Ash's Just Reward Chapter 44

"Entire sentence." = Normal talking.

"Entire sentence." = Psychic talking.

"Entire sentence." = Powerful being talking.

'Entire sentence.' = Person's thoughts.

With no lack of haste or any show of hesitation, Necrozma rocketed forward, seemingly pelting forward on all fours despite there being no physical ground beneath him, though the slightest hint of circular energy constructs seemed to appear for a second whenever a paw went down.

No one paid this any mind, having instead chosen to focus on the charging Legendary, with Squirtle leaping up onto a nearby wall and shouting out orders to the rest of the assembled roster of Pokémon.

"Hit him with everything you've got!" He yelled, straining his vocal cords as he did, before focusing and charging up several orbs of water around him, preparing to fire.

Following his example, everyone charged up their attacks, various colours and flashes of energy beginning to crackle around each Pokémon. Several types of moves and attacks ranging from simplistic yet effective, to extreme and fantastic began to form, and in near unison, they fired.

An Ember was fired by Torracat, an Aeroblast by Lugia, a Draco Meteor from Garchomp, an Origin Pulse from both Squirtle and Seismitoad, a Fire Pledge from Emboar, an Ice Beam from Glalie, an Inferno Overdrive from Kiawe's Turtonator, a Psybeam from Max's Ralts, two Techno Blasts from the Genesect, a Discharge from Tapu Koko, a Dazzling Gleam from Tapu Lele, and finally a Moongeist Beam from Lunala were all fired, lighting up the sky as they streaked toward the charging Legendary.

They clashed into it straight on, triggering an explosion which rattled their teeth and distorted the very buildings around it as the materials they were made from were warped by the sheer force and energies behind the attacks. But with a loud roar, Dusk Mane Necrozma charged through, looking severely scratched and burnt from the attacks, but nonetheless unfazed.

But before it could charge any further, Swellow suddenly appeared in front of it, having used a Quick Attack to follow up the multiple attacks and close the distance to Necrozma. And on his back, with a charged-up Flying Press ready, was Hawlucha. With the distance now closed, he lept up into the air, now glowing in white energy, and then dived down, managing to hit a part of Solgaleo's body which didn't have Necrozma's armour covering it, causing it to roar out in pain.

Capitalising on this, Swellow swapped his attacks, changing from using Quick Attack to using Aerial Ace, using the already built up speed to give his attack that slight increase in power.

But Necrozma recovered quickly, swiping its head to the side and batting away Swellow, sending him careening to the ground. Hawlucha, seeing his fellow flying type dive bombing to the ground, changed his course to try and catch him, barely managing to get under him to slow his descent.

With the flying types temporarily out of the fight, Necrozma charged on, hitting the ground full force with a powered up Sunsteel Strike. The explosion sent everyone flying in different directions, and with each fighter landing at different distances from the fight.

Lunala crashed into the Ash Ketchum Fan Club building, causing the front of the building to cave in as its body embedded itself into it, wings strewed out. Necrozma, like a stalking predator, began walking toward the bat-like Legendary. But before it could do anything, it was charged into by Lugia, body coated in dragon type energy as it used Dragon Rush with reckless abandon.

This succeeded in knocking Necrozma back a few feet and diverting its attention away from Lunala for the moment. But that also drew forth its rage, as it roared a hate-filled roar as it lunged for the young Legendary, swiping at it with a Metal Claw.

The beast's massive paw hit Lugia in the neck, and it then proceeded to drag her down and pin her by the neck, causing her to yelp in pain.

Torracat then lept in, fire spilling from its mouth as it's fangs bit into Necrozma's armour, using his body weight to drag Necrozma away from Lugia. Angered by this, Necrozma began shaking its head wildly, flinging around Torracat's body like a rag doll, eventually launching him into a nearby building, a crater being formed by the pure force.

But Torracat managed to land on his feet in the crater, now parallel with the wall instead of the ground. He winced from hitting the wall with such force, the shockwaves sending pain up his legs, but he used the pain as a catalyst to charge up a Revenge, orange fire forming around his body.

Pushing off against the wall, Torracat flew forward, hitting the ground and leaving cracks in the concrete from the force alone, before he crashed into Necrozma like a raging bull, managing to knock it off its feet temporarily.

But it was only for a briefest of moments, as it rolled with the momentum, before hitting Torracat with a backhanded Night Slash, striking him straight in his chin and sending him flying off, landing on the ground with a heavy thud.

He then charged forward and reared up to try and crush Torracat with its front paws. But as it went to bring its claws crashing down, seemingly in an attempt to hit him with a direct Earthquake, he was saved by the sudden appearance of Emboar, who hooked his massive arms under Necrozma's body, and proceeded to lift him up into the air and throw him back. His body crashed through a wall and rolled away, giving Emboar the time to charge up a Flamethrower.

Taking a cue from this, Torracat managed to push himself up and began emulating Emboar's action, flames building up in his mouth. And with their combined strength, they fired dual Flamethrowers at the rogue Legendary, basking him in flame.

A growl escaped the powerful Legendary, before it suddenly fired a beam of light, smashing into the two fire types and knocking them out almost instantly, the attack being too much for the pair.

With that present threat dealt with, Necrozma went to turn back to Lunala, before it was suddenly struck again by a Rock Smash from Garchomp, followed quickly by a Headbutt from Glalie, the two working together to push Necrozma back, step by step.

Garchomp quickly fired a Dragon Pulse, but the hasty nature of the attack meant it was rather lacking any power, with Necrozma shrugging it off. Though fortunately, two Techno Blasts were fired by the Genesect, who had finally recovered and were returning to the fight. The dual attacks hit it in the side, but Necrozma simply lept forward, ignoring the damage.

It hit Garchomp in the belly, pushing it back until its back crashed into a building, knocking the dragon collapsing through it as rubble buried its body. With that dealt with, Necrozma then launched its body in a sideways step, using the bulk of its body to bowl over Glalie, and then spun round to fire another Photon Geyser, the beam streaking across in a line which cut through almost everything it came across, and dealing heavy damage to the pair of ancient Legendaries.

Seismitoad then came from behind, with Squirtle held in his massive hands. While running toward the Legendary, who was facing away from him, he then threw Squirtle like a curling stone, his shell skidding across the floor as Squirtle charged up another Origin Pulse. He then slid through Necrozma's legs, and right as he went under Necrozma's head, fired at full force, sending him flying up, and his back paws trying desperately to stay on the ground.

Capitalising on this, Seismitoad wrapped both his massive arms around Necrozma's body, squeezing tightly as he wrestled with the Prism Pokémon, who howled and roared angrily in the Vibration Pokémon's arms.

But Seismitoad gritted his teeth and held on, continuing to tighten its grip and possibly cause it to pass out from the hold. But Necrozma continued to roar, and suddenly came up with a counter.

The discs of energy which it had been using to run through the air suddenly formed, as he suddenly pushed against them and began running: upwards. Using the discs as footholds, it began sprinting straight up, with Seismitoad hanging on for dear life as they travelled further and further away from the ground.

With no warning or prompting, Necrozma suddenly stopped running, instead choosing to let gravity take hold. But with Seismitoad clinging to its back still, they both tilted, with Seismitoad now being underneath Necrozma's bulk as they fell to the ground. And with the force of a meteorite, they slammed into the ground, Necrozma's bulk damn near crushing the water and ground type. And as an added side effect, the shockwave sent Squirtle flying, crashing through a nearby wall and knocking him out in the process.

As Necrozma rolled off of the unconscious Seismitoad, he was suddenly struck by seemingly endless bolts of lightning, cast down from above from a battered, but conscious, Tapu Koko.

To further add to this bombardment, Tapu Lele started firing round after round of Psybeams while constantly circling it, leaving Necrozma pinned by excessive amounts of firepower.

Necrozma growled as it was hit by blasts and bolts from all angles, unable to move due to the relentless attacks. But it refused to relent, instead deciding to change its approach. With a determined roar, it pawed at the ground below it, tearing open the fabric of reality as it created a portal, dimensional cracks appearing below as it tore through.

Using this new portal, it lept through and escaped the bombardment being fired at it, before suddenly appearing again above Tapu Koko. Giving the Land Spirit Pokémon no time to react, Necrozma piled into it, claws biting deep into its shells and dragging it down to earth with thundering force.

With one threat dealt with, Necrozma then fired another Photon Geyser, managing to clip the elusive fairy type and sending it spiralling to the ground with a massive crash and pillar of dirt and dust.

As the dust began to settle again, Necrozma stood tall, surrounded by several unconscious bodies of Pokémon who had tried and failed to battle with the powerful Legendary. Turning to face Lunala once again, it began to slowly stalk towards the battered Legendary, who was still embedded into the wall of the fan club, taking heavy breaths as dust and rubble still fell from the building around it.

Before Necrozma could act once again, it found its path blocked yet again. But this time it was by the two humans. Battered and covered in dust, they stood, with their respective Pokémon standing defiantly in front of the towering Legendary, tired but ready to do battle.

A frustrated growl escaped Necrozma's lips, and it began to charge, the two Pokémon standing in front of it began to tense in preparation, eagerly awaiting commands from their trainers.

But they were all caught off guard when, not far from Lunala herself, an undamaged part of the fan club's wall was suddenly ploughed through by a hulking mass of muscle and dark fur, its charge spearheaded by two pristine white tusks, which crashed into Necrozma's underbelly, being lifted by the hulking Pokémon and thrown back.

Turning back to the destroyed wall, Kiawe and Max saw who the trainer of the Mamoswine was and were shocked to see Dawn standing there defiantly. Her legs were shaking, and her breaths were incredibly laboured, but she was gritting her teeth and holding another Pokéball tightly in her hand, ready to continue the battle until the end.

And joining her in a daring last stand were a few of Ash's Pokémon, having managed to find their feet again and pushing up to battle yet again. So far, only Lugia, Torracat, Swellow, Hawlucha, and Emboar had managed to get back up, and they were all one attack away from being knocked back down, but they were ready to battle nonetheless.

Suddenly, with a thundering boom, more portals popped open, though these ones seemed to be more sustained, not appearing with cracks around them like Necrozma's. And pouring out of them were a few dozen Ultra Beasts, spearheaded by a Celesteela.

The group began firing attacks, and Ash's Pokémon all tensed in an attempt to try and weather the coming barrage. But to their surprise, they weren't hit by a single attack. Instead, every attack homed in onto Necrozma, battering the Legendary with attack after attack.

Finally, this seemed to break Necrozma, sensing for the first time that it might be outmatched. With an echoing roar, it then tore open another portal and dove through it, escaping the barrage and disappearing to who knows where.

But that didn't seem to deter the small horde of Ultra Beasts, who simply summoned forth more portals, seemingly in pursuit, and flew through them, disappearing without a trace.

With those portals quickly closing after them, the area was left in utter silence, save for the troubled breathing and groans of the battered Pokémon and people, and the occasional clatter of falling rubble.

Now able to relax again, everyone dropped down, regaining their strength as they did. They had survived the battle, but the relief that washed over them was quickly washed away by a wave of dread, as they all came to the same realisation rather quickly.

Necrozma hadn't been defeated, only held at bay for the moment. And while it may have been chased away by the Ultra Beasts, they had the sneaking suspicion that they wouldn't be any more successful than they were.

Which meant it'll be back. And if they didn't reunite with Ash soon, they weren't sure if they could survive another bout with the rampant Legend.

Archie watched with a keen eye as the various workers laboured away, restoring the long-abandoned base he had once used as the headquarters for Team Aqua.

Ever since Giovanni had sprung him from jail, he had given him a substantial amount of money and several resources to kick start the revival of Team Aqua. With this in mind, Archie had made a beeline for the ruins of his old base, having since been left to gather dust after he had been arrested by Lance.

And now, nearly twenty-four hours later, he had managed to put Giovanni's men to work restoring his base, and progress was good. Giovanni certainly had many connections, allowing Archie to get everything he needed. Computers, heavy machinery, dedicated craft, and plenty of Pokémon were easy to get their hands on, allowing Team Aqua to, slowly, begin rising back to power.

Though these goons that Archie had been lent were, in his opinion, nothing compared to his old crew. These lot were a bunch of simple city slickers, who knew nothing of the sea and its temptations. They couldn't banter worth a damn and were pretty spineless, cowering at the slightest increase of his voice.

So, in the back of his mind, Archie determined that his next priority would be to try and gather his old crew, starting with Shelly, and then he could say proudly with his chest that Team Aqua was well and truly back.

But for now, he had a more pressing matter on his mind, as his former rival turned colleague had just arrived, so they could combine their resources and solve the issue they encountered last time.

As he walked into his still under construction laboratory, he found red-haired rival standing there, mulling over some papers and dressed in the garments adorning the Team Magma symbol. But also plastered onto his clothing, was a multicoloured 'R', which sat plainly on his right shoulder. The same place where his symbol sat, and although it was simply stitch work on some clothing, to Archie, it felt like someone had branded the symbol into his skin with a branding iron.

It made him sick, but he swallowed it down reluctantly. Everything had its price, and sometimes it left a bad taste in the mouth.

His rival finally noticed his presence, and gave him a begrudging nod, before returning to his notes. He gave them a quick glance over, before throwing them down and spreading them out, allowing Archie to clearly see what they detailed.

On the bits of paper, with several pages of notes and annotations to go with it, was an illustration for a pair of machines, which could be worn like a backpack. The machines were remarkably similar, bearing similar designs and even their purpose was the same in concept.

And in these illustrations, in each machine, was an orb located in the centre of the device: one blue and one red.

These would be the answer to the issues they had last time and be the key to controlling Groudon and Kyogre. These would be the key to the rise of Teams Magma and Aqua!

With that in mind, the two leaders began going over the notes, discussing and debating the design of the machines that will award them their goals and ambitions. They had a quota to fill after all, and Giovanni did not seem like the kind of man who forgave those who didn't deliver.

Lusamine smiled as she read the text she had just received.

Guzma was as reliable as ever, a fact that she would never admit out loud if her life depended on it. He had delivered yet again.

Guzma and Lusamine went back years, having met through their mutual acquittance of Professor Kukui. Guzma was an old rival of the young, move obsessed professor, and Lusamine had often worked together with the Professor to help rehabilitate Pokémon, as well as occasionally ask questions about her daughter's progress in school.

Guzma had given Lusamine a distinct impression of bitterness, something which had settled deep in his heart due to some past infraction or argument with Kukui in the past over something related to the Trails. Lusamine had never cared enough to press the matter further, since she only saw one thing when she looked at him.

Someone worth manipulating.

At this point in time, he had only just started his little gang, but they were proving to be surprisingly effective, with Guzma spearheading that strength. He alone was strong enough to match several of the Trial Captains, some of the strongest trainers in the region, which inspired his followers to try and match that strength.

They usually failed spectacularly, but the mindset was there. All they needed was a boost.

So began their business relationship, with Lusamine discreetly supporting Guzma and his gang in exchange for them completing jobs that she didn't want to risk the Aether Foundation's reputation on. Jobs like securing certain illegal equipment, or capturing rare Pokémon, and even the intimidation of certain rivals. All this and more fell to Team Skull to handle, and they did it admirably.

With that in mind, Lusamine had no doubt that Guzma could handle whatever task she gave, and he had proven her right yet again, and now, she had several Legendaries to call her own. One of which was a Guardian Deity of Alola!

The mere thought made Lusamine giddy, as she turned to look out from her office to oversee the construction which was now being undertaken by her workforce, the development and assembly of multiple appropriate harnesses for her new prizes.

Four were being built around a central console, one for each of the Guardian Deities of Alola, with each individual harness being constructed onto a platform. Each platform was then connected to a larger machine. This machine was a massive contraption, one which had been created with another purpose in mind but had been amended recently after some input from Giovanni's top scientists.

While Lusamine despised, on both a personal and professional level, the fact that they had butted in on the research she had spent years of her life on developing, she reluctantly had to admit that their input was necessary. This machine was designed to complete a very specific task, and while the general process of what was being done by the machine had remained the same, the desired result had now changed. And in that regard, she needed their input to ensure nothing went wrong.

She couldn't afford for the machine to malfunction and potentially explode in the middle of Aether Paradise, causing millions of Pokédollars in damages and irreversibly ruining the Aether Foundation's reputation.

So, with apt eyes, she surveyed the work being undertaken. She watched as they installed the pistons and hydraulics which would enable the machine to move as desired, and the various electricians connected the wiring which would feed the machine with the immense amount of power that it would need to function at all.

Soon, she would be able to make full use of the machine and summon for her own collection the immense power of one of the Lunar Trio. And with that power secured and placed firmly in her pocket, she would be able to move on to her actual goal, the acquisition of her very own Ultra Beasts.

With that in mind, she went off to arrange some temporarily holding pens for the other Legendaries that Guzma had manged to obtain for her. Giovanni would probably be more interested in these Legendaries than she was, and it was a good way to ensure he kept his word.

With that last afterthought, she went to work. She had much to do, and she had to do everything she could to ensure this entire undertaking didn't backfire.

Lucario stepped forward tentatively as they stepped off the helicopter, now setting foot on a secretive island which served as a hidden base for the ICOP agency.

Not long after the retreat of the traitorous Ultra Beast, the helicopter that Tobias had called it finally arrived, and now they were able to finally hear out this organisation's pitch and see what stake in Ash's life they actually had.

The helicopter ride had been long, taking several hours, and the majority of the Pokémon present took the chance to rest, finally taking the time to fully recover from the combined attrition of the beach battle and the scuffle with the Ultra Beast.

The thought of the beach battle instantly caused Lucario to tense up, the immense battle still weighing heavy on his mind. On a mental level, it felt like it occurred such a long time ago, the events of the day beginning to drag out as more and more head turning events played out, further drawing out one of the longest days in Lucario's life.

Which was an impressive feat.

But on a physical level, Lucario could definitely tell that the fight had only happened that morning, as every muscle was still tight and sore, having been pushed to their limits as Lucario fought off several powerful Ultra Beasts single handily. Even with the several hours of rest, he still felt the strain from the battle, and a part of Lucario knew that if it weren't for his intensive aura training with Sir Aaron, he wouldn't still be standing at the moment.

Looking over at his companions, Lucario found himself with a newfound respect for his new companions. He knew that, what with them being Pokémon trained by Ash, they were skilled and powerful, but this was the first time that fact really began to sink in.

As they walked into the massive facility, Lucario decided to ignore the tightness in his muscles and instead focus on channelling his aura so that he could call upon it at a moment's notice. They may not have presented themselves as an immediate threat like the Ultra Beasts had, but that didn't mean he trusted them.

Anyone who worked in such secrecy was not to be trusted, as they were the kind of people who were the antithesis of the kingdom that Lucario had pledged himself to, and he swore he would not let their scheming effect his new charge.

As they were escorted through the facility, Lucario noted, rather thankfully, that the rest of his companions were also keeping their guard up, clearly on a similar wavelength to him. If ICOP were to try anything, they would be prepared to fight back.

But as they walked into the facility, they were all gobsmacked by the gathered audience.

In what could only be described as a converted auditorium was several dozens of men and women in suits in the higher rows, all holding note pads and pens as they waited in silence, staying stoically still as statues.

And in the lower rows were some surprising faces, based on the reaction of the other Pokémon and the few present humans. After quickly asking for context, he was shocked to find that they were the various champions of the world's regions.

There was Lance of Kanto and Johto, with one of his Dragonite sitting next to him glaring at any agent who tried to approach him. In an immaculate suit glancing over some form of report was the Hoenn region's Steven, who was completely engrossed in the document in front of him. Fiddling with the various Pokéballs hanging around his neck and looking like the most uncomfortable human being in existence, was Alder of Unova. In the corner, rubbing her eyes and trying to get rid of the last remnants of rheum from them was the star champion of Kalos Diantha.

And with Cynthia finally here and taking a seat along with the ensemble entourage that had followed her here, it seemed like they had a complete cast.

Though there was one outlier, one that none of the Pokémon seemed to recognise, so Lucario pressed the question to Cynthia herself, and she eyed the man, who was wearing a massive rug-like cape which was completely adorned with logos and brand labels, with a wary eye.

"That would be the Champion of Galar, and one of the most powerful trainers ever according to the officials. According to rumour, he's never been beaten in battle, a fact I want to one day challenge. But that is neither important nor necessary to take into consideration at the moment, since I have a rather pressing question on my mind: why is he here?"

Lucario nodded, snout twitching as he mulled it over. It was a valid question, and one he had no answer for. Instead, he stared at this man, and wondered just what reason he could possibly have for being here. And what interest he had in Ash.

But before he could give it any real thought, an official looking member of ICOP walked into the room, and quickly approached Tobias. The two quickly exchange some words, with the newcomer quickly sparing a glance at Cynthia, and his eyes briefly lingered on Lucario and his companions, eyes briefly lighting up when they glossed over Serena.

With a quick nod to Tobias, he stepped into the centre of the auditorium, allowing Lucario to fully take in his attire.

It was quite brazen, to put it lightly, as he seemed to be wearing some form of approximation of a regal outfit, with robes that seemed to go on and on and on, following behind him at a great length. It seemed so lengthy that Lucario would wager that he could walk into a room, exit the same room into another room, all before the end of the robe would enter the room, dragged behind him and making it seem like he had a carpet attached to his shoulders.

And to make it even more audacious was the fact that it had a popped-up collar which completely circled his neck, framing his head and making him look like a preened peacock. Lucario had no idea what kind of man would wear such an outfit, but he knew one thing: he was immensely curious to find out.

Clearing his throat, the standout leader of this mysterious organisation began to speak, his voice booming at a much louder volume than Lucario would have guessed that someone of his skinny frame would have been able to manage.

"Gathered champions and allies to the ICOP movement, I welcome you to our facility. I trust that our various agents have filled you in on the basics, but I will recap them for you, to serve as a refresher. We are an organisation whose sole purpose is to protect the various Chosen Ones who have cropped up in history. From ensuring their identity remains hidden to covering up the various activities involving these individuals and the Legendaries who watch over our world. But today, we find ourselves faced with a great challenge, and for the first time in the many centuries our organisation has existed, we've reached out our hand in search of help.

The current Chosen One, as ordained by the Shamouti Prophecy, is currently under siege from a threat we have never encountered before. A threat which has managed to force him, an individual who never backs down even in the face of overwhelming odds, to go into hiding.

Through one of our many contacts, we have managed to find the location of the Chosen One, which we have decided to keep under warps for his own protection. But instead, we wish to plead to you to assist us in our current objective: to protect him from the next threat. The ones responsible for forcing the Chosen One underground are still at large and could strike at any moment. And from what our reports say, they are powerful. Which is why we've call upon you, the strongest trainers across the globe, to aid us in this mission.

Champions, please, help us save Ash Ketchum!"

With that final declaration, a hologram of Ash's face appeared, and the multiple agents began shouting and cheering in response, a thunderous uproar which shook the walls with its intense volume.

But the various champions, as well as Ash's prior companions and Pokémon all stared in bewilderment, unsure of what to make of the near fanatical response.

And Lucario himself just focused on the leader of ICOP, both unnerved and unsettled by the man as he bathed in the sound as it washed over him. There was something that felt off about him, and the way he never broke eye contact with Serena, eyes sparkling in fascination.

So Lucario watched in return, vowing silently to himself to not let his guard down for a moment. Something wasn't right about this entire scenario, and Lucario would be loathe to admit that he felt threatened by the man's demeanour. And as the veteran, and the one brought back with the soul purpose of protecting Ash (and by extension his Pokémon and friends), Lucario put it upon himself to protect his ragtag band of companions.

'In the name of Rota, and my honour as a disciple of Sir Aaron and a user of aura, I do swear this: Not a single hair of my companions shall be harmed while under my watch. If my life is forfeit, it is forfeit. But they will not suffer at the hands of this man.' Lucario pledged in his mind, the briefest flash of aura in his eyes as he marked the man as a target: he was not to be trusted.

As Ash finally finished his hug with Brock, he gave the older boy a sincere smile before patting him on the back. Brock, briefly pausing to wipe his eyes, just gave a sigh and a smile, before firmly gripping Ash on the shoulder and a strong nod, before stepping back and taking a moment to breathe.

With Brock's arm no longer tightly gripping his shoulder, Ash took this moment to step back and grab Misty's forearm, stopping her from snaking away as Brock relinquished his gift.

Brock quickly realised what Ash was trying to do, and gave an approving nod before he began walking off to the mass of humans in the distance, keen to rekindle old friendships and make new ones with the various people there.

Ash, on the other hand, simply led Misty away, not looking at her as she looked at him in silent bewilderment, but not resisting. He led her a fair few meters away so that they weren't in hearing range of the others.

Allowing them to have a private talk.

Turning to Misty, he saw the redhead looking at him curiously but also with a surprisingly soft look. Something that was rare from the gym leader.

Ash could say he knew her quite well, having spent nearly two years travelling across Kanto, the Orange Archipelago, and Johto with her. And while many might write her off as being simply an easily temperamental person with a tendency to lash out with a mallet… which in fairness was true, but she was way more than that.

She was also kind, and loyal. And most relevant to now, caring. Ash knew she deeply cared about him as a friend, and it was only more prominent now. He hadn't been able to figure out how to use this power yet, nor had he had the time or patience to sit down and try, but Mespirit's gift was still active, and Ash could feel her concern and sadness over the recent revelation wash over him in ways.

He didn't know how it worked, if it was always active, but he knew one thing: he could feel strong emotions. Emotions that were so immense that they felt like waves, almost knocking Ash off balance just by being near them, which really highlighted Misty's strong emotions at this moment in time.

Ash didn't know how to label them; he had never experienced emotions in this manner before. It wasn't like how it felt in his own body, not in the slightest. He couldn't match a single emotion that was radiating from Misty to his own, but he could tell they weren't positive emotions. Which was why he wanted to address them privately with Misty before they got worse.

"Erm…"

Of course, while that was a good idea in Ash's mind, that didn't mean he know how to start a conversation on such a topic.

"I know why you've brought me here Ash." Misty suddenly interrupted, warping her arms around her chest as she spoke. "But I'm fine. You don't need to waste your time on me right now."

Ash stood there for a moment, while Misty turned away, placing her back facing Ash, not sure what to say before he mumbled a response.

"I don't think it's a waste of time."

Misty didn't say anything, but her head drooped slightly, before she took a deep breath.

"So, are you ok Misty?"

"…"

Ash felt his heart tighten as Misty remained silent, as he remained unsure of what to say. He wanted to help, but he didn't know how. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to say something to coax her into saying something, if he was meant to let her talk on her own accord: he just wasn't sure.

Fortunately, Misty made that decision for him.

"It just… was a shock. You know? We've been through a lot of crazy events together, through Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto. We've seen so many things and met so many people and Pokémon. And we've nearly died. A lot. But despite that, I never really thought about how close we were to dying. Not even when I was in the middle of saving your life from drowning, or from being crushed, or whatever happened to be going on at the time."

Ash could feel his stomach drop, because although he still couldn't see her face, the way that her shoulders were starting to shake and the way her tone was becoming higher pitch as she spoke was a clear enough indication of how she was feeling.

"But then I find out that you actually died, a long time ago. And all I can take away from that new memory is how helpless I've felt. I couldn't save you, nobody could. Watching Pikachu try to shock you back to life killed me, but not nearly as much as the idea that you were gone."

Misty then dropped to her knees, hands shooting up to her face as she broke down into tears, almost curling up into herself.

Ash shot forward, wrapping his arms around her as she started to cry.

"How do you deal with a feeling like that?"

Ash just sat there, with nothing to say or add. He just sat in silence, realising for the first time just how much it was affecting his friends. And how hard it was going to be to help them recover.

But he would try regardless, because what kind of friend would he be if he gave up?

Hey everyone, I'm back, with another chapter.

This chapter was an interesting one to write, what with the main story points of this chapter. First, we have the Necrozma battle, one that was really fun to write and plan out. Having everyone try and fail to restrain Necrozma, with desperate moves and different tag-teams we haven't really seen before using their strengths and different abilities to do maximum damage. I haven't really written a battle where the heroes try their best and still fail, only getting saved by the intervention of something else, so that was fun to try.

Then we have two Rainbow Rocket segments. They're really kicking into gear now. One already established team is preparing devices to make the use of their captured legendaries, and another two are working on re-establishing their presence and getting ready to catch legendaries. Won't be long before Team Rainbow Rocket is going to make a move, and who knows how well Ash will be able to react.

And on the other end of the spectrum, ICOP finally show a bit more of their organisation: which I'm willing to bet none of you expected. Turns out they're a bit eccentric once you peel away the professional exterior. And what interest does the ICOP leader have in Ash's prior companion? Only time will tell. The only thing that's for sure is that Lucario is going to challenge it, whatever it is.

To round the chapter off, we have a quieter moment where Ash realises that people can't just brush off traumatic events as easily as he can. It's a short scene, but its one I wanted to have so that Misty can begin healing. I imagine she'll have been hit the hardest by this development, and I didn't want to erase it in one segment, so here is the start of her healing.

Sorry for taking so long to get this out, but I have a lot on my plate right now. I've been working on two new stories recently: Ash, an Inspiration and A Hero's True Strength, as well as my personal projects… as well as my job. So, I've been a wee bit busy. Hopefully you enjoy what has come out in this chapter, and I'll try to keep to my usual schedule for this story.

As always, if you could leave a review letting me know what you think of this chapter and what I've been doing with this story. I always appreciate it and I love seeing what you all think. Thank you for the continual support and love you've given me in this story, and I'll see you all next time, much love and peace – TWoS.