D was standing across from Jay, Enid, Helena, Domino, Sayoko, Owari, and Anabel, as their Pokémon were beaten to all hell.
Their Pokémon were shaking, barely standing. The strongest among them was probably either Anabel or Sayoko, but even their Absol and Alakazam were beaten up. Around them, the rest's Pokémon were breathing heavily or struggling to stay up.
But on D's side, Hypno, Gengar, and Meowth were starting to look tired, and Muk was beginning to move slower. Not a surprise, doesn't matter how strong a Pokémon is, no Pokémon can fight forever.
"Haa, it's over, D. Your Pokémon can't fight anymore," Owari said, like his second Crobat wasn't face-down in the dirt behind him.
"Come on, we can fix all of this. Just take off the mask and we can go back to how things used to be, bro!" Jay called out, though his two Meowths were already on the ground and only Todd was still standing.
"Please, don't make this harder than it has to be," Anabel said. She was running low on energy; after using so much of her psychic powers, she didn't know how much more she had left.
"D… please, I'm sorry…" Enid mumbled as she looked at D. She bit her lip. "I mean it, I really do. Please, believe me and come back. I… I don't want to hurt you either," she said. Even though all her Pokémon were knocked out, the only one she still had up was Natu, who, again, was just a Natu.
But D just looked at them and chuckled. "Oh, really? Hurt me? Oh, how cute," he said as he opened his eyes and looked down at them. "You're only still standing because I allow it, because your little skirmish amuses me. It took everything you had to get this far, but I think you forgot…"
D reached to his belt and pulled out one last Poké Ball. "I've still been holding back this entire time."
Immediately, they all wanted to dig their heads into the ground. After all that, for a second they wanted to believe he was bluffing, that he was just saying that. But then they noticed something: he had only used four Pokémon so far, Hypno, Gengar, Meowth, and Muk. D still had a fifth. And the fifth was the worst of them all.
D tilted his head like he was smiling, even though they couldn't see his face. "Let the true terror commence," he said as he let the ball roll from his hand. It hit the ground, opened, and light spilled out.
From the ball, D's Houndoom stretched its tail and stared them down, huffing out a burst of flame.
The group stood frozen. What was there to say? D could still go on, and they were nearly out of Pokémon. Heck, Domino's were already down for the count.
But there was one thing that gave them hope. In Anabel's communicator, silent to the others, she heard: [Almost done with the override!]
And in the Rocket communicators the others carried, they heard Oakley's voice: [Okay, I need 10 more seconds.]
That gave everyone just enough motivation not to collapse into despair right then and there. They just needed to buy a few more seconds, and maybe… maybe this would all be over.
Meanwhile, D just smiled, like this was exactly what he had wanted to happen. He had already set something into the mask, waiting.
–
[Meanwhile, in the hacking, leading up to when the battle against D just started]
Three groups were simultaneously trying to hack into the Masked Man's system connected to the masks: Oak at League headquarters, using the first mask he had recovered years ago; the International Police, working off the information that Anabel and Looker provided; and, in Team Rocket headquarters, Arlo with Oakley at his side.
None of them knew about the others. Each believed they were the only ones working on the system. But as they typed furiously at their terminals, they all received something unexpected, something that surprised them.
This was the "help" D had sent via Porygon-Z, Even more information on the mask's security systems. A mysterious connection linking all three groups, letting them see there were two others also working on it. They didn't know who the others were, but now… they could work together.
[SYSTEM LINK ESTABLISHED]
[COLLABORATIVE MODE ENGAGED]
A chat box opened in the corner of each terminal, lines flickering with faint static as if the system itself resisted their intrusion.
[Unknown_01]: …Who are you?
[Unknown_02]: Doesn't matter. Whoever you are, stay out of my way.
[Unknown_03]: Bold words for someone stuck in the same firewall.
Oak narrowed his eyes at the screen, fingers pausing briefly on the keyboard. He wasn't sure if this was some kind of trap. But the data streaming through, the bypass notes, the encryption exploits, was all too precise, too convenient. Even for him, this was complicated. He had always considered himself the fourth-smartest person on the planet, but this… this was beyond him.
Meanwhile, in Rocket HQ, Arlo cursed under his breath. "Tch. Someone else got into this mess too? Perfect." He typed quickly:
[Unknown_02]: Whoever you are, fine. But this system's defense lattice is a monster. If you slow me down, you're dead weight.
Back in the International Police safehouse, the agent hunched over her terminal. Trained for calm, she still felt the pressure pressing down like a weight. Anabel and Looker had given her what they could, but even with all her expertise, the system resisted her at every turn. She typed back:
[Unknown_03]: Relax. Dead weight doesn't crack subroutine loops like this. Look.
[Unknown_01]: …We don't have time for ego. The mask code isn't just encryption. We have to synchronize, or we'll all be locked out.
[Unknown_02]: Then that explains the loopback feedback I just hit. I thought it was a trap. I didn't think to check for that kind of encryption, I assumed it was the standard everyone uses.
[Unknown_03]: Syncing three signals will leave a trace. We'll be exposed.
[Unknown_01]: Better exposed than too late. If you're doing this, you know what's happening outside. Every moment we don't break the control is another that those people remain mind-controlled.
[Unknown_02]: …Fine. Let's just do this quickly.
The chat window flickered again. As they reluctantly began working together, code streamed faster, recursive loops coiling and snapping back like digital traps. Just as they stalled at a key junction, a new line of executable text appeared in all three of their windows.
None of them had typed it.
[Unknown_02]: …That wasn't either of you, was it?
[Unknown_03]: No. Too fast. Too clean.
[Unknown_01]: Don't ask questions. Take the advantage. We're deeper than we should be.
Oak's fingers darted across the keyboard, adjusting his scripts to match the sudden opening. Whoever, or whatever, had just intervened clearly wanted them through.
The three hackers pressed down on their keys in unison, uploading their code together. Along with their mysterious "helper" (Porygon-Z, silently ensuring Ash's plan stayed on track), the firewalls and backup commands collapsed.
And with that, the signal was cut. The Masked man's mind control signals were cut, well most of them anyway
—-
In the stadium, Clair, Chuck, Falkner, and Janine were fighting on their side. Even though they were stronger than the average grunt, enough large groups would eventually tire anyone out, and the enemies just kept coming.
Chuck was already tired, breathing heavily as he fought by himself, and all of Janine's Pokémon had been knocked out by now. They had been fighting for two hours straight, non-stop.
And it wasn't just them. Trainers who had rushed in to help, Casey, Vincent, Virgil, Jon, Harrison, even those near where Shelly was, were all running on fumes, starting to get overrun.
"Come on, why are there so many of them? I lost track of how many I took out," Chuck said as he tackled another group, his Poliwrath blasting bubbles alongside him.
But then, right as Poliwrath slammed its fist into a grunt's Golbat, something happened.
The grunts froze. Then, suddenly, each grabbed their head and collapsed to the ground. The stadium filled with their screams as the masks shattered, falling from their faces. When the screaming stopped, the grunts looked around in confusion, dazed and disoriented.
Falkner stumbled backward. "W-wait… what is…?"
"It looks like they're… stopping? I guess?" Clair said. She hadn't been told the masked people were being mind-controlled, so she didn't know what it meant. Still, she stayed on guard, even if it seemed like things were calming down.
Janine, exhausted and half-slumped against the wall, raised her head. "Ahh… I'm just tired. I need a nap…"
"Same here…" Falkner sighed. "But let's get this over with and find everybody else."
–
Meanwhile, Lance and Cynthia had flown over to where Blanche, Spark, and Candela were. Together, they had taken down the Ho-Ohtwos and Lugiatwos in that area, clearing the stadium of the clones. But that didn't mean they could rest yet.
Lance scanned the field, keeping track of the incoming threats while trying to call Agatha for her status. She had been entrusted with Goodshow, while Oak had called to confirm that the grunts were freed from mind control. Without looking back, Lance spoke:
"Any luck?"
He was talking to Blanche, Spark, and Candela, who were trying to figure out what was wrong with their marks. None of them could summon the Legendary Birds. There was only one reasonable explanation: the birds were busy, refusing to come.
"I don't know, we're trying our best, okay?" Spark said, tapping the back of his hand as if that would help.
"Most likely," Blanche suggested calmly, "they are assisting someone else."
Cynthia crossed her arms, thinking aloud. "Not a bad idea. But who could need the Legendary Weather Trio's attention?"
At that, Lance lowered his phone, realization dawning across his face. "I have an idea…"
"What do you mean?" Candela asked.
"I mean, I think I know what they're doing, and what the Legendary Beasts have been doing too," Lance murmured, gripping his phone tightly.
"All this time, we've watched the Beasts attack our Gym Leaders as though it were some kind of test. But we never stopped to wonder why. What were they testing them for?" Lance said, turning toward the others.
"I think I understand now. They were searching for people worthy enough to wield them, to aid in their true goal. They know something is happening. So why wouldn't the Legendary Birds be doing the same?"
Lance's eyes narrowed as he spoke the revelation aloud.
Spark and Candela: {Surprised Pikachu face}
"I… suppose it is possible. But why not us? We're the ones they gave their mark to," Blanche questioned.
"Does it look like I have the answers?" Lance said as he walked back to his Dragonite. "But what I do know is this: if they felt the need to combine their power, it can't mean anything good."
"Where are you going now?" Spark quickly asked.
Lance looked back. "I think I know what we need to do. And I feel like Giovanni knows too." He turned to Cynthia. "Come with me. We need to get to Giovanni and stop things before they get worse."
Then he glanced back at Blanche, Spark, and Candela. "You three stay here and protect the people. There may be no danger for now, but there's no telling what will happen if we let our guard down."
Candela nodded. "Understood. We'll be here. Stay safe."
"We will," Lance said as he leapt onto Dragonite. Cynthia mounted Garchomp, and together they flew away as fast as their dragons could carry them.
—
In the VIP room, Bruno was holding down Karen and Will as they thrashed, spouting the same words over and over: that it was too late, that they couldn't be stopped.
They had been trying everything to shut off the giant screen playing the signal, the very one that had caused Will and Karen to turn on them. But they couldn't change the cable, and they couldn't afford to just break it. Doing so might shatter the glass, sending shards crashing onto the civilians below. And besides, the signal was on every screen in the stadium.
Tempest and Darwin had already left, heading downstairs to search for a breaker box to cut the power. The problem? They didn't exactly have a map.
Bruno's muscles strained as Will's psychic aura flared against him. Will was a psychic too, and he pushed with everything he had. And in case you were wondering why Bruno wasn't using his Pokémon
Well 1, he didn't want to hurt them, and 2 his Pokémon were busy holding Will and Karen's Pokéballs, keeping them away so Will couldn't snatch them back with his powers.
"I don't know how much longer I can hold them down!" Bruno growled, sweat beading down his forehead. Karen thrashed beneath his knee, scratching at his chest with her nails and kicking wildly like a child being restrained by a parent.
"Too late… you can't stop it… it's already begun," the two muttered in unison.
Damian stood in the corner, phone pressed to his ear, speaking with Tempest and Darwin. "How's it looking? Can you cut the stadium's power?"
"No, we can't. There's a problem, the system's already been disconnected," Darwin's voice came through the line. "Whoever set this up rewired everything before. We can't shut it down from here."
"Darn it… then do you think Tempest can overload it instead?" Damian suggested.
"Is that how you think it works?!" Tempest's voice snapped through the line. "That's not how it works! I can't just supercharge the generators and expect them to fry the system. At best it does nothing, and at worst the stadium explodes!"
"Then what do we do? What if we—" Damian started, but then something happened.
All the screens, every single one of them, suddenly cut out. They just… turned off. No warning. No grand plan. Just, gone.
Will and Karen immediately slumped over.
"Uhhh… my head… what happened?" Will mumbled.
Karen blinked up, realizing Bruno was still holding her down. "Uhhh… what…?"
"Are you back?" Lorelei asked carefully, stepping closer.
"I… uh… what? We left?" Karen asked, rubbing her temple. "What happened? Why does my head feel like it's splitting in two?"
Damian lowered the phone. "You're gonna want to sit down. You're not going to like what we're about to tell you."
Meanwhile, Tempest's voice crackled through the still-open line. "Wait, what happened?! Did we win?!"
Damian just sighed… and hung up.
—
Over by the train, Brock, Erika, Morty, Bugsy, Whitney, Jasmine, and Sabrina were still fighting. It was bad enough they had to deal with the last three Ho-ohtwos and two Lugiatwos, but while they battled, Masked Grunts kept crawling out of the train like zombies, still coming for them.
They had to pull out all the stops. Brock had his Mega-Tyranitar on the field, the main one blasting at the birds in the sky. He had already managed to take down one Ho-Oh clone, and with the others' help, they had also taken out a Lugiatwo.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group split their focus between helping Brock fight the birds and holding back the endless stream of Grunts.
Brock gritted his teeth, Tyranitar's roar shaking the ground as it hurled another [Stone Edge] skyward. The jagged rocks ripped into one Ho-ohtwo's wing, buckling it and sending the clone spiraling. With a furious screech, it caught itself midair, flames building in its beak.
"Still up?!" Whitney shouted, her Miltank rolling through a cluster of Grunts like bowling pins. The Ho-ohtwo retaliated with a burst of fire, but Sabrina's Alakazam raised a shimmering barrier just in time.
"They don't stop!" Morty yelled, his Gengar blasting Grunts back with a relentless volley of [Shadow Balls].
Erika, voice tight but determined, called out: "Bellossom, [Solar Beam]!"
A lance of green energy shot upward, slamming into the wounded Ho-ohtwo. The clone shrieked in pain, its feathers singed, but its glowing eyes still burned with unnatural fury.
"Why won't they fall?!" Bugsy cried, Scizor's claws blurring as it ripped through the nearest wave of Grunts. The Masked ones kept crawling out of the train windows and doors, jerking unnaturally like puppets with tangled strings.
Jasmine's Steelix had planted itself as a wall between the trainers and the swarm, sparks flashing across its metallic hide as it lashed out with an [Iron Tail], sweeping aside a dozen Grunts. "They're not stopping no matter what we do!" she shouted, her Lucario alongside her, hurling wave after wave of Aura Spheres into the sky.
"I don't know how much more of this we can take!" Sabrina called out, her voice betraying rare strain.
"Can't you do something with your cool psychic powers?!" Whitney yelled, desperation cracking through. "I dunno, mind control them, make them fight each other, anything!"
"That's not how it works," Sabrina snapped back. "Even if it was, I can't. Those masks… they're blocking me. They must be made with a layer of lead or some psychic-resistant alloy."
"So what? The masks are special, fine!" Morty shouted, his Cofagrigus's shadowy arms grabbing four Grunts at once and slamming them aside. "Can you at least tell what happens if we break them off?"
Before Sabrina could respond, the answer revealed itself.
The Grunts froze mid-step. Then they all collapsed to their knees, clutching their heads and screaming. Their masks cracked, split, and shattered like eggshells, clattering to the ground. Beneath them, the Grunts blinked in confusion, faces pale, as if waking from a nightmare.
"Wha… what happ, IS THAT HO-OH AND LUGIA?!" one of them shrieked, pointing upward.
Every freed Grunt looked to the sky, their jaws dropping. Their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as the Legendary clones wheeled above the battlefield.
Then, like rats scattering from light, they bolted, running in every direction, abandoning the fight entirely.
The trainers stared, stunned.
"That was…" Bugsy started.
"…Weird," Jasmine finished softly.
"Well, who cares," Morty cut in sharply, snapping everyone back to the moment. He pointed upward. "That's one problem dealt with. But we've still got one left!"
Brock nodded, eyes hard as he turned back to Tyranitar. "Right. Let's finish this."
—
{Back with D}
In front of D, Houndoom's low growl rumbled as flames flickered and burned brighter around them.
"Come on… so close…" Anabel whispered. She looked at the others, her body trembling. She had overextended her psychic abilities, completely spent and on the verge of collapse.
Jay's hands shook as he gripped Todd's Poké Ball tighter. "Todd… you're all I've got left. So let's give everything we've got." His Meowth staggered forward, fur matted, tail dragging, but Todd refused to give up.
Sayoko raised Absol's ball. Her Pokémon tried to rise, its legs buckling, but it still lifted its head and growled at Houndoom. "Absol, stand with me."
D chuckled, low and venomous. "Pathetic. You call this resolve? No matter. Burn it all." He raised a gloved hand forward. "Houndoom [Inferno]."
The beast's jaws opened, fire swelling into a raging maelstrom.
"Natu, [Light Screen]!" Enid's voice cracked through the chaos.
"Stephen, you too!" Helena shouted, her ghost floating forward.
The tiny bird and the specter pushed their strength to the limit, forming shimmering barriers to shield the group.
The flames crashed against them, shattering the screens instantly. Absol leapt in front of Natu and Stephen, taking the brunt of the inferno. But the blast consumed everything, the Pokémon collapsing in the firestorm.
When the smoke cleared, Todd, Natu, and Absol lay motionless on the ground. Only Alakazam still stood, barely, its body trembling with exhaustion.
"Stephen!" Helena screamed, falling to her knees.
"Not you too, Todd!" Jay cried, cradling his last Meowth.
"No… even after everything, we couldn't win…" Enid whispered, her eyes glassy.
Domino's voice wavered as she tried once more. "D, please. You don't have to do this. I know you don't want to do this."
"And you think you know me?" D mocked, his tone sharp as a blade. "You don't know anything about me. You only know the version of me I let you see, the one who cleaned up your messes because you were too useless to do it yourselves."
"I know you care," Helena said, looking up at him, her voice shaking. "Even if you say you don't… I know it. Everyone thinks you're edgy, but you're not."
D stepped forward slowly, Houndoom pacing at his side, smoke curling from its jaws. "You were all so certain this was about victory. About 'saving me.' Did you ever consider… Maybe I don't want your help?"
He spread his arms wide. "I'm freer now than I've been in years."
"Free?!" Jay snapped, his voice cracking with desperation. "You call this freedom?! You're hurting everyone who ever cared about you!"
D tilted his head, expression hidden behind the mask. "Cared about me? If they truly cared, they would have seen what I've seen. I'm free because I don't care anymore. I don't have to pretend to care… when I don't."
Under the mask, D smiled. His earpiece crackled alive, and Porygon-Z's digital voice whispered into his ear: [Bzzzt…Sir. The plan is complete. Bzzzt…]
Here's the thing, the Executive Masks, like D's, were on a different system, one far more heavily protected. The hacking freed the Grunts and cut off all the other stuff the Masked man prepared. But not him
That is, if he was even mind-controlled in the first place… and not faking it.
So. Did you really think he was going to "power of friendship" his way out of this? No he had another surprise ready, so it was show time
D raised his arms one last time, his voice sharp with finality. "Get this through your skulls, the D you knew is gone. Gone forever! You don't even know my real name! Hahaha!"
As his laughter echoed, a ping crackled through their hidden communicators.
Anabel stiffened as the International Police came through: [We got it]
At the same moment, Owari heard Arlo's voice:[The system's out. That should do it.]
For the briefest heartbeat, relief spread among them. Maybe, just maybe, it was over. Maybe they could finally go back to how things were. Maybe D could still—
But hope died before it had the chance to take form.
D's mask buzzed. Lights flickered across its surface, faster and faster, a low beep rising in pitch. Houndoom growled low but didn't move. It already knew the plan.
"Wait—!" Anabel gasped, her psychic senses screaming too late.
The mask detonated.
Smoke and sparks burst outward, swallowing D in black haze. His scarf was caught by the wind, torn from his shoulders and tumbling lifelessly to the ground.
As the smoke thinned, his face came into view. Charred, bloodied, one eye swollen shut, D collapsed to his knees before falling face-first into the dirt.
"D!!" Enid screamed, her voice cracking.
Helena's heart sank. She sprinted forward, ignoring the others' shouts, ignoring the looming Houndoom. The beast didn't stop her, it only watched, tail lashing.
Owari's fists clenched, his mask of composure breaking at last. "…This wasn't supposed to happen."
Domino covered her mouth, the words trapped in her throat.
Anabel's pulse hammered in her ears. No. Not like this. Not after everything. She forced herself to breathe. "Come on, we need to get him to a hospital! Now!"
No one argued. Owari lifted D's limp body onto his back, his jaw set tight. Houndoom padded after them, letting out a low growl but making no move to stop them, "Lets go," he said as they ran
–
And for those watching at home?
Everything was going exactly according to plan.
D was never under mind control. That was obvious. The real question was, ahow to break free in a way they'd accept? They couldn't beat him. There'd be no cheesy "friendship saves the day" ending where they tore off his mask.
And he also could just 'win' even though technically he did, pretending to be mind controlled is a pain, so he made his own, plan C
The bomb inside the mask? Just a cherry bomb. Weak enough not to do real damage to his face, And even then he used Aura to protect it. Then he changed how he looked like with Aura again making it look like his face was mutilated
The acting was the easy part, just fall over like one of those overdramatic scenes in a movie with a death scene
With that, this was the end of D…'s part in this, D got rid of all of the things he wanted to get rid off, or at least knew of anyway, the rest was up to the real Ash