Chapter 25
I Fight For You
Ethan let out a shout, ducking swiftly behind a nearby boulder as the ground where he'd been standing was suddenly awash in a deluge of toxic sludge. The snow quickly melted, turning the ground into a foul-smelling pile of muddy goop that cleanly cut off his path toward the cave.
With a snarl, he turned and barked an order, and a split-second later the Weezing who had thought to obstruct his path found itself literally shocked as his Jolteon tackled it from behind, letting loose a nasty Discharge that took down not only it, but its trainer and two of the men standing behind him.
Pushing himself to his feet, Ethan staggered onward, stumbling through the cold and the dark and the knee-deep snow as the battle continued all around him.
He was exhausted. The cold and the altitude were sapping his strength faster than he'd anticipated, and combine that with having to force their way uphill, and he was already ready to keel over and call a timeout.
Only, there were no timeouts in war. All around him, the fighting raged on, the mountainside wracked with screams and explosions, people and pokemon churning the snow brown and sometimes red beneath their feet as they charged, their makeshift battle lines undulating like the tide.
He had no idea how long this had been going on. Realistically, it can't have been more than a few minutes - maybe twenty at the absolute most - but it felt like hours. This battlefield was nothing like he'd ever experienced before. Even the attacks the Alliance had been experiencing over the past two weeks had nothing on this. There, at least, the fights were in towns where there were streets and buildings to naturally direct the flow of battle, police officers and Gym Leaders to provide backup. Here, on this wide-open field in the dead of night on a frozen mountain, hopelessly outnumbered?
This wasn't what he'd trained for. There was no sportsmanship in this - no pride, no victory. Only chaos and madness.
And to make matters worse - as that was apparently possible - it seemed like Ethan's worst fears had been realized. The wild pokemon who had at first been on their side, fighting back against the criminals, had all suddenly lost their minds, lashing out at anything and everything around them, now fighting Ethan's group and each other as much as they were fighting Giovanni's men. It had turned what was already a wild and chaotic battlefield into a free-for-all melee, like being in the middle of a giant mosh pit - only deadlier.
In front of him, he watched as someone's Conkeldurr swung one of its heavy pillars and knocked a wild Stantler off its feet. As it lay there, dazed, the Conkeldurr's trainer clearly decided that this Stantler wasn't worth capturing, and after another curt command, the Conkeldurr raised its pillar back into the air, dangling it over the Stantler's head, poised to strike.
Ethan's Scizor was there in a burst of speed, and with a swift Bullet Punch to the face, the Conkeldurr was sent stumbling backward, dazed and confused, buying the Stantler enough time to get back to its feet and flee. A second Bullet Punch caught its trainer, the would-be murderer, in the face, and as he hit the snow, unconscious, the Conkeldurr, clearly not knowing what to do without orders, simply stood there, looking foolish, until a wild Mamoswine Bulldozed its way straight through it.
Ethan didn't see what happened to the unconscious man. He hadn't intended to leave him where he'd get trampled, but…
If this is what war was like, then he prayed the Alliance never went to war.
Ethan had most of his pokemon out by now. With how wild and chaotic the battle had become, he had no choice not to. His Typhlosion he kept at his side, both for protection as well as the light and warmth the flames on his back provided. Around him, he had his Jolteon, Scizor, and Hitmontop on the field, utilizing their higher mobility to keep enemies at bay.
He'd lost track of his friends almost immediately - which was especially concerning, seeing as how Kris had been literally right next to him when they'd first joined the fray, but now he had no idea where she was. He'd tried to follow Sammy, who looked to have been rushing for the cave, but Hilda and N's dragons had drawn the ire of every enemy on the mountain, and no sooner had Ethan joined the fight that he found himself surrounded on all sides by enemies, and in the process of fighting them off, he'd lost track of everyone else.
He could still see - and hear - the Unovan Legendaries, raining blasts of fire and lighting down towards Giovanni's airships, which means that Hilda and N were both probably ok, wherever they were, but he couldn't speak for the others.
He took a second to hop up on top of a boulder and look around. The skies were clear overhead, but it was still night time, and with all of the people and pokemon rushing around, visibility was nearly zero. In fact, he wasn't even sure he was moving towards the cave anymore. Mt. Silver's tallest peak was now somehow behind him - when had he gotten turned around?
A shout from the side drew his attention, mostly because the voice it belonged to was clearly younger than any of Giovanni's men that Ethan had run into thus far, and with a gesture to Typhlosion, the two turned and hurried over in that direction. A younger voice meant there was a good chance it was one of his friends. They'd do better if they moved as a team instead of all operating solo like this.
He arrived at the scene of what was clearly a pitched battle between human trainers. If it wasn't for all of the chaos around them, you'd almost think this was just a normal pokemon battle.
On Ethan's side of the field, with his back to him so he didn't see him approaching, was a familiar face.
It was Hilbert - Hilda's twin brother. And he was losing.
Badly.
He'd summoned to the field both a Kingabit and a PorygonZ, and both appeared to be in poor shape. The Kingambit was hunched over, holding its side and grimacing, while the PorygonZ was twitching in an odd sort of way. That is - an even more odd sort of way than usual.
Across from him on the battlefield were a Camerupt and a Sharpedo. From the way the snow was melted, it was obvious that the Cemerupt had been doing its job. This was not a friendly type matchup for Kingambit.
Behind the two opposing pokemon stood two older men whose faces Ethan instantly recognized from all of the League briefings he'd taken part of over the last two weeks. On the right stood a man with near perfect posture, his red hair now streaked with gray but still perfectly combed back, falling just below his ears, and wearing a stern expression framed by square glasses that hid his eyes. On the left was a large, muscular man with a blue bandana tied around his head and face full of closely-shaved facial hair. Even in his winter coat, he still somehow looked like a pirate.
It was Maxie and Archie - the leaders of Teams Magma and Aqua, the infamous gangs whose turf war had nearly torn Hoenn apart over two decades ago. Ethan's first run-in with a serious opponent, and it was to be two at once.
As he watched, the Camerupt let off another powerful Eruption attack, sending gouts of flame spewing all across the battlefield. Hilbert's Kingambit was a sturdy pokemon, but it wasn't agile enough to dodge the attack, and with its natural weakness to fire, it shouted in agony as the flames fell around it.
PorygonZ tried to assist, leveling a Tri Attack in Camerupt's direction, but before it could get it off, the Sharpedo, using Aqua Jet to gain speed and dodge Camerupt's attack, suddenly rammed into it from the size, Crunching it between its powerful jaws.
Hilbert let out another shout of dismay as the Sharpedo tossed the now limp PorygonZ from its jaws and quickly recalled his partner. His hand trembled over his belt as he struggled to decide on which pokemon to call next, but as he did, he called out to his opponents, his voice trembling with anger and emotion, "Tell me what you did with my Victini!"
Archie let out a loud, boastful laugh that seemed to come straight from his belly, while Maxie, adjusting his glasses, said simply, "Awfully demanding for a loser, aren't you?"
Hilbert yelled something unfit for television, prompting Archie to laugh again and Maxie to sigh and shake his head as though he was actually disappointed by the crude language.
"I've had enough of this. Camerupt - one last Flamethrower to put them out of their misery."
The Camerupt obliged, opening its mouth and letting out a fierce blast of fire directly in Kingambit's directly, and the already weak and injured pokemon could do little other than brace itself for the inevitable.
Then Ethan's Typhlosion was there. He charged into the battlefield, leaping clear over Kingambit's body and matching the Camerupt's Flamethrower with one of his own, pushing the offending flames back. When the Camerupt stopped attacking, looking surprised at the interruption, Typhlosion stood up straight on its hind legs and let out a roar of challenge.
"Hey, now!" Ethan called, coming to a stop beside Hilbert and offering the other boy a reassuring nod. "Two against one? That's no way for grown men to behave."
Archie frowned. "Who's this guy now?"
At his side, Maxie rolled his eyes so hard Ethan thought they were going to topple out of his head.
"That's Ethan, you absolute dunderhead. The Grand Champion of Johto?"
Archie blinked, then scoffed. "He doesn't look so grand to me. Sharpedo! Aqua Jet! Show 'em what it means to be King of the Seas!"
The Sharpedo took off like - well, like a jet, propelling water out of the opening on its back with great force, zooming across the snowy battlefield at high speed, aiming right for Typhlosion.
Predicting the move, Ethan called out, "Now - Wild Charge!"
Typhlosion hunkered down on all-fours, sparks of electricity shooting all over its fur as it barreled toward the swiftly approaching Sharpedo. The two collided with an almighty crash, water and snow and steam flying in all directions as both were blasted backward. Ethan knew the Aqua Jet would have been painful for Typhlosion given the type advantage, but the Wild Charge would have hurt Sharpedo just as much.
Archie gawked, looking absolutely ridiculous.
"I told you he was a Champion," Maxie said with the air of someone who could not handle their partner's stupidity any longer.
"That's right," Ethan said. "So maybe you two idiots want to rethink your lives and back down now. Because I promise I won't be gentle."
Archie's scowl darkened considerably and he took a menacing step forward.
"What was that you punk-?"
But he was drowned out as Hilbert quickly shouted, "No! No one leaves until you tell me where Victini is!"
"The boy is determined, I'll give him that much."
"Heh, yeah. Who's this Victini anyway?"
Maxie reached up to rub at the bridge of his nose.
"It's the power source, you dim-witted buffoon. Do you not pay any attention at all?"
"The what?" Archie asked, but then it seemed to click in his head as he said, "Oooh, the power source! Haha, kid, you may as well give up on that right now. Giovanni gave it to Charon for his little experiment and they took it into the mountain. You ain't getting that thing back, no way, no how-"
He cut off with a pained 'oof!' as Maxie smacked him in the abdomen, looking irate.
"Cease your rambling at once, you imbecile! You were instructed not to speak of it!"
"So what?!" Archie shouted back, rubbing his stomach and looking pissed. "It's not like these whelps are gonna get past us anyhow!"
In his mind, Ethan was already connecting the dots. Victini plus power source plus Charon plus experiment… The radio frequency. They must be using it in some way to power the frequency they meant to use to drive the wild pokemon mad. Now that he thought about it, he and Lance had needed to knock out a group of imprisoned Electrodes to stop the radio frequency in Mahogany Town all those years ago. It stood to reason that they'd need a decent power source up here as well, and what could be better than a legendary pokemon with infinite energy reserves?
Hilbert seemed to be thinking the same thing - or maybe he wasn't thinking at all and had only heard 'power source' and 'Giovanni' - because he immediately tried to turn and race off towards the direction of the cave. Ethan had to reach over and grab his arm to stop him.
"Hang on," he said. "Let's take these guys out first and we can go together."
Across the field, Archie let out another spiteful laugh.
"Oh-ho! You talk big, don't you, Golden Boy? But we haven't played all of the cards in our hand just yet - have we, Maxie?"
Maxie nodded, looking dour.
"Yes, I suppose… As it is a Champion we're up against, now would be the time."
And both raised their right hands, showing off the familiar bracelets they wore on each wrist. The bands were made of silver, and in the center was a round, rainbow colored stone.
Ethan blanched. Their pokemon could mega-evolve?!
Both men tapped their bracelets and raised them high, letting out a commanding shout, and as one, their pokemon on the field began to emit an iridescent glow.
The twin humps on Camerupts back began to swiftly fuse together, forming one large, singular hump that resembled the peak of a volcano, its body growing slightly larger, its legs thicker and more sturdy, its fur growing more shaggy and darkening to a deeper shade of red.
Sharpedo looked more or less the same, only slightly bigger, and it grew a series of spikes all over its body and its jaw became larger and more pronounced.
In the blink of an eye, both pokemon had mega-evolved, temporarily attaining a higher stage of evolution that upped their threat factor significantly.
Ethan could only groan. This was just great - no one told him they could do that. It's not like Mega Evolution was a foreign concept to him or anything; his Scizor could do it, and he was planning on training his Gyarados how to as well, and maybe even his Tyranitar if he could get his hands on a Mega Stone for it.
No, the problem was just that Ethan didn't have his bracelet with him. He didn't carry it around with him most of the time, seeing as how it was so valuable and rare. He usually only used it in certain tournaments where Mega-Evolution had been approved. It was usually considered bad form to Mega Evolve a pokemon when your opponent couldn't. Same with those Alolan Z-moves.
Not surprisingly, these criminals didn't operate under the same honor system.
At the looks on their faces, Archie let out another laugh.
"Aw, look at them! Shaking in their boots!"
To be fair, Hilbert actually did look like he was shaking. He'd gone very pale when his opponents Mega Evolved, and though his Kingambit was still doing its best to stand on the field, it was clearly on its last legs. The fact that Hilbert hadn't switched it out yet seemed to imply that he was out of usable pokemon.
That meant that it was all up to Ethan now.
Maxie made the first move, calling a command to his Camerupt who responded immediately, causing the ground to glow beneath Typhlosion's feat.
Ethan yelled and Typhlosion dodged out of the way as the powerful Earth Power attack caused the ground to explode upward in a blast of dirt and flame. At the same time, the Sharpedo - even faster now than it was before - zipped in close, jaws wide, ready to sink its fangs into Typhlosion's torso.
At his command, Typhlosion let loose with an Eruption, spewing flames in all directions mainly meant to drive Sharpedo back, but he was broadsided by a Lava Plume straight from Camerupt's back. The attack didn't do much damage - wild Typhlosion lived in volcanoes, after all - but the force was enough to knock Typhlosion off its feet and send it sprawling to the ground.
"Don't let 'em get back up!" Archie cried. "Liquidation, now!"
The Sharpedo shimmered, its body melting into water as, with burst of speed, it rushed violently forward, ready to slam into Typhlosion's back and douse its flames.
That would be extremely dangerous. Thinking fast, aware that the lava that coated the ground around Typhlosion's feet would make it slippery and hard to move in, Ethan ordered a quick "Dig!" that had his pokemon tunneling underground, barely avoiding Sharpedo's blow.
Hilbert at least tried to help. Despite Kingambit's poor condition, he ordered his pokemon to try a Brick Break on Sharpedo, but the Mega Evolved pokemon was simply too fast, and it easily dodged the hit, zooming around the makeshift arena like a torpedo and nailing Kingambit with an Aqua Jet that sent it stumbling backwards, absolutely exhausted.
Ethan had to think fast. He couldn't stay underground for long - he was a sitting duck for an Earthquake right about now, though maybe Maxie was conscious enough of their surroundings to know that may not be a very smart idea. Not only would it potentially damage his allies in the surrounding area, it could also trigger a rockslide or an avalanche. If it was Archie in command, Ethan knew the man would risk it, but Maxie seemed to be - ironically - the more cool-headed of the two.
His gambit paid off, as the Earthquake he feared didn't come. However, that didn't stop Maxie from ordering another Lava Plume - this one aimed directly at Kingambit.
Ethan was forced to command Typhlosion to surface again and use its body as a shield to protect his teammate - but this left him wide open as Sharpedo nailed him with a direct hit from another Aqua Jet.
This was going poorly. The biggest problem was the type matchup. In a one-on-one bout, Ethan was confident that his Typhlosion could take either of these pokemon on, even if he was at a disadvantage. But with both of them acting together, and with him having to protect Hilbert, things were stacked heavily against him.
If only he had his other pokemon around. Either Jolteon, Scizor, or Hitmontop would all be an excellent counter to Sharpedo - but he'd sent them out separately to guard the way as they headed toward the cave and he'd lost track of them in the battle. He still had his Tyranitar as backup in case Typhlosion fell, but he'd just have the same typing problem that he had with his Typhlosion. That only left-
As his hand twitched toward his last pokeball, ready to pull out his Gyarados and make this a real two-on-two brawl, Archie unexpectedly cried, "Now - Icy Wind, at its feet!"
Ethan blinked, not understanding. Icy Wind was a move Sharpedo could learn - but it was a relatively weak Ice-type attack, and a special attack no less. Sharpedo was a physical attacker, and with Typhlosion's fire-typing, Icy Wind wasn't going to do much of anything at all.
Then he looked down and began to panic. There, at Typhlosion's feet - the Lava Plume from Camerupt that had been pooling on the ground around him was beginning to rapidly harden under Sharpedo's Icy Wind, trapping its feet in place. It could no longer move.
He tried to order a Dig or a Bulldoze, but with Typhlosion's back legs stuck in the ground, it couldn't move, and its body was long enough that, even if it bent over and touched the ground with its forelegs, it wouldn't be able to reach back and dig through the rock around its feet. He was well and truly trapped.
"Kingamit - use Brick Break again, but on the ground by Typhlosion!" Hilbert yelled, but as his Kingambit tried to move, Camerupt let out another Flamethrower, keeping it at bay.
"Now we got 'em!" Archie cried victoriously. "I knew this brat was all talk. Sharpedo, now - Liquidation!"
Sharpedo let out a roar that sounded more like a blender gargling as it began to charge up again, the spray of water from the jet on its back slowing slightly as it built up pressure, ready to burst forth.
Then - before it could move, before Ethan could think of an escape, before any of them had a chance to blink - a voice cried out, "Superpower!" and a large, blue reptile burst onto the scene, seizing the Sharpedo in its scaly, muscular arms and suplexing it into the ground where it stayed, twitching feebly from the surprise attack, half buried in the snow.
Archie could only gawk, but to be fair, the exact same expression was on Ethan's face. It took him a second to recognize the Feraligatr that had arrived to save the day before the same familiar voice shouted, "Now, Hydro Pump!"
A powerful blast of water burst forth from Feraligatr's mouth, and the Camerupt, heavier now than ever with its even larger single hump, took the brunt of the blast straight to the face. With its combined Fire and Ground-typing, water was its worst enemy, and Camerupt went down with a pain wail in a spray of water and steam.
Then Kris was there, bounding up beside him with a grin and a wink.
"Somebody call for a rescue?"
As Maxie recalled his Camerupt, looking stunned, Archie stomped his feet into the ground like a petulant child and cried, "Hey! That's not fair! You cheated!"
"So what?" Kris shot back, nonplussed. "You're a dirty criminal piece of trash - your whole life is cheating!"
"Sharpedo! Get back up - now!"
To its credit, it complied, shaking the snow and dirt off of it as it faced Feraligatr down. Only, by this point, Hilbert's Kingambit had managed to free Typhlosion from the cooled magma that had trapped it, and suddenly, it was facing not one but three pokemon, and this time without its partner to back it up.
"Archie - we should retreat," Maxie said, tugging at his companion's arm, but the other man balked.
"What? Retreat?! I don't know the meaning of the word!"
"Then learn! The situation has turned against us! Let's get back to the ship and get our team healed before Giovanni learns of this!"
That seemed to shut him up. Earning Giovanni's ire seemed to be much worse than whatever wound retreating would cause to his pride. With a condescending sneer that would make you think he'd actually won this battle, Archie recalled his Sharpedo and followed after Maxie, shouting as he retreated that he'd be back like a villain from a Saturday morning cartoon.
"Should I follow 'em?" Kris asked, her eyes peeled as she glared after their retreating backs, but Ethan shook his head.
"No - they don't matter. Not right now at least. They let slip that Hilbert's Victini is what's powering the radio frequency, so it must be in the cave with Giovanni and the others. We need to stick to the original plan and follow behind them so we can trap them inside and shut it off. And no more running around solo - there's safety in numbers."
A familiar bark sounded out behind him, and he turned to find Jolteon returning to his side. He could see Hitmontop a little ways away, trying to fight off a rogue Glalie. Hopefully Scizor was nearby as well.
They had Hilbert recall his team, and Ethan pulled out several Revives and Full Restores from his backpack. It would take a bit for them to take effect, and he'd still need to get them to a Pokemon Center as soon as he could - but they would do for now, and his team should be back on their feet before too long. He and Kris could protect him in the meantime.
"Hey hey," Kris said as they waited for Hilbert to treat his team. "So, what did you think? I was pretty impressive out there, huh?"
"Oh, sure," Ethan joked. "A surprise attack and a type advantage can really go a long way, huh?"
"That's odd," she said, scrunching up her brow. "That didn't sound like a thank you."
Ethan rolled his eyes but offered up a sincere, "Thank you."
"Nope, try again. I need you to really feel it. Say, 'Oh, most wonderful and divine Kris, who I worship and adore-'"
"Yeah, ok. Hilbert, you ready?"
"Yeah," the younger boy said, straightening up and handing Ethan back his medicine pack. "And… sorry. I swear I'm a better battler than that, I just… I didn't mean to be dead weight."
Ethan patted him reassuringly on the back as the group set out once more toward the cave - but moving in the right direction this time, and with a better chance of getting there as they were moving as one.
"Don't sweat it. This is…" He gestured all around them and frowned. "Well, kinda mad. It's enough to throw anyone off their game."
"Yeah," Kris chimed in. "Ethan's supposedly the Champion, but even he needed to be saved."
The look Ethan gave her made the mountainside feel warm in comparison.
"...Is it ok to just leave Hilda and the others behind?" Hilbert asked, changing the subject, and Ethan sighed.
"I mean… I don't want to, obviously, but we don't really have time to waste here. The sooner we find Giovanni and shut off that radio signal, the sooner this will all be over. We need to focus on our priorities."
"Right. Priorities." Hilbert repeated, suddenly looking determined.
"That, and I'm sure Hilda can look out for herself. And she's got N and… Well, I actually don't know where Sammy is, but he's probably close by."
"And he knows the other way into the Sanctuary, so if things start to look bad for them, he can get them out."
Or so he hoped - assuming Sammy hadn't already gone down and was lost somewhere in the middle of the battle.
But no - no time for pessimism. Now, they just had to do what they could. They would worry about the rest later.
Up ahead, a roving group of wild Misdreavus floated by, casting Hypnosis in every direction and wailing like they'd gone mad. There was still a long way between here and the cave. Shouting to his Jolteon, he forged ahead, Kris and her Mismagius coming up beside him, leaving Typhlosion to guard Hilbert and bring up the rear.
And so the team of three pressed on through the snow and the fighting, heading towards the mountain.
AJ jolted upright with a sharp gasp, eyes wide and frantic as she looked around, trying to collect her bearings. It was dark, and she could hear the sounds of screams and explosions all around her. Her body ached in several places, but as she palpated her face and arms and torso and legs, she was relieved to find that they were more bruises than anything serious. What had happened?
She'd been in the air on Metagross, together with Jade and Pichu. Giovanni took Mewtwo and teleported away with Ash, his goons activated the radio tower, the pokemon went crazy, and…
The Lugia. It had blasted Metagross and sent her and Jade flying. That was the last thing she remembered. But they'd been pretty high up there - how was she ok?
Something at her side gave off a musical cry and nudged her arm, and she turned, startled at first and then relaxing almost immediately upon realizing it was just her Togekiss.
Of course - she'd been out of her ball when the Lugia had appeared. She must have somehow managed to catch AJ and carry her safely to the ground. What a hero.
Without really thinking about it, she leaned over and did her best to wrap her arms around Togekiss's torso, murmuring her fervent gratitude and praise while in her mind she kept trying to wrap her mind around the situation they were in now.
Her dad had been taken by Giovanni and she'd been separated from the rest of the group. Were they still doing ok? And what about Jade? She'd been with her when the Lugia had attacked - where had she been blasted off to? Had Metagross managed to protect her, or had Lugia knocked it unconscious in the air, sending them both tumbling to their doom?
A thought struck her and she sat upright, her eyes flying open in a panic.
"Where's Pichu?!" she asked, hurriedly rising to her knees as she tried to look around in all directions at once. He'd been in her arms after they'd been knocked off of Metagross! Had she accidentally let go of him when she lost consciousness?!
But no - with a nudge from Togekiss, her attention was turned to a nearby hilltop where she could see her Pichu was crouching, peeking over the top of the hill and spying on whatever was lying beyond.
She felt a wave of relief wash over her. He was ok, then. Good. Togekiss had saved them both.
Now that she knew her partners were alright, the question became what to do now?
She can't have been blasted too far away, which must mean that the tunnel exit and the mini radio tower had to be nearby. That was the cause of the bulk of the commotion. If they could stop it somehow, then they could focus all of their attention on Giovanni and his grunts - and the legendary pokemon would regain their senses and be able to help them.
The problem was that shield. AJ had no idea how to break through it, but she knew that the others - at least Lance, Iris, her mother, and Brock - were there, or had been, and Jade likely was too, assuming she was ok. And once Sammy and Ethan and the others caught up, the bulk of their attention would be on the radio tower. One of them would probably come up with something.
But while they struggled to figure out how to stop the radio frequency and hold off the legendaries, her father would be battling on his own against Mewtwo and Giovanni. She didn't know where they were or how the battle was fairing, but despite what everyone had always said about how good Ash was in a fight, she couldn't help but worry. This wasn't a League sanctioned brawl. Giovanni wouldn't play fair - he already wasn't playing fair. And if he defeated Ash and returned to the radio tower with Mewtwo in tow, well… The odds of them stopping the frequency would drop dramatically.
Picking herself up, AJ made her way up to the top of the hill, crouching down beside Pichu and keeping herself low so she wouldn't be spotted. Togekiss came up beside them, and together, the three gazed out over the battle-torn Sanctuary.
With the heavy cloud cover, the night was nearly pitch black. Aside from the occasional burst of color from the odd special attack in the distance, indicating more fighting in random locations all around them, there wasn't much to see. Nothing there but the sound of violence and the trembling of the ground beneath their feet.
There was a lot of commotion over to the left. Judging by the number of combatants, she assumed that must be where the exit to the tunnel was - where the radio tower was. She thought she could see a Dragonite up in the air, but it was so dark out it was hard to tell for certain.
AJ turned, letting her eyes rake the skies, hoping for a clue about where her father and Giovanni might have gone off to. She wasn't expecting to see a big neon sign that read 'big climactic battle this way!' or anything like that, but there had to be something…!
There, way off in the distance, almost out of sight… She could see lightning bolts and gouts of flame lighting up the sky. Honestly, that could mean anything - there were any number of electric and fire-type pokemon in the Sanctuary right now. But the frequency of the blasts seemed to indicate a battle was going on, and since most of the human combatants should be over by the radio tower, that would mean there was at least a chance that that was Pikachu and Charizard.
She felt something tug at her sleeve, then a second later, Pichu was shouting in alarm, pointing somewhere over her shoulder..
AJ turned and felt her face go blank with shock as the same Lugia from before soared overhead. It let out a cry of challenge as it spotted them, swooping in low, ready to strike.
AJ felt her battle instincts suddenly flip on as she shouted "Pichu, Thunderbolt!"
She couldn't remember what type Lugia was supposed to be, but it certainly looked like a flying-type pokemon, so Pichu should be effective. Her partner let out a cry as a blast of electricity fired up towards the approaching Lugia, but it swiftly twisted to the side, avoiding the attack.
They may have missed, but it bought her enough time to get to her feet and work out a quick plan in her head. If this had been any normal pokemon encounter, she'd have been fine letting Pichu handle it on his own, but she knew he wouldn't be enough to take down a legendary pokemon by himself. Especially since Lugia was supposed to be one of the stronger ones - at least as strong as Hilda's Reshiram, if you believed random dudebros on the internet. She supposed she'd find out.
But with it being a legendary, she felt no shame in ordering Pichu up onto Togekiss's back and sending them off into the sky together. There was too much at stake right now to care about a 'proper' one-on-one bout. She'd ask for a rematch later once everything was said and done, if she ever got the chance.
Lugia, for its part, took stock of her pokemon taking to the skies and retaliated by whipping up fierce whirlwinds in an attempt to knock them out of the air. Unfortunately for it, while it may be stronger than Togekiss, Togekiss was the better flier, and it easily zipped its way around the gathering winds, avoiding the more tempestuous pockets of turbulent air, and before you knew it, it was up behind Lugia's back. It flipped acrobatically around Lugia's body, and Pichu seized his chance to leap down on top of Lugia.
A second later, Lugia let out a roar of pain and frustration. Her plan had worked, and Pichu's Nuzzle had been a success. Her tiny partner leaped off Lugia's back as the much larger legendary struggled to flap its wings, its body locking up intermittently from paralysis before suddenly staggering as Togekiss slammed into it from behind with a high-speed Sky Attack.
The Lugia faltered, falling several meters before catching itself, but as it turned, furiously searching for AJ's pokemon, its movements slowed considerably from the paralysis, it found itself the subject of an aerial bombardment in the form of Thunderbolts and Aura Spheres as Togekiss - having caught Pichu mid-fall - zipped around it, the two of them peppering the stronger pokemon with long-distance attacks.
It occurred to AJ then that it wasn't just the paralysis that was giving them a hand here. The radio frequency that had enraged the wild pokemon had also apparently driven them of their battle senses, and all that was left to them was blind rage. Rather than try to counter any of their moves, Lugia seemed intent to try to power through them, charging ahead blindly and being easily avoided by Togekiss's superior speed.
It was just like AJ had been the night that she'd challenged her father to that terrible battle. All blind rage and bravado, no tactical sense whatsoever.
Before long, a combination of paralysis and the constant barrage of attacks had worn Lugia down considerably, and it was now left feebly flapping its wings, trying to stair airborne but hovering dangerously close to the ground.
Togekiss swooped in low, and hearing AJ's shouted command, Pichu leaped off her back once more, landing atop Lugia and letting loose with everything it had.
The Thunder struck Lugia directly in the back, and with a weak cry, it fell from the skies, crashing into the ground with a thunderous roar, her Pichu leaping back onto Togekiss's back at the last second.
Suddenly fearful, AJ rushed forward down the hill toward where the Lugia had fallen, worried that it may have broken its neck in the crash - but no. It was alive, still breathing and stirring feebly. That was good. It would be fine, eventually.
Still, she felt awful. None of this was Lugia's fault. Not only had it been driven out of its mind, it hadn't even been allowed to battle properly. Any triumph AJ may have normally felt at overpowering a legendary pokemon was lost, replaced by anger and pity.
The sooner they stopped this madness, the better. And the best way to do that would be to find and put a stop to Giovanni. Only, what was the best way to do that?
Flying would be faster, but… With the skies full of crazed legendary pokemon, risking flight was asking to be swatted out of the air and sent falling to her death. Plus, Togekiss wasn't much larger than AJ was and she couldn't fly long distances with her on her back. Her greatest asset in the air was her mobility, but with AJ there weighing her down like a sack of stones, she'd be a sitting duck.
No, they couldn't fly - which meant they would need to travel across the ground. And in that case…
She plucked one of the pokeballs from off of her belt, recalling Togekiss with a quick thanks, then swapped it for another, calling out her Arcanine in her place. Her loyal friend pawed the ground with an anxious sort of energy, ears pricked up and alert as it scented the air, scouring the perimeter for trouble.
"Alright bud, listen up," AJ said, seizing fistfulls of his fur and clambering up onto his back. Thankfully, he lowered himself down to make it easier for her, and a moment later she was seated just behind his shoulders, Pichu scrambling up to the top of his head like a figurehead on a ship.
"We need to go fast. You see that, over there? Where it looks like there's lightning and fire shooting up into the sky? I think that's where my dad is battling Mewtwo and Giovanni. We need to get there fast to back him up - but we're probably going to be attacked by rogue pokemon - especially legendaries - along the way."
The battle still sounded out all around them, the cries of legendary pokemon driven mad, clashing against one another, making the ground tremble and the air crackle. Deliberately racing out into the heart of that was actual insanity. This was a suicide mission, plain and simple - but what other choice did they have?
"We can't afford to stop to face them all, so just keep running. No matter what happens, no matter who tries to stop us - just keep running.. Because if we don't stop Giovanni, then… Well, we're probably all going to die. Think you can get me there?"
Arcanine barked in affirmative, widening his stance, ready to go. Pichu let out a battle cry from above, gesturing straight ahead.
She took a moment to breathe deeply and brace herself. All around them, across the blackness of the night, she could hear the sounds of distant battle and the screams of pokemon. Flashes and explosions lit up the skies as though the world had been taken by a terrible storm - a storm that would not end until they brought Giovanni to his knees.
"Alright then - let's go!"
Arcanine exploded forward at a dead sprint, its powerful legs surging across the ground at high speed, and together, they raced off into the night.
AJ hunkered low on his back, both to reduce wind resistance and to keep her hat from flying off her head, her fists tangled up in his warm mane to keep herself from being thrown off. Pichu slid down Arcanine's neck until he was in between her hands, a safer seat for him by far. The wind roared in her ears, drowning out the sound of omnipresent battle, but she could still see explosions lighting up the sky and coloring distant hillsides like New Year's fireworks.
Arcanine's legs were fast and strong, and it bounded effortlessly across the verdant hills of the Sanctuary almost as though it were flying. Before she knew it, they'd reached the top of the first hill, then were racing down it and already heading up the second. At this pace, they'd make it to Ash and Giovanni in no time.
But of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. Almost as soon as the thought had popped into her head, the hill in front of them literally exploded like an erupting volcano, chunks of earth and fire sent flying through the air in all directions, and Arcanine was forced to rapidly change directions, nearly throwing AJ off his back, as the massive figure of a Groudon clawed its way up from out of the earth. It opened its powerful jaws and roared in rage and madness into the pitch-black sky, spewing molten lava all around and setting the green grasses ablaze.
They looped around the Groudon, eager not to catch its eye, only to be forced to change directions again on a dime as a veritable tornado whipped past them. There was a pokemon of some kind hiding inside of it, but it was too dark and too far to see - but the tornado came to a violent, tempestuous halt as a bat-like pokemon with wings like crescent moons swooped out of the darkness, beating its wings and blasting it with powerful winds of its own.
A volcanic eruption on one side and a veritable hurricane on the other, Arcanine raced on between them, AJ shouting encouragement from behind, both buffeted by the wind, not sure that he could even hear her words over the tumult. He was moving fast, but with all of the unexpected obstacles, it was difficult to say if they were even making it any closer to their destination.
They crested another hill and had to jump at the last second to avoid a pitched battle between some of Giovanni's goons and an out-of-control Keldeo. They rounded the next only to find some sort of golem-like creature with a blood red spherical torso and arms that looked like the top and bottom halves of a dragon's jawbone, firing off Dragon Pulses at everything that moved and shrieking in unintelligible beeping cries.
Everywhere they looked, everywhere they ran, there was chaos and battle. So many legendaries - so many more than she'd ever seen at any time while she was staying here. But why? Why were they here now of all times? They would have been safe if they'd just stayed away.
But then, as she hugged Arcanine's neck tight, racing through the darkness with her heart in her throat, she thought back to how they'd come rushing as soon as Mewtwo was in trouble. In her mind, Mewtwo had only ever been a monster - her own personal prison warden and a threat to all of mankind. But to these pokemon, it was clear that Mewtwo was someone important to them. Their friend, their protector - their family. If it was in trouble, how could they stay away? Was that not exactly what she and the others had done for Ash?
Speaking of, as they crested the next hill, AJ could see that the once-distant flashes of fire and lightning that she had hoped were indications of her father's location were closer now than ever. They were only a few more hills away. The sight of it almost made her laugh from relief; even with all of these unexpected diversions, they'd been making progress after all! They'd be there in no time, and once they were, they could-!
A figure burst from the darkness. A truly massive dog-like pokemon, bigger even than her Arcanine, and in its jaws it held clenched, of all things, an enormous, ancient broadsword.
With a feral howl that seemed to rip through her, freezing the blood in her veins in pure primal fear, it leaped forward, neck twisted back, sword ready to strike, and Arcanine, caught mid-leap, was unable to twist or move to avoid the blow. AJ could do nothing more than throw up her hands and scream as she prepared to be cleaved clean in two.
But the blow never came. With a burst of light that shone even through her clenched eyelids, one of her pokeballs on her belt burst open of its own accord, and in a flash her Aegislash was there, firmly positioned between her and the unknown pokemon, and it caught the would-be fatal sword blow on its massive shield with the sound of a terrible gong.
She barely had time to contemplate what had happened. Just as soon as the strange pokemon and her Aegislash had appeared, they were gone, lost behind her in the darkness as Arcanine continued racing ahead, undeterred. They were leaving them behind.
"Wait, what are-?! Stop! Arcanine, stop!"
She seized his mane in her fists and tugged on his hair like reins, trying to get him to slow down, to turn around, but he was ignoring her. The sounds of battle called out from the darkness all around them, and every step he took carried them farther and farther away.
"Stop!" she shouted again, growing desperate. Why wasn't he listening?! "Go back! We left Aegislash behind, we can't-!"
The ground before them erupted as a small pokemon who sort of looked like Mew, only it was blue and had twin tails, soared out of the darkness, peppering the ground with waves of psychic power, and Arcanine was forced to turn once more, now following the path of the river as it looked for a crossing.
It was at this point that AJ considered leaping off of Arcanine's back and into the river, hoping that the water would prevent her from getting hurt. She couldn't leave Aegislash behind - not in this chaos, not against some unknown crazed legendary pokemon! - and if Arcanine wasn't going to turn around, then she'd do it herself.
Only, at that exact moment, a figure swooped down from the clouds, its pointed yellow wings crackling with electricity as it squawked with violent rage. A Zapdos. And it was coming straight for them.
At the same time, the surface of the river began to roil, and out of the depths emerged something that almost looked like an enormous red Drednaw - only on its back it had some kind of mechanical hoop that glowed with blue nodes and was letting off a massive amount of steam. She thought it might have been the pokemon known as Volcanion, but in the dark, it was too hard to tell.
She wasn't sure if the two pokemon were aiming for them, or if they were targeting each other and they just happened to be in the crossfire, but regardless, just as before, she saw the telltale flash of a pokeball being opened of its own accord, and with a burst of speed, her Togekiss rocketed into the air and slammed into the Zapdos, knocking it off-course and away from AJ.
At the same time, a third pokeball opened, and Milotic dove into the river, and just as the Volcanion was about to emit a powerful jet of scalding steam in AJ's direction, Milotic used Aqua Tail to send a wave of water cresting over it, cooling it down enough that the steam explosion didn't fire.
A moment later, Milotic turned and fired off an Ice Beam - only not at Volcanion. She shot the beam at the river's surface just a little ways in front of where Arcanine was running, forming a bridge of ice that stretched to the opposite bank, and without slowing down, Arcanine turned to race across it, making it to the other side of the river in no time flat and leaving the others behind, just as he had with Aegislash.
"Stop!" she shouted again, practically hysterical, yanking on Arcanine's mane with enough strength that she was tearing up bits of his fur. "Go back! We can't leave them! Go back!"
But just as before, he ignored her and continued running as fast as his legs would take him.
Too late, AJ realized what was happening. Her pokemon were sacrificing themselves to buy her time to get to Giovanni. She'd told Arcanine before not to stop, no matter what happened - that they didn't have time to stop and face every Legendary pokemon who came their way - and he was taking her order to heart.
If she had to stop and battle every pokemon who crossed her path, they'd never make it to Giovanni in time. She knew that. She had said that to him before they set off. But when she'd said that, she hadn't meant that they'd leave their friends behind to fight on their own! Each by themselves, against multiple crazed legendary pokemon?! They could die! What did any of this matter if she had to lose her partners in the process?!
Tears were dripping down her cheeks, stinging cooly in the night air as they ran on. As they did, she kept one hand clamped firmly around her last, unopened pokeball, desperate that she would at least stop that one from jumping out and sacrificing itself for her.
If she had been thinking clearly, however, she would have known that was a pointless endeavor. After all, Hydreigon was the one and only pokemon on her team whose pokeball settings had not been set up to let her release herself from her pokeball due to how dangerous and unstable she could be. Hydreigon was not the partner she should have been worried about at that moment.
As they ran, their destination now painfully near, a piercing yowl rented the air from somewhere off to the right, and AJ barely had time to look up and see a familiar yellow feline pouncing at her, its body crackling with powerful electricity. It was Zeraora - the same pokemon who'd been Pichu's dedicated training partner during that last week that they'd stayed in the Sanctuary.
With one hand clinging to Arcanine's mane and the other clamped tightly over Hydreigon's pokeball, she was unable to stop what she knew was about to happen.
Pichu leaped up off of Arcanine's back, ignorant of AJ's cry of dismay, his little body beginning to glow and give off the telltale yellow sparks of the Volt Tackle move he'd been practicing and perfecting for so long with Zeraora's help, and he crashed into his friend, sending them both tumbling into the darkness, left behind.
This was too far. Leaving Aegislash, Togekiss, and Milotic behind was hard enough, but Pichu? You may as well ask her to chop off her arms and legs and swim across the ocean to Kalos.
Momentarily forgetting herself, she prepared to leap right off of Arcanine's back, no longer caring how fast he was running or that she was liable to break half the bones in her body in the process, but before he could, Arcanine suddenly dug in his paws, skidding to a rather dramatic halt.
They were up near the top of another hill, and just before he slid to a stop, Arcanine pivoted and bucked, throwing AJ off and sending her sprawling to the ground in a painful heap right on the hilltop. Disoriented, she struggled to pick herself up off of the grass and check to make sure she hadn't been seriously injured, ready to give her pokemon a piece of her mind, when she noticed that they weren't alone.
There was another pokemon in front of them - one of those Unovan dogs, their version of Johto's legendary trio. What was it called again? It stood tall, with a long neck and antlers not unlike a Stantler, though its fur was a metallic blue and its horns the garish fake-gold of orpiment. Cobalion, she thought it might have been, but she wasn't sure.
It was standing on the hillside, stamping its feet and tossing its head, foaming at the mouth as though it had gone rabid, and when it noticed AJ, it lowered its antlers and began pawing at the ground as though about to charge.
Arcanine let out a bark, meeting her eye and jerking his head in the direction of the opposite side of the hilltop, but AJ didn't understand. She was too busy worrying about the legendary pokemon who was about to run her down.
As the Cobalion began to charge, Arcanine let out a challenging howl and raced towards it, its body wreathed in flames as it met the pokemon head-on with a powerful Flare Blitz. They clashed for a moment, shoving against each other, feet digging up the grass in muddy clumps, and she thought for certain that the legendary was going to win the power struggle and throw her Arcanine off. Instead, the Cobalion let out a roar of rage and pain as, to her surprise, Arcanine powered threw and forced the legendary back, knocking it off of its feet and sending it toppling down the hill. Looks like all of that training with the legendaries had paid off after all.
He turned again, catching her eye and jerking his head towards the opposite side of the hill behind her. Then, with another howl of challenge, it raced back into the darkness in the direction he'd sent the Cobalion tumbling.
AJ forced herself to her feet, shaking both from the force of her fall as well as the shock of the last few minutes. Her entire team, or just about, was lost somewhere out in the darkness, separated and alone, with wild, out of control legendary pokemon attacking them on every side and Giovanni's stooges roaming the darkness looking to capture any weakened pokemon they could find, and here she was, powerless to help them.
She needed to get to them - but how? She didn't even know where they were. How far back was Pichu? Milotic and Togekiss? Aegislash? How long would it take her to find them without Arcanine? Would they even make it on their own for that long?
An explosion sounded out from behind her, and she turned, remembering the hill she was standing on and the way Arcanine had been gesturing. In spite of herself, she climbed up the rest of the way on unsteady legs to the crest of the hill, and looking down, felt her stomach drop out.
Down below, in what almost looked like the exact same area she'd used as her training grounds before, were two men facing off across their makeshift battlefield.
He'd done it. Arcanine had brought her safely to her father.
From her position, she was almost exactly midway between both Ash and Giovanni, though neither seemed to notice her standing off to the side on the hilltop, owing both to the darkness as well as the intensity in which they were focusing on their battle. The battle itself seemed to consist exclusively of Pikachu and Mewtwo, the latter of which was still decked out in that strange armor that allowed Giovanni to control it.
Mewtwo appeared to be the source of most of the explosions, and it was teleporting wildly around the battlefield at Giovanni's command, firing off Shadow Balls and Focus Blasts and waves of psychic energy from every vantage point, tearing up the ground with every blast and leaving the once peaceful field a smoking crater of violence and destruction.
Pikachu, for his part, was a yellow blur, his agility making him move so quickly that he too almost appeared to be teleporting. Every now and then it would fire off an electric blast at Mewtwo, but with the way it was quickly teleporting around, it seemed almost impossible to hit. Neither side seemed to have actually dealt much damage to the other, but it looked to AJ that Pikachu was exhausting much more energy in the fight than Mewtwo was. If this was a battle of attrition, Mewtwo had the upper hand.
Giovanni hadn't called any other pokemon out to join the fight, though his Persian remained ever at his side, lazing in the grass and watching the battle unfold through glittering eyes.
Ash, however, had called the rest of his team out - only, they weren't participating in the battle with Giovanni. Instead, AJ could see that he had his Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur position in a rough semi-circle around his side of the battlefield, and they were apparently working together to drive off any crazed legendaries who drew too close. Even as she watched, she saw Charizard fire off a gout of flame and Blastoise use its water cannons to threaten away what looked like Yveltal as it flapped its umbral wings sinisterly overhead.
On the ground at Ash's feet, she saw the limp, unconscious form of his Espeon. Snorlax was nearby, upside down where it had apparently been thrown through a rock formation and had been unable to get back up. The fact that neither had been safely returned to their pokeballs yet spoke volumes about how desperate the situation truly was.
Her eyes lingered on the fallen Espeon for a moment, and she couldn't help but think back to her team, lost somewhere behind her in the darkness. They could all be in the exact same shape - or worse. And what of the others? Her mother, Jade, Uncle Brock, Lance… How were Sammy and Ethan and Hilda faring outside? Had they made their way through the tunnel yet? Had they arrived to back the others up, or were they facing their own catastrophe out on the mountainside?
Below, Mewtwo let off a blast of powerful psychic energy that nearly caught Pikachu, forcing it to twist and streak away last minute, gauging out another crater in the earth. Off to the side, she saw Venusaur lash at something with its heavy whip-like vines, only to let out a roar of agony as whatever it was sent the whips back, smoldering.
There wasn't time for this. She couldn't just stand here and mourn her partners and family and friends, especially when she didn't even know yet that they weren't doing just fine. She needed to act. She needed to get down there and help her father stop Giovanni.
Only… As she reached out, her trembling fingers brushed against the last pokeball on her belt and she felt her fear and despair threaten to overwhelm her again.
Hydreigon. All she had left was Hydreigon. And she wasn't… She couldn't…
How could she bring Hydreigon out in a situation like this?! She was barely trained - had never really battled before, not without losing control. She'd basically be another wild pokemon driven mad by Giovanni's radio frequency if she brought her out now!
And what about all of her trauma?! This was not how you helped someone heal from years of terror and abuse! She couldn't expect Hydreigon to perform in a battle on the best of days, but against Mewtwo?! In the middle of an active warzone?!
But what other choice did she have? The world was literally falling apart all around her. Her team was gone, and her friends were gone, and there was nothing standing between her and the end of the world other than her father and his lone Pikachu.
She stood still for a moment, alone on the hilltop, letting the sound of battle and the roar of the wind wash over her.
This was it, then. Her only options were to stand and fight with Hydreigon or sit on the ground and cower as the world fell to pieces around her. But the second wasn't really an option - not for her. Not for anyone with half a brain or half a heart. And certainly not for a Champion.
She plucked the final pokeball from her belt and clicked the button, summoning her Hydreigon.
As expected, the moment she touched the ground, Hydreigon began to panic. As if the sound of distant screaming and the explosions filling the air wasn't already bad enough, her empathic powers seemed to instantly seize hold of the tension permeating the entire Sanctuary.
She balked, three heads twisting wildly, letting out cries of fear and confusion as her powerful tail twitched across the ground, her emaciated wings beating frantically through the air.
This was the moment, AJ knew, that she was supposed to be trying to calm her down. Reach out and touch her, let her know she was there, whisper soothing words and false promises that everything would be ok.
But in this moment, AJ couldn't bring herself to fake it. She could feel every ounce of anxiety and fear welling up in her Hydreigon echoed within herself. What was it her father had said to her that day in the sunflower field?
"The problem is that when you call her into battle, she instinctively reaches out to you empathically, looking for something to ground her. But you aren't grounded. What she's searching for isn't there. You're lacking it."
When he had said that to her before, it had stung like few words ever had before. How dare he - him of all people - stand there and tell her what a failure she was?
But she could concede now, especially here, in this moment, that she was absolutely not grounded. She did not possess the effortless confidence that real Champions like Lance or Cynthia or Leon - or even Ethan - seemed to exude without a thought.
She was scared, and powerless, and alone, and everything was falling apart and she didn't know what to do. Her current mental state was only making things worse. Just like it had the night she'd battled her father.
But there was a difference, now. Before, when she'd battled Ash that night outside the cabin, on the day they'd first truly met, she'd been filled with hate and anger and self-righteous indignation. She'd summoned Hydreigon out against common sense and her own better judgment to force her to fight in a battle in which nothing but her own pride was on the line.
This night was different. This wasn't about pride, or vengeance, or hate. This was about survival. This was about saving themselves and the ones they loved. And maybe - just maybe - that could make up the difference.
AJ stepped forward, reaching out her hand and resting her forehead against Hydreigon's chest. She wanted more than anything to ground her. To be her pillar of support. To look her in the eyes and tell her everything was going to be ok, and to mean it with all of her heart.
But she couldn't. Her heart was thundering in her chest, full of fear and sorrow and anxiety. Everything was wrong, and she never wanted to do this to her, but they were all out of options.
"Please," she said, voice barely more than a hoarse croak, all but lost to the wind and battle. "I'm so sorry, but please… I need your help."
Hydreigon stilled under her touch, no longer thrashing, but AJ thought she could sense her pokemon's emotions in that moment. It wasn't calming down - no, it had frozen from fear, from the realization that her trainer was just as scared, if not more so, than she was.
"P-Pichu is gone," AJ continued, trying not to cry. "A-and our friends are gone, and w-we're all alone. But if that man wins, he'll… H-he'll hurt them all and take them away forever, and I can't…!"
She wanted to slap herself. This wasn't helping. Pull yourself together, AJ! You're a Champion! It isn't over till it's over! You fight till you win or you die trying - those are the only options!
With a herculean effort, she took ahold of her fear and sadness and forced it down. There would be time for that later. For now, the battle was still raging - and she still had one partner by her side.
One partner - just Hydreigon. But that meant she wasn't alone; neither of them were. No matter how dire the odds, they could still choose to stand and fight and bring their friends back. But only if Hydreigon could trust her.
Hydreigon, for her part, was silent for a moment, and AJ was certain that she'd been paralyzed by terror. Before she could figure out what she could do to remedy that, however, her Hydreigon shifted, pulling away from AJ for a bit before lowering her central head till they were at eye level. Then, slowly, she pushed her forehead against hers.
Feelings and emotions flooded into AJ's mind. It wasn't quite like a psychic's telepathy - rather than thoughts or images, she was experiencing a rush of feelings, like someone else's emotions were being poured into her. Yet somehow, intuitively, she understood what they were, what they meant.
At first, it was horrible. Loneliness and despair, blacker even than the skies overhead, lanced by occasional spikes of fear and pain that struck like bolts of lightning. She'd been alone for so long - trapped in a cage, injured and humiliated for entertainment, unable to save herself, unable to help her friends who suffered all around her.
Then, like the sunrise, hope bloomed inside of her, driving back the shadows, and AJ realized she was experiencing what Hydreigon had felt the day that she and Hilda had arrived to save her from the Menagerie.
You fought for me, she seemed to be saying. Now I fight for you.
Then, with a sharp twist, the emotions shifted, and somehow, AJ knew she was no longer sensing Hydreigon's feelings, but anothers.
For a moment, everything seemed wild and red - a chaotic roar of hatred and rage that yearned to burn the world to ashes. But somewhere buried underneath, she could feel an echo of something similar to what Hydreigon had just shown her. Loneliness and pain and fear.
It was Mewtwo. Somehow, empathically, Hydreigon had connected to the monster under Giovanni's control, and like a slap to the face, AJ realized that there was more at stake here than just the safety of her friends and her family.
Mewtwo was a victim in all of this too. And sure, it presented a very real threat to her and the people she loved - but that didn't make what was happening to it ok. It had been enslaved once again by its abuser, forced to bend to his every will, forced to harm the pokemon it had sworn itself to protect and defend. A prisoner in a cage, just like Hydreigon had been.
AJ pulled away and opened her eyes, feeling her tears already drying on her cheeks.
"We can save them," she said, feeling the fear and the anxiety start to melt away, replaced by a new, bold sense of purpose and determination. Not just their team, not just her friends and family - all of them. Mewtwo and the legendaries and all of the pokemon who were suffering under Giovanni's cruel thumb. Every pokemon enslaved and forced to battle against its will. If they defeated him here and now, then it would finally all be over. "We can do it - together. You and me. Are you with me?"
Hydreigon reared back, tossing all three heads into the air as she roared in anger and challenge. The fear wasn't gone completely - neither in AJ and nor Hydreigon. She could feel it, even without touching her, echoing out across the night. But there was something stronger than fear, now - a furious anger that burned with righteous indignation.
Hydreigon had been unable to save herself from the abuse she'd suffered - she'd been unable to save her friends who'd been trapped in the Menagerie alongside her. But she could save these pokemon here and now - save her new friends and teammates who had been scattered about, lost across the battlefield. And AJ was going to help her do it.
"Then let's go!" she shouted, seizing hold of one of Hydreigon's underdeveloped legs as her pokemon beat her thin wings, taking to the air.
Below them, the battle continued as before, the sky crackling ominously overhead as Mewtwo and Pikachu - oblivious to AJ and Hydreigon's approach - continued duking it out.
Lightning flashed and psychic power distorted the air. The ground quaked and shuddered beneath their might. She thought she saw her father's Charizard turn, noticing their approach out of the corner of his eye and readying a Fire Blast to drive them away, clearly thinking they were a rogue legendary, only to stop and stare in surprise when he recognized them.
Below, Mewtwo let out a psychic blast that had Pikachu dodging nimbly backwards, easily avoiding the blow, but it quickly became apparent that the goal had not been to hit Pikachu but merely to clear up some space. As Pikachu dodged, Mewtwo held up both hands and fired off a Focus Blast - only it was aimed not at Pikachu, but at Ash.
Pikachu immediately shifted into action, leaping into the air and, with a powerful Iron Tail, it slapped Mewtwo's ball of murderous energy, diverting up and into the sky, out of sight.
However, at the same time that Pikachu moved to defend its trainer, Mewtwo turned and, taking advantage of their distraction, fired off a powerful Psyshock in the direction of Ash's Venusaur.
It was a dirty move - but she supposed there were no rules in a life-or-death battle like this, and no one had ever accused Giovanni of having honor. Venusaur, whose back was turned, trying to protect Ash from the crazed legendary pokemon all around them, didn't see it coming, and Ash could do nothing more than turn and scream in warning, but it was too late.
Or it would have been.
A split second before the powerful psychic attack would have struck Venusaur from behind and very probably put it out of commission, AJ and Hydreigon were there. Hydreigon tanked the hit, letting the psychic energy seemingly evaporate on contact with her hardened scales, shrugging off the attack with the sort of indifference only a dark-type pokemon could possess. Before Mewtwo could counter, she let off a furious Dark Pulse, forcing Mewtwo to teleport rapidly backward to avoid the blast.
AJ released Hydreigon's leg, calling out to Venusaur who let out a roar of gratitude before she turned her attention back to her father.
Their eyes met, and she came to a sudden awkward halt.
For a moment, she hesitated, not sure what to say. The memory of their last meeting - of him telling her how sorry he was, of him pushing her away again - flickered through her head, and her emotions seemed to roil violently within her, as if even her heart didn't know what she was supposed to be feeling in this moment.
Her father, for his part, was just gawking at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes, seeming to have momentarily forgotten the world-ending battle he was currently engaged in.
"AJ?!" he said, practically spluttering, and she gave herself a mental shake. Now was not the time. Focus on the battle first. Their stupid family drama could come later.
"Yeah. Hi. You're welcome."
Not that she actually cared about whether he thanked her or not for saving Venusaur, but it was the only thing that came to mind.
"Where's Pichu?" he suddenly asked. Another sharp spike of fear and anxiety stabbed at her heart, but she forced it down, not willing to think of where he could be or what could have happened to him, alone in the dark and the chaos that surrounded them.
"...I don't know," she said after a moment, and Ash suddenly looked grim.
She half expected condolences. Or maybe even a pity-filled silence.
Instead, he straightened up, looking determined as he seized the bill of his cap and twisted it around backward. "Alright. Then let's hurry and get this over with. After we save Mewtwo we can go find Pichu together."
"Right," she said, nodding emphatically, and without realizing what she was doing, she grabbed the bill of her hat and turned it around backward as well.
Across the battlefield, Giovanni was smirking.
"Well, isn't this sweet?" he called out, barely audible over the din of distant battle. "What a lovely father-daughter reunion. A pleasant way to end your stories, isn't it?"
"Shut up, you old creep," AJ muttered mostly to herself, but her Hydreigon let out a three-headed roar that drowned it out completely.
"But I notice," Giovanni continued, unperturbed, "that I still don't see Cole anywhere. Don't tell me that coward is hiding away, letting his children do all of the fighting? I always knew he wasn't much of a battler, but I never dared think he'd stoop this low."
"Sorry," Ash said, his voice thick with condescension. "You aren't really important enough for dad to deal with you. I guess you'll have to make due with us."
"Very well then. I was getting bored here, just one-on-one. Mewtwo is in need of more strenuous testing, so I'll allow the interruption. Come at me together, and allow me to prove my superiority once and for all."
He tapped his cane against the grass, a virtually inaudible action, but Mewtwo seemed to react, straightening itself and preparing to charge.
"You ready?" her father asked, his voice pitched low so only she could hear.
"Are you?" she countered, and he smirked.
"Alright then. Show me what you've got, kid."
With a burst of speed, Mewtwo surged forward. Pikachu charged forward to meet it, and from behind, her Hydreigon drew back its three heads and braced herself to attack.
The battle had begun.