Pokémon Radiant Sun
Howdy everyone! Welcome to 2022!
I hope you all have had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all around (plus a fantastic and very Happy New Year)! Mine has been pretty good for the most part, though I ended up taking a break from writing to enjoy the holidays and unwind after a long year.
Looking back, 2021 has been a very strong year for the story. We've gone through the darkest section of Radiant Sun and had a massive chunk of lore, backstory and plot twists come out and they're not stopping in 2022. But we are nearing the very end of the Cipher Arc, with three more chapters after this one to round out the narrative I've fleshed out for so long in Radiant Sun and have been developing for over ten years now.
It's also been a strong year on a personal front. I've furthered my career in the military, traveled to all sorts of fantastic places despite COVID-19, and finally took a stand this year to take control of my health and start making positive lifestyle changes.
Hopefully 2022 will be an even better year for all of us.
Shoutout to those who have reviewed since the last update, which includes Oragonking, Anasazi Darkmoon, a new Guest reviewer known as Loco, Auger, and SolanaLeonhart. Thanks for the fantastic feedback and your support!
Thank you for everything. Here's to another year of awesomeness.
Enjoy.
Chapter 133: Archangel
Unova Region, Castelia City
14 Months Ago...
Borlath stormed into his office, Damien at his heels. Two Cipher Peons followed them, quickly setting up several pieces of filming equipment while Borlath sat down in his chair, reaching down to grab the white mask that covered the top half of his face, his eyes jet-black as he thought about what was happening.
Currently, Wes and his friends were currently storming the floating castle above Route 4, which itself was a desert wasteland that many considered the first true test of a Trainer's skill in their Unovan Pokémon journey. Borlath's hands flew across the keyboard on his desk as three holographic monitors flickered into existence. Borlath swiftly pulled up footage of the Nimbasa City Ferris Wheel, which showed him a view of the entire city as pleasant music played in the background. He then accessed the computer systems within Neo Team Plasma's floating castle.
"Sir, we're ready to begin." One of the Cipher Peons said to Borlath, who nodded wordlessly to him. With a gesture, the camera started rolling and patched Borlath through to a computer screen in a very particular room onboard the skyward fortress that housed the criminals he was currently allied with.
Specifically, a room where Wes was currently battling the leader of Neo Team Plasma, Ghetsis, along with Perfect Kyurem. To Borlath's surprise, the fight was just about even at the moment. Wes' well-oiled team was working in perfect unison against the massive dragon even as it lashed out with flames, ice and lightning as Ghetsis tried desperately to control it.
Even if, in reality, Perfect Kyurem was Borlath's to command.
Wes noticed the screen and recognized the figure on it after a few moments. Ghetsis caught sight of the screens as well and soon the fight came to a brief halt, with the older man looking noticeably confused at the Borlath's interference.
"Mr. King! What are you…" Wes began to ask, only for Borlath to raise a hand to stop his question. Mr. King was the alias he used when in Unova, and it was what Wes and his friends knew him as. But they would soon know the truth. Ghetsis turned back towards Wes and ordered the Arbiter of Tomorrow to fight again, and once more the battle began in earnest.
"Let me tell you a story…" Borlath began speaking, lacing his fingers together as he gazed into the camera, watching as Wes' team struggled against the powers of Perfect Kyurem. Borlath was amazed that the Snagger had lasted this long against the combined might of three Legendaries combined into their original form, but Wes had always been impressive.
However…enough was enough.
Borlath would break him, one way or another. "It was about a boy who struggled against his destiny."
Borlath watched as Zarren the Flygon rushed forward, unleashing a Dragon Pulse at Perfect Kyurem and making the Legendary roar in pain, knocking it back a step as Leon fired off a Thunder at the dragon's chest.
"You see, he learned at a very young age the truth of this world. That this miserable planet is rotten to its core. Family, friends, strangers…All of them are perfectly capable of turning their backs on everyone and embarking on a quest of destruction." The Cipher Admin continued, a note of fury slipping into his voice.
"And so the boy learned he had to become strong. To protect those precious to him. But it wasn't enough…It was never enough. And as he watched those he loved get struck down all around him, he ran away…far far away where the monsters couldn't get him. And he swore to get even stronger. Find a way to make sure no one ever had to hurt again."
"What are you talking about?!" Wes demanded as Perfect Kyurem slashed down with its claws, sending a criss-crossing wave of ice, fire, and electricity across the room and knocking out Leon, with the Luxray collapsing in a heap onto the ground.
The Cipher Admin sighed and continued. "He soon found a wife and child…people he loved more than he ever loved himself. People who's well-being and happiness he held sacrosanct. The boy who had become a man realized that he now had a new dream…To make the world he lived in one where his newfound family could live in peace."
"Borlath, what are you rambling on about?" Ghetsis demanded, likewise confused as to why the Cipher Admin was intervening. Perfect Kyurem snarled as an Earth Power shook the entire room, knocking the dragon to one knee but not before it could lash out with a Flamethrower, blasting away Zarren with ease.
"However, no matter how hard he tried…he couldn't truly change the world. Not in the way he thought he could. With understanding, communication and a vision. He soon learned that the only thing people could truly understand was force. And so he began to use force to fight against the evil in the world. And to his horror…force worked. Force allowed the man achieve the results that eluded him before." Borlath continued, looking down at his hands. He could almost see the metaphorical blood on them. Borlath shut his eyes, considering his decision. There would be no going back after this.
But he would do whatever it took. No matter what the cost, he could ensure a better tomorrow for his family.
"And so he decided…That if peace were to truly prevail, he'd have to take justice into his own hands. Use force instead of peace. And become the dark!" Borlath boomed as he reached to his chest, grinning as he closed his eyes and channeled his focus into the hidden Eternity Locket hiding within his shirt.
"Use Hero's Wrath and freeze Nimbasa City, and everyone. And then kill the dragon." Borlath commanded Perfect Kyurem, who began to ignore the frantic shouts of Ghetsis and instead raised its head high into the air and released a roar of fury as its body began to glow white. Borlath watched as Perfect Kyurem fired off a sphere of pulsating energy into the sky (which had been opened to the elements during his speech) before looking down at Wes again, who looked alarmed.
"What are you doing?" Ghetsis demanded, only for the massive dragon to continue to ignore his commands and lunge forward, slashing upwards with its claws and sending a wave of ice towards Wes. Jet and Pyrrha tried to move in time to intercept the attack or move Wes out of the way, but Zarren was faster and released a Flamethrower, stopping the attack in its tracks.
Borlath reached forward and tapped a few buttons on his keyboard, causing the monitors in the room Ghetsis and Wes were battling in to switch to a feed showing Nimbasa City in real-time. Borlath looked down at Ghetsis and Wes, who stopped to watch the screens with confusion in their eyes.
The cameras caught the exact moment when Perfect Kyurem's attack, Hero's Wrath, struck the city. The effect was instant, creating a monumentally enormous wave of ice-infused energy that washed over everything in all directions. Everything the wave touched frozen instantly, with the sky overhead darkening as snow began to fall down upon the city. The camera feed's began to distort as the blast eventually reached it, but it lingered on the forms of the citizens below, who were now frozen where they stood and would remain that way until Perfect Kyurem released them.
"No! No no no! What did you do!?" Wes demanded of Ghetsis, who he assumed controlled the monster. Ghetsis even seemed taken aback, looking at Perfect Kyurem with an expression of horror. While he had indeed frozen Opelucid City in the past, it was never to that extent. The city had been frozen, but the people had been mostly spared. Nimbasa City, however, seemed to have been thoroughly frozen inside and out. Borlath had certainly proved just how fit he was to be in the position of Cipher Admin, bleeding heart be damned.
The leader of Neo Team Plasma then composed himself, and Ghetsis' mouth curled into a dark grin as he looked back at the Snagger with an expression of triumph in his eyes.
"A demonstration of sorts. Nimbasa City, as you can see, has become an icy tomb. However, unlike my efforts with Opelucid City, this was more…permanent. And far more deadly!" Ghetsis cackled then, his laugh echoing across the room as Wes considered his words, his gaze unmoving from the screen that showed a still frame of the frozen city. People unmoving, iced over and almost certainly dead from the cold. And this was something that had affected the entire city. Millions of people were now frozen solid, unable to escape from the city that had now become their grave.
"Every…everyone…" Wes whispered, his expression crumpling as the implications sank in. He hadn't been able to stop Perfect Kyurem and Ghetsis in time, and now an entire city had paid the price. Wes felt tears sting in his eyes as he began to hyperventilate, the weight of his failure beginning to weigh down on him.
"The city itself has fallen. Well done, Ghetsis, for helping me prove my point. I warned you time and time again, Wes, that you would be happier if you gave up the fight. Now look at what you've done. All of their deaths on your hands! If you had just left well enough alone, they wouldn't have had to suffer!" Borlath shouted at the Snagger, who somehow looked even more distraught.
"Kill." Borlath commanded Perfect Kyurem, who's eyes narrowed as it held out its hands, sending a second, but much-faster, wave of ice towards Wes. The trainer couldn't tear his horrified gaze away from the screens until the last moment, his eyes going wide in surprise. A green blur rushed in front of him yet again, with Zarren landing in front of Wes and firing off another Flamethrower-
Only for the attack to smash right through the flames, striking the Flygon directly. Zarren screamed in agony as Wes and his remaining team were thrown back from the shockwave of force that erupted from the move hitting the Flygon, but it was nothing compared to what was happening to Zarren.
Ice exploded outwards from the Flygon's body, knocking him higher into the air as a pillar of jagged ice erupted out of the floor where he had stood. Horrifically, the ice was strong enough to impale the Flygon through his chest and out of his back, killing him instantly. The attack was so powerful it froze the dripping blood within the span of a few moments, the Flygon was a twisted ice sculpture that would no longer be a problem to Cipher's plans.
Wes let out a scream as he ran forward, his voice raw with pain as tears streamed down his face. Ghetsis grinned at the display, marveling at how masterfully Borlath had manipulated the man before breaking him so expertly. Ghetsis certainly didn't ever want the Borlath to become his enemy.
As for Borlath, he looked down at the Snagger who he still considered a comrade and a friend, even if he was manipulating him, Aria and all of their friends the entire time. The thought of truly betraying people who trusted him and cared for him caused sorrow to tear through his heart…But then he thought of his family, and hardened his heart. His gaze narrowed at the form of Wes, who was openly sobbing at the sight of his Flygon and of the city and people he had failed to protect.
"Much like I thought, the sight of Nimbasa City broke Wes' spirit, and will break the resolve of both the Unova Pokémon League…and serve as a warning to those who stand against me." Borlath thought grimly, unnerved at the level of satisfaction he got from the feeling of power he truly held. With that, he returned his thoughts to the moment.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, my friend. I hope someday, in the next life, you'll forgive me. Now…Do me a favor and die." Borlath said to the broken Trainer as Wes fell to his knees, his gaze blank as he stared up at the impaled corpse of his Flygon. Borlath glanced at the cameraman and nodded, causing him to end the broadcast then and there.
Borlath's smile faded as the video cut out and he stood up out of his chair, all the while Damien stared at him with horror in his eyes. The Houndoom was now trembling at what his Trainer had just done.
"Don't. Don't say a word." Borlath said curtly as he brushed past his Partner, with Damien remaining silent as he contemplated just how many lives his Trainer had just ended simply for the sake of his mission. The Houndoom lowered his head, shivering now as a terrible chill settled over him.
Present
Hau'oli City
"Idiots…"
Amber's words were an irritated huff, her breath coming up in a white puff of air in the frozen Hau'oli City. All around her were frozen statues of people coated in ice, unable to move thanks to the power of Perfect Kyurem. And they would remain that way until Perfect Kyurem was defeated.
The final Cipher Admin stood atop the Arbiter of Tomorrow, who despite the tremendous amount of damage it had taken was still standing tall, angrily lashing its tails back and forth while a small army of Pokémon stood across the street from it, with Zinnia standing at the front of the pack beside an enormous snake-like dragon.
Cipher had known that Aria and her group of friends were interested in reforming the lost Legendary known as Zygarde for some time now, but they had all agreed that accomplishing the deed was impossible. Zygarde hadn't been seen in over a thousand years, as far as their research had shown, a Legendary that couldn't be used to further the ends of Cipher wasn't one of any use.
Apparently they had all been wrong. Not only had Zygarde returned, but it was apparently a much worthier foe than Amber had counted on.
"Land's Wrath! Dragon Pulse!" Zinnia shouted as Zygarde let out a booming roar, its eyes burning bright green as the ground beneath Perfect Kyurem shook violently before exploding outwards, staggering Perfect Kyurem once again and allowing Mega Altaria's attack to strike it directly, actually knocking over the massive dragon and sending Amber Fontaine tumbling off of the beast.
Amber shouted out something in surprise, only for Shadow Zapdos to swoop back and catch its Trainer out of the air. The Shadow Pokémon surged forward with a glowing beak and slammed hard into Zygarde, flapping backwards and releasing a black bolt of lightning at Mega Altaria that struck the Humming Pokémon directly, causing her to screech in pain.
Amber then dropped to the ground with a feral grin, lunging at Zinnia while Avis swooped down from above and launched a Shadow Ball at Zygarde, who dove forward to dodge the attack before looking skyward at the new opponent.
"We won't stand by and let you guys do all the work!" Laura said as she exchanged a glance with Ollie, who nodded as he pulled his sniper rifle off of his back and took aim, quickly firing a shot at Amber who snarled as a round bounced off of her helmet, leaving a scratch on the powerful armor. Zinnia used this moment to rush forward, punching Amber hard in the jaw before following up with a roundhouse-kick that forced the assassin back with a annoyed grunt.
"It's a shame I wasn't able to get more of those improved bullets our team made for that ambush in Vermillion. That would've made tonight so much easier." Ollie thought wryly as Amber thrust out a hand, causing Perfect Kyurem to unleash a cascade of lightning from its claws as it drifted overhead. Zygarde slapped its tail against the ground and soared into the air, tanking the attack and firing off another Dragon Pulse to blast Perfect Kyurem backwards through the air. The dragon roared and held out its hands, causing a black fireball and a white fireball to explode into existence within its claws. The Arbiter of Tomorrow roared before hurling both attacks towards Zinnia and Ollie, who prepared to counterattack-
"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!" Laura barked as she tossed her Poké Ball forward, calling out the Shellfish Pokémon who promptly released two enormous torrents of water towards the maelstrom of flames raging towards them. The water struck the flames and for a brief moment, the water held against the fire before finally punching through, striking Perfect Kyurem directly. The Arbiter of Tomorrow roared with fury before flaring its wings, slashing downwards with its left claw and releasing a wild wave of electricity, only for Zygarde to once again lunge forward to absorb the attack so that it harmlessly dissipated around the Legendary.
"I won't be stopped…Not by anyone!" Amber growled as she made a gesture with her hands, thrusting them forward as Perfect Kyurem mimicked its Trainer. Meanwhile Avis and Shadow Zapdos flew skyward, with the Legendary Bird releasing a deadly storm of black lightning while Avis' eyes glowed a harsh blue color. The lightning that rushed outwards then spread apart in midair for a few moments before glowing blue…and then arcing directly towards where Aria and Wes were.
"Sophie, intercept with Agility and use Shadow Ball on Avis!" Aria called to her Partner, who swiftly bounded forward to absorb the attack, only to be thrown back by the Shadow Bolt (which wasn't an Electric-type attack and couldn't be affected by Volt Absorb). Sophie went flying backwards and crashed into a heap, much to the horror of Aria.
Perfect Kyurem roared again and flicked its tails, creating a deadly crackle of energy that arced outwards and around Zygarde, striking the street where the Trainers were and throwing back Aria and Wes, along with nearly striking Ollie if Laura's Blastoise hadn't leapt in front of the attack. Laura cried out as her Pokémon slumped over to the ground, fainting instantly.
"Time to repay you for the other day!" Zinnia laughed, thrusting out a hand as Faba went to check on the twitching forms of Aria and Wes as their Pokémon gathered around them worriedly. "Zygarde, let's take a page out of Sun's book! Split apart!"
"Tear them down!" Amber shouted as Perfect Kyurem opened its mouth, charging up a sphere of icy energy within its mouth as Zygarde landed on the ground. The Order Pokémon's eyes began to glow a bright white color and its body flashed…before suddenly splitting apart!
"What?" Amber questioned as the massive wyrm's form shrank down and five distinct figures leapt out of the mass that was Zygarde. Within the span of a few seconds, the dragon was gone and five dog-like creatures were leaping away from the spot where Zygarde had been moments before, causing the Ice Beam to hit the ground instead.
"It's dog-form from the other day…It can split apart on a whim?" Amber thought with surprise, but Zinnia and Zygarde were far from done.
"Zygardes! All-out attack!" Zinnia shouted with a delighted grin on her face as all five fragments of Zygarde at 10-Percent rushed forward, glowing bright green as they fired five Dragon Pulses in perfect unison from different directions at Perfect Kyurem, causing the dragon to roar in agony as it slashed and swiped at the dashing Legendaries, with each of them using their speed and numbers to disorient and confuse the Arbiter of Tomorrow despite the deadly flames and ice flying at them.
"H-how…" Amber muttered, amazed at the fact that this was even possible. She was further surprised when each of the five canines suddenly burst into emerald flames and charged at the massive dragon all at once, creating a series of explosions that made Perfect Kyurem shield itself with its wings as a pained snarl echoed through the street.
"You're doing a lot of damage very quickly to that beast." Faba remarked, awed of the power of the Lorekeeper and that of Zygarde. The Aether Foundation had of course been monitoring the efforts of Aria and her friends to reform the Order Pokémon. Seeing its power in the flesh was a whole other story.
"Perhaps we should have focused our attention on this, rather than Cosmog. At least this is more tangible…No, I shouldn't have such thoughts." Faba thought with a shake of the head as Zinnia looked at the scientist with a smirk.
"I'm a Draconid, Branch Chief Faba. We're renowned for our skills as Dragon Tamers, and as the current Lorekeeper it's my duty to know the stories that mankind has left behind. That's why Aria and her friends tried so hard to find me here in Alola." Zinnia explained as Zygarde continued to rush Perfect Kyurem, much to the annoyance of Amber who continued to issue commands mentally to the dragon, to no avail.
"But how is Zygarde doing so much damage to Perfect Kyurem?" Ollie asked the Draconid, who looked back at the dragon in question.
"Perfect Kyurem is a pure Dragon-type Pokémon, created from the fusion of Kyurem, Reshiram and Zekrom and reborn into its original form. Meaning it's weak against its own type, plus ironically enough, Ice and Fairy-type attacks." Zinnia supplied as Laura knelt down to her Blastoise. Faba nodded in understanding while Ollie observed the scene with awe.
"Hang back and look for an opening. Amber's not going to let us keep attacking that thing forever." Zinnia instructed the others, glancing back at them. "And try to get Wes to snap out of it! We're gonna need his help!"
Laura glanced backwards and saw that Wes was indeed still staring at a Perfect Kyurem with an expression of abject horror, or rather, the maimed form of Noah's body that was within his line of sight. Aria was currently shaking the man violently, shouting at him to snap out of it.
Meanwhile, Amber was considering her options. Zygarde leapt apart as Perfect Kyurem created a shockwave of ice around its body, panting with pain at the constant damage it had been taking for the past thirty minutes. It had taken down a literal army of Trainers and Pokémon, numbering in the hundreds.
But it had also withstood an incredible amount of punishment, as well as having used the Hero's Wrath, which while immeasurably powerful caused the Arbiter of Tomorrow to take massive recoil damage. Purple and gold liquid was splashed against its wings and armor, a clear sign that it was at the very least hurt by those who had stood against it.
"Perfect Kyurem, use Ice Burn on all of them." Amber ordered the dragon, who's body began to radiate with an icy orange and purple flame that kept Zygarde from attacking it directly. That didn't stop Zinnia from reforming Zygarde into its 50%-Forme and unleashing another Land's Wrath to batter away at the larger dragon.
"It seems even Perfect Kyurem has its limits…I can still finish this with it, but it'd be stupid to even give this idiots a chance to turn the tables." Amber thought as she considered her options, sending her thoughts to Avis.
"End the jammer. We need to be able to use every trick we have in order to buy Borlath enough time to settle things." Avis said grimly, with Amber nodding. By now, Faba and Ollie had both sent several of their own Pokémon forward to swarm Perfect Kyurem, hoping to take down the dragon before it could attack. Ollie's Swellow and Braviary both dove at the dragon from above, slamming into it hard with their bodies while Faba's Alolan Raichu and Alakazam both attacked with Psychic to hold the dragon down.
"It's a good thing that I left that letter for Borlath. I think we're nearing the end of the line…" Amber thought with a grim smile, even as Avis rested a wing on her shoulder. "The vision that thing gave me is looking really familiar right about now."
"Then let's take these idiots down, hmm?" Avis responded to her Trainer, smiling somberly at the assassin as she turned towards the Trainers opposing her. Aria had taken command of Wes' team, sending Pyrrha and Lillith forward while commanding Daruk the Darmanitan and Dimitri the Tyranitar forward, unleashing a wave of attacks at both Amber and Perfect Kyurem.
"Ice Burn!" Amber bellowed as she thrust out her hand, causing Perfect Kyurem to release a roar of fury as its flaming aura exploded outwards, creating a dozen tendrils of raging flames to snaked outwards onto the streets, striking several of the Pokémon that had been attacking Perfect Kyurem.
"Take cover!" Zinnia screamed as her Mega Altaria threw up a Protect, shielding her from the attack while Zygarde swiftly dove into the ground. Ollie quickly grabbed Laura and hid behind Aegislash as it used King's Shield.
The attack filled the air with a terrible searing heat that melted large swaths of the ice all around them, though whenever it struck a Pokémon it caused ice to form all around them. At a glance, it knocked out Swellow, Daruk, Braviary, Raichu, Alakazam, Dimitri, Lillith and partially froze Pyrrha who had almost dodged the attack.
Amber let out a harsh laugh as the freezing flames rushed through the street, a wild grin on her face as she considered her options. Meanwhile, Avis fired off a Shadow Ball towards Ollie and Faba, who were blasted backwards by the explosion the attack caused while Laura shouted out in distress.
"End the Aegis Field!" Amber ordered as Avis flew over to her side, avoiding an arc of flames from Pyrrha as the Braixen tried to break free from the ice. Mentally Amber commanded Shadow Zapdos to swoop down to unleash a wave of lightning upon the six Trainers. Laura's Ampharos leapt forward and tanked the Thunderbolt, letting out a fierce cry before firing back with a Power Gem that made the Legendary shriek in pain. The city shuddered as the strange signal that had been broadcasting for the past hour or so finally ceased.
As Shadow Zapdos fluttered to the ground, a glowing Poké Ball soared through the air and bounced off of the chest of the injured bird, sucking it into the device immediately. Amber turned her growing anger towards Aria, who was lowering her hand with an exhausted grin.
1…2…3…Click.
"Snag confirmed, bitch." Aria said as the Dusk Ball containing Shadow Zapdos, her latest Snag, flew back to her hand. Aria glanced down at the Dusk Ball for a moment before returning her gaze to the increasingly furious assassin, who glanced to the sides to see that Ollie and Faba had recovered and were making their way towards her.
"You're fighting six different Trainers at once. My ex-husband hasn't deluded you so much that you really believe you can beat all of us, has he?" Laura asked as her Ampharos landed on the ground beside her.
"Damn it…Worthless Zapdos! What good are you!?" Amber barked as the Snag Ball in Aria's hand teleported to her PC and Aria shook her head with disgust, but was surprised that Amber was losing her temper like this.
"You really think you can keep this up. Your men are falling, your Legendaries are failing you, and all that's left is you. Amber, do you really think you can stop us from saving this world from Borlath's madness?" Aria asked the assassin, who gave her a pointed look. Aria then shrugged…
And suddenly dropped into her shadow.
"Wait, what?" Amber had time to say before her shadow shifted behind her, and the Admin managed to turn around in time for her to catch a jaw to the mouth from Captain Ollie, who followed up with a harsh kick to the chest and then aimed at the assassin with his rifle.
Ollie opened fire on Amber directly, blasting her in the chest twice, though to his dismay the bullets bounced off of her armor and she managed to retaliate by calling on Perfect Kyurem to send an Ice Beam her way, freezing the chunk of road right in front of Ollie. The assassin chuckled, rubbing her chest from where the bullets rebounded off of her armor, only to be surprised when the ice suddenly exploded outwards in front of her.
Cipher's Angel of Death staggered back with a grunt, wincing in pain as she put pressure on her right foot and felt a stab of discomfort, before she was thrown backwards by a wave of lightning sent straight at her from Leon the Luxray. Amber dodged it, only to be surprised when the bolts arced downwards and exploded behind her, throwing the assassin to the ground right as Avis soared past and used Psychic to send Ollie and Leon flying backwards.
"I'm going to tear you apart!" Leon growled as he sent a Discharge through the air, striking Avis and causing the bird to screech in pain as she tumbled through the air.
Amber stumbled to her feet just in time to catch an iron-clad fist to the face from Aria, sending her flying across the street with a mangled scream of pain. The assassin tumbled onto the ground, blood dripping from her jaw as she rolled upright, spitting out a mouthful of crimson. Amber then swung her arm, sending her dagger hurtling towards Aria.
The Snagger dropped to the ground to dodge the attack and aimed her Snag Machine at Amber, firing the blade within the device at the assassin as she charged forwards. Amber ducked under the blade and spun around, roundhouse-kicking Aria in the face and sending the Snagger spinning to the ground with a cry of pain. Amber leveled her pistol at Aria's head and squeezed down on the trigger-
Only to something very sharp to slam into her shoulder from behind, causing her shot to go wide and allow Aria to get back to her feet, kicking away Amber who tried to gather her bearings.
"Agh! W-w-what the…?" Amber hissed as the blade soared back into Aria's Snag Machine, Amber clutched her thigh, hissing at the fact that the blade had clipped a section of her armor that was tough mesh instead of the protective section, causing her to bleed. Not heavily, but enough for it to be annoying.
Leon bounded forward with a savage snarl, only for a icy ball of fire to slam into his side and send him flying backwards across the street. As the Luxray let out a yowl of pain, Wes blinked twice and looked around the street, amazed and horrified at the intense battle happening around him. Pyrrha noticed this and finished freeing herself from the ice and ran over to her Trainer.
"She just doesn't stay down!" Ollie breathed, rubbing his arms to stave off the cold as Laura put a hand on his shoulder. She was very aware that her boyfriend was trying to keep her out of harm's way, and it annoyed her, but she also knew she wasn't about to win a fight against someone like Amber Fontaine.
However, fate seemed to have other plans.
Amber's body stiffened suddenly and she clamped her hands over her head, letting out a pained shout as pink light suddenly shone out of her eyes. Avis screeched and flew over to her Trainer, summoning a Protect to shield her from a wave of attacks as Amber writhed in pain.
"No. No, you fucking don't! Not yet! Hero's Judgment!" Amber screamed as her entire body trembled violently, even as the Curse of Life continued to wear down Amber's strength, with pink flames erupting from her eyes as the assassin clutched her face. The others were surprised by how intensely the strange effects of the Tapu's Curse seemed to be affecting Amber Fontaine.
"GET AWAY!" Amber screamed almost fearfully, with Perfect Kyurem creating a circle of raw energy around Amber that exploded outwards. Within moments Aria, Wes, Zinnia and Ollie had been frozen solid within the ice, much to the horror of Laura and Faba who had only been spared by two last-second Protects from their Ampharos and Slowbro respectively. Even Zygarde had been frozen solid in the attack, green light shining from the Legendary within the ice. Oddly enough, this included Perfect Kyurem, who was motionless within the iceberg that took up most of the street.
"No! Ollie!" Laura screamed in distress, moving towards her boyfriend and the other Trainers who had stood against Cipher and their evil for so long.
"Damn it, we were so close!" Faba panted, trying to get to his feet.
"Now what? We can't possibly fight her with just a handful of Pokémon. I bet it'll break free at any moment!" Laura asked of Branch Chief Faba, who thought about it. His line of thought was derailed when the Protect around Amber Fontaine failed, allowing the assassin to walk out of the ice and peer around the street with an expression of complete revulsion.
She then noticed a familiar face looking at her with an expression of fear, slowly backing away from the assassin. Faba scowled at the assassin and pointed forward, shouting to his Slowbro. "Ice Beam!"
Slowbro opened his mouth and fired off the attack, which Amber silently had Avis redirect skyward with Psychic before pointing forward. With an almighty crack, Perfect Kyurem soared into the air as it emerged from the iceberg it had created around itself, with purple blood dripping down its claws. The colossal dragon swept a hand across the sky and sent an arc of searing white flames down towards Faba.
"Use Surf to protect us!" Faba shouted as Slowbro's eyes glowed blue, summoning a massive wave of water from the ocean to rise up and wash over them, stopping the sudden attack in its tracks, though at the cost of wiping out Faba and stunning Slowbro. Laura watched all of this happen with a sense of awe, but then directed her attention towards the merciless assassin slowly walking towards her.
"You…" Laura's voice was a mixture of anger and terror, knowing full-well that she couldn't stop Amber on her own. Ampharos braced itself for a harsh battle, growling softly in anger at the evil woman approaching his Trainer.
Amber Fontaine, however, just stared at the other woman for a few moments with an unreadable expression. She glanced down at the pistol in her hand, regarded it with a sigh, and then holstered it with a shake of the head. She then looked at the ex-wife of Ashton Aupuni, and considered her words carefully.
"Hi Mrs. Aupuni…It's been a while, huh?" Amber said with a sad smile to Laura, lowering as the amazed woman stared back at the murderous assassin with confusion. Amber Fontaine sighed then, shaking her head as her ethereal pink eyes gleamed in the moonlight.
"I imagine you probably wouldn't remember me. Especially since I just vanished one day and never left a note." Amber said ruefully, looking at the woman who had once been Laura Aupuni with fondness. "I always appreciated how kind you were to me, even though I was so weird."
"What are you talking about? I don't know…what?" Laura remarked with obvious disbelief and bewilderment.
"I wonder if this'll jog any bells…Do you remember that girl Ashton kept around for a few years as his assistant? The one who had trouble with expressing emotions? She was there the day Sun was born. And then she disappeared one day without a trace. I wonder what you would say if I told you that she and I were the same person." Amber Fontaine said to Laura, who continued to stare at the assassin as she processed the words she was hearing.
It was then that the truth presented itself to Laura, and she gasped in both surprise and horror at the sudden revelation.
"Amanda!? Is…is that you?" Laura asked in a horrified whisper, receiving a nod in response. "What…w-w-what happened to you? What did Ashton do to you!?"
"That's a really long story…" Amber began to say, only to glance to the side and aim her pistol at Faba as the man stumbled towards her. The Branch Chief froze where he stood, whimpering as he stared down the barrel of the weapon.
"Leave the grown-ups to talk, okay? I don't have much time before that monster is back in control." Amber said to the scientist, who's face contorted with hatred. He then noticed the bright pink eyes and the completely different demeanor of the assassin, who no longer wore an expression of malicious amusement. Just the look of a woman who was exhausted by life and saddened by what was happening around her.
"What happened? I worried about you so much once you vanished! Ash told me you ran away!" Laura said to the girl who had once been like a daughter to her. Who she had hoped would have become like a sister to little Sunshine when he was born, only for her to disappear without a word out of the blue. Ashton had always said she had run away to become a Trainer.
Now that story was in serious doubt.
Meanwhile…
Onboard the Absolution
Ashton Aupuni didn't know how exactly he came to be in this situation.
Part of him wondered if it was fate. The irony of the situation seemed appropriate enough, but it was such an impossibility to him in the grand scheme of things that he wondered if it was the machinations of someone else at play here.
How else would his son be sitting here in front of him? How else would he, alongside the daughter of Lusamine, be able to get past Amber and all of the Cipher personnel who had invaded Hau'oli City and be here to confront him at the very end? How did this happen?
And what was Ashton going to do about it? What did he want to do?
"I'm so tired…But this isn't done yet." Ashton thought as the two children in front of him stared back at him, both fighting to control their blushing faces and the whirlwind of emotions in their hearts. Ashton wasn't quite so blind to it. He could see their confusion and conflicting desires in their hearts. At the moment they were torn between their desire to see him punished for his misdeeds, but also saved from the dark path he walked down.
It was why Ashton allowed them through the ship, guiding them to the lab where the Umbral Pokémon slumbered in their pods. To show them what he had done to the Pokémon he loved so much, and what he'd be willing to give up for just the chance to save this world from itself. He had long since given up hope of being the hero. But maybe, just maybe, as the villain…as the monster…
He could save them all from whatever came next.
Because at the end of the day, he wanted to do what was best for his family. For his son. And what would be best for everyone is if he never got involved with Cipher in the first place.
"Anyways…" Ashton said to break the amusing silence of two children clearly in denial over their feelings for one another. "I don't want to be a bad host. Can I get you two anything to drink?"
Lillie blinked in surprise at the sudden question while Sun sighed, leaning back in his chair. In the boy's mind, he was going back to the days where his father coached him on business tactics and ways to manipulate others in the boardroom. Ways to get people to lower their guards or open them up. While seemingly innocuous, Sun knew it was a tactic to disarm.
But he also knew his father kept a stocked mini-fridge under his desk. So with that being said, Sun looked at Lillie with a smile. "He keeps chilled Moomoo Milk in there, usually. And iced coffee too."
"Wait, in where?" Lillie asked.
"In the fridge I keep under my desk." Ashton said with a grin, reaching down (while making a pained gasping noise that Sun barely heard) and pulling out two glass bottles, one filled with white liquid and one filled with a light brown liquid and gently setting them down on the desk in front of the two children. Sun grabbed them and handed the white bottle of Moomoo Milk to Lillie, who wore an expression of complete surprise.
"He started keeping a mini-fridge in his office just after I was born. He liked having milk and juice ready for whenever I'd get cranky as a kid." Sun explained to a bemused Lillie, causing Ashton to chuckle.
"It's good to know you haven't forgotten my lessons and habits in the time we've spent apart, Sunshine." Ashton said fondly, reaching over to a nearby bottle of wine and filling up his glass. Sun also knew that his father only drank when he wanted to make a big show of something. Or if it was a special occasion, which also fit this situation. It was, after all, the first time in over a year since they had seen each other.
Sun's impression of his father was that he had lost weight. While his father was still a large, well-built and strong man, he seemed to have become noticeably skinnier. His face bore several stress lines now, and he was pale after losing so much blood recently. The recent events had taken a heavy toll on him physically and mentally. His hair was sloppily pulled into a ponytail and he also hadn't shaved in at least two weeks from what Sun could tell, with a considerable amount of stubble on his usually well-groomed visage.
"I never forgot." Sun admitted as he opened the cap of his iced coffee, smelling it and hiding a smile. It was an Iced and Diced Coffee, a brand that was only sold in Fuchsia City. And it was the only coffee Sun could actually say he enjoyed. The fact that his father still kept it on-hand was something Sun wanted to comment on, but he chose not to.
Lillie nodded and accepted the bottle, carefully pulling off the cap and taking a tentative sip. After a moment she nodded and said, "Thank you, sir."
"You're quite welcome." Ashton said with a fond smile, nodding back at the girl. He then leaned forward in his chair and said, "So, kids. Let's talk, since you came all this way to do so. You've already learned I'm not willing to simply cast aside my ambitions. So let's get down to it. What questions did you have?"
"Why did you hide everything about your past from me and Mom?" Sun demanded, causing Ashton's eyes to flicker to jet-black for a moment before they returned to a gray color, their natural state.
"Simply put, it was because I wanted to leave every bit of Alola behind that I could. As Lillie likely told you, my parents were incredibly abusive to me. My father in particular violated and harmed me in ways that no child should ever have to deal with, and I swore that if I ever became a father that you'd know nothing of that man's evil or the negligence of my mother." Ashton explained, his tone becoming weary as he shut his eyes and sighed.
Sun and Ashton both knew that this was a long overdue conversation, and it was finally time for it to happen. "But more importantly I didn't want to think about a past that caused me nothing but pain. Laura knew some of it, but she understood that it was hard for me to talk about and respected my privacy. I just wanted to move on, Sun. This conversation wasn't something I wanted to expose you to at such a young age."
"After meeting my grandparents, I'm honestly glad you kept us away from them. But you still could have told me and Mom the details." Sun said to his father, who opened his eyes again and shook his head.
The businessman took a moment to consider his words, taking a sip of wine as he thought. "Not at how young you were then. You may be a Trainer now, and a skilled one at that, but you're still just a child. Both of you. There are things you simply don't need to know about people and the world. It's a tragedy that your innocence of how the world really works has been killed…Which I bear most of the blame for."
"That's putting it lightly." Sun said with a note of anger in his voice.
"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am that you had to be involved in this at all, Sun. And I can't even begin to apologize for taking Nova's life…I've apologized for it before, but it's not enough. It'll never be enough." Ashton admitted, looking down into his glass.
"No. You could've tried talking to me. You could've just let me keep Nova as a pet or something. But you killed her!" Sun yelled at his father, standing up out of his chair.
"I did." Ashton agreed, looking at his child in the eyes. "I murdered her with Damien. I have no excuse for that. It was a stupid decision made out of anger and fear. My decision to alter your memories of the event with Deoxys was also a despicable choice, even if it seems to have lapsed since we're having this conversation in the first place."
"You…altered Sun's memories?" Lillie questioned, horrified at the sudden admission. To her surprise, Sun nodded in answer to her question.
"For the longest time, I had issues with Eevee's. Remember that Lillie?" Sun asked his best friend, who nodded. She knew that Sun given the Eevee egg (that he had received from the Day Care on Akala Island) to Hau, which had hatched into Kaha. She remembered Sun's strange reactions to Eevee's and how he seemed unnerved by them.
"I kept freaking out every time an Eevee was mentioned. The evolutions never bothered me, but every time an Eevee was brought up I'd have issues…That's because I was in denial about anything having ever happened in the first place. After talking things out with you, it became easier to think about. Somehow I got over it. I started to suspect my Dad did something to me after he killed Nova." Sun explained, turning his gaze to his father. "I didn't know you had Deoxys mess with my head, though."
"It's not the worst thing I've done, but it's certainly one of the many ways I've hurt you." Ashton admitted, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. "Like I've said, I regret it. I regret the lives I've taken. The people I've hurt. The suffering that you and Laura went through…"
"We went through it, and we're stronger because of that!" Sun shouted at his father, who blinked in surprise. "As much as what you've done has hurt me and Mom, it's made us stronger. More understanding of others and more determined not to let people go through the same pain."
"Just like you, in a way." Lillie chimed in, causing Ashton to look up the ceiling thoughtfully.
"Maybe…But I wasn't strong enough to find a way to truly better this world. And I wasn't strong enough to change the world through force either. All I can do is reset everything and wash away my dealings with Cipher." Ashton said wearily, causing Sun to sigh with frustration. It felt like they were just talking in circles.
"But why? Why do all of this? I don't understand…I can't understand." Sun asked his father, who stood up and looked down at the two of them with an expression of twisted torment as his eyes flickered between several colors at once.
"Because…I wanted to protect the people I loved." Ashton said in a harsh whisper, bracing himself against the desk as he leaned forward. Sun shrank back into his chair and even Lillie moved away from the businessman as his gaze darkened with madness.
"Time and time again, I watched as the people I cared about most were killed in front of me or put in harm's way. You were nearly taken away from me by Team Rocket before you were even born…" Ashton's breathing became hard as he regarded his son with a terrifyingly intense expression. "I watched them die…again and again…I couldn't protect them. So that's why I have to protect you."
"Dad…I-" Sun began to say, only for his father to silence him with an intense glare that made Sun fall back into his chair. It was an expression of feverish rage and passion.
"Time and time again, I watched the people I care about die because I wasn't strong enough to stop evil before it happened. I swore that I'd leave Alola and try to make something of the second chance given to me. I moved to Kanto, met Laura and we had you, Sun…And that very day I learned that there is nothing sacred in this world!" Ashton hissed, fury pulsating through every syllable like a poison.
"Nothing that trash like Team Rocket won't try and take away from you or use against you. So I eventually decided that enough was enough, and that I would fight fire with fire." Borlath said heavily, allowing himself a twisted grin of delight as he reflected upon the destruction of Team Galactic, Team Rocket and Neo Team Plasma. "And it worked."
"What's the full story, Dad…I want to know all of it." Sun said to his father, who seemed to regain some awareness as the intensity to his gaze calmed somewhat.
"What do you know already?" Ashton breathed, a hand going to his injured chest. Sun glanced down at the wound and saw it was faintly stained red, darker than it had been when they had begun talking.
"I know bits and pieces of what happened thanks to Miss Lusamine and tidbits here and there from others." Sun said to his father, earning him an unreadable look from Ashton Aupuni before the man took a shaking breath and shut his eyes, leaning his elbows on the desk as he cast his mind back.
All the while Lillie watched Ashton with an expression of absolute horror on her face. She had been prepared to deal with many things, but not a parent who was experiencing both mood swings and sudden bouts of insanity. This wasn't going anything like she could have expected.
"If we had the time to truly discuss my life's story, and my motivations for everything I have done, then we'd be here for a very long time. So I'll explain some aspects of it that I don't think Lusa was privy to." Ashton Aupuni said in a soft voice, his eyes darkening to black. "My childhood was one of abuse, anger and fear. I hated my father and he hated me. I found out the other day why that was."
"Lillie told me about that. Your eyes started changing colors that showed your emotional state, like mine started doing a few months ago. And it's apparently something that runs in our family. The Eyes of the Chief, Lillie said it was called." Sun said to his father, who nodded.
"Yes. Apparently those who inherit the eyes we share end up being harbingers in Alola, changing the region or the world in some way. My father, who had dedicated his life to preserving Alolan history and culture as well as what remained of our family's waning legacy at the time, was furious and terrified when the Eyes of the Chief manifested in me. And so he spent most of my childhood tormenting me in increasingly terrible ways." Ashton explained to the two children, who listened intently. There was no mistaking the haunted anger in the man's voice as he thought back to a childhood he had done almost everything he could to forget about.
"That, Sun…is the basis for most of my behavior regarding you. I won't explain more of my history in Alola, because you don't need to hear about Roran's atrocities and their effects on me…But know this. I was inspired by my father's actions to not repeat his mistakes." Ashton said to his child with an intense expression. "I wanted to give my family the love I never received from my own."
"Really…was that it?" Sun asked quietly, doubt in his voice. Ashton nodded, almost feverishly, before he continued to talk to the boy he had hurt so much.
"I promised myself that, if I did raise a family, that they would not want for anything in life. I would make sure they could fulfill their dreams, grow however they liked and that I would accept them no matter what they wanted to do in life. And on the day you were born, I felt something overpowering come over me. How it felt to hold you in my arms, Sunshine…fatherhood." Ashton's voice broke then, a warm smile on his face.
"Despite Team Rocket threatening our lives that day, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. But it also terrified me. Because I wasn't strong enough to protect you and your mother that day. It was only thanks to Amber that our family survived. Becoming a father made me realize that I had to protect my loved ones however I could. At first, I attempted to make changes as a citizen. An influential one, yes, but still just a citizen. I appealed to the Pokémon League directly and begged them to take precautions against Team Rocket and other villainous Leagues in the various regions."
"When that failed to produce results, I decided to become Champion and seek out the changes I desired for myself. And while I was able to achieve some success in Kanto, I was met with obstacles at every corner. Other regions were more than content to simply allow disasters like the Great Downpour to happen and ruin countless lives, like Dawson's brother Jamie. I couldn't stand by that. I couldn't allow madmen like Team Aqua or criminals like Team Rocket to threaten the world. Or rather, the family that had become my world." Ashton said with a determined gleam in his eyes, a dark smile coming to his lips. "I soon stepped down as Champion, hoping to find a better way to achieve my goals. Goals of safeguarding the world against future destruction and ensuring you grew up happy and healthy. I couldn't rely on a system that made allowances for criminals and was too mired in bureaucracy to deal with them before they endangered the lives of millions. I sought out a better way."
"But why? I'm just one person! How am I worth all of this trouble? That's what's so confusing to me!" Sun protested, causing his father to laugh.
"It was something I never understood until a friend explained to me why I was feeling so strongly about your safety. It's because of love, Sun. And that desire to protect you was only strengthened by my knowledge of how dangerous this world is and my own losses as a child." Ashton explained patiently to his child, raw emotion thick in his voice. "I never understood parental love myself because my own father hated me and my mother, while she loved me, didn't ever stop the abuse I suffered at her husband's hands. I didn't understand this until years later what these feelings were. And I embraced them. I wanted you to have everything I couldn't. A childhood of peace, happiness, and love. My happiness was making sure my little boy was happy."
Sun's voice hardened with anger after a short pause. "And…until what happened with Nova, I had that. You made sure I had everything I wanted. My home life was perfect. I learned from you and Mom and even if I didn't have any friends, I had my parents and I was happy. Even if you messed up everything and became a monster…You were my hero for most of my childhood. I wanted to be just like you for most of my life. Selfless, kind-hearted, strong, and always looking for the best in people. Even now, a lot of how I act and treat people are a result of how you've raised me to be."
"I can't imagine the pain you went through when you learned the truth." Ashton murmured, his eyes growing dark with despair.
"I still don't think I'm worth all of this. All of the pain you inflicted, the deaths and destruction. Am I really worth all of this?" Sun asked his father, who nodded in response with a smile that reminded Sun of his childhood. It was a smile of pride and warmth.
"You are absolutely worth the trouble, Sun. You are so…so, loved." Ashton said to his child, who felt his eyes sting with tears. Because he knew that his father meant those words with every fiber of his being.
"You never do seem to realize just how much you mean to all of us." Lillie said with a fond smile, causing Sun to look at her with surprise. Lillie looked to Ashton and said, "He doesn't really understand just how good of a person he is and how much he inspires everyone around him."
"I had a good role-model." Sun said with a small smile, looking to his father for a moment before he frowned. "Or at least I did. Then you decided to go nuts and try to rule the world."
"Not at first." Ashton said with a faint smirk. "Amber came forward with the results I had been praying for. Results she achieved not through diplomacy, but through strength and determination."
Ashton then bridged his fingers as he addressed his child. "Shortly after your birth, Sun, Amber embraced her darker side once again in an attempt to get revenge on Team Rocket on our behalf. She eventually succeeded. And that was when I began to see the merits of fighting fire with fire."
Sun nodded slowly, thinking back in his mind. "Amber…Lillie mentioned the other day that she's got some crazy backstory to her too. Amber even mentioned that I should talk to Mom about her when I fought her outside the Battle Royal Dome. I never got around to asking her about it. What happened?"
Ashton sighed and then recounted to his child the full story of Amber Fontaine, or rather Amanda Faerun, a girl who was attacked and mentally tortured by an insane Gothitelle named Hazel. Lillie had heard the story firsthand from the woman herself, but the details were new to Sun, who was appropriately horrified at how the infamous Amber Fontaine was created. It almost made him feel sorry for the remorseless psychopath.
Especially when he realized that he had named his latest capture, Alastor, after the Trainer who had originally owned Hazel. According to his biography, Alastor McDowell had taught Hazel everything she had known about manipulating minds and emotions since she was his research assistant. His illegal activities had never come to light, and when Sun later learned of them he would be even more horrified.
"Amber's actions against Team Rocket proved that there was indeed another way to strike back at the evils of the world. That using cloak and dagger methods of violence could provide the results I desired. However, that was also when I realized that as things were…the Pokémon League would never act in time before the world was on the brink of disaster. The League as a whole has never been good at dealing with crises, and time and time again I was proven right. That as things were, the world would be destroyed because of their lack of action."
Ashton then gave the children a dark smile. "So I decided to become an example, and show the Pokémon League that they needed to step up their game. Either they rose to the occasion and became the protectors our world needed…or I would become the protector instead, and be the shadow that watched over the weak using a hand of force to destroy the evil in the world."
"And as a result, you became a complete monster who supported a criminal organization and ruined millions of lives and was involved with so much bloodshed that…that…" Sun stopped speaking, overcome with anger at what his father had done.
"That I could never be redeemed." Ashton finished for his son, nodding in agreement. "I was foolish. I thought that I could control Cipher, but back then I underestimated my control and frequently made mistakes that resulted in more and more lives being lost. And as I got used to using criminals and darker methods to scare the government and Pokémon Leagues into getting serious about dealing with villains, I comforted myself with the knowledge that it would all work out in the end. That it was worth it. That all the lives I was ending would be outweighed by the people that I would save years down the road from the inevitable disasters that would take place. And of course, that I was making the world safer for you, Sun."
"And that just led down a terrible rabbit hole where you froze a city solid, became the leader of the most infamous terrorist group in the world, attacked your ex-wife and became a pariah to everyone." Sun said to his father, who once again nodded to indicate that he agreed with his child.
"Correct. I allowed myself to become a monster in order to help safeguard your future and save this world. I only cared for your happiness and nothing else, Sun. Not my own power, money or prestige. I wanted you to grow up happy and to have the bright future I never could look forward to as a child. I wanted you to be able to grow up and become whatever your heart desired!" Ashton said to his son almost pleadingly, trying to get Sun to understand how and why his father had done all of this.
Sun's response caught him off guard.
"Except become a Pokémon Trainer. Right?" Sun said to his father, earning a scowl in response.
"Yes. Anything except becoming a Pokémon Trainer. You were too young to understand then, but now I'd like to think you realize that I had a reason to fear for your safety as a Trainer." Ashton pointed out, only for Sun's eyes to flash red with anger as he looked his father dead in the eyes.
"Except…you did exactly what your father did." Sun said to Ashton, who's expression twisted into something painful at the accusation. "You didn't get your way, and so you tried to influence me through force. He wanted you to become a Pokémon Trainer when you didn't want to be, so he hurt you. I wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer when you didn't want me to, so you hurt me."
"After everything you've been through because of Cipher and my own actions, can you blame me for being scared for you? If anything, I was right to keep you away from the Trainer lifestyle." Ashton remarked, shaking his head. "I just wanted to protect you. I just wanted you to be safe. I would've given you the world, my boy."
"But you didn't let Sun be who he wanted to be." Lillie said to Ashton, who sighed and rubbed his face.
"Because who he wanted to become…Wasn't something I could face. Not after everything I had been through. Not after losing everyone that I have. I would do whatever it took to protect my son from a world determined to destroy itself. Anything…him becoming a Trainer would mean that I couldn't protect him."
"And when I tried to finally give him what he wanted…You betrayed my trust and made me live my worst nightmare." Ashton Aupuni breathed, his voice hitching as he looked down at his desk. Sun simply stared at his father, unsure of what he was feeling but also not surprised that his father would bring his broken promise back up.
Sun had promised his father that he wouldn't go after Roran or Cipher, in exchange for his father giving himself up to the Pokémon League and allowing him to end the threat of Roran Rubinara himself. Ashton had even given Sun his blessing to become a Pokémon Trainer.
But when Ashton had been attacked by the Pokémon League and Hau had been kidnapped by Roran to be used in the Ritual of the Lost God, Sun forced Dawson to bring him along on the infiltration of the Cipher Ula'ula HQ Base. And Ashton was forced to watch as his beloved Sun faced down a Trainer who he feared almost more than anyone else in the world.
While Sun had a very good reason to break his promise to his father, Ashton had taken things in the worst possible way. Sun going back on his word and the sensation of fear Ashton had felt watching Sun battle Roran seemed to have been the breaking point for Ashton Aupuni.
"And so here we are…At the end." Ashton concluded as he opened his jet-black eyes, sounding more exhausted than ever. Sun and Lillie could both tell that the man was still hiding things from them, he had even admitted it outright, to protect them from whatever dark deeds lurked within his past.
But it was still quite upsetting to hear from the man himself how badly he was affected by loss and the state of the world. Listening to his father talk about his past, in the flesh at long last, was almost too much for Sun to handle.
"It's…certainly a lot to take in." Lillie admitted, slightly horrified at the road Ashton Aupuni had taken. Especially because she could absolutely see how anyone, not just someone like Sun's father, could have been led down the same path of darkness out of a misguided sense of duty to their family.
Her mother, after all, was driven by similar desires.
"But it doesn't justify what you've done, though. It just provides some context." Sun said quietly, thinking as he sat back in his chair with a sinking feeling in his chest. Ashton stared at his child for a few moments before he sighed deeply, seemingly regaining some of his composure.
"So what's on your mind, Sun?" Ashton asked, his tone gentle. "Hold nothing back. We're long overdue for this."
"I wish I had known this before…maybe if I hadn't I wouldn't have been so mad at you. Even though I'm still furious at you now." Sun muttered under his breath, causing Ashton to smile patiently at the boy, nodding in agreement. "Maybe we could have reached an understanding. We could have figured something out! It's so frustrating!"
"Of course you are frustrated. You're absolutely within your rights to be angry." Ashton said to his son, looking at Lillie after a moment. "But I want you to understand why I told you all of this. Because I want you both-"
"To understand why you need to die. Is that right?" Lillie said to the man, who nodded. "Sir, I understand why you did what you did. Or at least, understand your motivations. That doesn't make any of it right. Or justify any of it. And it doesn't mean you have to kill yourself to make everything okay again!"
"Do you even realize that you doing this will hurt everyone your life touched? You'd be undoing the past! Undoing meetings, celebrations, life itself. Everything!" Sun said as he got out of his chair and stared down the man behind all of the suffering in his life over the past few years. But also the man who raised him and taught him everything he knew before coming to Alola. Who taught him how to always see the good in life, despite apparently never believing in that philosophy himself.
"My entire journey and everyone I've met would be meaningless if you went through with your wish! Lillie, Hau, Professor Kukui, Miss Lusamine and the Captains and everyone! Oliver, Penny, Brago, Finn and even Alastor! All gone! It'd all be undone because you can't accept what you've chosen to do! Because you want an easy way out!" Sun shouted at his father, who flinched at the accusation and shut his eyes, unable to look at the boy and tell him that he was wrong. He'd even admitted it, but somehow the words hurt all the more being thrown back in his face by his precious Sun.
"I see…So that's why you were so determined to come here. Not just to stop me from ending my life, but in overwriting everything that's happened to you in Alola." Ashton Aupuni said softly, shutting his eyes and leaning back in his chair. "But I can't just throw away my only chance at salvation. So how do we proceed?"
"It doesn't have to be like this. You can just give up….please." Lillie almost begged the man, who then smiled at her words. However the smile on the Cipher Master's face was an unnerving one, and it was a smile Sun recognized. It was his father's smile of triumph.
"Prove yourself." Ashton said in a near-whisper, his tone one of finality. His eyes deepened with that awful color of white, red and black that allowed Sun to see that his father wasn't quite all there. Eyes of fear, anger and despair that formed the root of the madness that had enthralled a once good man who was once a hero…into becoming a monster.
The terrifying look in his eyes had returned, the gleam of insanity that showed Sun that his father was returned to that terrible part of himself that had murdered Roran and Lorelei and countless others.
"Prove myself…?" Sun questioned, confused by his father's wording. Ashton Aupuni slowly leaned forward, lacing his fingers together.
"Yes. Prove to me you're strong enough to survive. If you want to make me stop, then you're going to have to prove to me that you're strong enough to stand against the evil in this world. Prove to me that there is hope for the future, my boy. And that you're strong enough to stand against whatever the future might bring." Ashton explained to Sun, his smile wide with twisted amusement.
Ashton glanced at Lillie, his smile unwavering. "If you truly want to stop me, then there's only one way to end this. A Pokémon Battle. One final showdown for the fate of our lives."
"A Pokémon Battle…against you?" Sun asked, his eyes going wide in surprise.
"Yes. I think that's just about the only way that this can be resolved." Ashton replied, smug satisfaction in his voice. "They say that the best tried-and-true method for two Trainers to gain a proper understanding of one another is on the battlefield. Despite condemning my original team to the Umbral Project, I do have a battle-ready team that should be a fair match for your own team. One that has withstood many of the Island Trials alongside you."
"But, you're a former Champion. You've been battling for over two decades! Sun's been a Trainer for less than eight months. That doesn't seem fair at all!" Lillie protested, causing Ashton to suddenly burst out into laughter.
"What about any of this makes you think this is fair, Lillie? This isn't a compromise. It's a negotiation. I taught you better than this, Sun." Ashton responded as his eyes darkened to crimson, a color Sun associated with hatred, before Ashton's gaze returned to his own child. "This place has made you forget the lessons I taught in our boardroom meetings. Tch…Pardon my speech, but fuck Alola and fuck the people who live here. I should've burned these islands to the ground years ago."
"Take that back!" Sun yelled at his father, who scoffed and rolled his eyes as he winced in pain and placed a hand over his chest. He glanced down at his hand, which was faintly stained in red. Ashton carefully wiped the blood off with a towel and thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"We will have a proper battle between two Trainers. No weapons. No tricks. No interference from Cipher on my end. I may even throw a handicap or two into the mix just to keep things interesting, since the scales are tipped in my favor." Ashton said as he slowly rose to his feet, swaying slightly. "I'm not heartless, after all…"
"No, you're not. But you're also being a complete jerk about all of this. And I'm going to get through to you one way or another." Sun said defiantly to his father, his fists clenching tightly in anger.
"Maybe you will, maybe you won't. I suppose we'll have to learn the truth one way or another. Either way, those are my terms. You will face me in a Pokémon Battle." Ashton Aupuni said as he gestured widely, chuckling deeply.
"Sun, don't do it! It's a trap!" Lillie said to her friend, who looked at her for a moment. Ashton chuckled at the declaration, amused.
"What if I decide I don't want to battle you?" Sun asked his father, who's laughter intensified even as he started coughing painfully.
"Then I'll have Zorro knock you both out and hold you hostage here indefinitely. Maybe even drop Lillie back off to her mother." Ashton said with a terrible grin, causing Lillie to gasp in fear. Sun looked to his best friend, seeing the abject terror on her face.
While Sun didn't know the full story behind Lillie and her decision to run away from home, he knew that her mother had been a negative influence in her life and was the reason for the girl's poor self-esteem. The boy also suspected that Ashton knew more about Lillie's situation than himself.
Sun also knew that if his father was using this as a threat against Lillie, then it was clearly something far worse than he could understand.
"No! Leave her out of this!" Sun said to his father, who stopped laughing as his child continued to speak. "What are the terms then?"
"Alright. If I win this Pokémon Battle between us, Sun, then you and Lillie both become my prisoner for the remainder of the night. And then watch me as I kill each and every one of your Pokémon in front of you before razing Alola with Perfect Kyurem!" Ashton said with a deadly grin, much to the horror of Sun and Lillie.
"Why would you want to do that!?" Sun demanded angrily, unable to keep the fear out of his voice now. The thought of risking the safety of his Pokémon like that was beyond horrifying to him.
"Because I'll admit I've found myself running out of patience, thanks to your actions as of late. If this is all going to be undone like you say it will, then what's the point in caring about some corporal punishment?" Ashton asked harshly, narrowing his increasingly angry gaze. "If it's so important that I be stopped before I end your journey, then why not act like the big bad villain I am and share the misery?"
"How can you say you care so much about Sun and then say something like this!?" Lillie demanded, her tone shocked.
Ashton scoffed and shook his head at the words of the girl. "Because I'm done. I'm so sick and tired of having my wishes be disregarded just because Sun is my child. A lesson needs to be learned here, Lillie. And since my wish will make it so he was never a Pokémon Trainer in the first place, it'll allow me to deliver one final lesson to my son that he'll hopefully remember in his new life."
"You two need to learn that your actions have consequences. And, more importantly, it'll teach you to never cross a terrorist who's also a businessman." Ashton Aupuni said breezily, amused by the questions and the children's outrage.
"You can't do that!" Lillie protested fearfully, earning a tilt of the head from Ashton.
"You're right. I should just kill you both and get back to torturing one of the Gods who abandoned our people. Thanks for reminding me." Ashton said with a cruel smile, causing Lillie to shrink back in her chair. Sun stepped in front of her to shield her from his father's dark gaze.
"Sounds to me like you're channeling your evil villain side after all this time. So what happens if I win?" Sun asked his father, receiving a thoughtful hum in response.
"If you win…Then I'll give you your happy ending, Sun." Ashton said simply, his tone dipping back to something more calm. "I'll disband Cipher. I'll stand down and surrender to the law, and face whatever justice there is left in this world and the repercussions of my actions. You, Laura, Lillie and everyone else will be free to live whatever lives you wish free from Cipher's shadow. And I'll entrust the future to you."
"So I either offer my team to you as a sacrifice…or you finally stop being a selfish jerk?" Sun responded to his father, who simply shrugged.
"What's a few more lives when I can just make it as if they were never a part of yours in the first place?" Ashton responded, causing Sun to grit his teeth in frustration. Even after all of their discussions, his father still didn't understand.
"But you're still hurting people! Isn't it easier just to stop? You said you wanted to, so just stop it! Please!" Lillie begged the man, who looked at her with a stern expression that made Lillie freeze with surprise. It reminded her, oh so much, of the glare her mother used to give her when she was in one of her more dangerous moods.
"No. I think I've just about worn out my patience with this world. Love can only excuse so much…And you two need to learn the true meaning of this world. That the people who love you are often the ones who will hurt you the worst." Ashton's words were harsh, practically spat out as Lillie flinched and Sun looked away with guilt. "You two were foolish enough to storm a battleship filled with terrorists and think you can win the day with a can-do attitude? Please. This is reality. And soon it'll be a better one."
"Not unless I can stop you." Sun said quietly, looking back at his father with a determined expression.
"I guess so. Only one way to find out. So do we have a deal?" Ashton Aupuni asked his child, extending a hand out to him. Sun stared at the outstretched hand, gritting his teeth. He hated the terms his father had set for him, especially for the fact that he'd be putting his Pokémon in harm's way. He'd honestly rather be the one killed instead. It was a cowardly move meant to dissuade Sun from pushing forward, much like with Ashton revealing the Umbral Project to them had been.
Even so…
Sun reached forward and shook his father's hand, sealing his fate.
Meanwhile…
Hau'oli City
"You couldn't fix your emotional state, so you decided to just go all-in on becoming a psychopathic killer?" Laura Smiles asked Amber Fontaine, who simply nodded in response. The assassin had explained the true origins of her condition that had never been told to Laura in detail.
"I realized that I owed Ashton more than I could ever repay him for saving me from Hazel and trying to help me. Even as broken as I was, I understood and appreciated the kindness you and he gave to me. So I embraced the darkness within me and decided to strike back at the idiots who dared try to harm the new family I had become a part of." Amber responded, smiling back at Laura.
"And you never once cared about all of the people you hurt? Not just Team Rocket or Team Galactic or any of them, but the innocents? You murdered countless innocent Pokémon and people in Borlath's name. And with the Curse of Life in effect right now, I don't know how you can stand there and talk calmly about so many atrocities." Laura said to Amber as she called out Meowth and Jace, her Pidgeot in preparation for whatever came next.
"I can't." Amber stressed, gesturing wildly across the street. "Look what I've done just tonight! I'm an absolute monster! If it wasn't for the fact that Avis won't let me, I'd have killed myself months ago!"
"What?" Laura yelped, taken aback by the declaration.
"The Curse of Life makes me feel the full brunt of everything I've ever done. All of the lives I'll stolen, dreams I've ended and carnage I've caused. I'm a normal person in the body of someone who's a psychotic killing machine! The kindest thing that can be done for me at this point is killing me now while I'm able to stop myself from hurting anyone else." Amber said to Laura, glancing at Faba.
"And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for killing your friends at the Orre Research Lab." Amber apologized, causing Faba to scoff as he thrust out a hand.
"Apology not accepted!" Faba barked as Slowbro fired off an Ice Beam, which Avis blocked with Psychic before speeding forward with Aerial Ace, slamming hard into the Slowbro before firing off a Shadow Ball, knocking away the Hermit Crab Pokémon right as Faba's Hypno retaliated with a Shadow Ball of his own, blasting Avis out of the air with a pained screech.
"Understandable. I wouldn't forgive myself either." Amber admitted, shaking her head as Avis righted herself in midair and continued to ruthlessly attack Faba. Meanwhile Amber turned back towards Laura.
"So, as you can see…You guys don't really stand a chance against me and Perfect Kyurem. Honestly, I'd say your best bet is to get away now while I can actively not hurt you guys." Amber said to Laura, who shook her head in response.
"We have to stop Ashton from doing this! His wish will undo everything! He's stubbornly going full-steam ahead with a selfish plan without even considering how other people's lives will be affected." Laura protested, receiving a sigh from the assassin.
"I know. I've talked with him about it and he's totally committed to making amends through this wish. Sun breaking his promise about going after Roran really drove Borlath over the edge." Amber remarked, causing Laura to cross her arms with an annoyed expression.
"How can you defend Ash at this point, Amber?" Laura asked the younger woman. "After everything he's done, how can you still hold him in such high regard?"
"Because at the end of the day, Ashton Aupuni saved me. He's the best person I know, even if he's destroyed himself mentally in order to become strong enough to protect his family." Amber said to Laura, gesturing to herself. "Hazel's influence wasn't something that could be overcome with kindness. But the loyalty I always felt to him has always been the strongest positive emotion I was ever able to feel. I clung to that because it was the only good thing I've ever been able to have with my condition. And that's why…I want to ask you a favor."
"A favor? Me?" Laura asked, surprised. She was then surprised when an explosion of flames erupted out of the ice and several figures began to move towards them. At the forefront of them was Ollie, who was being floated through the air by Aegislash. The Captain landed on the ground lightly, his teeth barred as he ran at Amber Fontaine, who shifted her pistol's aim to him…and then to Laura, causing the mother to freeze in surprise and Ollie to stop in his tracks. Avis teleported back to Amber's side, glancing at the form of Perfect Kyurem drifting overhead but not attacking.
"We're having a conversation. Don't interrupt. If you want to do something useful, get the Eternity Locket away from me so that I can't use Perfect Kyurem's power." Amber said to Ollie, who blinked in surprise at the admission while Avis sighed beside her and threw up another Protect. Amber turned her attention back to Laura.
"Right now, your son is confronting his father. I don't know how that'll go down, but…Please help Ashton understand that there's people who care about him." Amber said quietly to the other woman, sighing tiredly. "And that he's strong enough to make things right without hurting anyone else."
"I don't know how to feel about any of this. How could I possibly convince him to do that? He wants to die at this point!" Laura asked as Amber shrugged her shoulders helplessly. Then, the Cipher Admin's body seized up and she let out a scream of pain.
NO! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!" Amber screamed as her body began to shake violently, with Avis wrapping the assassin in her wings to keep her from doing something violent. Amber swung her head back and struck Avis' beak, stunning her and causing the Protect shield to fail. Ollie took that moment to snatch up one of Amber's daggers off of the ground and sprint towards her as she shouted, "KILL ME! KILL ME BEFORE SHE-"
Amber's eyes flickered to blue once again before a snarl burst from her lips, with Amber lunging forward and slamming a fist into the face of Ollie right before he reached the assassin, knocking him away. Amber lunged forward, yanking out another knife and stabbing it towards Ollie, but the Captain managed to grab her wrist and yank the woman over his shoulder, slamming her hard on the ground and making her lose her grip on her gun, which he quickly grabbed from her and took aim.
Amber rolled to avoid a point-black gunshot to the face and swept her foot with a kick, which Ollie jumped back to avoid. Aegislash rushed forward with an ominous cry and slashed and stabbed wildly at Amber, who was forced to backpedal to avoid being sliced apart. The assassin grit her teeth in pain as she did so, still feeling the effects of her damaged foot thanks to her battle with Vivian just a short while ago. While Aegislash desperately tried to murder the assassin, Ollie called out his faithful Dodrio to join in the fight.
That was when Avis suddenly let out a pained screech, drawing Amber's attention for a brief moment. The Xatu was currently being slammed down onto the ground by a Psychic force, one coming from a Hypno that stood beside a very-pleased Faba. Amber wordlessly commanded Perfect Kyurem to unleashed a wave of flames down around here, causing Aegislash to back away as the fire struck the Ghost/Steel-type Pokémon directly.
"Aha! Take that!" Faba shouted triumphantly as Avis crashed hard onto the ground again and again. The Cipher Admin scowled before taking aim at Branch Chief Faba and firing the remainder of her pistol at the scientist, who screamed in fear-
Only for his Hypno to Teleport in front of him, throwing up a shield. However, as each bullet struck the shield it made the barrier crack. Within four shots the shield collapsed, allowing the next two bullets to strike Hypno. Faba opened his mouth to shout out in distress, only for him to see a Shadow Ball speeding towards him. Slowbro charged forward and threw himself in front of Faba, with the explosion throwing all three of them back.
"Damn it!" Amber barked as Avis teleported to her, flaring her wings and summoning a Protect right before Ollie's Aegislash struck the shield with Shadow Claw. Laura looked to the side as the smoke around Branch Chief Faba cleared and she saw him lying on the ground clutching his leg, his Hypno bleeding badly from its chest and an unconscious Slowbro lying on the ground beside him.
"Not yet. I won't go down yet!" Amber bellowed as she hurled the dagger in her hand at Ollie just as Avis' Protect dropped, catching the International Police Captain caught off-guard as the blade slammed into his ribcage. Amber swiftly called out her Electivire to join the fight, sensing things were getting serious.
"Ollie!" Laura screamed as the Captain stumbled backwards, clutching his chest with a pained expression, but not before taking aim with Amber's sidearm and firing off three shots, one of which blasted a second throwing knife out of Amber's hand. Amber swung her arm upwards and Perfect Kyurem mirrored its Trainer, sending a wave of ice rippling towards the International Police Captain as he leapt into the air, jumping atop his Dodrio as it sprinted towards the assassin.
"Electivire, Thunderbolt!" Amber shouted as the IP Captain rushed towards her, with her Pokémon releasing an enormous wave of lightning towards the other man. To her surprise, the lightning suddenly twisted away as a wicked whirlwind struck the bolts hard enough to divert them.
"Jace, use Aerial Ace as many times as you can!" Laura shouted as the massive Pidegot rushed forward, colliding with the Electivire hard enough to knock it backwards with a pained shout. "Ampharos, use Power Gem!"
Jace sped forward and slammed hard into Electivre a second time, allowing Ampharos to follow-up with its attack and send the Thunderbolt Pokémon tumbling to the ground. Amber swept her hand through the air, causing Perfect Kyurem to soar into the sky above them and flap its wings hard enough to summon a harsh Blizzard. It then dropped down hard onto the ground, letting out a fierce roar as its tails twisted around and released torrents of flames towards Ollie, blasting Aegislash and throwing him off of Dodrio.
"Jace, Double Team and Steel Wing!" Laura shouted to her Pidgeot through the howling snow as he split into eight different copies, all of which sped towards Amber. The assassin grinned evilly and snapped her fingers as Electivire released a deadly Discharge, causing all of the copies to vanish and for Jace to screech in pain.
"Ampharos, Dragon Pulse!" Laura called to her Pokémon, who responded by nodding and firing off a pulsating purple beam that struck the Electivire, making the Thunderbolt Pokémon skid backwards with a pained grunt before collapsing to one knee.
Electvire was promptly sent collapsing to the ground when a shadowy sword erupted from the ground and slashed it deeply in the back, knocking it out completely. Amber swore swiftly as Aegislash floated out weakly behind Ollie as the Trainer returned his Dodrio, eyeing Amber with an expression of tranquil fury as he clutched the burns on his arms.
"Well done. But you all seem to be running on fumes. Whereas I'm still more than ready to wipe you all out." Amber said with a grin as she returned her Pokémon and called out her Breloom. Perfect Kyurem let loose a roar of fury as it spun around, seeing two streams of flames and energy erupting from the pillars of ice where the others had been frozen along with the mighty dragon. The attacks struck the dragon, who Amber had retaliate with a Blizzard.
"Looks like Zinnia and the others have broken free…But Perfect Kyurem is keeping them busy. Smart strategy, conserving the beast's strength." Ollie thought as Amber suddenly teleported on the spot alongside Avis, surprising him. Ollie ducked in time to avoid a stab from Amber and spun around with a kick that the assassin caught, swinging him away as Avis flew towards Aegislash, only for Ampharos to blast her out of the air with a Thunderbolt.
Laura was surprised when a massive Solar Beam erupted from halfway down the street and struck her Ampharos directly, sending him crashing into a frozen building. She turned her attention to the Breloom that had arrived on the scene, throwing out Seed Bombs at Aegislash as it attempted to stave off both Amber and Avis at the same time.
"Jace, Aerial Ace on the Breloom!" Laura shouted, causing the Pidegot to speed forward once again and slam hard into the Breloom, causing it to scream in agony as the four-times effective attack. However, the Mushroom Pokémon suddenly glowed a bright red color, and Laura's heart dropped, knowing full-well what that meant.
Counter.
Breloom lashed out hard with a kick that connected with Jace, causing an audible crack to reverberate through the air as the Pidegot tumbled out of the sky and crashed down hard onto the ground senseless. Laura quickly returned the Pidgeot as Breloom staggered forward, its body heaving from the pain it was in now. Despite this, it managed to throw a Seed Bomb directly at Ollie, who was thrown backwards and knocked to the ground alongside his badly injured Aegislash.
"Enough!" shouted a familiar voice as a torrent of flames slammed hard into Breloom, causing him to scream in agony before finally fainting. Amber looked to the side and saw that, to her annoyance, Wes and Aria had arrived on the scene. Pyrrha the Braixen was still aiming her wand at the downed form of Breloom, who Amber returned with an annoyed glare.
It was at that moment that a bright green light erupted outwards from the ice and a fearsome roar pierced the night. Moments later a torrent of energy erupted through the ice, shattering many of the large pillars and revealing Zinnia and Zygarde standing amongst the wreckage.
"That-t…f-f-fucking…s-sucked." Zinnia spat out, her body coated with ice and practically blue in the face with cold. Pyrrha began sending flames towards the Lorekeeper, who sighed with relief as she walked towards the group alongside a very pissed-off Zygarde.
"Wes? Are you finally ready to help out?" Zinnia asked with a pained wince, shivering in the cold and wishing she had thought to dress better for a fight against Perfect Kyurem.
"Yes. I'm back in the present. And I'm going to end this bitch's life even if it kills me." Wes hissed, drawing his sword and readying his crossbow as Pyrrha and Eve braced themselves for a fight. "The cold snapped me out of it. For now."
"We need to get the Eternity Locket away from her!" Laura shouted to Wes, who nodded wordlessly as Aria readied the blade in her Snag Machine. Beside her, Sebastian and Leonardo braced themselves for what was to come, with the Lucario and Leavanny both getting into fighting stances. Pyrrha and Eve were more subdued, eyeing Amber with apprehension as Perfect Kyurem let out a fearsome bellow to challenge its new opponents.
Wes stared down the dragon and its murderous Trainer, his hands shaking slightly as the memories threatened to overwhelm him. But this time, he focused on a singular thought.
I can save them this time.
"Eve, Moonblast! Pyrrha, use Psychic!" Wes barked as he dashed forward, firing off a crossbow bolt at Amber who sidestepped the shot and flashed a deadly grin. Perfect Kyurem snarled and swept its hands apart, creating a wave of raw icy energy that rippled outwards and exploded into several icy missiles.
Laura watched the battle with a sense of terrible awe, even as she tried to wake an unconscious Ollie up off of the ground. Wes led the charge against the infamous assassin, who laughed with mad delight as Perfect Kyurem released an icy burst of electricity from its claws, which the group barely dodged by splitting apart.
Pyrrha released a Fire Blast that Perfect Kyurem managed to block with ease, only for a Moonblast to strike it from the side. Zygarde added a Glare to the mix, Paralyzing Perfect Kyurem before hitting it with an Earthquake. Meanwhile Leonardo lashed out with a Leaf Storm as Sebastian hurled Aura Spheres as quickly and as hard as he could. All the while Perfect Kyurem filled the street with flames and ice, with bolts of lightning smashing into the ground randomly as the Pokémon weathered the onslaught of attacks in a desperate effort to bring down a foe that had already devastated an entire city.
Meanwhile the Trainers were engaging in a showdown just as brutal as the Pokémon. Amber danced away from a slash from Wes' sword and punched him in the ribs before sidestepping a stab from Aria, grabbing her arm and spinning around to throw her off to the side while Zinnia tried to lunge at the assassin from behind, catching her with a low kick that made the other woman yelp in pain. Laura's eyes narrowed as she caught Amber limp backwards, snarling angrily for a brief moment before stabbing forward with her own knife, only for Aria to block it and deliver a brutal punch to the chest that actually broke off a piece of Amber's armor that protected her stomach area.
"This isn't just a Pokémon Battle…this is a fight." Laura reminded herself, watching as Wes barked orders to the two other women as they dodged and avoided Perfect Kyurem's attacks to the best of their abilities. Zinnia called out a Salamence and a Tyrantrum to help even the odds, though due to the type-disadvantage they were up against it wasn't long before the both of them were knocked out by the Arbiter of Tomorrow. Aria's Leavanny was also knocked out thanks to a well-timed Ice Beam that caught him off-guard.
Even still, Laura was amazed at the fact that slowly but surely the Legendary was beginning to slow down. Its attacks seemed to require more and more effort, and soon it was defending more than it was attacking.
Amber and Avis were everywhere within the melee, punching and kicking and lashing out despite the three-on-one fight and ice and fire and lightning that was raining down upon them as they jumped back and forth between the battle against Trainers and against Pokémon that was taking place.
"Chaos. This is absolute chaos." Laura thought as she finally got Ollie to stir, with the Captain groaning in pain as he weakly clutched his bleeding head. Laura glanced over at Branch Chief Faba, who had taken off his coat and was applying first aid to his badly-injured Hypno.
"And if we're going to win…I can't keep sitting here." Laura sighed, shivering as she set Ollie on the ground. Laura called out her Tangrowth before saying, "Stay with Ollie."
That was when she called out her final Pokémon and smirked, already coming up with a plan as she made her way over to Faba as quickly as she could.
Avis teleported above the fighting Trainers and let out a screech, striking Amber's three opponents with Psychic and holding them in place while Amber hurled her knife at Wes, only for it to suddenly slam down into the street hard enough to lodge it in place. Amber blinked in surprise before leaping back to avoid a Shadow Ball that exploded against the ground she had been standing on a brief second before. The assassin looked over to where a Sylveon and Braixen were eyeing her with furious glares.
Pyrrha fired off a Flamethrower at Avis, forcing the Xatu to Teleport to dodge. When the Xatu retaliated with a Psychic, Pyrrha lashed back with one of her own, forcing the stalemate while Amber grinned at the opponents who were released from her Xatu's attack.
"Use Pay Day!" Amber spun around in surprise as a wave of coins pelted Avis and Amber, scattering noisily along the ground and catching the duo completely off-guard, allowing Pyrrha to blast away Avis with Psychic due to her lapse in concentration. Amber looked around, noticing that Wes and Aria looked just as confused as her. Especially since Pay Day hadn't done much damage at all.
"What the hell?" Amber thought, completely baffled by the coins now scattered all around her. She looked towards the culprit, a Meowth that looked very pleased with itself and Laura Smiles, who wore a faint grin now. It was then that the ground beneath her exploded outwards, revealing Zinnia riding Zygarde as Amber was thrown back.
Avis tried to attack but she was too slow to stop Zinnia from reaching out and grabbing the Eternity Locket around Amber's neck tightly in her hands as she slugged Amber hard in the face. Zygarde roared and opened its mouth to fire a Dragon Pulse at Perfect Kyurem as it slashed downwards with a flaming claw, stunning the dragon for a brief moment before Wes and Aria's teams assisted with a barrage of attacks.
"It was a trick!" Amber thought as Zinnia slammed her down on the ground, frantically pulling at the Eternity Locket before Avis finally managed to fire off a Psychic. While this blasted away the Lorekeeper, it also had the effect of ripping the artifact off of Amber's neck. Zinnia flipped around in midair and landed on her feet in an incredible display of athleticism, skidding across the ice with a feral grin.
"I'm the true dragon master around here, bitch!" Zinnia bellowed as she brandished the Eternity Locket at Amber, who was surprised when Perfect Kyurem suddenly let out a piercing screech. Zinnia shouted out as she suddenly went totally still, holding the Eternity Locket loosely within her hands. Frost slowly began to spread across the Lorekeeper's body.
"I guess she's not as worthy as she thought she was. She has to pass the test like I did. Still…This leaves us at a strange crossroads since Perfect Kyurem is no longer able to fight until Zinnia dies or succeeds." The assassin mused, hardly sounding annoyed at this sudden development.
"Maybe this is exactly how I wanted things to end." Amber said with a manic grin as she turned her gaze back towards the Trainers, barely able to suppress her demented chuckle as unsheathed a long and narrow dagger, with Avis teleporting beside her. Wes and Aria moved protectively in front of Zinnia, with Pyrrha and Eve panting slightly with exhaustion, though their determined glares showed that they wouldn't go down easily.
"We can't let Amber get to Zinnia." Aria thought as Sebastian braced himself for another round, even as Aria called out her final Pokémon, Elise the Swanna. To their surprise, Zygarde coiled protectively around the Lorekeeper in question before firing off a Dragon Pulse at Avis, who barely dodged the attack in time.
Amber reached to her belt and called out her Kingdra and Chandelure as she stared down the remaining Trainers with malice dancing in her eyes. Perfect Kyurem remained completely still behind them, eyeing Zinnia and Amber with an eerie calm.
"Here we are." Wes responded, grinning back at Amber as he flipped his sword in a backwards grip. Aria got into a fighting stance, glaring furiously at Amber as the trio prepared themselves for a fight to the death.
Kingdra fired off Hydro Pump towards Pyrrha, who leapt out of the way and retaliated with a Psybeam that hit the but Kingdra didn't seem to do much damage. Kingdra then shot out a small black sphere that created a thick wall of smoke all around them.
"Damn it, a Smokescreen! Pyrrha, clear it! Eve, use Moonblast on Kingdra!" Wes instructed his Pokémon as Pyrrha aimed her wand at the smoke and focused a Psychic on clearing all of it. As the smoke vanished, a Hyper Beam suddenly erupted from the smoke and swept across the street, blowing all of them backwards as the massive explosion rocked the street.
"You really thought you could overwhelm me with numbers?" Amber chided them as she strode out of the smoke, limping slightly as she smiled manically at them. "No. I won't be stopped. Not at the grand finale."
"Oh really…then what do you call this!?" shouted a furious voice, causing Amber to glance to the side in time for a Shadow Ball to explode against her, sending the assassin crashing to the ground with a cry of pain as Avis screeched in alarm.
Faba stood alongside his Hypno, the both of them panting and with Hypno coated in blood, but still very much ready to fight. Amber staggered to her feet, glaring down at the Branch Chief of the Aether Foundation with murderous intent. Amber snapped her fingers and teleported on the spot alongside Avis, reappearing beside Faba as she suddenly punched the man in the jaw, cracking it. Faba staggered backwards with a cry before Amber punched him in the stomach as hard as she could, sending him to his knees as he clutched his now-broken ribs. Amber kicked him in the side of the head with an armored boot and began to stomp all over the man's body with an expression of absolute fury in her eyes.
"Idiots! Idiots all of you! Your stupid sneak attacks! I'm so fucking tired of it! Just die already!" Amber bellowed as Faba curled into broken ball as his skull began to bleed. To Amber's supreme annoyance she was suddenly teleported away from Faba by Avis just in time to avoid a Dragon Pulse.
Amber reappeared alongside Avis and saw that the attack had come from Zygarde, who was glaring at her from across the street as it continued to protect Zinnia. The assassin scowled in annoyance, irritated that she had forgotten about Zygarde in her zeal to kill Aria and Wes.
Speaking of…
Avis teleported Amber yet again to avoid a Flamethrower from Pyrrha, reappearing beside her Chandelure and Kingdra who she ordered to use Dragon Pulse and Flamethrower, keeping the other Pokémon at bay while she considered her plans. After a moment, she grinned and locked eyes with Wes and Aria before snapping her fingers.
That was when Amber teleported forward onto the battlefield alongside Avis, snatching up two canisters from her belt and tossing it into the air as Elise the Swanna soared by to attack Chandelure with an Air Slash. The canisters exploded in the air, creating a thick purple cloud that caused the bird to screech in pain, swaying in midair much to the horror of Aria as Amber teleported away with her Xatu again.
"I know that trick. It's a toxic gas canister! Elise has been poisoned!" Aria realized aloud, with Wes glancing over at the Chandelure that was now staring at the Swanna, who suddenly screeched in agony as a purple haze surrounded her.
"That's Hex! It'll do double the damage on an opponent with a Status Condition!" Wes called out as Eve lashed out with a Shadow Ball at the Chandelure, which exploded against the ghost and made it wail in pain.
Wes decided enough was enough and lunged towards Amber, who blocked the slash and punched Wes in the stomach, bowling him over. She was surprised when a black blade suddenly shot towards her, and Amber barely dodging getting stabbed in the face by the flying blade.
"Elise! Use Water Pulse on Chandelure!" Aria called to her badly hurt Swanna, with the bird letting out a trill before firing off the attack. Aou retaliated with Psychic, repulsing the water and knocking out the Swanna. Aria swiftly returned Elise as Sebastian leapt back to his Trainer's side, growling softly.
"I think I'm getting really mad at these two." Sebastian muttered to his Trainer, who smiled despite herself.
"Then get angry and use Dark Pulse on that Chandelure." Aria said quietly before she sprinted forward, ducking to avoid a Shadow Ball that was fired directly at her. Amber teleported directly in front of Aria and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her hard down on the ground and plunging a knife directly into her chest.
"Haha! Gotcha!" Amber laughed with bloodthirsty glee, staggering to her feet with a mad grin as she turned to face Wes, who watched on with horror in his eyes. Aria screamed in pain, clutching the knife-
Before swiftly yanking it out and stabbing Amber in the back of her left thigh. Amber snarled in pain, staggering forward and nearly falling over as Aria hopped to her feet and punched Amber hard in the back, sending her tumbling forward onto the ground.
"How?" Wes asked, amazed that Aria wasn't hurt. In response she lifted up her shirt slightly, revealing a very thick bulletproof vest.
"I learned from the best." She responded, pointing forward. "Sebastian, now!" Aria shouted as her Lucario leapt into the air, holding out both hands and releasing a wicked Dark Pulse that struck Aou directly. The Chandelure tried to weather the attack, but it soon fell.
"Avis! Take a more active role. We need to even the odds!" Amber thought to her partner as Kingdra snorted and fired off a Hydro Pump at Sebastian, blasting him hard in midair. Avis teleported in response and reappeared behind the tumbling Lucario, striking him with Psychic and sending him crashing down into the street below.
"Sebastian!" Aria screamed out as Avis teleported directly in front of them, using Psychic on Eve and sending the Sylveon flying backwards into a nearby show window right before being struck with a Flamethrower from Pyrrha. The Braixen was then blasted by an enormous torrent of water courtesy of Kingdra, who had attacked her with a Hydro Pump.
"Is that all you got!?" Amber demanded, lunging forward as Wes looked towards his two Pokémon with concern, barely dodging a slash from Amber in time due to his worry. He shouted in pain as Amber swung around with a kick, though Aria noticed the assassin noticeably wince and glance down at her right leg.
"That's not the first time she's favored it. She must've hurt it somehow." Aria thought as she charged forward, only for Kingdra to fire off another Hydro Pump towards her. To Aria's surprise, her weakened Lucario jumped in front of her and tanked the attack, screaming as he struggled against the water and a dark blue power exploded outwards from Sebastian.
The lupine roared as his aura exploded outwards, with Aria throwing herself to the ground as Sebastian leapt skyward and held both hands together, charging up a quickly charging sphere of energy that then exploded out towards Kingdra. The surprised Dragon Pokémon couldn't react in time to dodge the Aura Sphere that struck it directly, creating a massive explosion that sent it flying backwards onto the street. As the smoke cleared, they all saw that Kingdra had been knocked out.
"Looks like it's just us, Avis." Amber thought as she returned Kingdra, with the Xatu sighing beside her. Amber then noticed that Sebastian had fallen onto the ground unconscious, meaning Aria didn't have any Pokémon remaining to fight with.
"We could run away. Leave this behind and regroup at the Absolution…please?" Avis asked, almost pleadingly. Amber shook her head, grinning madly at the battered Trainers and their even more worn down Pokémon.
"Not a chance. We're so close to ending this once and for all." Amber chuckled darkly, turning towards Aria and Wes, who were defenseless at the moment. Zygarde growled softly from behind them, firing off a Dragon Pulse that Amber and Avis easily dodged.
"You either come forward to help or you keep protecting Zinnia! Make a decision!" Amber jeered as she teleported to where Aria was, punching the Snagger in the face and shattering her nose before following up with a snap-kick to the throat that downed the young woman.
"Aria!" Wes shouted as she ran forward, only to be enveloped in a harsh blue glow as Avis directed her harsh gaze towards him. Wes then began to scream in agony as the Xatu's Psychic began to crush his body under deadly amounts of pressure, much to the horror of everyone else and the supreme amusement of Amber Fontaine.
"Stop it, Amanda!" Laura pleaded with Amber, who rolled her eyes at the woman's words.
"Your pain is like music to me...But we both know this is how our story ends, Wes." Amber said lightly, grinning monstrously at Wes as Avis continued to torture him, the assassin walking towards him as she readied her dagger. Meanwhile Avis was keeping her focus on Wes, but also Zygarde in case it tried to attack again.
Both Amber and Avis knew that the Legendary couldn't afford to take any more hits, since it had endured an immense amount of damage during the fight on top of being frozen solid by Perfect Kyurem.
Amber then stopped in her tracks as she saw Pyrrha slowly rise to her feet, the Braixen panting heavily as she staggered forward and fired off a sloppy Flamethrower that Avis had to Teleport to dodge, freeing Wes from her grasp. The Trainer collapsed onto the ground, shaking violently as Pyrrha took up a defensive position in front of Wes, despite barely being able to stand.
"Pyrrha…Are you okay?" Wes asked weakly, causing the Braixen to smile despite herself. Pyrrha could hardly find the strength to stand at the moment and it was obvious that she was badly hurt, but even still, Wes was in far worse shape.
"Even after something like that…You ask about my well-being before worrying about your own." Pyrrha said weakly, shaking her head as she pointed her wand at Amber Fontaine with one hand. The other hand rested on the Everstone pendant that rested on her neck, a gift from her thoughtful Trainer. Someone who had given her hope when she had lost it all. Someone who still cared for her despite Pyrrha being a Pokémon who loved her Trainer.
Someone who she would do anything to protect.
"I know what I have to do." Pyrrha said quietly as she intensely she glared down at Amber Fontaine and Avis. Her paw grasped the pedant around her neck tightly. "I'll give everything I have to protect him. And avenge everyone you've hurt. I'm going to bring…you…DOWN!"
"Pyrrha!" Wes shouted as the Braixen suddenly tore off the Everstone and threw it aside, stepping forward and aiming her wand directly at the evil woman who had caused endless amounts of suffering. The Everstone clattered to the icy street as Pyrrha's gaze became one of fiery determination.
And then Pyrrha began to glow.
The three Trainers watched as the Braixen shined bright blue, growing in height and expanding outwards as the light filled the street and reflected off of the ice that surrounded all of them. Pyrrha was evolving in front of their eyes, and even Amber and Avis watched on in surprised awe at the sight.
Soon enough, the glow vanished and a tall fox-like Pokémon with yellow, white, red and orange fur stood tall in Pyrrha's place. She looked down at the stick in her hand and the tip of it suddenly burst into flames. The Delphox seemed to carry herself with pride, looking at Wes for a moment as she smiled faintly at him.
"Now then…where were we?" Pyrrha said in a deeper, more mature-sounding voice as she turned towards Avis with narrowed eyes. The Xatu teleported directly in front of the newly-evolved Delphox and struck her with a point-blank Psychic with everything she had, a fearsome screech erupting from Avis.
Pyrrha was knocked back a step, only a single step, before snarling in annoyance as Avis' eyes widened in shock. Wes watched the exchange with surprise before a proud grin flashed across his face. Wes was then startled when a somewhat familiar presence touched his mind.
"Wes…Do I have your permission to end this miserable excuse of a Pokémon?" a voice that sounded a bit like Pyrrha's asked. Wes nodded as he prepared himself for one last rush, smirking as Pyrrha blasted away Avis with a Fire Blast that the Xatu barely teleported away from in time to avoid getting immolated.
"With Aria and Zinnia out of the fight, it's up to the two of us to finally end this." Wes thought as Avis teleported back to Amber's side, with the assassin scowling at the two of them. This would be it. The final act of the show between the two of them.
"Let's go Pyrrha!" Wes said as he flipped the blade in his hand into a backwards grip before dashing forward. With a mental command, Wes leapt into the air and was sent flying towards Amber thanks to a Psychic from Pyrrha. The former Snagger used the extra momentum to slash downwards towards the assassin as she raised a dagger to block, only to be knocked backwards by the sheer force of the blow.
Wes dropped to the ground and aimed his crossbow, firing an explosive bolt at the ground behind Amber and blasting her towards him. Wes dodged a wild stab from Amber but was savagely kicked in the chest by the assassin, causing him to howl in pain as he felt at least two ribs crack from the force of the blow. The former Snagger responded by aiming his crossbow at Amber's injured right foot and firing directly at it, detonating the explosive and causing Amber to scream in pain as she landed on the ground, clutching her foot and feeling that it was definitely broken now.
But this was nothing compared to the brawl that was happening between Avis and Pyrrha. The evolution had given the Delphox a second-wind, as well as gaining a resistance against Avis' Psychic attacks.
Pyrrha fired off several deadly Flamethrowers in quick succession as Avis teleported around the battlefield, shooting several Shadow Balls and even a Hyper Beam at the Delphox who was using her newfound strength to her advantage, blasting the attacks out of the air with her flames and even using a Psychic to redirect the Hyper Beam into Amber's path, blasting away the assassin and causing Avis to audibly gasp in surprise.
"How fitting, huh?" Wes asked Amber, bending down to punch the assassin in the face hard enough to knock out several teeth. Amber let out a shout of pain and anger and rolled away, forcing herself upright and throwing a canister at Wes, who promptly shot it in midair and made it explode, throwing them both backwards.
"You can't escape because you know…There's a reckoning, Amber. So many people gave their lives to end this. Accept it." Wes said calmly through the smoke that now surrounded them, with Amber slowly limping backwards as she panted through a mouthful of blood. To her annoyance, Pyrrha began to speak to her as well, continuing from where her Trainer left off.
"Everyone you've hurt. Everyone whose lives you ruined! We're going to make you pay!" Pyrrha shouted, smacking away a Psychic from Avis much to the surprise of the Xatu, who was quickly realizing how exhausted she was after everything that she had been through. It was now clear who held the advantage between the two of them, even as Pyrrha lashed out with a Will-o-Wisp and burned the Xatu as Avis screeched in pain, hunching over in midair.
"Pyrrha, now! Finish it!" Wes shouted to the Delphox mentally, who grinned as she pointed her wand at the ground and fired a Flamethrower directly downwards, propelling herself through the air towards Amber. The assassin took several moments before she realized that the Delphox was directly above her, but by that point it was too late. Avis let out a screech of fear and teleported directly in front of Amber, throwing up a Protect-
But the move failed.
"Begone!" Pyrrha shouted as her eyes exploded with raw blue flames of psychic power, with Pyrrha using every ounce of strength she had left to fuel her next attack. The newly-evolved Delphox swung her wand downwards and used Psychic.
An almighty force struck Avis with the impact of a truck, sending the Xatu hurtling into the ground hard enough to leave a massive crater behind and to force Amber to look at her Partner with surprise and to the amazement of those present, distress.
"AVIS!" Amber shouted out as she ran over to the Xatu as best as she could with a broken leg, ignoring her opponents and staring down at the crater her faithful bird was now in. The Xatu's neck stuck out at an unnatural angle, clearly broken with Avis' body twitching in pain.
"No…No, this can't…Avis…" Amber murmured, swaying slightly as she beheld the state that her Partner was in.
"I'm…so sorry. I think this is it for me, Amanda." Avis' voice touched her mind, the connection weak. Amber slowly shook her head, unable to understand the strange feeling of coldness seeping into her. Or the pain that she was now feeling in her chest. She then reached up to her face, feeling something moving down it. She pulled her hand away and saw that it was wet with something clear.
"No. No we can still…" Amber tried to say, only for the words to fail her as she considered the state of her Xatu. Amber sighed and kneeled down to her bird, her cold light-blue eyes narrowing as she thought about what she could say to the bird who had stayed by her side throughout everything.
"Avis…Thank you for everything." Amber said to the Pokémon who had stood beside her throughout it all. Every murder, every fight and everywhere the Xatu had been standing over her shoulder as a protective force. It was only inevitable that Avis died saving her Trainer one last time.
The Cipher Admin could feel the somber joy coming from the Xatu as her thought-stream grew weaker. And then finally, after another few moments, Avis became completely still and passed on from this world. Amber Fontaine stared at her loyal bird for a few more moments, unable to feel anything but a faint ache in her chest even as water dripped down her face and onto the ground.
"So…I guess that's it then." Amber sighed, turning around just in time to get shot in the chest by Wes, who lowered his crossbow and followed up with a slash that cut through more of the unarmored section of her gear. Amber growled as she recoiled, splattering the ground with blood before she was suddenly struck with Psychic from Pyrrha, holding the assassin firmly in place.
That was when the explosive bolt detonated, causing Amber to scream in pain before suddenly getting slugged in the face by a new-recovered Aria, knocking her to the ground in a daze. Amber felt her body get rolled over onto the ground, and then shouted out in agony as Aria slammed her metallic fist as hard as she could into the back of Amber's left leg, breaking it completely. Aria followed up by harshly stomping down repeatedly on the other leg, eventually breaking that one as well.
"Agh, you stupid bitch! I'm going to-" Amber tried to say as she tried to move up, only for a boot to the face from Wes to silence her. Amber's head hit the ground hard, dazing her for a moment. She recovered her bearings just in time to Wes plunging his sword downwards into her lower stomach.
Amber let out a scream then, even as hot crimson poured from her stomach and she tried to pry away the blade that had been driven into ground. However, with the blood loss and pain she was currently dealing with thanks to her two broken legs, she soon stopped having the strength to struggle and fell back onto the ground.
"And that's the end of that…" Wes panted, stepping away from Amber and leveling his crossbow at the assassin, despite the fact that she was impaled through the stomach and had two broken legs. Pyrrha stood beside her Trainer, aiming her wand down at the assassin with a triumphant smile.
"No…N-no, I can't…not yet." Amber whispered weakly, looking up at Aria and Wes who stared impassively down at the assassin who had made their lives hell. Amber then let out a gasp as her vision swam with pink light, and for one final time, the Curse of Life took effect.
"Good work…I don't think I'll be coming back from this." Amber Fontaine, or rather Amanda Faerun, said weakly as she grinned painfully up at Wes and Aria.
"Soon you're going to be joining Avis. I guess that's some comfort for you, huh?" Wes said to the assassin, who tried to sigh and only succeeded in coughing up blood.
"M-maybe. The Curse has become increasingly unstable all night…For what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything I…Did you to both. Thank you for stopping me." Amanda said to the two Trainers, who exchanged a brief glance.
"Gotta admit, didn't think that Amber sincerely thanking me would ever be a thing." Aria remarked, crossing her arms and wincing as she remembered one of her hands was badly injured.
"Makes about as much sense as anything else with Amber. So right now you're not a merciless killing machine, huh?" Wes said to the assassin, who nodded in reply.
"I have all of my e-emotions right now. For better of worse, I'm not the assassin you both know. Just…a woman who's living in the body of a monster. Horrified at what she's done. In my head, I always believed that this state…was who Amanda Faerun was before meeting Hazel. And me in my normal state…was Amber Fontaine. It kept me partly sane while dealing with the Curse of Life." The woman explained as she tried to keep breathing only to find it was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Honestly, I'm just relieved that it's over. That this is all done with. I just wish…so many didn't have to die." Amanda wheezed, coughing more blood as it coated her lips. The Angel of Death offered the two Trainers who had defeated her a broken grin.
"If you could…can grant me one last request?" Amanda asked.
"Considering everything you put us through…Sure. Why not?" Aria said sarcastically as Wes glanced at her with surprise, causing Amanda to chuckle.
"The Chandelure I've got. He's named Aou. He originally belonged to a girl named Demi. I think you know her, or at least Sun does. C-can you return him to her? And don't kill my Pokémon. They were just following my orders." Amanda asked Wes and Aria, who considered the request before Aria nodded.
"Sounds reasonable enough. So how does dying feel?" Aria asked, grinning smugly at Amanda Faerun who shut her eyes.
"I don't recommend it. But I can…feel the Curse wearing off again. It's barely active anymore, since my life force is fading away. Be careful dealing with Borlath, and…good luck…" Amanda Faerun said with a weak smile before her body thrashed one last time, with the pink light fading from them. The cold gaze of Amber Fontaine returned, with the assassin letting out a pained groan as she reached towards her chest, only for her to realize that she didn't have the strength to finish the movement. A glance around the street showed her how dire her situation was, and it finally sank in for the Cipher Admin.
"So this is it…" Amber rasped, offering them all a bloody smirk as she lay on the ground. Beside her lay Avis, who had made the ultimate sacrifice for her Trainer. Wes and Aria stared down at her while Faba tried to get back to his feet and Laura began to help Ollie walk over to them. Zinnia slowly began to thaw out of the ice just out of sight, with Perfect Kyurem releasing a roar to the skies in recognition of the its new master.
The moment she was thawed, Zinnia held out the Eternity Locket and Perfect Kyurem shined as brightly as a star, illuminating the entire city as it released one final roar to the heavens. It was then that the dragon suddenly vanished, reappearing as a small orb of gray light that then flew into the Eternity Locket. Zinnia grinned down at the artifact before suddenly collapsing with a sigh, but Zygarde managed to catch her with its tail before she hit the street.
"It's been a long time coming but…" Wes trailed off softly, shaking his head. He was too emotionally drained and too tired in general to handle all of the emotion that came with Amber Fontaine. "You're done. We're finally putting you out of your misery. Any last words?"
"Not that you really deserve any." Aria chimed in, readying her blade on her Snag Machine to impale the assassin at their leisure. Amber scoffed, shaking her head at the two of them.
"No. Not really…I only hope Borlath can fix everything his heart desires. I only ever wanted to make his will a reality. That's all. And since…s-since I'm broken anyway, it just made sense for me to do all of the killing." Amber breathed, her eyes narrowing with an exhausted frustration. "But he turned dark anyway…"
"That story about Hazel…Was it true?" Wes asked, his voice gentle as the assassin glared at him.
"Yes, Hazel was real and even more terrible than I described her to be when we traveled throughout S-Sinnoh together.. But don't you dare give me pity for that. Not after everything I've done. And even then…" Amber grinned maliciously, chuckling weakly despite the blood dripping down her mouth.
"Even then…I wasn't going to win in the first place. May as well have killed as many people as possible and stall. So Borlath can win. That's all that mattered." Amber breathed, laughing hollowly as Aria scowled with fury.
"What do you mean that you weren't going to win?" Wes asked.
"I mean…Back when I first fought Tapu Lele. Several months ago. It cursed me…and then forced me to see the exact moment I would die." Amber admitted, grinning back at them with bloody teeth. "I always assumed it was a nasty trick…t-t-that it was a delusion. But I was doomed. Always doomed to die a violent death. B-because at the end of the day…violence in a cycle that never ends. That's why…Borlath's wish is so important. He's going to end the cycle."
"Even if it means changing history. Even if it means once again taking fate into his own hands. It's incredible how someone so powerful and with the best of intentions can be so blindingly selfish at the same time." Aria sighed as Wes put a hand on her shoulder.
"Selfish, yes. But he also…cared. So much. About everyone who walked into his life. Even me…He saved me. I would have burned the entire world to the ground for him." Amber coughed again, still smiling up at the two Trainers who had finally brought her down.
"Now…Do your fucking worst." Amber Fontaine said, shutting her eyes and accepting that her death was coming.
"Some part of me honestly hopes you find redemption in the next life…" Aria said quietly, aiming her Snag Machine directly at Amber's heart, causing the assassin to scoff in response as she opened her eyes to glare at the younger woman.
"After everything…that I've done!?" Amber began to snarl, trying to sit up. "Don't you fucking dare show me mercy-"
"And the rest of me sincerely hopes that you burn in hell." Aria finished, flashing a smile at the other woman as the Snagger curled her hand into a fist.
That was when Aria fired the hidden blade within the Snag Machine directly into the chest of Amber Fontaine, impaling her right through the heart. Amber's entire body seized up for a moment as she twitched on the ground, her eyes wide open for one brief moment showing genuine surprise at Aria's deception, before she went limp and collapsed in a pool of her own blood. Amber Fontaine's eyes trailed up to Aria's grinning face, and to Wes' expression of triumphant amusement and relief. And the assassin couldn't help a smirk of her own.
"Not bad." Amber muttered as she felt her mangled heart begin to stop beating. She shut her eyes, allowing a sense of calm to come over her despite the intense pain she was in. The end was finally here and she had done her best. It was time to confront her fate. "Not bad at all. N-now…go. Save your world…if you can."
And it was with those final words that Amber Fontaine, Cipher Admin and the infamous Angel of Death, finally breathed her last breath and died. Never again would the shadow of Cipher's deadly assassin loom over any of them.
Aria exhaled deeply as Wes pulled her into a tight embrace, consoling her as the woman broke down into tears of relief. "She's dead. She's finally dead…s-s-she's dead Wes!" The Snagger sobbed as Wes held onto his protege tightly, rubbing her back gently even as a tear ran down his face. He let out a weary sigh of relief before looking towards Pyrrha, with the newly-evolved Delphox watching them with a smile.
"Thanks for everything Pyrrha. Your new evolution suits you." Wes said to the Delphox, who looked embarrassed and looked away.
"T-Thanks. It feels weird…I've been a Braixen for so long, it'll be a while before I can control my strength." Pyrrha remarked with a laugh as she surveyed the area. The street was slowly thawing out before their eyes as a result of Perfect Kyurem's defeat and being summoned back into the Eternity Locket now held by Zinnia
"So she's finally gone, huh? Good riddance." Zinnia breathed as she staggered to her feet, crying out as she tried to walk only to collapse to her knees.
"We shouldn't push ourselves. That was one hell of a fight." Aria said as she helped Zinnia to her feet, earning a nod as Faba let out a deep sigh of relief. Nearby, Ollie and Laura were checking over one another to make sure that their significant other was okay.
"Yes…Amber Fontaine is dead now. The fallen have been avenged…" Faba breathed, a smile coming to his face as he looked skyward. "Rest easy, my friends."
"So…now what?" Laura asked quietly, looking down at the body of the woman who had once been a welcome presence in her home, turned down the path of violence by misfortune and tragedy. Laura walked forward and calmly grabbed the Poké Ball's around her waist and returned Avis to her Poké Ball.
"We should ensure no one touches the body. Ollie, can you handle that?" Laura asked her boyfriend, who nodded. The Captain opened his mouth to respond when a massive tremor shook the ground and nearly knocked them both over.
That was when an explosion of fire erupted from the roof of the Absolution, drawing the gaze of the six Trainers who watched with horror as pitch-black flames slowly rose into the air, a circular pillar of hellfire that poured from the deck of the battleship. And all of them shuddered as they felt a wave of pure malevolence radiate from the flames, as if they were alive. The beams of light that had been shining out from the battleship, which Sun and Hau had indicated were the captive Tapu, suddenly blinked out.
"What the hell is going on up there?" Ollie breathed, watching the black flames as they poured upwards and darkened the sky above Hau'oli City. A terrible sense of foreboding settled over them all, and for a moment they felt a wave of pure anger wash past them as they beheld the inferno erupting from the battleship.
"Sun…" Ollie looked back towards Laura, who held her hands over her heart. The mother looked out towards the battleship with a terrified expression, her eyes shining. Laura looked to Ollie and said, "I have a horrible feeling that…Sun's on that ship. And he's in trouble, Ollie."
"Then we'll make our way to the Absolution." Ollie said firmly, turning to the others on the scene. "Branch Chief Faba, can I count on you to marshal our forces and start helping people as they begin to thaw out?"
"Of course, as soon as I can treat my Hypno. Leave everything to me." Faba said smugly as he nodded. "I'll request backup from President Lusamine and start checking on everyone who was frozen."
"I'll stay behind and help. Zygarde can cover a lot of ground really quickly." Zinnia offered, calling out her Noivern. Faba turned to the other four, nodding at them again before limping towards where some of the frozen Captains were emerging from the ice.
"Come on, let's go!" Ollie said to Aria, Wes and Laura who quickly healed their team with what random healing items they had left and made their way towards the Absolution, leaving behind the fallen form of Amber Fontaine where she had been slain.
The only person who looked back was Wes, who stopped and regarded the assassin with a brief expression of sorrow before his expression hardened and he looked ahead, towards where the mastermind behind all of this awaited them.
Borlath, the Master of Cipher and the one who had betrayed all of them for the sake of his twisted schemes. Who would once again take fate into his own hands and attempt to rewrite everything to erase his sins.
Wes ran after his friends and comrades, not knowing how dire the situation on the battleship had truly become.
...or that Sun's confrontation with his father had become a fight with everything on the line.
NEXT TIME: Ashton vs. Sun
And that's the end of Amber Fontaine! After 120 chapters of terrorizing people in Radiant Sun, she's finally dead! But there's still Borlath to contend with, and he's got a few tricks up his sleeve.
I really wished I could've put this update out on Christmas so I could say the line "My gift to everyone this Christmas was finally killing off Amber. You're welcome." But I couldn't manage it.
Ah well.
I'm honestly sad that this is the end of Amber. Like I've said before, she was created over ten years ago and has been a mainstay in this story. That's why I don't feel bad spending a few extra days to truly flesh out this chapter and give her a proper sendoff.
Q & A
From: Anasazi Darkmoon
Also, what color does insanity show up as in Ashton/Sun's emotional palette? Hell, do you have a list of all the colors and their meanings written down anywhere?
Insanity is represented by a combination of red, white and black colors appearing as rings within Ashton's eyes (representing anger, fear and despair respectively). As it mentions in the chapter, those are the basis for Ashton's descent into insanity.
And I do have a list of the different colors. I'll post a definitive list next chapter. There's a few colors I can't seem to find a proper meaning for, like yellow. Gonna need a few days to try and track them down.
From: Loco
I'm glad we finally got to see Ashton's team, I've been wondering (and worried) about what became of them for ages now. I gotta ask though, did they really go along willingly for their trainer, or were they forced into a living hell against their will?
They chose to become Umbral Pokemon to help their Trainer. But it was also entirely possible that they didn't know all of the details that Ashton did about the process or how unlikely it was that they'd survive.
That's all for now, folks! Please stay tuned as the climax of the Cipher Arc continues! Favorite and/or Follow the story to stay updated, and please consider reviewing the chapter to show your support and offer feedback on my work. I also answer questions!
Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!
