In the chamber, everyone was giving it everything they had. This was it, all or nothing. The legendary birds flew over Arceus, dodging and sending attacks at its head to leave openings for everyone else.
Yellow, for once, was starting to control her power with how tense the battle was. This time she wasn't just giving it to her Pokémon, her power was being passed around to everyone's Pokémon. She stayed in the back, protected, as she maintained concentration.
In one of those openings, Ash took the chance, "Dragonite, [Hyper Beam]! Pikachu, you too!" Ash shouted.
Dragonite unleashed a searing blast alongside Pikachu's [Thunderbolt]. The beams merged and shot forward together, aiming at Arceus's head.
But Arceus easily flicked its head, a golden barrier catching the attack like swatting away a spark. That wasn't the real attack, though. Entei and Raikou now had a clear shot as they sprinted forward, using [Extreme Speed] and [Flamethrower], breaking through and staggering Arceus. Suicune then came from the side, shooting down an [Ice Beam] and freezing Arceus's feet to the ground.
"Nice opening!" Gary called as he raised his arm. "Zapdos, [Thunder]! Blastoise, [Hydro Pump]!"
Kris noticed what Gary was doing and whistled at Silver. "Us too, [Hydro Pump]!"
Zapdos screeched, lightning sparking off its feathers, as Blastoise aimed his cannons and blasted water. Kris's and Silver's Feraligatrs did the same, blasting Arceus.
It didn't do much damage, but the water soaked Arceus just as the [Thunder] came crashing down, shocking the divine husk.
"Yes! That worked!" Kris cheered.
"Don't celebrate too soon," Silver warned as he pointed forward. "Ho-Oh, [Sacred Fire]!"
"Don't leave me out, buddy! Lugia, [Aeroblast]!" Ethan said, stepping next to Silver.
Ho-Oh and Lugia charged up their attacks as Arceus was still recovering from the electricity. When it looked up, the attacks were already upon it, the wind making the fire burn brighter as the impact exploded.
"Oh yeah, he felt that one!" Ethan pumped his fist.
Arceus pulled its head out of the flames, shaking it as its eyes narrowed. It charged up another [Judgment], aiming at Ho-Oh and Lugia. The beam fired, too close to dodge. It looked like they were about to be hit.
Until—
Lyra giggled. "No you won't. Celebi, now!"
Celebi let out a cry, and suddenly it looked as though time rewound a few seconds. The beam was fired again, but now that they knew it was coming, Ho-Oh and Lugia easily dodged it.
"Too bad!" Lyra stuck her tongue out. "Don't worry, guys, I'll protect you! Meganium, [Dual Screen]!"
Meganium created a large barrier around them, boosted with Celebi's power, to shield them if they got hit again.
"Thanks, you're the best, Lyra!" Ethan gave a thumbs up as he pointed forward again. "Now, Sunbo, Exbo, your turn, [Sunny Day] and [Eruption]!"
In that moment, Ethan sent out his Sunflora. Its only purpose in this fight was to set up the sun and stay in the back. With the sun blazing, Exbo the Typhlosion roared to life, his flames igniting. He launched a sun-boosted, full-HP [Eruption], further empowered by the Legendaries sharing some of their power, and the boost from Yellow.
The blast slammed against Arceus's head, making it let out a piercing screech of pain as it thrashed and looked around for its target.
Then Ethan smiled as he tapped his pocket, "Alright, you wanted this, it's your turn!"
Togebo flew out from his Poké Ball and darted through the air, vanishing into the smoke so Arceus couldn't see him. And you may not know this Togepi, this one wanted all of the smoke.
Flying toward Arceus, he couldn't be happier. While soaring through the smoke, his body began glowing. But because of the haze, no one could see it. Togebo evolved, then, with the Shiny Stone Cynthia had given, he evolved again. Shooting out of the smoke was a Togekiss.
Togebo the Togekiss struck hard, slamming a [Zen Headbutt] into Arceus's skull, making the beast flinch for just a second.
But a second was all Ash needed. He whistled, and Dragonite dashed forward, her fist charging with [Dragon Rush].
Arceus was ready to slam Dragonite down, but Ash had planned ahead. From behind, Charizard roared in, wings blazing as he charged his own [Dragon Rush]. Arceus was caught off guard by Charizard appearing out of nowhere and tried to dodge, but once again, Celebi reversed Arceus's time, dragging it back into its original position.
Both attacks connected at once, powered by Yellow and the Legendaries' shared strength. Arceus screeched in pain, unleashing a shockwave that hurled them back. But that only gave everyone a chance to regroup with their trainers.
Arceus's eyes glowed furiously as it glared down at them, angrier than ever, "So… you continue to deny the justice of the gods?! I shall bring the dawn of a new era to this world! Now let me show you the power that fills me… It is rapture!"
As it spoke, the husk of Arceus began glowing, channeling even more of its strength.
Ash stretched his arm out, looking back, "So it's taking it up a notch, huh? Should we—"
"Alright, let's do this once and for all!" Green grinned.
Gary nodded. "Looks like it's our best choice."
Ash smiled, looking up as he raised the Keystone on his wrist. But just then, Yellow felt her pocket glowing. She quickly reached in and pulled out the Keystone she'd gotten so long ago, an orange one. She had never used a Keystone before… and this one wasn't for any of her Pokémon. It was for one of Ash's, his Dragonite.
She realized what it was and shouted, "Ash, use this!" She threw the Mega Stone.
Ash caught it in his hand and felt the connection, "Oh, I see… thanks, Yellow. I owe you one."
He looked back at Dragonite and Charizard, then grabbed Charizard's Mega Stone, holding them both high, "You ready?!"
They both roared and nodded. Ash began pouring Aura into his Keystone. Normally, a Keystone could only Mega Evolve one Pokémon, but Ash wasn't normal. Since the battle had started, his Aura had replenished, and no matter how much he used, his reserves hadn't dropped in the slightest.
Green, Gary, and Ash all pressed their Keystones, which began to glow. In unison, they shouted "Mega Evolve!"
Blastoise, Venusaur, Dragonite, and Charizard were engulfed in radiant light, shifting into their Mega forms. But Ash wasn't done. He looked at Charizard, smirking, "C'mon, we can still go further, can't we?" he said, holding out Charizard's Poké Ball.
Charizard smiled and let himself return to the ball. Ash held his hand out as his Dynamax Band glinted, sending a surge of energy into the Poké Ball. At first, everyone else was confused, they didn't even know he had that, but when the ball grew to the size of Ash's chest, they shut up real quick.
Ash grinned, "Come on, let's get stronger and stronger! Do all that we can, we've got nothing to lose!"
He hurled the ball into the air, and it burst open. Charizard emerged, growing and growing until he stood eye-to-eye with Arceus in his towering G-Max form.
But it wasn't done yet. Everyone felt their hearts beating in rhythm, *bum**bum**bum*, as Charizard's red eyes suddenly flared blue, streaks of crimson etching across his wings. His form surged again, shifting into his Semi-Perfect Battle Bond form.
Now Charizard was Mega Evolved, Battle Bond, G-Max, boosted by Yellow's power, and empowered by the Legendaries' strength. For thirty seconds, Charizard stood at his absolute peak.
"Since when did you have that?!" Gary shouted.
"And where can I get one?" Green added.
"Do you wanna talk, or do you wanna finish this?!" Ash snapped, before glancing at Ethan. "Hey, come here for a sec."
Ash pulled Ethan close and whispered something quickly. Ethan's eyes widened, then he grinned, "Alright, deal. Let's do this. This is gonna be awesome!"
Ash nodded, stepping back and raising his gaze to Arceus, "Then let's do this, everyone!"
"Charizard, GO!!" Ash roared, his Aura pulsing outward like a beacon, syncing perfectly with Yellow's glow.
Charizard's massive wings slammed down, gusts of scorching wind sweeping the chamber. Flames and streaks of Aura swirled in his jaws before he unleashed a titanic [G-Max Wildfire].
Arceus braced, summoning multiple golden shields at once, but the Wildfire tore through them, the explosion rocking the chamber and cracking the stone floor beneath.
"Ohh, nice one, my turn!" Green shouted. "Venusaur, [Frenzy Plant]!"
Colossal thorned vines erupted from the shattered ground, coiling around Arceus's legs and holding it fast.
Gary clenched his fists. "Blastoise, [Mega Cannon]" (Hydro Pump + Flash Cannon)"
Mega Blastoise's triple cannons locked into place, unleashing a relentless barrage. Each blast slammed into Arceus like a missile, pounding its flank.
Whenever Arceus tried to counter, Celebi simply rewound time, dragging it back before the attack could even form.
Then the Legendary Birds struck as one. Zapdos shrieked, unleashing a colossal [Thunder] bolt that lit up Arceus's neck. Moltres divebombed with a blazing [Sky Attack], sacred flames trailing its wings, while Articuno spun through the firestorm, landing an [Ice Beam] that froze patches of Arceus's glowing armor.
"Don't leave us out! Lugia, [Aeroblast] aim for its chest!" Ethan commanded.
"Ho-Oh, follow up with [Sacred Fire]!" Silver added.
"Dragonite, [Outrage]!" Ash shouted.
The twin guardians struck in perfect harmony, the vortex of Lugia's Aeroblast ignited into a flaming cyclone as Ho-Oh's sacred fire wrapped around it. The combined attack crashed into Arceus's torso, sparks and embers scattering across the battlefield.
"Suicune, you too!" Kris called.
Suicune cried out, signaling Raikou and Entei. They nodded and split formation, Raikou and Entei darting low, claws gouging the stone as they blitzed in with [Extreme Speed] and [Flare Blitz], hammering into Arceus's legs. Arceus staggered backward as Suicune descended with a howling [Blizzard].
Meanwhile, Mew floated silently above the chaos. It watched as everyone fought with everything they had, eyes drifting toward Ash. He stood at the center, leading them forward, and for the first time, Mew remembered something it had overheard long ago, back in Pallet Town…
-
{Flashback no-Jutsu}
Years ago in Pallet Town, Mew was checking in on Ash. After all, it was still curious about what had happened with him, since by all accounts, Ash should have died when he was born. No soul… yet something had placed a soul in him. Mew found it strange, but of course, it wouldn't interfere.
As it watched, Mew grew bored. Ash was just sitting in school, listening to the teachers' lectures alongside a group of strange children.
Mew sighed as the day dragged on. Hours meant nothing to an immortal being, but Mew still had the mind of a child, and boredom came easily. Eventually, it curled up and dozed off.
When it opened its eyes again, night had already fallen. Mew sighed once more, disappointed to see nothing interesting had happened. Just as it was about to leave, however, it heard voices. Curious, it floated closer.
Inside, Professor Oak sat at his desk, papers scattered before him. Across from him was a man who looked thrilled just to be there. Mew didn't bother learning his name, it didn't matter.
The man leaned forward, resting his arms on Oak's desk, "Hey, Professor, out of all your students, who are you most looking forward to seeing what they do?"
Oak paused, setting down his papers. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Hm… that's an interesting question. I've never really thought about it before."
"Oh, let me guess, your grandson, Gary, right?"
"That's a good guess," Oak said with a small smile, "but no. Although I hope for the best with Gary, he isn't the one I'm looking forward to the most."
"Okay, then maybe Green, she'd be a good choice. No, wait, maybe it's one of the new students from outside of Kanto… like that Hilda girl? Or Cheren? Maybe even Paul or Silver!" He rattled off names eagerly.
Oak chuckled and shook his head, "Those are good guesses. I'll admit, they all show incredible potential, and I look forward to seeing what they accomplish. But it's not them either."
"Then who?"
Oak's smile widened as he gazed out the window, "I think it's Ash."
From the shadows, Mew blinked in surprise, listening closely.
The man was clearly just as confused, "Ash… Ash Ash? I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a smart kid, way smarter than I was. But no offense, it seems like he has the least potential out of everyone in his class. He has to put in three times the effort just to keep up."
Oak smiled again, this time glancing down at a photo on his desk, "Maybe. That might be true. But I've noticed Ash has a special gift, something unique to only him. He can bring out the best in everyone, people and Pokémon. It's easy enough to make Pokémon strong. But making the people around you stronger too? That's a real talent."
"Wait… so no offense, but you think he'll just… help everyone else become stronger?"
"If that's all you think, then you really don't understand," Oak said warmly. "No, but yes, in a sense. Maybe Ash will push everyone to become the best versions of themselves. And as long as he does, they'll always be there to do the same for him. Besides…" Oak leaned back in his chair, eyes glinting, "…I don't think we've seen everything Ash can do. I'm sure one day he'll surprise us all. Who knows? Maybe his potential just needs… a little push."
-
Back to the present.
Mew finally understood. Back then, it thought it was just an aging man past his prime talking nonsense, but seeing the scene now, it understood what that professor meant.
So, Mew decided to give Ash that little push. Mew raised its tiny hand and pointed it at Ash, its paw glowing a soft pink.
Ash was searching for the best chance, he had one shot left with Charizard in its G-Max form, and he had to make it count. But then, something inside him changed. His heartbeat quickened, his eyes pulsed with energy.
He forced himself to stay standing as sweat dripped down his face. When he looked up, it felt like everyone's movements had slowed.
But not just that. His Aura pulsed in his eyes, and he saw it again, every possible outcome, paths branching before him. And he saw the one he needed. The path to victory.
Ash grit his teeth, "Everyone, if you trust me, then help me, one last time!"
The others looked at him. They saw the serious expression on his face. Then, they all smiled and nodded.
Ash smiled back, turning toward Arceus, "Then let's end this. Right now. Charizard, [G-Max Wildfire]!"
Charizard roared, flames erupting as it charged its most powerful attack.
Arceus narrowed its eyes, "Useless. Taste my divine justice, you filthy mortals! Your sins deserve extermination!"
Arceus unleashed one final [Judgment], pouring everything into a single devastating attack. It was so powerful that even Celebi couldn't rewind Arceus's time like before.
The two beams collided, flames against light, but Arceus's golden [Judgment] slowly overpowered the fire, pressing it down.
But Ash wasn't alone, was he?
Ash narrowed his eyes, shouting, "Dragonite, [Hyper Beam]! Articuno, [Ice Beam]!"
Dragonite screeched, golden energy blasting from her mouth into the clash, merging with Charizard's flames. Articuno's icy beam followed, freezing the edges of the torrent.
"Blastoise! Triple [Hydro Pump], don't hold back!" Gary commanded.
Mega Blastoise's cannons thundered, jets of water spiraling into the flames, strengthening the beam.
"Go, Zapdos! [Thunder] with everything you've got!" Gary's voice cracked with desperation.
Zapdos shrieked, lightning flashing from its wings, the bolt fusing into the raging clash.
"Venusaur, [Solar Beam] now! Moltres, [Sacred Fire]!" Green shouted.
A golden ray burst from Mega Venusaur's flower, intertwining with the others. Moltres flapped its wings and launched divine fire into the inferno.
"Ho-Oh, [Sacred Fire]! Feraligatr, [Hydro Pump]!" "Lugia, [Aeroblast]! Exbo, [Eruption]!"
Silver and Ethan cried out together. The rainbow guardian and the sea guardian unleashed their full power, while their starters roared and hurled their attacks into the chaos.
For the first time, the clash didn't get pushed back, it held.
"Raikou, [Thunderbolt]! Entei, [Flare Blitz]! Suicune, [Aurora Beam]!" Kris commanded, her voice trembling.
The three legendary beasts roared as they charged in, their power pouring into the beam and shaking the chamber itself.
Lyra clenched her fists and looked at Celebi, "Please, give them more time!"
Celebi's whole body glowed. It pushed its power into the others, focusing not on the attack, but on easing their fatigue, especially making sure Charizard's transformation didn't end mid-blast.
Meganium braced itself, petals glowing, "[Solar Beam]!" Lyra shouted.
The chamber turned white-hot with energy, beams merging and swirling until it looked like a miniature sun forming between them.
Now the blasts were locked. They weren't moving forward or back, they were only pressing against each other, waiting for one side to weaken even slightly.
And that weakening came from Yellow. She was starting to falter, breathing heavily from constantly boosting everyone. Her knees shook, sweat dripped down her face. She looked over to Mew, who was simply watching, and whispered one last request: "Mew… please… help."
Mew tilted its head, blinking. Then, with a little shrug, it floated forward. Its small body glowed pink as it stretched out its paws, launching a brilliant beam into the clash. The explosion of light doubled in size, and the tide began to turn, their combined attack started pushing back the [Judgment].
Arceus's voice thundered, trembling with rage, "No! I am immortal! I am justice! You cannot defeat me! A god cannot lose to mortals, I AM GOD! I AM JUSTICE GIVEN FORM! I AM—"
"OH, SHUT UP!" Ash snapped, his patience gone.
"You dare?! You, a mortal, dare raise your voice to a God?!" Arceus spat, struggling to pour more energy into its beam.
"It's not about mortals and gods!" Silver shouted, teeth grit.
Ethan added, his voice breaking with defiance, "You don't believe in anything but yourself, and we won't let you win!"
As their voices rose, so did their strength. The beam surged brighter, pressing harder against the so-called god's judgment.
"No… it can't be! This chaos, this storm of energy, it's imperfect! Such imperfection is sin! It cannot exist!" the fake Arceus howled.
"Yeah, well guess what?" Ash roared, voice raw but steady. "As cheesy as it sounds, this is who we are! We're imperfect! And those imperfections are what make us great!"
The chamber quaked like a collapsing star as their unified power finally began overpowering Arceus's [Judgment]. Cracks split through the golden light, sparks and shards flying as the "divine" radiance broke apart piece by piece.
Arceus screamed, its husk splitting at the seams, voice shrill with rage and desperation, "IMPOSSIBLE! YOUR FLAWED EXISTENCE, YOUR WEAKNESS IT CANNOT SURPASS A GOD!"
"You're right about one thing!" Ash shouted, his eyes glowing, not their usual royal-blue, this time they were glowing red, even redder than normal, "We are weak! We could never beat you alone! But we're not fighting for ourselves, we're fighting for our world, every flaw, every imperfection!" He thrust his hand forward. "Ethan! Do it now!"
"Alright!" Ethan grinned fiercely, eyes burning with hope. "Togebo, NOW!!"
You might be wondering, where had Pikachu and Vee been all this time? The answer was simple: they had been waiting with Togebo for this very moment.
From the ceiling, Togebo came streaking down like a meteor. Riding on its back were Pikachu and Vee, grinning with fierce determination. Pikachu cloaked itself in lightning, [Volt Tackle] sparking brilliantly, while Vee used [Mimic] on Pikachu. Together, they became a blazing yellow comet streaking straight for Arceus's head.
Arceus's eyes widened. It tried to summon another strike to blast them out of the sky
But another voice rang out, "Garchomp, [Scale Shot]!"
From the flank, a barrage of razor-sharp scales slammed into Arceus, breaking its concentration.
When they looked to where it came from, they saw Cynthia. She strode into the chamber next to her Garchomp, "Sorry I'm late," she said, smirking. "But I hope I'm not too late for the party. Garchomp, [Dragon Pulse]!"
Garchomp charged up beside the others, unleashing a roaring purple blast that merged into the combined beam.
At that same moment, Togebo, Pikachu, and Vee crashed down into Arceus's back like a thunderous meteor, making the false god's husk convulse in actual pain.
And this time, after wearing it down, it worked. They finally broke through Arceus's legendary resistance. As Arceus reeled back, Togebo, Pikachu, and Vee gave a cheeky peace sign before vanishing with [Substitute], escaping just in time.
With that strike, and with Cynthia adding her power, Ash felt his heartbeat thunder in his chest. He glared ahead, "To hell with your justice, you don't deserve it!"
As he shouted, his Aura flared outward like a storm, wrapping around everyone. This was the final gift Mew had given him. It was similar to Yellow's power, boosting everyone, but also different. But Ash didn't have time to question it or look into it. He just reached out giving everyone as much of a boost as he could, connecting to everyone, "Come on, DO IT NOW!"
The energy converged. The massive combined beam surged, reshaping itself into the form of a dragon's head. With a roar, it bit down, devouring Arceus's [Judgment], then tore through, striking directly at the god.
"It… cannot be… IT CANNOT BE!!" Arceus screamed.
Ash clenched his fists, breath ragged, but his voice steady. "It is…"
The blast consumed Arceus. Its form was swallowed by radiant light as the husk split apart. For the first time, Arceus truly looked at them, humans, Pokémon, even fellow legendaries.
These mortals… they knew their weakness. They knew their mortality. Yet still, they chose to fight, and together, they had turned weakness into strength. Not alone, but united.
'So this is the secret of the mortal's power,' Arceus thought in its head, as its strength drained away. 'The power… of trust…'
Its eyes closed. Its husk disintegrated, breaking apart into dust until nothing remained.
The chamber fell silent, broken only by heavy, ragged breathing. No one moved at first. They almost expected Arceus to rise again for another round.
But it didn't.
Silver finally spoke, voice hoarse. "…We… did it."
"We did it…" Ethan echoed softly.
Kris let out a laugh that cracked with relief. She threw her arms around them both, pulling them in tight. "We really did it!!!"
Ash exhaled hard, his glowing eyes dimming back to normal before his legs gave out. He flopped onto his back. "I'm done. If there's a second stage, you're all on your own."
The chamber filled with relieved laughter, cries, and shaky sighs. The oppressive weight pressing down on everyone was gone. Finally silence.
Ash pushed himself to one knee, panting. His Aura flickered red for a moment before fading back to its normal blue. Pikachu leapt to his shoulder, sparks flickering weakly but his eyes shining, "Pikapi…"
"Ha… you did great, bud…" Ash murmured, rubbing Pikachu's head.
Charizard shrank back down, collapsing onto all fours. Triple transformations had taken everything out of him. Ash ran over immediately, placing a hand on his snout, "You were amazing, buddy. All of you were."
Dragonite landed heavily beside them, wings drooping as she reverted back. Even exhausted, she let out a proud cry.
Yellow stumbled forward, her legs nearly giving out. Meganium rushed to support her. "Ash… everyone… we actually… won…" she whispered, smiling faintly through her exhaustion.
Green sat down hard, Venusaur curling protective vines around her as it fell back into base form. "I thought for sure we were goners back there…"
Gary crossed his arms, trying to act cool despite the sweat running down his face. "Tch. Of course we pulled it off. Did you doubt me?" Zapdos nudged him with its beak, and the tiniest grin cracked through.
Lyra was still bouncing with energy, clutching Celebi in her arms. "Did you see that?! Time magic! Barriers! Celebi, you were the MVP!"
Celebi chirped tiredly but smiled, nestling against her.
Ethan grinned, throwing an arm around both Silver and Ash. "And we're all alive to celebrate!"
Cynthia clapped her hands, smiling at them. "It is quite impressive what you all accomplished. I wouldn't have ever thought this possible, even in my wildest dreams."
"Me neither," Ash admitted, sitting down on the ground as Vee and Pikachu rushed over to him. "But I need a nap…"
"Well, that's fair, you've certainly earned it. But don't forget, you're still technically in the Silver Conference," Cynthia reminded. Of course she already knew who was in the finals, why wouldn't she?
"Uhhhhh, I forgot about that…" Ethan groaned. "Can't we just… not do it? What if I surrender now?"
"You could," Lyra teased, "but then you'd have to live with Vincent bragging that he got farther than you."
Immediately Ethan shot up. "Never in a million years!"
"Right, I figured," Kris sighed. "I'm just happy we're alive."
"Yeah, but can we, like… not tell anyone about this?" Ash muttered. "I really don't want people asking us a million questions. I don't even want to be famous, this is too much."
"Agreed. I'd rather not deal with the hassle," Silver nodded.
"Aww, really? You sure you don't want to be famous~?" Green teased. "I mean, think of your fangirls."
Silver stared at her, blinking. "…No."
Green shrugged. "Fair. I don't want it either."
"So we're in agreement? No one speaks about what happened here?" Gary asked.
"Agreed," everyone said in unison.
Cynthia chuckled softly. "I must say, you're all much more interesting than I expected. But I suppose that isn't a bad thing."
"Hey, by the way, if it's really over…" Lyra suddenly pointed upward. "What's with that?"
Everyone looked up and saw a small rift forming in the sky. They all groaned.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. What now?" Gary muttered, standing up. "Alright, I'm done with this. I say we blast that hole until it closes."
"I… honestly, maybe…" Kris mumbled.
But before they could say anything else, something dropped through the rift, two little yellow balls that bonked Gary on the head, nearly knocking him over, before rolling across the ground. The brighter yellow one tumbled to Ethan, while the slightly orange-tinted one rolled to Lyra.
They blinked in confusion, staring down. The "yellow balls" turned out to be two Pichu. The one next to Lyra was a shiny, while the one at Ethan's feet looked normal, except for one spiky ear.
Lyra's eyes widened before she squealed, scooping up the shiny Pichu. "Ohhh, you're so cute! You're the cutest!"
Ethan looked over at her, then back down at the spiky-eared Pichu. He knelt and picked it up. "Huh. Well… better than another boss fight. So where'd these little guys come from?"
"Oh, let me ask." Yellow walked over, hugging Chuchu in her arms. She crouched down to the spiky-eared Pichu. "Hello, nice to meet you."
But the Pichu didn't pay much attention to her. Instead, it looked at Chuchu, pointed at her, and squeaked: "Pi! [Mama!]"
The shiny Pichu then looked over at Ash, more specifically, at Pikachu on his shoulder, and pointed at him. "Pi-pi! [Papa!]"
"Eh… ( °ヮ° ) ?" Ash and Yellow said in unison, since they were the ones who could understand.
Pikachu's eyes nearly popped out. "Pi-pika?! [Wait, WHAT?! No-me and Chuchu, we don't have-]"
But Chuchu blushed, pressing her paws to her cheeks and looking away shyly. "Pi… [Well… I've been meaning to tell you… but it looks like we're having twins…]" she admitted, patting her belly.
Pikachu: "EHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Σ(°△°ꪱꪱꪱ)"
—-
Outside the chamber where Pryce, Lance, Giovanni, and Oak had been battling the last two corrupted dragons, the men suddenly froze.
The dragons shuddered as faint lights began to flicker and drift out of their bodies. A moment later, both creatures collapsed to the ground, leaving behind nothing but empty husks.
Pryce lowered his cane, staring as the remains of the dragons slowly dissolved into ash. "…It's over?"
Giovanni exhaled sharply, recalling his Pokémon. Beedrill returned to its Poké Ball, and Giovanni crossed his arms with a huff. "Tch. Finally, I thought those things would never quit."
Lance let his gaze fall to the chamber doors. "Looks like the kids pulled it off. Ha… they never stop surprising me."
"Yeah… me neither," Oak murmured with a weary sigh. "Every day they surpass my wildest expectations…" His expression softened, and then he turned his eyes toward Pryce.
Pryce caught the look and lowered his gaze. "…Hey, Sam. It's been a while."
"Yeah… it has," Oak said quietly, a trace of sorrow in his voice. He knew what this moment meant for his old friend.
Meanwhile, in the far corner, Carl and Sham cautiously peeked their heads out, exchanging uneasy glances. The thought of slipping away tugged at them, but before they could move, Pryce's voice cut through the silence.
"Give it up," he said heavily. "It's over. We… I lost."