PARAGON

  Hisui Incursion Arc [32]

  Chapter 84 : Bearer Ash vs Wielder Volo

  Hisui Region - Temple of Sinnoh

  Red lightning flashed overhead, sending a flurry of snow billowing across the temple grounds. Shortly after, the low groan of thunder echoed off the ancient granite.

  Ash kept his gaze forward. The calculus was simple now. Sabrina and Riley were both gone, and Pikachu was incapacitated. Ash would need to defeat Volo’s remaining three pokémon, Volo himself, and Giratina all by himself.

  He suppressed a shudder, a cloud of steam wafting out from between his lips.

  Up till now, he had yet to use his powers, save for a single Three Heavenly Bolts against Volo’s Koraidons, and because of his consistent training, it hadn’t strained him nearly as badly as it once did. He was essentially still at full strength, compared to Volo, who’d been using his powers this entire time, to little effect yet.

  And still…

  His pokémon…depending on what they were, sure.

  Volo himself…maybe.

  But Giratina too?

  Ash gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to show his fear.

  I can’t do it alone. I need help.

  Despite their preparations, despite their expectations, Volo had proved to be a far more formidable foe than they’d given him credit for. Ash couldn’t tell if it’d been intentional, but unleashing the Alpha Pokémon on them may have instilled a certain bias in them; as dangerous as they were, they’d only scratched the surface of what Volo was truly capable of.

  As planned, they’d kept themselves flexible, and Ash still had full faith that both Sabrina and Riley would dispatch their legendary opponents. But the appearance of those two powerhouses had thrown Ash’s tempo off track. If I defeat Volo now, they won’t be here for Giratina!

  Luckily for Ash, Volo seemed to be in a similar predicament. He still stood speechless at the other side of the temple, the snow blowing across his marred body. He blinked, then glared at Ash.

  “Is the future so far ahead of us?” Volo asked, his voice hollow.

  Ash narrowed his eyes.

  “My two strongest pokémon…defeated by a rodent.”

  “A pokémon’s strength is only as great as its trainer’s skill,” Ash spat.

  “Yes…” Volo murmured, nodding to himself. “I suppose it only makes sense… Over two thousand years to develop battle technique… Even your composure… You were unflappable in the face of raw power…”

  Seeing a crack, Ash seized on the opportunity, taking a step forward. “We don’t have to keep fighting, Volo. All we want is to return home. If this goes on, you’ll keep getting closer to losing everything.”

  Volo threw his head back and laughed. Dirt and grime dripped down his chest on melted snow. “I’ve already lost everything, you know that, Ash. I killed a child and purged my memory of it. Even when I recall it now, my heart is utterly numb to emotion. By my own hand, I have no home, nor family to return to. All I have is limitless power, and a duty to pursue even more.”

  “Why?” Ash demanded, genuinely at a loss. “What would you do with my Plate if you got it? Even if you got them all?”

  A low chuckle escaped Volo’s mouth. “What I’ve always wanted. To save the world.”

  Ash frowned, and Volo glanced at him, then sneered at his reaction.

  “Obviously you don’t believe me. But then again, you don’t understand the world. Not as it is now, anyway. You see, Hisui was spared from annihilation when the Paragons descended on us some five hundred years ago. For some reason, this wildland did not suffer a scratch when they arrived. All the other regions were torn apart as if besieged by hell itself.” Volo chuckled sarcastically. “Except Rota, of course. Because of the Hero, humanity was spared from total extinction.”

  So Volo knows the truth about the Great War, that it wasn’t AZ who’d brought annihilation down, but the Paragons. Makes sense, since he’s a Platebearer. But then why would he serve one of them?

  “Why wasn’t Hisui…?”

  Ash trailed off. No, I know why. It’s as Riley said.

  Mount Coronet—no, Spear Pillar was the lynchpin of reality. No matter how fierce their war got, Giratina and Necrozma would be sure to avoid it at all costs, lest they inadvertently destroy all of existence, and themselves with it.

  “Blessed to be born with mercantile talents in the sole sanctuary of this world, I started the Volo Company to do my small part in repairing this ruined world,” Volo continued. “Those of Hisui live blissfully unaware of the horrid state of the rest of the world. If only feral pokémon were all they had to deal with.”

  “So you pursued the Plates to try and save the world? How does murdering innocent people play into that plan?” Ash growled.

  Volo shook his head. “A minuscule price to pay. You’re a humble man, Ash. I know you’d trade your life in an instant for the world’s salvation. And if you would, why shouldn’t others?”

  “How much power do you need before you start helping people?” Ash barked. “Right now, it seems like all you’ve done is put Hisui in danger!”

  Volo’s eyes glistened with a dark luster, gluttony pouring from his psychopathic visage. “In this world of pokémon, only those capable of conquering such incomprehensible creatures can truly change anything. To that end, one must become an undisputed master of pokémon.” Volo’s lips curled into a putrid grin. “Indeed, a Pokémon Master, perhaps.”

  Ash’s face wrinkled in disgust. “What did you just say?”

  Volo shrugged, savoring Ash’s reaction. “To bend any such pokémon to one’s will, even the so-called legendaries…even the so-called Paragons. That is the true mark of a Pokémon Master.”

  Ash shook his head. He’s delusional. There was no point in continuing to argue. “You’re lost, Volo, whether it’s because of the Plate or otherwise. But I won’t let you continue to spread your darkness. And I’ll never forgive someone who hurt my friends.”

  Volo clenched his fist and seized his remaining three pokéballs from his belt. “Why don’t you stop me, then? How much longer can your prowess, cultivated in an era of peace, save you from me?”

  He threw all three pokéballs on the floor where they spun wildly, and a moment later, all three snapped open.

  Ash recognized only one of them immediately. The first looked like a Typhlosion, yet the fire on its neck was purple. The second looked like a Zoroark, but its fur was white, tipped in red, and billowed over its lanky body like smoke. And the third…

  “Samurott?” Ash said.

  Like his own Samurott, this one’s shells were a moldy black, and its proud spines now looked more like thorns. Ash hadn’t thought of it, but after seeing so many new Hisuian forms throughout their adventure, it seemed that his own Samurott was also a Hisuian variant. Though I have no idea why he would be… I’ll have to ask Professor Laventon about it later.

  “You have minutes to live,” Volo sneered, opening his hand. Darkness bled from his palm, snaking through the air and disappearing into the backs of all three of his pokémon.

  As they received the terrible power, their eyes shot open and they convulsed in place, their bodies stretching and tearing apart from the inside as their muscles swelled. Their skin darkened and broke apart as they grew, hunching over as the weight of their new bulk became too much to bear.

  Typhlosion snorted, purple embers wafting from its bleeding nostrils. Saliva poured from the Zoroark’s mouth, its jaws locked open as it stared down Ash with maddened eyes. Samurott’s face wasn’t even visible anymore; its body now looked like little more than a rotten conch infected by a thorny parasite.

  Volo grinned at his handiwork, then glared at Ash. “Kill him!” he hissed.

  Despite the fact that the Electric Plate was supposed to protect him from lethal damage, Ash knew he was in danger. Volo had done the same thing as him; by infusing his pokémon with the power of the Plate, he had turned them into weapons fit to slay a Platebearer.

  Knowing this, he sent a surge of power into his legs and bulleted into the sky. Though he would have liked to end Volo’s pokémon’s suffering as soon as possible, staying alive took precedence now, even above defeating Volo.

  I need time!

  He could. He could defeat Volo right now. Volo and his pokémon. But he couldn’t yet. Ash needed to be greedy. It wasn’t good enough for just Volo to go down.

  C’mon, where are you guys? Ash cursed mentally, scanning the pokémon below him.

  Typhlosion roared and released a stream of violet fire. As it brushed against the pillar nearest to Ash, its granite surface charred. Simultaneously, a shaft of pure darkness ripped from Samurott’s hidden maw, and the thorns across its body shined crimson.

  Ash’s skin turned white as he suffused himself with the Plates energy, just as the attacks intercepted him in midair. From within the assault, he could feel fire and darkness alike burning away at his defenses. Gritting his teeth, he roared, and lightning blistered outward, rupturing the attacks. The offending pokémon ceased their attacks, seemingly taken aback at his power even through their insanity. Ash landed back on the ground in a crouch, stray electricity sparking across his body.

  But his eyes flared white and he whipped around just as Zoroark bubbled up from behind him from a pool of white shadows and lunged at him, fangs bared. Ash ducked as Zoroark slashed and his leg shot out into Zoroark’s shin. But despite the wolf pokémon’s skinny legs, it didn’t budge. With a sneer, it tried to kick Ash, but he rolled out of the way just in time.

  “Arrrgh!” Volo hissed from across the temple, drawing everyone’s attention.

  Two twisted obsidian horns pushed themselves from Volo’s forehead and serpentine scales rippled across his bare skin in uneven patches. Volo seized and screamed in pain, a pair of leathery wings opening on his back, their tips dripping blood. His teeth elongated as he screamed and his nails lengthened, turning black. Once the transformation was complete, he hunkered down, panting. Then, he turned his now red eyes on Ash, his forked tongue licking his bloodied lips.

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  “I told you,” Volo croaked, his voice cragged, like nails on rock. “I’m not going easy on you this time! Sang…guine…silica!”

  A cyclone of crimson darkness spiraled into existence and whipped toward Ash. Simultaneously, Zoroark and Samurott both lunged toward him, and the mane of fire around Typhlosion flared.

  Instinctively, Ash summoned four lightning bolts down from the heavens, before twisting out of the way of the Sanguinesilica, not waiting to see if his attacks landed. Snowy gravel clung to his face as he rolled and the flash of his own lightning seared the left side of his vision.

  As the Sanguinesilica ripped past, narrowly missing him, Ash felt a dark presence looming over him and he jerked around just in time to catch Volo’s wrist as it descended toward him.

  Volo’s inhuman fangs shined as he grinned, his demonic wings open behind him. A pitch-black vortex whorled in his outstretched palm and Ash trembled as he held it back from touching him. He could feel the Electric Plate straining against his body toward Volo, and adrenaline shot through him. Volo released a low snicker, a foul stench emanating from his new form. Ash glared at him, and Volo met him with a scarlet gaze.

  Suddenly, Ash was airborne as Volo rocketed into the blizzard-plagued sky. Snow and cinders danced through the air as Ash hung from Volo.

  Seizing a chance, Ash summoned a Thunder from above, but Volo flew out of the way, the blinding flash and bellow of thunder leaving behind the stink of ozone.

  “Give up!” Volo hissed, swinging his taloned foot and sinking his claws into Ash’s thigh.

  Ash grunted in pain, but tightened his grip on Volo’s wrist. He could feel blood dripping down his leg.

  Volo sneered, and lunged forward, clamping down on Ash’s shoulder with his fanged jaws. Ash’s eyes widened and he cried out in agony. The two men spun through the air; the ferocious beat of Volo’s wings were the only thing keeping them aloft.

  As Volo’s grip on him tightened, Ash saw black spots dance in his vision, the pain pervading his senses. Even though Volo’s vortex wasn’t touching him, its proximity alone was screwing with Ash’s control over the Plate. He could not maintain enough focus to fight back.

  There’s one thing besides losing the Plate that I need to be even more wary of!

  Volo unhooked his jaws from Ash’s shoulder and licked his blood-stained lips. Flexing the fingers of his other hand, he smirked. “Voidestria!”

  That!

  Letting go of Volo’s wrist, Ash wrenched himself free of Volo’s talons and felt a chunk of his leg tear off in the process. Growling in pain, the wind lashed his face as he fell back down to the temple and he infused himself with electricity, bolstering his body’s defenses. If the drop were lethal, he wouldn’t need to bother, but he couldn’t be certain from this height, and if it wasn’t, all he’d end up doing is breaking every bone in his body.

  As expected, Volo’s pokémon were waiting for him, all of them priming attacks in their bestial maws. Considering Ash only knew one of them intimately, and that was the one that just so happened to be weak to electricity, Ash zeroed in on Samurott. He groaned in pain as he impacted the ground, immediately collapsing to a knee, but before the pokémon could attack him, Ash unleashed his built up electricity outward in a spastic nova, making sure the brunt of it hit Samurott.

  Zoroark and Typhlosion were both thrown off their feet, but Samurott rocketed backward into a pillar. Its head cracked against the stone audibly and it slumped to the ground, static dancing on its body. A dark fog wafted up from its defeated form, and it shrunk back down to size.

  Howling, Zoroark leaped onto Ash’s back, and Ash staggered, blood dumping from his leg and shoulder. The wolf’s breath was hot and stank of death, and because of Volo’s dark ministrations, it threatened to topple Ash beneath its weight.

  With Ash immobilized, Typhlosion reared back and unleashed a torrent of black fire.

  Ash’s eyes widened, and he called down a lightning bolt between them. The bolt impaled the ground, forcing the stone of the temple floor up into a rudimentary barrier. The fire crashed around it, but because of its sheer width, Ash could feel his body start to burn and he hissed in pain.

  Typhlosion ceased its attack as Volo crashed down up the barrier, folding his wings back up and fixing Ash with a murderous grin.

  Ash’s eyes darted across the temple, searching for a way out, and in a moment, he had it. The stone of the temple was an exceptionally poor conductor of electricity, but because of their earlier clash, the temple was now open to the sky, and to the elements. The whole temple, pillars and floor alike, were damp with melted snow.

  As Volo launched toward him, Ash’s eyes burned white. “Thunderbolt!” he snarled.

  Shining bolts of lightning shot down from the heavens onto the broken tips of each granite pillar, and in a flash, electricity spread across the temple like fire on gasoline. Carnivorous bolts seized up from the dampened ground and Ash felt Zoroark’s grip loosen on him as it screamed in his ear. Volo convulsed in front of him, and Ash let himself sink to the ground, Volo flying past as he writhed.

  Ash panted as he clambered to his feet and limped away as fast as he could. He ignored Typhlosion’s fallen body, trying to put as much distance between himself and Volo as possible. C’mon… Where are you guys?

  Hearing Volo grunt behind him, Ash turned. Volo stomped toward him, his hair disheveled around his twisted horns and he glared at Ash, his gait uneven due to his infernal form. “Just die!” he bellowed.

  Volo raised his arm and a deluge of inky shadow plowed toward Ash. Ash raised a blinding shield and a moment later, Volo’s darkness crashed into it, howling and screaming as if it was a rabid hunger incarnate, set forth to devour him.

  Ash’s arm trembled, his shoulder bleeding for every second he kept it aloft. His injured leg was turning numb too as it braced the weight of Volo’s onslaught.

  “Just let me save the world!” Volo howled. “Let us! You were born of the salvation we will bring! Just let us! Let us! LET US!”

  Volo’s onslaught sputtered as it crashed even more ferociously into Ash’s barrier. His jaw hurt from how hard he was clenching his teeth. What do I do? Has Pikachu recovered enough? Is there something I can do with the fallen pokémon? The wormhole? Spear Pillar itself?! He could feel his old wounds bulging with blood beneath his clothes, threatening to reopen. Given that he’d sustained them due to the power of a Plate, there was no guarantee that Electric Plate would intervene if they did. He could very well bleed to death.

  Suddenly, Ash felt the assault on his arm abate, and he frowned. As Volo’s darkness faded and the man himself came back into view, Ash saw him looking up at the sky. Extinguishing his shield, Ash turned his gaze up.

  Two tiny bodies hurled down from Giratina’s rift.

  Ash’s eyes widened. “Sabrina! Riley!”

  Volo’s head jerked toward him and he grinned. Without warning, Volo blitzed toward Ash, kicking him to the ground, then yanking his hair back and forcing him to stare up at the sky. “I’ll have you watch them die! Then, I’ll tear Arceus’ soul from your body! Yours will probably come unwillingly with it! Kahahahahaha!”

  “No,” Ash groaned, one of Volo’s blackened nails caressing his throat. He squinted.

  They were both dropping like rocks, neither one conscious.

  Ash fought to escape Volo, but his grip tightened.

  “Sabrina!” Ash yelled.

  Not like this. Not when they’d finally come back, and Ash was ready to move to the next phase of his plan.

  Volo snickered in his ear, but Ash ignored him, trying to tear himself free. “Riley!”

  Electricity sizzled across Ash’s body, protecting him from Volo’s darkness, but his physical strength could not overcome Volo’s, especially with his injuries.

  A gray blur tore through the snowy skies, sailing beneath Sabrina and Riley, and pulling them off their lethal trajectory. Violet light streaked trailed behind the creature, staining the stormy skies.

  Ash’s eyes widened.

  “Bastards!” Volo spat in his ear.

  Ash felt Volo’s hold on him loosen. Not missing the opportunity, Ash hurled Volo over his shoulder, grunting in pain as he did. Nevertheless, Volo’s demonic body tumbled over him, but the dark Platebearer flew to his feet

  “You’re dead!” Volo howled, leaping into the sky, his wings flapping behind him.

  Ash reached up and summoned a cascade of lightning, but Volo deftly weaved through them, shooting skyward toward Sabrina and Riley, and their mount. The beat of his wings repelled the falling snow, every second bringing him closer to delivering his hellish judgment.

  Ash squinted, focusing Volo down, determined to ensure the next lightning bolt hit.

  Suddenly, a dark figure leapt from the back of their savior, sword raised over his head. A furious bellow echoed from on high and he brought his sword down in a practiced arc as he fell, slicing through one of Volo’s wings.

  Volo twisted in the air and screamed. His remaining wing flapped ferociously, trying to keep him airborne, but slowly, he was falling.

  His screams, augmented by his demonic voice, were horrific, and Ash would’ve covered his ears if it didn’t hurt even more to do so.

  The man crashed down next to Ash, the glow of violet light dying around his form. The dark steel of his armor glinted, slick with snow, and he twirled his katana as he stood, before sheathing it.

  Ash exhaled a sigh of relief, the edges of his mouth pointing up against his better judgment. “That was inadvisable, Leader.”

  The black bandana around Leader Kamado’s forehead fluttered in the wind, and he grunted. “The results would beg to differ.” He offered an arm to Ash, and Ash accepted graciously, wincing as he pulled himself to his feet. Kamado’s eyes narrowed. “You’re hurt quite badly.”

  “This isn’t over yet,” Ash said. “Tell Braviary to bring the others down here. And I’d advise you to step back.”

  Kamado eyed Volo’s fallen form at the other end of the temple, watching as the Platebearer staggered to his feet. “Aye,” he muttered, then sent a shrill whistle through the air.

  Overhead, Braviary dipped and curved down toward the temple. As it got closer, Ash’s eyes narrowed upon confirming who’d accompanied Kamado; Rei and Akari sat atop Braviary and clung to Riley and Sabrina tightly. Braviary landed away from them and as Rei and Akari started to dismount, Ash’s arm shot out, and they stopped.

  Volo held his head in one hand. His now misshapen wings flapped aimlessly behind him as he stepped forward.

  Kamado probably hadn’t known prior to doing what he did, but the fact that he was able to cut one of Volo’s wings confirmed to Ash that this form was not an actual transformation of his body. These were just ornaments, likely grafted from Volo’s own imagination of what a demon, or what the bearer of the Dark Plate, should look like.

  “Brilliant!” Volo croaked, limping. “You’ve all come to die together! Ah, but the price of your interference cannot be paid by your lives alone. I’ll have to cull your Sanctuary too! Such is the punishment for impeding the world’s salvation!”

  Kamado scowled, a hand on his sword’s grip, but Ash stepped forward before he could advance.

  “You’re out of time, Volo,” Ash whispered. “Time to wake from your dream of darkness.”

  Volo grinned, his teeth stained red with blood. “So shall we see!” He raised both hands, a vortex of darkness still spiraling within his right palm. “Voidestria! And…!” Red wind whipped around his other hand, and the entire temple dulled, overtaken by a varnish of black shadows. “Sanguinesilica!”

  A cloud of thick darkness belched from Volo’s right hand, while a cyclone of furious crimson spiraled from his left. As the energy of the Voidestria was absorbed by the Sanguinesilica, the cyclone doubled in size, towering over the pillars of the Temple of Sinnoh. It lurched toward Ash, tearing up white obsidian as it went, wailing with an inhuman fury.

  “Protect yourself from this!” Volo cackled.

  Ash stared up at the approaching force of nature, his clothes shuddering at the force of the maelstrom. Reaching down into the depths of his power, Ash brought forth everything he had left. He’d used far more of his strength than expected in the fight against Volo, but the unexpected was to be expected in a situation like this. The rest is up to you.

  His fingers trembled as he forced them into a fist. Clenching his teeth, Ash could feel his wounds reopen beneath his clothes, but he pressed onward.

  “Lightstorm Purge!”

  The sky behind Ash blazed a stark white, burning away Volo’s darkness, pure and utter light flooding the temple in a blinding wave.

  Volo was right. Ash could not protect himself from an attack of this magnitude, much less all of them. Even at full power, it’s not something he would have attempted.

  But though he could not protect against it, he could surpass it.

  White meteors, each the size of the Alpha Avalugg Volo had been so proud of, screamed down from the heavens. Each impact upon the mountain bathed the temple in blinding white light that washed over Ash like the waters of paradise, splashing their divinity across the temple’s marred stone. One meteor, then another, ripped through Volo’s maelstrom, shredding it like fire through paper, and it collapsed, detonating and expelling its foul energy outward with an infernal howl.

  “No!” Volo bellowed, barely visible through the vista of light. “How is this possible?! It’s not possible! I saw you! I was watching you! Never once! Never once…did you…this much power! Impossible!!”

  Volo’s screams were soon drowned out by the falling storm, a symphony of great bells echoing over the mountaintop.

  The wounds across Ash’s body gleamed, and they slowly began to seal. As the grisly holes on his leg closed, he stood up straighter, breathing heavily. He glanced over at Kamado, at Rei and Akari, and at Braviary’s. All of them remained motionless, awestruck. Atop Braviary’s back, Sabrina and Riley were still too, and their eyes were closed. Ash cracked a smile.

  But to one, this was not the end.

  No, the beginning still had yet to come.

  It watched from its gash in spacetime, then began to claw its way down.

  Next — Chapter 85 : Hisui Incursion