D. Vs Solaris

As Ash was holding onto Garchomp's claws, he whistled, and from his sleeve, some of the purple sludge jumped off his arm and latched onto Garchomp, wrapping around its mouth and nose before hardening.

Immediately, it cut off Garchomp's air. As it started suffocating, Ash's shadow stretched out, and Gengar leapt from it, landing a Shadow Ball directly across Garchomp's face, sending it staggering backward. It didn't have the strength to resist, after all, if you can't breathe, you can't fight.

Garchomp struggled back to its knees, clawing desperately at the sludge covering its mouth so it could breathe. Ash walked over calmly, "Interesting, isn't it? Even strong Pokémon need to breathe."

Solaris narrowed his eyes, "Another child trying to stop the inevitable. But, I suppose I should commend you for being willing to take a hit for someone you don't even know."

Everyone could see Ash's hands dripping blood. Kiki was trembling, not from fear, but from disbelief, "You…" she murmured, eyes fixed on Ash. "Why would you risk yourself… for me?"

Her Medicham rushed back to her side. Ash didn't answer right away. He flexed his wounded hands, letting more blood drip freely. Then he turned slightly, "…Because someone has to," Ash said.

Cal finally snapped out of his trance and turned to Solaris, "Solaris! Attacking Kiki, that wasn't part of the plan!"

"She would have died in the ensuing eruption regardless. And even if she survived, what months were left to her? Her illness has done a number on her body. You have no reason to be upset. Did you not know this would happen?"

"No… no, no, this isn't what I wanted! That was never what I wanted!" Cal said, shaking his head.

"Ha! Weak as always. I guess what your brother said was right, you're just so weak," Solaris sneered.

Meanwhile, Garchomp got a good grip on the sludge and finally clawed it away, breaking it apart and gasping for air, coughing as it drew deep, desperate breaths.

"And it seems like your trump card ended. A shame. Now you'll have to fight for real, and you will lose. Every single one of you. Whether by Garchomp or the eruption, you can't win."

Everyone started to rise, ready to fight, but Ash raised his hand, "No. You all did enough. I'll take care of this. From now on… your opponent is me."

Solaris narrowed his eyes, "You're either the bravest or the most stupid person I've ever met. Just looking at your Pokémon, they're so weak. They can't possibly match Garchomp's strength. And even if you somehow did the impossible, I have more Pokémon."

"Maybe. But here's the thing…" Ash shrugged. "I don't care."

If it seemed like Ash was stalling, it was because he was. He was buying time for Hypno. And by now, the win condition was already set, "And I've already won."

The air around them shimmered like a heat haze, and suddenly, everything was wrong. The stone beneath their feet turned dark, cracked, glowing with molten veins. The sky was gone, replaced by a churning dome of flame and ash. It felt like they had been transported inside the volcano itself.

"W-What…?" Victoria staggered back, eyes wide.

Solaris looked around, momentarily thrown off, "What is this? A trick?" His voice echoed in the molten chamber, but even he could feel it, the weight of the air, the pressure, the heat that wasn't quite heat but still made your lungs burn with every breath.

From the shadows behind Ash, Hypno emerged, eyes glowing a deep, unnatural red. The same purple aura that had saved Medicham now pulsed faintly from his hands. Silent. Controlled. Unrelenting.

But Ash didn't look back. He just kept walking forward, one blood-wrapped hand flexing slightly, the other tucked into his coat. Garchomp snarled, rising to its full height again, but even its breath was uneven, still recovering from being suffocated.

Ash tilted his head, "Funny, isn't it? We always assume the biggest, loudest guy in the room wins."

Garchomp lunged at Ash and slashed him, but as it passed through, Ash phased out like he was made of smoke. Then Garchomp heard something: a faint sound, like a bell ringing once.

When it looked around, it saw Gengar laughing at it. Immediately, Garchomp charged, but Gengar vanished into red light as he was returned to his Pokéball.

Solaris's eyes darted, trying to track the sound, "Enough of this cowardice! Face me!"

Ash stepped out from the molten wall behind him like a ghost, "I am."

Then, without warning, the environment shifted again.

The volcano's interior morphed, walls twisting, melting, reforming. Now they stood on a narrow bridge of rock over a pit of bubbling magma. Garchomp flinched, its footing unsure.

Victoria gripped Medicham's shoulder, trembling, "This can't be real…"

But Kiki, a master at this kind of thing, closed her eyes and meditated, "Victoria, your mind lies to you. Remember what I taught you…"

Victoria's eyes widened; she nodded, then closed her eyes and focused. When she opened them again, it looked like nothing had happened, Garchomp was thrashing around, and Hypno was pointing its hand toward it. That was the illusion. All of it was an illusion Hypno was casting on them.

Solaris seemed to realize the same, but unlike them, he couldn't break free.

"You… you're trying to trap me in my mind? You think some psychic tricks can defeat me?! Garchomp, break this!!"

Garchomp reared back, slashing wildly at the air, but every time it moved, the space warped around it. The rocks beneath its feet cracked and shifted, never stable, never real, as again, it heard the bell ring a second time.

Ash appeared across the bridge, leaning against the rock.

"Why should I? If I know I can't beat you in a straight fight, why would I give you a fair one?"

Solaris saw him and pointed, "[Dragon Rush]!"

Garchomp rushed forward, and this time it impaled Ash on its claws. Solaris exhaled in satisfaction, "Maybe you can trick us, but that doesn't mean you can beat me. After all, an illusion is just that, nothing more."

Ash coughed but looked up calmly, "Funny… I don't recall saying this is what's going to beat you. Besides… haven't I already said it? I won."

As he spoke, Ash began to melt, another illusion.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Garchomp gave way, dropping it into a pit of surging lava. Garchomp fell in.

And just like that, everything snapped back to normal. They were back on the side of the volcano. Solaris looked around and saw Garchomp standing there, and this time, he could tell it was real.

"It seems after all that, it was useless. Garchomp, finish this," Solaris commanded.

But Garchomp didn't move. It just stood there. Then, as they wondered why, Garchomp swayed and collapsed, spirals in its eyes.

You see, at the beginning of the illusion, Ash had commanded Gengar to use [Perish Song]. That's what those bells were, the counter. And now, Garchomp was unconscious.

Everyone was stunned. It had taken everything they had, and they couldn't defeat Garchomp. Yet Ash had done it by himself. Sure, it hadn't been a direct battle, but a victory is still a victory.

"Hmph… so that's how it is…" Solaris narrowed his eyes, but he couldn't help admitting he was impressed, "There's no point in continuing this massacre. It took all that just to take down one of my Pokémon, and it's nothing an item or two won't fix."

As if to demonstrate, he walked over to Garchomp and dropped a Revival Herb into its mouth. Garchomp's eyes opened, and it stood up behind him again.

But Ash chose to do nothing. He just kept walking forward.

Solaris didn't command Garchomp to attack yet. Everyone stood frozen, wondering what was about to happen. Could Ash really pull it off again?

"But as I said," Solaris muttered, "even this is a hollow victory. You can't stop the PULSE machine. You can't stop the eruption. All of this was useless."

"No, actually," Ash answered, making everyone whip their heads toward him, "This was me stalling for time while I hacked into your machine. Thanks for your monologue, really bought me enough time."

He snapped his fingers.

The PULSE machine sparked and short-circuited. With a hiss, it released Camerupt. The overheated Pokémon was already cooling down. It glanced around, disoriented, then bolted away, leaving the twisted parts and cables of the machine scattered on the ground.

Everyone watched, wide-eyed. They could hardly believe it.

Solaris turned his head, watching in shock. This whole time, the battle, the monologue, even the exact words Solaris had been planning to say, it had all been part of the kid's plan, He knew this would happen. He knew Solaris would try to hammer in how hopeless and weak he was. And he used that against him.

As Solaris turned, Ash raised his hand and grabbed Solaris by the throat. Instantly, Solaris's Garchomp rushed up behind Ash, its sharp blades pressed against Ash's neck.

But Ash didn't flinch, "I told you I already won. It's not my fault you didn't believe me."

Solaris looked down, unshaken, "You know, I could have my Garchomp kill you at any moment."

Ash shrugged, "You could. But here's the thing…" More of Muk's sludge slithered up Ash's arm, "If you kill me, Muk here will force you to swallow his sludge, and he'll kill you in the slowest, most painful way imaginable from the inside. So go ahead. You kill me, I kill you. I'm not afraid."

Solaris narrowed his eyes, staring into Ash's. And what he saw there was no fear. None. Ash wasn't scared at all. Why would he be? This wasn't Ash's real body. This was just a clone. If it died, nothing happened to the real one. But Solaris didn't know that.

For a moment, Solaris smirked and raised his hands in mock surrender, "Well played, kid. Garchomp, stand down."

Garchomp let out a low growl but slowly withdrew its blades, Ash released Solaris's throat and stepped back, rubbing his neck. Garchomp came to stand silently behind its master.

"You impress me," Solaris admitted. "If only my son were more like you.

Say… how about joining Team Meteor? I could make you an admin immediately."

"Thanks, but no," Ash replied calmly. "I'm not into terrorism."

Solaris chuckled faintly, the sound hollow, like wind scraping against stone, "Pity. With your mind, your ruthlessness, and that… lack of fear, you'd fit right in." He adjusted his coat, brushed the ash from his shoulder, and turned away.

He glanced over his shoulder, Garchomp falling in step behind him.

"Canis, come on. We're leaving…"

Cal flinched. He looked over, seeing Victoria helping Kiki stand, and his hands clenched into fists. His jaw tightened, "No…"

Solaris raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"None of this was part of the deal," Cal spat, trembling. "You tried to kill Kiki, and that's not even the worst of it!" He grit his teeth, glaring, "I'm done working for you!"

But Solaris didn't even flinch. He just shook his head slowly, "Canis Major was right. You're insufferably useless. What does this do? You've betrayed us, and you've betrayed your little sensei. What do you have now?"

He gave a faint snort and turned away again, "But no matter. You're not even worth killing. And this operation is a failure."

He cast one last glance back, "Until we meet again, D… was it?" Solaris said, before turning and walking calmly off the mountain.

Once Solaris disappeared down the mountain path, everyone finally exhaled, the collective breath they'd all been holding broke free at last.

Ash walked over and sank down on a rock, his shoulders heavy, his hands still bleeding, He stared at the red dripping from his fingers, watching how the blood painted thin, delicate cracks between his knuckles. A sharp pain throbbed beneath the skin, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he let out a slow breath, like it was the first time all day he could really breathe.

"Today has been… a long day…" he murmured softly.

Victoria helped Kiki settle against Medicham, then rushed over to Ash. She grabbed his hands, her eyes wide in alarm, "Your hands! We need to get those wrapped up, now!"

From the side, Sayoko's eyes narrowed the moment she saw someone else touching D's hands. Without a word, she strode over, smoothly slipping between them and nudging Victoria aside, not hard enough to make it obvious, just enough to take over, "I'll handle this," she said coolly. "You should deal with… that." She gave a small nod toward Cal.

Victoria frowned, about to protest, but then she turned and saw Cal standing nearby, rubbing his arm, looking small and sheepish.

"Victoria… I… I'm sorry," Cal said, voice low. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Victoria's face hardened. She marched straight up to him, "Then just what did you mean to happen, Cal? Huh?" Her voice rose, "Did you want to destroy the towns around here? Kill any people and Pokémon while you were at it?!"

"I wasn't—" Cal started, but Victoria cut him off sharply.

"Did you want me dead too?!" she snapped, her voice cracking just slightly. There was something raw in her eyes, something hurt, but her anger was too sharp, too blinding to let it out.

Cal shook his head, desperate, "No! I—"

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Victoria shoved him, hard enough to make him stumble back a step, "Did you EVER say a genuine word to us?!"

Cal tried to step forward, "Victoria, I—"

But she shoved him again, harder, "NO! Don't even talk to me!" Her breath hitched, her fists trembling, "I can't believe that I—" But she didn't finish.

Cal reached out one last time. "I—"

"GO AWAY!" Victoria screamed, tears glimmering in her eyes as she turned her back on him.

At last, Kiki's voice cut through, still quiet, "It will be best for all of us if you leave, Cal. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

She leaned against Medicham, "You may be my student… but that doesn't change what you did. Or what you were going to do."

Cal hung his head, stepping back slowly, "I'm sorry…" he whispered. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, shoulders slumped.

Meanwhile, Sayoko didn't even glance up as she methodically wrapped Ash's hands with clean gauze pulled from her utility pouch. Her fingers moved with precision, but there was a softness, a kind of tenderness, in how she held his hand.

"You didn't need to go that far," she muttered under her breath, tightening the bandage a little too tightly.

Ash closed his eyes, his face half-hidden by the scarf as always, "If I had the choice, I'd have rather not gotten stabbed," he murmured. "But you guys weren't doing much."

Sayoko's hands paused, just for a moment, and then she cinched the bandage a little more snugly than necessary, "You're not expendable," she said quietly, in that sharp, dangerous tone only she had, "Don't act like you are."

"Fine, I get it," Ash muttered. "But I did what I had to do, I'm the only one who could."

He glanced down at his hands, and with a faint shimmer, Muk oozed out, sliding over his fingers like gloves, covering the injuries completely.

Just then, the low rumble of an engine echoed up the path. A battered Jeep skidded into view, tires kicking up dust.

Jay stuck his head out the window with a big grin, "Yo! Bro, did we miss the party?"

Ash gave a faint, exhausted smile, hiding his Muk-covered hands behind his back, "Yeah…" he exhaled. "I guess you could say that."

Owari crossed his arms and walked up to the Jeep.

"You know, if D got here on foot, how did it take you so much longer in the Jeep?"

Domino opened the door, "Well, we would've gotten here faster if a certain someone didn't insist we were going the wrong way."

"We got here, didn't we?" Enid huffed, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but I think even Stephen got carsick from how much you made us turn," Helena added, as her Haunter nearly rolled out of the Jeep and went to throw up over the side of the mountain.

Ash sighed, seeing them, "Well, better late than never."

Then he noticed Kiki weakly walking over to him.

"You saved not just me… but everyone here. Even my dear Medicham," Kiki said softly.

"There's no repayment for something like that. But I won't forget it."

Ash waved a hand, "Just glad we're still breathing."

Kiki nodded, her gaze turning toward the ruined remains of the PULSE machine, "Yes… unfortunately, it seems like we're left with more questions than answers. Maybe if w—"

Suddenly, she staggered and collapsed, but thankfully, Medicham was still there and caught her.

Victoria immediately looked up, wiping her eyes, "Sensei! Oh no!" She ran over, catching Kiki's limp body, trying to steady her.

"Whoa, what just happened?" Jay called out.

"I-I apologize, but…" Victoria's voice trembled, "Kiki… she has an illness. It's been destroying her body. That's why she should've stayed back at the dojo. She should've been resting… but instead, she overexerted herself again…" She looked down, shaking her head.

"Haven't you taken her to the hospital?" Owari asked quietly.

"I… unfortunately…" Victoria's voice dropped, "Kiki doesn't want to go. She says if she's meant to die, she won't delay it… but I just wish she could ignore that, just once. I don't want to lose her…" She mumbled the last part, holding back tears.

Ash looked at them, then down at his own hands. He walked over and gently placed a hand on Victoria's shoulder, "I think you should go back to your academy, let her rest. We can take it from here."

Victoria nodded slowly. "Yes… you're right… thank you again… for saving us. For saving her…" she mumbled.

Just as Victoria and Medicham turned to carry Kiki away, Ash lowered his voice to a whisper so only they could hear:

"Go. But I'll find you. I have a way to help her."

He said it quickly before turning back to the group. Victoria turned, eyes wide, staring after him, but she said nothing. If he whispered that to her, he must have a reason. Never mind that he didn't know where the dojo even was, she didn't ask any questions. Today has been stressful enough already.

The Meteor stuff, the volcano, Kiki, almost dying, and then, on top of it all, finding out the boy she had a crush on, the one she was about to confess her feelings to today, had been part of the criminal organization she was fighting against this whole time. It left her wondering what was even real anymore.

Yeah. She was about one mistake away from having a mental breakdown.

So she left, with Medicham and the unconscious Kiki.

Ash turned back to the group, "So… I think we can call this mission complete. I don't exactly think the Boss will want to work with Solaris. At all."

Owari nodded, "Yes. Also… I don't know if we should even discuss what you did. You managed to outplay an opponent far stronger than you."

"Wait, he did what now?" Jay blurted out.

"It's a long story, and I won't bother explaining it to you," Sayoko said, waving her hand dismissively. Then she turned back to Ash, a glint in her eyes, "So, D… we'll report your abilities to the Boss. Who knows, maybe you'll be promoted to Admin. Then we can go on lots and lots more missions… together," she added, clearly thinking of something else.

Owari shook his head slightly and looked at Ash's hands. He walked up, placing a firm hand on Ash's shoulder, "Why don't you get out of here? We'll take care of the rest, and I'll handle your paperwork. Go to the medic and get some rest. You more than earned it."

Ash nodded, glancing over as Hypno walked up beside him, "Alright. I'll look through the data we found in the lab. See you guys." Then, with a shimmer, Hypno teleported them away.

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500 stones = 1 extra chapter