XXX : The End of the War

The base exploded, with enough force to send all of the parts of it flying out of the water, and in various directions. The group watched from the sky, suspended in mid-air by Brian's new power.

The fire ball caused most of the water to evaporate, coating the ground with a thick steam.

"We have to go down there" Natasha began again, "We have to see if Axle is alive" Brian shook his head.

"Even if he survived having his throat cut, the explosion would have killed him. Besides, that mist is highly acidic. If we do any thing to move it, it could spread somewhere else. We have to wait"

It was at this opportune moment, that Julius decided to wake up.

"Huh? What the, I'm floating" He looked down, and screamed.

"MY BASE" Julius screamed, "My team, my machines, my money!!"

"All gone" Dimitrius said. He picked up Julius, and extended him outside of the bubble, "You want to join them"

"Dimitrius" Horatio yelled, "Don't even joke"

"Why not" Dimitrius said, shrugging, "It would be fitting"

"I say we do it" Stephanie muttered, "Ole dick head kept me in a tube for a week, he deserves it"

"No" Rose said, "it would be murder"

"And its what he deserves"

"Then that makes us him" Horatio said, "Death isn't a punishment, its an escape. He should be punished, but we also need to not stoop to his level"

"But, look at all this man has done"

"We are not stronger by killing" Ninetails said suddenly, "We are stronger by forgiveness. In my clan, I always said in the heat of battle, death can be forgiven, but outright murder can not, and I have already killed once. All the evil Julius has done, killing him is murder, and all people still deserves forgiveness. He will be punished, but death will not be his punishment"

"Dimitrius, we will hold on to him, until the mist clears" Brian said, "Then, Ninetails and I will discuss his punishment"

"Why you two?"

"He yanked on my tail" Ninetails said. Julius gulped. "You thought I wouldn't remember? Well, the first day I got dragged into this hell hole, you called me a little bitch. You called me a bitch later, and I knew it was you. You yanked my tail, and you will be punished. That punishment is rather clear"

The mist cleared after a day, most of the lake re-filling. Although the water was still highly acidic, with the base gone, it would eventually return to normal.

The day after the mist cleared, the search for Axle's body began. After three days, they had nothing to bury.

After searching, Brian went to where he had stored the paralyzed body of Julius. He forced Julius to make a global confession, over the internet, of him and Grovyl's plans. Two days later, the fighting stopped, with neither side able to re-kindle the hatred that started it.

Grovyl looked at the world from the escape ship. It was little more then a pod, designed to fly who ever used it, any where in the world. Right now, Grovyl was headed to Violet City.

"That fool Julius may have screwed up, but I still won in the end" Grovyl looked at the small envelope he had snatched from Julius' safe.

The envelope itself was made of a brown parchment. The wax seal had an Unown figure on it.

?

Grovyl broke the seal, and pulled out the letter inside.

From the desk of Dr. William Gordon

At long last, I have finished my cipher, one which I believe can be used, to translate the secret room in the Ruins of Alph into our language. The symbols are of Unown, but none of the ones that match up with any modern language. I have already translated one section.

Using my cipher, they speak of the location of a powerful pokemon, possibly stronger then Mew. I have only begun my translation, so all other information is forth coming, but I am hopeful.

Dr. Gordon had been executed by the human army the next week. Fearing his impending death, the good doctor had sealed up his cipher and one journal entry, and was trying to send it to relatives when he was killed. Julius had found the letter, and held onto it, believing he could use it one day.

"And he was right, this fucker held my loyalty for 12 years" Grovyl laughed. "But, that blithering idiot is gone, and none of it matters"

Grovyl removed the second page of the letter, the cipher. Holding it up, and reading it, he shook with glee.

"Hello Arceus, I've got you"

Immediately after the confession, Brian and Ninetails took Julius away, in front of the entrance to the Sacred Valley

"Okay, up" Brian said to the sniveling man in front of him and Rose/Ninetails. Julius chose to instead, grab onto Brian's pant legs.

"Please, don't kill me, I'm begging you" Ninetails kicked him in the face, knocking him on his ass.

"Don't worry, we're not going to kill you" Ninetails said, shifting into Ninetales form.

"The first rule is a slider must never kill" Brian said.

"But your never going to harm another living creature" Julius suddenly found himself floating a foot off the ground, encased in a large pink bubble.

"We decided something much more fitting" Ninetails positioned her face in front of Julius. Her red eyes shinned with rage.

"I wanted to throw your ass in front of the world court" Brian said, "Since cursed humans generally go on to except their pokemon form, and we don't want you to except it" He shifted into Mew form. "Instead, Ninetails and I came up with something much more fun"

"I wanted to make you into a Magikarp, but, as Brian rightly pointed out, they can become something strong, and we can't have that" Her eye's began to glow red, and Julius' body began to mimic that. "Instead, we went with irony" The bubble filled up with red energy, blinding Brian and Ninetails. When it stopped, a Seviper floated where Julius once had.

"What do you know, the snake in the grass really is a snake in the grass" Brian quipped, moving in front of Ninetails. He placed his paws on the bubble, "And this is my contribution. You see, I'm pouring my energy into this bubble. When we leave, it will pop. This will cause all of your human memories to vanish. But, it won't make you a complete pokemon, that might give you the chance to be happy" Brian floated backwards, and the two stared as Julius rammed the bubble, crying.

"Instead, you will forget that you were ever human, but you will know you're not a pokemon either. Also, you will not know any attacks, nor will you be able to, meaning you will loose every battle you ever have, should you have one. This will leave you an outcast, and rob any chance you may have of being happy" Brian grinned, "Who knows, they might except you here. I doubt they will, but you never know" Brian placed his arm on Ninetails shoulder. "You see, this way, we don't need to send you to prison Julius, you're already there. Now, watch carefully as we leave. It'll be the last time you see the only two beings on earth that can turn you back"

Julius wept, as they vanished. The bubble popped, and Seviper forgot why it was crying, as it hit the ground.

The group of nine stood on top of the cliff over looking the Lake of Rage. Brian and Rose/Ninetails were leaning into each other. They had said a short eulogy for Axle, but now they were discussing Brian's encounter with Mew.

"So Mew told me their were five enemies. Mr. Rollan was the first, and then we have the ancient evil, the lving dead, the puritan, and"

"And then we have apollyon" Cameron said somberly. The nine looked out, into the sunset, nothing more to say.

"We have to go unfortunately" Natasha said, "The enemies aren't here yet, but their is still plenty to do. With the war over, the reconstruction has begun" Brian nodded.

"We'll be waiting, untill we see you again" Rose said.

"You're welcome to come if" Natasha began, but Brian cut her off.

"No, we just want to go some where and"

"Rest" Rose chimed in. Natasha nodded. She shifted into Alakazam, and everyone gathered around her.

"Adios, my friends" Nothing more needed to be said.

"Adios" She began to glow, and they were gone. Brian and Rose noticed Max was still with them.

"Max" Rose asked.

"I don't really want to go back to the Sacred Valley, and I don't want to fight for a while. I just want to rest"

"You know you're free to come with us" Brian said. Max nodded, and smiled as best an Espeon could. He walked over to them, and the four faced the sunset.

"You know, we don't even know where we're going" Brian said. In his back pocket, was a list with five names, the top one crossed off.

"I know, and that makes me happy" Not another word was spoke, until the sun dropped away.

End of Book I

The Sliders will return

Book II : Hybrids

June 1st