The winds were blowing as Mark and Ardos faced each other on opposite ends as Simon and Constance watched with the unconscious Mermista. As the battle was about to begin, the others were beginning to emerge to the top.
"Whoa…seems we came just in time." Jexi said as they all emerged.
"Guys. Come quick! Mermista has been hit with Pecharunt's poison!" Simon said.
"Oh, coming!" Perfuma said as they ran over.
"Before we battle…I wanna add one rule." Mark said.
"A rule?" Ardos asked.
"Yeah, that whole rule where you can only carry six Pokémon? I think we should both break that restriction. You got Pecharunt, so you were already planning to send him out if I managed to beat all six of yours, right? Might as well make it even."
"I see…so that is what you mean. Very well. Instead of six on six…we'll do 8 on 8 then." Ardos said.
"That'll do." Mark said.
"However, only you must fight. No assistance from your allies." Ardos said.
"That's fine. It's personal with me and you anyway." Mark said.
Cipher Admin, The Blue Guard - Ardos
(Cue: Boss Battle 2- Legend of Dragoon)
"Now…let's go! Swellow! Alakazam!" Ardos called out as he sent out Swellow and Alakazam, a shadow aura radiating off Swellow.
"So Swellow's a Shadow, huh?" Mark said as he fished out two Pokéballs. "Deus, Froslass, you're up!" he said, sending out his
"(Lord Deus, let us bring Mark his victory together!)" Froslass said in infatuation.
"(Yes. Let us take the darkness from this man's side and add them to our army!)" Deus laughed.
"Your Pokémon are just as odd as I've heard. But…you won't be able to win. Swellow, use Shadow Sky! Alakazam, attack Kingambit with Fire Punch!" Ardos commanded.
Swellow unleashed a dark sphere into the sky as it darkened as dark hailstones rained down as Alakazam levitated towards Deus with its fist on fire.
"(Hmph. A foolish move!)" Deus declared as he drew upon Dark-type energy into his blades, meeting the Fire-type punch with a Sucker Punch, before swinging his head blade down into a Night Slash.
"(Gah!)" Alakazam cried out after being slashed.
"Swellow, deal with that lunatic swordsman! Shadow Break!" Ardos said as Swellow took the sky and flew right at Deus.
"(Is that really your best move?)" Froslass asked as a Blizzard blew in and started freezing Swellow solid. "(You won't one of your filthy feathers onto my lord!)"
"He's not even giving them orders…yet they're fighting well without a trainer's command." Ardos said. "I knew there was a reason we needed to claim this man for Cipher."
Alakazam tried to land another Fire Punch before Deus slashed him with Night Slash, taking it down.
"Grr….return!" Ardos said, recalling Alakazam. "Go, Kingdra!" he said as he switched to Kingdra. "Use Double-Edge on Kingambit!"
"(My lord!)" Froslass cried as she got in the way of the attack, halting the reckless assault. "(You dare raise a hand against my beloved?! I shall-!)"
"Dragon Breath." Argos commanded.
"(Wait, what?)" Froslass asked as she was blanketed in a mighty gust, knocking her out.
"Ooh…Froslass let her obsession get in the way." Mark hissed as he recalled Froslass. "Now then…Toyohisa, let's go!" the half-angel declared, sending out a Hakamo-o.
"(I've been waiting…my moment is here!)" Toyohisa called out.
"Interesting. Go and handle this!" Ardos commanded to Swellow and Kingdra.
"I think we've heard enough from you!" Mark said, tossing a ball at Swellow, pulling it inside before the ball clicked. "One Shadow down, Ardos. You wanna go for two?"
"Think I'll play around for a bit." Ardos said as he sent out Heracross next.
"(Very well…come at us, knaves!)" Deus commanded their enemies, readying a Kowtwo Cleave.
"Heracross, use Brick Break on Kingambit! And Kingdra, use Dragonbreath on Hakamo-o!" Ardos commanded as Heracross flew at Deus as his horn clashed with Deus's sword while Toyohisa was brawling it out while avoiding Dragonbreath.
"(At least give me a challenge!)" Toyohisa said as he struck Kingdra down with Dragon Claw.
"Hmm…a lively one. Fine…best to give him a fitting opponent." Ardos said as he recalled Kingdra before sending out an Electabuzz as a shadow aura radiated from it.
"Look out! Another Shadow Pokémon!" Mark warned.
"Electabuzz, Shadow Half, then Shadow Storm." Ardos commanded, everyone of the field losing half of their vitality, before a wicked storm managed to knock Toyohisa out. More bad news soon followed, as Heracross managed to win out against Deus, taking him down as well. "Hm. Seems were each down three."
"So we are." Mark said, calling both of his Pokémon back and fishing out two more. "Joan of Arc, Lei, let's go!" he said, sending out his Braixen and Comfey, the latter dressed in Sweet Style Holowear.
"Well this will be interesting. Electabuzz, Shadow Half and Shadow Storm again! And Heracross, use Rock Tomb on Braixen!" Ardos commanded.
"(You will burn in fire…)" Joan said as she jumped over the rocks before launching Flamethrower down on Heracross, taking it down rather easily.
"Hmm…fine…you just doubled your pain." Ardos said, recalling Heracross. "Snorlax!" he said sending out the sleeping giant as shadow aura radiated from its hulking form.
"Three Shadow Pokémon?!" Mark exclaimed in shock. "Did you steal the one Ghetsis was supposed to have or something?!"
"That idiot? He was too full of himself. Claiming Kyurem was all he needed." Ardos said. "Being a bodyguard to the grandmaster has a few incredible perks."
"Some would call it penalties…" Mark muttered to himself.
"Snorlax, finish off that Braixen with Shadow End." Ardos ordered as Snorlax suddenly jumped into the air, straight over Joan.
"(Stay strong, little one!)" Joan called to Lei as she was struck down by the attack.
Lei called out in distress, but then steeled herself, as she used Giga Drain on Electabuzz, restoring the vitality she had lost.
"What purpose does that serve? Your Comfey will still fall." Ardos stated.
"The point is that your Electabuzz is now in the red." Mark smiled as he snagged Electabuzz up. "And now you lost two! Oh, I bet the boss will be unhappy to hear that! You might just get your pay docked."
"Grr…least we're doing a rule of eight!" Ardos said as he sent out Aerodactyl next.
"Same with me. Time to show your stuff, Lu Bu!" Mark said, sending out the Tyranitar he obtained from Evice.
"One of Evice's Shadow Pokémon…very well. If you have what I suspect you have…" Ardos said, holding up a Mega Band.
"Oh, you bet I do." Mark replied, following suit.
"Beyond Evolution! Mega Evolve!"
The two Pokémon assumed their Mega Forms and roared at each other, as if it were a battle between ancient kaiju.
"This is intense!" Frosta said.
"Aerodactyl, Ancient Power!" Ardos called out as stones were hurled at Tyranitar only for them to be shattered by Tyranitar's tail.
Lu Bu used a Giga Impact to ram straight into his opponent, then bit down on them with Thunder Fang.
"Looks like Lu Bu's got this. Now how about Lei?" Mark said, looking over at his other Pokémon in the field, Lei was working to avoid Snorlax's attacks, which was easy thanks to the size difference. "Nice job dodging! How're you on attacking?"
"(I put some Leech Seeds on him, so he should be ready in a minute)!" Lei reported.
"Alright, works for me!" Mark said, turning his attention back to Lu Bu and Aerodactyl. "Time to finish it, Lu Bu! Use Hyper Beam!"
The Mega Tyranitar fired the Normal-type blast straight into the thoroughly ravaged Mega Evolution, taking it down.
"And as for Snorlax…!" Mark said, throwing yet another Pokéball and capturing the third Shadow Pokémon. "One left, Ardos. It's your move."
(Music Shift: Battle! Pecharunt - Pokèmon Scarlet and Violet)
"And I'll make sure it will be your last." Ardos said as Pecharunt floated into the battle as it came out of its shell.
"Pecharunt!" The Subjugation Pokémon roared in anger.
"Sounds like he remembers me." Mark noted. "So, think you can handle a one-v-four?"
Ardos was silent before he spoke. "I truly didn't wish to waste this here…but it seems I have no other choice." the bodyguard said, pulling a black as night Z-Crystal from his coat.
"Wait, that's the-!" Penny gasped.
"The Shadow Z-Crystal prototype." Twilight realized.
"(Anarchy, stop him!)" Asura yelled into Mark's head from inside his Pokéball.
"Huh? Why?" Mark asked.
"(That familiar feeling back in Kitakami, don't you remember?! If that Pokémon, used to be what we assumed it to be, then using a Z-Crystal will-!)"
"Fall…" Ardos spoke with no emotion, everyone's attention being drawn to him. "Fall beyond rage. Beyond fury. Beyond all thought and reason. You are nought but a tool. A weapon to further my ambitions. Discard your heart, your mind, and your soul. Become as dark as the shadows themselves. Shadow Fall."
Immense dark shadows enveloped Pecharunt, before a shadowy, blood-red aura began to blanket its cocoon.
"This Shadow Move…will force a Shadow Pokémon into Hyper Mode." Ardos stated. "Increasing its power tenfold. Not even your Legendaries can hope to-"
Just then, the cocoon began to pulse over and over, starting to grow bigger and bigger.
"What? What is this?" Ardos realized, not expecting this new development. Just then, an immense wave of energy radiated from where Pecharunt was, not only knocking both Lu Bu and Lei out, but also sending Ardos himself flying backwards, slamming against the door. "No…! What's happening?!"
"Pecharunt's gone completely out of control!" Himiko noted.
"No…not Pecharunt." Mark realized as he steeled himself, pulling out his last two Pokéballs. "...Gohma Vlitra."
The cocoon, now the size of a human, unfurled to reveal a humanoid figure glowing purple and wrapped in Malignant Chains, Pecharunt itself trapped within the center of the beast. Four massive, purple arms sputtered out from the back, not allowing its legs to touch the ground. It then let out a primal scream of both pain and fury, rocking the island itself.
"What the heck is that?!" Carmine sputtered in both shock and fear.
"(Viltra, revived…. It can't be possible!)" Chakravartin said. "(That thing never had a soul to reincarnate! It's just not possible!)"
"If the stakes weren't high enough before…" Mark grimaniced, a beat of sweat rolling down his face as he sent out Asura and Ogrepon. "Get ready to fight for our lives, you two."
Gohma Vlitra roared before eyeing Ogerpon before it started roaring louder and hitting the ground in anger.
"(I had a feeling we would meet again one day, but seeing you like this…)" Ogrepon stated as she donned her Teal Mask. "(I almost feel sorry for you…but not much. Ready when you are, Asura!)"
"(Let's have this done. I've had enough of this monster to last a thousand more lifetimes!)" Asura stated angrily as he powered up.
The Will Of The Planet Reborn - Gohma Vlitra
(Music Shift - The Final Battle ~ASURA & YASHA vs. VLITRA - Asura's Wrath)
Vlitra's form moved as fast as sound, appready above the two Pokémon to crush them. The two narrowly avoided the descent, the ground they were just on being pulverized, the trainers behind them having to dig their feet in to avoid getting blown away.
"What is this? This was not how it was….grrr….no choice." Ardos said he went and took off running.
"Well that's not very brave of him." Jexi said.
"Considering his ace in the hole just turned a Pokémon into a world-destroying disaster? I'd say he made the best choice he could make." Scarlet pointed out.
Asura and Ogrepon were forced to continue dodging as Vlitra came at them with smashes, Shadow Balls, and Malignant Chains by the dozens, leaving them with little room to evade.
"(Asura, you fought him! Any ideas?)" Ogrepon asked.
"(I had my brother by my side then, and even then it was close.)" Asura stated, before eyeing Pecharunt locked at the chest center. "(But Pecharunt…if we can knock them out, it should cause Viltra to disappear.)"
"(So we aim at the chest? I can do that!)" Ogrepon said as she readied her cudgel. "(Besides, we have business to settle.)"
"(So you two have history?)" Asura asked.
"(He was the one who lead those three to steal my masks to begin with.)" Ogerpon said. "(The reason my first friend is gone…it's all because of him!)"
"(Then let's avenge him!)" Asura stated, using Vajra to grow four more arms, firing Swift out of each of them, hitting Pecharunt dead center, before following up with every punch attack he knew.
Ogrepon ran towards Vlitra, using Substitutes and Protects to avoid and block the attacks, leaping upwards towards her target. "(These! Masks! Aren't! Yours!)" Ogrepon yelled as she rapidly switched between each of her masks and lay into her enemy with vines.
Vlitra stumbled back as Pecharunt was shaking in the center, almost seething with anger. Despite the sign of weakness, it was clear that none of their attacks were doing any damage.
"(It's not working!)" Ogrepon exclaimed in frustration. "(All that power…and it was given to him, of all Pokémon?!)"
"(We need to go further.)" Asura said, holding a hand up towards his trainer.
"Right, Tera Orb!" Mark said, pulling his out. "But…which one?"
"(You go ahead. I have my own idea.)" Ogrepon stated.
"(Very well.)" Asura stated, pointing to himself.
"Got it!" Mark said, sending Asura into the Tera Orb, then sending him back out, now a pure Poison Type.
"(Me now!)" she said, waving her cudgel.
"You need a boost too?" Mark said, pulling out his Grass-type Z-Crystal, only to get a shake in return. "Not…just this one? You sure?"
"(I can do it this time! I've been practicing!)" Ogrepon stated.
"You're doing your first test of this in an actual fight that may very well be determining the fate of the world…yep, you're an Alliance Pokémon alright." Mark stated as he fished out the Rock, Fire, and Water-type Z-Crystals as well, throwing all of them towards Ogrepon, who began to radiate Z-energy.
"(You brought about too much pain in suffering back on Gaia…you will not do the same here!)" Asura roared in fury as he and his partner stoop strong as Vlitra practically exploded in rage, firing dozens of Malignant Chains towards them.
Flick both sticks up!
Both of Mark's Pokémon leapt up, avoiding the chain's initial rush, before the attack curled up and shot towards them once more.
"(Behind me!)" Asura ordered the Mask Pokémon as he began rapidly punching.
Press A rapidly!
Asura broke down the attacks, then turned his attention back as he began to charge up his Z-move. "(Whatever it is you're planning, do it now!)"
"(Right!)" Ogrepon said as she drew on the power of the Z-energy within her. "(Grass…Rock…Fire…Water… C'mon…C'mon…!)"
She felt her masks begin to radiate energy as her cudgel started to grow vines in all four colors.
"(Yes!)" She celebrated. "(Here it is! My first multi-type attack, just like Ogera! Nature's Cudgel!)"
"(Kamehameha!)" Asura roared as the two landed straight onto Vlitra's four arms blocking their way to Pecharunt. "(Out of our way!)"
Press X rapidly!
A = Vlitra
A = Vlitra
A = Vlitra
A = Vlitra
A = Vlitra
A = Vlitra
BURST
With a mighty push, the two knocked the beats' arms aside as they launched their attacks, Asura blasting the Poison-type core with a mighty Ki blast, while Ogrepon slammed her multi-type cudgel straight into her hated foe's face. The two attacks combined caused a mighty explosion that rocked the island.
(End song)
"Did…did they get it?" Merrin asked.
The dust from the explosion cleared, revealing Mark's Pokémon still standing…as well as Vlitra.
"That still didn't work? Screw this noise, I'm-" David started as he began to withdraw a Pokéball of his own.
"Wait." Mark said, as Vlitra's form began to crumble away, dropping Pecharunt's once-again shelled body to the ground, his eyes now swirls.
"(We…We did it…)" Ogrepon said, drowsy as she struggled to stay standing. "(And both of us…stayed up until…the end this time. Hehe…guess we…did get stronger…)" she said before flopping to the ground with a smile.
"(Get some rest, ogre. You did well.)" Asura said as Mark returned both of them.
"Alright, if nobody else wants to catch the reason behind all this mayhem, then I'll just-" Mark started before three figures dashed past him and snatched up the poor creature. "What the?"
"Up there!" Ash K said as they all looked up to see none other than the Loyal Three.
"What the heck, The Loser Three?! When did those punks get here?!" Eddy asked.
"Could it be…that they snuck in for Pecharunt?" Twilight theorized.
"Guess in some way, they really are the Loyal Three." Shun'ei said.
"(Oki…Munki…Fez…)" Pecharunt said weakly. "(I…I feel like I just lived a nightmare from long ago…)"
"(We're here, Pecharunt. Don't worry.)" Munkidori said.
"(We've come to take ya home.)" Okidogi said.
"(Yes. To our new home with the most superior of the crop.)" Fezandipiti said.
"(My….my friends…)" Pecharunt uttered with tears flowing down its eyes as the three Pokémon quickly started to escape with Pecharunt.
"Should we…" Hope asked.
"No…let them have this. Besides, we have bigger fish to fry." Aria said looking at the base. "Its been a long road…but we're finally here."
"Yeah…its time to end all of this." Jexi said as they proceeded to enter, unaware of the people watching from afar.
"Hmm…looks like Pecharunt's been safely extracted." Flux said. "But…there's still plenty to do…before this place goes down."