Temporary RSE Summaries

[Coronis]

This thread holds all the temporary summaries of RSE chapters that have not made it to the tankouban yet. As you know, there will be differences between the magazine and actual comic versions, so the following are just temporary and may change when they get published into vol. 22.

The chapters here start from the Feb 06 issue, and there is actually a gap between these and the end of vol. 21 on the site, because I didn't buy the Jan 06 issue, which second half didn't make it to vol. 21 while the first half did. The missing gap deals with Ruby's encounter with Courtney on Mirage Island just in case you're wondering.


Feb 06
As the entire volcano which Sootopolis is built on breaks off from the earthcrust and rises towards the skies, sea water rapidly drains away from the elevated piece of land and gushes into the big hole left behind by it.

Standing atop Regirock on the original southern border of the city, Sidney and Drake look up at the ascended volcano, and are astounded that the battle ground is now floating on thin air. On the north-western side, Phoebe and Glacia stand tall on Regice, and keep their stare as well at the skies above, wondering what could have happened inside Sootopolis.

Meanwhile, at the center of the historical city, Groudon and Kyogre remain stunned by the powerful globe of energy between them which interrupted their fight. Ruby and Courtney hop off Tororo and Swellow to land right in front of the Cave of Origin, and give a knowing nod to each other. With the Red Orb glowing in Ruby’s hand and the Blue Orb shimmering in Courtney’s, the two demand the titans to stop the battle, and to quietly return underground.

Yet, Groudon and Kyogre keep a hostile stare at each other, and Courtney grunts that the ancient creatures are so focused in their fight that they are totally oblivious to everything else around them. She states that their commands with the jewels are apparently not powerful enough, and proposes drawing the titans’ attention with pokemon attacks.

Ruby quickly sends out Zuzu to deliver a muddywater, which hits Groudon on the side on its head, while Courtney releases her Ninetales to unleash a hyperbeam, which strikes at the jaw of Kyogre. Courtney points out that Groudon’s spikey armour gives strong protection to its head and back, and tells Ruby to shift the aim at its stomach. Ruby does what he is told, and instantly sees the difference in effectiveness.

Courtney grins that Ruby has clearly grown much stronger compared with the time they fought each other at the Rusturf Tunnel, and Ruby attributes it to the intense training he received at the Mirage Island, the training which he received together with Sapphire. Stealing a glance at the Cave of Origin behind him, he remembers that it was there that he and Sapphire lent the powers of the Grand Meteor piece to blast the Red and Blue Orbs out of Maxie and Archie.

The boy’s momentary shift of thought causes him to lose control of the Red Orb, and the jewel swiftly shoots into his body up his left arm, ripping apart his glove and sleeve and leaving Groudon’s symbol glowing on his shoulder. Courtney hollers that one must not lose focus at any time while controlling the orbs, otherwise their energy will backflow easily. However, her concern for Ruby affects her own concentration, and the Blue Orb quickly shoots up her right arm, stripping it bare of clothing while forming Kyogre’s symbol.

Ruby wonders if Courtney is alright, and the Team Magma admin snickers at herself for making the same mistake. She remarks that they might now be able to execute a stronger command with the orbs assimilated into their bodies, and tells Ruby to try one more time. The two each holds up the arm being infiltrated by the jewels, and once again orders Groudon and Kyogre to stop. This time, the globe of energy between the titans swiftly expands to envelope them, and the look imediately goes blank on both pokemons’ face.

Ruby gasps in disbelief that they have succeeded, but Courtney isn’t so sure. Suddenly, Groudon and Kyogre shift their gaze towards the Cave of Origin, and begin charging towards Ruby and Courtney. Courtney exclaims that the titans seem to have noticed their existence finally, but have unfortunately directed their fury at them as well. She hurriedly pulls Ruby away as Groudon delivers a swipe with its claws, and manages to narrowly evade the attack. The blow lands on Zuzu instead, and the Swampert struggles to prevent itself from being squashed.

Ruby commands an endeavor, and Zuzu uses all its might to flip the land titan over and sends it crashing into Kyogre. The boy then asks if Courtney is alright, but isn’t aware that Kyogre is about to ambush him from behind. Courtney spots the swinging flipper just in time, and quickly pushes Ruby out of the way. However, the sea titan’s strike crushes part of the Cave of Origin’s entrance, and the heavy rubbles tumble down onto Courtney’s back.

Ruby yells out in horror, and rushes over to check on the young woman, but then Groudon delivers another unexpected swipe, and slams him down against the ground, rendering him immobile. Courtney grits her teeth in pain and frustration about their failure to completely calm the titans, and wonders if it is because she isn’t one of the chosen ‘commanders’ of the orbs.

Just then, something fast moving appears in the sky above, and draws the attention of both Groudon and Kyogre. Courtney looks up to see a giant green dragon, and recognizes it as Rayquaza. The creature stares down at Groudon and Kyogre, and the two titans quickly leave Ruby and Courtney behind, and get into combative stances.

Freed from the restraints of Groudon, Ruby runs over to help Courtney out of the rubbles, and wants to know the identity of the dragon like creature which appears as if it came through the fissures of the sky. Courtney explains that it is the third ancient titan, also known as the sky pokemon, Rayqauza, and Ruby is astonished at what he hears. Courtney remarks that Rayquaza’s existence has been kept a secret to many, and silently thinks to herself all the inside information she has found out at the Mossdeep Space Center.

With a shriek, Rayquaza swoops down from the skies, and coils its long body around Kyogre. Groudon charges forward to attack, but Rayquaza swiftly holds it back by clawing at its head. Ruby watches the deadly battle between the three pokemons unfold, and gets increasingly worried with their each move. He recalls how destructive the fight already has been between the land and sea titans, and couldn’t imagine what will happen now that the sky titan is also involved.

Keeping her gaze at a silhouette standing on the head of Rayquaza, Courtney silently wonders if Ruby knows who it is that brought the sky pokemon to the final battle ground…


Coronis~

 

[Coronis]

Mar 06
On the ascended volcano of the historical city Sootopolis, the three ancient titans, Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza continue their deadly battle. Crouching in front of the Cave of Origin, Courtney takes another look at the silhouette standing atop the sky titan, and decides to tell Ruby the identiy of the person who brought the dragon from the Sky Pillar to the final battle ground there at Sootpolis.

However, before she could get to the point, Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza let out a simultaneously roar, and their deafening howls force Ruby and Courtney to hold their ears with their hands. Ruby tells Courtney to repeat what she said, but a tentacle suddenly appears out of nowhere to latch itself around Courtney’s left leg, and swiftly yanks her into the Cave of Origin.

Ruby gasps in shock that there must be something inside the ancient shrine, and beckons Zuzu to give chase. Unfortunately, in that instant, Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza each deliver a hyperbeam to attack, and the three powerful blasts clash against one another at the city center, causing a big explosion which throws Ruby and Zuzu off their feet. The bang also crumbles the Cave of Origin, and buries Courtney inside.

Ruby quickly leaps to his feet and rushes over, and orders Zuzu to help move the heavy boulders away. But he soon hears Courtney’s weak voice coming from inside, and the young woman tells him not to bother, since she wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer anyway. She states that she is no longer able to move with her legs trapped under the fallen rubbles, and suggests the boy save his remaining strength to deal with the titans instead.

At that moment, Ruby sees something rolling out from the crumbled cement, and discovers that it is the Blue Orb. He realizes that Courtney has expelled the jewel out from her body under her own will, and is astounded at the power of her mind which took him and Sapphire a while to master during their training on the Mirage Island.

Ruby tries hard to look into the crevices between the rubbles, and manages to spot Courtney sitting in a small space inside. He calls out to the young woman in desperation and asks how she is doing, but the young woman wears a bitter grin, and tells the boy not to pity her. Leaning weakly against the collapsed wall behind her, she remarks that she has had her share of glory, and believes it is probably time for those who have reached their end to pass on the baton.

Ruby gets emotional upon hearing that, and urges her not to give up. He hollers that they will both make it through, and promises to participate in a pokemon contest together with her once everything is over. The remark apparently tugs at Courtney’s heart, and she sighs that Ruby seems to have found out she used to take part in contests afterall.

Back in the Rusturf Tunnel when Courtney and Ruby were facing off each other, Courtney at one point threw one of his ribbons in the fire. However, it turns out that the ribbon Courtney burnt was not Ruby’s, but one of her own. When Ruby challenged the super rank contests at Fallarbor Town, he discovered that all his ribbons were intact, and thus knew that Courtney must have been a contest participant in the past, and most likely a skilled one even, otherwise she wouldn’t have earned the ribbon.

Courtney grins that she seldom talks about it anymore because she feels embarrassed, about her fanatical contest childhood which she knows many people would laugh and make fun of. Nevertheless, such happy times existed. She remembers her good friend Daisy from Pallet Town of Kanto, who owns a Clefairy that always shone in contests with its follow-me. At that time, Courtney’s Ninetales was still a Vulpix, and its signature appeal was the adorable tailwhip. She and Daisy treated each other as friendly rivals, and always practiced together. They even grew berries to raise the conditions of their pokemons, and Courtney made sure that they were watered every day.

The young woman sighs that all of those are long gone now, and tells Ruby not to make too big a deal out of it. Suddenly, the ceiling above her begins to slowly give way, and Courtney knows that she must tell Ruby the message before it’s too late. She starts shouting at the top of her voice, but the noise from the titans’ fierce battle outside happens to muffle her words during that instant, and Ruby urges Courtney to repeat again.

Courtney grunts that they have wasted too much time talking about unnecessary things while what’s crucial still hasn’t been said, and thinks hard to come up with a way to pass on her message. She reckons that there is only one method left, and blows out a large bubble with her gum before spitting it out. She then reaches up to pull off the horn-like memory fire lighter from her hood, and sticks it under the bubblegum. Squeezing her left glove, she covers the bubble with a special mixture made from the extracts of the Lanset and Starf Berries, which greatly increases an item’s buoyancy. When all is set, she lets go of the memory fire lighter, and hopes that the bubble will carry it safely to Ruby.

Outside, Rayquaza lets out an ear-piercing shriek, and swipes at Groudon and Kyogre with its giant tail, slamming them both against the Cave of Origin. Zuzu drags Ruby away just in time, but the impact completely reduces the ancient shrine into dust, and Ruby yells out for Courtney in horror. Staring at the levelled out ground in front of him, he trembles with disbelief, and his mind boggles at what has become of Courtney.

Just then, he spots something floating towards him in mid-air, and sees that it is Courtney’s bubblegum. He hurries over to catch it, and the bubble instant bursts in his hands, leaving behind the young woman’s memory fire lighter. Recognizing the device, Ruby quickly fumbles for a white paper in his bagpack, and begins creating an image by placing the lighter’s fire beneath it. The outline of an object gradually shows, and Ruby soon sees that it is the Balance Badge, the badge in charge by the Petalburg gymleader, his very own father.

Ruby recalls Courtney trying to tell him about the identity of the person who brought Rayquaza to Sootopolis from the Sky Pillar, and realizes with a start that it is his father, Norman. He glances over to the sky dragon, and sees the silhouette of the man standing atop the ancient titan. Convinced that there is more that the memory fire lighter holds, he continues to read all that’s stored inside.

Lying weakly under the rubbles of the crushed Cave of Origin, Courtney begins to slip into unconsciousness as her breath gets shallower and shallower. She hopes that her lighter has reached Ruby, and that the boy would finally learn the information she has uncovered at the Mossdeep Space Center, about how his father chased after the sky pokemon Rayquaza at the expense of everything else, his family and his dream…


Coronis~

 

[Coronis]

Apr 06
Holding Courtney’s memory fire lighter in hand, Ruby lifts his gaze towards the gigantic sky pokemon Rayquaza. Although the dragon’s entire body is continuously shrouded by ozone air which it breathes out from its mouth, when the ozone clears up occasionally, Ruby can clearly see his father, Norman, standing on top of its head, giving orders to the sky titan.

Ruby continues to read the messages stored in the fire lighter, and realizes that ever since their Rusturf Tunnel encounter, Courtney has yearned for them to become companions, and thus made extensive investigations upon him. Not only did she learn about his birth date, his age, his blood type, but also how he moved to Hoenn from Johto, the kind of family his grew up in, and the kind of childhood he had.

Among them, Courtney also uncovered things related to his father, Norman. She discovered that while the man has only become the Petalburg gymleader and moved in with his entire family from Johto recently, he has actually lost one gymleader selection test 5 years ago. The baffling thing lies in the fact that Norman has not attempted a second selection test within the 5 years, but has frequently visited the Mossdeep Space Center instead. The truth was, Norman was stripped of the right to sit for another gymleader selection test during the 5 years, and was ordered to search for Rayquaza.

Rayquaza is a legendary pokemon that lives in the stratosphere between earth and space, whose activity was discovered and confirmed by the Mossdeep Space Center’s observation data. Eventually, Norman found out that Rayquaza has left the stratosphere, and built its home atop the Sky Pillar. With knowledge that Rayquaza is the third ancient titan which has the ability to assert ordinance over Groudon and Kyogre, it was the Pokemon Association who bestowed the search mission upon Norman.

Ruby lets out a gasp when he learns that Rayquaza has the power to command the two other ancient titans, and realizes that together with the Red and Blue Orbs he possesses, he and his father, who has gained control over Rayquaza, are now the two people who hold all the keys to stop Groudon and Kyogre.

At that moment, Norman looks down from Rayquaza and meets the gaze of Ruby. Both of them know well the task that awaits them, and Norman has Rayquaza swoop down from the skies while Ruby hops onto its head to join his father.

Still with the fire lighter in hand, Ruby reads an additional message Courtney has inside, which speaks of a remark she made in the Rusturf Tunnel, the one which suggested Ruby become one of them and be their companion. Courtney now thinks that it was a redundant remark to make, because the truth is, she and Ruby have already been companions right from the start, both being fervent pokemon contest participants. Stealing another glance at the crumbled Cave of Origin, Ruby silently voices his thanks to Courtney.

The boy then looks up to his father, who keeps his stare forward at Groudon and Kyogre without saying a single word. Ruby undersands well that his father prioritizes battling over everything, and agrees that they should leave all reunion talks to later.

As Rayquaza lurches itself towards Groudon and Kyogre, it wraps its long tail around the two and quickly immobilizes them. Ruby holds one orb in each hand, and with a determined look, dives down from Rayquaza’s head, thrusting the Red Orb against Groudon’s forehead and the Blue Orb against Kyogre’s. The sky titan lets out its deafening roar of ordinance, and with the combined powers of the two mystical jewels, creates a powerful force which throws the land and sea titans away from each other.

While Ruby managed to land safely, Groudon and Kyogre keep tumbling back towards opposite directions, and soon fall off from the ascended ground of the Sootopolis City. Groudon crashes into the dried land below created by its drought ability and Kyogre plunges into the stormy seas it raged with its drizzle ability.

Both titans soon resurface with calmed looks on their faces, and after taking a final glance at Rayquaza hovering above, turn around to go their separate ways, Groudon digging its way back into the earth crust, and Kyogre sinking itself back into the deep seas.

On the Pokemon Association’s giant airship, Ba.Goon, the Chairman, Captain Stern, Dock, the Pokemon Fan Club President, the Mt. Pyre old couple, Roxanne, Brawly, Wattson, Flannery and everyone else watch with disbelief at the monitor screen, and exclaim that the ancient titans, Groudon and Kyogre, have finally been calmed and are both returning to their respective places.

Back on the ascended ground of Sootopolis, Rayquaza allows Norman to dislodge, and Ruby feels glad that everything is over. He tells Norman that it is perhaps time he returns home and apologizes to his mom for leaving without notice, and hopes that the three of them will be able to spend quality with each other again.

However, Norman remains silent, and wears a blank look on his face. Ruby finds it odd that his father is not responding, and soon sees that something is very wrong when he notices the darkened eyes of the man.

Meanwhile, on the original eastern border Sootpolis, Wallace lets out a sigh of relief that the crisis is finally solved. Steven agrees with a grin, and says it seems that their task in holding down the two titans’ destructive powers from expanding by Regirock, Regice and Registeel is now complete. But just as Wallace is about to respond, Steven suddenly topples over, and collapses on top of Registeel. Wallace gasps with horror, and frantically shakes Steven while calling out his name.

As Ruby does the same to his unresponsive father on the ascended ground, a low grumbling sound is heard from the direction of the Cave of Origin, and two pairs of evil eyes glare out from the darkness under the rubbles…


Coronis~

 

[Coronis]

May 06
And so the deadly battle between the ancient titans Groudon and Kyogre at the historical city of Sootopolis draws to an end. Leaving this final battle ground, the land and sea titans now return to their long sleep underground. However, the location they choose to slumber this time is different from where they did that several hundred years ago.

At the Pokemon Association’s giant airship, Ba.Goon, the monitor screen shows that the two titans have parted ways after leaving Sootopolis. While Kyogre is returning to the Seafloor Cavern, Groudon has picked a new location, and made its new home at the volcanic crater of Mt. Chimney.

Captain Stern wonders why it is the case, and the Association Chairman explains that Groudon and Kyogre no longer want of nothing from each other. In the battle they just had, both have fought to their fullest capacity, and have fulfilled their innate nature to challenge each other. In other words, no feud exists between the two titans anymore, and they have thus chosen to go separate ways.

The Chairman wears a solemn look when he thinks of the fact that Norman’s awakening of Rayquaza became inevitable at the end, and lets out a little sigh. He then makes a public announcement to everyone on board the airship, and states that thanks to the combined efforts of their warriors: the gymleaders, who fought the evil teams’ admins; the Elite 4 and the two Champions, who used Regirock, Regice and Registeel to prevent the destructive forces of Groudon and Kyogre from consuming the whole Hoenn; as well as the two trainers who challenged and knocked out the Red and Blue Orbs from the evil teams’ leaders, they have claimed victory in their battle against Hoenn’s catastrophe.

With both Groudon and Kyogre are gone, it is time to spread the good news across Hoenn, and let the residents know that they are now safe. However, in that instant, the Chairman receives an incoming call from Wallace, who informs him of the bad news that Steven has collapsed. The Chairman gasps in disbelief, and urges Wallace to take Steven to the hospital, but Wallace grieves that it is too late, because Steven is already dead.

Kneeling over his fallen companion on Registeel, Wallace trembles with pain, and wonders why it has to happen. He reasons that Steven’s body is taking the largest toll among all of them since he was the leader who directed the Elite 4 to exert control over Regirock, Regice and Registeel, but still, the intensity shouldn’t have taken his life.

Just then, Phoebe makes contact with everyone via the Pokegear, and sobs that she should have known better. She was standing right beside Steven when he lifted the seal from the ancient stone plate to free the legendary golems, and she remembers clearly two sentences carved on the tabloids which read ‘But, we sealed the pokemon away. We feared it’.

Sidney wonders if the ancient people’s fear of the pokemons was due to the dangerous risk in controlling them, and Drake believes that it was the case. He remarks that while Regirock, Regice and Registeel are not as powerful as the titans Groudon and Kyogre, like the titans, they pose threats to humans, just probably in a different way.

Tears start to well up in Glacia’s eyes as well, and she points out that the 6 pokemon lineup formed by Wailord, Relicanth and four Beldums which was maintained the whole time during the battle is starting to fall apart with Steven’s demise. As soon as she says that, Regirock, Regice and Registeel begin thrashing around, and the Elite 4 and Wallace, with Steven in his arms, quickly hop off onto the ground. With the 6 pokemon lineup broken, they no longer have control over the legendary golems, and the three ancient beings soon shoot off into the skies.

Shielding Steven from the swirls of wind stirred up by the golems’ departure, Wallace takes another look at his fallen companion, and mumbles his name while the agony burns him up inside.

Meanwhile, on the ascended ground, Ruby continues to shake his unresponsive father, Norman, whose face and eyes are darkening by the minute. Suddenly, Rayquaza lets out a shriek, and goes into a rampage. It knocks Ruby and Norman down onto the ground with its long body, and with another howl, lifts off into the skies and disappears.

Ruby eases Norman against a boulder, and the man remarks with a weak grin that just like Groudon and Kyogre, Rayquaza is also an ancient titan, and it is impossible to fully control it. He believes that the sky dragon must be mad at him for waking it up from its slumber and bringing it to the final battle ground by force.

Ruby listens with a confused look on his face, and doesn’t understand what his father is talking about. Norman grins that Ruby shouldn’t be too surprised, because he should have known by now that the Red and Blue Orbs are the mediums used to control and suppress Groudon and Kyogre. However, for Rayquaza, such an item does not exist, and to forcefully control it without one will end up in the pathetic situation he is in right now.

Norman begins explaining to Ruby that several years back, the Pokemon Association has succeeded in capturing Rayquaza to study on it. The Association’s researchers have even developed an artificial item known as the Green Orb to act as the medium to control the sky titan. Unfortunately, the item failed to work as effectively as the Association has hoped. Five years ago, on the day that Norman sat for his gymleader selection test, Rayquaza escaped from the Association’s research building, and Norman was bestowed upon the task to find it afterwards.

Ruby remembers what he learnt from Courtney’s fire lighter, that Norman was deprived of the right to sit for another selection test for 5 years and ordered to go after Rayquaza, and starts to see a clearer picture. However, he fails to understand why Norman received such a treatment, and reasons to himself that Norman must have done something wrong for the punishment.

But on a deeper thought, he knows well that his powerful father is not the kind to make mistakes, and wonders if it is possible that he is taking up the responsibility for someone else that day, someone who was also present at the gymleader selection test’s venue.

As the memories of that day flash across Ruby’s mind, he recalls the meeting with Prof. Birch and his young daughter Sapphire, how the sudden appearance of a wild Salamence stopped Sapphire and him in their tracks, how he battled hard to get rid of it, and how Sapphire cried afterwards out of fear.

But there was something more.

The Salamence ran off towards one of the buildings after being defeated, and shortly after that, a serpentine creature broke out from the ceiling of that building and disappeared into the skies, a serpentine being who looked just like the sky titan Rayquaza.

Ruby begins to tremble with disbelief as he realizes what really happened, and tears quickly well up in his eyes as he wonders out loud whether he was the one responsible for setting free Rayquaza. His tears drip onto the darkened face of Norman, and the man weakly confirms Ruby’s suspicion. Indeed, the Salamence Ruby drove off that day barged into the research building of the Pokemon Association, and ended up freeing Rayquaza from its entrapment.

Ruby breaks into a cry as tears tumble down his cheeks. Because of him, Norman was stripped of the chance to become a gymleader for 5 years, something he knows that Norman has dreamt of for a long time. Because of him, Norman was forced to chase after Rayquaza and sacrifice the time he could spend with his family while being accused for that. Because of him, Norman took up the mission to awaken Rayquaza, a task which has obviously taken an unimaginable toll on his body. Ruby shakes his father by the shoulders, and questions hysterically why he has to place the responsibility on his own shoulders.

Just then, Courtney’s fire lighter drops onto the ground and ignites a flame itself, and Ruby hears the answer to his question via Courtney’s voice. Courtney knew that Ruby would be asking why Norman did all that for him, and says it is the same reason Ruby locked up Sapphire in the air-car, that when it comes to the welfare of one’s most important person, one would do anything, even though it might be a painful task, even though their actions may not be understood by others, even though it might be a matter of life or death.

Before Ruby could say another word, Norman closes his eyes and becomes motionless. Ruby tries to wake him but to no avail, and finally lets out a deafening yell of agony while clutching his father tight. Behind him, something blasts out from the collapsed Cave of Origin, and sends the rubbles flying everywhere.

On the Mirage Island, Juan, Tate and Liza stand side by side, and watch all the happenings at Sootopolis via the aqua screen created by Kingdra. Tate remarks that everything seems to be over now, as Groudon and Kyogre have both returned to their respective places. Liza agrees that while she was shocked when Ruby locked Sapphire into the air-car, she’s glad that the titans’ clash was finally put to an end with the combined efforts of Ruby and Rayquaza.

Liza states that the prediction Juan had didn’t come to pass afterall, and Juan wonders what she is talking about. Tate explains that it is the premonition Juan kept having, about Ruby and Sapphire engaging in a destiny’s face off with Groudon and Kyogre, and says it doesn’t seem to be necessary now.

However, Juan isn’t so sure. He reveals that the image he has been seeing in his head actually involved Ruby and Sapphire fighting against two powerful forces only, and did not reveal the identity of those forces. All along, he has been assuming them to be Groudon and Kyogre, but he has a feeling that he might have been mistaken all this time. Tate and Liza gasp at Juan’s words, and realize that the two deadly forces waiting for Ruby and Sapphire might have been something else afterall.

Back at Sootopolis, Plusle and Minun are getting unsettled inside the air-car. The two keep shooting electricity out from their cheeks, and Sapphire couldn’t understand what they are trying to do, as the ancient titans have already gone. She notices that they are directing their bolts towards the direction of the ascended ground, and gets the feeling that something else is still up there.

On the ascended ground, Archie and Maxie climb out from the rubbles of the Cave of Origin, while their Tentacruel and Houndoom stand in combative stances. Ruby gasps at the sudden appearance of the two evil team leaders, and realizes that after they were freed from the Red and Blue Orbs’ constraints, they have been hiding inside the Cave of Origin the whole time the battle was going on.

Maxie grins that it is a clever reasoning, and Archie states that they will not forgive lower class trainers like him for getting into their way and challenging their authority. He hollers that interferers as such deserve to die over and over again, and claims that it is time for punishment. With that, Tentacruel shoots out its multiple tentacles to lift Ruby off the ground, and begins to strangle him…


Coronis~

 

[Coronis]

Jun 06
Struggling to free himself from the intertwined tentacles of Archie’s Tentacruel, Ruby realizes that the giant jellyfish was responsible was yanking Courtney into the Cave of Origin before, and glares at the two evil men in disgust. Maxie snickers that Ruby guessed it right again, and Archie remarks with a wicked grin that the Team Magma girl was just rewarded with her rightful punishment.

Down where Sootopolis used to be, Wallace clutches tight to Steven in his arms, and remembers that Sapphire is still locked up in his air-car. As he looks up to his hovering vehicle, he suddenly notices bolts of electric sparks coursing out from it, and wonders what is going on. He motions to Steven’s Metagross, and the psychic steel pokemon swiftly lifts them up towards the air-car.

Wallace sees that Plusle and Minun are reponsible for sending off the electric currents, and asks Sapphire what has happened. The girl replies that she has no idea either since both ancient titans have retreated, but it seems that the two little pokemons are getting more and more unnerved by the minute, almost suggesting as if there are still opponents to be fought on the ascended ground of Sootopolis.

Wallace knows that pokemons have heightened senses compared with humans, and starts to get worried since Ruby is still up there. He tells Sapphire that they shall head over for a look immediately, and orders Metagross to advance while remotely controlling his air-car with his Pokegear to follow suit.

However, just as they are about to get near, they slam against an invisible barrier and get knocked backwards. Sapphire tumbles into the backseat of the air-car, and wonders what caused the resistance.

Wallace only then realizes that Sootopolis shouldn’t be in suspension anymore with both Groudon and Kyogre gone, and this signifies that the energy released from their clash has remained around the city to keep it afloat. Apparently, this unsteady energy has interacted with the ozone released by Rayquaza, and formed itself into a powerful barrier around the ascended ground.

Wallace thinks hard to come up with a way to get in, and Sapphire suddenly notices that the electric bolts fired off by Plusle and Minun have succeeded in cracking a small hole in the barrier. She compliments the two pokemons for their work, and grins that their hard training on Mirage Island finally pays off. She states that while Plusle and Minun have always been able to create sparks from their hands when they are cheering, Juan’s special training has obviously allowed them to turn the trait into a useful attack.

Sapphire then requests that Wallace open up the top of the air-car so that Plusle and Minun may fire their currents directly, and Wallace quickly does so via his Pokegear. The two cheering pokemons instantly begin targetting the small hole they have already created, and keep sending bolt after bolt of electricity into it.

Unfortunately, their powers are still limited, and the hole barely enlarges by a few millimeters. Wallace rationalizes that the task is too much for Plusle and Minun, and knows the process will take a while, which might be too late by the time they manage to get in.

Sapphire thumps her fist in frustration onto the rim of the air-car’s front window, and wants to know why everything seems to be stopping her from getting into Sootopolis, getting to where Ruby is. She cries in a desperately tone that she really needs to get to him as soon as possible, and suddenly hears a voice from behind which offers to help her generate more powerful electric energy. She quickly turns around with Plusle and Minun, and spots a familiar robot which she has met before.

Back on the ascended ground, Ruby gets completely entangled by Tentacruel, and is slammed against a rock, causing him to drop the Red and Blue Orbs he was holding. Archie and Maxie walk over to pick up the mystic jewels, and Ruby demands to know what their evil plans are.

The two men smirk that they are just doing what they’ve always tried to, only that they will not allow any intruders this time. Maxie states that back when they were heading towards the Seafloor Cavern, the two of them made a once in a life time pact to collaborate. But as they were left stranded inside the Cave of Origin after the orbs were knocked out of them, they realized that they should have continued their collaboration all along, working together to vanquish all intruders, until all trainers, all gymleaders, the Elite 4, the Pokemon Association, the legendary pokemons, as well as all their inept underlings were eliminated. Then, they would have all the time and space to settle their rivalry at the ultimate height of the world, on top of the mighty ancient titans.

Ruby gasps in disbelief that the two men are still obsessed with their schemes to control Kyogre and Groudon, but is caught with surprise and horror when Maxie’s Houndoom begins to spit out a ball of fire at the collapsed body of his father, Norman.

The Team Magma leader laughs that the intruder who brought Rayquaza to the battle deserves to have his body burnt to ashes, and Ruby screams in terror as he watches the devil dog bath his father in burning flames. However, Tentacruel slowly wraps one of its tentacles around Ruby’s mouth, and soon drowns out the boy’s hysteric screams as well.

Outside the ascended ground’s protective barrier, Sapphire gasps at the familiar robot hovering in front of her, and recognizes it as the giant power generator of the underground city of New Mauville. A small lid opens up around the middle part of the one-eyed robot opens, and the Trick Master pops out to greet Sapphire cheerfully.

Sapphire wonders what brings the Trick Master there, and the funny man hollers that he will not be left behind and Wattson and the others are fighting so hard for the sake of Hoenn. He explains that he has modified the original power generator, given it wings, and took off from New Mauville to see if he could be of any help. But it seems that all the drama is over by the time he arrives, and he just happens to see Sapphire and Wallace having trouble breaking into the barrier surrounding the ascended ground of Sootopolis.

Listening to the Trick Master’s words, Sapphire suddenly breaks into a brawl, and the Trick Master wonders if he has come at a bad time, which Sapphire quickly shakes her head to while continuing to cry. Wallace comforts Sapphire and says it is not the time for being emotional now, and the girl wipes off her tears, before saying that she remembers the power generator works by an alternate recharge and release mode.

The Trick Master nods that her memory is correct, and flips out two conducting wires for Plusle and Minun to hold. The two cheering pokemons begin sending their electricity into the power generator, and the giant robot quickly amplifies the power a few hundred folds, before hurling it out again as a blinding bolt of energy against Sootopolis’s barrier.

The impact creates a giant hole big enough for passing through, and Sapphire and Wallace quickly make their way in. The scene before their eyes stuns them cold. Standing amid the rubbles of the city, Archie and Maxie giggle maniacally as they hold the Blue and Red Orbs in their hands. Underneath them, Courtney’s arm emerges under a pile of fallen cement. Across the floor, Norman’s collapsed body burns in flames while Ruby is nearly strangled to death by the tentacles of a Tentacruel.

Wallace steals a look at Steven in his arms, and finally understands why his companion returned and bestowed upon him the Champion position. Carefully placing Steven onto the ground, Wallace pulls on the Champion’s cape, and hollers that it is time for justice.

Archie and Maxie demand to know who he is, but Wallace spreads his cape wide, and states that those who see the cape have no place to ask for names, as those who see the cape do not deserve to know names…


Coronis~

 

[Coronis]

July 06
Yelling at the top of his voice, Wallace glares at Archie and Maxie, and states that in honor of the cape, he shall rid Hoenn of all those who sabotage its peace. He quickly calls out his Seaking, Charles, and Whiscash, Philippe, and the two water pokemons immediately charge towards Maxie’s Houndoom and Archie’s Tentacruel, knocking them across the ground and freeing Ruby in the process.

The two evil men grunt in frustration that the Champion has come to intervene, and Wallace remarks that they should feel lucky to be qualified to fight the one who wears the sacred cape. Charles then thrusts its powerful horn into Houndoom, and sends the dark pokemon spinning in mid-air. Philippe skillfully evades the multiple tentacles of Tentacruel, and rams itself hard onto its opponent with a body slam.

Sapphire offers to help in the combat, but Wallace says he is in control of things, and urges her to tend to Ruby instead. The girl hurries over to Ruby together with Plusle and Minun, and feels the pain grip at her heart as she kneels down to carry the battered and unconscious boy into her arms.

Watching Houndoom and Tentacruel overwhelmed by Seaking and Whiscash, Archie compliments on Wallace’s strength, and Maxie grins that he certainly lives up to the name of the Champion, who is regarded as the top trainer in Hoenn. However, the Team Magma leader giggles that they would be stupid not to have foreseen his intervention, and says they have already made preparations to deal with him.

Wallace puts on a confused look as he wonders what the evil men are talking about, and Archie laughs that they have held hostage of another interferer in the ancient titans’ battle. With that, he motions at his Tentacruel, at the giant jellyfish lifts up one of its hidden tentacles to reveal that it has been strangling Winona all this time.

Wallace gasps in horror to see the badly injured Fortree gymleader, but just as he is about to attempt a rescue, Archie warns him not to move, and reminds him of his place. The Team Aqua leader orders Tentacruel to tighten its grip, so much that Winona starts gaping for air, and Wallace has no choice but to stand still.

Maxie is glad that Wallace knows where he stands, and says even the most powerful trainer has his weakness. He demands Wallace to retrieve his pokemons and place the pokeballs in front of himself, and despite his unwillingness, Wallace eventually complies for the sake of Winona’s safety.

Archie and Maxie then put on an evil grin, and Houndoom without warning spits out a blast of fire onto the greatballs holding Charles and Philippe, melting the switches instantly. Maxie laughs as Wallace is no longer able to call out the two pokemons, and Archie orders Tentacruel to take care of the man. Tentacruel swiftly wraps another of its tentacles around the neck of Wallace, then slams him hard onto the rocks over and over again. Sapphire fights to hold back her tears as she watches the Hoenn Champion being thrown around, and grinds her fist in anger and frustration.

After Tentacruel tosses both Wallace and Winona down, Archie and Maxie keep the grins on their faces, and walk over to the edge of the ascended ground to look down at the vast land beneath them. Archie takes in a deep breath, and comments that it certainly is refreshing to stand so high up above everyone else. Maxie agrees, and says it feels as if they are the lords of the entire land.

While the two men are obsessed with their fantasies of world domination, Ruby slowly comes back to his senses in Sapphire’s arms, and gasps in horror and disbelief when he sees everyone else collapsed around them, his father Norman who is still burning in flames, Courtney who is still buried under the rubbles, his teacher Wallace, Winona as well as Steven. His mind boggles at the prospect that every single trainer has fallen, and the two evil men turn around again to comment that there is no one else to interfere with them anymore.

Just then, Archie feels water being splashed against his face, and looks down at the water puddle beside him to see an angry Feebas flipping its fins. Ruby quickly recognizes it as his Mimi, and the little fish instantly leaps out from the water to tackle both Archie and Maxie.

Maxie furiously catches the Feebas and rams it onto the ground, calling it an unworthy creature, while Archie stomps on it relentlessly, accusing it of blotching their sacred battle ground. Archie then flings the little pokemon across the ground, who lands right next to Ruby. The boy trembles to fight back his tears as he gently picks up Mimi, and the battered Feebas forces a smile through its pain, grateful that it is finally back in the arms of its trainer.

Ruby feels a stabbing pain inside him as Mimi slowly passes out, and he realizes that it has secretly followed him around all this time. Archie and Maxie tower over the boy to call the fish a weak, dumb, and unbearable sight, and that it is an ugly being who doesn’t deserve to live.

With a shaky voice, Ruby says he understands why people would view of Mimi that way, because he used to think the same. However, he now sees the beauty in it. Despite all the cruel words he has said to Mimi, the pokemon still remains loyal to him and follows him everywhere he goes. Despite its limited strength, it still braced itself to challenge Archie and Maxie. All of these cannot be seen from the outside, but in Ruby’s mind, these qualities add up one by one, and finally show him just how beautiful Mimi really is.

Ruby recalls the day he met his teacher Wallace at the Fallarbor contest hall, where Wallace managed to turn the anger between a man and a lady into romance. Under other circumstances, the power of a pokemon’s moves shouldn’t have been able to change a person’s mind, but Wallace and his pokemons possess a warm heart, which enabled them to make miracles.

Ruby believes that a gentle soul has the power to console as well as encourage someone, therefore he wishes Archie and Maxie would realize it too. Clutching Mimi tight into his arms, the boy finally breaks into tears, and voices out what the biggest lesson he has learnt, that true beauty lies in the heart, the heart which loves and cares about others, the heart which possesses the powerful motivation allowing one to advance through any adversaries.

Archie and Maxie remain unphased by Ruby’s words, but Wallace, on the other hand, has heard everything Ruby said, and praises him as his marvellous student. With blood dripping from his face, Wallace struggles to sit up, and hands Ruby the hyper rank beauty contest ribbon which he has kept for Mimi all this time. He urges Ruby to put it on for Mimi, and the boy gladly complies.

Ruby gently places the unconscious Mimi on the ground, and apologizes to it for not ever giving it a proper introductory speech in contests like he did with all his other pokemons. He decides that he shall make one for it now, and while he used to comment a pokemon on its external appeal, he describes Mimi as one whose beauty lies in its unchanging heart. He lays the ribbon on the little fish’s body, and just as he is about to continue his speech, Mimi suddenly begins to glow and elongate in a blinding light.

In a blink of the eye, Ruby finds himself face to face with a giant sea serpent, and gasps in surprise that Mimi is the beautiful Milotic he has been searching for all along…


Coronis~

 

[Coronis]

Aug 06
On the ascended ground of Sootopolis, Ruby recovers from his initial shock, and proudly looks up at Mimi, his newly evolved Milotic. He wants to know if it is ready to fight, and the giant sea serpent nods with a determined face. Kneeling on the ground next to them, Sapphire is still gaping her mouth wide in surprise at Mimi’s unexpected evolution, while Plusle and Minun cling around her with equally astonished expressions on their faces.

Ruby then snaps Sapphire out of her trance by calling her name, and says with the ancient titans gone, it is time for the two of them to begin the real fight. Sapphire instantly brightens up with a grin, and climbs onto her Tropius, Tororo, with Minun, while Ruby gets onto Mimi with Plusle.

Standing a few feet away from the two young trainers, Archie and Maxie tighten their grips on the Blue and Red Orbs, and reach for their pokeballs to send out Walrein and Camerupt. Ruby and Sapphire call forward their fully evolved starters, Zuzu and Chaka, and the Blaziken swiftly delivers a skyuppercut to send its opponents soaring. As they plummet, Ruby’s Swampert blasts them with a powerful muddywater, which manages to knock both of them out.

Sapphire cheers that the combo attack they’ve trained so hard on the Mirage Island has paid off, and the two evil men grit their teeth in frustration. In a flash of light, Maxie sends out his remaining four Houndooms, while Archie releases four more Walreins. The eight pokemons quickly engage in a close-up combat with Tororo and Mimi, and Wallace, who is struggling to prop himself up on his elbows, reckons that Archie and Maxie must have decided on a full throttle as well by sending out all of their pokemons.

However, he soon realizes that he is wrong. While the Houndooms and Walreins keep Ruby and Sapphire occupied, Archie and Maxie have secretly seized his air-car, and are about to take off. Maxie smirks that they are smart people who know how to avoid unnecessary trouble, and Archie agrees that it is best that they excuse themselves from such a situation. As long as the Blue and Red Orbs are in their hands, they could come back and put an end to the young trainers’ pathetic lives anytime they want.

With that, the two evil men go air-borne, and start speeding towards the small opening in the barrier surrounding Sootpolis. The Trick Master hurriedly gets in their way with his giant generator robot, and says he will guard the only exit of the barrier with his life. However, the robot fails to stand up against the impact of the speeding vehicle, and quickly gets knocked down from its flight.

Sapphire yells after the Trick Master to make sure he is alright, and grunts that they can’t sit around and do nothing. She gives a knowing nod to Minun, who then looks over to its partner Plusle, and the two electric rabbits simultaneously begin creating a powerful electric charge between them.

Sapphire hollers that it is the energy the two have cultivated from the generator robot’s power amplification earlier, and tells Ruby to count down together with her. Plusle climbs onto the long neck of Mimi while Minun positions itself on that of Tororo, and on a count of three, the two perform a summersault, and hurl off a deadly bolt of electricity towards the air-car. The attack easily catches up with the speeding vehicle, and Archie and Maxie gap their mouths wide in horror as the voltage overtakes them.

Watching the air-car sparkle with a blinding light, Sapphire rejoices that they have succeeded. However, Ruby, on the other hand, hands Sapphire his Pokegear, and tells her to insert the number 3818, the remote control code he has set for closing the air-car’s shield, which could protect its passengers from electric shocks. Sapphire is taken by shock at what Ruby is suggesting, and doesn’t understand why he is trying to safeguard their foe from harm. With a solemn look, Ruby remarks that enough people have died already, and he doesn’t want anyone else to lose their lives.

Sapphire starts to protest, but Ruby has made up his mind, and says now that they have stopped Archie and Maxie from fleeing, the next step is to retrieve the two mystical jewels. Sapphire looks over at the sizzling air-car again, and finds it impossible, as no pokemon is capable of moving freely through such a deadly voltage. Yet, Ruby assures her that there is one such pokemon, and reaches for a pokeball he usually keeps hidden, to hold it out between his palms.

Seeing the way Ruby handles the pokeball, Sapphire gets a flashback of their first encounter in the cave amid the woods of Route 101, where they were attacked by a wild Seviper. Back then, Sapphire was about to pass out from the injury she suffered from the Mightyenas she saved Ruby from. Yet the Seviper she knocked out became conscious again, and she vaguely remembered Ruby holding out a pokeball the same way before she completely lost it.

As Sapphire recalls the details of the incident, she realizes that the pokeball must contain a pokemon she has never seen Ruby used before, because she clearly remembers that all of Ruby’s usual team members were out of their pokeballs already during that time.

Seeing the baffled look on Sapphire’s face, Ruby admits that it is not a pokemon he sends out casually, because it seems to be a magical being. He met the pokemon before he moved in from Johto where he used to live, but he never knew what species it is, and not even the Pokedex could recognize it. However, he does have it in his possession, his sixth and last pokemon.

With that, Ruby opens up the pokeball, and a little green fairy flies out to head towards the direction of the sparkling air-car.

On the Mirage Island, Juan, Tate and Liza are still monitoring the happenings on Sootopolis with Kingdra’s aqua screen. The Sootopolis gymleader gasps with astonishment at the sight of the green faerie, and recognizes it as the legendary forest guardian, Celebi. Knowing that it is a time travelling pokemon, he finally understands why Ruby stirred up so much turmoil in the voids of time when he entered and exited from the Mirage Island.

Back in Sootopolis, Celebi shimmers through the glass shield of the air-car amid the electric sparks, and effortlessly lifts the Red and Blue Orbs away from Maxie and Archie with its psychic powers. Lacking the strength to do anything, the two evil men curse under their ragged breaths as they watch the keys to their wishes being taken away.

Down near the border the original site of Sootpolis, Gabby and Ty stand next to Absol and notice that the ascended ground above them is gently trembling. Gabby exclaims that the energy barrier around Sootpolis is starting to disperse, and the city itself is beginning to descend. With a grateful expression on her face, she remarks that all is over, all is finally really over…


Coronis~