Chapter 49 – A storm of swords
"Charizard…Ashachu!" Ash experienced a lurch of dread in the middle of his stomach as the shape of the dragon like Pokémon spreadeagled on the roof of the train. He couldn't see Ashachu.
"Pikaka!"
He sprinted towards them, not taking care where he was going, and tripped over something unseen on the roof below. He felt an explosion of pain in his right ankle, though luckily, he was nowhere near the side of the carriage.
Pikachu slipped from his shoulder but managed to land on his paws. Ash crawled across the roof until he was by Charizard's side. In the dim light, he could make out the large Pokémon lying on his back, not moving.
The flame at the end of his tail had reduced to all but an ember! "Charizard… No."
"Pikachuu." Pikachu let off a spark, causing his cheeks and body to start to glow with a yellow light. It wasn't bright, but it was enough to be to see Charizard's body clearly.
"Thanks buddy."
Ash felt another pang in his stomach. Poor Charizard was covered in drying blood, the cream-coloured scales of his belly stained red and purple and there was a large scar across his abdomen. At least he wasn't still bleeding.
"Oh Charizard!"
"Zarrd." Charizard grunted, his eyes opening wide at the sound of Ash's voice. He raised his right claw, reaching out to Ash.
"D-don't try to move," Ash said feebly.
But Charizard, it quickly transpired, wasn't reaching to him, but instead reached for his neck. And that's when Ash noticed him. Lying on his side on the cold metal surface beside Charizard, unconscious and unmoving, was…
"Ashachu!" Ash grabbed his kit and cradled him in his arms. "Ashachu. Ashachu what's wrong? Please wake up."
His body lay limp in his arms and felt cold. Was he…No he couldn't be? Anything but that!
"Pikaka," Pikachu let out a soft cry his eyes wide in shock and sorrow, his ears and tail drooping.
"Ashachu used his aura to heal me."
The sound of Charizard whispery grunt made Ash look back up at him.
"Charizard."
"He gave his life force to save me. And i'm not sure it was it was enough." A single tear formed in Charizard's right eye.
"Charizard…I." Ash had no idea what to say.
Pikachu let out another mournful cry of "Pika!"
"Do you see now Shadow," barked a commanding voice against the howl of the wind.
Ash looked over his shoulder to see Zacian and Shadow squaring off. The two legendary Pokémon glaring at each other across the train, sizing each other up. Tension filled the air…there was going to be a battle.
"It's not just the Pokémon you tortured and killed whom you made suffer. It's their families and their mates as well. Their parents and their siblings. How many lives have you ruined? Do you seriously feel no remorse? No sense of compassion or empathy for your fellow Pokémon?"
"Such hypocrisy," Shadow hissed back at her, his icy and deadly. "You lecture me about compassion for other Pokémon when you do the bidding of Team Rocket. When you commit yourself to the capture and enslavement of many thousands of Pokémon."
Zacian growled but didn't say anything.
"What is Team Rocket's motto. That all Pokémon exist for the glory of Team Rocket. Do you exist for the glory of Team Rocket, Zacian?"
Zacian's eyes narrowed to slits and she bared her teeth at Shadow. "I don't have to justify my past to you. You don't know what I've been through."
"And I could repeat that exact phrase back to you. Yet it is you who presumes to judge me."
Zacian growled. "I may have done some terrible things. But have never, ever killed another Pokémon. I've never tortured them, I never made them suffer. I've never pulled anyone's tongue out or peeled off their scales. Or gouge out anyone's eyes. And the terrible things that I've done, I did because Team Rocket forced me to do them. Against my will. You have no excuse for what you've done."
Shadow chuckled. An evil sounding laugh that made the hair on Ash's neck stand on end. "Is that truly how you justify it yourself. You are but a puppet, a puppet that lacks the resolve expected in a hero. It would seem those legends told only lies, for you to forsake the ideals of protecting so easily everyone to serve the humans. How disappointing."
"You're right Shadow. I'm no hero. I'm not going to kill you out of some vague principal of right or wrong. I'm going to kill you because of what you did to this Charizard. I'm going to kill you because of what you did to Ashachu. And I'm going to kill you because of what you did to my mate!"
Shadow's red eye gleamed and when he next spoke it was with an air of curiosity. "To your mate. Do you even have a mate? I must say I am ignorant of the particulars of your accusation."
"Don't play dumb with me," snarled Zacian, saliva dripping from her fangs. "You murdered him. Your tortured him, and you murdered him in cold blood."
"I am well aware your mate could have been one of countless corpses I have made, perhaps if they made an impact, I would remember them. But like you, history will forget them, they say legends never die, but you stand as a testament to the falsehoods of legend. You blindly assist those who harm the innocent, and you have the audacity to call yourself hero? As I said before, you deserve death."
"You don't remember him. You don't remember killing him and his brother. Fine. I won't let you besmirch his memory or taunt me about how he died, by telling you who he was. You ruined my life the day you took him from me. I suspect you've never thought about the Pokémon you've murdered. About the families and friends, they left behind. Look."
She flicked her head gesturing towards Charizard and the other. "Do you not see Charizard's friends and family gathered around him. Did you not see his mate sacrifice for him? You didn't just try to take Charizard's life. You tried to take him from his best friends. You tried to take him from his family. Take him from his mate and egg."
"Egg," Ash repeated, looking at Pikachu then at Charizard. "What's she…" And that's when he noticed it. Clutched in Charizard's other claw, only just visible in the light from Pikachu's spark, the little oval shaped eggs. Ash suddenly felt sick. Charizard and Ashachu an egg. Charizard and Ashachu were going to be parents.
"You tried to take the father away from that unhatched Charmander." Zacian bellowed, her voice so loud it echoed. "if anyone deserves death. IT's YOU!"
She pounced….
[Pokémon]
Meanwhile…
"So am I to take it Ms. Cassidy and Mr…. Biff, wasn't it?"
"Butch," Butch said through gritted teeth in response to Rose's question. Wasn't anyone ever going to get his name right.
"I see. Am I to take it that you would prefer to Jessie and James here turned over to the authorities in Pokémon Nation? While we in Galar are more civilized, Kanto has the death penalty. You sure you want members of Team Rocket in the hands of the government with every incentive to flip on the organisation."
"Oh please, they don't know anything valuable," snapped Cassidy. "They're not exactly what you would call high ranking members. The-hea!"
Jessie's face slowly turned redder and redder and her hands, still caught in Tangela's vines, curled into fists. "why you!"
At that moment another man entered the compartment. He was young, Ash's age or slightly older, dressed in what appeared to a uniform of sorts. It consisted of a white and black sports jacket, a tight-fitting shirt and pants, a pair of black sunglasses and a white cap.
An insignia of some kind was splashed across the front of his shirt; two interlinking hexagons inside two large hexagons with the single word ROSE printed beneath.
"Chairman Rose, Sir" he said as he came running to a halt. "Thought you ought to know that Team Rocket's containment system has just failed sir. Shadow's free."
Rose raised his eyebrows. "Oh, is that so! In that case, there is no purpose to any further negotiation. Ms. Oleana, seal the train."
The hard-faced woman nodded and replied, "Right away." She reached into her dress and pulled out a communicator. "Orders of za Chairman. Raised ze armaments. Arm doors. Prepare for battle!"
An alarm sounded throughout the carriage and there was a hissing sound and plates of amour dropped across the windows. The lighting within the carriage changed from a soft orange to a red.
Along the sides of the carriage, computer equipment, consoles and monitors appeared, rising from trapdoors in the floor or else dropping down from panels in the ceiling. A large projector screen unrolled from the ceiling and an arm on the side of a monitor reached out, holing a small data projector.
"Launch drone," Oleana snapped into her communicator.
Just like had happened back aboard Team Rocket's train, the screen filled with an overhead image of the two trains motionless on the track. As they watched, the camera zoomed in one of the carriages somewhere in the middle of Shadowpiercer, where Darkrai was fighting, and…
"Hey! Isn't that the twerps" gasped James. It was the first words he had spoken since being led into the carriage.
"Yeah! What 'appened to Charizard," added Meowth.
"Looks like another poor victim has succumbed to Shadow's wrath," commented Rose. "And that Team Rocket's containment system isn't all it's cracked up to be. It seems I have no need to negotiate any more. Oleana, I think you know what to do!"
Oleana nodded once before raising her communicator. "Truce off. Prepare attack." She then took a number of Pokéballs from her belt…
[Pokémon]
Back on the roof…
Ash, Pikachu, Charizard and Blade watched with bated breath as Zacian, and Shadow started to fight. Zacian slashed at the Darkrai with the sword fused to her chin. Shadow conjured a long needle out of pure energy (similar to the one Nova produced when he used the move cut) to parry Zacian's strike.
Zacian's head and Shadow's arms became blurs as they struck out at each other again, and again. The blades invisible to the human eye – though not the Pokémon eye, Pikachu could see what was happening. The clinks and clashes of the blades hitting one another echoed.
Slowly they were moving away, disappearing into the darkness of the night, as they moved further and further up the train. Whether this was because Zacian was advancing on Shadow to force him to retreat, or he was luring her away it wasn't clear.
"Shadow!"
There was a clattering of claws, and Blade suddenly ran toward them, clearly desperate to get to the Darkrai. Ash stood up and took out a Pokéball. "Oh no you don't. Totodile, I choose you!" He tossed the ball into the air.
"Wah-wah wah-wah!"
Even in spite of the situation, and the cold and the snow, Totodile could help dancing excitedly from one paw to the other. He didn't seem to notice Charizard lying weakly beside him, nor the limp form of Ashachu in his trainer's arms.
"Stop that Sneasel."
"Wah!" Totodile positioned himself right in Blade's path.
Blade continued to charge, raising his claw. "Get out of my way! Ahhhh…oh!"
Totodile opened his maw wide, as Blade prepared to strike. His jaws came down hard on the Sneasel's claw, and Blade felt an explosion of pain as those knife-like teeth dug into his wrist.
"Fuck, get off me." Bladed tried to pull his claw free. He tried and he tried, but he couldn't. Totodile was holding on too tightly.
Blade gaped at him and Totodile just stared back with what looked like excitement in his eyes. How did such a small Pokémon have such a powerful bite? Totodile flicked his head, and Blade was thrown into the air, a painful tug on his arm that almost ripped it from its socket.
He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, knowing what was about to happen. Pain engulfed him as his body was slammed hard into the cold metal. As if this wasn't enough, Totodile flicked his head the other way, and Blade was tossed back in the other direction.
And then again, and again….
Meanwhile, Ash lay Ashachu down on Charizard's belly, before turning to his partner. "Pikachu. I'm going to help Zacian. Stay here with Ashachu and Charizard."
"Pikapi."
Pikachu shook his head vigorously, but Ash said sternly, "these two need you. They need you to protect them and keep them safe. Here."
Pikachu felt him press something against his chest. Placing his paws on it, he quickly realised that it was his cap. "What are you," he begun looking up at Ash, only to find the boy pulling off his belt.
"Pokéballs."
One…two… Those must have been Ashachu and Charizard's…. three…four….
"If it gets bad. If it looks like we can't win, then I want you to take Ashachu and Charizard and get them to safety. Sniveon and Geyser too. I can't let them risk their lives. They're too…Young. Here, that's Yveltal's ball. "he placed another ball into the cap. "Use it to get out of here."
"But Ash." Pikachu's voice trembled and his body shook.
"I'm sorry Pikachu. I'm sorry it's come to this. It's my fault. It's my fault we're stuck here. It's my fault Shadow tried to kill Ashachu. When Ashachu wakes up." He didn't want to say if. "Tell him I'm sorry and that I love him."
"Ash please."
"Sorry Pikachu. But I can't let Zacian fight and die for us alone. I'm going to help her if I can. Take care of them buddy. I love you."
And with that, he knelt down over Pikachu and kissed him once on the top of his head, his right hand brushing the mouse's cheek, before getting back to his feet and running into the dark after Zacian.
"Ash…Wait." Pikachu cried as he watched his trainer disappear into the dark and snow. "You can't leave now. I tried to tell you this over lunch in Motorstoke, but…I'M PREGNANT!"
[Pokémon]
Without the light of Pikachu's spark or Charizard's flame, and with his weak human eyes, the darkness became almost complete. It was difficult to see the ground immediately in front of him. The only light he could see was the gleam of Darkrai's eye up ahead.
Ash knew that wrong step here and he was dead. One wrong step here, and he could fall off the side of the train into who knew what. His heart started to race, and a cold sweat drenched his body. He took a deep breath and pulled out two Pokéballs.
"Oshawott, Sylveon. Come on out."
The flashed of light from the Pokéballs briefly illuminated the faces of the two Pokémon as they materialised. They both seemed fearful and unsure of themselves in the unfamiliar surroundings. Sylveon tilted her head and flicked her ear curiously and Oshawott drummed on his Scalchop with his claws.
"Vee."
"Oshawott."
"Alright, Sylveon use Moon blast. And Oshawott Hydro Pump," Ash commanded, trying to retain his composure, and pointing at Shadow's red eye in the distance.
Oshawott and Sylveon, whose superior night vision enabled them to see Shadow, both nodded, before spinning around and firing their attacks. Shadow and Zacian had been locked in claw-to-claw combat, their 'swords' held high in the air, locked against the other as each Pokémon tried to force the other back.
This left Shadow vulnerable and open, with no way to protect himself from the onslaught from Ash's two Pokémon. He lost his footing as the attacks struck and was forced to retreat backwards as he felt Zacian break his grip. Unfortunately for her, he was slightly too quick, and managed to avoid being struck with the blade.
"Huh…Ash." Zacian looked over her shoulder, her eyes going wide when she saw Ash, Sylveon and Oshawott. "What are you doing."
"We've got your back Zacian," declared Ash.
"Slyvee."
"Wott Osha!"
"He's too strong," Zacian barked, shaking her head. "You need to run."
"No way," replied Ash. "Friends stick together."
Zacian's muzzle quivered, then spread into a wide grin. "Yeah! Friends stick together." She turned back to her foe. "You see that Shadow. You never wanted a friend. All you have is that Sneasel you have tried to possess. He will soon be free of you."
"You may bring your allies Sylveon," replied Shadow, his cold monotonal voice unchanged. "You are only bringing them to their doom."
Oshawott took his Scalchop off his belly and brandished it at the Darkrai like a knife. "Oh, I don't think so!"
"We're not afraid of you," growled Sylveon.
"Then you die braver than most!"
[Pokémon]
Aboard Chairman Rose's train…
"While Shadow was caught in the zero-point energy devices installed on the roof of you train," explained Rose. "A genius example of engineering. Credit where credit is due."
If either Jessie, James, Meowth, Butch or Cassidy were flattered by the Chairman's compliment they didn't show. They glared at him stoically as he continued his long-winded explanation.
"With Shadow already captured like that, it made sense to negotiate. If we attacked that system or tried to take Shadow by force, you could always free him. Or use EM Waves to turn Shadow on my employees and Pokémon. Now he is free, and being safely within this train, the position is very different." He squinted at the image on the screen. "Hmmm. Darkrai is sufficiently close to the roof. The other locomotive will be getting closer too."
[Pokémon]
With Ash…
Shadow lifted his sword above his head and charged at Zacian. She rose onto her hind legs, bringing her own up to meet his.
Ash took a deep breath and looked down at his partners. "You ready Oshawott."
"Osha," replied the little Otter with a nod and a weak smile.
"Alright. Let's do it…"
"Osshaaa!" A spiralling Coolum of water covered Oshawott's body as he let out a loud cry.
Ash closed his eyes as the strange, yet familiar feeling taking him over. At that moment, he was no longer just Ash Ketchum. He was both himself, and he was Oshawott. And Oshawott was Oshawott and himself. Like they'd both been merged as one soul then split in two different beings.
When he opened his eyes again, he found he was no longer looking at the cute little blue and white sea otter. Instead, he was looking at a formidable looking Samurott, whose colour and pattern of his fur bore a resemble to Ash's clothes and with tuffs of raved fur poking out below the helmet like shell growing on his head.
"NOW USE RAZORSHELL!"
"ROTTTTTTTTT!"
Oshawott, now Samurott (or Ashurott), rose onto his hind legs and drew his Simitars from the sheath like shells on his front legs. Ash felt himself mimicking the motion, holding his arms aloft as if he too were armed with swords.
It might have looked comical if not for the seriousness of the situation….
"Rott!" Oshawott threw himself at Shadow his Simitars clashing with Shadow's needle. The Darkrai was now forced to trade swords with both him and Zacian, all while Sylveon fired another Moon blast at his belly.
And then suddenly everything around them changed. The cold wind buffering Ash's skin ceased, and he felt as though he had been enveloped in warmth. He shivered, goosebumps forming all over his body as he got used to the new sensation.
At the same time his vision became blinded by a white light. 'What…am I.' For a split second he had the, rather cliché thought, that he had died. That Shadow had struck him down with a blow.
Then his eyes adjusted to the light, and he was able to make out the rows of seats, luggage racks, the walls, and ceilings. It quickly dawned on him what has happened. "The warp tiles."
"Vee."
"Osh."
Sylveon and Oshawott were also surprised by the sudden change to their surroundings, but they had little time to adjust or take it in, as Shadow attacked again. Beneath his feet Ash felt a now familiar jolt, followed by a vibration.
Somewhere in the distance there was the whining of an engine. The train was moving again. At the far end, the second locomotive that had been chasing Team Rocket had caught up with them and had coupled to the end of Rose's train.
Together with the combined power of the other two engines, Team Rockets being under the Chairman's control, it was slowly pulling them north. Back towards the Crown Tundra Station. Back towards the Galar region. Back towards civilisation.