The sky was nearly pitch black. The heavens over New Bark Town had turned very cloudy, and the wind whistled ominously. The denizens of this town were puzzled. In a moment, their bright daytime had become darker than night.
Necrozma descended from the clouds, cloaked in the darkness save for the tyrant’s arm crystals. He stared down at the cozy settlement, eyeing it like an excited child would with a toy. It was finally time. On this day, Necrozma would announce himself to the world. Necrozma couldn’t help but laugh at the prospect, his voice echoing through the night.
“At last, the time has come,” He announced, “To hell with my partner’s plan. If he thinks he can give ME orders, then I will happily oblige.” The dark demon coughed into his hands to clear his voice, then spread his arms outward as if he were about to speak to an audience. The white crystals on his arms began glowing brightly, and a pulse of energy was released. This energy was not to destroy, per se, no. This pulse of energy circled the entire world within seconds, allowing Necrozma to speak to each and every one of its’ denizens.
“Inhabitants of this planet,” He spoke, “I am Necrozma. You can call me an alien of sorts. I have come to your planet for but one purpose: CONQUEST!”
By now, the people of New Bark Town rushed out of their homes. They chattered amongst one another, checking to see if everyone else was hearing this voice.
Necrozma continued, “My forces will arrive on this pathetic planet in but a mere five days. Should you wish to survive, you must amass the largest army you can muster and meet me in Goldenrod City. Should you happen to lose the battle, or fail to show up, then your lives and your world are forfeit. Nothing will remain of you or your world!”
The denizens of New Bark Town frantically looked around for the source of the voice. One of them, a young girl, spotted Necrozma’s glowing crystals and pointed him out. The others followed her gaze, pointing at him and chittering amongst themselves. Eventually, one of them had the idea to attack Necrozma, sending out his Jolteon to do so. A bright yellow bolt of electricity was fired from the Pokemon up at the dark demon, but to no avail. The citizens gaped as the Thunderbolt attack seemed to bend around the odd dark creature they couldn’t identify.
Necrozma raised his finger to the sky, summoning a small glint of light to its tip. “And so, just in case you decide not to take my words at face value...allow me to demonstrate my declaration of war!”
Chuckling darkly, Necrozma lowered his finger and pointed down at New Bark Town, causing some of its denizens to start backing away, unsure what to do. The sky itself seemed to become terrified of the dark demon as it had now begun to howl with wind, threatening to kick up a storm. Necrozma held out his arm, and promptly dropped the glowing light. The civilians of New Bark Town barely even saw what hit them.
In a single flash of light, a colossal explosion tore the town apart, sending up a column of violent white light. The area it hit was gone in a flash, completely obliterated alongside every living thing that had been unfortunate enough to be nearby. The areas not hit were blown back, uprooted, and sent flying away amidst a virtual hellscape that formed in place of their town.
As the column of light died out, the majority of the town had been reduced to nothing more than a crater, covered in flames. If Necrozma had a face, he would have been smiling cruelly down upon them all. Laughing like a madman, Necrozma descended into the fray to have some fun. He was met with the sight of hundreds of corpses, people, and Pokemon alike. Many were still burning, flailing wildly to try and free themselves from the flames, but ultimately achieving nothing, falling to the ground like dominos to be consumed in the fire.
Necrozma took in the sight, staring at it like an ordinary person would stare at a flower garden. His morbid sightseeing was interrupted by the scream of a girl behind him who wore a golden necklace of a crescent moon. He turned around and, to his disappointment, she was still in one piece, not engulfed in flame, and completely unharmed. ‘Time to fix that,’ He thought to himself as he turned to meet the girl.
“Why hello there,” Necrozma greeted, extending his hand to the girl, “I believe you’ve heard my introduction just earlier, but I am Necrozma. I trust you are enjoying my handiwork?”
Tears dotted the girl’s face, evaporating in the heat of the harsh flames before they hit the ground. “Y-you…! My family-!” She dug her nails into the palms of her hands, trembling, then tore a Pokeball from her pocket and threw it. “I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! Absol, use Night Slash!”
From the Pokeball came a black, canine Pokemon with white fur. It had a crescent-shaped blade protruding from the side of its forehead. Responding to its’ trainers’ order, the Pokemon charged at Necrozma with its’ blade shrouded in a dark aura...and promptly was wiped from existence in a flash of crimson light.
“My, how rude,” Necrozma chastised mockingly, “Here I was taking the time out of my busy schedule to greet you formerly, and yet you attack me?”
The girl’s eyes widened in shock. She took a step back, accidentally dropping the now-empty Pokeball that had housed her Absol, then tripped over a piece of stone and fell onto her back. She let out a cry of pain and attempted to scramble to her feet, but Necrozma had run fresh out of mercy days ago. The dark demon appeared before her once more, making her fall back onto the ground.
Tears of fright welled up in her eyes as she shuffled backwards, but let out a pained cry as she accidentally placed her hand near the searing flames. She frantically looked around for an escape route, but everything had been sealed off by the fire, and she had nowhere to run. All she could do was stare back up at the monster who had destroyed her life in an instant.
“P-please,” She whimpered, “P-please don’t kill me!”
Necrozma knelt forward and raised her chin with his razor-sharp index finger. She was far too afraid to move away from him. “Oh, don’t worry my dear,” He said to the girl, “I have no intention of killing you.”
The girl stared up at him. Her rage had completely given way to terror, and so even after the atrocity he had committed against her and the other civilians of New Bark Town, she smiled gratefully at him, relieved beyond words. “R-really?!”
“Of course I wouldn’t kill you,” Necrozma promised, helping her to her feet with his cold, metal grasp.
“But...why-”
Necrozma pulled her in close suddenly, whispering into her ear. “Because, my dear. It will be far more entertaining watching the flames do it for me.”
The girl’s blood ran cold, and she tried to pull away from the dark beast and, of course, failed. She desperately pulled against Necrozma’s grasp, crying and pleading for mercy. She received none. Necrozma cackled at her darkly and summoned an invisible force to push her backwards. She fell to her hands and knees, desperately screaming and trying to crawl forwards, but Necrozma’s force kept dragging her backwards. She let out an ear-piercing scream as her feet made contact with the flames. The helpless young trainer grabbed desperately at the grass as if it could possibly save her from her fate. Her necklace fell from her head and onto the charred grass beneath.
One last cry was all she could muster before she was swallowed by the fire completely, screaming and tearing at herself in a desperate, mindless attempt to swat away the flames. Yet still, the flames consumed her. It tore away at her clothes, then her hair, and then her flesh. Necrozma gave her one last dark laugh before she collapsed to the ground, then turned to ash.
Necrozma wiped away a makeshift tear from his laughing fit. “Ah, that never gets old.” He then floated up back into the sky to oversee the town. People and Pokemon were scrambling around in a desperate attempt to escape, pleading for their lives. Necrozma chuckled at the sight and turned up to the sky. Now that his announcement was complete, he could return to Xurkitree and the rest of his fleet to await the next five days before their grand arrival.
“Hmmm...then again…” He turned back towards the burning town, a sadistic metaphorical grin sliding up his face, “I suppose I could stay a while longer…”
A dark cackle echoed throughout the night as Necrozma descended back into the town.
Ash awoke with a jolt. The last thing he remembered was him and the others falling from that platform after Sabrina had been defeated, thanks to Zero’s help. Speaking of the others, what happened to them? He looked around and found that he was inside a Pokemon Center on one of the benches. People crowded around, happily chattering away.
Ash raised an eyebrow. Weren’t they all dolls? Or maybe since Sabrina was defeated, they went back to normal? But then, why were they acting casual, like nothing happened? The entire city should be in ruins and yet...He got up from the bench and looked outside. Not a thing was out of place. Every building was back on its hinges, standing proudly once more.
“What the?!” Ash exclaimed, “What happened?!” He ran outside the Pokemon Center, after taking his bag of course, and stared up in awe at the city. Every building seemed to shine silver or gold with the sun glinting off of them brightly. Was that all a dream? But...if it was a dream, then why were they still in Saffron City?!
“Take it easy there,” A gruff voice spoke to him, “You look like you’re gonna blow a gasket!”
To Ash’s side was Adam, though he looked noticeably less...wrinkly...The once-old man waved at Ash. “So, looks like you’re finally awake!”
“It’s you!” Exclaimed Ash, “What happened?! The city’s back to normal, and-wait, where is everyone?!”
Adam laughed at the young teen’s antics. “Well, good to see you’re lively. Anyways, I can imagine you’re confused. Your friends are fine, by the way. They woke up a while back and decided to head out to take a look ‘round the city since you were still conked out. Your Pokemon went back in their Pokeballs too, so the girl with you, the taller one, decided to let Nurse Joy take care of em for a little while.”
Ash sighed in relief, “Well, that’s good to hear...but…” A look of concern and fear took hold of Ash’s face. “What happened to Sabrina?”
“Ayee…” Remarked Adam, rubbing the back of his neck, “Sabrina...well, she’s still kicking if that’s what you’re asking. She ended up snapping out of whatever happened to her that made her like this after you guys knocked her out. Though, I had to convince her not to kill me on sight once she woke up.” His gaze wandered towards the Gym, and a guilty frown appeared on his face, “I managed to get through to her, somehow, and when she realized what she had done...it wasn’t pretty. Let’s just say there were a lot of tears and stuff. She ended up fixing the city and turned everyone back to normal. Luckily, they didn’t remember a thing, or else this would be a lot more complicated.”
“I see,” Ash said, “So that’s why everyone’s acting like nothing happened.”
Adam nodded, “Yeah, it’s probably for the best. I could imagine they wouldn’t exactly be happy with Sabrina after all this if they knew what was going on...but...Sabrina and my wife still know, and they’re not exactly happy with me. After she fixed everything, Sabrina stormed off back to her room in her Gym and closed the doors. My wife has been refusing to leave the front of her door, and neither of them will talk to me…”
“Sounds rough,” Ash replied with a compassionate wince, “But wait. When we were all falling from that platform...I only caught a glimpse before I fell unconscious, but…”
“Yeah, it was me,” Adam told him, “I overheard that little speech about forgiveness and chances or whatever before you guys fought Sabrina and...well, let’s just say if it weren’t for that, I might not have shown up.”
Despite the coldness of Adam’s words, Ash couldn’t help but smile at him. “Still, Adam, I gotta say thanks. If it weren’t for you, we might not have made it.”
Adam merely shrugged, “Well, I suppose it’s the least I could do for saving me and all that back in the alleyway. Anyways, I gotta get back to Sabrina and my wife.”
“Oh, you’re actually going back?” Ash exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
Adam huffed. “Oh, hardy-har-har. Yeah, I’m headin’ back. This whole fiasco was my fault to begin with because I was a negligent, worthless piece of shit for a father.” He shook his head, staring towards Sabrina’s Gym with a look of resolution he hadn’t had in years. “I’m not gonna make that mistake again. Even if those two hate me...still, I...I gotta…”
Ash placed a hand on his shoulder and gave the older man a smile. “No, it’s great that you want to fix things! I’m sure they’ll open up to you again in time.”
Adam heaved out a long-winded sigh. “I hope so, kid. I hope so.” With that, he began to make his way towards the Gym, ready to start the long process of undoing the mess he created over the past few years.
Ash watched him go until Adam disappeared into the crowd. “...Well,” He said to himself, “Should I go try to find the others?” He pondered the option for a few moments, then shook his head. “Nah, I’d probably end up just getting lost if I went off on my own. I should head back to the Pokemon Center for now.”
Making up his mind, Ash began to make his way back to the Pokemon Center. What exactly he’d do there besides get his Pokemon back, he was unsure. Maybe he’d challenge a few random trainers...then again, his Pokemon were probably too tired from the previous night, if the aching he himself felt from his muscles was any indication.
Ash walked through the doors and approached the Nurse Joy attending the desk. “Excuse me,” He said to her, “My name is Ash Ketchum. A girl named Serena deposited my Pokemon here, right?”
The Nurse Joy nodded, “Yes, I recall a girl named Serena dropping off some Pokemon here. Which ones were yours again?”
“Pikachu, Sceptile, Infernape, Hawlucha, Goodra, and Noivern,” Ash responded, counting the Pokemon off with his fingers.
The Nurse Joy nodded once more, “Yes, they’re all back in their Pokeballs after having rested, save the Pikachu who refused to return.”
“Yeah, Pikachu doesn’t really like his Pokeball, so I just have him up on my shoulder all the time,” Ash told her, “Anyways, they’re all doing fine, right?”
“For the most part,” Answered Nurse Joy, “They had relatively minor wounds, but they were all exhausted beyond belief! Come to think of it, your whole group looked as if they hadn’t gotten any sleep in days! What exactly happened to you?”
Ash could only laugh at the irony of that question, considering she was, in a way, a part of what they had all gone through the previous night. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you…”
After having gotten his Pokemon back, Ash went back to the bench he woke up on and sat down. He was unsure of what to do next. Even as his muscles ached, he was itching for another Pokemon battle to stave off his boredom, yet looking at Pikachu, who could barely stay awake upon his shoulder, told him that battling was out of the question for now.
So, he sighed and sat back on the bench to relax. Or so he’d hoped. Relaxation was something that often evaded an energetic boy such as Ash. Every fiber of his being itched and ached at him to move. It was as if his very body hated the idea of being idle, for even a second. But what to do? His eyes wandered around the Pokemon Center, desperately trying to find something to do. His eyes landed upon a few young trainers at a row of computer terminals, chatting away with various faces on the screens.
It had been quite some time since he had called back Professor Oak, after all. Catching up with Tracy couldn’t hurt either. Then there was, of course...he gulped, realizing he was in for quite a scolding...his mother. He gently lifted Pikachu from his shoulder and placed his partner down onto the bench to rest, then made his way to one of the open computer terminals. The trainer pressed a large red button and, surely enough, Professor Oak appeared on the screen after a few moments.
“Ash, my boy!” Exclaimed the grey-haired professor, “It’s been a while! So, what’s the occasion?”
“Nothing much,” Ash replied, “Just checking in. I’m in Saffron City at the moment.”
Oak’s eyes widened, “Wait, really? Hadn’t you heard about the news about that place recently?! Everyone ended up disappearing.”
Ash grinned at him and stepped away from the terminal, allowing Professor Oak to see the large crowd of people within the Center. “Well, as you can see,” Ash said with a prideful grin, “That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore!”
Oak looked completely flabbergasted. “Wha-?! But I...just yesterday, the news said...wait,” The professor’s expression shifted to a knowing smile, now having an inkling as to what might of occured, “You didn’t have anything to do with this, by chance, did you?”
Ash chuckled, “Well what can I say? Things just happen to work out when I’m around, y’know?”
“That right?” A voice spoke behind him. Riley and Lucario had just entered the Pokemon Center, and the former was smirking at Ash’s self-compliments.
“Oh, h-hey Riley,” Stammered Ash, rubbing the back of his head.
Riley chuckled dryly at him. “Yeah, hey to you too, big-shot. But yeah, Professor, Ash here did play a part in fixing this whole mess regarding Saffron City.”
Professor Oak raised an eyebrow at the newcomer. “Oh? Who might you be? I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of becoming acquaintances.”
“Of course,” Riley responded, taking off his hat to briefly bow, “My name is Sir Riley of the Aura Guardians, though you may call me Riley.”
“The Aura Guardians?” Professor Oak exclaimed curiously, leaning forward into the screen to get a clearer look at him, “I had read up on those a few times before, but the documentations were so scarce that I believed they were nothing more than a myth!”
Riley held up his hand, summoning a miniature Aura Sphere to demonstrate. “I can assure you, professor, we’re quite real, though I do admit we’re coming in...short stock these days.”
“Fascinating,” Oak remarked, “But it is unfortunate that your numbers are dwindling.”
“I agree,” Replied Riley, “But unfortunately, there is little I can do about that besides spread the knowledge of our talents to another.”
Oak’s eyes glistened at that. The scientific breakthroughs that could be made with Aura were innumerable. “It can be taught?! To think that such a thing could-”
Riley laughed and waved him off. “Sorry, professor, but it can’t be taught to just anyone. You have to have a…” He took a moment to ponder the correct choice of words, “Certain aptitude, so to speak. An inborn talent to be able to use it.”
Oak sat back in his chair, a little disappointed. “I see,” He said, “Well, that is a shame. So, Sir Riley, is there anyone you’re currently training?”
Riley chuckled and placed a hand on Ash’s shoulder, “Take a wild guess.”
Ash grinned and flared his Aura, just a tad so that it was visible but wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention from the surrounding trainers.
Oak marveled at the sight, his mouth agape. “A-Ash?! I had no idea that he would…” He stopped in his tracks, and then a grin took the place of his surprised expression, “Scratch that. I suppose if anyone could have the potential for something like that, it would be you, Ash.”
Ash smiled at the professor’s kind words. “Thanks, professor! That means a lot coming from you. By the way, I also wanted to talk to my mom and Tracy. Are they around?”
“Your mother, huh?” Mused Riley, “Well, I suppose getting to meet her couldn’t hurt.”
“Well, you just missed Tracy actually,” The professor replied, “He left to go on a trip to Unova to document a tribe of people called the Dragon Tribe. Hey, come to think of it, didn’t you meet one of them during your trip through Unova?”
Ash’s eyes flickered, remembering whom the Professor was talking about. Their relationship was an odd one. She was loyal enough as a friend, but her nagging was on the level of Misty if not surpassing it, which ended up with them butting heads often. “Oh yeah, Iris! I ended up journeying with her through Unova along with one of the Gym Leaders named Cilan.”
Professor Oak nodded, “I see. Well, I’ll have Tracy look out for her if he can. Anyways, about your mother. She’s off in Viridian City at the moment doing some shopping. It’ll probably be a few hours before she returns.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Ash said genuinely, “It’s been a while since I got to see her.”
Oak nodded, “Yes, it is unfortunate. You could wait around for her, but knowing you, that won’t exactly be happening, right?”
Ash chuckled and nodded, “You know me well, professor. Yeah, we probably won’t be sticking around much longer. Then again, I think our next course of action would be to go down to Koga’s Gym in Fuchsia city, which is pretty far away.”
“Actually, it’s Janine’s Gym now,” Oak informed him, “Koga ended up becoming a member of the Indigo League’s Elite Four a while back.”
Their conversation went on like this, chattering away with one another until Ash’s timer on the terminal began running short. So, he asked the Professor one final question before his time was up.
“Say, professor, how’s Talonflame coming along?”
Oak’s brow furrowed in thought. “Talonflame? So far, Professor Kukui hasn’t been able to extract that power from it again. Not even in the slightest. It’s rather vexing indeed.”
“Hmm,” Mused Ash, “Well, if that guy hasn’t had any luck with Talonflame, maybe I will. There’s no real point in keeping them there if Talonflame isn’t learning anything.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say Talonflame learned nothing,” Replied Oak, “Professor Kukui is the world’s leading expert on Pokemon attacks, after all. I’m sure that even though Talonflame hasn’t been able to use Firestorm again, it was able to at least get some decent training in.”
“Firestorm?” Asked Ash.
“Oh, that’s simply what Professor Kukui named the attack. Anyways, you said you wanted Talonflame back, right? I’ve already notified Kukui via text messaging, but you’re carrying a full party, so you’ll need to swap someone out.”
“Actually,” Started Ash, “I was going to wait on that a bit. Just have that Kukui guy send Talonflame over to your place for now.”
“Will do, Ash,” Replied Professor Oak, “But our time is running short. Be sure to-”
The screen became like static, letting out a crackled, garbled electric noise before the monitor shut off entirely. “What the?!” Ash exclaimed, “Hey, my time wasn’t up yet!” Riley put a hand on his shoulder and directed his vision towards the other monitors, which had shut down as well. “It’s not just you, Ash. There must be a power-outage or something.” Surely enough, the lights inside the Pokemon Center had shut off as well. The Nurse Joy at the counter ran into a door behind her, likely to turn on the emergency power for the more-injured Pokemon that might be in the back.
The confused cries of the masses rose up from the crowd inside the Pokemon Center. Then, a similar noise from the outside overshadowed it. Ash, having picked up his exhausted Pikachu and placing him back on his shoulder, ran outside with Riley to find that power to the entire city was cut off, and mobs of confused people were racing around trying to get to the bottom of it.
“Geez,” Ash remarked, yelling over the sound of the crowd, “This must be some power outage! The entire city’s gone down! Maybe Sabrina misplaced a few cables when fixing up the place?”
Riley shook his head, and his face went pale. “I don’t think that’s what this is. I feel something terrible! Even more so than Sabrina!” Lucario scowled in a cold sweat, feeling the same sensation his partner did.
Come to think about it, Ash noticed that he felt queasy as well. Then that queasiness became full-blown nausea, and he had to force himself to sit down to avoid collapsing from the dizziness. What’s more, his eyes had begun to glow cyan once more. Then, a shrill, high-pitched noise erupted over the entire city, forcing everyone to cover their ears in an attempt to block it out. Yet...they couldn’t. No matter what they did, the noise stayed, tearing at their ears. It was as if the noise was coming from inside their own heads. Then, all became silent. In place of the noise, a wave of dread swarmed over the city, making everyone become sickeningly pale with a fear they couldn’t comprehend why they were feeling. A voice, one that sounded dark and metallic, boomed from within the minds of the city’s inhabitants.
“Inhabitants of this planet, I am Necrozma. You could call me an alien of sorts. I have come to your planet for but one purpose: CONQUEST! My forces will arrive on this pathetic planet in but a mere five days. Should you wish to survive, you must amass the largest army you can muster and meet me in Goldenrod City. Should you happen to lose the battle, or fail to show up, then your lives and your world are forfeit. Nothing will remain of you or your world. And so, just in case you decide not to take my words at face value...allow me to demonstrate my declaration of war!”
The dark, metallic voice began laughing like a madman, followed by the ear-piercingly loud sound of an explosion followed by hundreds, if not thousands, of voices screaming...then silence as the message was cut off, leaving everyone in a dumbfounded stupor. Thousands of questions collectively ran through the minds of all who’d heard the message, but no one could dare move or speak to ask them, let alone answer them. For no one could possibly have any answers to whatever supernatural occurrence that had just taken place.
Finally, a bewildered Ash, whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates dared to step back to his feet and ask: “What...was that…?” And then all hell broke loose. The people of Saffron City and, not to Ash’s knowledge, the entire world began panicking, running around frantically like chickens with their heads cut off. To where they were running, they didn’t know. They simply had to run. Ash, Riley, and Lucario quickly stuck together as to not be swept away and separated from one another, all while Pikachu desperately clung onto Ash’s shoulder for the same reason.
“What the hell was that?!” Ash exclaimed, shielding himself from the rushing crowd.
Riley was in the same predicament. “I have no idea! But whatever that was, it can’t have been good!”
“Obviously!” Ash retorted, “But what are we going to do?!”
Riley grunted as a particularly large man collided with him, but managed to hold his ground. “I have no idea! We have to actually figure out what it is first and then meet up with…”
Their blood ran cold as they remembered their other friends who were out shopping elsewhere, probably halfway across the city by now. “Oh crap, Serena and Zero!”
If Riley, Ash, and Lucario were having trouble staying together and in one piece in a crowd like this, then they could only imagine what Serena and Zero were going through. They imagined the two girls being swept away by a crowd of people in one of the malls, only there would be less space in there. Not to mention the people clamoring to get to the elevators and stairways if they were on one of the upper floors.
The panicking crowd stopped suddenly as a series of electrical sparks began sounding off throughout the city, followed by technological hums. The city’s electricity had turned back on, and news screens began taking up every last television screen, computer screen, and phone screen imaginable. A newswoman quickly ran into the seat, faced the camera, and cleared her throat.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” She announced with an urgent hastiness in her voice, “We seem to have undergone some sort of paranormal event that has swept not only across entire regions, but across the entire world as we know it!” Behind the newswoman, images of terrified crowds of people rushing through different cities appeared on a screen. Ash recognized Lumiose City and, of course, Goldenrod City among them. “A message from an unknown entity calling itself Necrozma has spread throughout the minds of seemingly every single person in the world! As we speak, hundreds of thousands of people are reporting the incident every minute, and millions are panicking, searching for answers! The city hit by this phenomenon worst of all is, of course, Goldenrod City, which was explicitly mentioned by this ‘Necrozma’! As of now, we are unsure as to what exactly-”
The woman was cut off by a man running onto the news set and whispering something to her.
“What? Are you serious?!”
The woman cleared her throat as the man left the set, but she looked even more pale and terrified than before. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve just received word that New Bark Town of Johto is under attack as we speak!” The image behind her cracked with static, then changed to an image of a burning city. Horrific imagery of people flailing from within the flames and others desperately running to try and escape, only to be cornered by more fire that closed in on them faster and faster with each passing second appeared. Ash had to force himself not to vomit on the spot, but lost the will to look. Riley, meanwhile, was seething with rage, watching the countless lives being lost by the second.
“We are unsure if these two phenomenon are connected, but as it stands, it is the most likely explanation for the attack, nor can we confirm or deny that this Necrozma being is responsible for the calamity at the Orange Islands that took the lives of thousands of people, or the mysterious disappearance of Johto’s Mt. Quena. We do, however, have multiple reports of Legendary Pokemon appearing at all of these sights except New Bark Town, such as Lugia and the Three Elemental Birds at Orange Islands and Rayquaza and Arceus himself at Mt. Quena. Arceus also made an appearance at the aftermath of the Orange Islands and briefly undid the damage, but, according to eyewitness reports, allowed the damage to return after being unable to revive those lost to that tragedy, and disappeared. Authorities are currently being sent to combat whatever has attacked New Bark Town, be it this Necrozma being or otherwise, and it is advised to stay away from New Bark Town at all costs. As far as we know, no more attacks of this degree have occurred, and it is safe to return to your everyday lives. I repeat, it is safe to resume your everyday lives.”
She fumbled with her papers a bit, then, in a less-alarmed tone, began the rest of her news. “On another note, the mysterious disappearance of Saffron City’s citizens has been, remarkably, undone. What exactly happened is unknown, but a large cloud of fog surrounded the city just yesterday, and when it dispersed…”
Riley cut off the newswoman suddenly, “Ash, I think she’s about to cover what we did,” He whispered, “Let’s get out of here, quickly.”
Ash stared up at him questioningly, “What for?”
“The people here don’t know what happened. When they do, they’ll just start panicking again, so we should find Zero and Serena as quickly as possible, then get out of here!”
Ash nodded, “Yeah, that makes sense. We’d just end up getting swamped again if we stick around, but…”
“But?!” Riley exclaimed, “Ash, we gotta go!”
“What about Sabrina?” Asked Ash, “What if they find out about her and what she did, then attack her?”
Riley hummed, seeing Ash’s point. If this news lady mentioned something about Sabrina being involved, if she even knows anything about it, then Sabrina and her family would likely be driven out of the city. Nevertheless, he shook his head. “This may sound cruel to you, Ash, but we can’t stick around to help her. The people of New Bark Town need our help more right now. We need to leave before there’s no longer anything left to save.”
Ash grimaced, but ultimately saw Riley’s point. “Yeah, you’re right. But...how are we going to find Serena and Zero? They could be anywhere, and this city’s huge!”
“Well, that’s simple,” Riley said, allowing a smirk to appear even at a grim time like this, “It’s time for your next Aura lesson: sensing people.”
“Sensing people?” Asked Ash, “Like detecting where people are?”
“There’s more to it than that,” Riley told him, “You’ve already learned how to sense the presence of others on your own, but you’ve yet to learn how to differentiate between different people.”
He pointed out two random people standing amongst the crowd. “Go on, sense those two.”
Ash nodded and lit his Aura, though only in his eyes as to not draw attention. His vision went blue, and the sight of the two bystanders was swapped with two signatures of Aura, characterized by human-shaped cyan flames. He was able to concentrate solely on them and blot out the countless other aura signatures surrounding them, but still could not find any difference between the two of them, no matter how much he tried.
“You see them, right?” Riley asked, to which Ash nodded, “Good, then allow me to reveal how to differentiate the two of them. The hint is that it doesn’t rely on sight, sound, or any other sense. Though ‘feel’ might be a good place to start, this type of sensing is a different sense altogether. A sixth sense, if you will. For instance, Zero’s Aura would be easy to feel, as it feels prickly and painful, and of course, it’s crimson.”
Riley motioned around the three of them to the surrounding crowd. “Since Zero’s Aura should be easy enough to sense, and you’re quite familiar with being in contact with it, you should be able to sense her easily.”
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Ash nodded, though he still looked unsure of his abilities. “Alright, I’ll try.” Staring around himself, Ash activated his ‘Aura-vision’ once more. The crowd of people was replaced with a crowd of human-shaped Auric flames, and so, he began walking with Riley and Lucario behind him. He wasn’t sure where, he was simply hoping that he would see or feel Zero’s Aura and go from there. Though as he walked, he made sure to try and ‘feel’ every Aura signature that came close to him and tried differentiating them from each other. It was far more difficult for him than he thought it would be. On top of them all looking the same barring size, hardly a thing about them ‘felt’ any different from the other. Then again, he wasn’t exactly given clues on what to look or feel for either.
So, Ash partially gave up on feeling around for different Auric signatures and simply looked around for any sign of red. As they made their way past the Gym, Ash couldn’t help but curiously peer inside to see what Sabrina’s felt like. It, unlike the sea of blue Aura they were passing through, was yellow.
“Hey, Riley,” Ash said, “Sabrina’s Aura is yellow. What does that mean?”
Riley stared pitifully at the Gym, “It means that she’s...under a lot of stress to put it lightly. When people are under stress or feeling negatively, their Aura will begin to become negative as well. It ranges from a deep blue for the average positive person, then becomes a lighter shade of blue as it becomes negative. It becomes lighter until it shifts from blue altogether, then becomes a very light shade of green, then yellow, until it finally lands on a deep crimson red, which is the peak negativity anyone can stand. You’re already familiar with that particular type of Aura. Any more than that, and you’d probably die.”
Ash cringed. He’d already seen and felt a portion of Zero’s memories firsthand, but now he had even more pity for her. To think, she was at the peak of pain and hate...he’d have to make sure to fix that someday. A thought struck him out of that particular train of thought. Riley said as people begin to become more negatively-attuned, their Aura would shift from a deep blue to a lighter-shade of blue over time. Riley’s Aura was cyan.
“Hey, Riley,” Said Ash, though Riley’s attention was fixated on something else, “You said Aura becomes lighter at first when you’re more negatively-attuned. But...your Aura-”
“Hey, Serena!” Riley called out suddenly, interrupting Ash, “Over here!” Apparently this Aura lesson was over.
Surely enough, amongst the crowd ahead of them was Serena, who was holding fast onto Zero’s hand to make sure she didn’t end up lost. Her gaze snapped to her name being called, and she smiled at seeing Riley and Ash. “Heeeey!” She called out, waving her free hand. Quickly, she pushed through the crowd with Zero at her side, looking very nonplussed at being dragged around, and made her way over to her friends.
Ash quickly abandoned his questioning of Riley’s Aura to make sure Serena and Zero were okay. “Hey!” He called back to her, “You girls alright?!”
Serena and Zero approached their friends, having freed themselves of the crowd. “For the most part, yeah,” Answered Serena, “But I swear, that Necrozma guy nearly gave me a heart attack! And New Bark Town…” She winced, frowning deeply at the sight of the people, quite literally, being burned into her memory.
Zero had a look on her face that seemed like she couldn’t decide if she was enraged or saddened, ending up in a creased pout. “Necrozma…” She hissed, “We must stop it…”
Riley nodded, “Of course. I was thinking the same thing, Zero.” His gaze turned to Ash and Serena. “I suppose you two share the same sentiment?”
“Of course!” replied Ash, “No way am I just going to sit around while people are being killed like that!”
Serena, meanwhile, looked unsure. “I want to help too, but...those people…” The memory of seeing them literally being consumed by the flames haunted her memory. There’s no way something like that should be shown on television, especially to the entire world. Seeing that in person...would be something she would never be able to forget. Then again, if she cowered out, they would continue to die… She shook her head, clearing her head of such thoughts. “Nevermind...of course I’m in!”
Riley grinned at her, “Then it’s settled. Off to New Bark Town!”
“How are we going to get there?” Ash asked the obvious question, “There’s no way any planes are going there right now, if any are going anywhere at all after that power-outage.” Not to mention, their Flying Types were in relatively short stock, especially since Hawlucha couldn’t even fly, and Noivern alone obviously couldn’t carry all three of them, let alone all the way to Johto.
Serena pointed backwards, towards the direction Zero and her had just met back up with Ash and Riley. “Back there, there was a monorail. One of them might get us to Johto, and we can find a way to work from there.”
“Then that’s where we’re going,” Riley announced, “Let’s go!”
Hall of Origins
The Legendary Pokemon hastily rushed through their portals and into the Hall where they met under Arceus’ orders typically. Though this time, Arceus gave no such order. He hadn’t the time to do so. This time, the Legends entered the Hall of Origins of their own volition with terror in their eyes. Even the Lord of the Distortion World, Giratina himself, looked uneasy. Each and every one of them had heard Necrozma’s message, and so now, they turned to their God-father for aid.
“I see,” Arceus spoke, “So Necrozma finally makes his move…”
Xerneas approached Arceus and knelt down into a bow. “Milord, Lugia and the Three Elemental Birds have awoken.”
Arceus nodded. “And not a moment too soon, it seems. Bring them in.”
Wordlessly, Xerneas nodded and walked down to the end of the hall, where there was a colossal white door. As the Pokemon of Life approached the door, she stopped suddenly, stamped down, and allowed her energy to flow into it. Streams of rainbow-colored life energy pulsed from Xerneas and into four inlets of the door. In response, the door creaked loudly, opening outward. Immediately, Lugia and the three birds took to their rightful places amongst the Hall. Though, they obviously weren’t the same. The Trio of Birds were always particularly wild, but now it had been taken to an entire new level. Hatred practically emanated from their piercing glare, but what disturbed the members of the Hall most was Lugia.
The Guardian of the Sea was rasping out heated breaths, like a starving animal. His pupils were shrunken down to personify his rage, shocking even the most stoic of the Legends except for Arceus, who merely gave them a saddened stare. He had expected them to be like this upon awakening, especially after he forcefully put Lugia into a comatose state to prevent his raging from interfering with his healing process. Though now, save for the appendage Necrozma had torn from him, he was completely healed and ready for vengeance.
Lugia stared into Arceus’ crimson eyes, unwavering. Arceus met his stare, unflinching as well. It was as if they were in some kind of morbid staring contest, like Lugia was sizing up his lord-father and judging if he was still worth following. Finally, he broke his gaze away and bowed, rasping, “Lord Arceus.”
“It is good to see that you have mostly healed,” Arceus said.
“Mostly?” Lugia questioned, “My wounds, save the obvious one, have healed thanks to Xerneas. I am in perfect condition! The greatest physical state of my life! I am in the perfect state...to tear that Necrozma limb from limb.”
Arceus let out a long-winded sigh, closing his eyes briefly. “Lugia...while your wounds have healed, you are obviously far from fine. I, along with everyone else here, can tell you only have revenge for your injuries, your home, and your pride on your mind. That is very much unlike you.”
Lugia scowled at him, “Am I supposed to have tranquil thoughts of flower gardens, milord?”
Giratina stifled a laugh.
“I am not saying your thoughts are unwarranted,” Arceus told his, one-of-many, sons, “I, too, yearn for Necrozma’s end. His thoughtless massacre has gone on for far too long!” The Alpha Pokemon stared down at Deoxys and the Legends of the Sun and Moon. “...Far, far too long. Long before ever coming here, that demon has slaughtered entire civilizations by the billions. I cannot forgive that…” His gaze turned upward, and he raised his head high like that of a god should do. His crimson eyes glowed, and he allowed his overwhelming divine power to seep from his body, nearly shaking the entire hall. “And I cannot forgive him for what he has done to our home!”
His gaze turned to Deoxys first, “You, who have had to watch your civilization burn and flee to ours.”
Then, he turned to Lugia and Mewtwo, who had been let in, seeing as this was now his problem too. “And you, who have had your homes completely destroyed...and of course…”
Arceus’s gaze softened slightly, turning down to the young Keldeo with a sad stare. “...You, who have had your family taken from you…” The Lord of the Pokemon next turned back to Solgaleo and Lunala, but neglected to mention the theory of Necrozma’s Origin for fear of setting off Lugia and the Birds. The last thing he needed was for the Hall to collapse in on itself.
Lugia’s mouth opened in shock at hearing that, and his hate-filled gaze subsided, if only a little. He gazed down at the only remaining member of the Swords of Justice, but the young Keldeo merely stared down at the whitened floor.
Arceus gazed upwards again and summoned a translucent screen. What was on that screen was sickening to even the most hardened, cold of the Legends. It was a burning town, where people and Pokemon alike were meeting their end amongst the flames by the second. “This,” The Alpha Pokemon boomed, “Is Necrozma’s latest attack. Now, he’s extended his wrath to the humans and ordinary Pokemon as well.”
Keldeo let out a shocked gasp, “What?! Then, let’s go stop him! We’re all here, so we have the greatest chance of beating him now!”
Arceus shook his head, “It is unknown as to whether Necrozma is still even there. He has no life force and is practically invisible in the dark, so it is impossible to say if the demon has already left or not. Not to mention, we’re still down a member.” He turned to Kyogre and Groudon, who shrunk underneath the pressure of Arceus’ stern gaze. “I trust that you never found Yveltal, right?” The Pokemon of Land and Sea merely shook their heads.
“I’m sorry,” Groudon said, “We went to where Yveltal had landed, but he was nowhere to be found! He disappeared!”
Kyogre nodded shakily, feeling the rage Arceus was trying, and failing, to suppress. “W-we think that Yveltal might have been completely destroyed by that attack!”
“Impossible,” Arceus snapped, “Yveltal cannot die so easily. If he had truly died, he would have simply absorbed the life force of his surroundings and came back to life.” His red-hot glare of pure, divine rage pierced the two Legends to their cores. “No...what really happened was that you two had refused to co-operate with one another and abandoned the mission I had entrusted you with, am I correct?”
A fear that the typically-proud masters of the land and sea had rarely felt paralyzed them. The fury of Arceus was something to never be taken lightly. Even still, they managed to stammer out an excuse.
“N-no, Lord Arceus!” Groudon retorted in a whimpering tone that sounded like he was begging for his very life. “Kyogre and I may be enemies, but we would never disobey your orders! We would follow your orders to the end, sir!”
Arceus kept up his death stare for a few moments, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth it and allowed his crimson gaze to falter. “Fine, then. We’ll sort this out in the time given to us.”
Groudon grimaced. ‘He doesn’t believe us…’
Keldeo growled furiously, “We still have to try! Even if we can’t stop Necrozma right now, there are people and Pokemon dying! They need our help!”
“Indeed they do,” Replied Arceus, “But right now, we cannot help them. Yveltal is one of our most powerful assets, as he would be able to drain Necrozma’s forces of their life force to fuel our own. Without him, battling Necrozma would be far more difficult than necessary.”
“Necrozma doesn’t even have his forces yet!” Keldeo shot back, “And what’s with you?! Why are you fighting me on this?! Those people are dying, and you won’t do anything?! Even if Necrozma’s still there, we could chase him off!”
“And get the remaining humans killed for certain,” Arceus retorted, “With every Legend fighting Necrozma, the area would become nothing more than a crater by the end of it. If we leave them, there’s a chance at least some will escape. If we don’t, they’ll all be dragged into the fight and die anyways.”
Keldeo’s scowl contorted the equine Legend’s face. “And what if he’s not there?! We’d be leaving them to die!”
Arceus’ patience was beginning to wear thin. With his eyes narrowed at Keldeo strictly, he replied, “If Necrozma is no longer there, then they’ll find a way out with little issue.”
“Which is all the more reason to go, so there will be less casualties!”
“And if he is still there, how many casualties will the Legends suffer if we go there while we are still unprepared? Some of us carry the very balance of our world in their hands. Should they die, how many more people and Pokemon will follow?”
“What are you saying?!”
Arceus’ impatient stare intensified, silencing Keldeo. “What I am saying is that not even I had the power to fell Necrozma in our previous duel. As we are now, we are un-coordinated and ill-prepared to take him on...what I’m saying is, as we are now, we will lose…”
Those words shook the Legends to their core. Even the stoic or hardened Legends like Lugia, Giratina, and Rayquaza’s jaws nearly dropped. Panic began brewing within the hall, sending the Legends into a frenzy of panicked questions and remarks.
“What?!”
“You can’t be serious!”
“You do not mean that, Lord Arceus! You cannot mean that!”
“I do.” The Legends were silenced, put into a dread-induced stupor as their hope drained away. “As we are now, even if the entirety of the Legends fought Necrozma all at once, we do not have any sort of plan to defeat him, and our forces are weakened due to the loss of the Swords of Justice and the disappearance of Yveltal.”
Arceus’ intensity died down a bit, allowing the Legends to catch their breath a bit. “That being said, now that you are all here, it is the perfect time to make a plan. We, the Legends, alone cannot bring him down, but…if we can unite the entire world’s population against Necrozma and his forces in broad daylight once he arrives in Goldenrod City, we may have a fighting chance.”
“Milord,” Rayquaza interjected with a bow, “By the entire world’s population, you’re not referring to the humans as well, are you?”
“Of course I am.”
“You cannot be serious,” Giratina hissed, “The humans are as unreliable as they come! They seek only self-profit, even if it means destroying whatever it takes to get it!”
“Something tells me that the survival of our world and, by extension, themselves will be more than enough of an incentive to fight,” Arceus replied, “And not every human is completely selfish. I learned that from a very special human. There are those who would gladly sacrifice themselves for the sake of others.”
Giratina scoffed. “Like your precious chosen one? One good human doesn’t redeem the cesspool of scum that is the rest.”
Arceus eyed Giratina knowingly. “I recall that he saved you too, once. And it wasn’t just him. There were others besides him that chose to come to your aid.”
Giratina let out an enraged growl, but then, a devious grin came to the Renegade Pokemon’s mouth. “Twice, actually. One of them was from you.”
“And I have apologized deeply for that incident,” Replied the Alpha Pokemon, “And Palkia and Dialga have already forgiven me for my grievous misdeeds that day. I was...lost to rage. The fury that comes with betrayal is blinding. Maddening. I have vowed to never return to such a state again.”
Giratina let out an arrogant scoff. “Your “golden children” only forgive you because they’re too terrified of you to ever say differently. As I recall, the moment we decided to side against you, you had no hesitation when you decided to smite us. They say they forgive you because they don’t have the guts to tell you how they really feel, father. Only I do!”
“Silence!” Roared Rayquaza, “Lord Arceus has already repented for his actions back then! Not to mention you, who also betrayed Arceus long ago and tried to usurp his throne, have no right to criticize him!”
Giratina merely laughed at Rayquaza’s attempt at an insult. “Oh, really? When I went berserk all those years ago, I get locked in a warped, empty plane of existence for all eternity, but when he does it, he gets off scot free? Truly, our Lord Arceus is the face of equality and justice.”
Arceus stamped his heel, sending a wave of golden energy pulsing through the floor of the hall. “Enough! We’ve gone too far off track, and every second we spend bickering amongst ourselves is a second of preparation for the coming battle that is wasted!” He turned back to Giratina sternly, “But...you do have a point, Giratina. I have been unfair with you. You will be relinquished of your sentence and will be allowed passage between the Distortion World and the real one freely, with no time limit.”
This sent a wave of disbelief throughout the entire hall. Especially Giratina, who had expected Arceus to brush off his remarks as always.
“You cannot mean that!” Rayquaza protested, “Giratina would sooner join Necrozma with his freedom than protect our world!”
Giratina, genuinely awed but still wary, replied, “...You know, he’s got a point. Why trust me now of all times? You sure I won’t just stab you in the back?”
“No,” Replied Arceus with a coy look in his eye, “Because you will be given your freedom after Necrozma is slain, and I’m sure both of us know what would be required for that to happen.”
Giratina sunk down into his seat, glowering at Arceus, who was still giving him a knowing look. Almost a grin. If Giratina would be allowed his freedom, then he, too, would be forced to participate in the final battle against Necrozma. He would have to earn his freedom. “...Very well...father…”
Arceus nodded, then turned back to address the Hall of Origins. “I know you are all questioning such a decision, even if some of you dare not voice it. My reasoning for this is simple. If we are to emerge victorious in a time like this, then we will need every single one of us to be perfectly united against Necrozma. If even one of us is disorganized, we will fall.” He turned back down to Keldeo. “I trust you now understand my stance on not aiding the people of New Bark Town now?”
Begrudgingly, Keldeo replied, “...Yes, Lord Arceus. Even if I don’t agree with it, I can see your point.”
“Good. Now then, as I was saying: We will need to unite every human and Pokemon. The humans, or at least the trainers, are necessary because they have skill on the field of battle. They can give strategic orders to the masses of Pokemon and prevent any inward chaos that may ensue, as well as organize the Pokemon on the battlefield. Now, onto our duties…”
Deoxys raised his hand. “Lord Arceus, I apologize for interrupting, but where is Lady Mew? She’s the only Legend not present. Even her clone, Mewtwo has come!”
“I already spoke to her ahead of time,” Answered Arceus, “Mew will be operating from inside the Tree of Life. I needn’t explain this to most of you, but the Tree of Life is the main factor of our world that allows life to bloom on our planet. If it falls, then the majority of life on Earth will suffer immensely.”
“I see,” Deoxys said, lowering his arm, “Again, I apologize for interrupting.”
Arceus merely nodded to him, “It is of no consequence, Deoxys. Now, as I was saying...we will have to be organized if we want any chance of defeating Necrozma. Unfortunately, I will be unable to join you all in the beginning. Here, I will spend the next five days gathering energy. Once I deem it to be enough, I will rush to your aid and defeat Necrozma. As for you…”
The Alpha Pokemon turned to face the Legends, eyeing the rows upon rows of godlike creatures with immense powers. But more importantly, he stared upon his many children, whom he considered to be his pride and joy. “You all will need to fight as hard as you can to stop Necrozma from damaging our world before I arrive. You must focus on your greatest attributes and use them in tandem with one another. Teamwork is the most important factor.”
“Of course, Lord Arceus!” Rayquaza boomed heartily, “I will do anything you ask! I will guard this world and my fellow Legends with my life if I must.”
Lugia couldn’t help but let out a laugh. A mocking one, filled to the brim with ire and disbelief. “I’m sure, Rayquaza. You’ve been one hell of a guardian so far.” His laughter died down, and in its place was a glare that was practically dripping with spite. “You never even knew Necrozma was here until it was too late! That demon slipped right on past your sight and tore apart the homes of both I and the Elemental Birds! He took from us something that cannot be retaken! Because of your inability to guard our world properly, we will never be the same!”
Rayquaza hung his head, bowing down in guilt. He could not hope to deny what Lugia had said, for all of it was correct. “You...you are right, Lugia. I have failed as a guardian, and I have failed Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and you...and for that, I cannot truly apologize enough.”
With his tail, he pointed out the missing spike that had once been underneath Rayquaza’s chin, then looked over to Mewtwo, who was leaning against the bottom of Mew’s pillar. “Not only have I failed you four, but while you were unconscious, Necrozma struck again and attacked Mewtwo’s home. I managed to intercept him, but was unable to defeat him...I was nothing more than a ragdoll to that monster, and though I was able to allow Mewtwo and his underlings to escape, his home was completely eradicated, and to show for my failure, I have this…”
Lugia’s eyes widened at the sight of Rayquaza’s injury. He had a piece of his body torn from him as well. Nevertheless, his rage did not subside. In fact, it only furthered it. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about! If you could not even phase that demon, you are unfit to be a guardian!”
“Hold your tongue!” Arceus ordered, “It is not your place to decide such things!”
Lugia snarled at the divine Pokemon. “Oh, is that right?! You would allow his failure to pass, then?!”
Arceus shook his head, “I would not. In fact, I already have not. After Rayquaza’s duel with Necrozma, I revoked his status as guardian of the Earth, but not because of his failure. It is because I realized that stopping Necrozma alone is suicide, and I will not willingly put the lives of my children to death for an impossible cause!”
Lugia tried to speak up, likely another savage retort, but Arceus stopped him with a look that told him to be silent, so begrudgingly, he abided it. “Lugia,” Arceus spoke, “I may have already mentioned this previously during this hall meeting, but I, too, dueled Necrozma after Rayquaza did, and had similar luck. I couldn’t scratch him. If not even I could harm Necrozma, then what chance did Rayquaza ever have at stopping him?”
Lugia stared down in thought, then replied, “...I see. Yes, if even the ‘almighty’ Arceus could not stop that monster, then Rayquaza would surely be unfit for the job.”
“Lugia, please,” Arceus spoke with an exasperated sigh, “This isn’t like you at all! I need you to realize just how dire of a situation this is, and normally, you would be completely level headed! I need you to trust in me if my plan is going to work!”
Lugia laughed dryly. “Trust in you? Level-headed? Like how you trusted in my level-headedness enough to put me to sleep because you feared I would do something you would regret?”
Arceus’ gaze faltered, and in its place came a melancholy stare. “You...were in a berserked state. If I had let you rage about, you would have refused to be healed by Xerneas and likely went out to hunt down Necrozma by yourself, and gotten killed at that.” He stared back up at Lugia with a tender stare no one in the hall had ever seen from the Alpha Pokemon before. “Listen, Lugia...you and all the other Legends are very dear to me. If you had died, then I myself would have likely gone completely berserk as well and followed your footsteps in hunting down Necrozma by myself...and died as well, dooming the entire world to death as well with no one left to properly defend against that monster. You, the other Legends, and every living creature on this world are my sons and daughters, down to the very last single-celled organism. I care for you immensely.”
The Beast of the Sea let out a dry, short chuckle, then turned to the screen showing the people of New Bark Town screaming helplessly amongst the flames. “You love each and every one of us huh? Every last living thing? I think they would beg to differ.”
Arceus winced. “You know that’s for the greater good! If we intercepted now, then-”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Lugia spat back at him. With that, he returned to his seat, glaring death at any who dared to give him an odd look on the way there.
Arceus sighed deeply. “Very well, then. You may think what you will. For the rest of you, I need you to fill your roles the best you can. Xerneas, I’ll need you to heal the fallen and supply whatever energy you can to the Legends. Any of you who can fly, keep an eye over the battlefield while fighting. The larger and more powerful amongst us here will fight on the front lines. For the smaller Legends, you stay behind them and attack at range. Provide support however you can do best. But…” He eyed some of the smallest, weakest Legends in the room, “Some of you simply aren’t fighters. Manaphy, take your Phione children and flee to the far seas. You needn’t worry about this clash.”
Manaphy nodded. “As you wish, Lord Arceus…”
“The Regis are also inside the Tree of Life to defend it, so we cannot use them either,” He mused, humming to himself in thought and sizing up the capabilities of the other remaining Legends, and though some came to mind as weak, he couldn’t expend any more of them if they were to win. “...That is all, then,” He announced, “You have your orders. Be prepared to march to Goldenrod City upon my order.”
“Milord,” Lunala spoke, “What about our theory about Necrozma’s origin?”
Arceus paled a bit. ‘Oh no.’
Lugia perked up, “I’m sorry, his what? Lord Arceus, that seems like a rather important detail to skip out on. By all means, enlighten me, you’ve peaked my interest now.”
“It’s unimportant,” Arceus quickly replied, “It’s only a theory as to his origin and nothing more-”
“No, no, no,” Lugia protested, “By all means Lunala, go on.”
“I’m telling you it’s not important!”
“If it’s not important, then why are you trying to hide it?!”
“I’m not trying to hide it, it’s simply not crucial! Not only that, but I don’t want our Hall of Origins meeting to be wasted!”
“What time?! Didn’t you just tell everyone they were dismissed?! We have time to spare!”
Arceus was about to retort, but Lugia made sure to give him a remark he couldn’t stand up to. “Arceus, you wanted me to trust you didn’t you? Well, here’s your chance! How am I supposed to trust you if you won’t even let me hear out what Lunala has to say? If you’re hiding something from me, how am I supposed to trust you at all?”
“I…” Arceus tried to retort, but couldn’t. He knew Lugia had a point, but there’s no telling what Lugia would do if he believed Solgaleo and Lunala’s theory. Chaos would ensue, and that’s the last thing he needed at a time like this. But, if Lugia knew he was hiding something from him, the last thing he would ever get from the Beast of the Sea was trust. “Very well,” Arceus replied, hanging his head, “But if you don’t like what you hear, don’t blame me. Or Lunala and Solgaleo, for that matter. Remember, this is nothing more than conjecture.”
A smile that Arceus couldn’t tell was genuine or not came upon Lugia’s face, and he bowed. “Thank you, milord.” Then, he nodded at Lunala to continue, to which the Legend of the Moon mirrored Lugia’s nod and cleared her throat.
“Right, then...you see, during the time Arceus briefly dueled Necrozma, we were able to catch a glimpse of his energy...and it felt familiar…”
“What?!” Lugia exclaimed, “But no one could sense him! Not I, the Elemental Birds, or Rayquaza, given that he failed to stop him from slipping through! How could you do it?!”
Lunala huffed, but kept her composure, “Well, if you would let me finish, you might find out. Honestly, Lugia, you’re acting like Giratina! It’s disappointing.”
Lugia glowered at her. The thought of being compared to what, for thousands of years, was seen as the scum among Legends made him fume internally. He dared a look at Giratina, who gave him an even greater look of disgust. “Tch,” He spat, “Go on with your wretched story.”
“It was you who asked to hear it,” Lunala countered, but complied regardless, “Anyways, I’ll just give you the abridged version, then. You see, Solgaleo and I sensed something familiar within Necrozma, but the sensation was fleeting, and we could not make sense of it. We believe Necrozma may be...an old friend of ours from when we were young.”
Solgaleo nodded and continued his counterpart’s train of thought for her, “Lunala and I were not always in the form you see us in. We were initially much smaller creatures called Cosmog, and we lived in a separate dimension called Ultra Space. There was a third Cosmog with us at the time, and we swore to escape our world via Ultra Wormholes, which appear within that dimension from time to time and whisk away whatever is nearby. Well, one day, one did appear to us, but the third Cosmog was not with us at the time.”
Lunala spoke next, “And so, we were whisked away to your world, morphing into the state you see us in now. Though that third Cosmog was left behind, and we believe that they somehow found another Ultra Wormhole to our world, but appeared far beyond where we did, and only now found us after conquering Deoxys’ world and many others in some twisted fit of vengeance.”
Lugia hummed in thought, closing his eyes to take in the information. Arceus looked on apprehensively. He could feel Lugia’s rage bubbling, yet he dared not intervene for fear of worsening the situation. Lugia re-opened his eyes after a few moments and said, “So...what you mean to tell me is that you are a potential reason for Necrozma’s appearance. That the fault lies with both Deoxys and you lot?!”
Deoxys went to hiss a retort at the Beast of the Sea, but Arceus beat him to the punch. “That is enough, Lugia!’ Arceus stamped his heel into his throne with such force that the entirety of the Hall of Origins, dimension and all, quaked. The Legends collectively scrambled out of their seats apprehensively, sensing the potential danger at hand. Arceus’ Aura transformed from a golden-white to a dark, menacing crimson red and glared death into Lugia’s eyes. The Beast of the Sea was taken aback, and his own breath was caught in his throat in a terror he had forgotten the Lord of Legends was capable of instilling.
“The blame lies with no one, Lugia,” Boomed Arceus, who had lost his patience. If appeasement and passiveness would not work with the Guardian of the Seas, then the force of the God of this world would. “You are so blinded by your hatred that you would take your frustrations out on your very brothers and sisters of the Hall! I will not allow it!”
“That sounds awfully familiar…” Giratina remarked, “Taking your blind rage out on your kin...doesn’t it?”
Arceus allowed his rage to fade, though far from entirely, and turned to address his Renegade son. “...You are ever correct, Giratina. I was blinded by rage many times, and hurt the ones I care for many times. That is why I must now address my children...so that they do not make the same mistakes I did.”
“I am no child,” Lugia hissed, “Especially not one of yours. So you can keep your sickening family platitudes to yourself.” Without waiting for the Father of Pokemon to be able to reply, Lugia returned to his portal. The three Elemental Birds went ahead of him, returning to their homes.
“Wait!” Arceus ordered, “Where do you think you’re going?!”
“I recall that you said the Hall was dismissed a while ago, so I’m leaving. But don’t worry, I am not going to shrink out on the battle against Necrozma…” He gave Arceus one last toothy smirk. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Then, Lugia disappeared, leaving the Hall of Origins.
Arceus let out an exhaust-filled sigh and lowered his head. After nearly a minute of the other Legends awaiting their father’s next move with baited breath, the Alpha Pokemon raised his head once more to address the rest of the Hall. “...The rest of you are dismissed. I would get your affairs in order as best as you can, and prepare yourselves for war.”
The Legends of the Hall of Origins nodded to Arceus collectively and began disappearing through their respective portal one after another. Deoxys was one of the last to go. He was lost in his own thoughts. On hand, he was elated that the chance to avenge his family and his world was at hand. On the other...the memory of the stygian galactic conqueror was burned into his mind, as was the dread that merely being in his presence inflicted. He wanted nothing more than the corpse of Necrozma to lay underneath his heel, but he was unsure of his own capability to make such a miracle occur. The DNA-based Pokemon shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts, as dwelling upon them would only make the wait more agonizing, and disappeared through his portal.
As Rayquaza was about to enter his own portal to go back to his charge of the upper atmosphere when he was, quite literally, stopped. A pinkish-purple glow took hold of the emerald-green, serpentine Legend, keeping him held still. The hold was released soon after it came, allowing Rayquaza to find the perpetrator. It was none other than Mewtwo.
“I apologize for that,” Mewtwo told him, bowing his head a bit, “But I need to speak with you.”
“There are other ways to make conversation than to freeze someone with Psychic powers, you know,” Rayquaza replied with a small chuckle.
Mewtwo allowed a wry smile to creep up along his face, “Fair enough.”
“So, then. What did you need of me?”
Mewtwo stared back up at the serpentine Legend. “I watched a portion of your duel with Necrozma. During that duel, you were able to transform yourself and increase your power immensely. I was wondering if you could teach me that technique.”
“Ah,” Rayquaza said, “You wish to learn Mega Evolution.”
“So it is called Mega Evolution,” Mewtwo mused, “Yes...I would very much like to learn how to perform such a thing. I will need all the power I can get if I am to be of help in the battle against Necrozma to come.”
Rayquaza let out a deep, elongated hum, deep in thought. “...Mega Evolution is not something that can be taught to everyone. There are simply some Pokemon that can do it, and some who cannot. Among the Legends, there is only one other besides me who can perform it. Diancie, too, can use Mega Evolution, but she is directly born from the Mega Stones that ordinarily allow a Pokemon to undergo the transformation.”
“Mega Stones?” Questioned Mewtwo.
Rayquaza nodded. “Mega Stones are unique stones mostly found within Kalos and Hoenn that allow certain Pokemon to channel their energy through the stone and another stone called a Keystone to undergo Mega Evolution and transform, becoming far more powerful than they are normally, but only for a given amount of time based upon their stamina.”
Mewtwo frowned. “If the stones are naturally occuring and tied to certain Pokemon only, I may be out of luck. As you know, I myself am not exactly naturally occuring.”
“Yes, I had thought of that,” Rayquaza said, “But I don’t think the lack of a Mega Stone will be the end. After all, I learned how to use Mega Evolution without one.”
Hope returned to Mewtwo’s eyes in the form of a glint. “Such a thing is possible?!”
“Indeed,” Replied Rayquaza with a nod, “I am not one to give up hope so easily, and neither should you. I would be glad to teach you how to Mega Evolve if I can.”
“I-I,” Mewtwo stammered, “Thank you, Rayquaza…”
Rayquaza smiled down at the clone Pokemon. “Think nothing of it. Actually, consider this my apology for destroying your home in my battle against Necrozma.”
As the two Legends left through Rayquaza’s portal, only three legends remained behind. There was of course, Arceus, who remained within the hall at almost all times, and his two original sons, barring Giratina, Palkia, and Dialga, who stayed behind.
“Palkia, Dialga?” Arceus asked with a questioning look upon his divine face, “Why do you remain? Is there something you wish to discuss with me in private?”
Palkia nodded, but was hesitant to speak. “...My lord-father…” He began, “We...wish to speak to you...regarding what Giratina said earlier…”
Arceus’ blood ran cold for a moment, but a pang of guilt soon took place of the shock. ‘So, then…’ He thought to himself, ‘Was he right after all?’
“In truth,” Dialga spoke next, “There is a part of what Giratina has said that rings true. For a long time, we were terrified of you. Many of us still are.”
“Not just us,” Palkia followed up, “But the entire Hall of Origins. It started after your initial banishment of our brother, Giratina.”
“It is not as if we’re saying what you did was necessarily unjust,” Dialga quickly added, “But at that time, your mannerism and tone...were unlike anything we had ever seen before. After Giratina had attempted to usurp your throne, you revealed a side of yourself that has left many of those amongst the Hall in shock and fear up until this very day.”
“That is to say,” Intervened Palkia, “Not all of us are still like that. Though, after that human, Marcus, betrayed you and tried to keep the Jewel of Life to himself, that rage returned again and left us petrified. I don’t know why you left for so long after that, but when you came back, that rage had only grown, and the Legends were unsure if you were to ever come back. Then Dialga and I became enraged as well, fighting amongst one another for eons in your absence.”
“That,” Dialga continued, “Is one reason we decided to side against you that day. We were fearful that, in your rage, you might end up destroying the entire world. After those humans that were alongside your Chosen One saved us from our own rage, we couldn’t let yours go...though he would never admit it, Giratina thought like us that day…”
Arceus’ eyes widened with shock.
Palkia nodded and spoke next. “We were terrified of you. We thought you were completely lost to your rage, and so we sided with the humans that had saved us from ourselves in the hopes that they could do the same.”
“So…” Dialga started, lowering his gaze, “Giratina was not...entirely wrong when he said we all feared you…”
“But even still, we revere you even more,” Palkia quickly added onto Dialga’s confession, “We could never truly turn our backs on you!”
Arceus was genuinely dumbstruck. Even in the most pressing or stressful of situations, Arceus, the God of all Pokemon and creator of the world, still had a quick-witted speech or remark...but not here. His two sons left him in a complete awed stupor. He let out a deep sigh, and confessed something of his own. “Palkia...Dialga...my sons...I cannot apologize to you enough for the pain my selfish actions have caused you...both you, the other Legends, and all the life I created, I threatened with my anger. In my blind rage, I...caused the entire world immense, needless suffering.”
“That’s not true!” Palkia protested, “Though you may have lost yourself to anger, you still gifted us with creation!”
“Palkia is right!” Dialga followed, “We have lost ourselves to anger once as well, and caused suffering to many as we clashed with one another. We caused suffering to many humans during our countless duels, pulling many into our makeshift arenas as we did so...including your Chosen One...what you’re saying about yourself simply isn’t true!”
“It is…” Arceus pushed, causing his sons to flinch. “...I knew it. My actions have caused far more suffering to my children than they deserve…” The God Pokemon’s memories flashed before his eyes, retelling countless stories of the pain he’s inflicted upon others. First, there was Giratina. His first-born son. He recalled the sheer terror in his eyes as his father cast him away into a dimension of pure isolation. He recalled himself mercilessly attacking his three first-born sons when they dared to side against him. He recalled the lands of Michina Town and its surroundings, going from a lush green paradise to a cold, bitter wasteland as he retook the Jewel of Life after his chosen had helped him reclaim it. He recalled the faces of those who had lost everything after the destruction of the Orange Islands, and how he undid the healing for them after the humans, in their grief, lashed out at him for being unable to revive their loved ones. And he recalled so much more. Painful memories of himself causing even more pain to his own children time and time again. It needed to stop.
“Palkia...Dialga...this goes for the other Legends and everything Mew and I have created on this wonderful Earth…” He gazed up at his sons with a soft, apologetic look in his eyes. Regret, shame, sadness and more were all that was left of the Alpha Pokemon’s age-old, unending anger. “...I...have always cherished you all...even if I was too blinded by my selfish rage to see it…and I am genuinely sorry beyond what words can express...”
The Masters of Time and Space were completely awed by their father. They had genuinely expected a half-assed apology at best, and an order to leave him and prepare for the battle ahead at worst. They could never have dreamed of their father giving them a genuine, melancholy expression of remorse.
“L-lord Arceus!” Dialga exclaimed.
“What are you saying?!” Palkia followed suit.
“What I am saying…” Arceus spoke softly, “Is that I love you...all of you...and I will never forgive myself for how I have wronged you…nor do I expect any of you two.”
“F...father…” Arceus’ sons uttered… “We...cannot thank you enough for such praise…”
“There is no need for thanks,” Arceus replied, “I am simply giving you what you...all of you...were owed millenia ago...and when the time comes for us to end Necrozma’s reign of terror once and for all, we will not do it as the Hall of Origins or the Legends...we will do it, both us, the non-Legendary Pokemon, and the humans, as a family.”
The Masters of Time and Space bowed proudly and valiantly cried, “YES, SIR!”
With that, Arceus let his sons be on their way, leaving him alone in the Hall to his thoughts. Previously, he would have berated himself without end for showing weakness to anyone, but now...the divine Pokemon felt as if an immense weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt at peace for the first time in thousands upon thousands of years. But, that peace soon left him, and guilt took its’ place as he gazed upon the screen showing the burning of New Bark Town.
“...Is this right?” He asked himself aloud, “To savor our strength at the cost of their suffering?” The Alpha Pokemon, after that emotional ordeal with his sons, didn’t know anymore. His heart ached to see them suffer, but the thought of what might happen if the Legends weren’t at their peak performance by the time Necrozma next showed himself was also unbearable. But then...something caught his eye...something that chilled him to the bone.
“No...it cannot be!”
Ash Ketchum, his chosen one, was directly in the center of the town, surrounded by fire on all sides...and what was worse was that a shadow, one Arceus could never forget, was looming over him. Necrozma.
