Yeah I have to be honest. The chapter is late because I scrolled reels and shorts for hours instead of writing. I thought I was going to be busy last week, and I was, but I could’ve easily had it out last week :P

  PARAGON

  Hisui Incursion Arc [28]

  Chapter 80 : Voidestria

  Hisui Region - Temple of Sinnoh

  Dark clouds simmered above, completely obscuring the sun, and red lightning cracked down in thin bolts, the rumble of thunder ever present. The rift above churned and whispered its latent malice through otherworldly hisses and screeches. Beyond its pitch black center lie the starry cosmos its victims had crossed to arrive in Hisui.

  In a violet flash, three figures appeared on Mount Coronet’s summit.

  Ice crunched beneath his feet as Ash ascended the granite steps of the Temple of Sinnoh. Snow fluttered down incessantly, dark beneath the shadows of the rift. The pillars of white obsidian that held the temple aloft were banded in gold, and the statues of numerous pokémon guarding the ascent were too worn to make out, yet somehow still maintained their regal nobility.

  Sabrina and Riley followed silently, their clothes whipping in the mountain winds.

  As Ash crested the stairs’ zenith, his eyes swept across the temple grounds. Unlike in the present day, Spear Pillar was still intact, but the runic markings carved into the ground were just as he remembered them. His eyes narrowed, and he stopped.

  At the far end of the temple sat Volo, his back to them. He wore a dirty white shawl, but the platinum blonde of his hair glinted even in the shadows of the Temple.

  “I knew you’d come,” he said, his voice echoing off the towering pillars. “The hero would never allow evil to fester, would he?” He turned, and a flash of lightning illuminated his malicious grin for a moment. As he stood, the shawl fell off his body, revealing his bare chest and back.

  Ash scowled.

  His chest was still blackened and scorched where the Three Heavenly Bolts had landed, and dried blood clung to his skin like a fungus. But in spite of his filthy appearance, his eyes burned with a malevolent light.

  “Volo,” Ash spat.

  “You were wise to teleport straight here. All the Alpha Pokémon I had prepared for you in the mountain have now gone to waste,” Volo smirked, glancing at Sabrina. “I thought your teleportation abilities were untamed but it seems you’re going to vex me to the very end. I should have made sure I killed you first.”

  “Probably,” Sabrina said coldly. “But you didn’t. And you won’t. You can’t.”

  Volo sneered. “We’ll see about that.”

  “I don’t believe for a second that the Alpha Pokémon are all you prepared for your ambush,” Riley said. “Obviously you have other traps prepared.”

  Volo smirked, then shrugged. “We’ll see. I have been watching you. Surely you realized that. Did you really think you could gallivant all across Hisui without my notice? I saw those beacons of yours too. And you, Ash…” He locked eyes with Ash. “I’ve seen your training with your Plate. I’ve felt it. I’ve already seen the most you're capable of.”

  “I almost beat you the first time we fought,” Ash said. “If you’ve seen what I can do, then you should know I have the power to beat you.”

  Volo grinned, clearly amused by Ash’s claim. “Last time, you fell to a single attack. I incapacitated Sabrina immediately and tied Riley up with a mere Alpha Avalugg. Now, you’re on my battlefield again, and again, I’ve designed it to annihilate you.”

  Volo began to walk forward slowly and Ash kept his gaze on him, ready for the smallest movement. He was not about to let what happened to Sabrina last time happen again.

  “Countless years ago, the Founder, Lord Sinnoh, transformed this land from a continent of violence to a mere wild frontier, and with that single act, his legacy took root. The grandness of his accomplishment was enough for his people to call him Father, and even centuries later, they liken him to the celestial dragons Dialga and Palkia. But, Lord Hisui came after, painting over his legacy with the creation of the settlements, until now, only this temple remains as a bearer of Lord Sinnoh’s name.”

  Ash tried not to let his interest show, but he wasn’t well versed on the history of the Founders or Sinnoh, so it was fascinating to hear Volo’s narration.

  “Perhaps that is just the natural order of things, or perhaps Lord Sinnoh allowed himself to be forgotten. Nevertheless, that this temple was constructed in the first place, and that he affixed his name to it personally, shows that even he knew of its monumental importance.”

  “What does Giratina want with Mount Coronet?” Riley asked, his voice laced in thinly veiled contempt.

  “Ask your friends. They should know.” Volo smiled, savoring Riley’s confusion. “This place is a beacon too. A beacon that draws in legends. That’s why we’re all here, isn’t it?”

  “We’re here to put an end to your treachery,” Ash spat. “You've used Hisui as your playground long enough. You won’t murder any more Platebearers, and you won’t set any more Alpha Pokémon loose either.”

  Volo suddenly threw his hand back and laughed, his chest seizing as he convulsed with mirth. “Oh, Ash! Such a hero you are. You didn’t even mention wanting to return home to the future! That’s also why you’re here, isn’t it? I stand between you and your world.”

  Ash scowled. He’s deranged. The Plate has completely twisted him into a maniac. All he sees now is power.

  On his shoulder, Pikachu growled, his cheeks sparking, eager to silence Volo’s laughter.

  Volo pointed at the temple’s vaulted ceiling, and the rift just beyond it. “I don’t know exactly how, but you three attempted to cross spacetime. But before you could reach your destination, you fell through that. Like a hole in the road, it swallowed you up. Any and all who try to traverse spacetime while it’s open are doomed to the same fate.”

  So Sir Aaron’s Time Flower really was taking us to another time period! But we never reached wherever he wanted to take us. Even if they could close the rift, would they have to find Sir Aaron again if they wanted to go home? Ash clenched his teeth.

  “Your execution has been delayed long enough, Ash,” Volo hissed. “You are only the first of many Platebearers who will fall to my darkness.”

  “It’s you who’s going down today, Volo,” Sabrina snarled.

  “Ah, right.” Volo raised a hand, and suddenly, a miasma of darkness shimmered into view around it, wavering like smoke. “My business is with Ash alone. You two will be dealt with by…well, you’ll see.”

  As the darkness flared around his hand, two pillars of light erupted on either side of him, bathing the temple in a harsh luminescence.

  “I hope you’ve said your goodbyes!” Volo cackled.

  The blinding pillars of light crackled and roared, expanding outward. One was a brilliant cobalt, the other, a shining amethyst. The air in the temple seemed to sag as two forces of nature were forcibly summoned in being.

  Ash’s eyes widened. No…! It can’t be!

  An ethereal roar blasted outward and the entire mountain suddenly shook as two massive weights crashed down on the ancient stone of Spear Pillar.

  Dialga and Palkia, in all their terrible glory, raised their heads, the orbs on their bodies gleaming with power. Their heads scraped against the marble ceiling of the temple, and hatred filled their kaleidoscopic eyes.

  “You were right, Riley,” Volo simpered, standing between the galactic dragons. “Of course I had your deaths prepared long in advance!”

  Ash glared at the twin dragons, adrenaline surging through his body. He’d expected an ambush, but this was beyond his expectations. He’d seen Dialga and Palkia before, when Team Galactic had nearly destroyed the Sinnoh Region with their schemes. These two were different.

  These were Alpha Pokémon.

  “Alpha Dialga…and Alpha Palkia,” Riley breathed, realizing the same thing.

  At the mention of their names, Dialga and Palkia both grunted, shifting on their titanic feet. Their power surged through the temple like blood through a body, and Ash found himself taking heavier breaths.

  “Even with all three of your strengths combined, you still aren’t a match for me,” Volo cackled. “And I am no mere Platebearer. The Twisting Oblivion has granted me power beyond your ken. Even this.” Volo swept his hand in front of his face and opened it, revealing his palm. In its center, a pitch-black vortex whirled slowly, darkness hanging around it like mist.

  Even without an explanation, Ash knew what it was. He could feel its purpose. Although Volo was across the temple, Ash could feel the Electric Plate within him pressing toward Volo, like gravity. “The power to steal Plates.”

  Volo nodded. “I underestimated you once before. I almost lost my life that day. I’m not so arrogant that I’d make the same mistake again. This time, I’ll use everything at my disposal from the start.”

  Dialga gnashed its teeth and growled, while Palkia reared its head back.

  Ash curled his fingers, lightning sparking between his fists and eyes. Beside him, he could feel Sabrina and Riley both awaken their powers.

  Volo raised his hand, then brought it down in a swift chop. “Kill the others!” he snarled.

  With his senses enhanced, Ash saw as Dialga and Palkia blitzed toward them as blue and purple blurs, the falling snow blowing back around them. Just as quickly, Sabrina and Riley darted backwards, blurs of the same hue, both of them zipping out of the temple and into the sky. Dialga and Palkia tore past Ash, who remained motionless where he stood, only raising a hand to his cap to keep it from blowing off.

  Even without turning, he could hear the battle beginning outside. Draconic energy blasted out in colossal shafts, staining the dark skies with their terrible power, the dragons’ deafening roars echoing off the mountainside.

  Volo smirked. “You’re quite composed. Not like last time. Aren’t you worried about your friends? Even with help, they struggled against the Unown from before, and the Avalugg after… Do you actually believe they can defeat the legendary dragons? Alpha forms, no less?”

  Ash’s breath condensed in front of him as he kept his eyes trained on Volo, ignoring the din of battle from outside. “Before we begin, I want to ask you something, Volo.”

  Volo shrugged and motioned to him. “By all means.”

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  “Before, you said I would be the first Platebearer to fall to your darkness.” Ash’s eyes narrowed, the corners of his mouth taut. “Can you tell me how you obtained the Dark Plate?”

  Volo stared at Ash for several moments, before a grin broke across his face. “The Twisting Oblivion offers many blessings. I was chosen to bear this Plate. Greatness is my destiny.”

  Ash felt a wave of nausea ripple through him and he swallowed. “So it’s true, then.”

  He doesn’t know.

  “What’s true?” Volo said.

  A glare deepened across Ash’s face, and the mountain shook with Dialga and Palkia’s thunderous rage.

  “You don’t remember. It wasn’t just the people of Hisui whose memories you erased. You also erased your own.”

  A jilted smirk rested on Volo’s face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “It seems not.” Ash suppressed his disgust. “We spoke with Cogita, your cousin. She told us about the night you burned your hometown and murdered that child for the Dark Plate. Didn’t you see us at the ruins of the Platinum Settlement? Weren’t you watching us?”

  Volo’s eye twitched, and though his grin remained, his confidence wavered behind his eyes. “I know no Cogita.”

  “What happened to you?” Ash said, stepping forward. “It was that artifact, that golden crystal, wasn’t it? It twisted you into a power-hungry psychopath! You realized, right after you killed the bearer of the Dark Plate! That’s why you crushed it.”

  Volo blinked and his eyebrows twitched, surely wondering how Ash knew about things he couldn’t possibly know. “The Griseous Orb…” he mumbled.

  “What did you say?”

  Volo stared at the ground, before shaking his head and glaring at Ash. “You know nothing,” he snapped.

  Ash took a step back, appalled. “So it’s as I suspected… Everyone’s memories… It was all an accident. After you realized what you did, you wished for it all to go away… And since you were now a Platebearer, that wish did not go unanswered… The Dark Plate granted your wish.” Ash clenched his fist. “But it was sloppy. You had no practice. That’s why all of Hisui was affected, except those under Enamorus’ protection. If you’d done it on purpose, you should have easily been able to bypass Enamorus’ veil. Only the source of the trauma…the face and name of the boy…was forgotten by everyone.”

  A column of screeching steel ripped across Mount Coronet’s summit in a screeching blaze, but both Platebearers paid it no mind. A storm of cold mist blew through the temple and a shadow tore across its walls as Palkia’s massive frame sailed by.

  Volo held his hand to his head, his chest rising and falling as he absorbed everything Ash said.

  Ice crunched beneath Ash’s feet as he shifted his weight, slowly allowing his power to leak into and enhance his senses.

  Then, Volo’s hand dropped, his eyes leaking a homicidal crimson light. “Credit where it’s due. You almost unnerved me. But petty tricks won’t save you now that you’re before me!” He threw his hands outward, his eyes suddenly gleaming a blinding golden. Dark energy spat into existence between his arms, gusting about in a tangled mass. “Sanguinesilica!”

  A nova of crimson darkness burst into existence, spiraling toward Ash with a carnivorous fervor.

  Ash’s eyes gleamed, glaring at the approaching tornado, and lightning rippled across his arms. However, instead of crackling outward, after it appeared, the electricity absorbed itself into Ash’s body, turning his skin a stark white. As Volo’s attack beared down on him, he slammed a fist into the roiling cyclone’s surface.

  The energy of the cyclone faltered and hissed where he made contact, sparks blasting out into a blinding shower as the two powers exerted against each other. Before long, white strands of electricity flooded the eye of the storm, shredding it from the inside. As the cyclone collapsed, an infernal howl echoed through the temple’s interior, and dark energy raced past Ash before dissipating into the snowy air.

  As the light within Ash’s body faded, he lowered his fist and exhaled.

  Volo smirked. “Impressive, Ash. You won’t let yourself be defeated the same way twice.”

  The moment he’d been able to, this is what Ash had been working on. He’d begun his training at the Diamond Settlement and continued it throughout their journey to the Pearl Settlement, and ultimately to Raphael’s cabin. By the time they’d arrived at the Platinum Settlement, the technique was finalized.

  “No offense, but the inspiration for this is from AZ,” Ash had said one day at the Diamond Settlement.

  “AZ?” Riley questioned. “What do you mean?”

  “You never got the chance to battle him—“

  “Thank Arceus.”

  Ash smiled grimly. “But I battled him a couple times. And both times, it was clear he was using his Plate to enhance his durability. Platebearers may be immune to lethal attacks, but we can still be hurt. That said, Pikachu used Three Heavenly Bolts on both Volo and AZ, but AZ came out of it with way less damage.”

  Riley stroked his chin. “I see. So it’s possible to bolster your defenses, even against other Platebearers.”

  “I believe so. And I don’t think it was anything exclusive to the Fairy Plate either. I should be able to do it too.” He tugged at his shirt, and the scars beneath. “I need to do it, or things will end the same way they did last time.”

  Riley nodded. “I agree. I was going to suggest the same if you hadn’t brought it up yourself. And as it happens, as Guardians, we have a similar application for Aura, so this is something I can help you with.

  “Great, I thought so!” Ash grinned. He opened his palm and allowed electricity to swirl into being within it. “So, what first?”

  Riley opened his own palm and summoned a similar volume of crackling cerulean Aura. “Well, first…”

  “You won’t be cutting me up any more,” Ash growled. “Not this time.”

  Volo narrowed his eyes and raised a hand to his burned chest. “I’m showing you my scars, the least you could do is show me yours.” He dropped his hand down to his belt. “Well, no matter. You’re not the only one who’s been honing his control over your Plate.”

  Ash kept his expression taut. He was training with his Plate too? I couldn’t feel it at all…and not for lack of trying. Not only can he suppress his presence as a Platebearer, but he can suppress his use of it too? Ash had extended his senses into the reaches of Mount Coronet, knowing that’s where Volo was waiting for them, but he hadn’t sensed anything…

  “You look surprised,” Volo grinned. “That, of course, was also by my design. Unlike you, I was not blind to your training at all. The beacon aside, I’ve watched everything you’ve done from this peak. From the Crimson Mirelands to the Alabaster Icelands, until you finally made it here, to the Coronet Highlands. And I’m sorry to say, but nothing you’ve developed will be able to beat me. That may have been my first battle against another Platebearer, but clearly, I’m far more experienced as a Platebearer than you.” He raised a hand to his mouth and laughed. “Though that doesn’t mean I learned nothing from you.”

  Volo unhooked a pokéball from his belt and unleashed its contents. Garchomp smashed down onto the temple floor and hissed.

  “Feed, my thrall!” Volo said gleefully. He waved his hand and dark energy poured off in a foul wave, slithering through the air before forcing itself into Garchomp’s back.

  Immediately, the dragon lurched and its eyes went bloodshot. Spittle flew from its maw as it screeched in pain. Bloody lacerations began to open across Garchomp’s skin as it started to grow. Its legs spasmed and wavered beneath its body’s newfound bulk, and Garchomp roared, its eyes rolling back into its head as the skin across its entire form began to darken. Finally, Garchomp heaved out a guttural croak and the transformation reached completion.

  Ash wrinkled his nose, glaring at Garchomp. “What did you do?”

  Garchomp had already looked feral before, but now, it looked downright demonic. Foamy saliva gushed from its serrated maw and its now-crimson eyes had sunken back into its bulbous head. A repulsive darkness clung to it like fog, and its screech was a bloodcurdling sound, devoid of any sense of reason. As it stalked across the temple, every now and then it would punch its own head or bite its own wing, before refocusing back on Ash.

  “I took a page from your book and blessed my pokémon with some of my power, though to far greater effect than your technique. Don’t think you’ll be taking this Garchomp down as easily as before.”

  That Garchomp is saturated with dark energy…far more than it can handle. It must be in terrible pain right now.

  “Pikachu,” Ash said flatly. “Get ready for battle.”

  Pikachu yipped and leaped from Ash’s shoulder, landing on the temple floor, his cheeks crackling with electricity.

  “I’m sure Garchomp wants his revenge too,” Volo smirked, licking his lips. Then, his expression suddenly shifted into a furious snarl. “Dragon Rush!”

  Garchomp turned from where it’d been bashing its head against a pillar and fixed Ash with a murderous glare, its snout twitching with rage. Draconic energy bled into existence around it and it stumbled forward before launching through the air with a thunderous leap.

  “Iron Tail,” Ash growled. “Then Thunderbolt, full power. Aim for its head.” He wanted to end this battle as soon as possible and put Garchomp out of its misery.

  Pikachu jumped and whipped his tail around, where it tripled in size and took on a dark metallic sheen. Just before Garchomp crashed into him, Pikachu slammed his tail into the dragon, knocking him off course. Garchomp careened past and smashed into a pillar, and it didn’t even have time to turn before a shaft of lightning the same size as its bloated body eclipsed it.

  Garchomp’s screams could be heard from behind the column of electricity, but Ash closed his eyes. This is for your sake.

  “Fire Fang!” Volo screamed.

  Ash’s eyes widened as Garchomp blitzed off the ground, its body, especially its skull, covered in black electrical burns. Pure hatred burned in its eyes and blue fire roiled within its gaping maw. Pikachu squeaked in surprise as Garchomp clamped down on him and he wailed in agony.

  “Volt Tackle, Pikachu! Get out of there!” Ash yelled.

  Electricity wreathed up around Pikachu’s body, but Garchomp only tightened its hold, and Pikachu grimaced. The electricity blazed even brighter around him, until finally, Pikachu bulleted out from between its jaws, throwing himself into a snowbank to extinguish the flames.

  Garchomp stomped toward him, blood and saliva pouring off its body in a ravenous craze.

  “Thunder, Pikachu! Finish it now!”

  As Pikachu jumped, Garchomp’s fin shot out at lightning speed, catching Pikachu in the throat. Pikachu coughed as Garchomp swiveled on its foot and threw him away, but Pikachu twisted in the air, landing on the side of one of the temple’s pillars.

  Ash felt his hair stand on end as electrons suddenly flooded the temple. A moment later, Pikachu jumped off the pillar and summoned a massive lightning strike that crashed down on Garchomp like a skyscraper. Ash shielded his eyes but kept his senses enhanced. Thunder boomed and electricity lashed the temple floor, and before long, Ash heard Garchomp stumble on its feet. Sensing the same, Pikachu halted his assault and dropped back to the ground.

  Garchomp released a pained croak before dropping to its knees. The temple shook as Garchomp slumped to the side, a pitiful groan escaping its throat. Immediately, the darkness Volo had infected it with began to rise from its body and dissipate into nothingness.

  “Well, that’s disappointing,” Volo said. “But not terribly surprising, I suppose.” He pulled out his pokéball and casually recalled Garchomp. “I should have known that Pikachu wouldn’t be taken down so easily. Not after what happened last time.”

  So he said, but Pikachu panted where he stood, one of his eyes clamped shut as he winced in pain.

  “Pokémon are marvelous creatures, whatever you think of them,” Volo mused. “I saw it with my own eyes and still I find it hard to believe that a creature that small fell a dragon like Garchomp. His skin wasn’t even punctured.” Volo chuckled as he clipped Garchomp’s pokéball back to his belt. “With how sturdy pokémon’s bodies are, one must wonder if they were intentionally designed for battle.”

  “Pikachu is strong because we’ve been training together for nearly ten years,” Ash spat. “Someone who’d hurt their own pokémon in exchange for strength could never understand the difference between us. We’ll show you the difference in our power and skill.”

  Volo smirked and unhooked two more pokéballs from his belt. “You’re from the future. I sure hope your skill exceeds mine. However, that won’t make up the difference in power between us.” He caressed the hemispheres of each pokéball, a bloodlusted glint in his eyes. “Your Pikachu is impressive for a certainty. But he has nothing on these two.”

  As he tossed each pokéball skyward, they both snapped open and emptied their contents onto the ground below. Ash frowned upon seeing their forms coalesce into being. He did not recognize these pokémon.

  One was a garish red, the other, dark gray, though both appeared to be of the same species. They both stood bipedal on webbed feet with mottled skin, a crown of white feathers adornings their heads. They appeared reptilian, or draconic, and each had a conspicuous round protrusion on their chests.

  “This is the most expensive purchase I’ve ever made, but they have never failed me,” Volo grinned. “They hail from overseas, from a pit of unceasing carnage. These are the twin kings, Koraidon!”

  Unlike Garchomp, these two exuded an air of intelligence as they glanced soberly between Ash and Pikachu. Their gaze lingered on Ash, and he was certain they could sense his Plate. It almost felt like they were looking through him, directly at it.

  “Can you keep going?” Ash asked.

  Pikachu grunted, a glare of determination deepening on his brows as he stared down the two hulking foes.

  “Ash, I told you I’d be using everything I had from the start,” Volo said, raising his hand. A harsh crimson light the color of blood suddenly flashed into being in his palm. “Surely you didn’t think that Garchomp was the best I could offer.”

  “We’ll defeat your Koraidon too,” Ash said, already mentally analyzing them for potential weaknesses. “And any others that come after.”

  “Oh, I wasn’t talking about them.” The darkness in Volo’s hand flared. “I remember.”

  Ash creased his brows. “Remember what?”

  Volo laughed, the dragon energy of Dialga and Palkia screaming around them. “You shouldn’t have reminded me of what I lost, Ash. I am still the same Platebearer who purged Hisui of its memories once. Why don’t I do it again? This time on purpose, as you said. And this time, I’ll wipe you and your friends’ memories too! You won’t even remember you don’t belong in this time!” He raised his hands and scarlet lightning crackled from his fingers, a film of darkness pulsing outward in a cloying wave.

  “Voidestria!”

  Next — Chapter 81 : Light Against The Darkness