Ursaring's heavy paws thundered against the damp earth, each stride kicking up dirt and leaves as it sprinted through the dense forest. Sam and Yellow held on tightly. Around them, the battle raged on, the cries of Pokémon echoing through the trees. But their job in this was one thing, finding Celebi.
Yellow placed her hand on Ursaring's shoulder, sharing some of her power. "Ms. Ursaring, do you know where Celebi is hiding?"
Ursaring looked up and growled. "Ursa. [Yeah, I do. Please be careful. Celebi is scared right now, and it's just a baby. I wish Celebi would let me take care of it,]" she said, and Yellow understood.
"I know... I wish I could help Celebi more too," Yellow said as Ursaring nodded.
"Wait, you understood that?" Sam asked.
Yellow flinched, realizing she had forgotten that she had only ever used her healing powers in front of Sam, not everything else. "W-well, I kinda have a thing, b-but that's not important. We need to find Celebi."
She gently rubbed Ursaring's head. "Mama Ursaring, please take us to Celebi."
Ursaring nodded and charged through the trees.
—---
Poliwhirl looked up at Misty as she considered it for a moment. Then, she nodded and reached out, pressing its hand to the stone and placing it on her head.
A bright light engulfed Poliwhirl, and soon, it stood back up on two feet. Scizor and Sneasel staggered back at the glow, and when it faded, standing in Poliwhirl's place was now a Politoed. It looked at them... and started dancing.
Misty almost fell over as Politoed hopped from one foot to the other, clapping her hands and spinning. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks.
"Okay, I wasn't expecting this, but Politoed, let's show them what you can really do!"
Politoed's dancing abruptly shifted into a battle stance, her grin widening as she let out a cheerful croak.
Sneasel snarled, wiping the last of the mud from its eyes before lunging at Politoed with [Night Slash]. Its claws gleamed a dark purple as it rushed forward.
Misty raised her arm. "Politoed, dodge and counter with [Bounce]!"
Politoed sprang high into the air, easily evading the strike. Before Sneasel could react, Politoed flipped in midair and came down hard, slamming Sneasel into the dirt and burying its head before bouncing off.
Scizor blurred forward with [Bullet Punch], its claws moving so fast they became a red blur as it leaped up, aiming to knock Politoed into the ground.
"Politoed, use [Water Gun] on the ground!!" Misty called out, waving her hand before pointing downward. "And Wooper, you know what to do!"
Before Scizor could land its strike, Politoed, still in midair, fired a [Water Gun] at the ground, propelling herself above Scizor's attack. Then, she redirected the water, blasting it down onto Scizor's back, sending it crashing to the ground. Before it could recover, Wooper was already there, jumping up and delivering another [Ice Punch] straight to its face.
Scizor staggered backward, clutching its frozen face as cracks of ice spread across its exoskeleton. Meanwhile, Sneasel struggled to free its head from the dirt, flailing its claws wildly.
Misty smirked. "Nice. Now let's finish this. Politoed, [Mud Bomb]! Wooper, [Aqua Tail]!"
Politoed opened her mouth and launched a thick glob of mud straight at Scizor. The sticky sludge splattered against its wings, covering its eyes. At the same time, Wooper's tail shimmered with water as it leaped up, spun in the air, and came down hard, shattering the ice from earlier and sending the big bug toppling over, knocked out.
As Wooper's attack landed, his body began glowing. He grew arms, his body became larger and smoother, and when the light faded, a derpy face stared back at them, Wooper had evolved into Quagsire.
Misty and Politoed clapped at the sight. "Wow, you're so cute now!" Misty said, while Politoed danced in celebration for her friend.
As they cheered, from the dirt, Sneasel forced itself to crawl over, still refusing to give up. Misty just looked at it, then at her Pokémon. Politoed and Quagsire exchanged a glance, then together, they delivered a synchronized [Power-Up Punch], knocking Sneasel out cold.
Misty huffed, crossing her arms. "That's for my leg, jerk."
—-
Brock was still facing down the Dark Gyarados alongside the wild Pokémon.
The Dark Gyarados loomed over everyone, thrashing violently and sending waves crashing onto the shore. The wild Water-types that had been helping were struggling against its sheer power.
Standing beside Aerodactyl, Brock clenched his fists and called out to his Pokémon. "Steelix, [Thunder Fang]! Kabutops, get in close with [Slash]!"
Steelix let out a deep growl before charging forward. Electricity crackled around its massive steel jaws as it lunged at Gyarados. At the same time, Kabutops darted forward, its scythe-like arms gleaming in the dim light.
But the attacks barely did anything. Gyarados twisted its body, dodging and countering, and the few hits that did land didn't even seem to register. With a deafening roar, it retaliated.
Brock frowned, grabbing two Poké Balls and placing them in Aerodactyl's claws. "Go now!"
Aerodactyl huffed, clearly not liking the idea. But as much as he hated retreating, he didn't have any better plan, plus, he'd rather not get knocked out again. Begrudgingly, he agreed and took off into the sky.
Gyarados saw Aerodactyl flying away and prepared to shoot him down with a [Hyper Beam]. But before it could fire, the wild Bug-types launched webs, wrapping tightly around its mouth and sealing it shut.
Steelix seized the moment, slithering forward and smashing Gyarados with an [Iron Tail] to the top of its head, forcing its aim downward. The energy blast erupted inside its own mouth, sending a shockwave through its massive body.
"Alright, now everyone, hit it with all you've got!" Brock commanded.
Steelix roared, its massive tail glowing again before slamming down on Dark Gyarados with an even heavier [Iron Tail]. Kabutops followed up immediately, slashing its scythe-arms in a crisscross pattern, sending an [X-Scissor] directly into Gyarados' chest.
Before Gyarados could recover, the wild Pokémon charged in. The Water-types attacked from the sea, while the land Pokémon struck from the shore. The Bug-types fired more webs, further restricting its movements as it thrashed wildly.
High above, Aerodactyl soared, watching the scene unfold. He scoffed but knew what needed to be done. With a flick of his claws, he released the Poké Balls.
As they fell, they burst open, revealing the Larvitar brothers. They plummeted through the sky, Ash's Larvitar looking determined, while Brock's seemed more timid and afraid.
Ash's Larvitar turned to his brother and extended his hand mid-fall. Brock's Larvitar hesitated, his eyes brimming with tears, but he quickly wiped them away and gripped his brother's hand, nodding.
As they reached terminal velocity, Gyarados came into view. The brothers locked eyes, nodded, and wound up their fists. Ash's Larvitar's fist ignited with fire, while Brock's crackled with electricity.
Gyarados looked up, too late. The Larvitar brothers came crashing down, landing a devastating double punch directly into its eyes. Gyarados let out a pained roar, staggering backward.
Aerodactyl, seeing the exposed neck, dove in with a powerful [Brave Bird], slamming into it head-on and sending the massive serpent flying back.
As the Larvitar brothers were flung upwards from the impact, Aerodactyl swiftly caught them on his back before they could fall.
Gyarados, now dazed, swayed for a moment. Its head wobbled… then, with a massive splash, it collapsed into the water, spirals swirling in its eyes.
Silence hung in the air before Brock and the wild Pokémon let out a collective sigh of relief. That was the last Dark Pokémon. They had won.
As Aerodactyl flew over with the Larvitar brothers, the wild Pokémon erupted into cheers. Brock clapped for them too. "You guys did it! You were amazing!"
Aerodactyl landed, letting the Larvitar off his back. He was slightly taken aback by the cheers directed at him. In his time, he had fought to dominate, never to be celebrated. Back then, others feared him. But now, in this new era, they were cheering for his strength, even though he wasn't at the top of the food chain anymore.
It felt... nice.
Back in his time, even his own kind had pushed him away. It had been lonely. He had compensated by lashing out at everything, at everyone, even Brock. But now, seeing that things could be different, for the first time since his revival, he wondered... Maybe this new life wouldn't be so bad after all.
As he stood in thought, the Larvitar brothers smiled and jumped happily. Brock's Larvitar raised his hand for a high five. Ash's Larvitar didn't even hesitate, slapping his brother's hand with a solid clap.
Then, suddenly, their bodies glowed.
A thick, grayish-blue shell encased them as their forms shifted and grew. When the light faded, they were no longer Larvitar, they had evolved into Pupitar. The two newly evolved Pokémon wiggled excitedly in their cocoons, looking at each other with pure joy.
Brock blinked in surprise, then sighed with a small chuckle. "I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore." He glanced around. "We should find the others. I wonder how Ash is doing?"
----
{Meanwhile}
Ash was stomping on the Iron Masked Marauder's balls.
His Pokémon watched in confusion, unsure whether they should intervene. After all, Pokémon fought Pokémon all the time, why would it be any different with humans?
Ash took a deep breath and stepped back. For a moment, the Marauder thought it was over.
But no.
Ash was just getting a running start.
He charged forward and stomped down again, hard. A sickening pop was heard.
The Marauder's screams echoed through the forest.
—
"Hes probably fine..." Brock thought as he ran to find everyone else
—
Meanwhile, in the sky, Kitty the Butterfree and Dragonair were still racing against gravity, desperately trying to catch the falling Dark Pokémon before they hit the ground.
Kitty flapped her wings harder, pushing herself to her limits. Chuchu clung tightly to Dragonair's back, but despite their best efforts, it didn't seem like they were going to make it in time, until Chuchu suddenly had an idea.
She had seen Pikachu do this before.
Chuchu turned to Kitty and Dragonair. "Pika! [I need you to get me to the ground!]"
Kitty glanced at her, confused. "Free? [Why? We're kinda busy, and now's not the time to worry about flying sickness.]" She tried using her webs to slow the falling Pokémon, but it wasn't enough.
"PIKA! [JUST TRUST ME!]" Chuchu insisted, her voice sharp with urgency. She then looked at Dragonair. "Chu, [You guys aren't getting anywhere like this, so let me do something.]"
Kitty and Dragonair exchanged looks. As much as they hated to admit it, she had a point. They didn't have a real solution. With no better option, Dragonair nodded and dived downward while Kitty continued using [Psychic] to slow the Dark Pokémon's descent.
As they neared the treetops, Dragonair glanced back at Chuchu. "Nair? [Alright, what's the plan?]"
"Pika! [Leave the rest to me!]" Chuchu declared before leaping off Dragonair's back mid-air.
She twisted in the air, a small ball of electricity forming at the tip of her tail. With a sharp flick, she launched an [Electroweb] downward. The glowing webbing expanded as it shot through the air, latching onto the surrounding trees and forming a massive net.
Just in time.
The first of the falling Pokémon crashed into it, but the web held strong. Then another. And another. One by one, each Dark Pokémon landed safely in the makeshift net until, finally, all of them were caught.
Kitty, Dragonair, and Chuchu collectively let out a sigh of relief. They did it.
—--
Ursaring carried Yellow and Sam into a clearing before carefully setting them down.
There, trembling and frightened, was Celebi.
The sight made both of them pause. Celebi, once full of life and energy, now looked utterly lost, uncertain of who it could trust anymore.
Sam took a careful step forward. "Hey, Celebi… it's me. Remember? Please…"
Yellow's chest tightened at the sight of the trembling Legendary. "It's okay… we're here to help." She extended her hand a little further, her voice soft and reassuring. "You don't have to be afraid anymore."
Celebi flinched, eyes darting between them. But as Yellow spoke, the natural warmth of her aura seemed to ease the tension, even just a little.
"Celebi… [Do you promise?]" the small Pokémon asked hesitantly.
Yellow smiled gently and nodded. "Yeah. Ash is handling the bad guy, and Ash is super strong. There's no way he can lose." She spoke with unwavering faith.
Sam reached out but stopped just short of touching Celebi. "Celebi, please… it's me. I helped you when you were hurt, remember?"
Celebi hesitated, its tiny hands shaking. But finally, after a long moment, it reached up, still afraid, still unsure, but it took Sam's hand.
Sam exhaled, relief washing over him as he gently pulled Celebi into his arms.
"Alright," he said softly, holding the small Pokémon close. "Let's get back to everyone."
—-
As Sam and Yellow returned to the clearing, they saw that everything was already wrapping up. Brock and Misty had handled the remaining Dark Pokémon. The battle was over.
As soon as they arrived, Chuchu and Kitty rushed forward, leaping into Yellow's arms, while Dragonair slithered back to Sam. He gave her a gentle pat before recalling her into her Pokéball.
They were about to ask about Ash when the sound of rustling trees caught their attention.
Ash emerged from the forest, Pikachu by his side, the Iron Masked Marauder slung over his shoulder, bound tightly in vines. Nidoking walked beside him, carrying Tyranitar over his shoulder, but this time, Tyranitar's eyes were clear. He wasn't dark anymore.
Ash dropped the Marauder onto the ground with a thud. The man groaned, revealing a bruised cheek. His mask was gone. That was it, just a bruise and a missing mask.
Yep, nothing suspicious here.
Ash definitely hadn't beaten him half to death, healed him up, then done it all over again to cover his tracks. And he absolutely hadn't used the guy's own mask to do it, only to toss it aside when it got too bloody.
Nope. Ash would never do something like that…
Ash grinned at everyone. "Nice! Looks like we win again."
Brock stepped forward and handed Ash his Pokéball back. "Good to see you're safe. But what about all the other Pokémon? We can't just leave them like this." He gestured toward the remaining Dark Pokémon.
"I mean… I could try to purify them," Ash said, scratching the back of his head. "But I don't think I have enough juice left in the tank for all of them."
As soon as he said that, Celebi perked up. Now that it saw everything was safe, it fluttered out of Sam's arms and glanced around. Taking a deep breath, Celebi zipped from one Dark Pokémon to another, gently tapping each on the head. With every touch, the darkness melted away, their eyes clearing as they blinked and looked around in confusion.
High up on a distant mountain, unnoticed by the group, Suicune stood watching. The Legendary Pokémon gave a single approving nod before turning and vanishing into the wilderness, continuing its mission.
With the last Pokémon purified, Celebi looked much happier. It twirled in the air, glowing with joy, then turned toward Ash and Sam. Floating up to Ash, Celebi reached out and tapped the ring on his finger. A faint, glowing mark, shaped like Celebi's face, appeared on it.
Before anyone could ask what that meant, Celebi turned to Sam, holding out its tiny hand with a bright smile.
"Celebi!"
Sam hesitated, confused.
Ash clapped a hand on his shoulder and nudged him forward. "Celebi wants to take you back to your time. Go on, take it."
Sam's heart clenched. A whirlwind of emotions, surprise, relief, sadness, rushed through him. This was goodbye. He was going home… but he might never see any of them again.
"Hey, come on, man." Ash grinned. "Just because we're in different times doesn't mean we're not friends."
Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder, nuzzling his cheek with a soft "Pikaaa~" in agreement.
"Yeah, and who knows?" Yellow added, trying to sound cheerful, but her voice wavered. She quickly pulled her sun hat down over her face to hide the tears welling in her eyes.
Sam sniffled, wiping at his eyes. He looked at each of them before smiling through the emotion. "Alright… Maybe we will meet again. And if we do, let's have a battle."
With that, he reached out and took Celebi's hand.
A warm, golden light enveloped the clearing. And in the next moment, he was gone.
Silence lingered.
Then, one by one, the tough fronts started to crack.
Misty and Brock turned away, trying to keep their sobs quiet. But Yellow didn't bother hiding it. She threw herself at Ash, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his shoulder as she let the tears fall.
Ash exhaled softly, rubbing her back. He didn't cry. After all… he knew that Sam was closer than any of them even realized.
After a moment, Ash smiled and pulled back slightly. "Alright, come on. Let's drop this loser off and go do something fun. If you guys want, we can teleport back to my place and grab something to eat."
No one said anything at first, afraid that if they spoke, their voices would crack. But they sniffled, wiped their eyes, and nodded. Even the mystery of what Celebi did to Ash's ring was temporarily forgotten.
Right now, they just wanted to leave.
—-
{Meanwhile}
The last thing the Masked Man saw through the camera in the Iron Masked Marauder's helmet was Ash's smug face stabbing a stick through the lens. That kid again. He was really starting to get on his nerves.
That was twice now.
Carl entered the room, already suited up for his mission, though he had paused to check in on his boss, or more accurately, his Master.
"So, sir, what are your orders? Shall we head to the forest?"
The Masked Man exhaled slowly, tapping his fingers against the armrest of his chair.
"No. It's fine. That Celebi was far too weak and young. For my plans, I need a more powerful one," he said dismissively. He gestured to the map on his console. "Mark this location as useless. It's Celebi holds no value to me."
He wasn't angry about losing an Executive. No, those were expendable. Even Carl was expendable.
But the Dark Balls, those were a loss.
He should have known better than to entrust something so valuable to an idiot. Still, there was no use dwelling on it. Perhaps he'd be able to recover a few, but even if he didn't, it wasn't the end of the world. The Dark Balls were just a means to an end, a tool to forcibly push Pokémon beyond their limits.
Truthfully, he despised them. He would never use one on his Pokémon. Even if they could make him powerful enough to challenge the Champion, he had no interest in corrupting his partners. His Pokémon were the only thing he truly valued.
Still, with the Marauder gone, he would need a new Executive. And he already had one person in mind
---
If you want to suport me,
patre*on/Katsu190