//------------------------------// // Chapter 62 // Story: A New World, a New Way // by zeusdemigod131 //------------------------------// Editors note: Out of the 7000+ words for this chapter, 3150 are for the battle. (I counted.) Meaning this chapter is number 45% battle! Brought to you by me! Hope you enjoyed it! ~Bubba Draco roared as he charged Surge, blue energy forming around him. Surge braced himself for Draco’s Dragon Rush, using both of his arms to take the impact. Sliding back, Surge struggled against the force of the Flygon before he twisted himself around to let Draco fly past him, avoiding most of the attack. Soaring past the Electivire, Draco took to the sky, and worked his way back around to take another shot at Surge. With the Electric Pokémon in sight he zoomed in, his tail glowing a bright blue. Surge dove to the side, as the Dragon Tail attack slammed into the ground where he was not moments before, leaving a small crater. But Surge was not fast enough to move out of the way again, as Draco quickly fired off a torrent of Dragon Breath over his shoulder. Rolling over quickly, Surge instinctively let out a blast of Thunder at the Flygon, but the electricity that rattled around inside of Draco simply didn’t do a thing. Damn! He’s a ground type! Surge berated himself, as Draco moved closer. Opening his jaws wide, Draco moved in to Bite Surge, clamping down on Surge’s right arm. Surge let out pained grunt, before he pulled his arm back and slammed his fist into Draco’s right eye. The impact was enough to knock him back and make him let go of Surge. On top of that, Surge smiled to himself as he saw that Draco’s right ruby-red goggle lens was cracked. Retreating a bit, Draco frowned to himself before unleashing a Sandstorm. His wings buzzing quickly, stirring up the dirt and sand around him, before it quickly began to overtake Surge and the surrounding area. Surge squinted his eyes as visibility dropped significantly. Looking back and forth, he could not see where the Flygon had went, and could only hear the sounds of sharp wind pushing sand against him. There was then a sudden buzzing sound behind him, right before Draco knocked him forward, and Surge landed face first onto the ground. Getting up quickly, Surge turned around ready to face Draco, only to hear the buzzing sound again, but to his left this time. It was then that Draco’s tail whipped out from the sand and took out Surge’s legs. Letting out a cry, Surge hit the ground hard before yelling “Raichu, get rid of this Sandstorm with Rain Dance!” Hoping that Raichu heard him, Surge stood back up, but this time he braced himself for Draco’s next attack. That blasted dragon wasn’t going to get away with attacking him, not without learning a lesson or two! Again, Surge heard the buzzing of the Flygon’s wings, and this time it was directly in front of him. Acting quickly, he fired a Swift attack and the volley of stars fired off into the sand. If Surge hadn’t heard something hit the ground next to him, he wouldn’t even have known if his attack hit Draco. Moving quickly, Surge made his way to where he thought Draco had fallen, only for said Flygon to ram into him head first. But Surge would not give up, and did his best to hold his position. With Draco so close, Surge raised his arm up and slammed it into the dragon’s back, hoping to do at least something to the Dragon-type. Draco let out a cry, as Surge had landed the blow right on his left wing. In pain, and in rage, Draco opened his mouth and fired out another torrent of draconic flame at Surge, and with how close they were, Surge both released Draco and exploded backwards out of the Sandstorm that Draco made, only to slam into a tree. The sky above had grown dark, and as Surge stared forward a light rain began to fall, but it was weak and slow going; the rain would take several long moments to dissipate the Sandstorm. Moments that Surge didn’t have, as the Sandstorm soon shifted and quickly overtook him and the tree behind him. Pulling himself to his feet, Surge knew that Draco was coming. He knew that he could not come from behind, since his back was to the tree... And as the sound of buzzing reached his ears, he knew that Draco was close. But what Surge didn’t expect was for the damn Flygon to come in from below. As the ground beneath him gave way, Draco dug out from underground and zipped up, knocking Surge to the side, away from the tree. The attack had bloodied his nose, but as Surge stood up the world seemed just a bit easier to see, as some of the sand had been washed away. Enough so that Surge was able to sidestep Draco’s next attack and grab his tail. “Let go of me!” Draco yelled, before Surge gave him a hard yank, knocking him off balance. “If you insist!” Surge yelled, before twisting as hard as he could, dragging Draco across the ground before throwing him as hard as he could against the same tree that Draco had slammed him into just moments ago. But unlike Surge, Draco did not hit the lower bark of the tree. No, he was thrown into the tree’s branches, many of which cut at Draco’s body as he passed through the canopy before hitting the ground, landing on the same wing that Surge had hit earlier. Surge fell to his knees as the Sandstorm slowly dissipated around him. Panting heavily, he had taken attack after attack, and most had been type effective on him. This battle was not going to end well if he didn’t do something about it. But as the Sandstorm faded away, it didn’t look like Draco was having a fun time either. The crack in his visor had gotten worse, and cuts and bruises could be seen across his body. But worst of all was his wing. Like Surge, he was panting. Though he felt ready to go, Draco knew things were bad. It was hard to see as is, but with his wing the way it was, he too had to end this quickly… “You call this a rainstorm?” Surge asked, turning his attention to Raichu. “It’s barely even a sprinkle!” "Sorry Sergeant, but Rain Dance is not my speciality, as you know very well. If you want a full blown rainstorm, ask Electrode or Manectric next time. Oh, wait, they ain't here!" Raichu pointed out. "Uh... That's funny... There isn’t really anyone here besides us anymore... We’re alone... Where in Distortion did everyone else go?" he asked no one in particular, looking around himself. “Look out!” Raichu's warning came too late, as Draco’s Dragon Breath rippled over Surge’s chest and threw him back, sending him rolling across the ground before he came to a dead stop several feet away. Taking a deep breath, Draco let out an annoyed sigh as Surge started to stand up again. It was time to end this. Now with a clear line of sight on Draco, Surge used another Swift attack. The six stars fired out, one after another, all aiming directly for Draco. Opening his mouth as wide as he could, Draco fried out one last attack. A Hyper Beam came forth, whizzed past the stars that Surge had fired, and slammed into its target. The column of energy engulfed Surge, pushing him back farther and farther before it slammed him into yet another tree, this one breaking under the pressure and snapping in half. But it still was not over, not yet at least. Surge’s attack came forth, and to Draco’s dismay, each star slammed into his left wing. Surge was aiming for the same spot… Yet the Hyper Beam had done its job. Even in pain, Draco stood tall. His dragon pride over protecting his family had helped him through the battle, before he quickly fell to one side, the pain now overwhelming him. Surge on the other hand lay beaten on the ground, knocked out from the battle. He had taken too many attacks to keep on going. “Sergeant!” Raichu yelled, running to Surge. “Please be okay!” Draco’s attention was turned elsewhere, as he could not get into another battle. Slowly but steadily, he began to move his way away from the site of the battle, heading back towards Carousel Boutique. His wing was too wounded to fly, but his legs were doing just fine. Candice grumbled to herself as she tried to clean all the sand out of her coat. “Stupid Sandstorm,” she muttered. “Stupid Surge, stupid Dragon...” The Glaceon sighed, “This entire plan is falling apart.” “It’s alright Candice,” a soft feminine voice said from behind her. “You’re better off without them anyway.” Candice smiled faintly. “Thanks Froslass,” she said, turning back to her Pokémon. “But I doubt there’s much I can do on my own... I don’t think those ponies will listen to me anyway.” Froslass floated over to her trainer and put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be like that. I know you can be very persuasive when you want to be.” Looking up at her, Candice asked “You really think I have a chance?” Froslass hesitated before answering “Anything’s possible.” That, apparently, was enough to flip Candice’s mood. “Right,” she said with a nod. “We’ll make our way to Ponyville, then... then we’ll make them see the truth.” Twilight’s day had been getting progressively worse as it went on. Starting with Rika’s news of the incoming attack, followed by River informing her that the group, lead by Surge, was on its way, leading up to a Sandstorm forming on the outskirts of town that had Gene trying to get out the door to go find Draco. He had eventually agreed to stay in the library, if Twilight went out to look for him. So Twilight was now trudging out of town with Fang in tow, the Houndoom coming with to help her track down Draco, as well as protection in case one of Hastings’ group showed up. “I’m sure he’s fine,” Twilight said aloud for what must have been the fifth time. “He’s a Dragon.” “Unless he managed to split them all up, even Draco would be hard pressed to take out a group the size of Hastings’,” Fang informed her. Twilight didn’t respond; to her, Pokémon seemed practically unbeatable after everything she’d seen them do. She’d watched them survive attacks that would have killed a pony instantly. But then again, Juniper had told her about Pokémon battles, as well as the rules surrounding attacks to ensure none of the competitors got seriously injured or worse... “Have you picked up his scent yet?” Twilight asked Fang. He shook his head. “Not yet, I’ll probably pick it up when we get closer to the battle, but until then...” Fang fell silent as his nostrils flared and he looked down the path. “I smell Ice,” he said coldly, just as a Glaceon and a Froslass walked/floated into view. “Ugh, her again?” Twilight asked with disdain, recognizing the Glaceon as Candice from their encounter yesterday. “What does she want?” Fang didn’t respond, instead, he let out a low growl as the pair of Ice-types drew closer. “They smell like a desert.” “Well... fancy meeting you here Princess Twilight,” Candice said, coming to a stop in front of the young Alicorn. “Who's your friend?” Fang stalked forward until he was staring down at the Glaceon. “My name is Fang,” he informed her. “Gene is my trainer, and I don’t take kindly to those who threaten him.” He growled again, and Candice took several steps back. Froslass glared at Fang and floated up to him. “Well I don’t like it when violent jerks threaten my trainer,” she told him, glaring at him. “So back off.” The last part came with a warning as a small amount of electricity formed in her hand. Fang chuckled. “I’d like to see you try,” he said snorted, blowing a small amount of fire from his nostrils. “Okay, both of you calm down,” Candice said before turning to Twilight. “We’re not here to fight, I just want to talk.” “I think you made yourself pretty clear yesterday,” Twilight said, unsure if letting her explain herself would result in much of anything. “Yes, but now we’re alone... mostly, so this time, it’ll be just you and me, no interruptions, no threats of attacking, I promise.” Fang scoffed. “Your words mean nothing! All you want is to spread lies about my trainer!” This time, flames spilled out from the sides of Fang’s mouth, and Froslass responded by freezing a shard of ice in her hand like a dagger. Twilight watched the Pokémon for a second, wary of what might happen next, then looked back to Candice. “If you promise neither of you will attack me or Fang... or anyone else in town... we can talk.” Candice nodded, “Done.” She turned to Froslass, “Froslass, go wait a little further down the path, I want to be able to talk with the Princess in private.” Reluctantly, Froslass complied, her eyes glued on Fang as she floated past him. “Fang, go keep an eye on her.” “You sure?” he asked, worried she might be walking into a trap. “Don’t worry,” she told him with a confident smile. “We’re just going to talk.” Deciding to trust her judgement, Fang followed after Froslass, leaving Twilight and Candice alone. “So... why don’t you start by explaining yourself?” Twilight said. “Why do you want to arrest Gene and Abby for what they did back on Earth?” Candice closed her eyes and took a deep breath before beginning. “As a gym leader, I’ve learned to trust in my Pokémon with all my heart. I’ve worked with my Pokémon since I was a child, and I’ve developed an unbreakable bond with all of them. I look after them, and they look after me. If anything were to happen to them… I would be devastated. These Poképhilies, they harm their Pokémon not only on a physical level, but on a psychological as well. Pokémon are amazing creatures, and to know that there are people out there that harm them, that… it’s not right.” Twilight nodded. “Alright, you care about them and don’t want to see them hurt, I can respect that. Although, something has been bothering me since the first time I heard about these criminals, what you call, Poképhilies. Hasting said that thousands of humans have been jailed due to the crime of Poképhilia. Do you really think that each and every one of them was actually hurting their Pokémon? Don’t you think that maybe there were some trainers that actually loved their Pokémon, and that their Pokémon loved them back?” “Well, probably. But there were also many humans that abused their Pokémon. There were cases of sex-slavery from all over the world. People intentionally hurting Pokémon for their own benefit. Hastings wanted to end this abuse, and that’s why I support him, because he wants to stop these terrible humans from harming more Pokémon, and make them take responsibility for their actions,” Candice countered. Twilight frowned, she knew Candice had a point. Mage had told her enough about Luke for her to realize that, but she knew Gene had never hurt Belle, judging by the testimony of all his Pokémon, Juniper, Iris, and Cynthia. "But what about the ones who really did love their Pokémon, and were loved in return? Were they just going to be swept along with the rest as 'anomalies' because remember, the crime is Pokèphilia, which means they were arrested for loving their Pokémon, not necessarily abusing them." “Princess, sometimes the line between love and abuse can be pretty thin. I’ve seen such a case with my own eyes; one of my students back in Snowpoint City tried to kidnap his own Pokémon, a Jynx, in the name of love. He wanted to escape the law, he believed it was for their own good. But the Jynx did not love him back, he forced her to escape with him; in other words, he made her go against her free will. The law may have some flaws, but in the end… if it’s for saving Pokémon, then maybe it’s the right thing to do.” The former leader let out a sigh, as even thinking of her student reminded her of the twisted and wicked world they used to live in. “But what about Pokémon who were happy with their trainers?” Twilight asked. “I agree with you that helping others is important, especially when it’s something like this,” she sighed. “But that doesn’t excuse the fact that you could end up hurting a lot of people if you put the criminals and the lovers in the same category. Take Belle for example: she and Gene genuinely love each other, there’s no doubt about it. Not only does Gene’s simply being here vouch for the sincerity of his love,” Twilight smiled softly, “But you haven’t seen them together like I have, you haven’t seen how protective Belle gets of him over the littlest thing, how no matter what they’re always able to make each other smile, how Gene practically refuses to let her out of his sight because he’s worried something might happen to her... you weren’t at their wedding, you didn’t hear their vows.” She looked back at Candice with a glare. “You don’t know them, so I don’t think it’s fair that you, or anyone else, gets to decide if they love each other just because they weren’t the same species.” Candice blinked and frowned slightly. “But... the law was after him,” she pointed out. “Heck, he was one of the most well-known fugitives on the planet. Regardless of everything else, he still broke the law, and if the law was as wrong as you make it look like, then why didn’t anyone bother to fix it?” Twilight blinked twice before responding. “Um... someone was trying to change it. Seth Crescent, he was a Pokémon rights activist, or something, and he was trying to get the laws changed. And I believe he was persecuted multiple times for doing that too.” Twilight smiled as she remembered something else. “And the Champion Cynthia was planning a meeting with other Gym Leaders and Champions and they were going to speak out against Poképhilia laws and try to get them repelled.” Candice was silent for a moment, she’d known Cynthia had been at Gene and Belle’s wedding, but she’d never figured out why she’d been there. Shaking her head, she continued. “Even if that’s true, a lot of leaders supported the laws, when Hastings formed the Ranger Union, people were apprehensive at first, but enough important figures supported them that the Union was able to become an international force for good.” “Then those people probably never saw love with their own eyes,” Twilight said. “Cynthia, Iris, Professor Juniper, Falkner, Shauntal, and I know there were more, they all supported Poképhilia because they’d knew that Pokémon and humans could love each other, really truly love each other. While the one’s you described probably only saw the criminals.” “And you probably didn’t see the abuse with your own eyes,” Candice replied coldly, “I have. The rangers are looking for what’s best for the Pokémon; the laws were not created to harm Pokémon, they were created to punish the ones that did. It doesn’t matter if Gene hurt his Pokémon or not, if you do not let the union arrest and punish the outlaws from Earth, you’ll be forgiving criminals, and the suffering that their Pokémon went through will continue. We’ll be forced to see this, to see how we can’t do anything to protect them. I want to protect Pokémon, Princess Twilight.” Candice stomped the ground, releasing a soft yet swift freezing breeze that left snow on the road. Twilight shivered then glared at Candice. “I don’t honestly believe you think that innocent people should be punished just because of a corrupt law system... or maybe that’s just me having too much faith in the goodness of people, but either way, there’s something that you and your entire group seem to choose to ignore about this entire argument.” “What’s that?” Candice asked, curious as to what the mare had to say. “Arceus,” Twilight said, her tone flat and serious. “He brought good people to Equus because he didn’t like how his Pokémon were treated. Why would he bring people who were abusing their Pokémon?” Before Candice could respond, Twilight added “And if you say it doesn’t matter if he abused her, then just don’t, because I’m sorry if you feel we’re ignoring your laws, but I’m not going to let you arrest Gene or Abby just because they loved a Pokémon back on Earth.” Candice looked away from the alicorn as a single small tear formed in the corner of her left eye. The tear froze on her cheek and dropped off, landing on the ground and shattering into small, crystalline pieces. “I just… I just wanted to help. Those suffering Pokémon, the ones that were abused in the name of love… I didn’t want that to happen anymore. I don’t want any of them to get hurt anymore… Back on Earth, when my student was kidnapping his Pokémon, I did nothing to help… I felt useless, and here, I can’t do anything either because… turns out that what I defended until the end, what I thought was for the greater good, is wrong.” More frozen tears started dripping off Candice’s eyes as her sobs released a soft cold wind around her. Twilight frowned, she hadn’t meant to upset her, she was just trying to prove her point, and she certainly hadn't wanted to make her cry. Contemplating her next move for a moment, Twilight walked over to Candice and sat down beside her, wrapping the Glaceon in a wing. “It’s alright, you were just trying to do what you thought was right, no one can blame you for that.” Candice sniffled and looked at Twilight. “I am so sorry that you had to see me like this. This is kind of embarrassing actually, you being a Princess and all.” “Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said with a smile. “I’m the Princess of Friendship, so it’s kind of my job to help others when they need someone there for them.” Candice smiled. “Thanks then... and I’m sorry for everything.” “Hey, it’s not like you attacked anyone,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Now come on, let’s go make sure Fang and Froslass haven’t killed each other, then we can head back to town... a few members of your group have already showed up actually.” Candice laughed. “Yeah, I kinda figured that was where they’d gone off to.” Twilight chuckled as she led Candice back down the path to Ponyville, hoping things were finally starting to calm down.... if only. Brandon grumbled to himself, the former head of the Battle Pyramid was thoroughly annoyed at having been separated from the rest of the group. “That Flygon must have belonged to the Phillips runt,” he reasoned. “I still don’t understand why the ponies are defending him, it makes no sense,” he huffed. “Not like they’d lose anything by handing him over.” “Different species boss,” his Aggron said with a shrug. “Mayhaps he’s fooled them all into thinking he’s in the right?” Avalugg suggested. Brandon nodded, he was thankful that he hadn’t gotten separated from his Pokémon in the Sandstorm, as he had no idea where he was at the moment, aside from a forest, nor did he know what the fugitives and their allies were planning. Having Aggron, Avalugg, and Rhyperior with him made him feel more confident. Brandon thought for a moment before speaking again, “Maybe we can find some of the others... they couldn’t have gotten to far.” “Sandstorm’s dying down,” Rhyperior pointed out. “Ya think we should head back? See if they’re there?” “Doubtful,” Brandon said, continuing forward. “Surge was probably beaten or killed by that Flygon, I doubt either Candice or Professor Rowan would go back that way, Grimsley is smart enough to realize that no one’s going back that way... and I suppose it’s possible Professor Hastings went back, but again, chances are everyone has scattered.” “So... now what?” Aggron asked. “Well... we can’t very well continue with the plan as it was...” Brandon thought for a moment. “Alright, we’ll cause a distraction near Ponyville, hopefully we can draw Phillips out or leave an opening for some of the others to get in.” His Pokémon simply nodded, they’d long since learned to trust their trainer’s plans, his strategy was almost always flawless. “Right then, let’s go.” So Brandon and his team set off to attack Ponyville. Thankfully, they were stopped when they crossed paths with what had to be one of the weirdest groups of Pokémon Brandon had ever seen. And he was pretty sure he recognized the Pikachu. “Ash?” Ash Ketchum had spent the past few days getting used to the fact that he had two girlfriends. Perfectly understandable, considering he’d been dragged into the relationship before he could agree to anything. Surprisingly, things were actually working out pretty well. Ash had spent most of the first day getting use to the idea, while Latias and Misty got to know each other better. Today, they were planning to tell Mrs. Ketchum and Latias’ family about their relationship, but the unfortunate events involving Hastings’ group had lead them to postpone it. Ash and Misty were actually kind of relieved at that; Ash because he had no idea how to tell his mother about this, and Misty because Latias’ family consisted of a God whom literally moved heaven and Earth for his kids and an overprotective big brother... she wasn’t sure who she should worry more about. Instead, Misty, Latias, and Ash were going to have a picnic... it seemed a little odd, considering what was going on in town, but no one had really asked them to help and it was around lunchtime anyway. “This’ll be nice,” Latias said with a smile, holding a picnic basket in her hand. “I made some sandwiches, and I packed some berries, and I even found a little checkered blanket!” Ash and Misty laughed, one thing they’d realized over the past few days was that Latias’ good attitude was infectious. “Where’d you find it?” Misty asked curiously. Hoopa’s room,” she answered with a shrug. “You can find anything in there... I think she’s building a motorcycle actually.” Ash chuckled and shook his head. “Geez, is any part of your family normal?” Latias didn’t answer. “Latias?” Ash asked again. “Hold on, I’m thinking.” Ash and Misty just looked at each other and smirked from their place on Latias’ back. “Alright,” Misty said, still smiling. “Enough poking fun at Latias’ family, I’m starting to get hungry.” “Don’t worry, I’ll find us a nice place to eat!” Latias said cheerfully. “Trust me.” “We do,” Ash said with a grin. “Yay!” What happened next, Misty and Ash really should have expected. Latias flipped in the air, pushing them off of her back, and caught them both in her arms on the loop. Another thing they’d learned about Latias over the past few days: she was a hugger. “Ash?” a voice familiar to exactly one of them suddenly asked in confusion. They all looked to see a rather befuddled looking Rampardos staring at them with an Avalugg, Aggron, and Rhyperior behind him. “Brandon?” Ash asked, “Is that you?” “I... yeah... it’s me...” he answered, still confused at the sight before him. “What’s... what’s happening here?” Ash blinked, then chuckled. “Oh, this is... Latias could you put us down?” Latias complied, if somewhat slowly, warily watching Brandon and his team once she did. “This is Misty, Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Gym.” “It’s nice to meet you sir,” Misty said nervously. “Ash has told me about you.” While they hadn’t talked as much as she would’ve liked, Misty had still video chatted with Ash enough for him to tell her about the other Frontier Brains. “And this is Latias... who probably doesn’t need an introduction,” Ash said with chuckle. “Hi there.” Latias’ greeting lacked her usual exuberance. “They’re my... they’re my girlfriends,” Ash explained. “... Both of them?” Brandon asked, now more confused than he had been before. “Yeah... it was their idea,” he defended, though he had a pretty big smile on his face. “But...” the Rampardos looked at Latias. “But she’s a-” he stopped, deciding that it probably wasn’t a good idea to insult a Legendary. “Okay, fine, I’m just going to pretend this is normal.” He smiled, trying to get past several inner thoughts and feelings, including serious confusion and mild disgust. “So Ash, do you think you could point us towards town? We got separated from our group when we were attacked and we have a plan to carry out.” “Sure, it’s-” Ash began. “Wait,” Misty interrupted. “You’re not talking about the group of people who are trying to arrest Gene, are you?” Misty asked. Brandon blinked, then his gaze turned to a glare. “Yes,” he said flatly. “We’re here to take him in for the crimes he committed on Earth.” “You mean loving Belle right?” Latias asked. “He committed Poképhilia,” Brandon corrected her. “There’s a difference between what he did and love.” “Not according to what I saw at his wedding,” Misty grumbled under her breath. Ash looked at his girlfriends and then back at Brandon. “Uh... Brandon...” he began nervously. “Do you maybe wanna try to talk this out instead? I mean... from what I’ve heard, this guy isn’t that bad.” Brandon huffed. “Don’t believe everything you hear Ash, he’s obviously tricked these ponies into believing his little sham.” “No,” Latias said dryly. “You just think that because jerks like you locked up my dad that you get to decide how to treat Pokémon and what emotions we’re capable of feeling!” “Latias...” Ash said in a shocked tone. Brandon stared at the Legendary hovering in front of him for a few seconds before sighing and saying “You’re either with us or against us Ash... what’s it gonna be?” Ash stared in disbelief at the Rampardos. “I... I’m not gonna help you attack an innocent man,” he said in shock. This was not the same Brandon who’d given him the job as a facility head of the Battle Frontier; he didn’t know who this was. Brandon frowned. “I’m sorry you feel that way Ash. Aggron, use Takedown.” Without warning, the large Steel-type Pokémon revved into action, and with the ground smashing under his feet as he moved, Ash and Misty screamed as he slammed into them, knocking the both of them into a bush. “Ash! Misty!” Latias yelled, before glaring death at Brandon. “Psychic!” The blast of unrelenting energy came forth, and Brandon screamed as he was blowback several yards, slamming through several thin yet tall trees. “Brandon!” Rhyperior yelled, looking back before turning to Latias and leaping forward, slamming both of his arms down onto her back, knocking her to the ground with Smack Down. Latias grunted before raking Dragon’s Breath over Rhyperior, then turning and slashing the fire over Aggron. The two stumbled back, shook the pain off, before advancing on her again. Pulling herself up, she shifted left and right to evade the strikes of the two massive Pokémon; however, it’s hard to dodge an attack that that you can’t see coming. As the Ice Beam stung her backside, a large block of ice appeared. Avalugg smiled as his attack had hit Latias off guard, only to yelp in pain as a bolt of thunder implanted itself into his left eye. “Misty, run and get help!” Ash yelled as he charged down the Avalugg, his body turning into a yellow blur as he slammed into him. Misty, who was still a bit weary from the attack, nodded. “Good luck you two… Please don’t get hurt,” she said before turning to run. Throwing swing after swing, Rhyperior’s Poison Jabs kept missing as Latias bobbed and weaved, doing her best to evade the attacks. Aggron, who was trailing behind the two, didn’t have enough room to join in the attacking as there were too many trees around for him to fight efficiently. Twisting herself around, Latias moved in and let Rhyperior’s attack hit her, but in the attack the ice that was clinging to her back shattered under the blow, and before Rhyperior could distance himself, Latias reeled her head in and slammed it down into his extended arm. The Zen Headbut did its work, and Rhyperior called out in pain as his arm went limp. Ash glanced over and frowned. Why did he attack us? he thought, but to his dismay, Avalugg took advantage of this distraction and Skull Bashed Ash in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back. Pulling himself to his feet, Ash struggled to breathe as his lungs slowly refilled, only to see the Avalugg charging an attack aimed directly at him. Leaping to the side, the Ice Ball shattered inches from where Ash had been, only for another one to shatter to his right. Moving quickly, Ash made his way to Latias. “Latias, we need to get back, there are too many of them,” “But Ash, they have to pay for attacking you!” Latias yelled as she raised both hands to block Aggron’s Brick Break. “I won’t let anyone hurt the ones I love! Especially not you! Not again! Not after what happened Latios!” Ash wanted to protest, but he was too busy taking an Ice Beam to the face to argue. Lucky for him, no ice formed, but the chilling beam still stung quite a bit. However, that pain was nothing compared to what Avalugg felt as Latias unleashed a rage-filled Hyper Beam upon him. The massive laser tore up the ground and trees around them as it sent Avalugg flying back several dozen feet. Aggron, upon seeing his brother sent packing, called out in rage before slamming down into the ground as hard as he could. The earth under them started to shake, before the ground around Aggron gave way around him, shattering out, turning over trees and smashing up boulders and rocks. Latias, who normally didn’t have to worry about ground type attacks, screamed in surprise as the ground around her shot up and shattered around her, cushing her. But she was the lucky one, for Ash screamed out as a tree toppled over, pinning him to the ground before the earth around him shattered, pinning him further. Now with more room to move around with, Rhyperior smiled as he dashed over to Latias. The Legendary who was still reeling from the surprise of getting hit by Earthquake could not react fast enough as Rhyperior brought his fist down onto her back in a slamming motion. The already disturbed ground gave way under the attack and turned to rubble as Latias was forced down. “Get off of me!” Latias yelled as she forced her way up and spun around to face Rhyperior. Rage filled her emotions as she let forth a Dragon Pulse. The radiant energy blasted the Rhyperior back before Latias turned her attention to the Aggron. Standing his ground, Aggron started to charge as Latias quickly dashed forward, her claws glowing bright blue. The two slammed into each other, and the force blew back the trees around them. Aggron grunted as Latias’ claws scraped over his hard body, while Latias’ panted as she forced herself to keep moving, evading Aggron’s swipe at her. Yet again, a blast of ice slammed into Latias’ back. Giving a quick glance, she saw Avalugg standing, waiting for her. Why won't they stay down?! She mentally screamed. “Enough,” Brandon yelled, gaining Latias’ attention; her world froze at what she saw before her. “Please, we don’t want to fight, but we will if we must.” The warning was clear, but the message stuck deeper than Brandon though. Standing with both hands clenched around Ash, Rhyperior held the Pikachu up for Latias to see. “We’re only here for Gene, and we do not wish to hurt anyone else. Give up, or else…” “Ash!” Latias called out, but he didn’t answer. Ash was knocked out, or worse! “Please don’t hurt him!” “Bring us Gene Phillips and we’ll release him. Do you understand?” Brandon yelled. “CLEARLY!” someone yelled, before a massive figure landed in front of Rhyperior. It was Charizard, and Latias smiled as he punched the Ground-type in the face. The force made Rhyperior release Ash, whom Charizard then caught. With a flick of his wings, he flew away from Brandon, and slammed down next to Latias, Ash cradled in his arms like a baby. Small bruises could be seen all over his body as Latias dashed over to him, Charizard gave an angry growl. “Do you know any healing moves?” he asked in an angry tone, but Latias knew his anger was not directed towards her. “Yes, please, hand him here,” Latias asked, her arms stretched out. Handing over Ash, Charizard turned his attention to the soon to be dead attackers. “Keep him safe,” Charizard ordered, before turning to Brandon and roaring. “We did not want this, but it seems we have no choice now…” Brandon frowned. “Avalugg, use Ice Beam on Charizard. Aggron, Rhyperior, please don’t let Latias get away.” “You’re not getting your hands on Ash!” Charizard warned, as Latias started to fly off. Aggron and Rhyperior started to chase, but Charizard took to the sky and rained Flamethrower in front of them, stopping their pursuit, but only to be struck an Ice Beam. Shrugging off the ice, Charizard dashed forward and took Aggron head on. The large Steel-type all but stopped the advancing Fire-type. Opening his maw, Charizard unleashed a point blank wave of fire over the Aggron. Screaming in pain, Aggron stumbled back before tripping and landing hard on his back. Though he wasn’t down and out yet, as the Iron Armor Pokémon was slowly pulling himself up. Rhyperior moved in, flung himself at Charizard, and pinned the Fire-type in a full nelson. Struggling to break the grip, Charizard braced himself as both Avalugg and Aggron advanced on him from the front, the former of the two charging another Ice Beam while the latter seemed to be charging a Flash Cannon attack. But right before the attacks came, a small, bright, and painful blur slammed head-first into the Avalugg, knocking him into Aggron and forcing both of their attacks to miss. “I got you, Charizard!” Pikachu called out as he reeled back from the Volt Tackle. Happy for the save, Charizard pulled against Rhyperior, and kicked both of his legs, taking them into the sky, before twisting around in the air, and slamming his weight down onto the Drill Pokémon. Now free from the full nelson, Charizard lifted up, and landed next to Pikachu. “Latias has Ash, but he’s unconscious!” “He’s what?!” Pikachu yelled. “And they did this?” “Yes, they did.” Charizard smiled as Pikachu’s form began to glow intensely from the electrictricity sparking around him. The two dashed forth, charging the three heavyweight Pokémon. Pikachu leaped up, and his tail, now silver and hard as steel, slammed into Rhyperior’s face. The massive Ground-type stumbled back and winced as Pikachu struck him. Charizard, knowing full well that Aggron and Avalugg were both weak to him, peppered them with a massive blast of fire. The two yelled out as the explosion that came forth knocked them both back. The trees on the ground that were knocked over from the Earthquake, caught ablaze, as Charizards attack ended. And the only one to get up after that attack was Aggron, who even then struggled to stand. Pikachu was not having the best of luck, however. Out of the three, Rhyperior seemed to be the least damaged, and for Pikachu, the defensive Pokémon was not going down easy. As he went in for another Iron Tail, the large Pokémon braced himself, taking the attack before grabbing Pikachu and slamming him into the ground, but he was not finished. Still gripping the mouse Pokémon, he charged forward, dragging Pikachu through the ground before throwing him against a nearby upturned rock. The attack was painful, and made Pikachu’s head spin as he painfully stood up before smiling at Rhyperior. “It was nice knowing you…” Raising a brow to Pikachu’s comment, Rhyperior yelped at Charizard grabbed him from behind. “My turn,” Charizard growled before the two took off into the sky. Struggling to break free, Rhyperior screamed out as Charizard started to nose dive towards the ground. Increasing in speed, Charizard released Rhyperior, who slammed hard into the ground. Said ground exploded upon impact, creating a crater and blasting rocks outward. Eyes wide, Brandon looked back and forth. The only Pokémon on his side remain was Aggron, who didn’t even look like he could fight anymore. “Brandon,” Aggron started as he held his arm, “I- I think we need to sur- surrender…” Aggron winced as the pain in his arm escalated. “I really hate Fire-types…” Gritting his teeth, Brandon growled “It’s not over yet.” Looking around at the destroyed forest, which was also on fire, Pikachu smiled. “Oh, no?” he asked, to which Brandon angrily glared at him. “You remember Ash's other Pokemon don't you?” Pikachu grinned. “I-” Brandon glared at the Pikachu, before realizing they were no longer as alone as they had been a moment before. He saw several dozen different Pokemon glaring at him. Most notable among them were a Torterra, an Infernape, a Goodra, a Snorlax, a Garchomp, and... he started to lose track after a while. Glaring at Pikachu once more, he let out an angry sigh before shaking his head. “... I surrender.”