"…" Normal talking
'…' Thinking and Pokémon speaking.
Ash, Blake, Sun, and Yang went with each other to the stadium to watch the match with Weiss and Nebula. Brock, and his partner, to Weiss's shock, Whitley, glared at them.
"Whitley!? What are you…!?" Weiss asked her brother.
"I've been here the whole time. I was offered to be a part of this for a good price to help our family rebuild our business." Whitley said.
The Schnee Dust Company suffered dramatically the previous year with not only finances but also the loss of their father and home. Luckily, they had enough to get by for a while, but for Whitley, it was never enough.
"Whitley, we're getting better. What you're doing is something father would do." Weiss begged.
"Oh please, what you're doing is nothing more than a waste of time. Selling one-of-a-kind objects for some lien and working with the schools of Atlas Academy? Where is all the fun? Where is the ambition? No wonder you've been stripped of the heiress position." He said with no remorse in his voice.
Glynda cleared her throat while stepping in to stop the siblings from backtalking.
"The next match is about to begin. Weiss Schnee and Nebula Violette Vs. Brock Pewter and Whitley Schnee. This will be a four vs. four match and whichever side loses both of their Pokémon will end the match. Furthermore, there will be no substitutions." She announced.
"Time to go to work! Steelix!" Brock yelled while sending out his iron snake.
"I'll show you what my father's training has done for me. Go, Machamp!" Whitley yelled while sending out his four-armed champion onto the field.
Steelix LVL 92 Steel/Ground Rock Head Lagging Tail
Thunder Fang Gyro Ball Earthquake Double-Edge
Machamp LVL 96 Fighting Guts Toxic Orb
Vital Throw Double-Edge Thunder Punch Poison Jab
"That's my father's training for you, but you forget. My training goes beyond that. I'll prove it now! Lapras!" Weiss yelled while sending her beloved friend out.
"That's nothing compared to what we do out in Vacuo. Here's a little demonstration for you. Come on out! Maractus!" Nebula yelled while sending out her insentient cactus onto the field.
Lapras LVL 98 Water/Ice Shell Armor Leftovers
Ice Beam Surf Confuse Ray Rain Dance
Maractus LVL 90 Grass Storm Drain Big Root
Spiky Shield Giga Drain Spikes Poison Jab
"Nebula…just don't bail out on me to carry us in this fight like last time." Weiss said while turning towards her partner.
"And I told you! That Durant looked like it was gonna bite me! I said I was sorry and made up for it!" Nebula complained with a bit of a sour look.
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Go, Machamp! Use Thunder Punch on the Lapras!" Whitley yelled.
Machamp clenched all four of its fists. Electricity began to flow through them. It rushed in and dealt a four-way punch to Lapras, making her scream in pain.
"Lapras!" Weiss yelled with fright seeing her beloved Pokémon hurt. She glared at Machamp and then turned towards Nebula. "Get ready for some water." She said.
"Do it." Nebula said.
"Lapras! Use Surf!" She yelled.
She roared as a torrent of water formed underneath her. She launched it so hard that it became a large tidal wave. Thanks to Storm Drain, Maractus absorbed the water attack, and the special attack went up. The same couldn't be said for Machamp and Steelix.
"Now! Follow it up with Giga Drain on the Machamp!" Nebula yelled.
The spikes on Maractus began to glow bright green. It fired them right at Machamp and latched onto it. Maractus began to drain the energy from Machamp until it fell backwards and fainted on the spot.
"Machamp is unable to battle! Maractus and Lapras win!" Glynda announced over the cheers.
"Idiot!" Brock yelled angrily at Whitley while he returned his down partner.
"A minor setback. As long as you play your part, we got this match in the bag just like before. But for now, Froslass! Go!" Whitley yelled while sending out his ice spirit onto the field.
Froslass LVL 99 Ice/Ghost Cursed Body Nevermeltice
Shadow Ball Ice Beam Wil-O-Wisp Helping Hand
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Steelix! Use Double-Edge on the Lapras!" Brock yelled.
Steelix roared as its head began to glow bright orange. It charged right at Lapras and struck hard at the neck, knocking her back. She was struggling to handle the force that was dealt to her.
"Hang in there, girl! We can win this!" Weiss said.
"Win this! Shadow Ball!" Whitley yelled.
Froslass charged up a ball of dark energy from her hands. She fired it at Lapras.
"Use Ice Beam to counter it! Quickly!" Weiss yelled in a panic.
Lapras was able to fire a beam of ice at the attack. The two attacks connected, and an explosion blasted from the impact.
"Maractus! Giga Drain on the Steelix!" Nebula yelled.
The Maractus fired off its spikes at the Steelix, latching them all around and absorbing its energy. The Steelix stood tall despite all the damage it took.
"Ice Beam on the Maractus!" Whitley yelled.
She created a ball of light blue energy. Glowing ice shot out like lightning at Maractus. It was a direct hit. It was sent into a wall frozen solid. The ice shattered and it remained on the ground.
"Maractus is unable to battle! Steelix and Froslass win!" Glynda announced.
After Nebula returned Maractus, she looked over at Weiss, who gave her a blank look. She nodded to Nebula, making her realize that the time had come for her secret weapon.
"Alright…make this count." She whispered while pulling out a Master Ball. "Go, Forretress!" She yelled as a shiny armored bagworm emerged.
Forretress LVL 96 Bug/Steel Sturdy Lagging Tail
Gyro Ball Rollout Magnet Rise Explosion
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Use Ice Beam on the Steelix!" Weiss yelled.
Lapras fired off another Ice Beam at the Steelix, freezing it in place. It fell backwards, the ice shattered, and it fainted.
"Steelix is unable to battle! Lapras and Forrestress win!" Glynda announced.
Brock growled while returning his partner. He then readied his final choice.
"We can't afford to mess up this rough. We need to take out Lapras!" Whitley demanded.
"I know! Luckily, I have a plan for that. It's already pretty damaged as it is, which is why I have this! Quagsire!" Brock yelled while sending out his last Pokémon.
Quagsire LVL 94 Water/Ground Damp Wide Lens
Muddy Water Earthquake Yawn Aqua Tail
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Forretress! Use Gyro Ball!" Nebula yelled. Forrestress retreated into its shell. It began to spin around very fast and shot right towards Froslass. "Because she is much faster than my Forrestress, and thanks to that Lagging Tail, that'll do wonders." She ranted a bit.
It was a direct hit, and she was sent into a wall. She was able to shrug it off and returned to the field.
"Use Earthquake!" Brock yelled.
"IDIOT!" Whitley shouted in anger.
Too late. Quagsire jumped up and slammed down to the ground, hard. It caused a powerful shock wave to the ground. Lapras, Forrestress, and Froslass got hit with the attack. Lapras and Froslass fell while Forrestress was able to withstand the attack.
"Both Lapras and Froslass are unable to battle! Forrestress takes the win!" Glynda yelled.
"What were you thinking!?" Whitley asked angrily while he and his sister returned their Pokémon.
"Forretress is stronger than you realize. I used to have one a while back, and I know how to deal with it. Now allow me to finish what we started." Brock answered while Whitley stayed back.
'Doesn't he realize that he's outnumbered 2-1? It'd be a miracle if he won this.' Whitley thought to himself.
"Weiss! You thinking what I'm thinking?" Nebula asked.
"Oh yes. I think it's time we finally ended this match once and for all. And I'll start it off with this! Go Borealis!" Weiss yelled while sending out an Alolan Ninetails onto the field.
Alolan Ninetails/Borealis LVL 95 Ice/Fairy Snow Cloak
Confuse Ray Freeze-Dry Dazzling Gleam Ice Beam
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Use Freeze-Dry!" Weiss yelled.
Borealis charged a ball of light blue energy. She then fired it at Quagsire.
"Use Muddy Water!" Brock yelled.
Quagsire commanded the water in the air and converted it into mud on the ground around it. It then launched it right at the attack. The two attacks connected, and the Muddy Water froze.
"But why!?" Nebula asked with confusion.
"I have my reasons." Brock said with a smirk.
The girls gasped as the frozen attack crashed down onto their Pokémon. Both of them got damaged by it.
'Well…seems I've underestimated Brock. By predicting what move my sister would use, he turned that attack against her and Nebula. Clever move.' Whitley thought with a smirk.
"Forrestress! Magnet Rise!" Nebula yelled.
Forretress began to channel magnetism throughout its body, making it able to avoid being hit by the Earthquake.
"Use Confuse Ray!" Weiss yelled.
Borealis extended her tails, and a flash of bright purple light shot out of them. Quagsire began to get confused as its head began to feel dizzy.
"Come on! Shrug it off, and use Aqua Tail on the Ninetails!" Brock commanded.
Quagsire attempted to use the attack, but unfortunately, it hit itself in confusion, trying to get its head in the game.
"Let's finish it together in one fell swoop!" Nebula said to Weiss.
"Light the way!" She said.
"Forretress! Go for one more Gyro Ball!" Nebula yelled.
"Follow it up with Freeze-Dry!" Weiss yelled.
Forrestress launched another fast-spinning attack on Quagsire. The attack hit, and it was sent out of the battlefield. Borealis followed it up with another burst of light blue energy and fired it at it. It froze while being sent into a wall and fell onto the ground. The Quagsire fainted on the spot.
"Quagsire is unable to battle! Forrestress and Ninetails win! The winner of this round goes to Weiss Schnee and Nebula Violette!" Glynda announced.
"Alright! Girl power!" Nebula yelled happily before high-fiving Weiss.
"I knew you could do it. Now we're that much further into the tournament." Weiss said. She then turned towards Whitley, who was on his knees and looking down in shock. "Dear brother…you fought well. Father would be proud." She said after going to him.
"Shut up…" He said, making her freeze up. "Failure is never an option. Thanks to you…I'm nothing." He said.
"Whitley…" She said while kneeling down to him.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" He shouted as his anger exploded out of him while he shoved her away.
"AH!" She yelled when she fell backwards.
"KEEP OUR FATHER OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" Whitley screamed as tears rolled down his eyes and Weiss got back up. "YOU ARE NOTHING BU-huh?" He stopped when Weiss slammed herself onto him and hugged him tight.
"Whitley…please. Stop this. Mother and Winter wouldn't want you to continue these ways. I know you and I have not been on good terms lately." She said before slowly pulling away and holding his shoulders. "But I still love you as my brother." She finished.
Back at the stands, Ash, Blake, Sun, and Yang cheered as their friends defeated another traitor. Ash knew that Misty and Max were the only ones left.
"Go, Weiss!" Yang yelled.
"You did it!" Ash called out. Brock looked towards his general direction and glared at him. "Don't…" He whispered knowing what Brock was gonna do.
"Ketchum…" Brock growled before slowly turning away and began to leave.
Weiss and Nebula watched as Brock left while leaving his partner behind. Weiss had a hunch about what was gonna happen, but she chose to focus on her brother.
"Whitley…please." She begged.
"Save your pity…and don't give me any more of that 'father would be proud' crap. You don't understand, and you never will." Whitley said while pulling away from her.
"Whitley!" Winter's voice called out as she walked towards them. "You did great, little brother." She said.
"Pttf. I don't need your pity." Whitley said before starting to walk away.
"Whitley…" Winter whispered.
Ever since the news spread that their father Jacques Schnee was killed not long before the final confrontation with Salem, Whitley had been suffering the worst. He saw his father as an idol and only worshipped him more when he took Weiss's place as heir to the family business. But now that he's gone, he's been all the more resentful towards his family that he despised, even his own mother.
"I honestly thought he'd change. But I now fear the worst for him." Weiss said.
"Agreed. Come along now." Winter said before they left the stadium.
After they left, they saw Ash, Blake, Sun, and Yang coming towards them. Ruby and the rest joined them as well.
"Go, Weiss!" Ruby yelled while embracing her best friend.
"Thanks Ruby…" Weiss said while looking down and didn't even hold her.
"Weiss?" Blake asked.
"Come on! Let's see that smile!" Yang said with glee while making Weiss smile by pulling the sides of her lips.
"Yang!" Weiss yelled while she began to crack up.
"But hey, look on the bright side. Maybe this can be a life lesson to him." Ash said while trying to keep her hopes high.
"How?" She asked.
"Losing is a powerful lesson that any teacher can give out. After the traitors did this to me years ago, I learned from my failures when I failed to save my first partner, Pikachu. He continued to follow in his father's footsteps which only continued to lead him to his greatest downfall. If he learns from this, he'll be a better trainer and a better person." He explained.
"That…actually makes a lot of sense." She said while pondering it a bit.
"A wise man, eh Ash?" Yang asked.
"No. Just something I learned after defeating Max's father back in Hoenn years prior." Ash said.
"Well, either way, I'm sure my dear brother will come around." Winter said.
"KETCHUM!" Brock's voice boomed nearby.
Everyone looked at his general direction with a pair of giant gauntlets with Dust crystals glowing from around it.
"Lower your weapons, Brock! If you do not cooperate, I will have you placed under arrest for threatening assault with a weapon!" Winter demanded while having her sword on standby.
"This doesn't concern you! I have a score to settle with him! I'll make you pay for humiliating me!" Brock yelled while slamming his gauntlets together, causing a shock wave to blast out of them.
"Winter…I'll take care of him, and you can have him afterwards." Ash said while readying his Keyblade.
Winter looked at him for a moment until she put her sword away.
"Very well." She said.
"What did I do to humiliate you? If anything, you should be angry at Nebula and Weiss." Ash asked him.
"Screw them! It's you I want!" Brock yelled before charging in and fire and electric Dust crystals glowed and powered up the gauntlets.
Ash sighed and put his Keyblade to the front in a defensive position.
"Reflega!" He yelled.
A barrier formed around him, and Brock's gauntlets collided with it. He continued to hit to try to break the barrier, but after he stopped, it didn't leave a scratch.
"What!?" Brock yelled in confusion.
"Impact!" Ash yelled.
The barrier exploded and light energy overtook Brock and sent him flying backwards into a wall hard. His gauntlets fell off and he fell onto his front. Winter rushed in and cuffed him.
"You had been warned. And now, I'm taking you in." She said before she called in for guards to take him away. After they took him away, Winter looked back at them. "All too easy." She said while brushing her hair out of her face.
"Thanks, sis." Weiss said.
"If this sort of thing keeps up, we'll be out of combatants." Ash joked a bit, making only Ruby and Yang giggle.
"Ash…this is serious. I'm sensing a pattern that is happening. If these traitors are causing more trouble, something else is afoot. This cannot be a coincidence." Winter said.
"Perhaps you're right. It's Max that's what concerns me. If he has my partner and forces him to evolve, then I fear that I would have the biggest struggle to face him." Ash said.
"Then I'll battle against that Raichu. Plus, if he is a Shadow Pokémon, then we have an advantage. I've studied these types of Pokémon, and their hearts will be reopened with enough kindness and love. In this case, a reminder of what he was: you're first trainer and friend." Blake said.
Ash looked at her, and she smiled with confidence. He slowly nodded and smiled back at her.
"Thanks, Blake." He said.
Suddenly, Ruby's scroll buzzed. She looked and she was getting a call from her dad.
"Ah! Daddy!" She yelled happily before answering. "Hello, dad!" She sang.
"Ruby! We got company! It's Mercury Black! He's here!" Taiyang yelled from the other line.
"WHAT!?" Yang screamed as her eyes turned red and her eyes glowed like it was on fire.
"BUT WHY WOULD HE GO THERE!?" Ruby shouted with her eyes shrunk from fright.
"When we deal with him, we're gonna find out! Qrow and I are dealing with him! Don't worry about us! We'll take care of this!" Taiyang insisted.
"No way! We're on our way! I almost lost you guys last year, not again!" Ruby yelled before she hung up.
"I might be able to get you guys there. All I need is a picture or something that'll show me where it is." Ash said.
"This isn't much, but here." Yang said while showing him a picture of her, Ruby, Taiyang, and a Rockruff at a wooden home after the battle the previous year.
"All I needed to see." Ash said before prepping Divine Elemental. He fired a beam of light at a wall and created a portal. "I used this to get around the world while in hiding. Let's go!" He yelled before he ran through it and everyone else followed.
The portal opened up on the other side and they saw Mercury fighting against Taiyang and Qrow, and Mercury was shown to have the advantage.
"DAD! UNCLE QROW!" Yang screamed before prepping her Ember Celica.
"HALT MERCURY BLACK!" Winter screamed.
Mercury looked back at them, and his eyes shrank with fright.
"Where the hell did you come from!?" He yelled before attempting to flee.
"Oh, no you don't!" Yang yelled before she used her weapons to shoot herself forward and engaged in a fight with him.
"Hang on, we're coming!" Weiss yelled before they all joined them.
They all overpowered Mercury until Yang finally pinned him down and Ruby sliced off Mercury's wooden legs, rendering him useless in battle.
"What the hell are you doing at my house!?" Taiyang demanded when he grabbed him by his chest and prepared to punch his lights out.
"The sword. Raven needs it for her to do her job. Besides, what do you care? You never truly went after her anyway to bring her home." He said while mocking her.
"My sister gained some common sense and she's taking responsibility for her actions. We can inform them about what you've been doing and I'm sure the council will be glad to take you back and you'll die for your massive failure. Also, jokes on you, her sword is gone." Qrow said.
"You're lying. It's in there because a few Heartless informed us it was here. In fact…GET OUT OF HERE!" Mercury shouted just as some Heartless emerged from the house with said sword in its scabbard.
"NO!" Qrow screamed before charging in and slashing at them. Just when he thought he defeated them, they didn't die but multiplied instead. "What!?" He yelled in shock.
"Oh no you don't!" Ash yelled while taking a swing at them. This time, with the use of his Keyblade, they were destroyed, and a crystalized heart floated into the air and vanished. "That seemed to have done it." He said before picking up Raven's sword and scabbard.
"NO! HASX, FORGIVE ME!" Mercury screamed with fright knowing that he really did fail his mission.
"Mercury Black, you're under arrest for breaking and entering, assault, and attempted murder." Winter said before cuffing him.
"This isn't over! Hasx will win, and Salem will make sure that Weedles and Venipedes feed on your flesh, Ketchum!" Mercury yelled.
"He'll have to kill me himself." Ash said.
"In do time!" Hasx's voice spoke from around them. He appeared right by Winter and took a powerful swipe at Winter with Dark Reincarnation, sending her right to the house. "The sword and scabbard. Hand it over!" He demanded Ash.
Ash dismissed Divine Elemental and decided to try out the sword.
"Not unless I can stop you now!" Ash yelled before they clashed again.
"HAHAHAHA! Do you think you can handle a weapon you never used!? You're more pathetic than I thought! In fact…" Hasx yelled before kicking Ash away and backflipping away a good bit. He then transformed his Keyblade into a whip and latched it onto Ash's gut. "Come here!" He yelled before yanking him towards him and punched him in the face, knocking him out and blood began to pour out of his now broken nose.
"NO!" Team RWBY screamed before they readied their weapons and they attempted to strike at Hasx. Their weapons connected with his Keyblade, and he struggled to hold them back.
"Worthless scums!" Hasx yelled while his fingers began to channel dark electricity. He aimed it at the ground and fired it, only to have it bounce off the ground and send Team RWBY flying away while paralyzing them. "Lay down!" He yelled.
Semblance Analysis
Hasx: Anti-Aura
This semblance channels powerful electricity that targets aura specifically. With enough power channeled, it can destroy the aura of another to the point where it can be critically fatal for the victim. The more it is used, the weaker it eventually becomes.
Just as Hasx was reaching for Raven's sword Omen, a loud screeching sound was heard from the distance. They saw a Murkrow soaring towards them and dove right at Hasx. Its eyes glowed purple, and Hasx began to get petrified with shock.
"That's Raven's Murkrow! It must be using Mean Look!" Blake yelled while she and her team slowly got up.
Meanwhile, Grace shot out of her ball and saw the damage he was going through.
'NO! ASH!' She screamed while holding him. Her anger exploded out of her and faced the one responsible for his injury. 'MONSTER!' She screamed as her psychic powers began to get out of control.
"Dust this Ash impostor!" Qrow yelled before he, Grace and Team RWBY began to open fire on Hasx while Taiyang got to Omen and held onto it tight, and Murkrow began to use Gust at him. When the smoke cleared, they saw Hasx on his knee, but he slowly stood up and dusted himself off. "HOW!?" He shouted.
"I admit, I underestimated you all. But this isn't over." Hasx said before looking at Mercury. "Failure." He said before he fired his Anti-Aura right at him at full blast, killing him instantly. He then fired a bit at the Murkrow, making it enough to make it faint and the Mean Look effect wore off.
"Whoa…" Yang said with fright.
"I could kill Ash now, but I'm feeling a little generous. Until next time." He said before using his Keyblade as a whip again, and it latched onto Omen and yanked it towards him. "Tata." He said before disappearing.
"No…that was the only thing to keep Raven close…" Taiyang said before he fell to his knees in shame.
"Dad…none of this is your fault." Yang said while going to him and supporting him.
"Uh…where is he?" Winter asked while slowly getting up.
"Winter! Are you okay?" Weiss asked while helping her sister up.
"I'm fine. Ash!" She yelled before she sprinted towards him. She checked his pulse and heartbeat. "He's okay, but that nose could use a bit of a fixup." She said before putting a couple of fingers on it and channeling aura into it, making it snap back into place and the bleeding began to stop.
Qrow went to the fainted Murkrow and held it.
"Raven…you tried to warn us and help us. I say you've redeemed yourself, sis." He said before taking it inside to tend to it.
"Let's get him inside." Taiyang said before they went to Ash, and they got him onto a couch so he could recover.
'Ash…' Grace whispered in sadness while holding her trainer's heart.
"He'll be okay, Grace. We know this." Blake said.
"I was wrong. It was a good thing you all came." Taiyang said to his kids and teammates.
"Don't thank us for all of it. Ash helped get us here." Ruby said.
"Of course. Anyone who is a friend of you all is a friend of mine." He said.
Just then, Xedrek appeared from a portal right by Ash, catching everyone there off guard. He aimed Void Gear at him.
"Curaga!" He yelled.
A burst of green light flashed all around him and the surrounding area, healing them all from the pains they suffered from the fight. Ash shot his eyes open and sat up.
"ASH!" Blake and Winter shouted happily as they hugged him, and Grace followed shortly afterwards.
"Um…" Blake asked as an awkward moment happened as she and Winter were this close with Ash, and they kinda broke apart from him.
"Xedrek? What's up?" Ash asked while looking at the Nobody.
"What's up is that it's time. It's time for you to face the final test." Xedrek said before turning his back towards them. He then looked back. "Show me the Mark of Mastery." He finished.
Okay! Thank you so much for reading. This took me WAY too long for me to finish. Sickness that went all around this Winter has been annoying for most of us, and it is more of a distraction to me while tending to them, and even getting hit with a bug a while back. I'm going to be trying to be more efficient with my time writing these stories for you guys. Either way, thank you for reading and thank you for your patience. TheD-Rock900 is singing off! See you next time!