Chapter 14
"Alright!" said Ash, "Let's go train!"
"Already?" asked Pikachu.
Ash nodded. He didn't know exactly how mega-evolution would work, but he did know that most of the time, he and his Pokémon learned new things by training. "We need a stronger bond, right?"
"How about we switch it up?" said Latios, "You've helped us so much, I think it's our turn to help you."
"Huh?"
"Latias and I have been thinking we could teach you how to control Luster Purge and Mist Ball since those are our signature moves," said Latios, "That way you can help fight Team Void if we're not enough."
"Really? That would be awesome!" Ash had always wondered what it was like to be the one getting the training. Plus, he had to admit he didn't have the best control over his moves. They were strong enough to take down Regigigas, but if Ash hadn't been so close, he would have probably missed.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" asked Pikachu once they had gotten to a fairly empty area of the forest.
Ash tossed one of his Pokeballs. "Go, Skye!"
The Eevee stretched and blinked at Ash. "Huh? I thought we were going to battle."
"We had a change of plans," Ash explained about Arceus and Team Void.
"So now it's time to take down the evil dudes?"
Ash grinned. "Yep! I need you to train with Pikachu while Latios and Latias help me. Pikachu, practice your aim on Skye's Joleton form, and Skye, practice changing into your different forms faster."
Both Pokémon nodded and ran off to train.
"Let's with Luster Purge," said Latios, "It requires a lot of control over your psychic energy. Once you learn it, Mist Ball will be much easier to learn."
"I'll just watch," Latias settled in a nearby tree, smiling at them.
"So how exactly do I use Luster Purge?" asked Ash mareepishly after changing into his Latius form. The last time he had used it, it had been on instinct to help his friends. He didn't know exactly how he had done it.
"First, concentrate your energy into a ball like this," Latios held out his claws, and a light pink and white ball formed between them.
Ash closed his eyes and tried to hook on to his energy. It was there, inside of him. He just had to let it out. When he opened his eyes, a growing ball of energy similar to Latios' had formed in his claw.
"Nice job!" said Latios, "I think that's big enough."
The psychic energy had grown to the size of a melon, the same as when he had used the move before. The only problem? It wouldn't stop. "Uh, Latios, what's happening?"
"Just stop giving energy to it." Latios dissipated his attack.
"Right," Ash stopped concentrating on it. Which made it grow faster. Before he could react, there was a loud bang as it exploded in his face.
"Ash! Are you okay?"
Ash groaned as the world spun around him. "I think so…"
Latias flew over to them. "Maybe we shouldn't start with our most powerful moves."
"You're right," Latios nodded. "Do you want to keep going, Ash?"
Ash immediately flew off the ground, shaking the dirt out of his feathers. "You bet!"
~~~
Pikachu's favorite way to train was with Ash, but he didn't mind a little sparring. After he had practiced hitting Skye while she ran as fast as she could, Skye practiced changing into her Jolteon form before Pikachu could hit her with a Thunderbolt. With that done, they had some time for Pikachu's second favorite way to train: playing.
"Gotcha!"
Pikachu was knocked to the side as Skye tackled him with a Quick Attack before darting away.
"You think you're fast?" Pikachu used his own Quick Attack to chase after her. His experience meant he could run faster than Skye, but just before he reached her…
"Psychic!" Skye switched to her Espeon form.
Pikachu felt his body freeze in mid-air. "Oh, come on! Thunderbolt!" The blast of electricity made Skye leap to the side, losing her hold on Pikachu. Within milliseconds, he reached Skye, "Tag!" and ran the other way.
"Get back here!" Skye giggled. "Quick Attack!"
"I guess you're just too slow!" Pikachu taunted as he darted through the grass. But he didn't get far before a voice made him screech to a halt.
"Tag! I got-"
"Shh," Pikachu perked his ears. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Skye whispered.
The voice of a man came from behind a nearby tree. "What was that?"
"Probably just some wild Pokémon." Another voice responded. "You're being too jumpy."
"I'm being careful."
"Whatever,"
Pikachu peeked behind the tree to see two men in Team Void uniforms.
Skye poked her head beside his. "Are those the evil dudes?" She whispered.
Pikachu nodded. "Don't let them see you."
Skye frowned. "Shouldn't we tell Ash?"
"We will," said Pikachu, "But I want to hear what they're talking about first."
Unfortunately, the men had already finished their conversation and had sent out a Pidgeot and a Fearow, using them to fly away.
"Let's go back," said Pikachu once the men were out of sight. He needed to tell Ash as quickly as possible.
~~~
Ash wasn't sure what was harder: training one of his Pokémon or being the one trained. A couple hours of training and he had only mastered Psychic.
"Don't be disappointed," said Latios, "Remember how long it took us to learn Psychic?"
"Yeah…" Ash remembered the long days when he had trained Latios and Latias. They both knew how to use the attack, but life in Altomare had rarely called them to use their abilities, so they didn't have much practice. "But it still feels like forever."
"Ash! Ash!" Pikachu and Skye nearly knocked Ash out of the air as they crashed into him.
Ash spun around. "What happened?"
After Pikachu caught his breath, he told Ash of how they had seen Team Void in the woods.
"Does that mean their base is around here?" asked Latias.
"It's worth a look," said Latios, "but it's getting late. We should probably rest before we try anything."
Ash glanced at the sky. The sun was only a faint glow on the horizon, and the rumble of his stomach could only mean one thing. "Anyone up for some dinner?"
~~~
"Man, I'm stuffed," Ash groaned as he held his stomach.
Pikachu rolled his eyes. "That's because you ate as much food as all of us combined!"
Ash shrugged. "I couldn't just let that all-you-can-eat buffet go to waste." Whenever he went to a buffet, he made sure to get his full money's worth. "Too bad they kicked us out."
"How many restaurants have you been kicked out of?" asked Skye.
"Let's see," Ash thought back to his travels. "One, two, three… um, about ten maybe?"
Latias giggled. "One day, there might not be any buffet places left."
Ash froze in horror. He hadn't thought of that. "What should I do? Do you think they'll let me go back if I promise not to eat as much?"
"I'm kidding," said Latias, nudging Ash with her head.
"Oh, right," Ash sighed in relief as his Pokémon laughed.
"I can't wait to go crush those evil dudes!" said Skye, "Let's go to sleep now so we can leave sooner!"
"They're called Team Void, Skye," said Pikachu.
"Yeah, I know," Skye huffed. "Hut 'evil dudes' is more fun to say, don't you think?"
Pikachu sighed. "Never mind,"
Ash smiled at his Pokémon's antics. "Great job today, everyone; you all earned a nice long rest. Tomorrow we'll continue looking for Team Void and try to get those Mega Stones working."
Pikachu nodded sleepily and curled up next to him. Latios and Latias fell asleep on their bed, and the rest of Ash's Pokémon rested comfortably in their Pokeballs.
~~~
Once Ash and Pikachu were soundly asleep, Latias nudged Latios, hoping he was still awake. "Brother?"
Latios binked. "Yes, Latias?"
Latias fidgeted with her claws. "Can I ask you something?"
Latios chuckled. "Is this about Ash?"
That was a little too good a guess. "How did you know?"
"I have my ways," Latios smirked. "Come on, let's go outside so we don't wake anyone up."
Latias followed her brother to the small porch that connected to their room. Lights dotted the city below, and the soft breeze felt soothing on her feathers.
"So about Ash…"
Latias sighed. "Is it that obvious?"
"I'm pretty sure everyone except Ash knows," said Latios, "Well, maybe not Skye; she's still pretty young."
"It's just, Ash is amazing," Latias admitted. "He's always nice to us, he saved your life, he's trained us so much, and… I know I like him. I might be in love with him. But I wanted to ask you first." Latias tried to put her feelings into words. It wasn't easy, but if anyone could understand her, it would be her brother.
"Ask me what?" Latios tilted his head. "You don't need my permission. You're free to do whatever you want."
Latios shook her head. "It's not that. I'm not sure what I want to do. If I tell him now, I don't know if he'll understand, but if I wait…"
"I doubt Ash is going to fall in love with anyone else anytime soon," said Latios, "and remember, he's only eleven years old. You still have plenty of time with him; there's no need to rush things. Besides, you should figure out how you feel first. Make sure you're truly in love with him before asking him if he feels the same way."
"Thanks, brother," Telling someone how she felt was a huge burden off her mind. Latios was right. She could wait.
"You're welcome, sis," Latios smiled. "And just so you know, I think you and Ash would be perfect together."
Latias perked up. "Really? You think so?" She had said it to herself so many times, but hearing someone else say it felt much better.
Latios nodded.
"Thank you so much!" Latias threw her arms around her brother.
"Anytime, sis," Latios hugged her back. "Now, let's get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."
~~~
"Everyone ready?" asked Ash.
Pikachu hopped on his shoulder. "You bet!"
"Are you sure you want to do this by yourself?" asked Brock.
"I'm sure," Ash nodded. "Besides, I won't be alone. I have my Pokémon!"
"You know we can't stop Ash," said Misty.
Brock chuckled. "I know. Just try not to die again, Ash."
"I'll do my best," said Ash, "No promises though!" He grabbed his belt with Skye's Pokeball on it. He decided to leave Charizard behind in case Brock or Misty needed to get a hold of him quickly.
"Well, good luck," said Misty.
"Thanks!" Ash waved as he left the Pokémon Center. Even with two legendary Pokémon, he needed all the luck he could get. He knew from experience that those grunts he had fought at the stadium weren't the best Team Void had.
He was about to find out how right he was.
A Few Hours Later…
"Hold on, Ash." Latios stopped mid-flight. "Someone's coming,"
"Who is it?" asked Ash. If Latios was using telepathy, whoever he sensed had to be close.
"No one good," replied Latios, "Latias and I are going to turn invisible for now."
"Nice try," came a voice, "You really think you could fool us for long, kid? No ordinary trainer could take on shadow Pokémon."
"What do you want, Team Void?" asked Ash as Pikachu and Skye darted in front of him.
"Allow me to introduce myself," A tall man with black hair stepped out of the woods, leading a bunch of men behind him. Each of them wore the purple 'V' on their black shirts. "I am Crypto, one of Team Voids' commanders. After you stopped our attack a few days ago at the Silver Conference, our boss took an interest in you. He wants to make you an offer."
Ash had no intention of accepting whatever Team Void could offer. "What is it?" He asked only out of curiosity.
"It's quite simple, really," replied Crypto, "You want peace. We want a trainer with strong Pokémon. If you work for us, we'll have no need to touch another trainer."
"Why should I trust you?" The offer sounded reasonable, but Ash knew there was a catch.
"Why shouldn't you?" asked Crypto smoothly, "But just so you know, our boss has offered you the position of second in command. You'll find no problem stopping the attacks."
The offer alone was suspicious. Ash knew for a fact that this boss wouldn't make him second in command just because he had a few legendary Pokémon. "Who is this boss of yours?"
"That is confidential information, but when you join us, I'm sure you will find answers."
Ash shook his head. He had different reasons for not accepting their offer, no matter what Crypto said. Those Pokémon he had fought earlier were not normal. "I won't join an organization that harms Pokémon!"
"That's simply the shadow revision," said Crypto, "it significantly increases a Pokémon's attack stat. It just comes with a few side effects. A small price to pay."
"It's not a small price!" said Ash, "Those Pokemon had no emotion, no will, no-"
"Weakness,"
"What?"
"Those Pokémon have no weaknesses," replied Crypto, "when they have such great power, there is no need for emotion or feelings."
Ash's body tensed. Any moment now… "Pokémon are our friends! You might think you're making them stronger, but you're not!"
"What a pity that you fail to understand," said Crypto, "I guess we'll just have to destroy you. Squadron A! Attack!"
A second later, Ash was surrounded by at least fifty shadow Pokémon, courtesy of Crypto's men. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Skye, psychic, block those attacks!" Ash ordered, "Latios, Latias, I trust you two to attack at will!"
"Invisibility won't work here," said Crypto, "Hoot-hoot, use foresight!" The shadow Hoot-hoot shot a beam of red light out of its eyes, instantly revealing Latios and Latias. "You see," explained Crypto, "unlike most petty criminals, we use any Pokemon we come across; that way, we have unlimited options when it comes to attacking."
Ash cringed. This was going to be a tough battle. "Pikachu, Electroweb Shield! Skye, use Helping Hand!"
"Poliwrath, use Strength!" shouted Crypto.
But even a Shadow Pokémon was no match for Pikachu's boosted Electroweb. Poliwrath roared in pain as the electricity shocked it.
"Pikachu, keep using Electroweb!" Ash knew he had to defend himself before they were overwhelmed by attacks from all sides. Latios and Latias could only do so much, and protecting himself would free them up to focus on taking out as many of Team Void's Pokémon as possible. "Skye, keep using Helping Hand!"
Soon, a barrier of electricity blocked all the attacks Team Void threw at them. All Ash had to do was have Pikachu keep replacing the broken Electrowebs. After a few minutes, less than ten of Team Void's Pokémon remained.
Crypto growled at him. "You're lucky we underestimated you. Don't think we'll do the same next time." He pulled out a Pokeball. "Alakazam, take us away."
Before Ash could blink, the battered and burnt forest around them was the only evidence that Team Void had been there. He took a deep breath and sat down. "Great job, guys. Is everyone ok?"
"We're fine," said Latios, "Latias and I only took a few attacks."
"Yeah," said Pikachu, "They had nothing on my Electrowebs!"
"We defeated the evil dudes!" Skye cheered.
"I'm fine," said Latias, "their Pokémon didn't do too much damage."
"Good," said Ash, "But I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll see of them. And now they know about you guys."
"Just because they know about us doesn't mean they can defeat us, right?" asked Latias.
"Yes," said Latios, "but we lose the surprise of Ash having us, and they might come back with more dark types.
Just then, Ash's stomach grumbled. "What? Battling makes me hungry,"
Pikachu laughed. "Of course it does,"
~~~
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