Greninja let out a wail of agony. The Pokemon’s bonded form fell with a splash of water, reverting it back into its original form. Falling to its knees, Greninja continued wailing, spastically flailing, and falling onto its back before becoming limp.

  Everyone stood there in complete shock at what they had just witnessed. The one man destined to save the world had been completely vaporized in an instant. That was just the perspective of the ordinary trainers. To Ash’s friends, the one who had brought them all together, the one who had journeyed with them across entire regions, and the man who had saved their lives on many occasions, was killed. No one could find the words on what to even say, for there was none that existed that could encapsulate what they felt.

  After a long moment of silence, the first one to start showing any sort of emotion was Pikachu. Tears started to dot his eyes as the harsh reality set in that his best friend, whom he had known for his entire life, had disappeared into nothingness amidst a blaze of light. He shook his head in denial. He couldn’t believe it, no, he refused to believe that his friend could be defeated so easily it must have been a trick of some kind.

  Serena fell to her knees and let out a blood-curdling scream, clutching at and shaking her head in denial. The others continued staring off into the explosion with wide-eyed stares, still paralyzed from their shock. Riley desperately sensed for Ash’s Aura flaring his own. Even when he found nothing, he continued. It took Lucario putting his paw on Riley’s shoulder and shaking his head to get him to stop.

  Noivern let out a ferocious, deafening screech. It sounded much like someone dragging a jagged metal shard across the side of a car. At its end, the screech curved downward in pitch, giving it a mournful sound. The last thing Noivern had ever done for the one that he’d known ever since he was born, the one who had raised him alongside Hawlucha, was hiss at him and leave him behind. And now, he too was gone.

  In a blind rage, Noivern rocketed up at Necrozma. The enraged Pokemon prepared to fire a Boomburst directly into Necrozma’s face, but the emperor nonchalantly backhanded it, jutting his crystal into Noivern’s gut and sending him flying away into the horde.

  Necrozma’s chuckling brought them out their stupor. “Now then,” Spoke the dark demon, dusting himself off, “Now that your leader is out of the way and your god has yet to show himself, I do believe it is time I spiced things up a bit.”

  The conqueror snapped his fingers, and dozens of large holes appeared on the mothership’s underside, followed by loud clanking. More Ultra Beasts poured down from those holes by the thousands and crashed down behind Necrozma. Far in the distance, a massive hole opened up, and what appeared to be a colossal metal cube was dropped down. It easily dwarfed the height of a skyscraper.

  The cube’s impact caused tremors all the way back to the remains of Goldenrod City, knocking the trainers and Pokemon off their feet and causing fearful screams to rise up from them. The cube twitched suddenly, and with a loud bang, a dent appeared on it. What appeared to be a black tendril with a faceless, fanged mouth at its tip burst from the cube, eating a piece of its container. It then turned around and ripped the cube clean open, and something utterly colossal burst out of it.

  Its body was almost completely spherical, as well as jet black. The overwhelming majority of its face was its mouth. It possessed jagged, yellow teeth that appeared to be razor sharp, as well as two black tendrils with their own mouths on them that came out of the main one, squeezing through the gaps in its teeth. The way its mouth gaped open allowed for a view of its throat, which glowed a bright blue for some reason. Sharp spikes also littered the inside of its throat, ending with some kind of serrated jugular that clamped together periodically.

  Above its mouth were two large eyes, their color matching that of its throat. They curved down, giving the trainers the chilling impression that it was furious. On its head were two large, three fingered clawed arms, and between them was what appeared to be a black, pointed crown with yet another set of smaller eyes at its front. It had large spikes that ran down its back, each one being smaller than the last until it reached its tail, which looked similar to a mace. It even had bat-like wings, though they were too small to function.

  “Coming in at one-hundred and thirty meters tall and two-hundred thousand tons, what you see there is Guzzlord,” Explained Necrozma, pointing at the colossal beast. “I nicknamed him the World Eater, and I imagine those feeble little brains of yours can guess why. Every time I conquer a planet, I allow him to eat away at it, which has allowed him to grow to such a tremendous scale. I wonder how long it will take for him to devour this one.”

  The universal conqueror laughed cruelly and said, “So far, he hasn’t left a single pebble of each world I’ve visited.” He awaited their response, but they were still left in shock from Ash’s demise, and seeing the colossal beast alone had scared them back into paralysis. Shrugging, Necrozma continued.

  “On top of that, considering that I’m starting to get bored, I’m going to make you all an ultimatum. If any of you fail to do even an inkling of damage to me, I will destroy one of your major settlements every ten minutes.” Necrozma looked at his wrist as if he were looking at a watch. “Starting… NOW.”

  He snapped his fingers once more, and the trainers flinched. However, nothing happened. Everyone looked around oddly, muttering to one another in confusion. Necrozma’s chuckling only added to their befuddlement. “By ‘me,’ I was referring to my fleet. Did you all honestly think I only had one ship?” He looked down at the new Ultra Beasts and pointed at the trainers. “You all did a number on my army, I’ll give you that. Now it’s time for round two. Ultra Beasts, attack!”

  The trainers were forced to snap themselves out of their trances as the Ultra Beasts descended upon them once more, and once more, Ash’s friends were separated amidst the mass of enemies. Though now, they didn’t know what to do. Their chosen one, their leader, and their closest friend, was gone.

  Mass chaos and confusion ensued. If morale had been low the first time around, then now it was completely gone. The trainers hardly even had the will to fight back, but their instinct for survival pushed them to continue fighting. For Ash’s friends, they forced the thoughts of him out of their mind, for the moment, in order to focus on the fight.

  An emerald green streak of light barreled into Necrozma, sending both of them flying across the sky. “YOU’RE DONE!” Roared Rayquaza.

  Necrozma laughed. “Actually, I think I’m just getting started. Out of the millions of worlds that I have conquered, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.” He held the large dragon with a single hand. “By the way, it’s awfully convenient of you to show up after I killed that boy it seems to me that you care more for your fellow legends than the humans that live alongside you.” Necrozma shrugged, “Oh well, I guess I can see why, they hardly help out in battle anyway.” He giggled sadistically, his crimson eyes peering into Rayquaza’s.

  “But do you believe Arceus will forgive you for allowing his chosen one to die?”

  Zero stood still for a good minute staring at where Ash had met his end in disbelief. Her entire world seemingly froze, and became as black and soulless as her eyes. She had failed him, the man who had saved her from the hell that was Charon’s lab was now gone, and she couldn’t prevent it. Ash had done everything to help her; to save her from herself, and she repaid it by hurting him and letting him be killed.

  Hydreigon was desperately searching around the area where Ash had disappeared in a futile attempt to find any sign of the trainer who saved it from its abusive master. It pushed aside the smoky rubble until it had gone through the entire building. After failing to do so, Hydreigon let out a whimper realizing his efforts were for naught, until he saw something red peeking out from underneath a small piece of rubble.

  The dark dragon’s face lit up and brushed away the rock, and found Ash’s hat. It took the hat in its mouth but, not satisfied with its find, began digging underneath where it had found it. It did so for minutes on end and ended up making the entirety of the crater even larger than it previously was. It didn’t take long for it to realize the futility of its actions.

  Begrudgingly, Hydreigon flew out of the hole and returned to the still-unmoving Zero. He raised her hands with his own, gently placing Ash’s hat onto them. Zero stared at the hat, her expression unchanging. It seemed to Hydreigon, that she wasn’t looking at the hat, but rather, past it. Like she didn’t see it at all.

  A small red spark of electricity ran down her shoulder for a split second. Hydreigon warily backed away from her, knowing that this couldn’t mean anything well. Though Zero’s expression still didn’t change, her energy exploded around her violently. Ash’s hat was incinerated in her grasp. It was then that she finally reacted.

  Hydreigon yelped as it was blown onto its back. Zero screamed, allowing the full might of her power to escape. Her mind went blank, as did her vision. She saw nothing, heard nothing, and felt nothing. That was, except rage. Her blood red Aura coated her energy, pushing it to new heights that violently scoured her surroundings. Hydreigon was quickly forced to run away from her for fear of being caught in her berserked state.

  Zero, though blinded, whipped around toward Necrozma upon some kind of instinct. She rocketed up toward him as he battled Rayquaza. He stopped a Dragon Pulse in its tracks, then turned to look at the newcomer as he sensed her approach. He blocked her punch with his free hand and blasted her away. To his surprise, Zero managed to hold the attack in her hand and tore it in two, allowing it to fly past her.

  Rayquaza was taken aback even more, seeing some random human, and a child at that, stopping an attack from Necrozma. “What in the-?!”

  With an inhuman roar, Zero flared her multicolored energy and blasted it at the dark demon. Necrozma crushed the attack in his hand, so Zero rushed at him with her fist pumped back. Necrozma lurched forward, jabbing his fist into the young girl’s gut before her punch could meet its target. Rayquaza was about to step in until he saw her managing to push the fist out of the way. He blinked, trying to judge if what was happening before his eyes was real or not.

  Necrozma chuckled, and his booming voice stretched out to the entire battlefield. “Nine minutes remain! Should you fail to impress, then…”

  The dark demon grabbed hold of Zero’s head, forcibly showing her a vision. High above the world into the atmosphere, a jet black ship opened up a hatch on its underside, lowering a sparking gun. A bright blue laser fired from it down upon the earth onto a small town. The inhabitants scarcely had the time to look up before they were erased.

  Zero jerked her head away from him and delivered a punch straight to Necrozma’s face. To Rayquaza’s shock, the punch connected. The dark demon chuckled and wrenched Zero’s fist away, revealing that he was still completely unharmed. Hissing, Zero lurched up and kicked Necrozma’s side. Her black eyes widened when he responded by bashing her down with the underside of his fist.

  “Eight minutes.”

  Finally deciding to step in, Rayquaza was about to use Draco Meteor when Zero, coated in her crimson-rainbow Aura, came flying back up with her fist outstretched. Necrozma leaned his head back, allowing the girl to fly past, and grabbed onto her legs. He cackled, reeling his arm back and prepared to throw Zero up into the mothership’s shield, when it was suddenly blasted from behind.

  He let Zero go and turned around, finding Rayquaza with a smoking mouth. “Sorry about that,” He said with a coy smirk, “I couldn’t just let a little girl fight you by herself.”

  Necrozma scoffed. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with it for the past few minutes, and speaking of minutes, you have seven left.”

  Rayquaza coated himself, in a white aura that exploded outward, morphing himself into his Mega form. “That’s plenty of time to put you in the ground.”

  “Agreed.”

  Mewtwo floated down beside Rayquaza, holding two large Shadow Balls in his hands. “I owe it to this world to protect its inhabitants, human or otherwise. I will not allow you to-”

  “HRAAAAUUUGH!”

  Zero coated her body in energy and rammed into Necrozma from behind. A massive explosion ensued, one with such force that the two Legends were forced to shield themselves so that they weren’t blown away.

  “What the-?!”

  Rayquaza chuckled. “I had the same reaction.”

  A barrier erupted from Necrozma, forcing Zero backwards. “Six minutes left.”

  “You’re gonna burn in hell Necrozma!” Zero attempted to do a Mega Kick straight to Necrozma’s face, but ultimately it failed when Necrozma ended up catching Zero in a grip lock and chucked her right into the two legends. Mewtwo backpedaled and reached up to Zero to stop her uncontrolled flight with Psychic, then releasing her once he canceled out the momentum.

  “I’m not going to pretend that I understand what’s happening,” Admitted Mewtwo to Zero, “But if you’re helping us, well, I’m not exactly inclined to get in your way.”

  Zero didn’t reply, still only keeping her black gaze trained upon Necrozma. Wordlessly, Zero rushed past Mewtwo, blasting an Inferno straight into Necrozma’s face. The dark demon chuckled and, without moving, pushed the intense flames away from himself. He outstretched a hand toward Zero, and Mewtwo quickly pulled the young girl away just in time to avoid his next blast.

  Immediately after being set free, Zero formed a web of crackling dark energy within her hands and fired it at the dark emperor in the form of a Dark Pulse. Rayquaza quickly followed up by flying to the opposite side of Necrozma and using Dragon Pulse. Necrozma held out his arms, effortlessly catching the two attacks in his hands. Mewtwo, seeing that Necrozma’s stance left him open, threw the two large Shadow Balls at him.

  Necrozma smirked and redirected Zero’s and Rayquaza’s attacks to hit one another, then caught the Shadow Balls, condensed them into one, and infused his own power into it, and with the snap of his finger, the three were enveloped in a massive explosion.

  “Five minutes and counting. I wonder which settlement I should destroy first.”

  Letting out a bestial roar, Zero unleashed a massive Hyper Beam from her hands. With a smug look on his face, Necrozma held up a single finger and, from it, completely tore through the girl’s attack with his own makeshift Hyper Beam. Mewtwo quickly swiped his hand across the air, using Psychic to dissuade the Hyper Beam’s trail and making it sail past Zero harmlessly.

  However, Necrozma rushed up to the young girl and slammed his fist into her, creating a loud shockwave from its force. He forcibly stopped her momentum by holding her in place with his own Psychic powers, and the sickening crack of bones was heard from her body. Rayquaza coated himself in the bright green energy of Dragon Ascent and rushed down at Necrozma in an attempt to free her, but was rewarded with a devastating blast to the face for his efforts.

  Mewtwo summoned two more Shadow Balls and quickly threw them at the dark demon, but before they could reach him, they were suddenly struck by an invisible force and destroyed. Necrozma looked at him, smirking, and pointed a glowing finger his way. Mewtwo cursed inwardly and created a barrier around himself, but oddly enough, Necrozma stopped and looked down.

  Raising a brow, Mewtwo hesitantly did so as well, and saw a Hydreigon rushing up from below, coated in a glowing red energy much like the young girl’s, though the Pokemon’s was obviously weaker. He would have stopped the Hydreigon’s foolish endeavor, but due to its Dark typing, his Psychic powers had no effect.

  “DON’T DO IT!” Mewtwo roared at Hydreigon. “FIGHTING HIM IS SUICIDE!”

  Necrozma scoffed and pointed his hand at the incoming dragon. “Pah! If the girl’s pet wants to die that badly, then so be it!” Hydreigon opened its jaw, forming a Hyper Beam to save its last remaining friend, only to be blasted by Necrozma at point-blank, and sent falling back to the ground draped in a cloud of black smoke.

  Zero watched this with wide-eyed horror and snapped back into reality. “Hydreigon!” The rage had disappeared in an instant. It was as if there was so much of it bubbling within her that her body simply couldn’t handle it anymore, and forcibly removed it on its own. The voices had silenced themselves, leaving only Zero remaining.

  She unleashed a burst of energy and managed to pry herself from Necrozma’s grasp, then rocketed down to save her friend. Necrozma scoffed and pointed a finger at her to blast her out of the sky, but Rayquaza flew in his way to stop him. On top of that, an Aeroblast was flung his way from behind, which he dispelled with a backhand. The rest of the Legends had arrived.

  Mewtwo creased his brows, looking at Necrozma and then down to Zero unsure. “Hey,” Said Rayquaza, getting Mewtwo’s attention. Rayquaza gave him a toothy grin. “If you’re worried about her, feel free to do what you want. We can handle Necrozma for the time being.”

  Mewtwo returned the smile appreciatively. “Thank you. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  Zero flew down, managing to catch Hydreigon’s limp body in her hands before landing back on the ground. She knelt down, using Heal Pulse to try and undo the damage before it was too late. “Hydreigon, hang in there!” She cried.

  Mewtwo teleported by her side, leaning down next to her. His hands hovered over the collapsed dragon’s body, and he attempted to use Psychic in order to stitch Hydreigon’s wounds back together. Unfortunately, its Dark typing made it impossible for him to do anything to help. Frustrated, Mewtwo let out a sigh and said, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. Were it not for it being a Dark Type, I could have helped more.”

  “Then allow me to lend a helping hand.”

  Mewtwo and Zero turned around, with the latter gaping in awe at what the two of them saw. Standing before them was the brilliant, rainbow-hued form of Xerneas, the Pokemon of Life. Zero and Mewtwo parted as Xerneas walked between them, standing over Hydreigon’s body. She raised her front hoof, gently tapping its tip on the dragon’s chest, and in an instant, a wave of white energy traversed over the entirety of its body and erased its wounds.

  Satisfied with her work, Xerneas stepped away from Hydreigon and turned to smile down upon Zero. “It should take them a few hours to wake back up, but they’ll make a full recovery.”

  Zero doubled over, heaving out a sigh of relief. “Thank you...when I saw Hydreigon get hit by Necrozma, I thought…” Her vision flashed back to the sight of Ash being blasted away, and a black, inky tear fell from her eye. She wiped it away and said, “Nevermind,...thank you for saving Hydreigon.”

  Xerneas nodded. “Think nothing of it.” With that, the large deer-like Legend turned and walked away.

  The dark voice of Necrozma boomed out over the battlefield once more. “Only two minutes remain, and I’ve decided what will be my first target! It seems fitting that, after having slain your chosen one, his home-town should be annihilated as well!” With that, his chilling laughter filled the skies.

  Mewtwo, seeing that the situation with Hydreigon had been cleared up, turned to look up at Necrozma. He flared his purple Psychic energy and knelt to the ground, about to fly back up to rejoin the fight, when Zero asked him something.

  “Hey...you’re a Psychic-Type, right?”

  Turning back toward her, he answered, “That I am. Is there something else you need of me?”

  Zero nodded. She pointed the palm of her hand at Hydreigon, using Barrier to form a shield around the sleeping Pokemon and camouflage to make it disappear from sight. “That should keep them safe for now,” She said, turning to Mewtwo. “Now then, could you teleport me on top of the ship?”

  Mewtwo raised an eyebrow incredulously. “What do you plan on doing?”

  “I don’t have time to explain, so in short, I’m going to destroy every last one of Necrozma’s ships before they can fire.”

  Mewtwo stared at her incredulously, but after a few moments, replied, “Very well.”

  Mewtwo lifted both of them off the ground with Psychic, and suddenly, Zero found herself having to shield her eyes from a bright light. After a few seconds, her eyes adjusted, and she realized that the light was the sun. Above the two of them, the bright blue sky shimmered beautifully. She would surely miss it. Beneath them on all sides were jet black pipes and other mechanical structures that went on as far as either of them could see.

  After a few seconds of staring at her, Mewtwo spoke. “I don’t mean to question your strength, but how will you destroy them all in time? You don’t even know which one will fire first.”

  Zero continued staring up into the sky. Slowly, she reached her hand up and placed it on her charred body over where her heart would be. Though she never really knew if she had one to begin with. “I was designed to be a weapon.”

  Mewtwo’s eyes widened, and he let out a gasp. “W-what?”

  “My creators were...terrible people…” Her gaze lowered, now looking down into the palm of her trembling hand. “They slaughtered countless Pokemon to give me life, and countless more to give me power. All the while, they tormented me until my psyche was broken, and I knew nothing but destruction…” She demonstrated this by creating a flame in her hand no bigger than the size of a candle’s, then crushing it in her hand, causing the flame to explode between her fingers.

  Mewtwo glowered at her, though the gesture wasn’t meant for her. ‘So, some humans still try and make weapons out of Pokemon? Of course they would…those kind of people never learn.”

  “But,” Continued Zero, snapping Mewtwo out of his thoughts, “A boy and his friends saved me from them, and tried their hardest to save me from myself.” She balled her hand into a fist, baring her teeth in a deep frown. “That boy’s name...was Ash Ketchum...and I failed to save him.”

  Mewtwo was taken aback. “W-what? Did you say Ash Ketchum?!”

  Zero looked over to him and nodded. “Yes...he rescued me from that hell, and he and his friends helped me at every turn, whether it be controlling my power, teaching me right and wrong, as well as showing me the beauty this world holds.”

  Now that she looked at Mewtwo, she recalled him from Ash’s memories. ‘Wait a minute...didn’t those Team Rocket guys go after him as well…?’ She shook her head. ‘I’m running out of time. I need to hurry!’

  Mewtwo nodded. “You could say he did something similar for me.”

  Zero nodded and smiled, though Mewtwo could see a hint of sadness in it. “I see. You and I are quite similar, then.” She leapt into the air, hovering in place as she looked back up into the sky. “It’s...a shame we won’t be able to talk more.”

  Mewtwo stepped toward her. “What do you mean by that? What do you plan on doing?!”

  Zero’s body trembled with fear. “Ash saved my life...but, I couldn’t save his. The least I can do is save his town and his world.” She took in a raspy, shaky breath. “Even though...I can’t be a part of it.”

  Her words petrified the cloned Pokemon. ‘What does she mean by ‘I couldn’t save his…?’ And…’

  “Hey!” He called to her. “What do you mean you can’t be a part of this world?!” What this girl was saying obviously didn’t mean anything good. He couldn’t let her do anything rash, especially so soon after meeting her. Here was someone else who understood him! Someone else besides his own creations! “I don’t know you or what you’ve been through, but I know what it’s like to feel you don’t belong, and I can say from personal experience that you and I both do!”

  Zero giggled. Mewtwo knew it was empty. “That’s kind of you to say, but...my fate is inescapable…” With that, she rocketed up into the atmosphere. Mewtwo reached up to her with Psychic, but she blocked off his powers by coating herself in a dome made from a Dark Pulse.

  “NOOOO!”

  Zero soared higher and higher into the atmosphere. The ever-blue sky slowly began fading to black the higher she got, and the air became more limited as well. Summoning every last speck of her energy, she coated herself in a brilliant rainbow hue and pushed upward.

  Gravity would not yield, however, continuing to pull her down the more she flew up. A cone of flame appeared around her from the sheer amount of friction her escape velocity was creating. She shielded herself with her arms, unleashing energy from her feet to propel her while keeping the flames out of her eyes.

  The strain on her body was becoming more apparent by the second. Her bones ached and groaned, and she could practically feel them threatening to snap under the pressure. But her determination would outlast her body if necessary.

  ‘I will...push past this!’ She told herself. ‘I have to...for Serena! For Riley…! For...Ash…”

  For a split second, an image flashed before her eyes. Two Eevees, one from the lab, and the other the one she ‘rescued’ from Damian. Both of them smiled up at her, but in an instant, that image was replaced with the sight of their corpses.

  Her breath became more labored.

  ‘I need to...keep going!’

  Then, a vision of Hydreigon appeared. Though she hadn’t known the Pokemon for very long, she felt a sibling-like kinship toward it. She wanted to protect it. It had suffered enough. She couldn’t let it end up like the other Pokemon...like those Eevees.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Her stamina was beginning to fail her.

  ‘I can’t...let them…’

  She saw Ash, Riley, and Serena next. She recalled the time spent walking through the woods with them on Serena’s shoulders. How Serena had helped her find something she loved, and how she had managed to make her laugh...how she showed her the world’s beauty firsthand. Not just from a memory. It was a shame that she couldn’t live in that beauty anymore...

  “But those are his memories. Wouldn’t you wanna make your own?”

  She remembered Riley and how she had helped her control her powers, at least to an extent. But that extent was more than enough for her. She also remembered how he taught her what good and evil meant. How to restrain herself. And how to find peace. It was a shame she had failed to do so...

  “This is why control is so important. It can be the deciding factor between hurting someone you care for and not.”

  She could never forget Ash. The one who had saved her from Charon, at the expense of himself. The one who had initially shown her what peace and happiness felt like after so long, and the one who had initially saved her from herself. The one who had shown her endless kindness while she, in turn, caused him nothing but suffering. Yet even still, he tried his best to save her for good. It was a shame that it was not to be…

  “You have a heart that beats. You have a mind that thinks. And most importantly, you have a soul that feels...You belong here just as much as I do.”

  Zero heard the voices again, only now, they sounded like frantic whispering rather than demanding screams. She felt a snap somewhere in her arms, but oddly enough, she felt no pain. Her energy had long since faded, as well as the cone of fire that had come with her pushing up into the sky. Her body had become frigid, petrified, and unmoving. Her eyes glossed over, and the voices slowly faded away as her vision became like static. Then, everything went black...but then…

  The world around her became white.

  Zero awoke with a gasp, stumbling backward. She looked around herself frantically and found a world of pure light. The sky, the ground, the walls, if there even were any of these things, were all a blinding shade of white, yet she felt no pain. She looked down at her hands. They, for the first time ever, appeared to be normal, as well as the rest of her body. For the first time she could remember, her blackened, charred body had become normal skin once more.

  Unable to comprehend what was happening, she asked herself, “How is this...possible…?” She perked her head up as she realized what this meant, then let it hang. She balled her hands into fists furiously. “I...died...I didn’t make it…”

  “PERHAPS SO.”

  She jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of a deep, impossibly loud voice that seemed to echo throughout the entirety of wherever she was, as well as within herself. “W-what-”

  A being appeared before her, though she couldn’t quite discern what it was. Somehow, it was even brighter than her surroundings, outshining this world of white itself. Its form was...impossible to comprehend. The more Zero focused on it, the less sense it made. Its appearance alone scrambled her mind. Any questions she tried to answer about this thing only served to give her more. It was completely unknowable.

  Despite this, she felt no fear of the being.

  “Who...what are you…?”

  Seemingly ignoring the question, the entity replied, “YOUR STRENGTH HAS FAILED YOU. THAT MUCH IS TRUE. HOWEVER, YOU HAVE STILL YET TO PASS.”

  Zero’s eyes widened. “Really?! Then, please, take me back! I need to stop Necrozma’s fleet before-”

  The entity chuckled, holding up what Zero believed to be an arm to stop her in her tracks. “I APOLOGIZE, BUT I CANNOT DO THAT JUST YET.”

  “Why not?!” Demanded Zero. “My friends need my help! If I’m not fast, they’ll…”

  “TIME MEANS NOTHING HERE,” Spoke the being. “WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD. NOW, WOULD YOU PLEASE ALLOW ME TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS?”

  Zero gave it an odd look. “...What for…?”

  “SHOULD YOU INDULGE ME, I WILL ENLIGHTEN YOU AS TO WHY AFTERWARD.”

  Zero looked down at the bright floor, humming to herself in thought. If what this being said about time was true, and for some odd reason, she believed it, then there was no harm in doing so. Plus, she didn’t exactly know how to leave, and if she wanted to go back to her friends, then complying was her best bet.

  “All right,” Replied Zero, looking back up at it, “What did you want to know?”

  The entity hummed, evidently pleased by her answer. “I THANK YOU. NOW THEN, WHAT ARE YOU?”

  Zero huffed, replying, “I asked you that first.” She awaited the entity’s response and sighed when she received none. “All right. To be honest...I’m not sure what I am.”

  “START FROM THE BEGINNING, THEN.”

  She looked up at it quizzically. “The...beginning?”

  The entity made an odd motion, which Zero somehow knew was a nod. She didn’t understand how she knew, but didn’t question it either. “WHAT IS YOUR ORIGIN?”

  “My origin…” A deep-seated frown crawled down Zero’s face. She half expected the voices to return then and there, as well as the haunting imagery that always seemed to accompany them. However, nothing came. Letting out a deep sigh, Zero answered, “From what I know, I was not...a natural creation. I was made in a lab, fused together by nearly a million Pokemon that were condensed into some kind of liquid…”

  She balled her hands into fists, gripping at nothing, furious of the memory of her birthplace. “At first, it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t even know how I was made, so ‘ignorance is bliss,’ as they say. They tried to force me to hurt other Pokemon, but I wouldn’t. All I wanted…” Her stance became less tense, if only a little.

  “...Was a friend. I befriended every Pokemon they sent me to kill, but my creators weren’t satisfied with that. As I learned recently, a man named Ryder, who serves someone else, made my creator, a madman named Dr. Charon, go wild.”

  She recalled being bound to a table and then being set aflame. “He ordered his servants to do unspeakable things to me...all kinds of tortures imaginable, to the point my eyes were replaced with endless voids, and my body from the head down was charred black from the burns.”

  She stared up at the entity, allowing it to see her void-like eyes. “It didn’t take long for them to break me,” She hissed. “They had their weapon, and they first unleashed it on the Pokemon it once called friends. For months, I was told to slaughter the Pokemon, which were then compacted into more of that liquid and fused into me to further my powers.”

  Zero crouched down, slamming her fist into the floor angrily, shaking her head. “In time, I began to enjoy it as well. I became a perfect instrument of destruction for their whim! I became a weapon!”

  “BUT THEN…?”

  Zero nodded, standing back onto her feet. “But then...Ash, Serena, and Riley saved me. They risked their lives to save mine, and liberated me from that hell.” She smiled, an inky black tear running down her cheek. “They were...they are… the best thing to have ever happened to me. They saved me…”

  The entity hummed in thought. “I SEE. SO, THEN, WHAT ARE YOU?”

  The young girl shrugged. “I don’t know...that’s what I’ve been trying to find out, but I won’t get that chance now.”

  “AND WHY IS THAT?”

  “Because I’m a danger to them,” Answered Zero. “I’m a hindrance. They saved me in so many ways more times than I can count, but when their lives were in danger, I only hurt them. Especially Ash.”

  Ryder’s words echoed in her mind. ‘You will always be a weapon.”

  “I will always be a weapon.”

  “...SO...YOU DO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THEN?”

  She looked up at the being oddly. “What?”

  “YOU SAID YOU WERE A WEAPON,” Replied the being, “DID YOU NOT?”

  Zero grinned at it, then chuckled dryly. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

  The being hummed to itself once more, apparently accepting that answer. “SO YOU ARE A WEAPON. DO YOU PLAN ON FULFILLING THAT ROLE?”

  The girl shrugged. “What choice do I have? Time and time again, it’s been proven to me. Ever since I escaped from that hellhole, battle has always been drawn to me, or I’ve been drawn to it.” Her crimson red Aura appeared around her, sparking out violently and crashing against the ground. “I am nothing but destruction. I can’t escape it.”

  It nodded once more, unperturbed by Zero’s Aura. “I SEE.”

  Zero looked back up and pointed at the entity. “So, I’ve answered all of your questions so far. Can I ask you one?”

  “I SUPPOSE SO,” It answered. “IT IS ONLY FAIR.”

  “What do you think? If I were to live, then would I eventually be able to find peace and escape my role as a weapon?”

  The creature didn’t respond. The entire area was left in complete silence for minutes on end. Zero lowered her head, taking its silence as an answer. Finally, it spoke up, but its answer caused the girl to wince. She couldn’t have said she didn’t see it coming, but hearing it aloud was somehow even more painful.

  “...NO...IF YOU WERE TO SURVIVE NECROZMA’S WAR, YOU WOULD NEVER FIND PEACE. JUST AS YOU SAID, BATTLE WOULD ALWAYS BE DRAWN TO YOU UNTIL YOUR LAST BREATH.”

  Zero shuddered, letting out a shaky breath. “I...I-I see…”

  “HOWEVER…”

  The young girl perked her head up to the being expectantly. She held her breath, anxious for what it was about to say.

  “...YOUR CREATORS ARE NOT YOUR WIELDERS. YOU HAVE ALREADY BROKEN FREE OF THEIR CHAINS THANKS TO YOUR FRIENDS.”

  “What...does that mean…?”

  “IT MEANS THAT, WHILE YOU ARE A WEAPON AND WILL CERTAINLY NEVER FIND PEACE, YOU ALONE CAN DECIDE WHO YOUR POWER WILL STRIKE. NOT YOUR CREATORS, NOR THE VOICES THAT CONSTANTLY PLAGUE YOUR MIND. THOSE VOICES ARE, BUT THE LEFTOVER WILL OF THE POKEMON USED TO CREATE YOU. THEY ARE IN PAIN, BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE.”

  Zero looked up at the entity with shimmering eyes, listening to its words intently. The being chuckled at her reaction. “IN OTHER WORDS,” It said, “YOU ARE A WEAPON THAT CAN POINT ITSELF.”

  “A weapon that can point itself,” Zero repeated, as if testing the words out.

  The being nodded, and the world around them began trembling. “WE DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT HERE,” Spoke the being, “BUT I WILL AID YOU AS BEST AS I CAN IN YOUR ENDEAVOR TO STOP NECROZMA. BEFORE THAT, I MUST ASK YOU: WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT LIFE?”

  “What did I think about life?” Repeated Zero once more. A faint smile appeared on the young girl’s face. “Well…”

  The being nodded, pleased by her answer. “VERY WELL. THEN ALLOW ME TO GIVE YOU THE POWER TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE AS YOU WILL.”

  Zero’s limp, floating body exploded with energy. A swirling mass of white burst out from all sides, sending intense shockwaves across the sky. Zero’s eyes snapped open. She was once again floating in the middle of space. Zero looked up and saw thousands upon thousands of black ships charging up their weapons with one singular target in mind, Pallet town.

  She looked down at her hand. Gone was the charcoal black that coated her skin, just like with the entity, and in its place was normal skin. A happy tear fell down her cheek, and upon wiping it away, she was shocked to find that it wasn’t black and inky like it usually was. It was clear, shimmering from the light. She looked at it with wonder and let out a gasp as she saw her reflection within it.

  The empty black voids that Charon had reduced her eyes to were gone. She now sported two beautiful blue ones that watered from her joy. Once again wiping away her tears, she faced the ships above once more and, flaring her new white Aura, rocketed far up into the sky, piercing through it at last and facing the final frontier.

  From inside the helm of Necrozma’s ship, a loud beeping from the ship’s warning system alerted Xurkitree. Quickly rushing to it, Necrozma’s right-hand man was met with the sight of a bright, fiery white light of some sort flying up to intercept the rest of the fleet.

  He tapped on a button, enabling communications with the fleet. Urgently, he cried, “Fleet Section 7, there is an unidentified object or being closing in on your position! Fire on sight! I repeat: Fire on sight!”

  The ships nearest to Zero turned toward her, charging their weapons. Zero held out her hand and fired an attack of her own. A burst of light shot out from her hand, tearing straight through the ship and causing it to implode in on itself. The other ships fired upon Zero, but she held their attacks back with Psychic and sent them straight back, causing them to explode as well.

  She took a deep breath, despite being in space, and held her arms out. Her eyes shot open, and the light surrounding her grew to incredible sizes. “GRAVITY!” Immediately, the ships were pulled toward her. The Ultra Beasts inside panicked, increasing the output of their ships’ thrusters in an attempt to escape Zero’s pull, but to no avail.

  Seeing this, Xurkitree called Necrozma. “Sir! One of this planet’s lifeforms managed to get by the ship and is now laying siege to the fleet!”

  Necrozma grabbed Lugia by his maw, shutting it to stop a Hyper Beam from the Sea Guardian and promptly tossing him into the ground below. Seeing his crystal was glowing, he formed a barrier around himself and answered. “What do you mean?!” He demanded. “The mothership’s cannons should have immediately fired upon anything that tried to escape the city!”

  “Well,” Said the exasperated Ultra Beast, “One of them managed to get by, and they’re taking the ships down one by one!”

  Necrozma brought the hologram closer to his face and shouted, “Then stop them! Use the entire fleet if you have to!” With that, he forcibly shut off communications and lowered the barrier, backhanding a Roar of Time from Dialga.

  With Xurkitree, the screen showing his master cut to static, and he let out a long-winded sigh. Pressing the communication button once more, he called the fleet and cried, “All ships, your new orders are to stop the unidentified lifeform at all costs! That includes firing upon other ships if no other option is present!”

  The ships changed course, turning their helms toward Zero and quickly making their way toward her. The larger ones deployed gigantic cannons from their side that emitted a blue light from their gunports. Soon enough, colossal lasers fired from the holes at Zero, but by now, so many other ships had been sucked into her Gravity field that they acted as unwitting shields.

  “Ash...Serena...Riley...thank you for showing me what life truly meant.”

  However, the lasers were cutting through fast, and in mere moments, she would be left defenseless against their forces. Thus, she summoned upon her own Aura to empower her Gravity. She closed her eyes and winced, expecting her crackling crimson Aura to appear and wrack her body, but to her surprise, she felt a soothing sensation.

  “Though it was short-lived, I couldn’t have possibly wished for anything greater than what you gave me.”

  Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw that her Aura was not what it normally was. It was a deep, gentle blue that flowed around her like water. It felt greater than anything else. She wondered if this is what it was like for Ash and Riley, but pushed those thoughts out of her mind for the moment, staring out of a hole in between the ships surrounding her to see the rest of Necrozma’s fleet. She had a job to do.

  “You want to know what I thought about life? Well…”

  Using her Aura, she let out a fearsome bellow, increasing her power to heights untold. The wave of white energy surrounding her exploded outward, blinding all who saw it. It was so brilliant that it looked like a second sun. This blindness staggered the pilots of the ships for a moment, but that small time was all it took for them to lose control of their ships and get sucked into Zero’s Gravity like the others.

  “I didn’t truly start living until Ash and the others rescued me...but as for that…”

  Xurkitree watched with horror as the last of the fleet had been sucked in. They had been crushed around Zero into a ball, tearing into one another with their hulls. Zero watched as the last of the outside world was obscured by a ship and let out a sigh. The only light left was herself. It was time.

  “Life is...the best thing that ever happened to me. My friends, the Pokemon, and this world...though there were evil people in it, there was always someone good to counter it. Life is beautiful.”

  Zero stretched out her limbs, sending waves of energy throughout the surrounding ships. Her body glowed brilliantly, and that brilliance only grew with every second. “Can you see me, Ryder?!” She cried. “This is my answer!” Zero’s light poured through the cracks between the ships, covering them completely. It became so bright that the sun itself was outshone. Inside the ships, the Ultra Beasts screamed in terror.

  “EXPLOSION!”

  And then Zero, the Ultra Beasts, and Necrozma’s fleet disappeared in a great flash of light.

  …

  …

  ...

  Darkness…

  Nothing, but darkness…

  The room was nearly pitch black.

  Zero awoke with a sharp gasp, staggering backwards until her hands made contact with metal. It felt impossibly cold, chilling her to the bone. She immediately retracted her hand from it and turned around. Before her was a large metal wall that seemed to stretch up endlessly before fading away into darkness. She turned back around, finding that the other walls and floors were made up of the same thing.

  The walls were stained in many areas with a brownish-red substance. She didn’t know whether it was rust...or… “Where...where am I…?!” She let out another gasp, her black, void-like eyes widening. She covered her mouth and doubled over, trying to keep bile from rising in her throat. “This is…! No! It can’t be!”

  This was Dr. Charon’s laboratory. More specifically, the “testing” grounds, where Zero had slaughtered countless Pokemon in his name. All for the sake of his experimentation, and whatever goals Ryder and his master had in store for her. It was where she was created. For the sole purpose of being a weapon.

  She felt something scratchy and hard on her hands, and when she looked down at them, she found that they had become black and looked like charcoal. Looking down, she discovered that the rest of her body from the neck down was the same. Then, Zero noticed her reflection in the metal floor. Her eyes were voids, black and endlessly empty.

  “No!” She cried, “This can’t be real! I escaped—Ash saved me!” She shook her head violently, backing herself into the room’s corner. “Ash, Serena, and Riley, they saved me! I escaped and fought Necrozma...and then…!”

  She yelped as the loud noise of clanking metal filled the room. At the far end of the room, a door began opening. Zero jumped up, eager to get out of this place, when an all too familiar figure stepped out, freezing her in her tracks. It was an Eevee. The very first Pokemon she had killed. Alongside it, several more Pokemon came out. These Pokemon were Zero’s very first friends, as well as her first victims.

  She immediately backed away from them, but the sound of her footstep caught the Eevee’s attention. It looked up to her and barked happily, running her way with a smile on its face. “Stay back!” Cried Zero. “Get away from me!” The Eevee kept coming, like it didn’t hear her at all.

  Her vision suddenly became woozy, and the room seemingly stretched out into a long tunnel before her eyes. The Eevee became slower, yet still drew closer by the second. Every step it took, the more warped her vision became. She fell to her knees, clutching her head as she felt a sharp, stabbing pain from her cranium, and let out a pained gasp as the voices returned in full force.

  They were dark and garbled, meaningless and crowding together one after another like they were pushing to be heard. “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” Zero shook her head, desperately trying to rid herself of them, but they only became louder the closer Eevee got.

  “KILLTHEMKILLTHEMALLDESTROYDESTROYSLAUGHTERYOUAREMEANINGLESSKILLTHEMDIEDIEDIEHELPMEKILLTHEMKILLMEDESTROYEVERYTHINGBREAKFREEBREAKTHEMKILLKILLKILLDIEMAKETHEMSUFFEROBEYBENDTOMYWILLSAVEMEPLEASEKILLMEPLEASEKILLTHEMDIELEAVENOTHINGSERVEOBEYOBEYITSJUSTBUSINESSTHEDOCTOROBEYCHARONIWANTFREEDOMIWANTTHESKYLETMEBEFREETHISISHELLYOUAREHELLWHEREAMIDIEDIEDIEKILLYOURSELFENDUSPLEASEWEAREPRISONERSWEARETRAPPEDYOUTRAPPEDUSYOUKILLEDUSKILLMOREKILLFORTHEDOCTORKILLFORYOURCREATORTHATISYOURPURPOSEPLEASESTOPITHURTSITSSOPAINFULPLEASEARCEUSWHYWHATDIDWEDOWHYAREWEHEREPLEASEHELPUSTHEYKILLEDUSYOUKILLEDUSITHURTSLETMEFREELETMEFREEKILLFORCHARONDESTROYEVERYTHINGLEAVENOTHINGLEAVEUSKILLUSITHURTSSOMUCHITHURTSITHURTSPLEASESTOPTHEPAINDIEDIEDIEYOUCAUSEDTHISWHYWEREYOUBORNYOUKILLEDUSTHEYKILLEDUSYOUARETOBLAMETHISISHELLKILLTHEMALLYOUNEEDTOYOUMUSTKILLTHEMITHURTSUSITSAVESUSKILLTHEMALLKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEMKILLTHEM

  Then, Zero’s vision went white.

  Charon’s Lab, one year ago.

  A group of Pokemon huddled together in the corner of the room. For months, they had been kept in tiny cages and given miniscule food and water. For them to be suddenly released now, in a room such as this, well...it couldn’t mean anything good.

  On the opposite side of the room, there was a window high above them where two shadowed figures sat. Beneath them, a door opened, and a few men in lab coats walked out. The Pokemon immediately tensed up, petrified of these men. The men parted, revealing a small human girl with white hair wearing a one pieced overall suit. She looked up at them curiously, then looked to the Pokemon. They pressed themselves further up against the wall.

  Suddenly, the men quickly scrambled back out of the door, which promptly shut and left the Pokemon alone with the girl. Tilting her head to the side, she stared at them oddly. For a few minutes, neither moved. She simply stared at them blankly while they tried to make themselves seem as small as possible.

  Eventually, an Eevee popped its head out from amidst the group and squeezed its way out, gritting its teeth as it pushed. It managed to pop itself out at last and, tentatively, began making its way over to the girl. The Pokemon wanted to call out to stop it, but the fear of drawing the girl’s attention forced them into silence.

  Step by step, the Eevee approached the white-haired girl until it came before her. It looked up at her curiously, while she looked down upon it, her expression still blank. The Eevee smiled at her and chirped happily, rubbing itself against her leg. The girl continued staring at it blanky but unexpectedly, she crouched down to meet it, her hand hovering above its head.

  The two figures observing from the window leaned forward, awaiting what she would do next. The Pokemon, meanwhile, looked on helplessly and in horror. They wanted to close their eyes, but found themselves too scared to do even that. Her hand lowered swiftly...and gently pat the Eevee’s head, earning a satisfied hum from the fuzzy Pokemon.

  A smile slowly crawled up the girl’s face, and she said, “My name is Project Zero. Who are you?”

  “Eevee!” Chirped Eevee.

  The girl giggled and repeated, “Eevee…”

  The Pokemon, seeing the girl’s gentleness, hesitantly distanced themselves from each other and the wall. They froze when she looked up at them, but the fact that she still wore the smile as she continued petting the Eevee’s fur convinced them that she was harmless. One by one, they crowded around the girl, eager to receive her affection and causing her to giggle happily.

  Above them, the two observers were far from happy. One of them, a man in a black metal suit with a sheathed blade attached to his back, turned to the other, a short, plump man in a labcoat with a receding hairline.

  “Bring her back to the pod and follow me,” Said the suited figure. “You and I need to have a serious discussion.”

  “AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!”

  Black tears streaming down her face, Zero raised her arm into the air. With one swift motion, Zero struck the Eevee’s side and turned it into nothing more than another stain on the floors and walls. She then turned toward the other Pokemon, who stared at her in horror, and rushed at them. They met the same fate as the Eevee, all the while Zero screamed like a mad banshee.

  One by one, she killed them, and tore their remains to pieces. She stomped, ripped, burned, and blasted every last inch of the Pokemon until there was nothing left, and when all was said and done, she let out a monstrous, inhuman roar. At last, the voices were gone, and Zero was left alone to realize what she had done.

  She stepped back, looking down at the crimson mess beneath her in horror. She let out a sharp gasp and then fell to her knees, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. The voices may have left, but in their place was something far worse. The mad laughter of Dr. Charon filled the room, taunting her for filling the role he laid out for her. She had once again fulfilled her role as a weapon. She backed into the wall, sat down, tucked her head into her arms, and wept.

  “You will always be a weapon.”

  Zero sat there crying for a very long time. How long, she did not know, but it felt like an eternity. What would she do now? What could she do? Was Ash and everything he had showed her a lie? A cruel, twisted dream she or that bastard Charon had fabricated? Everyone and everything she had ever cared about… was gone. She would spend the rest of whatever life this was alone with no one to talk to, even now, the voices had left her. For the first time in her entire existence, she was alone.

  There was absolutely nothing left.

  Something fuzzy touched her, and she dug her head further in. It kept pestering her until she, begrudgingly, lifted her head up. That hellish room was now gone, and surrounding them was an area of pure, empty white. It was different than the world of that entity, where that one felt calming and warm, this one simply felt...empty.

  “Ve?”

  An Eevee poked its head up into her view, making her instinctively back away from it. “D-don’t get near me!” She cried, holding out her hand to warn the Eevee. “I’ll hurt you! Please, just go away!”

  She blinked in surprise at the sight of her own hand, which was now ridden, of the charcoal burns once more. She twisted it around, looking at every inch of it in disbelief. A small gasp escaped from her mouth as the Eevee nuzzled itself against it. She then realized who exactly that Eevee was. It was the same one from the Lab.

  “H-how...didn’t I…?”

  Another Eevee that was much smaller than the first one appeared, nuzzling happily against Zero’s leg. She recognized it as Damian’s. Zero was utterly baffled. “Wait...you’re...but that makes no sense! I saw Ryder…”

  The two Eevees climbed onto her lap, smiling at her and nuzzling their heads into her own. In her surprise, Zero was frozen stiff and couldn’t pull away. ‘I don’t understand...how is this happening?!’ She let out a sudden gasp as the memory of the entity, as well as what she did with its power, flashed before her eyes.

  Despite this, she smiled. “Oh...that’s right, I…”

  Wrapping her arms around the two Eevees, she brought the two of them in a close, tight embrace that elicited a cry of surprise from them. Around them, more Pokemon appeared. They appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, by the thousands. Surrounding Zero and the two Eevees, they looked down upon the girl, judgingly. Seeing them, Zero set the two Eevees down and turned to face them.

  Her smile disappeared upon recognizing them. “You all...I killed you back in the lab...didn’t I…?”

  The Pokemon didn’t reply. Zero looked down at the white ground, wincing. She recalled the words of the entity regarding them.

  “THEY ARE IN PAIN, BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE.”

  “Those voices...were all of you, weren’t they?”

  Still, the Pokemon didn’t reply, nor did they move. They simply stared down at her with their ever-judging expressions. They weren’t glaring at her, nor did they express any malevolence or malice, but their silent gazes hurt her more than anything else. The Pokemon only reacted when they saw Zero shuddering. Her shoulders trembled, and a clear, shining tear rolled down her cheek.

  “I’m sorry,” She whimpered, “I’m so, so sorry!” She balled her hands into shaking fists, unable to hold back her tears any longer. “This is all my fault! If it weren’t for me, then you all…”

  The two Eevees looked up at her sadly, then expectantly, to the Pokemon. “Vee, Vui Vee!” They called out to them all expectantly, pleading with them to forgive Zero. The Pokemon, in turn, shifted their cold stares at them instead. The Eevee from the lab flinched, but Damian’s refused to. It barked at them, telling them of how Zero had tried to save her. Were it not for her, it would still be the punching bag of that monstrous trainer. It wasn’t her fault that it died.

  The other Eevee, seeing this, found the courage to confront them as well. It knew Zero had no control over her actions at the time. It was obvious, considering how she acted before it all. She was the first to show them kindness in that cold, metal lab. It was not her fault, she lost herself. It was the fault of those men.

  One of the Pokemon, a large Onix, approached Zero. The two Eevees growled at it and stood in front of her defensively, but it ignored them. Craning its neck down so that it faced Zero, it stared at her for a few seconds while she sobbed, and gently pressed its head against hers, and then she realized. They were never mad, just in pain. Just as she had gone insane, they had as well. That happened because, due to Charon’s experiments, they had become a part of her. They never meant to hurt her.

  Zero was taken aback, but then she chuckled. Tears still streaming down her face, she gently grasped the large Pokemon’s face and pressed her head against it. “All this time, I thought...I thought I was... “She shook her head, opening her bright blue eyes. “Thank you…”

  With that, the Pokemon took their time properly reuniting or meeting Zero if they never had the chance to before. They all played together, laughing and having fun for the first time in what felt like ages. This went on for hours, until Zero’s head perked up suddenly, and she said. “Everyone...I think...it’s time to go now…” The Pokemon looked her way and nodded. With the two Eevees upon her shoulders, Zero and the Pokemon locked their hands together and looked out into the great white abyss. Hand in hand, they walked into it together with a smile.

  “Ash, Serena, and Riley...I’m sorry I couldn’t help more. I leave the rest to you.”