{Meanwhile}
Misty, Brock, and Yellow were flying on Misty's Gyarados, looking around, "You have got to be kidding me, where did he go?" Misty said, looking around.
"I don't know! Why are you asking us like we have the answer? We've literally been here the same amount of time. We're looking at the same stuff you're looking at," Brock said.
Yellow was also looking down, and her eyes widened as she tapped Misty's shoulder, "Look down there, it's Mr. Lorenzo!"
Misty and Brock looked to where Yellow was pointing, and yep, there on the ground was Lorenzo, still on the ground clutching his head, "Alright, we're going down. Hold on!" Misty said, as Gyarados dive-bombed down.
—
{Back over to Ash}
Gorigan stepped forward, his armored boots thudding heavily against the stone floor of the garden. His posture was low, knuckle-walking like a gorilla, his muscled arms twitching with anticipation. His wild beard bristled as he let out a snort and cracked his neck with a loud pop.
"Well, well," he growled, looking around the sacred garden. "This the place. Big shiny rock, floaty freaks, yeah, this is it."
One of the Cipher grunts beside him knelt down to check the net holding Pikachu, Vee, Dragonair, and the weakened Eon siblings.
"Targets secured. Latios and Latias confirmed," the grunt said into a communicator. "Soul Dew is located in the central fountain. Moving to extraction."
"Hah! Not bad," Gorigan grunted, thumping one fist against his chest. "Told ya those stun rounds would work. Bet Ein's gonna love this, two rare Legendaries in one haul."
Bianca gasped and tried to step forward, but one of the grunts aimed a baton-like weapon at her, making her freeze.
Gorigan squatted down next to the net, inspecting the trembling Legendary Pokémon like they were animals in a cage. He let out a rough chuckle.
"Yup. This'll do just fine. Boss wants the floaters for the defense system? Guess we'll be pokin' around that big ol' statue next." He turned to the Soul Dew, still resting in its basin. "That the juice? Looks like a marble. Hope it ain't fragile."
He slammed one fist into his palm, "Alright boys, grab the sparkly thing and let's bounce. The eggheads'll do whatever brain-melt stuff they need."
Bianca shouted, "You can't take that! If you remove the Soul Dew, the Defense Mechanism will activate!"
Gorigan gave her a blank look. "Uh-huh. And?"
As that was happening, Ash felt his shoulder, tried moving it. It was weird, like his nerves had shut off. He couldn't really do things that were second nature, other than breathe and blink. But that didn't mean he couldn't do anything. As he sent a message with Aura, something came out of his shadow and started slithering over to the net.
"Pathetic," Gorigan scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "These things are supposed to be Legendary? They look like soggy plush toys."
"Boss," one of the Peons called, approaching the fountain as he reached in and pulled the orb out of the water, "Confirming Soul Dew. Scanning energy levels. We're good to extract."
"Finally," Gorigan grunted, as the net separated, one still holding Ash's Pokémon and the other containing Latios and Latias. "Wrap it up—"
Then, from the shadow that came out of Ash, something jumped forward, revealing itself to be Haunter. She cackled and grabbed the net holding the Pokémon, yanking it back.
"Jie jie!"
That was the opening. Latios flew up, because these were the people who had hurt him before. Well, now it was time for the run-back. Latias soared upward, grabbing the net with Pikachu, Vee, and Dragonair, then darted forward, reaching out and grabbing both Bianca and Ash as she zipped past, dashing to escape.
"Ash!" Bianca gasped, holding him tight as Latias tucked them close to her chest.
Ash, still barely able to move, felt the rush of wind tear across his face as Latias shot out of the garden entrance like a missile. The garden blurred behind them. The wind howled. All he could do was weakly tighten his fingers around Bianca's sleeve.
"AFTER THEM!!" Gorigan bellowed, slamming his fists into the ground in a fury that cracked the stone beneath him. "I WANT THAT THING BACK!!"
"Sir, Latios is still active!" one of the Peons shouted, backing up as the legendary dragon blocked the way, burning blue energy radiating off him like fire.
"I don't care if he's still flappin'!" Gorigan snarled, knuckle-walking forward toward Latios as he grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt. "You wanna play hero? Fine! But you ain't gettin' outta here!"
As all this was happening, Annie and Oakley were… kind of forgotten about. I mean, Ash couldn't tie them up, and Gorigan didn't care about them. They did what he wanted. He was the one that leaked the information to them. As long as they didn't get in the way, he didn't care.
And you know what? Annie and Oakley weren't stupid. They knew when things were out of their control, and this entire situation had become scuffed. So, as Gorigan threw out an Aggron and a Slowking, and the two grunts pulled out Pokémon too, they just left.
—
In the fight, Latios floated down, his breathing heavy, his body shaking from exertion and the lingering effects of the net. Not to mention, he had accidentally gotten hit by Pikachu earlier, so he'd lost his legendary resistance. He was effectively a child, but he wasn't going down.
Not yet.
He let out a low, rumbling cry and raised his wings, charging a pulse of psychic energy between them.
"Get him!" one Peon shouted. "He's gonna blast us—!"
Gorigan snarled. "Aggron, [Rock Slide], shut him down! Slowking, [Yawn], soften him up!"
Rocks erupted from the ground, slamming toward Latios. He dodged two, but the third struck him in the side, sending him crashing into the garden wall. He cried out, but pushed himself back up.
He had to buy them time. For his sister. As long as she got away, he didn't care what happened to him.
So he raised his wings and fired a [Luster Purge] and it wasn't just to damage them.
He was going to destroy the exit Latias just went through.
—
{Meanwhile}
Misty, Brock, and Yellow landed with a thud beside Lorenzo, who was groaning and rubbing his head.
"Lorenzo! Are you alright?" Yellow asked, helping to prop him up.
"I… I'm fine. Just-ugh, something hit me hard. Two women, they came in with a Pokémon, Espeon, I think. Used hypnosis or something."
Two girls. That's exactly what Ash said he saw, "Does that mean Ash is here? Where is he?" Brock asked.
But they didn't need an answer, because from the fake wall, Latias burst through, holding Ash and Bianca, along with the net containing Pikachu, Vee, and Dragonair. She crashed to the ground right in front of them.
The first thing they noticed was the smoldering spot on Ash's hoodie, and the fact that he wasn't moving, even though he was fully awake.
"Ash!!" Yellow dropped to her knees beside him. "Ash, say something! Are you okay?!"
Ash blinked and looked over to her. He was trying to get his body to function again, but it was slow. All he could manage now was moving his fingers.
"I'm fine…"
"He can't move," Bianca panted. "Something hit him from behind, it was like a nerve shock. Some other people came in and took us by surprise."
Over by the net, Brock pulled out a multitool and cut it open, letting Pikachu, Vee, and Dragonair out. They rushed over to Ash, and, maybe most surprising of all, Haunter emerged from Latias's shadow, having clung on like she was flying on a plane, but she floated down to check on Ash.
"Maybe if I…" Yellow muttered. She didn't care who saw right now, she only cared about trying to help Ash. She placed her hands out, and they started to glow as she focused on healing him.
"I-it's not working… come on, come on…" Yellow mumbled urgently, pouring more power in. Lorenzo and Bianca would've reacted, but, you know, bigger things to worry about.
Brock, being the only one besides Ash with any medical knowledge, knelt down and moved to Ash's shirt.
"I need to see how bad it is."
Ash's eyes widened. He wanted to stop him, he'd been trying to keep this a secret. He'd even refused to visit the hot springs with the gang or go to the beach, and when he did, he wore a shirt. Because obviously, he still had the scar. The one from when he got shot by a literal laser.
But he couldn't move his arms. He was getting control back, but not fast enough. So Brock moved to his shirt, already burnt through from whatever hit Ash, and raised it.
And there it was, on Ash's surprisingly muscular chest (which, in any other situation, might've made the girls look away, flustered) the scar, right over his chest.
And no, Ash couldn't just say he got it before they met. He had gone to the beach with them that one time back in Vermilion City.
Yellow stared at the scar, just barely off from where his heart should be. Her hands trembled slightly. The glow of her healing faded. She couldn't heal scars. No matter how badly she wanted to.
"That's… that's not recent," she whispered.
Brock's brows furrowed as he gently pressed around the edge of the scar, careful not to hurt him, "This looks like it healed months ago. Maybe even longer."
Misty stepped closer, her eyes wide. Instead of immediately getting mad at Ash for hiding it, or trying to hit him like she might've a few months ago, she just looked at him, "Ash... what happened to you?"
Ash bit the inside of his mouth hard enough to draw blood, forcing his arm up and grabbing Brock's wrist, pushing it away, "That's a long story, and it's not important."
"Not important?!" Misty snapped. "How is that not important?!"
And then, almost on cue, the hidden entrance they'd come from collapsed with an explosion, nearly blowing apart the wooden shack they were in.
"That is…" Ash said, lowering his shirt again and forcing himself to stand. It was still hard. His legs were shaking. But he was regaining control.
"I…" Bianca was still staring at Ash's back. As much as she wanted to demand he sit back down, things were too complicated, "He's right. There are more important things. Like the people who did this, they have the Soul Dew. And I think they have Latios. And I think they're after the Defense Weapon."
Lorenzo nearly fainted. "What?! They have that? This isn't good, this really isn't good! If they get that, then all of Alto Mare is going to be destroyed!"
"But... surely they can't get out, right? And even if there is another exit, we can just ambush them," Misty tried to argue.
Ash stood up, leaning against the wall. His eyes glowed blue as he looked inward, sensing through Aura. He saw all the Auras inside, including Latios, until one of them pulsed with psychic energy. Then, in a flash, they vanished.
"Not good. They teleported. And they took Latios with them," Ash revealed, and suddenly the room felt colder.
"How can you…" Bianca started to ask, but did it really matter right now?
At that moment, a sound drew their attention. Looking toward the edge of the island, they saw an airship emerging from the clouds, heading straight for Alto Mare.
"Looks like they brought backup," Ash said. "My guess? They're heading to the museum, to activate the weapon and take it for themselves…"
"Then… what can we do?" Bianca mumbled. "Ash is hurt, so is Latias… I don't even have a Pokémon, and they have who knows how many…"
"Is this really it…" Lorenzo said hopelessly.
But Ash pushed himself off the wall.
"It's not over yet. Last time I checked, I'm still breathing. So that means I'm not done fighting."
Everyone looked at him, barely standing, as Misty narrowed her eyes, clearly about ready to knock him out if he said he was handling it alone.
"Oh no. You aren't doing this alone. Not again. We made a deal."
"Yeah… you promised, remember," Yellow added.
Ash shook his head with a small smile, "When did I say I was doing this by myself? I can't do this without you. Especially not like this. And if I know anything about you guys… it's that you're more stubborn than me. So how about it? You're the ones that promised to help me, aren't you~?"
"Tch. You're such an idiot," Misty muttered, walking over. She was about to lightly punch him on the shoulder, but stopped, and instead wrapped an arm around him to help him stand, "But fine. We did promise. As long as you promise to ask for help."
"Yeah," Brock added with a confident nod, tightening the straps on his bag. "But after this, you need to tell us what happened to you, and this time, no secrets. Okay?"
Ash nodded. "Okay. I'll tell you. But after we deal with this. First priority, get Latias patched up."
Bianca blinked. "But… how? I mean, you're all barely—"
Ash pointed to Yellow, who was already kneeling beside Latias, "We've got the best healer in the region. If anyone can get us back in shape, it's her."
Yellow might've been scared before, but after everything that had happened, she took a breath, slapped her cheeks lightly, and focused, "I can do this." Her hands began to glow as Latias slowly started to open her eyes.
As Yellow worked, Ash looked at the others, "When Latias can move, I'll take her. You guys, deal with the grunts that come off that ship. I'll handle the boss."
"Are you sure?" Brock asked. "You're also not in the best shape."
"I'll heal. I always do. But we only have one shot, and I'm not throwing away my shot," Ash said, standing up fully now as Pikachu and Vee jumped onto his shoulders and Dragonair wrapped herself protectively around his torso.
Yellow finished her healing as Latias rose, shaking herself off, blinking, and narrowing her eyes. She connected with them psychically, '[I want to do this too. They have my brother]'
Ash nodded, then looked around at everyone, "So, do we have a plan?"
Misty crossed her arms, looking away, "Just be careful. And if you need more of our help, you'd better ask for it. Or I swear I'll hit you…" she mumbled, though with a lot less anger than she used to.
Ash smiled as he climbed onto Latias, "Alright, now let's do this, we're gonna take this shot."
Latias shot into the sky, flying as fast as she could, with Ash clinging to her back. The others watched as they disappeared into the clouds.
Brock turned to the group, "Okay, we have our plan. Misty, Yellow, let's protect this city. Bianca, Mr. Lorenzo, you two stay safe. If you can, get people to safety."
"We'll do what we can. I promise you that," Lorenzo said, standing up.
Bianca nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about us. Go help Ash."
They nodded and jumped onto Misty's Gyarados, flying into the air. As they soared over Alto Mare, they spotted figures in strange armor disembarking from the airship and heading into the city.
"That's probably them. If those outfits don't scream 'evil team,' I don't know what does!" Misty said.
"They're too spread out, we're gonna have to be too," Brock said.
Yellow gulped slightly, then looked to Chuchu, "I... I think I can do it. So, if you trust me I won't let you down!"
Brock and Misty looked at each other and smiled.
"Alright then. We believe in you. Go for it, we'll handle the others."
In the air, Brock released his Poké Ball, summoning his Aerodactyl and jumping on its back. Yellow released Kitty, who grabbed her and took off, Yellow was small enough for Kitty to carry her easily, They split off, heading toward different Cipher squads.
—
{In the Museum}
Gorigan stormed in as the grunts dragged Latios forward and tossed him into the core of the Defense Mechanism. Another grunt handed the Soul Dew to Gorigan.
He grinned wide, his teeth bared like a wild animal, "That's what I'm talkin' about," he rumbled, turning the glowing Soul Dew over in his massive hands like it was just another piece of hardware, "Got the shiny marble. Got the dragon battery. Now let's see what this big ol' statue can really do."
Latios weakly lifted his head from where he was strapped down, bound by thick magnetic restraints. His breathing was shallow, eyes unfocused. He tried to pulse psychic energy, but it only sparked uselessly, suppressed by the heavy machinery shackled around his body.
Gorigan slammed the Soul Dew into the weapon's core. As it clicked into place, the statue groaned with a deep metallic creak. For a moment, everything was still.
Then… it moved.
The Defense Mechanism's head turned. Its eyes lit up with a blinding glow as ancient gears churned beneath the floor. Steam hissed from vents. Its wings unfolded, massive and slow, like clockwork blades preparing for war.
Gorigan was grinning, wondering how Cipher could use this, when—
"[Thunderbolt!]"
A bolt of lightning blasted through the entrance. It wasn't aimed at them, but at the machine. The [Thunderbolt] struck the core, and with a violent pop, the mechanism sparked, sputtered, and completely shut down.
The bolt caused a small explosion causing half of the machine to get blow off making it unusable as a weapon, what was left of it froze, and the gears stopped turning. The magnetic restraints deactivated, dropping Latios to the ground.
Gorigan's eyes bulged as he spun around toward the door.
Ash walked in slowly, patting his chest. Pikachu sat on his shoulder, cheeks still sparking from the attack. Behind him hovered Latias, her eyes full of burning fury.
"You…" Gorigan growled.
"Yeah, it's me, you Donkey Kong–looking bum. And I don't appreciate what you did to me back in the garden."
Latias let out a warbling cry that echoed through the museum. Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder with a sharp "Pika!" and landed in front of him, sparks already flaring. Vee slinked down to the ground and bared his fangs, fur bristling with tension.
Gorigan's fists clenched until his knuckles cracked, "I'll crush you! Do you know what this thing could've done?! With the Soul Dew and Latios in sync, we could've wiped any city off the map! We'd be untouchable!"
"Yeah? Sounds like you're just mad your doomsday toy got fried," Ash shrugged. "Maybe next time don't power your machines with someone's brother."
Latios stirred weakly on the floor, trying to rise, but collapsed again. Latias darted past Ash, dropping to her brother's side and nudging him gently, chirping in distress.
Ash didn't take his eyes off Gorigan, whose arms twitched, seconds from snapping.
"You really want to do this?" Ash asked, his Aura flaring faintly at his fingertips, his eyes glowing blue, "Because you just made this personal."
"You made it personal when you stepped in my way, kid!" Gorigan roared, as he was getting visibly angry
"Yeah, well, too bad. You also made it personal when you shot me in the back. So now…" Ash cracked his knuckles, "I think I'm gonna get my get-back. And as for payment?" He stepped forward, his voice cold, "I think I'll take it in blood."