Jubilife Village.
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4 Years Before the Events of the Scarlet Arc
I closed the door behind me with a blank stare; the walk back from the funeral had been silent. I didn't quite know how to feel. I watched Mum walk around, turning up and making eye contact. "What do you fancy eating tonight, Y/N? I'll make whatever you want."
"Why did we do that?" I whisper, clenching my fist. "Everyone in the village paid their respects. There were speeches. We buried an empty coffin. An EMPTY coffin... Why are we acting like Dad is dead?"
Mum fell silent, walking over with a disheartened look. "Sweety, I know how you feel. But." She paused, pondering what to say. "It's been nearly a month since he went on that mission... I don't want to give up hope, but."
"He's not dead. He can't be. There's no way."
Mum walked over, standing by an old, worn-down Pokeball; it had belonged to Dad; it was all they found when searching. "No one can survive out there for so long. You know that."
"But we never found him. Maybe he's still out there. Maybe he's hurt, maybe just maybe." My words crumbled apart as I fought back the urge to cry, whimpering out the last words. "If Dad couldn't make it out there as a Pokemon Wielder... What hope do I have?"
Mum crouched down, hugging me, trying to comfort me as I couldn't help but cry. "Your Father loved you very much, and he knew deep down you'd make a fantastic Survey Corps member. Your love for Pokemon is unrivalled; you share a special gift, one passed down in the family. Your father had it; his father had it. Soon enough, you'll be able to hear the thoughts of Pokemon and, in turn, bridge the gap."
I took out the poorly made Pokeball I had put together, feeling emotions bottle up. "But I couldn't beat Dad. Not once."
"Being better at a Pokemon battle doesn't mean you can't be a good friend to them. The Galaxy Team are going to visit tomorrow. They'll accept you into their ranks, and you can make Dad proud."
Clenching the Pokeball tightly, I looked at Mum, furious. "I don't want to be accepted; I want to prove myself like Dad when he came to Hisui!"
I ran out of the house, my mother's voice trailing off into the distance. I kept running past the gate and into the wilderness. I had a single Pokeball with me. Just one, I was going to prove myself, become strong and find him. I'll find Dad and bring him home.
****
My fingertips are bittered and numb, my breath becoming shorter with each passing second and my vision drifting with the sway of the barrage of snow echoing down. I refused to be accepted by the Survey Corps. I needed to prove myself. Cradling a single crummy-made Pokeball, I ventured out for the perfect partner.
Trembling, losing more feeling to my lips, I was taken back to find the source of my troubles—a lone Zorua.
"You can't sleep just yet, Y/N..." I whisper, looking towards the cave entrance and hearing the faint cry of a Pokemon through the blizzard.
"What are you going to say this time to excuse running away, Y/N? After this scheme, there's no chance they'll ever accept you into the Survey Corps. You couldn't even catch a single Pokemon, let alone a strong one."
"Don't like being in a Pokeball, huh? I get that feeling; I wouldn't want to be in one, either. Then you won't ever have to use it. See this as a symbol of our friendship."
The gate opened, and Cyllene, Akari, and Zisu were all in a state of shock at seeing me. Akari looked exhausted out of the three running all the way here. "Y/N!? Where on Earth have you been!? You've been missing for three days!"
"Sorry if I had people worried," I whispered, looking down at Zorua with a proud smile. "Everyone, I want you to meet my new best friend and partner. This is Mimi."
I will never forget that day—the best and worst day of my life. The day I lost my father, the day I found Mimi. It was on that day I became a Pokemon Trainer like my Dad, and I'll never forget that.
****
Present day
Having just escaped the base, I was on the run, all that built-up energy fizzling out as I was running on fumes. Making it into the forest, Mawile kept behind me, protecting me from any stragglers. Eventually, I felt myself burning up as I couldn't run anymore, my heart giving way.
Falling to my knees, I kept panting, struggling to breathe. Mawile caught up to me with a look of concern as I reached out, patting her. "I'm ok, girl... I. I just need to catch my breath. We're almost there. Thank you."
Mawile nodded, helping me up as we began to move again, only for a sudden ambush—a dragon rush attack, knocking me back. Falling back, I turned around, startled to see Anastasia walking up with her Zygarde standing beside her. Quickly jumping to my feet, Mawile and I prepared for the worst.
Anastasia glanced at us, shaking her head. "You've caused more issues than it was worth. I agreed to help Zephyr hunt you down, but all that's caused me is a headache. What a nonscene. How are you able to Mega Evolve that Pokemon without a band?"
"Like I'd tell you anything!"
Anastasia grumbled, pointing ahead. "I don't care, Zygarde, make it quick."
Zygarde roared, running between the trees with high speed and precision. I could hardly keep an eye on the dog. Already knowing an attack was coming, I shouted out. "Mawile, get up high!"
As Zygarde pushed in for a fire fang, Mawile used her jaws to push herself off the ground and out of harm's way. "Great, now strike back with Iron Head!"
Mawile slammed into Zygarde. It didn't seem to do any damage; I had already figured that out from the time Zorua fought them, but it was enough to push them back.
Anastasia Glanced at Zygarde, arms crossed. "Not a scratch, as expected. But it appears this time you are actually putting up a fight. How amusing, why bother when the outcome is always in my favour?"
"Who says you're going to win? Mawile and I will never give up!"
Anastasia stood up, sighing. "If you are so eager to lose, then I'll show you our power." She drops a canister, making me flinch. It was more of those cells and cores. She had collected so many of them! "I'm just missing one, but... It will be enough to awaken most of Zygarde's power. Grow in strength and burn this world!"
I kept stepping back, dazed, as Zygarde's form was beginning to change. It was growing in size, destroying the trees around it, letting out a roar. The ground trembled beneath its colossal weight. I covered my face, the wind blowing as Mawile stood strong, ready for what was to come. Its form was massive and now that of a snake.
"This is but 50% of Zygarde's power!"
"50%... Crap, talk about getting the raw end of the stick. But... But that won't stop us. We're strong, we can win, right Mawile!"
Mawile shouted in agreement, her voice echoing in my head.
"Fight!"
Anastasia pointed to us with a blank stare, her voice devoid of any concern. "You're just another obstacle in my path," she sneered, dripping with arrogance. "Zygarde, show them no mercy."
Despite the overwhelming odds, I refused to back down. "Mawile, let's give it everything we've got!" I exclaimed, my determination fueling my every word. Mawile nodded in agreement, its steel claws gleaming in the dim light as it braced itself for the onslaught.
The battle erupted into chaos as Zygarde unleashed a barrage of powerful attacks, each one shaking the very foundation of the forest. Mawile dodged and weaved with impressive agility, its razor-sharp fangs glinting as it retaliated with fierce strikes of its own.
But with each passing moment, it became clear that Anastasia's Zygarde was a force to be reckoned with. Its sheer power seemed limitless, and no matter how hard we fought, we struggled to gain the upper hand.
As the battle raged on, fatigue began to weigh heavily on Mawile and me. Every blow we landed seemed to take twice the effort, while Zygarde showed no signs of slowing down. But even in the face of adversity, I refused to give up.
"We can't let them intimidate us, Mawile!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the forest. "We've come too far to back down now!"
With renewed determination, Mawile launched itself into the fray, its movements fueled by sheer grit and determination. Blow after blow, we pushed ourselves to the limit, refusing to yield even as exhaustion threatened to consume us.
And then, in a final, desperate gambit, we unleashed our most potent attack yet. With a roar, Mawile surged forward, its jaws agape as it released a devastating Iron Head straight at Zygarde.
Our attack collided with Zygarde's formidable defences. And then, with a resounding crash, Zygarde stumbled backwards. We couldn't deal with a single bit of damage, but we could stagger it. If we could stagger it enough, we might be able to retreat further into the forest.
"Keep going! Just like that, Mawile, show them why we're the best!"
Anastasia watched the battle unfold with a bored expression, her confidence unwavering. It was as if she already knew how this would end. But I refused to accept defeat. Not now, not ever.
With one final surge of energy, Mawile unleashed its ultimate attack, a dazzling display of power that illuminated the dark forest around us. The force of the blast sent shockwaves rippling through the air, engulfing Zygarde in a blinding light.
With the blinding light, I had already begun to escape. "Mawile, come!"
Mawile landed, already running away. That was until the ground began to shake.
"Zygarde, Earthquake!" We both fell over to a powerful Earthquake, our plan crumbling apart as the light faded and we were out in the open.
I tried crawling to my feet, but I was so caught off guard I kept stumbling while Mawile took too much damage; she couldn't take another attack like that. Crawling towards her, I held onto my Pokemon, holding her close.
"I won't let them hurt you."
Anastasia paused for a moment, seeing this; she took a moment hesitating before shaking her head. "This will teach you to mess with us. Zygar-"
Without warning, Anastasia froze, unable to move or speak, being held in place and lifted in the air. Unable to give commands, Zygarde stopped attacking. "Attacking a trainer when they're down, do you have no respect?"
I looked behind me as an elegant lady walked into my view alongside a Mega Gardevoir. Anastasia stared on with a blank sigh. "Just my luck, as at all times, the Champion shows up to mess with my plans."
"You're a Champion?"
She looked down at me, smiling. "I do apologise we took this long to find you, Y/N. My name is Diantha. Sit by. I'll make sure our friend doesn't escape."
Anastasia was dropped as she saw more people turning up, including a large number of the international Police and the Pokemon league. Forcing Zygarde back into the Pokeball, she sighed. "What Nonscene is this? Lysandre didn't see this much resistance. I surrender."
"Y/N!" Nemona shouted, jumping over branches and falling into me, hugging me. Zorua wasn't far behind, jumping on my face and crying.
I couldn't stop laughing, lying on my back. "Hey, that tickles. Stop, Mimi!"
Zorua sat on my chest, teary-eyed, looking devastated. "She was so worried about you. We all were."
Sitting up, I hugged Zorua as Mawile sat next to me. I faced Nemona with a small smile. "I'm ok, I'm actually ok."
Emma, with a large number of officers, was already going ahead to raid the remnants of Team Flare's base. Nemona wiped her face, still worried. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Looking at Mawile and Zorua, I felt warm and couldn't help but smile. "Do you know what? I think I am... It felt like I was gone for a very long time, and now I'm back."
Diantha acknowledged my words, looking to Anastasia, arms crossed. "You have nothing to worry about, Y/N; Team Flare's plan is finished. It's over."
Anastasia lowered her head, looking to the ground, already cuffed and apprehended. "All over... Yeah, it's over."