When a life fades away

26. Wandering through the snows (Part II)

Welcome back to the second part of chapter 26. I hope you’ll like what’s in store as the story progress.
I want to thank all the reviewers that spent their time reading this and I’m ready to read more in order to improve and bring you better chapters.

“Don’t let him have the best of you. Keep up the pace with your Iron Tail!” shouted Ash to Pikachu who was smashing all the Ancient Power thrown at him by the enraged Regigigas.
“Why in the world is he attacking us? Only for that puzzle!? I’m sorry, My God!” exclaimed exasperated the boy.
Pikachu perked the comment and replied while still facing the Colossal Pokémon: “PIKA PIKA, KAPIKA!!” shouted the Mouse to his trainer.
Ash stopped his swearing: “Really?! Is it like that? Only a test? And you know it because of Darkrai?”
Greninja came closer to his friend and put a paw on his shoulder to calm him down.
The Pallettonian trainer understood his frog friend; he closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
He felt his aura flowing through his body and felt the connection with Pikachu, Pikachu himself feeling reinvigorated by this.
“Come on Pikachu, let’s show him our power and friendship!” the sudden increase in speed made possible for Pikachu to break through the barrage of Ancient Power and hit Regigigas right on his head.
“Don’t break the flow and strike him again with Quick Attack!”
Pikachu touched the ground and took advantage of the momentum to attack with maximum speed right on the Colossus in the back making him lose footing and fall to his knee.
“That’s Slow Start!” thought Ash, seeing the opening for a quick conclusion.
Suddenly a group of Weezing appeared from the cracks that were forming in the walls because of the weight of Regigigas collapsing to the ground.
The group of Poison Pokémon released their gas from the holes in their body blurring the vision of everyone in the chamber.
Regigigas recovered strength and stamina all at once and strike Pikachu’s body with Hammer Arm taking the opportunity to catch the mouse and his trainer off guard.
“PIKACHUUU!!” shouted Ash who could feel the pain of his Pokémon through their bond.
The tiny mouse was sent to the ground crashing rocks and ice in his way.
Ash ran to his faithful partner, but Regigigas had other plans and fired an Hyper Beam. One moment before the attack could strike Ash, Greninja appeared before the ray and countered it with Water Shuriken blowing a strong gust of wind that made Ash fall to the ground and hit a rock.
The adrenaline kicked in and the trainer stood up immediately, Pikachu already recovered and was ready for round two.
“Pikachu, give him a taste of our strength: Thunderbolt!!” exclaimed Ash stretching his arm to the side.
Pikachu jumped on the arm and leaped forward, charging all the electricity he could gather. The radiant aura crossing his body, made him collect much more energy.
Before the mouse could unleash his attack, Ash called for Greninja: “Greninja! Counter shield with Water Shuriken! Make sure to keep the center of the spin to the ground and raise as much dust as you can! You need a shield!”
The Frog Pokémon started his spin and Pikachu released the attack which was enough to hit Regigigas who was charging the group with a Giga Impact and making him stumble but also flow through the Neutralizing Gas and shock the Weezings.
They fell to the ground and the flow of gas stopped.
Ash panted heavily thinking that now Slow Start would reappear but bitterly noticed that the gas was still too thick.
He put his hand on the fabric hat and turned it backside. It was going to be a hard fight.
….
Sabi was listening to everything from the roof.
Braviary was quite concerned about the guy. For him, that boy was really special. Through his psychic power, he felt the kindness and the pure heart of that young man. He was feeling the passion and love but also the strength of his soul. His Pokémon were completely in sync with him. It was a power that the lonely mount Pokémon was aching to have.
Braviary was the only son in a brood. He was abandoned when he was still too young to provide for himself and had a hard life, catching food when everyone around was stronger, escaping ferocious predators, and seeking love.
Watching a human trying so hard to defend his friends and supporting them, cooperating with them was heartwarming and made that so long repressed desire for a family return to the surface. A small tear escaped his eyes.
Sabi saw that and smiled. She knew that was the right guy to reignite Braviary’s will to live happily.
“Why don’t you help them?” asked the girl innocently.
Braviary turned his gaze to the girl that had given him a love for the first time in his life.
“Come on, you know you want it. It’s a one-time opportunity”
The girl was truly honest, Braviary could feel it.
“Come on. I know you think you are in debt to me for saving you so long ago. But you are not. The only thing I want for you is to live happily” she said, her unbreakable smile on her face.
Braviary came closer, his eyes still watery, and wrapped the child with its majestic wings in an embrace.
….
Lucario felt the wave of aura. He growled and gazed at the horizon. The bright light spoke again: “Eornostlíce, it is fullgetreow. Thy are in the géoléan”
“What?” asked Gary; “That has to be the Ancient Sinnohians language” he thought.
The light spoke again: “Indeed, you are in the past. The aura Lucario felt was Ash’s and Pikachu’s”
Gary turned around and gasped: “You are being serious?” asked in an incredulous tone the Spiky head researcher.
…
“Pikachu! Thunderbolt! Aim for the ground!” commanded Ash, waving his arm toward the direction of Regigigas.
Pikachu jolted forward, ready to close the gap, and jumped in the air charging electricity: “Pikaaaa…CHUUUU!” screamed the tiny mouse at full lungs, directing his shot toward Regigigas’ feet.
The colossal Pokémon was hit directly on the feet, making it hard for him to stay on foot. The hit raised another cloud of dust and debris which was exactly what Ash wanted.
“Quick attack!” with astounding speed Pikachu steamrolled Regigigas, the shockwave so strong to clear the atmosphere from the clouds and to raise another layer of debris. Ash covered his eyes. So did Greninja.
Pikachu went on, rolling in the air to gain momentum and strike Iron Tail right in the foe’s face.
“With more strength!” Ash connected with Pikachu. It was time for their bond to shine and unleash all the power they had.
Greninja felt the great wave of Aura, Pikachu charged his electricity, a glowing aura emerging from his body.
The Ninja Pokémon was awestruck at such a display of sheer power. He could feel the power increase by the seconds. Now he knew he didn’t stand a chance to compete with Pikachu. They were about to unleAsh all the power until a Psychic blocked Regigigas and hit it. Ash suddenly released all the pressure and so did Pikachu mimicking the movement and breathing out.
Braviary broke through the wall and emerged in all his majesty.
Regigigas felt his nerves calming down. All the reasons for him to fight disappeared.
Yes, it was a battle to test Ash’s strength, but Regigigas’s intentions were to also kill if the guy wasn’t worthy.
Ash was amazed: “Braviary…” he said, mouth agape. It was a shock for him he was supposed to reach the top to earn the flying type’s trust. However, in the end, Ash had conquered him already.
Regigigas suddenly began to stop his movements, slower and slower until he started to be covered again in a layer of rocks.
In a few moments it was all over. Braviary descended on the once battlefield to confront Ash who came closer, Pikachu on his shoulder.
“Thank you very much Braviary! It was awesome” the boy exclaimed enthusiastically, Pikachu following his buddy’s excitement with star-shaped eyes.
Ash stroked Braviary’s plumage earning a satisfied coo while Pikachu jumped on his back caressing the Bird Pokémon head with his own.
“I think he wants to come with you” said the voice of Sabi approaching the group holding a Plate.
The girl handed the item to the boy who absently took it and put in his pocket without reading the engraving that read: “The being poured the remains of its power into stone and buried it deep.”
“What did you just say?” said the Raven haired trainer.
“I told you I have some power. Me and this guy here saw your journey, saw your world, your passion. We saw that tournament, that Leon guy your mind keeps on showing. He saw your love and he would like to be part of your family… the thing he never had.”
Ash was confused about all of this, but Sabi put a finger on Ash’s lips and suddenly he felt something. A flash of images ran through his mind, shared to Greninja and Pikachu. Images of Braviary, still a Rufflett and all the pain.
Out of sheer instinct he too out a Poké Ball and showed it to Braviary.
“I felt it Braviary. It would be a pleasure for me to have you in my family. What do you say?” the boy said, a loving smile on his face. Pikachu came back to Ash’s shoulder and nodded to the Bird who was now tearing up. He nodded and pressed the button, being engulfed by a red light. He was captured. Ash cheered: “Alright! Braviary is a part of our family!” cheered Ash lifting the Poké ball to the sky, Pikachu jumping with excitement.
Then, he proceeded to release the new catch: “I’m glad to have you with us and I’ll make sure to keep faith to your trust” the Kantonian said.
Braviary nodded once again to Sabi before enveloping Ash and Pikachu in a hug with his feathery wings.
Ash smiled and hugged back.
….
“How far are we?” asked Akari to Adaman.
They were using skis to descend the cliff, but Akari was having problems maintaining equilibrium with the strong wind crAshing on her face and obscuring her view.
Adaman was leading the way and, even if it wasn’t his specialty, was doing great in leading the path.
Ski was common for the Pearl Clan since they used them to wander and collect berries and vegetables as well as feed and bring the Noble Avalugg presents.
“We’re quite there. When we are there, we must endure enough for Ash to come!”
Akari, however, had other plans: “I’m not gonna stand for nothing. Together we can stop Avalugg! Ash can’t be always the one to save the day!”
The wiser man thought about it for a bit: “She sure is right. Without Ash we would have been destroyed and yet, we never tried to close the gap between us and him… This is something we should discuss” he thought, but he answered: “We are not on his level. We can try but it’s better to hold Avalugg as long as we can without risking too much”
Although Akari was hearing, she wasn’t paying attention. She had decided. If she wanted to stand next to Ash on equal feet, she had to fight until the end as he would do. And to do so, she had to face the challenges her world was putting in front of her. After all, this wasn’t Ash’s time, but he was doing his best. So, she would do the same. She nodded to Pikachu who understood immediately. They would give their best to defend their future.
….
On the roof Ash was met by a snowstorm. A bad one.
“Holy shit!” exclaimed the boy, Pikachu mimicking the uncredulous expression of his trainer.
“Uh uh uh… Seems like the fate is against you, I think you can’t fly” snickered Sabi tiptoeing on the ground as getting carried away gracefully by the snowflakes that with far greater force than what the candid appearance could suggest.
“So, what could I say?”
“I think you should spend the night here, young adventurer”
Ash knew he couldn’t do anything, and this pissed him off like anything. He gritted his teeth and breathed deeply. There was no other way. He couldn’t see an inch from his nose.
He tried to look deep into the stormy clouds and then said: “Please, be careful Akari”. Pikachu was gently caressing his trainer’s head with his paws while Greninja and Braviary were trying to shield the boy from the storm.
….
Devastation was what Akari and Adaman found once they began to see the scene of Avalugg's fury.
Pokémon were running away, scared at the sudden storm of rocks hitting the ground, destroying dens, trees and everything in the nearby.
It was a massacre, hundreds of Pokémon killed by the devastating fury of the Avalugg at the top of the unclimbable icy hill.
Pools of blood dirtied the candid snow, some little Swinubs sheltered under their mother, now dead and helpless.
The duo stopped at a distance, where Irida and Gaeric stood, still, strongly shocked by an inhuman scene, something that was so bad, so cruel to move also people used to the cruelness of a life in such a habitat.
Gaeric was holding his fists so tightly that his palms were bleeding because of the nails penetrating the flesh.
Irida was keeping her hands on the chest, fighting to hold back tears.
Akari came closer, fighting her own tears, but with a better resolution. She wanted to protect. Protect the Pokémon, protect the humans who lived there, protect her world. She exchanged a look with Pikachu, who nodded, fired by the training she did with Ash’s Pokémon and by the trust in Akari and her comrades.
The girl breathed deeply. She unclipped her Poké Balls and threw them high: “It’s time to shine!”
Clefable and Piplup appeared with a determined look on their faces.
Adaman stepped forward putting a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t turn to face him: “Don’t try to stop me” she said with a soft tone. “I took my decision. Our future… It’s up to us to build it. To defend our people, our environment…”
With that, she started to walk further toward the massive Rock Slide, her Pokémon with her.
Irida, Adaman and Gaeric were astonished at that girl’s pride and determination.
They thought deeply about what she said. They were leaders for their people but after all, since the start of the crisis, they had depended on Ash's help for everything.
“That girl is really teaching us a lesson” announced solemnly Gaeric, whistling at full lungs.
In a moment, a Glalie and a Froslass came to the call.
Irida watched the scene and finally met Adaman’s eyes. In their exchange, there was only the look of sheer determination.
“Come on Glaceon! Flareon! Espeon!” shouted with passion Irida.
“Come here Leafeon, Vaporeon, Umbreon!”
“We’re going to save our world!”
And with that, they leaped into a run toward that girl that had inspired them while the day was falling into night bringing with it fierce gusts of artic wind.
…
“So, where do your powers come from?” asked Ash while eating a delicious stew. Pikachu was really enjoying it and so di Braviary and Greninja. Growlithe had been quite diffident at first but soon gave in into the delicious hotchpotch.
They were having a sort of night of camping with Sabi. The boy was very worried, but the girl made a tea for him and his Pokémon and soon relaxed thanks the brew made of Papaverum somniferum.
“Well, at first, I used to connect with wild Pokémon here and there but soon after I found myself surrounded by Kirlia and Gardevoir. I don’t know how but I soon started to see things and have some sort of clairvoyance” the girl answered with a cheerful tone.
Ash was about to speak again before choking on the stew. Pikachu offered his buddy a glass of sake earning a scratch under the chin.
The night went on quietly and enjoyable. The duo hit the sack early because Ash insisted on waking up early. Even the Morphine couldn’t stop that guy and his Pokémon from worrying for his friends
Sabi smiled: this boy was really something else.
….
“Come on Clefable! MoonBlast! Piplup, use Whirpool and protect those Swinubs!” Akari was moved by sheer determination and appeared focused as never before.
She was giving commands with concentration and analysis, everything she had learnt from Ash was emerging from the girl’s mind and mixing with her own ideas.
Irida was helping with her Glaceon freezing rocks and combining moves with Akari while Espeon and Flareon were clearing the path and securing all the Pokémon a way to escape from their dens.
Adaman and Gaeric were also targeting directly Avalugg. For Gaeric, it was like fighting his own child ad that stroke a chord in his icy heart. He was moved and had finally come to the realization that this was a serious matter. In a way, he was gradually convincing himself that all this chaos was for the god but now knew the truth. He was wrong, completely wrong.
However, their attacks weren’t able to damage the Noble and the only result was the unpredictable.
The golden light surrounding the Frenzied Pokémon intensified.
“WHAT? The eternal ice is melting?!” noted a now sacred Gaeric whose tone called the attention of everyone on the battlefield.
The glow became brighter and brighter, the iced hill started to crumble upon itself, collapsing from the heat and from the weight of the massive Lord.
Everyone ran away, faster as they could, followed by their Pokémon and the remaining wild ones.
The hill finally fell down, bringing with it the now even more enraged Avalugg who growled and launched its Ice Shard. Spiky arrows, made of ice, were shot targeting the humans at full speed. It was the cold blood moving Akari which saved the situation, calling for a desperate Flamethrower from Irida’s Flareon
“AARGH!” Shouted Gaeric suddenly. One Ice Shard had made through the flame barrage, and it had lodged itself in his shoulder, severing the tendons.
Dark blood oozed from his wound. Irida fainted at the sight of the blood, and it was Adaman who rescued the stoic guardian while Akari, who until now had thought she could handle the matter on her own, could not help but think: "Ash, where are you? Please...don't abandon me "
….
“So that’s a goodbye for now” proclaimed Ash, already on the back of his newest Pokémon.
“Be careful. Your friends are engaging the battle right now”
“What? Already? Battle? That’s incredible! How did they come there so fast? It’s not even passed a day!?”
“They had some kind of skis the Pearl Clan’s members use to explore the zone” answered rightfully the girl.
“However, you should hurry up. If you don’t, then your friends will suffer…” added in a grim tone.
Ash froze and made a nod to Braviary who felt his new trainer’s distress and took off at full speed.
Ash thought for himself: “Wait for me guys, I’m coming! And you, Akari! Please… be fine!”
Pikachu put a paw on his buddy’s face. He knew what he was feeling. Holding tighter on Braviary, they knew this was going to be a challenge between life and death.
………
“The boy is targeting the last Noble” announced a figure in the shadows.
“I will make sure he collects also the Lake Trio’s plates before dumping him in the dust as he deserves” proclaimed a blonde man, kneeled in front of what looked like a wormhole.
“GYAHH!”

So, that’s it for another chapter. I’m looking forward to ear your thoughts on this one as one of the major plot points is coming and we are leaving behind all the Noble Pokémon story.
And tell me also if you’ve seen Ash’s last battle in the anime as well as your thoughts on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Until next time,
SEE YA!