Jaern straightened himself slowly, brushing off the shattered fragments of the Green Orb from his hand like they meant nothing. Even now, with Rayquaza looming above him, he still smiled.
"You all really don't understand, do you?" Jaern said, spreading his arms slightly. "How predictable this all is. Heroes, legends, resistance...it always ends the same way."
Norman clenched his fist, and Zinnia was getting ready to bite Jaern's head off if she had the chance. Wally tightened his grip, Mega Gallade tensing beside him, but Ash looked at him with knowing eyes.
Jaern turned slightly, gesturing toward Rayquaza like he was pointing out something obvious.
"And you." His smile widened. "You massive, overgrown, worthless lizard. You were supposed to belong to—"
He didn't even get to finish. Rayquaza was about done with Jaern's BS, and it remembered what Jaern had done. You might ask how, well, Rayquaza hears all the prayers the Draconid people make to it.
So Rayquaza, point-blank, fired a Hyper Beam right at him. The force blasted him, killing him instantly, vaporizing his skin and then his bones. When the beam stopped, all that was left was Jaern's necklace clinking onto the ground.
Ash watched and frowned, looking at the scene. He'd be lying if he said seeing someone die in front of him didn't affect him, because technically speaking, this was the first time he'd seen someone die in front of him.
Maybe because he didn't do it himself, but he didn't feel nauseous like a bunch of stories say. He felt a bit sick, but it was the kind that sits at the back of your head and fades in about twenty seconds, since he didn't feel bad for Jaern.
But when he looked to his side to see everyone else's reaction, Norman stared at the scene, mouth agape, then clenched his fist and looked away. Meanwhile, Wally, who was much more sensitive, went over the edge and vomited from stress.
But Zinnia, after watching what just happened, blinked...then laughed, "Ha! Serves you right!"
She ran up to the spot where his remains had been and pointed and laughed. "Look at you! You got exactly what you deserve, haha!" She laughed a little too happily.
But then again, it made sense, since she hated him with a burning passion. Jaern was the entire reason Aster was killed. She didn't even care about Norman being right behind her, who she also had on her list. She was too happy that Jaern was gone.
As she laughed, she looked up at the sky and smiled, "Now the world...will be saved! Aster...Aster, I did it!"
Then she slowly stopped laughing and looked up at Rayquaza. Meanwhile, in the back, Ash was patting Wally on the back while he recovered from what he just saw.
He watched Zinnia talk, and let it happen, since he knew Rayquaza would reject her wish. And since she didn't do what she did in the manga, where she tricks Rayquaza into believing its dead best friend Aster was alive, only to reveal it was a trick, things were different here.
Yeah, in case you didn't know, that's why Rayquaza almost killed her in the manga. It was pissed off that it got tricked. But that wasn't happening here, so Rayquaza would probably just reject her, and then Ash could step in and handle Rayquaza. Makes things easier, since he still needs to ask questions, and that way she would probably help him too
Meanwhile, she continued, "…So you're really here," she whispered, looking up at Rayquaza.
Rayquaza just looked down at her, narrowing its eyes.
Zinnia stepped forward, her voice cracking. "When I was so full of uncertainty that I felt my heart might be crushed by it, and when I was so grief-stricken and alone I thought my heart might break because of it…"
Zinnia clenched her fist. "I turned and looked up there...so that my tears would never, ever fall."
"If I filled my thoughts with lone dragons dancing across the sky, I felt like I could be noble and proud like that too."
She looked up fully now, staring at Rayquaza as she tried to hold back her tears. After everything, she was finally here, "Even if I had to make a lot of sacrifices...or if it meant I'd have to sacrifice myself…"
Zinnia stepped even closer, reaching her hand out toward Rayquaza, "Rayquaza...can I ask you once more to grant my wish?"
"Please...lend me your strength...so that I can fulfill the mission I've bestowed on myself."
She gulped, then said more loudly, "Will you give me the strength to protect this beautiful, starry sky...and all of the worlds that float beyond it? Help me save the planet!"
As she said that, Wally pulled himself up and looked confused, then turned to Norman, "What does she mean by protect the planet? Aren't we just trying to save Hoenn?"
Norman shrugged. He didn't know either, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Zinnia looked familiar, like something just out of reach in his memory. Then he saw her posture clearly.
It hit him. She had the same stance as Aster all those years ago. And suddenly he understood why she reminded him of her, he remembered seeing a small Draconid girl from long ago.
But before he could say anything, Norman noticed Rayquaza's expression. It was the same look it had given him years ago.
And he realized what was about to happen, "GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Norman yelled.
Zinnia blinked in confusion and annoyance, slowly turning her head to snap back at him, but that meant she didn't see what was coming.
Rayquaza was angry. After what Jaern had done, it was already at its limit with humans. The use of the Green Orb had only worsened its fury. And now, it recognized Norman too. In its rage, it was seeing red.
Not only that, but it could sense Zinnia trying to take the place of the old Lorekeeper Aster, who Rayquaza actually treated like a friend, and Rayquaza could also tell that Zinnia here didn't have the same gift to be the Lorekeeper
Rayquaza pulled its tail back. Zinnia didn't realize what was happening. As she opened her mouth to yell at Norman, she suddenly felt a sharp impact in her abdomen, followed by a burning sensation.
Ash, Norman, and Wally watched in stunned silence. None of them had expected this.
Zinnia slowly looked down. Rayquaza's tail had struck her, and she staggered, coughing as she tried to speak, "R-Ray...w-why…?"
Rayquaza withdrew its tail, and Zinnia dropped to her knees, eyes wide. She clutched her stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. She tried to move her legs, but they wouldn't respond, her spine got severed in one hit,
But before the situation could settle, Rayquaza opened its mouth and began charging another [Hyper Beam]
A Poké Ball suddenly opened, and a whistle rang out.
Pikachu and Vee appeared beneath Rayquaza, slamming upward with Iron Tail and knocking its jaw off aim. At the same time, Norman's Slaking leapt up and grabbed Rayquaza, forcing its head downward, while Wally's Gallade rushed in and slashed at its face to interrupt the charge.
Rayquaza's head snapped up the moment Slaking forced it downward, the impact shaking the entire Sky Pillar. The recoil wasn't enough to fully stop it, but it did interrupt the charging of the beam.
Pikachu and Vee landed lightly beside Ash again, sliding back a few steps from the force of the exchange. Slaking let out a low grunt, shaking its arms as it reset its stance.
Norman didn't waste a second. "Slaking, again, [Hammer Arm]!" he barked.
Slaking surged forward, but this time Rayquaza twisted mid-air and whipped down with its tail. It clipped Slaking across the chest and sent it skidding back through the air before it caught itself against a broken column.
At the same moment, Norman was already moving toward Zinnia.
"Slaking, hold it down!" he shouted over his shoulder as he quickly picked her up and moved her out of the immediate danger zone.
Zinnia gasped sharply, clutching her stomach as Norman dragged her behind a collapsed pillar.
"Stay down," Norman ordered firmly. "Don't move."
Zinnia gritted her teeth, trying to speak through the pain, but Norman was already gone, back into the fight.
"Slaking! Hit it again, don't let it recover!"
Slaking obeyed immediately, driving another heavy strike into Rayquaza's side. The blow forced Rayquaza to rotate in the air, finally creating enough space for Pikachu and Vee to disengage.
Both Pokémon bounced back toward Ash in a coordinated retreat, landing at his feet. They waited for his next order, but Ash raised a hand to stop them.
Ash exhaled once. "Good. That's enough."
After all, Pikachu and Vee were too valuable to let them get tired, and he also did not want Rayquaza getting too hurt while fighting them. It still needed to go help deal with Groudon and Kyogre.
So Ash pulled out the Jade Orb and held it out, trying to use it to calm Rayquaza down. However, as the orb glowed, Rayquaza roared and thrashed, sending a blade of air toward Ash.
But Wally's Gallade quickly jumped in and blocked the hit, cutting it in half and dispersing it.
Ash clicked his tongue and wondered why it wasn't working. He looked around, then his eyes fell to the shards of the Green Orb, and he realized.
Technically, Jaern had activated the Green Orb first, meaning Rayquaza was going into a frenzy under its influence. So they had to wait for the effect of the original orb to wear off. It had already been around 30 seconds. That meant they only had to stall for another 30 seconds.
Ash whistled over to Wally, who was panicking, and Norman, who was wrapping his jacket around Zinnia's waist so she wouldn't bleed out.
"I need 30 seconds!" Ash said quickly.
Wally swallowed, then slowly nodded. "Got it."
Norman nodded too. "I can do that!"
Ash nodded and threw out two Poké Balls, releasing Blaziken and Sceptile. When they landed, they both glanced at each other and immediately tensed, as if ready to push the other aside.
Blaziken puffed out his chest and pointed at Sceptile, showing off his Mega Stone, like he was mocking him, saying that he was better
Unfortunately, Ash only had one Mega Stone for Blaziken, but it would have to do. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing his Keystone, just as he was about to activate Blaziken's Mega Evolution.
Then Wally remembered something.
When he saw Ash's Sceptile, he recalled it, and he still wanted to pay Ash back for everything, as thanks, and for his own Mega Stone.
He reached into his pouch, fumbled, then pulled something out and threw it, "ASH! CATCH!"
Ash turned and raised his hand, catching it. When he looked at it, his eyes widened, it was a Sceptilite.
"You're giving me this?" Ash asked.
Wally nodded quickly. "You can use it better than me, so you use it!"
Ash wasn't going to argue, considering the situation they were in. He simply tossed the stone over to Sceptile, who caught it and held it proudly, smirking at Blaziken like he was saying, 'Now I have one too, suck it.'
Ash then pulled out his Keystone and imbued it with Aura, "Alright, let's do this, Mega Evolve!" He pressed the stone.
Blaziken and Sceptile immediately ignited in light and began to change. Sceptile's tail grew, and his back spikes lengthened, while Blaziken gathered flames that appeared across his back as he also grew taller.
When the light faded, there they were, both in their Mega forms. They stood side by side, each giving the other a challenging look.
Rayquaza roared again, the sound ripping through the upper air of Sky Pillar as the wind picked up even harder.
Wally stepped forward first, Mega Gallade at his side, blade already angled upward, "I...I'll hold it here!" Wally shouted.
Norman stood a few steps behind him, glancing once toward Zinnia behind the broken pillar. She was still alive, mainly because he managed to stop the bleeding so quickly. If he hadn't, there was no way she wouldn't have bled out by now.
"Slaking!" Norman called out. "Keep pressure on it!"
Slaking grunted and lunged again, throwing its weight forward in another Hammer Arm, but Rayquaza twisted midair and deflected it with its tail, sending Slaking skidding back across the cracked stone.
"Gallade, now!" Wally yelled.
Gallade surged forward and slashed upward, forcing Rayquaza to pull back into the air rather than press down, trying to stop its movement.
Rayquaza spun, wind tearing across the tower as it created distance. Its mouth began to glow again, [Hyper Beam] starting to form.
"Now!" Ash called out.
Blaziken appeared and kicked Rayquaza in the jaw, snapping it shut. Then Sceptile followed up, firing a [Leech Seed] that expanded and wrapped around Rayquaza's mouth, forcing it closed and causing the beam to detonate inside.
Rayquaza recoiled violently, jerking backward through the air while smoke poured from between its teeth. The [Leech Seed] vines snapped apart as the dragon let out an enraged roar
"Good hit!" Wally shouted.
"Don't compliment me, keep attacking," Ash said, waving for Blaziken to move.
Wally nodded and called out, "Gallade, [Psycho Cut]!"
Gallade dashed forward, carving several crescent-shaped blades through the air. The attacks weren't aimed directly at Rayquaza, but slightly ahead of it, forcing the dragon to dodge and adjust its movement.
"Slaking, left side!" Norman pointed.
Slaking charged in immediately, throwing another massive Hammer Arm. Rayquaza twisted away from the strike, but as it did, Blaziken rushed in with a [Blaze Kick] to the face.
Then, as Rayquaza recoiled, Sceptile spat out a [Dragon Pulse] directly at it, making the Dragon-type cry out.
Rayquaza opened its eyes, roared, and flew up into the sky, coiling its body as the trio watched to see what it would do. None of them tried to stop it, flying up took time, and that time was exactly what they needed to stall for
But Rayquaza spun around and finally unleashed a Draco Meteor, as purple debris began raining down from the sky toward them.
Immediately, all of their Pokémon sprang into action, attacking the incoming meteors before they could hit the tower. Gallade was slashing, Slaking was smashing them with its massive fists, Blaziken and Sceptile turned it into a competition to see who could destroy the most, and even Pikachu and Vee joined in to prevent anything from reaching Ash or Wally.
But as they were dealing with that, a stray ball of energy fell, and it was heading directly toward Zinnia.
Norman was the closest, and he saw it. Immediately, his eyes widened. Worse of all, Slaking's Truant had activated.
So he quickly turned on his heel and ran toward Zinnia's body. As the energy got close, he jumped in front of it, taking the hit for her. The force sent him flying backward, and he fell off the tower.
"NO!" Wally sprinted toward the edge.
But Latias was still flying around providing support, and when she saw Norman start falling, she immediately went after him, catching him before he hit the ground.
At the same time, Rayquaza lowered itself and began approaching where Wally and Zinnia were to finish them off. Rayquaza opened its jaw to fire another beam, but then it stopped.
Because from behind, Ash had used the Jade Orb again. The time was up, so that means the Jade Orb could work now, and he used it first to calm Rayquaza.
And as soon as he did, Ash immediately ran over to check on Zinnia. While he did all the Mega Pokémon went back to base form.
As Ash checked Zinnia quickly, Latias flew back up carrying Norman's body and placed him beside Ash.
Ash shifted to Norman next, and he wasn't doing too hot either. That hit had nearly killed him, he was barely alive. Ash quickly placed a hand on him and began stabilizing him with Aura, while with his other hand he pulled out medical equipment.
Wally looked nervous. "A-Ash...how are they? Are they gonna…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
"If I work now, I think I can save them," Ash said.
But as he said that, his phone rang. The Rotom Phone flew out and read the message for him.
–
Smellyoulater: ASH WHERE ARE YOU!
–
Ash clicked his tongue. "But looks like they need support now," he said, quickly setting things up for treatment. Their injuries were still treatable, but only if he acted fast. If he didn't, they would both die.
This wasn't part of the plan, but now that it had happened, he needed to improvise.
He looked at Wally and threw the Jade Orb at him, "Catch."
Wally nearly stumbled but caught it. "W-what? You mean?" He looked at Ash, then up at Rayquaza.
Ash put on a mask and sterile gloves and continued treating them on the spot, "Everyone needs Rayquaza's power now. I can teleport once I'm done, I just need to make sure they don't die."
"I-I...but I…" Wally stuttered, but Ash cut him off.
"Wally, I need you to do this. After all, you're the one who managed to summon Rayquaza in the first place. That means you're worthy. So prove it, and ride that dragon to help everyone!"
Wally opened his mouth, then closed it. He took a deep breath, "Okay...I'll try my best."
He looked at the Orb, then held it up toward Rayquaza.
Rayquaza looked down at him, then lowered its head, allowing Wally, nervously, to climb on along with Gallade. And as soon as they were on, Rayquaza immediately shot up into the clouds and began flying.
Now that it wasn't in a frenzy, he could sense those two numnuts fighting, so he had to go put a stop to them again.
As they flew off, Zinnia, who was still awake, watched Rayquaza disappear into the sky. A tear fell from her eye.
"W-why...I-I w-w—" she tried.
"Shut up," Ash said as he began pouring Aura into her and continuing the treatment. "Don't force yourself. You can cry about all of this when you're not dying. And you can start explaining things to everyone too."
Again, this wasn't how he thought things would go. But he definitely didn't want Norman to die, and he kind of needed Zinnia alive too, so he had to keep both of them alive.
Zinnia tried muttering more words, but with a literal hole in her chest, she couldn't really speak. Ash could only keep working as best he could.
And no, he couldn't just fly to Mirage Island or teleport there to buy himself more time to do the surgery
The island had a special barrier that prevented teleportation, and if Ash tried getting there on Latias, they would both die from how fast she could move. So he had to do everything here to keep them alive.
But then again...it shouldn't be too hard. Norman's Slaking was sitting behind him, looking worried. Maybe he could use that after, but that was for later
–
{Back at the battle}
A little after Ash, May, and Brendan disappeared, the battle still had to go on.
A massive wave of steam rolled across the field as Primal Groudon slammed its claw into the ground again, splitting the earth like paper. On the other side of the dome, Primal Kyogre answered with a spiraling wall of water that crashed into the magma, instantly turning half the battlefield into boiling mist.
"Everyone, regroup!" Wallace shouted, standing firm despite the heat. "We can't lose formation now!"
Milotic coiled around him, firing a controlled burst of Ice Beam to carve a temporary safe path through the steam.
Above them, Mega Salamence and Mega Metagross circled like living comets.
"Drake, left flank!" Steven called.
"Already on it!" Drake replied.
Salamence dove hard, slamming into a surge of lava rising toward the barrier edge, scattering it before it could reach the civilians trapped beyond.
At the same time, Mega Metagross intercepted a burst of pressurized water from Kyogre, catching it mid-air and redirecting it into the ocean with a metallic roar.
On Kyogre's side, Winona and Flannery were working together between air and ground.
"Altaria!" Winona called.
Mega Altaria spiraled through the rain, deflecting incoming water blasts with [Dragon Pulse] bursts.
Flannery stood on Torkoal's shell, coughing in the humidity but still called out, "[Solar Beam] now!"
A massive beam of sunlight pierced through the storm, striking Kyogre's shoulder and forcing it to recoil slightly.
Wattson wiped water from his face, laughing despite everything. "Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!"
Manectric roared beside him, releasing chained bolts of lightning that danced across the surface of the ocean, momentarily disrupting Kyogre's movement.
But Primal Kyogre shook its head, recovering quickly, then spun and fired [Origin Pulse] in every direction.
"Brace yourselves!" Wallace shouted.
Milotic threw itself forward, wrapping around Wallace as an ice barrier formed, but the sheer force still sent both of them skidding backward across the flooded ground.
Winona barely managed to pull Altaria upward in time. "It's spreading too fast!"
On the Groudon side, it slammed the ground, and multiple sharp, red-hot stones burst from the earth using Precipice Blades.
Primal Groudon's [Precipice Blades] erupted in a wide fan, molten stone spears tearing through the battlefield like a rising wall of death. At the same time, Kyogre answered with a spiraling surge of [Origin Pulse], the ocean itself compressing into blue spheres that detonated on impact.
The two attacks weren't aimed at the Gym Leaders this time, since their primary objective was still to defeat each other, they directed the attacks at one another.
When they collided, it caused an explosion that sent anyone who wasn't prepared flying back from the force. It was a good thing the barrier was up, or that blast would have destroyed the nearest city.
But the steam didn't even finish clearing before Groudon barreled forward, disregarding everything in its path, while Kyogre surged through the water like a tsunami, the two clashing again and again.
Meanwhile, while all of this was happening and everyone was still fighting, Archie and Maxie fell into the water. They were washed up onto the shore nearby where Tabitha and Blaise had been left behind. Even though they were there, they had more important things to deal with than those two.
However, the ones who did go to check on them were a certain magenta-haired girl and a muscular man, Courtney and Matt. They saw each other, but neither chose to attack given the situation.
They still cared about the two idiots, Archie and Maxie, so they ran over to check on them.
"Archie, you idiot, talk to me!" Matt grabbed Archie by the shoulders and shook him. Meanwhile, Courtney was poking Maxie's cheek, trying to wake him up.
But as they were there, a stray blast from Kyogre's Origin Pulse struck the cliff above them, causing the edge to break apart. Rocks began tumbling directly toward them.
Matt noticed first, but as he was about to grab everyone and move them out of the way, a sudden, searing pain hit him and he collapsed, grabbing his ribs. He still hadn't fully recovered, and it flared up at the worst possible time.
Courtney, due to her mindset, didn't fully understand how dangerous the situation was, but for some reason, her heart began racing. Even she didn't know why.
At that moment, Tabitha and Blaise were still tangled in their struggle. Tabitha was still acting almost animalistic, but then they both heard the explosion. They turned toward the sound, and their eyes widened.
There they saw the four of them, especially Courtney, who was about to be crushed by a massive falling rock.
Blaise thought about how he could save her, but Tabitha used that moment to break free at last and sprint toward them.
Blaise stumbled back, then quickly recovered and shouted, "NO!" as he ran after him.
His yell drew the attention of a few people nearby, mainly Amber, Shelly, Green, and Gary, who all looked over, their eyes widening.
Amber and Shelly recognized Matt immediately and were running to him, but Green and Gary focused on Courtney, still sitting on the ground, moments away from being crushed.
She really was there. But they were too far away to reach her in time, but that didn't mean they weren't still trying to get there
As for Tabitha, as he moved, his eyes flickered toward Courtney. The mark on his head also flickered, and in that moment, seeing the rock falling toward Courtney, his mind managed to break free from the mind control.
He immediately grabbed a Poké Ball and threw it, calling out, "Darmanitan!"
The ball opened, and his Darmanitan rushed out immediately, dashing forward and punching the rocks apart, breaking them into dust before they could crush anyone.
Tabitha immediately collapsed, clutching his head in pain. Now that he was free, he felt the backlash. He didn't know what had happened to him or why he felt so exhausted, but it definitely had something to do with being possessed.
Blaise slowed down upon seeing him, then looked back and forth between him and Courtney. Ultimately, he decided to pat Tabitha on the back a few times while looking at Courtney.
"Courtney, are you okay? Where have you been?"
But before Courtney could respond, Amber and Shelly arrived and grabbed Matt.
"You idiot! Where have you been!" Amber shouted.
"A-ah, please don't shake me…" Matt said, still holding his ribs.
And again, before they could continue, Green and Gary made their way over, pushing past everyone and rushing straight to Courtney.
Green immediately pulled her into a hug. "Courtney! It really is you!"
"Where have you been? We haven't seen you in years!" Gary exclaimed, visibly relieved.
Courtney tilted her head, trying to remember. She couldn't recall much, but when she saw Green and Gary, she felt the same sensation she had when she saw Ash again.
But then they heard groaning. They turned toward the sound, it was Maxie and Archie. They were both getting up, but they looked visibly drained and exhausted.
"Wha...happened…" Archie muttered.
Amber narrowed his eyes. "Well look at you. I hope you're happy. Isn't this everything you wanted?" he spat.
"What…" Archie muttered again, then clutched his head in pain.
"Look out there, Kyogre might sink the world. I hope you're happy after you left me for dead," Amber snapped.
"What? No, I…" Archie started, but stopped.
Then Maxie looked around slowly, "I...I remember...how did we let things get like this…" he muttered.
Blaise stepped forward and grabbed him by the shirt.
"Yeah? This is all your fault, you idiot. I hope you're happy, Groudon is out there too and might destroy Hoenn if we don't stop it!"
Maxie flinched at the words, his body shaking slightly as he tried to process everything. Archie was in the same state, clutching his head as if trying to force his memories into place.
Blaise clicked his tongue and threw Maxie aside, turning away, "We don't have time for them. We need to go back and keep helping."
No one objected. They could deal with those two later. The plan was to have Courtney and Matt take them somewhere safe and deal with them later
But then Maxie slowly raised his hand, "Wait...this isn't over yet."
Archie coughed, then let out a weak laugh through the pain. "Yeah...yeah, we know that much at least."
"I know we're to blame for this. We don't deny that. But let us try to help," Maxie said.
What no one here could tell at the moment was that Maxie and Archie were currently dying. The Orbs had absorbed part of their life essence, meaning they got drained and they didn't have much time left. But since no one here could see life energy, they didn't know that.
Maxie continued, "If anyone knows how to beat Kyogre...it's me."
Archie finally lifted his head at that, breathing heavily as he steadied himself. His voice came out rough, "And I'm the one who knows the most about beating Groudon."
They had spent an enormous amount of time and resources learning how to counter each other. They knew almost as much about the other as they did about their own target.
"You don't have to forgive us, but we want to at least try to make things right," Archie said, letting out a cough.
For a moment, the admins almost saw a glimpse of the old versions of their bosses, the ones before all the corruption and evil stuff. But it was too late. Too many bridges had been burned. Sometimes you can't go back, even if you want to. And this was that situation.
Even though they knew some of it came from manipulation and possession, it wasn't an excuse. They had still done what they did.
They should have said no. But given the situation they were in, they needed all the help they could get. Everyone did. So, reluctantly they took the gamble.