Story Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon
Chapter 71 Finding a Friend
Asia slips past tree after tree as she races through the Sinnoh region in search of Fullmoon Island and her prey, the legendary Pokemon, Cresselia. Suddenly she bursts from the trees and onto the hard stone streets of Canalave City. Looking around she sighs at the shape of the town. The Pokemon center is run down and merely a foundation as are most of the other buildings. Her eyes begins to water as she sighs holding her paw to her heart gently feeling the beating. She wipes the drops from her sight and looks to the gym, a smoldering reminder of the challenge many trainers used to go through in the once prosperous region. Something then catches her eye; behind the remains of the Pokemon center sits a building in perfect condition, obviously a hotel of some sort,
"Untouched by the devastation..." She feels an oddly dark presence emanating from the building as she walks towards it, curiosity filling her mind but as she reaches out to take the handle of one of the doors she pauses and thinks to herself, "No... I have to finish what I've been asked to do..." She shakes off the seemingly haunting presence of the many rooms and walks away from it positioning herself at the water's edge so that it would be a straight shot to her destination.
Her leg touches the flat water, as if frozen in time the waters of the ocean have remained flat and motionless. Her other foot touches the water, her aura emanating from them to keep her afloat. All at once the Lucario girl takes off across the water making hardly a sound as the legendary Pokemon of nightmares watches her from the shadows,
"Such a gentle spirit will commit such a dark crime..." He then fades back into the darkness, his blue eyes closing as Darkrai lets out a sigh, "I will surely be hunted down like the others..."
Luna opens Neo's bedroom door finding him sitting on his bed looking out the window deep in thought. She walks around the bed until she stands in front of him kneeling to become eye level with the Umbreon boy, "Neo... Vecransyh said something about a deal between you and him. What was it?" Neo looked up to her as she finished her sentence and shook his head,
"I don't want to talk about it Luna..." She then crosses her arms and shakes her head and narrows her eyes at her father,
"You need to tell me about it Neo... if no-one else." Neo falls silent and adverts his gaze,
"I really don't think it's any of your business." Luna growls and puts her paws on his cheeks forcing him to look at her,
"Tell me!!" Neo closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh before he nods and looks directly into her eyes causing her to release her grip on him,
"Fine... It was during the battle here..."
One and a half years ago at Neo's home. Neo's family members and the others at his home lay strewn about his property. Hundreds of ghosts, many dead, surround them all and Vecransyh himself along with Giratina stand in front of the still battle-ready Neo. Vecransyh lets out a dark cackle as he gives the order for his troops to gather up the defeated figures around the field. Neo rushes forward and throws a punch towards the Lord only to have his wrist grabbed and have the dark voice of Vecransyh speak to him, "You fool... do you honestly believe that I'm here to kill them all?" Vecransyh suddenly throws a knee into the Umbreon's stomach and his foot into Neo's chin forcing him onto his back before he unsheathes his sword and slams it down through Neo's right shoulder making him scream in pain, "Now then... I have a deal I want to make with you. I'm going to be taking your family and friends for torture and you have no possible way to stop me. Do you want me to keep them alive though?" Neo simply nods in too much pain to speak as the darkness of the nightmares are endlessly pulsed through his body before being cleansed by the other half of the blade, "Tell ya what, I'm feeling charitable so if you give up your powers to me I'll let you keep Luna, Angela and Allie here with you. Along with that I promise that I will not kill any of them as long as you do not engage any of my minions unless they draw first blood. Understood?" The sword is withdrawn from Neo's shoulder now coated in a thick layer of his crimson blood, "How about it? Want them to be tortured to death or just tortured?" Neo breathes heavily as he clutches his shoulder in agony trying his best to heal the wound,
"What happened to you Vecransyh...?" The last of the ghosts disappear leaving the aforementioned people still unconscious on the ground,
"You know exactly what happened to me now give me your answer." Neo is silent for a few moments before struggling to his feet wobbling a bit and locking eyes with the Lord of demons,
"If I do this then they'll remain alive...? And those three remain with me here...?" Vecransyh nods bringing his sword to the Umbreon's throat,
"Exactly, and shifting from your Umbreon form will result in death for one of them. Can't have all the fun ending so soon can I?" Neo's fingers curl into fists,
"Is this some kind of game for you?!" Vecransyh grins and slams his palm into Neo's chest making his body pulse,
"Yep. I'll take your endless babbling as a yes!" Neo yells out in agony as his powers over darkness and are drained from his body in a few instants leaving him collapsed on the ground unconscious, "We're done here Giratina. Make sure our new guests are comfortable in their new homes." Giratina nods with a dark grin as a portal appears behind them both,
"Their accommodations have been taken care of..."
Neo sighs as he finishes his story and Luna takes a step back covering her mouth with a gasp, "You... you gave up your powers?!" Neo nods with a heavy sigh before looking up again,
"I've said many times that I'd do anything for those that I love even... even if I lose a part of myself in the process." Luna pauses as she thinks everything over and her paw falls back to her side again,
"So what are you still capable of doing?" Neo's sword forms in his hand in a flash of light and he looks at it,
"I can still fight but I can't be the one who starts it... My powers are gone and I can't shift form. I'm still more then capable of fighting, Luna; I'm just not as strong as I once was." Luna nods as she smiles softly to her father,
"I'm just glad that we're not there with the others... we'd be even more powerless there then here. Don't worry father; we'll defeat Vecransyh and make this all right in the end." Neo nods as he looks up at her while Luna stands back up,
"Thanks Luna. I feel a bit better after telling someone... please don't tell anyone else though." Luna nods as she smiles lightly,
"Don't worry; your secret is safe with me."
Latias smiles as she pats the Lucario girl on the head, "And then Kazamaru barely managed to beat him so he took second at the Pokemon league." Lucia smiles happily and giggles folding her hands on her lap,
"Wow! So Kazamaru is really strong huh?" Latias nods to her question and Lucia tilts her head a bit, "So do you know where Dad is now?" Latias pauses for a moment before she nods with a smile,
"He's out there somewhere. I'm sure he's going to return to us eventually." Lucia looks up at the ceiling as she grins,
"I'll be so happy when I meet him! If you ever see him tell him I say hi okay?" Latias smiles and hugs her tightly,
"Of course my beautiful grand-daughter."
"I think auntie Angela is cooking dinner tonight. Let's head downstairs!" Without another word Lucia hops up and disappears from the room leaving Latias blinking before she smiles,
"Quite an energetic little girl isn't she." She then got up and headed after her closing the door behind them both.
"We just... can't beat him..." Kazamaru, beaten and bloodied stands with his and Scarlet's Pokemon all around the two of them. The dead hardly determinable from the unconscious as the bloody battlefield is littered with countless dead ghosts to accompany their Pokemon. Scarlet stands by her love's side holding her bloody arm as she looks angrily ahead of them at the evilly-cackling Sableye. He had simply stood by while all of their Pokemon were weakened by the attacks of his attack unit and he had easily struck them all down except for the few who still stand. Aggron, Tankburger and Ollie stand next to their trainer but on Scarlet's side only Bane stands with her. Alongside them both is an enormous Metagross that seems to pulse with energy although heavily weakened. Kazamaru and Scarlet themselves haven't changed much at all physically but their clothes have gone from clean to blood-stained and dirty. Sableye eyes his weakened and beaten prey with a dark bloodlust, the sickly insanity-ridden smile on his face. Sableye suddenly rushes them in a burst of speed laughing manically and slams into Aggron blasting him backwards accompanied with a loud crack as the triceratops roars in agony. Kazamaru growls as his Pokemon go in for an attack but Sableye is simply too nimble and leaps backwards. He suddenly feels a presence behind him and looks back in shock as Thanatos slams him into the ground roaring and sending a flurry of massive flames down on the ghost.
Sableye cringes in pain letting out a yelp but leaps back up hitting Thanatos hard with a sudden Dark Pulse. The Typhlosion is blasted back with his arms up to shield himself. Suddenly Yakira leaps over him and throws a punch down at the nimble Pokemon, her fist digging into the earth while the ghost leaps out of the way with a cackle. Yakira smirks and throws her arm out blasting Sableye with Sheer Cold in the form of a blade of wind. Sableye screeches in agony as his body is encrusted in ice and Thanatos walks up behind him with a dark look on his face, "End of the line." With those final words both Yakira and Thanatos launch Dark Pulse and Sableye can only silently scream as his body is destroyed leaving him only a bloody mess of ice and dark sparks on the ground. There is a long pause and only complete silence before Yakira looks over to their lost friends,
"Are you both alright?" Scarlet motions to Bane to begin tending to Aggron and the others and both she and Kazamaru walk to the two legends, heavy looks of sadness on their faces,
"We thought you were dead..." Yakira nods and looks around the battlefield,
"We've been in hiding for quite a while. The others are in Sinnoh but right now we need to search for survivors among this slaughter." Both of them nod and begin searching through the bodies of both sides, sadly, turning up with only a single survivor among them, Kazamaru's Flygon. Kazamaru looks up from her and motions them over to him,
"She's alive!!" Scarlet doesn't move from where she is. Standing among her Pokemon, all dead around her with the single exception of Bane who has already started tending to Flygon's injuries. Flygon slowly opens her eyes and looks up to Yakira who stands over her and a soft smile appears on her face,
"Thank you..." Yakira nods slowly and kneels running her hand over Flygon's undamaged neck,
"The time for thanks will come soon. For now we need to make sure that you survive." Flygon's eyes close as she slips, once again, from consciousness and Yakira stands looking across to the other standing Pokemon and then she looks to Kazamaru, "I believe you should keep them in their pokeballs while we travel. It will take at least a few weeks to get back to headquarters..." She then spots the Metagross and pauses leaning a bit as she tilts her head, "There's someone behind that Metagross..." Kazamaru nods to the giant steel behemoth and whistles,
"Crudon! It's safe now son." From behind one of the massive legs walks a boy only a few years younger then Kazamaru himself. He looks around 18 years of age and wears baggy black pants along with a tattered white shirt. His spiky blonde hair sways slightly as he walks over to his father and looks Yakira and Thanatos up and down,
"So who are these two?" Thanatos growls slightly, a puff of fire leaving his mouth as he continues picking through the bodies,
"I see he takes after his father." Yakira blinks as she looks at the boy in front of her,
"You're... Kazamaru's son? But you're so old..." Crudon shrugs and shakes his head,
"Honestly I don't know myself." Kazamaru nods to her,
"It happened one day, he was suddenly cloaked in this weird green light and he aged like this." Yakira nods and looks at them both,
"It was Celebi. About a year... maybe less I don't exactly recall but the Time Pokemon accelerated the ages of this world's children to that of maturity. I believe it was to allow them to aid us instead of us having to worry for their safety over everything else. Honestly we'd be dead right now if she hadn't done that. I'm truly grateful." Kazamaru takes pokeballs from his belt and returns his three standing Pokemon and then Flygon once she's recovered mostly. Bane silently walks over to Scarlet and the two embrace each other crying in each other's arms. Kaza looks back to Yakira and nods as he begins walking towards the Gallade and his girlfriend,
"Excuse me Yakira..." Yakira nods and looks back to Crudon who has just finished returning his Metagross to its ball,
"My name is Yakira and he's Thanatos. We're both old friends of your dads. If I may ask... where did you happen across a Metagross? Hundreds of Pokemon species were wiped out when Vecransyh took power." Crudon brings the pokeball in his hand within eyesight and looks down at it pausing before he responds,
"During our travels through this region we came to a big city with lots of water around it... Mossdeep I think was what it said on the sign. We were investigating a few of the houses in the place and I found this pokeball. There was a note attached to it and... when I read it I realized how little I knew of the world that existed before this one." Crudon brings a sheet of old paper from his pocket and hands it to Yakira who opens it and her eyes drift back and forth as she reads.
'Sinnoh is being destroyed even as I write this message.
If you are reading this it means that the city has been destroyed and I'm sure the other regions will have fallen... in this pokeball I leave my Metagross. It does not need to eat and I hope can withstand the blast that will soon rock this town to its core. Please look after my Metagross and love and care for it as I have.
-Hoenn League Champion Steven-'
Yakira's eyes widen as she reads the signed name at the bottom and she folds the letter back up handing it back to Crudon,
"You have the champion's Metagross Crudon. You have by far one of the strongest Pokemon of the resistance." Thanatos walks over to them both and cracks his neck looking at Crudon,
"It's not safe here, we need to go." Bane walks over to them and wipes his eyes looking at them both,
"I think I might be able to help with that. I'll be weak after doing it but I can teleport us back to wherever our destination is." Thanatos can't help but grin slightly as he looks at the Gallade,
"Well then I believe you should go and get Kaza and Scarlet and we'll leave immediately." Bane nods and heads over to the two mourning trainers. A few minutes pass before the two have calmed down and everyone is gathered around Bane. Kazamaru lets out a sigh as he looks back at his Pokemon dead on the ground,
"Should we really just leave them...?" Thanatos simply nods and pats Kaza on the back,
"I know that it may be hard to let go of those you held close to your heart but you must remember something Kazamaru." Kaza looks over to him,
"What's that?"
"Changing the future will prevent any of this from happening. Their lives were not thrown away, they will return to you one day and all of our lives shall be righted." Suddenly an enormous glow envelopes them all and they're teleported to the Sinnoh mainland in a bright flash.
Meanwhile Riketz and the cloaked Lucario walk into the battle site and look around as the light fades. The Lucario looks to the Zangoose a bit puzzled,
"Was that a teleportation?" Riketz only nods and points forward,
"And a powerful one at that. Looks like we're going to have a few more people to look forward to seeing." The Lucario nods as the both of them begin running again,
"Let's continue working on my story." Riketz nods,
"Don't worry Stratos. You'll do fine." With those final words the two of them are lost from sight among the trees.
Meanwhile Azura dashes through the woods of Hoenn, a determined look on his face while he looks straight ahead, "Such a... odd presence." His ears twitch as he hears a distant roar, "A roar... of pain?" Looking off to his left he sees nothing but water with a large tower in the distance, "It came from over there..." He then dashes to the shoreline and dives into the water, his tails spinning as he propels himself quickly through the water.
He quickly makes it to the tower steps and looks ahead at the dark doorway in front of himself, a tingly feeling running up his spine as he steps forward, a Thunderpunch coating his left paw for light and serving as a prepared attack. He ascends the first flight of stairs and looks up. Many holes line the ceiling and he positions himself under one before planting his feet and leaping upwards in an Aqua Jet ascending upwards by leaping on every floor. At last he reaches the top and looks at the staircase to what must be the roof given the light outside being seeable at the end of the doorway. The roaring is loud in the young Floatzel's ears as he slowly ascends the steps and comes out into the outside once again. He walks forward before stopping as he gazes at the massive creature before him, the Legendary Pokemon of the Sky, Rayquaza, "Who... are you!?" Rayquaza looks up weakly and begins forming a Hyper Beam in his Maw,
"Begone spawn of darkness!!!" Azura's eyes widen and he braces himself forming Thunderpunches and an Ice Beam in his mouth. But then his expression goes to one of confusion as Rayquaza ceases his attack and simply stares at the Floatzel, "You do not cower before my power... approach me as I see now that you have not come to end my life." It is only then that Azura notices the countless corpses of dead ghosts around him. Most are pushed to the edge of the tower leading him to believe that there may be more at the base of the tower. Doing as he is told, he approaches the legendary Pokemon and gulps as he stares into his eyes, "Why have you come to the Sky Pillar?" Azura takes a deep breath followed by a sigh of relief as the rest of his three attacks fade and he bows slightly,
"I was traveling with two close friends when I heard your faint roar. I split from their group to go and investigate."
"I believe I am right in assuming that you are one of the resistance?" Azura simply nods in response,
"My name is Azura."
"I see... I am the legendary Rayquaza." Azura steps back in shock,
"You're... a legendary!?" Rayquaza nods and coughs off to the side, a bit of fire leaving his mouth,
"I am far too ill to fly anymore and... the Lord of Demons has stopped sending his minions to kill me because..." Azura pauses,
"Because?"
"Because I am not long for this world." Azura shakes his head and balls his paws into fists raising them,
"But you're a legendary Pokemon!! You can't die that easily!!"
"The world's skies have become polluted and dark... being a deity that brings my power from the atmosphere I am weak with it in such a shape. Everyday I pull what little energy I can from the air but it isn't enough to sustain my life for much longer. Even my abilities cannot cleanse this level of death and evil." Azura can feel tears welling up in his eyes as he kneels next to the giant green dragon,
"I can save you! I'll go get help and..." Rayquaza chuckles as he smiles gently,
"You truly have a good heart Azura. I am glad to have known you in my final moments. There is a gift I wish to give to you once I die."
"What is it...?"
"I want you to remove my top teeth and make them into daggers. They hold the power of the dragons and will aid you." Azura stands in silence as he gazes at the teeth in question, long and white and obviously incredibly sharp, more like swords then daggers, "Will you do this?" Azura nods and Rayquaza opens his mouth as he lays his head down closing his eyes, "Help change the world back to the way it once was and... my life... will not have... been lost..." A final breath escapes the legendary dragon's mouth as life slips away from the majestic creature. Azura bows his head in silence before he stands and begins work on Rayquaza's final request.
Light taps are heard in the area as the ghostly girl ascends the stairs to Fullmoon Island. A second set up stairs in front of her as she continues walking. Doubt and fear begins to form in her mind as she reaches the entrance to a wooded area with many trees that cover most of the island. Hesitation pulls at her as she walks forward into the dark trees. A few minutes pass before she enters an open area with a shallow puddle of water around most of the area in the shape of a crescent moon. She pauses now standing still in the middle of the field, "H-hello..?" There is nothing but silence around her and she stands in silence for a number of minutes, "Miss Cresselia...?"
"I know why you are here young one..." There is a soft glimmer of sparkles and a shining silver glow and as the light slowly recedes the Lunar Pokemon stands in front of her with a long flowing dress with rings at her sides and a split crescent moon on her head over her long, light-blue hair, "And yet you have much hesitation in your heart." Asia lets out a slow breath feeling the presence of Cresselia softening her emotions, "Speak." Asia brings her paw to her own heart and looks down,
"I... I was told to come here... by my master. If I don't then he'll kill my friends and family... I... I don't know what to do!" Her eyes begin to water as her vision is blurred and the tears streak her face. Cresselia, in response takes a step back and shifts into her Pokemon form still staring at the Lucario girl,
"The power of darkness is a very difficult thing to defeat, however... Being the Pokemon with the power to dispel nightmares makes me invaluable to the world and whatever the cost I cannot die by anyone's hand..." The Lunar Pokemon's voice becomes a bit darker then the soft soothing tone, "You have come to kill me and if you do not wish to die you must leave now. The loss of loved ones will be an ordeal for you to overcome yourself but I will not allow you to fulfill the Lord's command." Asia's tears have stopped as she listens to the words of the Lunar Pokemon and she lets out a soft whimper as her body becomes shrouded in a black aura. In her mind Asia fights to stay in control as the darkness that Vecransyh had sewn into her soul begins to overpower her. Her spike emerges from her chest as her palms create Shadow Balls,
"I have to do this to protect them... I'm sorry Cresselia."
"Untouched by the devastation..." She feels an oddly dark presence emanating from the building as she walks towards it, curiosity filling her mind but as she reaches out to take the handle of one of the doors she pauses and thinks to herself, "No... I have to finish what I've been asked to do..." She shakes off the seemingly haunting presence of the many rooms and walks away from it positioning herself at the water's edge so that it would be a straight shot to her destination.
Her leg touches the flat water, as if frozen in time the waters of the ocean have remained flat and motionless. Her other foot touches the water, her aura emanating from them to keep her afloat. All at once the Lucario girl takes off across the water making hardly a sound as the legendary Pokemon of nightmares watches her from the shadows,
"Such a gentle spirit will commit such a dark crime..." He then fades back into the darkness, his blue eyes closing as Darkrai lets out a sigh, "I will surely be hunted down like the others..."
Luna opens Neo's bedroom door finding him sitting on his bed looking out the window deep in thought. She walks around the bed until she stands in front of him kneeling to become eye level with the Umbreon boy, "Neo... Vecransyh said something about a deal between you and him. What was it?" Neo looked up to her as she finished her sentence and shook his head,
"I don't want to talk about it Luna..." She then crosses her arms and shakes her head and narrows her eyes at her father,
"You need to tell me about it Neo... if no-one else." Neo falls silent and adverts his gaze,
"I really don't think it's any of your business." Luna growls and puts her paws on his cheeks forcing him to look at her,
"Tell me!!" Neo closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh before he nods and looks directly into her eyes causing her to release her grip on him,
"Fine... It was during the battle here..."
One and a half years ago at Neo's home. Neo's family members and the others at his home lay strewn about his property. Hundreds of ghosts, many dead, surround them all and Vecransyh himself along with Giratina stand in front of the still battle-ready Neo. Vecransyh lets out a dark cackle as he gives the order for his troops to gather up the defeated figures around the field. Neo rushes forward and throws a punch towards the Lord only to have his wrist grabbed and have the dark voice of Vecransyh speak to him, "You fool... do you honestly believe that I'm here to kill them all?" Vecransyh suddenly throws a knee into the Umbreon's stomach and his foot into Neo's chin forcing him onto his back before he unsheathes his sword and slams it down through Neo's right shoulder making him scream in pain, "Now then... I have a deal I want to make with you. I'm going to be taking your family and friends for torture and you have no possible way to stop me. Do you want me to keep them alive though?" Neo simply nods in too much pain to speak as the darkness of the nightmares are endlessly pulsed through his body before being cleansed by the other half of the blade, "Tell ya what, I'm feeling charitable so if you give up your powers to me I'll let you keep Luna, Angela and Allie here with you. Along with that I promise that I will not kill any of them as long as you do not engage any of my minions unless they draw first blood. Understood?" The sword is withdrawn from Neo's shoulder now coated in a thick layer of his crimson blood, "How about it? Want them to be tortured to death or just tortured?" Neo breathes heavily as he clutches his shoulder in agony trying his best to heal the wound,
"What happened to you Vecransyh...?" The last of the ghosts disappear leaving the aforementioned people still unconscious on the ground,
"You know exactly what happened to me now give me your answer." Neo is silent for a few moments before struggling to his feet wobbling a bit and locking eyes with the Lord of demons,
"If I do this then they'll remain alive...? And those three remain with me here...?" Vecransyh nods bringing his sword to the Umbreon's throat,
"Exactly, and shifting from your Umbreon form will result in death for one of them. Can't have all the fun ending so soon can I?" Neo's fingers curl into fists,
"Is this some kind of game for you?!" Vecransyh grins and slams his palm into Neo's chest making his body pulse,
"Yep. I'll take your endless babbling as a yes!" Neo yells out in agony as his powers over darkness and are drained from his body in a few instants leaving him collapsed on the ground unconscious, "We're done here Giratina. Make sure our new guests are comfortable in their new homes." Giratina nods with a dark grin as a portal appears behind them both,
"Their accommodations have been taken care of..."
Neo sighs as he finishes his story and Luna takes a step back covering her mouth with a gasp, "You... you gave up your powers?!" Neo nods with a heavy sigh before looking up again,
"I've said many times that I'd do anything for those that I love even... even if I lose a part of myself in the process." Luna pauses as she thinks everything over and her paw falls back to her side again,
"So what are you still capable of doing?" Neo's sword forms in his hand in a flash of light and he looks at it,
"I can still fight but I can't be the one who starts it... My powers are gone and I can't shift form. I'm still more then capable of fighting, Luna; I'm just not as strong as I once was." Luna nods as she smiles softly to her father,
"I'm just glad that we're not there with the others... we'd be even more powerless there then here. Don't worry father; we'll defeat Vecransyh and make this all right in the end." Neo nods as he looks up at her while Luna stands back up,
"Thanks Luna. I feel a bit better after telling someone... please don't tell anyone else though." Luna nods as she smiles lightly,
"Don't worry; your secret is safe with me."
Latias smiles as she pats the Lucario girl on the head, "And then Kazamaru barely managed to beat him so he took second at the Pokemon league." Lucia smiles happily and giggles folding her hands on her lap,
"Wow! So Kazamaru is really strong huh?" Latias nods to her question and Lucia tilts her head a bit, "So do you know where Dad is now?" Latias pauses for a moment before she nods with a smile,
"He's out there somewhere. I'm sure he's going to return to us eventually." Lucia looks up at the ceiling as she grins,
"I'll be so happy when I meet him! If you ever see him tell him I say hi okay?" Latias smiles and hugs her tightly,
"Of course my beautiful grand-daughter."
"I think auntie Angela is cooking dinner tonight. Let's head downstairs!" Without another word Lucia hops up and disappears from the room leaving Latias blinking before she smiles,
"Quite an energetic little girl isn't she." She then got up and headed after her closing the door behind them both.
"We just... can't beat him..." Kazamaru, beaten and bloodied stands with his and Scarlet's Pokemon all around the two of them. The dead hardly determinable from the unconscious as the bloody battlefield is littered with countless dead ghosts to accompany their Pokemon. Scarlet stands by her love's side holding her bloody arm as she looks angrily ahead of them at the evilly-cackling Sableye. He had simply stood by while all of their Pokemon were weakened by the attacks of his attack unit and he had easily struck them all down except for the few who still stand. Aggron, Tankburger and Ollie stand next to their trainer but on Scarlet's side only Bane stands with her. Alongside them both is an enormous Metagross that seems to pulse with energy although heavily weakened. Kazamaru and Scarlet themselves haven't changed much at all physically but their clothes have gone from clean to blood-stained and dirty. Sableye eyes his weakened and beaten prey with a dark bloodlust, the sickly insanity-ridden smile on his face. Sableye suddenly rushes them in a burst of speed laughing manically and slams into Aggron blasting him backwards accompanied with a loud crack as the triceratops roars in agony. Kazamaru growls as his Pokemon go in for an attack but Sableye is simply too nimble and leaps backwards. He suddenly feels a presence behind him and looks back in shock as Thanatos slams him into the ground roaring and sending a flurry of massive flames down on the ghost.
Sableye cringes in pain letting out a yelp but leaps back up hitting Thanatos hard with a sudden Dark Pulse. The Typhlosion is blasted back with his arms up to shield himself. Suddenly Yakira leaps over him and throws a punch down at the nimble Pokemon, her fist digging into the earth while the ghost leaps out of the way with a cackle. Yakira smirks and throws her arm out blasting Sableye with Sheer Cold in the form of a blade of wind. Sableye screeches in agony as his body is encrusted in ice and Thanatos walks up behind him with a dark look on his face, "End of the line." With those final words both Yakira and Thanatos launch Dark Pulse and Sableye can only silently scream as his body is destroyed leaving him only a bloody mess of ice and dark sparks on the ground. There is a long pause and only complete silence before Yakira looks over to their lost friends,
"Are you both alright?" Scarlet motions to Bane to begin tending to Aggron and the others and both she and Kazamaru walk to the two legends, heavy looks of sadness on their faces,
"We thought you were dead..." Yakira nods and looks around the battlefield,
"We've been in hiding for quite a while. The others are in Sinnoh but right now we need to search for survivors among this slaughter." Both of them nod and begin searching through the bodies of both sides, sadly, turning up with only a single survivor among them, Kazamaru's Flygon. Kazamaru looks up from her and motions them over to him,
"She's alive!!" Scarlet doesn't move from where she is. Standing among her Pokemon, all dead around her with the single exception of Bane who has already started tending to Flygon's injuries. Flygon slowly opens her eyes and looks up to Yakira who stands over her and a soft smile appears on her face,
"Thank you..." Yakira nods slowly and kneels running her hand over Flygon's undamaged neck,
"The time for thanks will come soon. For now we need to make sure that you survive." Flygon's eyes close as she slips, once again, from consciousness and Yakira stands looking across to the other standing Pokemon and then she looks to Kazamaru, "I believe you should keep them in their pokeballs while we travel. It will take at least a few weeks to get back to headquarters..." She then spots the Metagross and pauses leaning a bit as she tilts her head, "There's someone behind that Metagross..." Kazamaru nods to the giant steel behemoth and whistles,
"Crudon! It's safe now son." From behind one of the massive legs walks a boy only a few years younger then Kazamaru himself. He looks around 18 years of age and wears baggy black pants along with a tattered white shirt. His spiky blonde hair sways slightly as he walks over to his father and looks Yakira and Thanatos up and down,
"So who are these two?" Thanatos growls slightly, a puff of fire leaving his mouth as he continues picking through the bodies,
"I see he takes after his father." Yakira blinks as she looks at the boy in front of her,
"You're... Kazamaru's son? But you're so old..." Crudon shrugs and shakes his head,
"Honestly I don't know myself." Kazamaru nods to her,
"It happened one day, he was suddenly cloaked in this weird green light and he aged like this." Yakira nods and looks at them both,
"It was Celebi. About a year... maybe less I don't exactly recall but the Time Pokemon accelerated the ages of this world's children to that of maturity. I believe it was to allow them to aid us instead of us having to worry for their safety over everything else. Honestly we'd be dead right now if she hadn't done that. I'm truly grateful." Kazamaru takes pokeballs from his belt and returns his three standing Pokemon and then Flygon once she's recovered mostly. Bane silently walks over to Scarlet and the two embrace each other crying in each other's arms. Kaza looks back to Yakira and nods as he begins walking towards the Gallade and his girlfriend,
"Excuse me Yakira..." Yakira nods and looks back to Crudon who has just finished returning his Metagross to its ball,
"My name is Yakira and he's Thanatos. We're both old friends of your dads. If I may ask... where did you happen across a Metagross? Hundreds of Pokemon species were wiped out when Vecransyh took power." Crudon brings the pokeball in his hand within eyesight and looks down at it pausing before he responds,
"During our travels through this region we came to a big city with lots of water around it... Mossdeep I think was what it said on the sign. We were investigating a few of the houses in the place and I found this pokeball. There was a note attached to it and... when I read it I realized how little I knew of the world that existed before this one." Crudon brings a sheet of old paper from his pocket and hands it to Yakira who opens it and her eyes drift back and forth as she reads.
'Sinnoh is being destroyed even as I write this message.
If you are reading this it means that the city has been destroyed and I'm sure the other regions will have fallen... in this pokeball I leave my Metagross. It does not need to eat and I hope can withstand the blast that will soon rock this town to its core. Please look after my Metagross and love and care for it as I have.
-Hoenn League Champion Steven-'
Yakira's eyes widen as she reads the signed name at the bottom and she folds the letter back up handing it back to Crudon,
"You have the champion's Metagross Crudon. You have by far one of the strongest Pokemon of the resistance." Thanatos walks over to them both and cracks his neck looking at Crudon,
"It's not safe here, we need to go." Bane walks over to them and wipes his eyes looking at them both,
"I think I might be able to help with that. I'll be weak after doing it but I can teleport us back to wherever our destination is." Thanatos can't help but grin slightly as he looks at the Gallade,
"Well then I believe you should go and get Kaza and Scarlet and we'll leave immediately." Bane nods and heads over to the two mourning trainers. A few minutes pass before the two have calmed down and everyone is gathered around Bane. Kazamaru lets out a sigh as he looks back at his Pokemon dead on the ground,
"Should we really just leave them...?" Thanatos simply nods and pats Kaza on the back,
"I know that it may be hard to let go of those you held close to your heart but you must remember something Kazamaru." Kaza looks over to him,
"What's that?"
"Changing the future will prevent any of this from happening. Their lives were not thrown away, they will return to you one day and all of our lives shall be righted." Suddenly an enormous glow envelopes them all and they're teleported to the Sinnoh mainland in a bright flash.
Meanwhile Riketz and the cloaked Lucario walk into the battle site and look around as the light fades. The Lucario looks to the Zangoose a bit puzzled,
"Was that a teleportation?" Riketz only nods and points forward,
"And a powerful one at that. Looks like we're going to have a few more people to look forward to seeing." The Lucario nods as the both of them begin running again,
"Let's continue working on my story." Riketz nods,
"Don't worry Stratos. You'll do fine." With those final words the two of them are lost from sight among the trees.
Meanwhile Azura dashes through the woods of Hoenn, a determined look on his face while he looks straight ahead, "Such a... odd presence." His ears twitch as he hears a distant roar, "A roar... of pain?" Looking off to his left he sees nothing but water with a large tower in the distance, "It came from over there..." He then dashes to the shoreline and dives into the water, his tails spinning as he propels himself quickly through the water.
He quickly makes it to the tower steps and looks ahead at the dark doorway in front of himself, a tingly feeling running up his spine as he steps forward, a Thunderpunch coating his left paw for light and serving as a prepared attack. He ascends the first flight of stairs and looks up. Many holes line the ceiling and he positions himself under one before planting his feet and leaping upwards in an Aqua Jet ascending upwards by leaping on every floor. At last he reaches the top and looks at the staircase to what must be the roof given the light outside being seeable at the end of the doorway. The roaring is loud in the young Floatzel's ears as he slowly ascends the steps and comes out into the outside once again. He walks forward before stopping as he gazes at the massive creature before him, the Legendary Pokemon of the Sky, Rayquaza, "Who... are you!?" Rayquaza looks up weakly and begins forming a Hyper Beam in his Maw,
"Begone spawn of darkness!!!" Azura's eyes widen and he braces himself forming Thunderpunches and an Ice Beam in his mouth. But then his expression goes to one of confusion as Rayquaza ceases his attack and simply stares at the Floatzel, "You do not cower before my power... approach me as I see now that you have not come to end my life." It is only then that Azura notices the countless corpses of dead ghosts around him. Most are pushed to the edge of the tower leading him to believe that there may be more at the base of the tower. Doing as he is told, he approaches the legendary Pokemon and gulps as he stares into his eyes, "Why have you come to the Sky Pillar?" Azura takes a deep breath followed by a sigh of relief as the rest of his three attacks fade and he bows slightly,
"I was traveling with two close friends when I heard your faint roar. I split from their group to go and investigate."
"I believe I am right in assuming that you are one of the resistance?" Azura simply nods in response,
"My name is Azura."
"I see... I am the legendary Rayquaza." Azura steps back in shock,
"You're... a legendary!?" Rayquaza nods and coughs off to the side, a bit of fire leaving his mouth,
"I am far too ill to fly anymore and... the Lord of Demons has stopped sending his minions to kill me because..." Azura pauses,
"Because?"
"Because I am not long for this world." Azura shakes his head and balls his paws into fists raising them,
"But you're a legendary Pokemon!! You can't die that easily!!"
"The world's skies have become polluted and dark... being a deity that brings my power from the atmosphere I am weak with it in such a shape. Everyday I pull what little energy I can from the air but it isn't enough to sustain my life for much longer. Even my abilities cannot cleanse this level of death and evil." Azura can feel tears welling up in his eyes as he kneels next to the giant green dragon,
"I can save you! I'll go get help and..." Rayquaza chuckles as he smiles gently,
"You truly have a good heart Azura. I am glad to have known you in my final moments. There is a gift I wish to give to you once I die."
"What is it...?"
"I want you to remove my top teeth and make them into daggers. They hold the power of the dragons and will aid you." Azura stands in silence as he gazes at the teeth in question, long and white and obviously incredibly sharp, more like swords then daggers, "Will you do this?" Azura nods and Rayquaza opens his mouth as he lays his head down closing his eyes, "Help change the world back to the way it once was and... my life... will not have... been lost..." A final breath escapes the legendary dragon's mouth as life slips away from the majestic creature. Azura bows his head in silence before he stands and begins work on Rayquaza's final request.
Light taps are heard in the area as the ghostly girl ascends the stairs to Fullmoon Island. A second set up stairs in front of her as she continues walking. Doubt and fear begins to form in her mind as she reaches the entrance to a wooded area with many trees that cover most of the island. Hesitation pulls at her as she walks forward into the dark trees. A few minutes pass before she enters an open area with a shallow puddle of water around most of the area in the shape of a crescent moon. She pauses now standing still in the middle of the field, "H-hello..?" There is nothing but silence around her and she stands in silence for a number of minutes, "Miss Cresselia...?"
"I know why you are here young one..." There is a soft glimmer of sparkles and a shining silver glow and as the light slowly recedes the Lunar Pokemon stands in front of her with a long flowing dress with rings at her sides and a split crescent moon on her head over her long, light-blue hair, "And yet you have much hesitation in your heart." Asia lets out a slow breath feeling the presence of Cresselia softening her emotions, "Speak." Asia brings her paw to her own heart and looks down,
"I... I was told to come here... by my master. If I don't then he'll kill my friends and family... I... I don't know what to do!" Her eyes begin to water as her vision is blurred and the tears streak her face. Cresselia, in response takes a step back and shifts into her Pokemon form still staring at the Lucario girl,
"The power of darkness is a very difficult thing to defeat, however... Being the Pokemon with the power to dispel nightmares makes me invaluable to the world and whatever the cost I cannot die by anyone's hand..." The Lunar Pokemon's voice becomes a bit darker then the soft soothing tone, "You have come to kill me and if you do not wish to die you must leave now. The loss of loved ones will be an ordeal for you to overcome yourself but I will not allow you to fulfill the Lord's command." Asia's tears have stopped as she listens to the words of the Lunar Pokemon and she lets out a soft whimper as her body becomes shrouded in a black aura. In her mind Asia fights to stay in control as the darkness that Vecransyh had sewn into her soul begins to overpower her. Her spike emerges from her chest as her palms create Shadow Balls,
"I have to do this to protect them... I'm sorry Cresselia."