A Journey's Link

Chapter 60 - Revenge

Goh lay on the ground in pain, Raboot right beside him breathing heavily. They had been lobbing Embers at it for a while now, with Goh being able to stop Z2 from wreaking havoc upon the city. He was confused as to why it was attacking them, as Ash had told him that Zygarde was on their side now.

He didn't have time to question the motives of the beast in front of him, however, as Z2 began snarling and making its way towards Goh. The beast got in a pouncing position, forcing Goh to grab Raboot in an attempt to protect him from whatever Z2 was about to do to them.

"Use Flamethrower!" A feminine voice rang out as Z2 jumped into the air towards Goh. It was hit and thrown off course to the side, causing Goh to look up in shock. What was that? He thought to himself as a hand extended down towards him in an inviting manner. He grabbed it and used it to pull himself up off the ground.

"Thanks," he said, shaking his head to regain his posture. He looked over and was happy to see that the person that had saved him was Serena. "No problem," she said with a smile, Braixen coming up behind her after delivering a powerful Flamethrower to the injured Z2. "How did you know that I was in trouble?" Goh asked. Serena shrugged her shoulders. "You said you'd be late right as we heard about Zygarde, so we assumed you'd be here," Serena explained.

"We?" Goh repeated, looking behind her shoulder. It was Chloe, running over to the group with a worried look on her face. "Sorry that we didn't come sooner!" She exclaimed as she caught up to the two. Looking over at Z2, her face morphed into shock. "What is that thing?" She asked as Goh stood in front of her defensively.

Raboot hopped in front of Goh, standing beside Braixen in a fighting stance. "Why is Zygarde doing this?" Goh asked Serena, confused. She frowned and shook her head. "I have no idea," she said quietly. "It was supposed to be calmed down after..." she whispered to herself, recalling the events of the crisis and how both cores were supposed to be free from Team Flare's control.

Goh analyzed the Pokemon to try to understand its rampage. In between the flames, he saw a small shine of metal alongside the glowing of a green dot. Realizing that was probably the answer to Zygarde's anguish, Goh determinedly came up with a plan.

"Hey, Raboot!" Goh exclaimed, getting Raboot's attention. Raboot turned around and stared at Goh in anticipation. "You see that thing that's around Zygarde's neck?" Goh asked, pointing at Z2. Raboot nodded in response. "I want you to kick your rock at that thing as hard as you can!" Goh exclaimed, earning a nod from Raboot as it fished its rock from its pocket and began kicking it mid-air, lining up the shot.

"Ra! Boot!" Raboot exclaimed, slamming its foot into the rock and sending it towards Z2's neck at full force, straight into the strange device around its neck. There was a clang, causing Z2 to yelp. The rock had landed directly on the device, proven by the massive dent where the green light was before it was hit. It was pretty clear that the device had stopped working, as Z2 had calmed down and was laying on the ground in mild pain.

Goh began walking towards it, only to be pulled back by Serena. "Wait, hold on," Serena said anxiously, not taking her eye off of Z2. It began to move slightly, giving a small roar before glowing before their very eyes. "What's happening?" Goh asked curiously, watching the white light surround Z2. Serena had a feeling she knew what was happening, but stayed quiet as they watched Z2.

The white light dissipated, and Goh watched in surprise as small green cells began jumping out of Z2's body, disappearing into the woods. A small, fragile Zygarde core sat on the ground, the device broken right beside it. Goh ran up to the core and grabbed it, realizing that it was in pain and needed recovery. "Is it okay?" Goh asked Serena, who walked over to help Goh.

"I think so," Serena said, kneeling next to him. "Something similar happened a while ago, so it should be fine," she explained to Goh, who nodded at her explanation. "I'm just wondering why it was attacking..." Serena mumbled to herself. "It was probably that device," Goh suggested, picking up the remains of the thing that was wrapped around Z2's neck.