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Everything was set. Pikablu had finished packing his bags and checked the stolen wristwatch one final time, knowing full well he had plenty of hours left before meeting up with Kabutops and the Gallade. Still, dawn had already broken he was eager to leave before waking up Anne, quietly slipping out of the front entrance to their humble home.

"Leaving again...?" Anne asked, making the normally stoic Pikachu cringe. He had hoped to make it out of the forest before she realized.

"Y... Yeah," Pikablu replied quietly without turning around, "Urgent call from Celebi. Getting the gang together for something big."

"I really wish you wouldn't," Anne whispered from behind, and he did not have to see her face to tell that she was concerned about him. A rather common scenario as of late.

"Come on... You're still worried?" Pikablu muttered confidently, "I'm practically legendary. What's gonna happen? Who's gonna hurt me?"

The lack of a response told him that the argument was weighing in his favor, but that she would not be convinced that easily.

"Don't wait up," Pikablu said with a shrug, "I'll be back before you know it, with a crazy story to tell everone!"

"Just make sure it has a happy ending," Anne said and moved ahead to give Pikablu a hug. They relished in embrace for a moment before separating, Pikablu disappearing inside the thicket of the forest.

---

The pleasant memory faded as Pikablu found it impossible to fully immerse himself within a better time and place in his life. Instead he was forced to focus as Red finally made his move, and he was both eager and afraid to see what masterful tactic the wise trainer would begin his assault with.

"Raikou, shake things up," Red said as he cheerfully patted Raikou's head, "Slam, or... Tackle. Whatever you feel like."

About to point out just how lame that was, the Gallade was interrupted as Raikou violently charged towards them, Kabutops being the main target.

"Main character's over here, doofus!" the Gallade shouted as he erected a wall of psychic force in front of his friend. Raikou's heavy body only lost slight momentum as he crashed through it, but it gave Pikablu enough time to activate 25% and ram into Raikou's side. Kabutops tried to join into the fray as well, but found himself too hampered by the surrounding snow to close the distance fast enough. Raikou and Pikablu ignored the new arrivals and resumed their previous tussle, trading a few blows before breaking off.

"HEY, I didn't summon you two just to get beaten!" Pikablu yelled to his companions with an angry huff, "Stick to the plan!"

"The plan?" Red repeated as he vaguely understood what the yellow Pokémon had said, "I suppose it involves defending that fragile psychic as he prepares a decisive attack?"

Pikablu's ear involuntarily twitched as he froze up, wondering how on earth Red had figured things out so quickly. Keeping his face stone cold, he stopped himself from swallowing his built up saliva and feigned an expression of confusion, not wanting to let the trainer deduct anything more. It did not help.

"I saw your ear wiggle. That means my guess hit a little too close for comfort," Red continued smugly before pointing towards the Gallade, "And you. Before creating that barrier I saw your lower abdomen flex, signaling a defensive pose or retreat despite the fact that the attack was directed towards your ally. Your intentions are all too apparent."

Everything fell quiet as Pikablu muttered a plethora a foul words, Kabutops sighed and the Gallade's eyes flew wide open.

"Wh-What the hell!?" the Gallade burst out in disbelief, their entire plan of attack ruined before it had even begun.

"Doesn't matter! Stop trembling and get started, we've got no time to waste!" Pikablu shouted to the wimpy psychic before defiantly facing Red and Raikou, "Alright, you got us, but can you stop us? Kabutops, something weird thing to catch him off guard!"

Giving off another sigh, Kabutops took a few steps forward. The surrounding blizzard was beginning to dissipate while he lowered his head and crossed his arms, his scythes touching at the base and forming a giant crescent. Pikablu and the Gallade hastily covered their ears, while Kabutops himself was able to use his unusual earlids to achieve the same results. In a rapid motion he lashed out with his scythes while letting them rub against one another, creating a horrible screeching noise. Ready to jump into action, his hopes of surprising the stunned legendary disappeared as he lifted his head and saw that the enormous tiger was unfazed.

Red was leaning forward, covering Raikou's decently sized ears with the palms of his hands. An impressed smile crossed the old trainer's face as he sat back once more.

"Pokémon battles can be so loud," Red spoke with a cool voice as he tapped his right ear, "The fact that I always wear earplugs is the only reason I do not require hearing aid nowadays."

Temporary silence reigned as Pikablu once more growled something evil, Kabutops sighed deeply and the Gallade's mouth fell open.

"OK, so, like, the time to fail?" the Gallade stammered as he realized just how badly they were being trumped and worked harder on preparing for their decisive attack, "Not now!"

"... Be quiet and hurry..." Kabutops muttered with disdain, already fed up with his role to protect the Gallade. He began walking towards the massive Raikou in order to pull aggro, all while tapping into the bravery hidden within the deeper reaches of his mind.

He knew 'bravery' was hardly the right description for it, though. Raikou was huge and fearsome, and anyone with semi-normal instincts would shrink back in an instant. However, Kabutops knew his instincts were far from normal. He came from an era of endless violence, surviving on a day-to-day basis through battle and murder. As he relaxed his inhibitions and flicked the internal switch that commonly instilled morality into his actions, he faced Raikou in a new state of mind.

Readying his scythes, he rushed towards Raikou at a fairly slow and clumsy pace, his sturdy shell weighing him down and the snowy ground hindering him.

"Raikou, Thundershock," Red muttered with a tinge of disappointment. As awesome as the ancient Pokémon looked, he was beginning to realize why their species had gone extinct in the first place, their inefficient movement certainly not helping them in fleeing or hunting. Deciding to finish this quickly in order to focus on stopping the Gallade, Raikou shot out a massive line of thunder.

But as the lightning receded, Kabutops was nowhere to be seen. Red immediately realized what was happening.

"Raikou! Underneath the snow!" he shouted while pointing down to the ground. A faint scuffling sound could be heard as the bed of snow rustled, Kabutops crawling under it like an agitated insect.

"Raikou, use Strength to cause tremors!" Red ordered as he crouched down and held onto Raikou for dear life. Feeling his master secure on top, Raikou lifted his upper body before thrusting down with both forepaws, striking the ground with such power that it caused the ground to shake violently. Searching frantically for the overgrown bug with the intention of pouncing over his stunned form, Raikou was instead caught off guard as something came flying through the air towards his right hind leg. Thinking Pikablu had decided to tackle him again, he moved his leg to the side, but felt a sharp sting as something reached out and slashed through it.

Kabutops withdrew his scythes before crashing down on the ground, not feeling the impact at all thanks to his hard exterior. Looking back at his deed, he saw a gash across one of the legendary's legs, a line of blood trickling down his feet. There was blood stuck on his scythes as well, and he shook it off as he gauged the situation and lamented. His attack had meant to cripple the beast's movement, but due to Raikou's highly developed limbs, even a direct attack wasn't enough to sever anything of relative importance. At worst the legendary would feel a light sting from it.

Red patted Raikou's head to see if he was OK, before turning towards Kabutops with an unimpressed expression.

"Oh, please. Not even a Ground-type attack?" Red chided while shaking his head, "You will not topple an Electric-type like that!"

"Same goes for you!" sounded a voice from behind, and Raikou immediately reacted as Pikablu followed up Kabutops' assault, throwing out a bolt of lightning. Kabutops noted that Raikou was looking away and decided to use his special technique once more. Hopping upwards, he suddenly unleashed a torrent of water behind himself, the pressure propelling his compact body through the air like a thrown rock. Raikou absorbed Pikablu's electricity with ease, and sidestepped as Kabutops flew past him again, this time missing with his scythes completely.

During all of this, Red was busy figuring out what was happening. He too had found himself distracted by Pikablu, but understood that a short, bulky creature like a Kabutops should not be able to move so quickly. Observing the area, he noted two minor trails of melted snow around them, and began to figure things out.

"Raikou, Misty-five maneuver!" Red shouted as Raikou continued trying to hit the two smaller Pokémon constantly chipping away at him. Hearing his trainer's commands, he quickly turned towards the Kabutops and lunged.

"... As you wish...!" Kabutops hissed, waiting until the very last second to fire a beam of water underneath, launching himself upwards. It was one of his a favorite tactics when an enemy would charge at him, as they would find him suddenly gone only to have his body crash down on their heads like a heavy rock. Considering the opponent he was facing, he decided to add a decisive slash from both his arms to the impact, hopefully putting a stop to the legendary once and for all.

"Raikou, Thundershock!" Red yelled as Raikou stuck his paw into the trail of water left behind. Unleashing a mighty burst of electricity, at the blink of an eye it travelled up the pillar of water which did not have time to dissipate before the attack had reached its source. Bypassing his shell, electricity coursed through Kabutops' insides, mercilessly running through vital organs that had not been harmed in years. Kabutops had no idea what was going on as he continued preparing his counterattack, realizing that his body was no longer listening to him. His mind never registered the sensation of falling down as he simply continued floating in a world of darkness.

"Shit!" Pikablu exclaimed as Kabutops fell down on the snow, rendered unconscious before hitting the ground. He did not know how or why, but Red had immediately figured out and countered yet another of their strategies. Looking back at the Gallade, he was relieved to see the psychic locked in deep concentration, showing that their main strategy had yet to fail.

Returning a Pokéball into his backpack, Red eyed the fallen fossil pensively. He had expected a Pokémon that prided itself on high defense to last at least one attack, mad that he had missed his opportunity to catch such a rare thing. He would have to treat the remaining two more carefully, especially the Pikachu who was definitively overexerting himself and prone to lose consciousness at any given moment. Still, even though he was unsure of exactly what manner of decisive attack the Gallade was planning, he knew it would only make it harder for him to hold back, and so he decided to put a stop to it as quickly as possible.

"Fine work, Raikou. Execute Sabrina-two maneuver," Red muttered as he reached out and scratched underneath one of Raikou's ears, "Target the Gallade, brace yourself for minor psychic assaults."

A chill ran through the Gallade, as it always did when he heard his name mentioned. However, this time it was not a chill of pleasure, but one of fear.

"No!" the Gallade burst out as he noticed the huge legendary rushing towards him, "No, no, no!"

"Like I'd let that happen!" Pikablu shouted, already pissed from seeing one of his allies fall in battle. He activated 25% and zipped behind Raikou, attempting to strike at his wounded hind leg. But as Raikou was already heading towards the Gallade, the leg was in constant motion and Pikablu found it difficult to target. Re-adjusting his plan, he used the electricity stored up in his body to fire an arrow of thunder at the bloodied leg. However, just like before the electricity simply sunk into Raikou's body, not even causing a minor stir to the open wound.

"NO NO NO NO NO!" the Gallade continued chanting as he turned around and started running, giving up on preparing for their decisive attack. He made it three steps before feeling something bite into his neck, being violently tugged back and thrown down to the ground.

"AHH!" the Gallade screamed as Raikou suddenly put his forepaws around him, locking him inside a strange hug. Sparks of electricity escaped the enormous tiger's hold as the Gallade's screaming intensified. Pikablu knew attacking the leg wouldn't do much as this point, instead activating 25% again and smashing into Raikou's side. The massive legendary flinched but did not let go, and Pikablu could hear the Gallade's wails of terror and pain from inside weakening. Realizing how badly things were go if his final teammate was taken out, he began to helplessly tug and pull at Raikou's thick limbs, finding them impossible to pry off.

"15 seconds... Yes, I believe he should be about done," Red said confidently, stealing a humorous comment that an onlooker had shouted during some old battle. Raikou eased up and leaped back, leaving behind the unmoving husk of the Gallade. Pikablu felt like immediately chasing Raikou and beating the crap out of him, but decided against it and ran up to the fallen Gallade.

The slender psychic had no visible damage across his body, but was obviously hurt badly. With a panicked expression and staggered movements, he reached up a hand to his face and felt around a bit, giving off a sigh of relief as he realized he had not been disfigured in any way.

"Thank... God..." the Gallade wheezed, "I... Still... Have... So... Much... More... To... Give..."

"No kidding! Get up!" Pikablu yelled as he kicked the Gallade in the side, "You're not done with the attack yet!"

The Gallade flinched slightly, but remained lying down.

"I'm... Done..." the Gallade muttered as his expression fell, "Sorry... I'm... A... Failure... To... The... End..."

After that, he turned his head to the side and closed his eyes, apparently losing consciousness. Raising his hand to smack him awake, Pikablu instead let it fall down in defeat as he realized two thirds of the legendary trio had effortlessly been taken out by the troublesome legendary.

"And so, this is a duel once more," Red spoke with a hint of dismay in his voice, well aware that at this pace the battle would be over before he knew it. He did not even bother capturing the Gallade, assuming him to be unconscious or too weakened to put up a struggle. Pikablu stood up and faced the trainer, his heart pounding so hard it made his chest hurt.

Without saying a word he let the electricity flow through his body, the powers of 25% letting him leap towards his enemy at an alarming speed. Raikou quickly matched both his technique and speed, meeting him halfway there. Knowing his tiny body was no match for that of the legendary, Pikablu discharged his stored up thunder right in his face, watching carefully as it rained over Raikou. Many of the lightning strikes seemed to have little effect, being immediately drawn into the giant dog's body like it was a lightningrod, a few direct hits causing his mask to rattle but not harming the creature in itself.

Raikou kept up his charge and smacked into Pikablu, not even bothering to change his pose into a tackle or ram as he continued running. Groaning from the impact, Pikablu was thrown off to the side.

"Raikou equals your speed, and has you beaten in toughness as well as power of electricity," Red said calmly as Raikou skidded to a halt and turned around. Pikablu slowly got up and brushed some of the snow away from his face, putting on a bitter smile. He knew the time had finally come.

"You picked a baaaaad day to mess with my crew," he spat before carefully rubbing his strained cheeks in anticipation for what was to come, "This is where things gets interesting. Look up."

Red took a few seconds to interpret what the Pikachu had said, suddenly realizing that the blizzard had completely stopped. Turning his gaze upwards, he noticed that the sky was now only lightly clouded, but what caught his attention even more was one very tall cloud stretching high above them.

"That's an Anvil Cloud, if you're wondering," Pikablu continued as he finished his massage of his cheeks, ready to put them to full use, "There's no way I could make something like that. So, I enlisted the help of someone a bit more positive..."

Once again Red felt out of the loop, giving up on trying to understand the Pikachu's crass mumblings and instead piecing things together. In the middle of it all, he simply happened to be looking around when he saw something at the corner of his eyes.

"Raikou, behind!" Red shouted as he tugged at Raikou's mane, but Pikablu knew it was too late. The Gallade flinched as Raikou noticed that the flamboyant psychic was neither dead nor dying, but had already finished reshaping the skies to prepare for the attack.

"Hey, you really thought I was done for, huh?" the Gallade said with a haughty expression before raising his voice and ducking down, "That's what makes me an ACTOR!"

"Raikou-" Red began giving orders, as a cracking boom from above interrupted the trainer. Pikablu derived pleasure from watching the old master jump in surprise, knowing it was not the kind of noise one would normally hear from a thundercloud. Pikablu had used negative lightning many times in the past, only recently having realized that the rare positive lightning could reach powers ten times beyond that of regular lightning, and felt more than happy to show this to his opponents firsthand.

In an instant, the sky was filled with an impossibly bright light. Red hastily crouched as the lightning sought the highest target available, striking down directly into Raikou's forehead. The overgrown dog shrieked in pain and fear as a crack could be heard, his crest snapping in two from the relentless force of the skies. Pikablu stared as Raikou's mask fell off his face, before his vision turned into complete whiteness.

A few moments passed. The lightning had long since receded, but had been of such intense brightness his eyes was taking a long time adjusting back to their normal state.

"Calm down, boy... It's OK..." Red's voice spoke, overcome with worry. Pikablu felt that things were boding well as he could make out the large figure in front of him. Something like a snivel could be heard, but he dismissed it.

"I'm here... You're safe..." Red continued as Pikablu began to see him, no longer sitting on top of the legendary but rather standing in front of him, gently caressing his forehead. The details became clearer to Pikachu, but immediately he wished they weren't. What he saw next made his stomach turn.

What the mask had once covered was a deformed apparition beyond anything Pikablu had ever witnessed before. Above Raikou's eyes, bald cancerous flesh protruded from the otherwise majestic body, uneven lumps forming hills of unnatural shapes. Between his eyes was no flesh at all, his nasal bone visible to everyone while edged with rotten residue of skin. As Pikablu forced himself to stare at the abomination, he noted several small holes all around the forehead, none of which seemed to have healed particularly well. It was a twisted appearance that seemed to be the cause of fire, acid, shunted birth or perhaps all of the above.

"That was a brilliant move, with devastating consequences..." Red spoke with a sullen voice as he faced Pikablu, "I know not why you have challenged me this day, but for the sake of my Pokémon, I am willing to retire from combat. All I ask in return is that you do not speak of what you have seen this day."

Pikablu stood speechless as the Gallade shook his head, also having regained his eyesight.

"Uh... What did we see this day?" the Gallade stammered carefully, surprised that Raikou's regal appearance had hidden such an ugly creature all this time. Red looked back at his Pokémon and sighed.

"Over-production of growth hormones. Unstoppable brain tumor. Lobotomy only solution..." Red repeated what the doctors had told him so many years ago, the words sounding as unreal coming out of his mouth as it had theirs, "... The list of afflictions for being born from the gene pool of the legendaries are endless. Raikou here does not speak much anymore, and has trouble making decisions for himself..."

Trying to hide his face in shame, Raikou squirmed pitifully in Red's grasp. Red made an effort to hold on, knowing he needed to explain things fully to protect his Pokémon.

"Raikou, Suicune, Entei... We were assigned to be their caretakers, to give them a chance at life so ruthlessly bereft by fate," Red continued while thinking of Ethan and Brendan, "But never had I expected my boy to be bested by a wild Pikachu. I do not blame you, it was due to my carelessness as a trainer. Will you allow me to make up for my mistake and return to a Pokécenter in order to treat my loyal friend?"

Pikablu and the Gallade stared in disbelief, unable to think of anything to say about the abrupt end of the battle.

"... What's this...?" Pikablu whispered to himself as his mouth dried up, "... Really...? All this time...?"

He could not understand what he was seeing. In front of him was a fierce beast, an unmatched monster, wiggling and crying like a baby. The books he had read and stories heard about Raikou... So far from the truth...

"Hey, hey..." Pikablu mumbled angrily, "Was kind of expecting something more, here..."

He felt his breath come in harder, more ragged than when he had been in the middle of combat. He felt his anticipation diminish, and before his vision saw all his dreams of besting a true legendary go up in smoke.

"Raikou... The world is in awe of your strength... Words of 'omnipotence' being thrown around..." Pikablu growled while putting on a face of terrifying rage, "Even the likes of Celebi feared getting on your bad side... A walking manifestation of thunder... And all this time... You were a goddamn CRIPPLE!?"

Raikou flinched as Pikablu raised his voice, Red struggling to interpret what was being said. Pikablu bit down hard, pointing accusingly at the two of them.

"... Nothing but a sham... You legendaries are unworthy, EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" he continued with his tirade while slapping a hand to his own chest, "I trained! I studied! I fought! I suffered! All you did was get born into a large body, and people revered you!? What makes a pathetic shithead like you better than me!? You're not, and finally I'll prove it to the world!"

A snicker began to build up in his chest, quickly escalating into full laughter.

"Hah... Hahaha! I don't even have to beat you!" Pikablu chuckled menacingly, "I could just knock out your master and leave you here... You'd stumble around like a retard and freeze to death! HELL was the training I went through to kill someone like you, and I could've easily killed when I was a kid! You're like a baby! A harmless infant, needing some old man to keep me from placing a pillow over your face!"

He thought he heard the Gallade say something, but had many years ago learned how to block out the annoyance. Had he listened to that weak yellow-belly, he would never have tortured the Dragonite into revealing Celebi's location, and would never have found the peace of mind he sought back then. He would not be here right now to save all the Pokémon in the world. Why was he the only one to realize that to get things done, sometimes one would have to get rough?

"Brace yourself, fucker. I've waited long enough," Pikablu growled as he walked towards Raikou, charging up a powerful thunderbolt, "Are you scared? Trembling? Don't worry, I'll do what your spineless master couldn't and finally put you out of your misery. No cameras, I'll just say you attacked me and I fried your brain so hard it fucking exploded and made your ugly face retarded!"

Raikou stared back at him with an expression of horror, his entire body shaking. He was not alone; Pikablu was also shaking. The muscles around his neck would not stop flexing in excitement. In the middle of it all, he felt the presence of his loved ones cheering him on, telling him to finally fulfill his ambitions. His sweet little brother, always looking up to him and dreaming of the legendaries... His dear spouse, sticking with him no matter what and eagerly awaiting his triumphant return... His fans, wanting to see him kick some ass... His allies, depending on him to handle Raikou... Indeed, every single Pokémon in the world was behind him on what he was about to do, as he would be the one responsible for saving them from the deadly virus.

"I'll be the legendary people thought you were. I'll be a hero who overcame his species!" Pikablu bellowed while clenching his every muscle to the point of straining, "My name will be spoken for generations to come, FOR I AM THE LEGENDARY PIKAB-"

The name only made it halfway out of his throat before his gut suddenly sucked it back in. A dull ache built up in his neck as he put his arms against it, the rapid pulses running through his body beginning to hurt. Strange sensations had been emanating from his insides for a while, but only now was he recognizing them. The noise all around was drowned out by the pounding of his heart, and it made him feel nausea. He instinctively clutched his chest as a sudden pain shot through it and he felt an immense pressure over him, his lungs refusing his command as he could no longer breathe. Trying to keep his focus, he saw Red and Raikou stare at him, but with each passing moment the surrounding world began to grow hazy.

"Someone...!" Pikablu groaned as it felt as if someone was standing on top of his chest and crushing him, "Anne... Celebi... B-Bro...!"

His senses were diminishing and his eyelids were drooping, refusing to open. He felt his balance waver, as if he was standing by the edge of an abyss. Numbness spread all over him as he fell forward and sunk into the snow, the cold grip of death seizing his being. The last thing he felt was a lifting sensation, his soul finally leaving the reins of the body behind as his mind become lost.

Red clutched Pikablu tightly to his chest, an expression of utter horror plastered across the champion's face. Unable to stop a trauma from long ago from resurfacing, when he had regained his senses he hurriedly examined the Pikachu. The Pokémon was faintly breathing, but had his eyes closed.

"... A stroke...?" Red whispered the word he himself had long feared as he remembered the Pokémon's earlier display, "Why... Why would you risk your life in a fight like this!?"

Hoping his shout would bring back some life into Pikablu, he seemed to have lost the ability to react to outside stimuli. Red knew the Pikachu was dying just like his old partner had, but not in the comfort of their home, but out on a snowy wasteland right in the middle of combat. It seemed unreal.

"You wanted to win... That badly...?" Red asked and felt his previous cheerful mood drop in an instant, remembering how he had urged the Pikachu to keep fighting, "Did I... Make this happen...?"

Pikablu gasped in response, a weak and struggled attempt to draw in the cold air. A strong wind whisked by as Red clutched onto him harder, not wanting to let go. He shook as he remembered the passing of his own Pikachu all too vividly, not sure if he could face the same thing again. Whose fault was this? Why did the Pikachu attack him? Why did he fight back? Red had promised to guard this area, but for the first time he was beginning to question it. To which end had this creature's life been sacrificed?

"... I love Pokémon..." Red whispered as he felt his own heart begin to ache, "... For what reason am I now killing them...!?"

Standing up with a determined expression, he turned towards Raikou. The legendary seemed to have recovered his sanity and stood upright, quietly watching.

"RAIKOU! Can you move!?" Red shouted as he walked towards his Pokémon, Pikablu held in his arms. Raikou nodded as Red placed Pikablu on top of the legendary's back, keeping him out of the snow as he drew a Pokéball from his backpack. Pressing it against the dying Pikablu, the wounded Pokémon did not put up a struggle as the ball swallowed him up and captured him. Red did not even bother watching the capturing process, already having pulled off his jacket and tied it around Raikou's forehead, covering the legendary's disfigured face. Raikou felt relief wash over him as the damaged segment of his body was covered once more, but could not help but feel a bit troubled in the back of his mind, as if someone had just chewed him out for something.

"Pokécenter, full speed!" Red yelled as he fastened his seat and rubbed the side of Raikou's head, the dog immediately taking off into the night. All that remained were several craters in the snow from their wild battle, an unconscious Kabutops and a Gallade pretending to be dead.

The latter remained still for at least a minute before realizing he could have teleported Pikablu to a Pokécenter much faster than even a legendary could run. Scratching his head in embarrassment, he stood up and began to look around the area, wondering if maybe he could still see and catch up with them. The blizzard was beginning to pick up again as he was no longer controlling the clouds overhead, and visibly was predictably poor.

The Gallade could see a silhouette by the horizon. He felt disappointed as it was obviously not Red, the figure floating in midair. Thinking it was Mew or Celebi having finished their battle with Blue, his spirits picked back up and he ran towards it.

By the time he recognized what it was, it was already too late.