nearly dove after them before he was pulled back by Paul.
"Stop!" He protested, attempting to wrest himself from Paul's hold on his shirt. "I need to save them!"
But Paul did not listen. Instead, he swung around and sent Ash stumbling further into the tunnel. "We don't have time, Ash! It doesn't take Aura to know the Pokemon in your arms can't spare any time for a detour!"
His shouts caused Shaun to whimper, looking up at the limp Mew in Ash's arms.
Before Ash could shout back, the sounds of something else rushing toward them caught the attention of his Pokemon. Another Red Suit flew at him, shooting a Hyper Beam. Where Hydreigon faltered, Charizard and Paul's Ursaring stepped forward to deliver a Fire Blast and another Hyper Beam respectively.
The three attacks clashed over the pit and exploded. Ash, Paul, and their Pokemon recoiled as the smoke washed over them while the Red Suit disappeared into it. Over their heads, the cracked ceiling finally crumbled, ushering a flood of falling stones.
Seeing the cracks along the roof extending toward them, Paul steadily stepped back. "Everyone, run!" And as his Pokemon turned to do just that, Paul took after them. Daring a look behind him, he saw his fears were confirmed.
Ash did not move. He stared with vacant, wide eyes down into the abyss the rocks fell into, uncaring of the ones threatening to pour down onto his head. Shaun grabbed onto his leg and attempted futilely to pull him away by his leg.
Scowling, and knowing he would not get through to Ash himself in time, Paul barked instead at Ash's Pokemon.
"What the heck are you doing?!" He roared at them, snapping them out of the trance they shared with their trainer. "Get Ash out of here!"
The Aura linking them with their trainer had the adverse effect of sharing their trainer's hazy, discordant mind to an extent. As well as his dilemma. Understanding fully how he felt made it difficult to feel differently.
This was especially true for Greninja, who, knowing Ash's Aura fully and having spent the most time of his Pokemon with Serena, remained conflicted.
On the other hand, Charizard's ego at last showed its face. Shaking his head rapidly to dispel his shared doubts, he rushed to Ash and swept him up before following after Paul. The wind of his beating wings at last snapped some sense into his other Pokemon as well as unintentionally dislodged Shaun from Ash's leg.
Ash protested against Charizard's grasp. The dragon frowned, discontent at disobeying his trainer given the bad memories associated with that. Especially after just encountering his previous trainer. Nevertheless, given the circumstances, it was something he would simply have to deal with.
Sceptile darted to Shaun. His cries as he fell went silent upon being swept away by the swift Pokemon. While the others followed suit, Greninja hesitated. It was only when his senses warned him of the rocks threatening to fall upon him, and the crack of the ceiling thereafter, that finally sent the ninja Pokemon fleeing after his friends.
Just as Greninja darted off, the ceiling above him collapsed. The falling stones trailed after the group as they ran. Unbeknownst to them, a red hand reached out from amidst the falling stones before more began to pile down.
Ash raved and squirmed helplessly in his Pokemon's arms until everyone shot out of the cave into another small chamber. A plume of dust flew after them, but the crumbling seemed to stop when the exit collapsed.
Charizard at last let go of Ash. Immediately, he ran for the collapsed stones and beat his hand against them. His Pokemon could only stare at him in pity. Snarling, Ash eventually turned to his Pokemon and pointed at the exit with a dark, crazed look upon his face.
"Charizard…"
Paul stepped forward in protest. "Enough, Ash."
But Ash ignored him. "Use Flamethrower to break-"
"Ash!"
Finally, Ash snapped his attention, and the brunt of his glare, over to Paul. "No, Paul! It's not enough! I'm not going to let Serena get hurt! I'm not!"
Paul clapped his hands in front of Ash's face, making his ears ring and his vision flare at the sudden sound. "Get a grip, Ash. If you don't get moving to save her…" He pointed down at Mew. "…Then you can kiss your girlfriend goodbye because we're all going to die!"
Ash backpedaled, hissing between his teeth. His eyes darted from place to place as he tried to think of a rebuttal with his scattered mind. All it afforded him was more mental haze and a headache, which only infuriated him more to the point of growling in despair.
Seeing his state, Paul sighed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Ash. If you want to save Serena, you need to get your head back in the game and save Mew first. Otherwise, we won't even be able to save ourselves, let alone her."
They turned upon hearing chatter from one of their Pokemon. "Lass! Froslass!"
Paul's Froslass suddenly flung a Shadow Ball at open air. An explosion ensued when it struck, seemingly, nothing. Paul and Ash felt a chill crawl up their spines and they shifted their bodies toward whatever was there.
They heard a scoff come from within the smoke. As it faded, they saw a man aiming a gun at them and surrounded by shadowy sparks that faded quickly. The crystal hanging from his neck told them instantly who he was. Nova wore black slacks and a combat vest. His overcoat was gone.
There was no shadow upon him any longer, at last allowing Ash to get a good look at his face. He was clean shaven and had his short brown hair neatly groomed and shiny with oil. His chin, thin yet square. Over his eyes were jet black shades.
The Pokemon instantly put themselves between their trainers and Nova, causing him to scoff. Not wanting to waste a bullet, he put his gun into a holster on the belt of his waist. Instead, he snapped his fingers, ushering in three Red Suits that darted near him from the tunnels around them.
"It didn't have to be this way, you know," Spoke Nova. "Serena, I mean."
Ash rasped out an irate breath. "What did you say?"
"Her death was preventable."
At that, Ash's breath caught in his throat. He shook his head, snarled, and then screamed, "You're lying!"
Paul shook him by his shoulder without daring to take his eyes off of Nova. "Don't lose your head even more than you already have. He's just trying to make you slip up."
His comment earned an amused scoff from Nova. "You're a smart man, Paul. Something that ran in your family."
At that, Paul grimaced.
"Which is exactly why," Continued Nova, "I am glad your brother is out of the way. Perhaps I should have aimed for you instead of Serena?"
Paul swallowed a lump in his throat. He forced himself to remember his own words to Ash. "Let's take him down here and now. If he's out of the way, we won't have anything else in the way of saving Mew."
Ash's expression grew dark. "I was thinking the same thing. Hey, Nova!" From his vest, Ash pulled out a bracelet with a Keystone embedded within it and clamped it onto his wrist. "Remember this?"
Upon seeing the bracelet, a gasp of dread escaped Paul's lungs. Bitter memories flashed in his mind. Of his Aggron and the Mega Stone gifted to him by Mr. Star. Memories of flames and anguish. Shouting and despair.
He shouted, "No, Ash! Don't use it! It's-!"
Nova carefully twisted the notches of his watch, causing a high pitched whine to ring out all of a sudden from Ash's keystone and the Mega Stones of his Charizard and Sceptile.
Paul dove for Ash and ripped the bracelet off of him before tossing it into the air. "Get down!" He roared to Ash and the Pokemon before tackling Ash to the ground and covering their heads.
In confusion, Ash protested. But Charizard and Sceptile seemed to get the picture. Horror dawned on their faces. But then, looking at one another, their expressions became resolute. With the split second they had left, they darted high into the air.
Ash's protests were silenced by the sound of a deafening explosion overhead. His ears rang loudly, silencing even his own unwilled scream to himself. With wide eyes, he watched in horror as the limp bodies of Sceptile and Charizard fell from the smoke.
"N-no," He whimpered. "No!"
Flying to the side of his fallen Pokemon, Ash fell upon his knees. "No, no, no, no, no!"
Wasting no time, Nova snapped his fingers and the Red Suits darted to attack.
Paul shouted, "Defend him!" And his Pokemon flew to do just that. His Pokemon made a wall, and when the Red Suits attacked, they retaliated with their own in a fearsome clash.
Amidst the chaos, Paul dove to Ash. More gently, he said, "Hey, pick yourself up." When Ash shuddered, Ash sighed. "I get it, Ash. He pulled the same thing on me. Return them. You've gotta trust they'll pull through for the sake of your other Pokemon."
Ash bowed his head. Begrudgingly, he did as Paul said and returned them to their Pokeballs before standing up. He glanced over to whom he had left. Noivern. Hydreigon. Greninja.
"You guys…"
Sighing, he unsteadily stood to his full height and turned his attention upon Nova. "Let's finish this."
Thus, Ash's remaining Pokemon joined the fray. On Ash's order, Noivern dove for Nova and used Boomburst. The waves fell upon him, distorting their view of him. Yet he did not move.
A red hand clamped Noivern's mouth shut and spread thick vines around it. The Red Suit responsible swung Noivern by those vines before tossing them down toward another Red Suit.
"Froslass, Ice Beam!" Paul commanded. "And Ursaring, catch Noivern!"
But the Red Suit awaiting Noivern held out one hand toward Paul's Froslass. As she spewed an Ice Beam, it retaliated with a Flame Burst from its hand that canceled each attack in an explosion of steam. Paul's Ursaring faltered in its assault, instead blocking the heated steam with its arms.
Under the cover of the steam, the Red Suit knelt down and awaited Noivern's approach. Just before the wyvern could land, the Red Suit lurched up and delivered a savage knee strike into his back that elicited a choked wheeze of pain from the bat.
The blow, strong enough to shoot away the steam cloud with its force alone, launched Noivern up into the ceiling. Following a thunderous crash, Ash's Pokemon fell shakily. Noivern attempted to shakily flap its wings to right itself, only to be grabbed again by a Vine Whip to its neck from the same Red Suit that had thrown it.
Amidst pitiful shrieks, Noivern tried to claw away at the vines, but they healed just as fast as he shredded them. From below, the other man in red held out his palm. An icy, cyan light began to crackle to life upon it.
Seeing it, Ash gasped and looked to Greninja. "Quick, Greninja! Cut Noivern loose!"
"Wait, Ash!" Protested Paul, but it was too late. Greninja leapt up and summoned a white kunai into its webbed hand as it prepared to use Cut. Paul shouted again, "They're baiting you! They're after you and Mew!"
The third Red Suit confirmed Paul's fears, turning away from his team in order to turn and lunge at Ash with a Poison Jab bubbling from its elbow to its fist, covering its arm completely.
Hydreigon dove to protect his trainer and took the attack. A grimace appeared upon his face. Nevertheless, it remained firm, unwilling to compromise the safety of his trainer.
A whimper escaped Ash. "Hydreigon…"
On the far side of the chamber, Nova twisted a notch on his watch, sending out a high pitched noise that made the Red Suits suddenly reach for their own masks. Without skipping a beat or withdrawing their attacks, they used their free hands to rip the masks off of their own faces.
The sight of Zero's near featureless face underneath made Hydreigon and Ash recoil alike. That brief moment of shock gave the Red Suit closest to Ash enough time to change its attack from Poison Jab to Dragon Claw, making Hydreigon cry out as the Super-Effective attack jutted into his gut.
He howled and pulled away to see the wound. Just a scratch, at least, but less than pleasant all the same. Snarling, Hydreigon barked at the Red Suit with as much ferocity as it could manage in spite of the visage he stared at.
Noticing lightning building upon its other arm, an idea struck Paul. "Electivire, use Agility and jump in front of Greninja!"
His Pokemon did exactly that and, after a buzzing light made its form blur, leapt between the Red Suit and Greninja. The ninja Pokemon turned midair to see the other Pokemon. His face was riddled with confusion until the man in red near Hydreigon fired a Thunderbolt up at Greninja.
However, it was caught by Electivire. Not even a shred of pain was evident on the Electric Pokemon's face. Rather, its body absorbed the lightning, making the blur surrounding it even fuzzier.
"Now, Thunder Punch them!"
Responding to its trainer's order, his Electivire bellowed and vanished in a flash of lingering lightning. A loud impact rung throughout the chamber, followed swiftly by an electric shock. Each of the three Red Suits flew in opposite directions and crashed into the walls.
Then, Paul's trusty Electivire appeared by its trainer once more, who then scowled at Nova. "Get out of our way unless you want to be next."
Nova's reply came after an uncomfortable pause. "You cannot stop the future. But how about a memory from your past, Ash?"
From the clouds of dust where the Red Suits laid, red sparks emerged and scorched the walls of the Tree of Life around them. Ash instinctively doubled over and clutched at his head. It was as if his very Aura was being assaulted by a horrible burning.
He recognized this feeling. It was Aura of a likeness of a little girl who seemed to flash in his mind with greater repetition as time went on. The pain she felt—the pain she could not help but to make known to him also—assaulted his whole self once more.
From the walls, the Red Suits emerged and took the sides of their master. The crimson sparks flying from their bodies was something Ash hadn't seen or felt in a long time, but unmistakably, it was Aura. The Aura of a life form that had known nothing but pain.
Ash could not handle it. It took all of his lingering willpower to not drop Mew as the sensation of their Auras overwhelmed him. He screamed and dropped to his knees, clutching his head as if trying to pry the memory of their pain from his mind.
"Aura Sphere," Commanded Nova, brandishing his gun once more in preparation.
The three Red Suits moved in perfect harmony, like robots overseeing a conveyer belt. Their arms moved to cup their hands by their waists. To their palms, the red sparks coalesced together until a crackling orb appeared for each of them.
Ash screamed and clutched his head. So too did Greninja as he fell from the air. Their intensified Auras were too much; bleeding into his mind and soul, they ripped apart the very core of his being from within. No matter how much he wanted to shut out their feelings, it was the curse of one who could wield Aura to feel as others did.
On Nova's wordless command, the Red Suits launched their attacks. Paul turned and shouted, "Electivire!"
Electivire sped toward Ash, as did a howling Noivern. But in spite of their speed, the order from Paul had not been fast enough for the faster of the two. But there was one Pokemon who already floated between Ash and them.
The sounds of Ash's agonized wailings pushed Hydreigon out of his stupor. Turning toward the oncoming attacks, he saw also the three faces of Zero laid before him. He needed to choose. The dead, or the living?
"Do you have anywhere to go? There isn't, right? I know...your last trainer brings up bad memories, but you know I would never hurt you. So, would you like to come with me?"
Hydreigon resolved himself. Rather, he had already chosen long ago. Zero was a memory now. And these things weren't her. He would protect Ash, who had saved him and loved him and given his meaning to his life, at all costs.
So, Hydreigon pulled back its arm and dove for the three converging Aura Spheres. A white glow emerged upon his remaining arm as he prepared to use Return. With a powerful bellow, he threw the attack forward and plunged his arm into the mass of deathly Aura.
There, as his body became awash with that wretched Aura, he saw her again. Instinctively, he reached out.
The agonized Aura faded. With it, a portion of Ash's own agony. Without the Aura of the Red Suits present, Ash was able to shake his head in an attempt to clear his hazy mind. There was little success. With his vision swirling and his hearing overtaken by ringing, he foggily looked up to see what had happened.
The fog of his mind vanished when he saw the Red Suits standing over Hydreigon's body. His breath caught in his throat. The hydra laid limply. Motionlessly. And Ash could sense no Aura within his form. He couldn't sense any Aura at all.
Before the Red Suits could finish him with Dragon Claw, Ash returned Hydreigon to his Pokeball. Silently, he prayed that Hydreigon was still alive. As well as Mew for that matter. He couldn't sense any Aura anymore. Had his receptors to it been fried or something? Regardless, it was just as much a mercy as it was terrifying.
But it gave him hope that Hydreigon was alright. Hope was something he needed as much as he could manage to scrounge together. As long as he couldn't sense their life…there was a chance it was still there.
In an effort to tear away that last spark of hope, the Red Suits flew into action. One leapt up, and the others lurched around Ash's sides. From above, a screeching Noivern shot down and buried its claws into the back of the leaping Red Suit. An electric fist smashed into the face of another. The last one was intercepted by Greninja.
Paul's Electivire tossed one of the Red Suits toward his other Pokemon, who proceeded to quickly pile onto it with relentless attacks in order to keep it down. As for Noivern, the Red Suit reached up to grab its ankles. Ice crept up along its fingers to freeze it instantly.
Dislodging itself from Noivern, the Red Suit flung the frozen wyvern aside and primed a Hyper Beam upon its palm with a shrill hum to finish it off. Ash quickly returned Noivern to his Pokeball before the beam struck, but the explosion sent him flying.
Tucking Mew tightly in his arm, Ash tried to shield her as he tumbled. Shaun was thrown from him and yelped, skidding across the floor. With hazy eyes, Ash looked up to see Greninja dueling relentlessly with one of the Red Suits amidst the flames, fighting desperately to keep it from his friend.
A second one leapt over their heads and, again, summoned Hyper Beam, intent on finishing Ash for good. Seeing this, Paul shouted, "Froslass, intercept the-!"
Before he could finish his command, he was sent stumbling by the wind when his Electivire was sent flying past him, then knocked in the other direction by the shockwave of Electivire smashing into a nearby wall.
Weaving between Paul's team amidst the chaos, the third Red Suit slipped past their attacks and descended upon Paul. Paul's ensuing scream was muffled by the hand of the man in red clamping his jaw and slamming him into the ground. When his team came charging, its hand sparked threateningly to warn them of what would happen for their efforts. Though they scowled with deadly intent, his team stood down.
Shaun peered up from where he had fallen to see Mew at the mercy of a charging Hyper Beam. The Red Suit fired, and the little Ralts cried out. A flash of light engulfed Ash and Mew, and they were gone. They appeared briefly near Paul and the same occurred.
When they reappeared, it was not far away. Dropped off near the edge of another tunnel, Ash, Paul, and Shaun fell to the ground in a heap from the air. While Ash clutched his swirling head, Paul looked around in shock until his eyes fell upon Shaun.
"You did that?" He asked, watching Shaun unsteadily return to his feet. With a chuckle, he added, "And here I thought you were deadweight." He paused for a moment, his smile slowly fading. "…Thanks."
Behind his black shades, Nova's eyes locked onto the small Ralts. An oversight. Something insignificant enough to slip under his nose. So close to the end, he could not afford to fail like that again. The slightest miscalculation could cost him everything he had worked so hard for. Like the rest of the variables before him, it needed to be erased for the solution to be found.
"Kill the Ralts."
Six hollow voids where eyes should have been snapped toward Shaun. They honed in on him, leering down upon him. Ash grabbed him with his free arm and rolled to avoid one Red Suit's Poison Jab. The other two attempted to stomp down upon the three of them, but Electivire and Greninja swerved in from their sides, each striking them aside.
The damage was negligible, though two of the men in red found themselves under the onslaught of Paul's Team quickly thereafter. The third leapt up just as Paul's Drapion tried and failed to catch its leg. It landed just before Ash, Shaun, and Mew, then opened its palm. An orange light emerged within it.
There was a sudden frost coating the air. From it, the ghastly form of Froslass manifested from the vale between the Red Suit and its quarry. She held her arms wide to protect them, knowing her typing would prevent any damage done to herself.
But then, the Red Suit turned its aim upon Paul, and she gasped. Her trainer was busy giving orders to keep the other two Red Suits busy. He had no time to look her way—being blind to the impending attack. Froslass looked between Ash and her own trainer, quickly losing her nerve. Paul would have certainly told her not to show weakness like that, yet her will wavered.
Just as the beam was fired, Froslass abandoned Ash for the sake of Paul. She sped with the beam with all the haste she could manage. Paul, seeing the beam, staggered back with wide eyes. He shielded himself with his arms, but Froslass took the blow before he had to.
Then, the Red Suit turned back toward Ash. Ash weakly stood up, with Greninja landing beside him. He and Greninja shared a silent, knowing nod. A mutual idea flashed in their minds, but Ash was unsure if he could pull it off.
A bond.
If Ash and Greninja could link through Aura, it would certainly give them a fighting chance. But his Aura was all but gone. He couldn't even sense it anymore. The only reason he knew he had any left at all besides the fact that he was still breathing was because of the faint white flickers dancing around Mew from his arm.
"Alright, Greninja," Wheezed Ash as the two bumped their fists together. "Let's bond."
There was a spark. The beating of their hearts shifted. Greninja's slowed; Ash's hastened. Myriads of faint white sparks of light began to emerge as their Aura was shared between them. And then, a glittering veil of water surrounded them and forced the Red Suit back. Shaun watched on with wonder from the inside with wide, shining eyes.
But Nova snapped his fingers, ending Ash's play. The Red Suit's own harrowing Aura surged on its master's command. As Ash and Greninja sensed it, their unity was severed by the pain that ensued. Ash fell to his knees, screaming. Greninja was the same until the lingering remains of their bond faded.
Mercifully, this allowed Greninja to recover enough of his senses to see the Red Suit making a move toward Ash. Crying out, he leapt for the enemy with Cut. The Red Suit turned, grabbing Greninja out of the air and hoisting him by his neck.
When Ash's vision returned to him, he saw, amidst a hazy swirl, Greninja's body twitching spastically. The Red Suit held him, mercilessly pouring out a Thunder attack from its body without cease. Ash tried to cry out, only succeeding in a hoarse attempt.
A yellow blur sped toward them. Paul's Electivire plunged its large hands into the pillar of lightning and grabbed the Red Suit before tossing it skyward. Greninja dropped to the floor in a heap. Lingering sparks raced across his body, making him twitch helplessly. His eyes were frozen wide in shock.
Ash gasped out, reached for him, and when he was unable to even hold his arm out for long, gasped out in despair.
With Ash laying without any further protection, Nova took out his gun once more and took aim. He pulled the trigger, setting off the energy buildup. Plasmatic sparks began to slowly crawl up the sides of the gun's barrel to its tip.
Paul's Electivire zipped past the Red Suits, punching them together before kicking them aside. Following its trainer's order, Electivire launched a Thunder Wave upon them, managing to paralyze them for the time being. The rest of Paul's team began to bombard them with attacks while they could.
Electivire prepared to join them until its trainer called out to it. "Ash is in trouble! Use Zap Cannon on the boss!"
Then, Paul ran for Ash. Electivire followed his gaze toward the fallen trainer, then turned toward Nova. The powerful Electric-Type Pokemon knelt over and grunted, then flashed forward in a bolt of lightning.
It zipped between Ash and Nova and held out its large palms, already having a concentrated ball of seething lightning at the ready. Nova scowled at it and lowered his weapon. The orb was fired, and the man stood still as it approached until he vanished in a scourge of bolts.
Paul ran to Ash and grabbed ahold of him. "Are you alright?"
Ash tried to sputter something out, but his jaw trembled as a lead would, much like the rest of his body, and only succeeded in making helpless, wordless noises while reaching for Greninja.
Sighing, Paul reached for a Pokeball on Ash's waist, pulled it off, and returned Greninja to it before placing it back. There was panic among his Pokemon that caught his attention. He looked over and saw the Red Suits writhing against the electricity surging on their body, slowly powering through the paralysis.
His agape mouth closed shut, resigning himself.
One of the Red Suits at last broke free, having torn apart the lighting on its body with hands covered in Sand Attack. It lunged forward. Ash cried out as he was kicked in the ribs and sent tumbling down into the descending tunnel behind him. Shaun rolled down after him.
The two looked up to see Paul with an outstretched leg, and his Electivire wrestling with one of the Red Suits behind him. "Get it together!" He shouted. His Electivire managed to Thunder Punch it away with its enhanced speed. With narrow eyes, Paul solemnly added, "I don't remember losing to such a pushover!"
"P-Paul!" Choked Ash. Slowly, with feeling being returned to him in the form of an aching chest that he clutched, he managed to unsteadily stand again. "What are you doing?!"
At that, Paul closed his eyes and turned away from him. He set his steely eyes upon the Red Suits, meeting their empty voids with his piercing glare. Baring his teeth at them, he stepped toward them, allowing his Drapion and Froslass to take the rear.
Ash again cried out at him. "Wait! What are you planning on doing?!"
For a brief moment, Paul did not respond. He stood still like a statue. Then, a sigh escaped him, and a resigned chuckle thereafter. "I'm taking a page out of your book," He answered, "And forgoing the use of my head."
He turned only his head so Ash could just barely see the edge of his face. "At first, that trait of yours infuriated me. I thought it was weakness or stupidity. But now, I think I respect your ability to overcome the odds without using your brain. So…"
Realizing his intentions, Ash, with slowly widening eyes, took a shaky step up toward him. "Paul…!"
When Paul glanced over at the two Pokemon at his sides, they nodded. Drapion fired a Pin Missile up at the tunnel entrance to collapse it. Just as the stones fell, Froslass froze them solid with Blizzard. Ash cried out in despair and ran to the block of ice now between him and Paul.
"No!" He shouted, pounding his fist upon it to no avail. "Paul, what are you thinking! Hey!"
But Paul could no longer hear him. He set his full attention upon the three men in red. From the dust behind them, Nova emerged, looking less than pleased. His face was wrinkled in a deep, terrible scowl that surpassed anything Paul could muster. But Paul did not try. Instead, he found himself unable to hold back a smirk.
"Is this how you did it, Ash?" He wondered aloud. Taking in a deep breath, he took a stance with his team. Torterra, Ninjask, Ursaring, Froslass, Drapion, and Electivire.
Nova's voice came out like a low growl. "I was correct. I should have taken you out first."
At that, Paul gave a haughty chuckle. "You're right about that. Your mistake was thinking Ash was your biggest threat."
Reaching for his cigarette box, Nova flicked it open only to see it empty of its contents. He crushed it in his hand and tossed it aside in rage. "Then," He spoke, his voice dripping with malice, "I'll rectify that mistake here and now. Kill him."
The Red Suits flew into action, and Paul swiped his hand through the air. "Everyone, stand by for battle!"
With Shaun trudging by his side, Ash slowly stumbled through the tunnel. Each unsteady step forward threatened to be his last, and his vision constantly swirled to the point he could barely recognize anything in front of him, but by some miracle, he managed to keep moving.
He hoped—prayed, even—that his Pokemon were still alive in their Pokeballs. Unable to sense anything, it was only a dim hope that kept him moving. If he could sense something of the matter that he wouldn't want to, he certainly would have collapsed for a final time then and there.
But each breath became a gasp. Each step, a trial. His whole body ached, especially his legs which hadn't ceased moving in hours. Flashes of light washed across his sight. Blips of ringing briefly took his hearing from him.
His entire consciousness grew so hazy that he fell forward and only barely managed to catch himself on a crystal in the wall that had long since lost its glow. Enough was enough. With what strength he could scrounge up, he walked until he passed the nearby tunnel exit, and then quickly sat upon the first stone he saw with a sharp exhale.
With a loud gasp, he reached a trembling hand to his aching head in an attempt to sate his swirling mind. Shaun, looking anxiously at the motionless Mew in Ash's arm, pulled at his pant leg to try to keep him moving.
Ash looked down at him, then up at what was before then. Before them lied the great chasm once more. That terrible gash burned into the tree. From where he sat, he could see all its layers of tunnels and chambers severed and opened like those of a Durant hill.
It was strange. How had he come so far and not seen that he was here again until now. Was he really so tired that he could not even see this in front of him until the little Ralts that Mew had called Shaun pointed it out to him?
Hearing returned to him gradually. He heard muffled cries of war. Within the chambers, he watched on as tiny remnants of the Pokemon and the soldiers continued to brutalize one another.
Bodies were scattered, with survivors fighting atop them. Far below and to his left, the tilt of the tree allowed him to see out at the barren landscape, and the chasm of churning magma swelling.
Pieces of helicopters hanged from the edges of cliffs, and their pilots inside hanged with them limply, surrounded by the bodies of Flying-Type Pokemon. This dreary sight of the many dead and the few living extended to all sides in front of him. Probably on layers below and above where he sat as well.
It was all so tiresome. By the time he even made it to the Aura Stream, would there be anything left to save?
His eyes turned inward toward the tree. There, at the far end of where he could see, there was a sloshing, red mass in a circle. Within it was a faint blue light gleaming through.
Was that it? The Aura Stream? Ash could only wonder with a tired mind. The lids and brows of his eyes did not even raise in shock to any of this. Even with the goal in sight, he found himself unable to move. He was just so tired; in body, mind and spirit. All of them were crushed, depriving him also of strength.
His Aura was fading. Reaching its last embers. Soon, Ash's vision darkened again, blotting out the remnants of the war around him. Gunfire, explosions, and loud shouts grew muffled and quiet. The feeling in his leg of Shaun repeatedly urging him to move fell away into numbness.
This was the end.
He couldn't fight anymore.
He was just so tired.
Just as sleep nearly overtook him, he heard a new, muffled sound. He was unable to define what it was until it grew louder. It was the beatings of propellers.
The ground beneath him began to shake. Loose pebbles were juggled on the ground. That sound grew louder and louder until it finally penetrated even Ash's fading consciousness.
Rising from below, a massive flying aircraft arose to his level. Beating winds suddenly assailed him, waking him slightly from his stupor. Shaun cried out in despair. A blinding light from the aircraft's front spotlights flashed upon them as it isolated them. Then came a blaring voice from its intercom.
"Ash Ketchum, this is Commander Manuall of the Helicarrier 'Nuada.' Surrender Mew and yourself to our custody or we will be forced to open fire."
Author's Note
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: The Red Suits operate on Nova's will. They do as he would have them do. They think as he would think, or think nothing at all. He controls them with hand signs, verbal commands, radio signals, or just through the grafted Necrozma crystal if necessary. Otherwise, they are puppets. Without Nova, they can do nothing.
This was to be the fate of Zero had Nova's initial plan with her been successful. Her loyalty would have surpassed even Ryder's since she would have no will of her own. However, she was a failure, and Ryder began to show a level of drive beyond Nova's calculations.
Thus, he abandoned Project Zero and used the leftovers for fodder. The crux of his plan from then on was to improve humanity's fighting capability with humanity's own ingenuity alone.
The Creator: I think we all have been at a point where we are tired of everything. Of the world beating us down, a lack of luck at times, and especially the depravity and hatred of our own minds toward ourselves should we let our thoughts slip and continue to slip.
I think we can all say we're a bit luckier than Ash right now though. He's been fighting and running around for how long now? All while keeping Mew alive at the cost of his own life. God has given me many good friends with which to express my fatigue to.
Ash is a bit short on those right now. And I think his fatigue is a lot worse than any of ours. Fighting to your last fume, losing friend after friend, knowing some are dead and gone while not knowing the fates of others. Even ones right at his side.
And the world keeps taking. His friends. His sense of self. His agency. His identity. And his dream. These things seem to slip away more and more the harder he fights to keep them. Thank goodness we are not in his shoes. I'd probably have passed out somewhere in a random tree tunnel a while back.
Hydra: This chapter finally entailed the end of Marshadow. It's crazy that the last four chapters has literally been the end of a major villain, first with Thorn, then The Burned Man, Damian and finally Marshadow. Things are all coming together now. The road is coming to an end for both sides, the question is will anyone be left by the time it's done.
G- Great chapter, so Ash and his friends were continuing fighting the Nova Branch soldiers and protecting Mew, well, its worrying the fact that Ash's aura is depleting to a notable rate to be keeping Mew alive, because if they can't finds another way to ensure the health of Mew and the Tree of Beginning soon, i shudders to think in the consequences...
Also, so the bastard of Damian revealed that he joined Nova Branch, well, as Ash said, just when we though that this scum couldn't get even lower than he was already, as Damian proved that he was always a monster, starting for the fact that this bastard literally leaves Charmandar for dead, because if Damian considered Charmander like a weak pokemon, then he should simply releases him and makes that Charmander acknownledge this, but no, Damian had to be a sadic scum without reason, and after set free Charmander, Damian ordered to his former Pokemon to wait in some place, and he lied to Charmander about that he will return for him eventually, leading to that Charmander almost die during a rain, if Ash and his friends wouldn't rescued him.
Even when Paul used to be a cruel trainer, at least he showed be a more pragmatic trainer that only was focused in makes his pokemon stronger, than be a sadic scum that torture the pokemon only for a sick pleasure. Adding that Paul also showed be honest, like when he released Chimchar, as unlike Damian, Paul quickly said Chimchar that he wasn't his pokemon anymore, making that the Fire starter at least was aware from this fact and was quickly caught by Ash, showing that even in his early days, Paul was a far more decent trainer than Damian.
Well, it was good to see how this bastard got what he deserve to get in this chapter, as Damian was nothing but a hypocrite and a coward, that always act like he was a great man.
As other point, to consider that the crystal of Nova is becoming unstable, i wonder if this could implies that Necrozma manage to return from the death, something that only will means more bad news, as the pokemon world will be already weakened after the two previous conflicts, making that a third one, be like the final nail in the coffin of the pokemon world.
Also, The Creator, thanks very much to you and Hydra for the final confrontation between Moltres and the Burned man, it was truly epic this battle. Adding that as you mentioned, it had more sense that Moltres had support from other Legendaries during his battle against the Burned man, because if this battle was one vs one, Moltres will never be a match against the Burned man, at least without support or that his enemy was already weakened like happened. Thanks again :)
And regarding to your question Hydra, about which could be the saddest moment in the story, to be honest, i found many parts particulary sad, as the story showed us a lot tragic moments during the events. But if i had to choose a particular scene, i would go for the funeral of the deceased Legendaries that Arceus made after the Necrozma war, because this part acknownledge how much broken ended the Pokemon world after this conflict, as many of the Legendaries pokemon are basically important parts of this world and its balance, meaning that the demise from many of them, could means a notable damage for this planet, and an issue regarding the natural order. Without count that to makes this more sadder, the surviving Legendary pokemon ended traumatized, affected or injured, making that the situation become more problematic, making me think that the funeral scene was the saddest moment in the story.
To finishes, to consider how much complicated are becoming the ordeals for Ash, i was wondering if to saves Mew, it could end implying that the group end suffering some casualty, like that Paul dies, or worse, Serena dies. I ask, because if the latter die, i think that we could see a vengeful side of Ash against Nova, much like the personal vendetta from many Legendaries toward the Nova Branch members.
Keep the good job.
The Creator: We're seeing those consequences play out here. You were definitely right. As a certain video game character said: "Even a hero's gotta reach his limit eventually." There's only so much a Chosen One can do.
You know you're low on the moral level as a trainer when the likes of Team Rocket and Pre-defeat Paul were better than you. Damian was something else. Was something else. You can only go like that so far in life before consequences hit you. Although Damian took many hits and kept moving in the same direction with even more drive.
If Necrozma came back after all this, I think Ash would be well and done. Imagine, after all he had gone through just to deal with Nova, Necrozma comes back on top of it all. What would be left to stop him?
He couldn't be defeated when everyone was still at full strength. Arriving to a tired, dying world with tired, dying inhabitants would be too easy for him. He might not even bother with it at all this time around.
You can mostly thank Hydra for that fight since it was his idea. It was good to send Harper off with a blast so to speak. A blaze of glory. Fitting for the Burned Man. Thank you, G, for making us care about Harper so much to give him a finale like that.
The saddest moment of the story is a tough one for me. The death of Zero, the entirety of Chapter 19, Mew's recollection of her past and realization of what Necrozma did, those failures now catching up with her despite her best efforts, all the deaths of people and Pokemon Ash cherished, and now the fates of those closest to him are put into question.
But in my opinion, the saddest single moment has yet to come. And there is something even sadder than that single moment in my opinion, which is Ash's gradual loss of hope over the course of the story where, despite his best efforts, his usual attitude of continuing to move forward no matter what is standing in his way just isn't enough anymore.
Ash lost many of his Pokemon and friends in the war against Necrozma. Thanks to Aura, he lost also his sense of self and his peace. Because of his role, he became a Chosen One he never wanted to be. The war even took his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master from him. And the Nova Corporation cemented that with the death of Mr. Goodshow.
Then, Nova takes away his foundation when he reveals that there never was a Mr. Star and New Goldenrod City was a front to control the world's economy for the sake of the war happening now. Aura betrayed him once by lying to him while his friends were dying. Nova betrayed him again.
And he keeps continuing to lose more.
When all of that comes to a head, there's a very specific scene I want to write toward the end. A scene showing where that all leads. How far even the most enthusiastic and optimistic person can be pushed before they simply break. Will he recover? Or will he be lost, having nothing left to save?
Heck, how is he even going to get out of the situation he's CURRENTLY in? Is this that end I wanted to write?
About your last paragraph…well, let's just see what happens to the both of them. Are Paul and Serena alive? What about Latias? What the heck happened to Keldeo for that matter? How much more can Ash lose before he loses himself?
Thank you! Please keep up the awesome reviews!
Hydra: I think if I were to choose a saddest moment so far I'd have to go with chapter 19 when Ash and Xerneas were releasing all the dead souls trapped under the rubble to go in peace and say goodbye to their loved ones one more time. Really pulls at the heartstrings.
It genuinely feels weird that the end is not too far away, we've been working on this for so many years and to finally see the end in sight…. I'm speechless.
SilverWolf1130- Oh shit. You changed the thumbnail for this Fic… and it's a very ominous one…
I'm so afraid for Latias.
Oh shit… it's Damian! Didn't think you'd bring him back.
The game of Cat and Mouse continues.
Man, Nova has such an ominous presence.
Oh shit. It's Zero! Didn't see that coming. As if Ash hasn't been emotionally scarred enough already…
Bye Damian! You will not be missed.
Yeah. Once again, I was wrong about the revelation happening this chapter. Not even gonna bother saying it'll happen next chapter lol.
The Creator: Hydra urged me to change the profile, but we couldn't find any that were satisfying online. We wanted to change it to a picture of a possible future.
You should be afraid for her.
I didn't think we would bring back Damian either, admittedly. Hydra had the idea to bring him back with mechanical parts to replace what Zero did to him back in, I think, chapter fifteen. I thought we could tie in some Zero lore with the Red Suits because of it. So it worked out in the end.
Ironic that the cat is the mouse in this case. How ironic that Mew spent most of the fic gaudy and threatening because of her overwhelming might compared to her peers, even terrifying Arceus when he no longer had the power to equal her own. Now, she's more helpless than a newborn baby and only living on Ash's leftover fumes. If she's even still alive. The tree certainly appears worse for wear.
The appearance of Zero in this case has certainly thrown a wrench into things. Especially for poor Hydreigon who was so attached to her in the short time they knew each other. But Hydreigon chose the living over the dead. It was Ash who saved him too. It was Ash who gave him a home, and a life, and friends, and peace. Now he may very well have gone back to Zero.
There are times where Nova is even scarier than Necrozma. Unlike with that monster, Nova cannot be entertained or reasoned with. He has his objective and will stop at nothing to complete it. Necrozma had already won in his mind, leading him to value drawing things out to their fullest, whereas Nova values only his mission. No cost is too great.
Revelation, hm? Sorry to again disappoint, but the enigma of Nova can't be fully unraveled just yet, even as the shadows leave him. He's lived as a shadow for far longer than having crystals to project them. He may as well be one. Ironic, given how bright a Nova is supposed to be.
Thanks again for your review!
Hydra: I think the revelation of Nova will be the biggest one in the entire story. Just who is this man that has been in the shadows from the very beginning? Why is it that he has deemed all Pokemon unfit for survival?
Also meant to ask you as well SilverWolf but what was the saddest scene in the story you've read so far or one that really stood out to you? Believe it or not I prefer a sad story compared to a happy one because I feel like it resonates and sticks with me more.
Damian got what was coming to him. How fitting of an end that he got swallowed in a similar fashion to a man in a movie with a giant ape. I wonder what movie that would be? ;)
Marksmithery- Great chapter, with rayquasa thinking he committed murder, & also the game center, although im not sure you needed to make it that extremely graphic
Also is it just me or is chapter 11 broken? Just a white background with nothing?
The Creator: This review is in response to Chapter 10, for the rest of our audience.
Man, chapter 10. Arc 1 was very experimental and I can think of no bigger example than this chapter as we fumbled our way through telling a story. Weird how, at the time, it was something to take pride in. But now, we look back on it as a flawed product of its time. A building block with poorer quality than what came after. But still necessary for the foundation of the product as a whole.
Yes, there was no reason to make it that graphic. In Arc 1, you'll notice a lot of things we steadily dropped over the course of the story. Frequent swearing, blood, gore, etcetera. Chapter 10 epitomizes that unsteady beginning. It goes to show how much the story has changed in nature since we're writing a literal war with guns and tanks and death, yet it is described less graphically than what happened in that old chapter.
If we eventually return to AO3 to continue the slightly revised version of this story, I think Chapter 10 is the chapter that will need the most revision. I also want to split up a lot of Arc 1's chapters since they were so long.
Thank you for your review though! We are always glad to have somebody new! As for the white screen, FFN was a bit broken by the time you reviewed. I couldn't see Pokextinction at all on my phone. Almost every other fic was fine. It was just Pokextinction that was broken. I was fearful it had gotten deleted at first. Luckily it was just a glitch. We hope you continue to read and enjoy!
Hydra: We really have come a long way since chapter 10. It's crazy to think that was 71 chapters ago. Like wow. It seems like it wasn't that long ago but time really flies by when your doing your passion. I'm excited for you guys to finally get the ending you deserve for sticking with us for so long. And to you Marksmithery by the time you read this AN, I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far and that you love how it all ends. Thanks for the review brother
Also, you are right about the white background. Fan has been very buggy over the last few days and has been glitching out. If a chapter doesn't load for you, keep refreshing the page and if that still doesn't work the. Completely open the story in a new tab and try that.
The Creator: Next chapter, we will see the heights of Ash's desperation and where it leads him. Who will save him from the Nuada? With Nova hot on his trail, how will he get to the Aura Stream in time? What became of Paul? What became of Serena and Latias?
Left all alone, what will become of Ash? Find out next chapter of Pokextinction.
Hydra: I just wanna genuinely say again to all the readers who have gotten this far in the story, thank you. Thank you so much for going on this long journey with us. You guys have given us inspiration to keep going further and further and it's because of you that the end is now truly in sight. When we took a hiatus all the way back after chapter 10 we didn't know if we'd ever be back, but you guys inspired us to return. Once again thank you to all the reviewers who we love to hear their thoughts from and all the silent readers that have Stuck with us for many years. We'll see you on the next chapter and I will say this the final scene of it is something that you've all been wanting to see for a long time, something…. that was stolen from a certain character all the way back in chapter 42.