{With Ashtwo}
The helicopter settled into the sand with a harsh whump, rotors kicking up a wall of dust that rolled outward like a warning. When it finally died down, figures were already waiting.
Soldiers in clean, pressed uniforms. Weapons lowered, but ready. And at the front of them all stood a man with perfect posture and a scowl.
Colonel Hansen.
He didn't bother clapping. Didn't bother smiling. He just watched the helicopter door slide open like he was inspecting a shipment that had arrived late.
D stepped out first.
Boots hit sand. Coat fluttered once, then stilled. He took in the scene with one eye, unimpressed.
Hansen's lip curled, "This area is under Mirage Kingdom military jurisdiction," he said sharply, "You and your… entourage are not authorized to land here."
D, meanwhile, yawned, "Wow," he said dryly, "That's your opening line? No 'welcome,' no threats, not even a dramatic pause?" He said it less like he was joking around and more like he was looking down on Hansen.
Hansen's eyes narrowed, "I don't know who you think you are, but I suggest you turn around and leave. Immediately."
"Oh, I know exactly where I am," D replied, glancing around at the dunes, "And I know exactly what you're doing. I wonder what the king would think if he found out what you're doing."
A few of the guards shifted.
Hansen scoffed, "Baseless accusations."
"Sure," D said, "And those guns are for ceremonial purposes, right?"
Hansen's jaw tightened, "You're testing my patience."
"Good," D said lightly, "I was hoping you had some."
He turned slightly, motioning behind him, "Oh, before you kick us out, I want to show you something cool I have."
He reached into his coat.
The guards immediately raised their weapons.
"Easy," D said, holding up his hands, "Relax. It's not a bomb."
He pulled out a small, round figure, tiny, stubby little arms. Blue and red triangles on a white shell.
A Togepi.
Hansen froze, and the gang blinked, wondering where the heck D got a Togepi.
Then D rubbed the Togepi, "But well, you heard the man. Let's just get back on the helicopter and leave," D said as he turned around, and everyone was confused about what the heck D was doing.
Hansen grit his teeth, "Now wait a minute. You may leave, but hand over that Togepi."
"Hmm, why?" D said, "You want me to give up my dear Pokémon? How could you ask me to do that when I don't even know who you are? Oh wait, are you the great king of nothing I've heard so much about?" D said, making Jay snort in the background.
Hansen grit his teeth so hard it felt like they might break, "I am the regent of Mirage Kingdom, Colonel Hansen! Togepi needs to be used for some reasons, so we need Togepi. Leave Togepi, then leave this place as soon as possible!"
Enid finally spoke as she grew annoyed with this guy. After all, she only gets to talk like that, "Who do you think you are!? I won't listen to your orders!"
"Then there's nothing we can do." Colonel Hansen thought he was being soft, so now he needed to be tougher on these children. He snapped his fingers, and three insect Pokémon appeared from behind him, two Ninjask and a Shedinja.
The guards looked ready to raise their weapons, but Hansen raised his hand, telling them to stand down, since he did not think the group was anything special.
The group immediately went to grab a Poké Ball, but D raised a hand, "Don't worry about it. I can deal with this loser by myself. Besides, it's about time I stretched my legs." He reached down, grabbed one ball from his belt, and just dropped it into the sand. From it came his Houndoom.
Hansen smirked. Confident. Smug.
"Go ahead," he said, spreading his arms slightly, "Attack."
The Shedinja drifted forward, hollow eyes unblinking. The guards relaxed just a fraction. After all, Hansen never told them Shedinja's one weakness, why would he? He just acted like his Shedinja was invincible. Some of them even thought Shedinja was a secret pre-evolved Legendary, and Hansen never corrected them.
D just looked at him, then snapped his fingers, "Houndoom, [Heat Wave]"
Hansen's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, "No, not that!" He wanted to yell for his Pokémon to dodge, but it was too late.
The orange gust of superheated air shot out, and none of the Bug Pokémon could dodge, because how the heck do you dodge air? They were hit and went down like sacks of potatoes.
Hansen quickly composed himself, acting like this was all part of his plan, like he had gone easy on him, "Boy, you did well!" He put away his three Pokémon and waved his hand, and dozens of soldiers gathered around him.
"These people are intruders. Arrest them all!" Colonel Hansen left those words hanging as he prepared to leave.
D rolled his eyes. This guy was really pathetic. He lost, so now he was planning on getting them arrested, and then he would just take the "Togepi." Well, it was a good thing that D didn't play fair.
Jay, Enid, Helena, and Domino quickly prepared to fight their way out, but D raised his hands. It looked like he was going to surrender, but instead, from his sleeve, a thick purple tendril shot out like a missile and grabbed Hansen by the back of the neck, dragging him back into D's hand, where he caught him by the throat and turned him around.
"Did I give you permission to leave, dog?" D said coldly, his one visible eye narrowing.
"Ga! Boy, you don't know-" But he was cut off when D tightened his grip, choking him.
The guards looked like they were about to attack, but D wagged his finger, "No, no, no. That's naughty. Here's what's going to happen. Drop your weapons, or I'll snap his neck."
The guards froze.
Weapons half-raised. Fingers twitching on triggers. No one quite willing to be the first to test whether D was bluffing.
Hansen choked in D's grip, boots kicking uselessly above the sand. The purple tendril coiled tighter around his neck as Muk's face appeared behind Hansen's head.
D sighed, "I really don't like repeating myself. I'll give you to the count of three, and if I get there, I'll snap his neck. Then you can attack me, but I promise you, one more of you will die." He lowered his eye, "There are ten of you. That means there's a ten percent chance you die next. Are you feeling lucky?"
One of the soldiers swallowed hard. Another slowly lowered his rifle.
Then another.
Metal clattered to the sand. Once one went, the rest followed. Within seconds, rifles, batons, and sidearms lay scattered at their feet.
D tilted his head, "See? Much better. Communication."
He loosened his grip just enough for Hansen to gasp for air. Hansen coughed violently, clutching at the purple sludge on his neck.
D leaned in close, voice low enough that only Hansen could hear.
"You're no king," D said calmly, "You're not even a good regent. You're a pathetic waste of oxygen, and let's see how comfortable you are once the king finds out everything you've been doing."
Hansen wheezed, "Y-you can't, this kingdom—"
D punched him in the stomach, making him gasp for air. Then he spoke coldly, "I don't recall giving you permission to talk."
Domino muttered under her breath to the group, "He's good at this."
Jay didn't blink, "Terrifyingly good."
D glanced back at them, "So are you guys going to keep twiddling your thumbs, or are you going to restrain them?"
Helena snapped out of it first, "Right, yeah, on it," she said, already moving.
Helena and Enid rushed the nearest soldiers, quick and efficient now that the tension had broken. Zip ties came out. Hands went up. No one resisted. Domino watched their flanks, eyes sharp, daring anyone to try something stupid.
No one did.
Hansen sagged as D finally released him, collapsing to his knees in the sand, coughing hard enough it looked like his lungs were trying to escape. Muk's tendril withdrew smoothly, the sludge sliding back into D's sleeve as if it had never been there.
D brushed imaginary dust from his coat, "See? That wasn't so hard."
"So, are we going to play nice? Are you going to make it easy on us and admit everything, or are we doing this the hard way?" D said, grabbing Hansen by his hair.
Hansen spat out some sand that was in his mouth and glared at D, "Never. So what if you beat us? That just means you've attacked a high-ranking official. Besides, the king will never believe your word over mine, so he'll never find out that I'm going to usurp the throne, and I'll destroy that Togepi Paradise with my bare hands if I have to!"
Everyone just looked at him like he was the stupidest man in the universe. Even Enid had to hand it to this guy, he was more shameless than she was.
Then the Togepi jumped on D's shoulder, "Actually, it's your word against yours."
He held his hand out, and Togepi melted and turned purple, revealing itself to actually be a Ditto. Ditto then spat out a camera, which fell into D's hand.
D tilted the camera slightly so Hansen could see the screen, clear audio, clear video, every word.
Hansen's face drained of color, "You… you planned that," he whispered.
D shrugged, "Of course I did. I wouldn't come here unprepared."
He straightened, voice projecting just enough for the soldiers, and the nearby guards who were now very carefully pretending not to exist.
"Attempted usurpation of the throne. Militarization of sacred land. Illegal detention and weaponization of Pokémon." He ticked each one off on his fingers, "And a personal favorite, threatening to destroy Togepi Paradise."
Ditto chirped softly, still on his shoulder, almost smug.
Jay let out a low whistle, "Wow. He really just said all the quiet parts out loud."
Helena crossed her arms, "On camera."
Domino nodded, "To the guy most likely to record it."
"So, I see you chose the hard way. What a shame," D shook his head like he was disappointed. Then he saw Hansen try to open his mouth to speak, but D just shot out Muk, and it solidified over his mouth, shutting him up.
"There. Now we can actually think. So, we have some business to talk to the royal family about."
—
After that, D literally dragged Hansen through the kingdom, and he had Ditto become a Togepi again so no one would bother them. Yeah, this place was weird in the fact that they worshipped Togepi, a lot, so just seeing a Togepi on D's shoulder made most people not want to interfere. After all, a Togepi wouldn't be friendly with a bad person.
People, and even guards, took one look at the situation and immediately decided this was not their problem.
Hansen stumbled, half-dragged, half-carried. His mouth was still sealed shut in hardened sludge, eyes wild with fury and panic as people stared. Some whispered. Some bowed their heads. Others clasped their hands in prayer. A few children waved at the group.
Jay, Enid, Helena, and Domino followed along, carrying the guards between them, which just led to Enid bringing out her Ursaring to drag them too, while the pilot stayed in the helicopter since it had air conditioning.
They were just as baffled, especially when D walked up to the castle door. The guard took one look at them, then at the Togepi, and just opened the door and walked away. Wasn't this too unreasonable?
Jay leaned in toward Enid as they walked, "I can't tell if this place is peaceful or terrifying."
"Both," Enid muttered, "Definitely both."
They reached the throne chamber just as raised voices echoed from within.
"—the people must not be alarmed—"
"—Colonel Hansen assured us everything was under control—"
D stepped forward and threw Hansen onto the marble floor. The impact echoed.
At the far end of the chamber sat the Mirage King and Queen, but the princess wasn't here right now, probably out in the garden. Of course, D didn't call that out. Advisors flanked them, and priests stood frozen mid-prayer.
Everyone stared at the man gagged with purple sludge on their floor.
D gave a small wave, "Yo."
The king rose slowly, "Explain."
D snapped his fingers.
Muk withdrew just enough for Hansen to breathe.
Hansen sucked in air like a drowning man, "Y-Your Majesty, this man attacked, "
D stomped down on his head, muffling his voice with the carpet. Then he held up the camera.
"Let's skip ahead." He rewound it, then tossed the camera to one of the advisors.
The advisor almost dropped it but caught it. He looked at it, then slowly and hesitantly stepped closer to the king and pressed play on the video where D had left it.
Hansen's voice filled the chamber, "…I'll destroy that Togepi Paradise with my bare hands if I have to!"
D continued, pacing slightly as the recording played, "He also admitted to attempting a coup, illegally militarizing sacred land, and weaponizing Pokémon. Oh, and threatening religious genocide. That one's a bad look."
Togepi chirped.
The king looked down at Hansen, "…Is this true?"
Hansen looked around, frantically trying to think of a way out of this, "I, er, sir, that's completely out of context, I, um, " But again, D just pushed his foot harder.
"If you want context, just rewind the video. He has some choice words in there, I'm sure you'd like to hear them," D said, sticking his finger into his ear, "You know, I hear the Togepi choose a ruler in this kingdom, and that they only come out to pure-hearted people. My guess is that no Togepi came out of that paradise he talked about 'cause this guy is as cartoonishly evil as you can get."
The king gripped his chair as he raised his hand and pointed at Hansen, "…Remove his insignia," he said.
Two royal guards moved instantly, not Hansen's men. They grabbed Hansen by the arms and tore the regent's markings from his coat.
Hansen finally broke, "No, wait, Your Majesty, please! I did this for the kingdom—!"
"Silence. Take him to the dungeon. We'll decide what to do with him later," the king instructed.
Royal guards dragged Hansen away, boots scraping against the marble as he thrashed and protested, until the doors boomed shut behind him, sealing the sound.
The king exhaled slowly, then turned his gaze back to D, "You have our gratitude," he said.
The queen inclined her head, "The kingdom owes you a great debt."
D shrugged lightly, "Glad to be of service, but I'm sure you know I didn't do this out of the kindness of my heart."
There was a pause. The king's eyes sharpened, "Yes, I had my questions. Since I see you don't sugarcoat it, you may speak. What is it you came here for?"
"Fair question," D said, "Well, it's really simple. All we want is—"
Before he could elaborate, a soft gasp came from the side of the chamber.
A figure peeked out from behind a pillar, a girl with brown hair and a blue dress, half-hidden. It was Princess Sara.
She hesitated, then stepped forward, hands clasped, "Um, Father?" She looked at the Togepi perched on D's shoulder, eyes lighting up, "Is that… is that a Togepi?"
D glanced sideways at his shoulder.
The king noticed, "…Sara?"
She straightened, "I was listening. I'm sorry." Then, more urgently, "But if he truly has a Togepi, then maybe, maybe it can open the gate again. To Togepi Paradise."
The room stilled, and D could see people growing excited. After all, the so-called Togepi Paradise had been closed because of Hansen, so Sara hadn't gotten her Togepi to officially become the next queen, and that was kind of important to them.
D sighed, "Well," he said, lifting the Togepi gently into his hands, "about that."
The Togepi melted.
Purple rippled outward, collapsing and reforming as Ditto blinked cheerfully, letting out a soft dit.
The hope in the room shattered instantly.
Princess Sara froze, "…Oh."
One of the priests whispered, "It's… not real."
The king closed his eyes briefly.
"Yeah, I don't have a Togepi," D said, "but if you want, does this work?" He pulled out another Poké Ball and pressed the button. As it opened, a Togekiss emerged.
Before anyone could ask, Ash had sent Togekiss over, along with Ditto, since he knew this was a possibility and that D might need to deal with this mess. He was hoping he wouldn't have to, that's why he didn't go directly to the garden to get Sara before coming here.
D thought about it as Togekiss nuzzled against his mask. He gently pushed her away since the mask got nudged, quickly fixing it. Then he noticed the group behind him staring at him in shock.
"Since when…" Jay started to mumble.
"You know I had Pokémon before joining Team Rocket, right?" D lied, but he said it in a way that made it sound like a simple fact.
Then he looked back at the king, the advisors, and Sara, who were all staring at him and Togekiss. He rolled his eyes and cut them off by lightly tapping Togekiss's side.
"Let's not start a choir," he said flatly, "I swear, if you guys start some Disney musical, I'm leaving."
Togekiss chirped, clearly offended, nudging D in the side.
D rolled his eyes and rubbed her head, "Okay, before anyone asks: One, I raised Togekiss here since she was a Togepi. Two, I've had her for a few years now. Three, no, I don't want to usurp your throne, so don't even think about it. Four, if you want to open the portal, let's just do it and get it over with. Any other questions?"
Everyone shook their heads, mouths still hanging open, and D exhaled through his nose, already regretting this.
"Alright," he said, tone flat, "Let's get this over with."
He gave Togekiss a short nod.
She lifted gracefully, wings spreading wide as a soft, radiant glow bloomed around her. Everyone leaned forward.
Togekiss let out a clear, ringing cry. From the garden outside, the pillars began to glow as a bright blue gateway opened, light pouring outward. Then a Togepi jumped out, then another, and another, and another.
Togepi poured out of the portal in a cheerful cascade, tumbling, bouncing, chirping happily as if the world itself had invited them back. Some rolled across the floor. Some floated down gently. A few immediately waddled toward the priests, who promptly forgot how to function.
Togekiss laughed and flew over like a jet, happily greeting them all. One of the Togepi jumped up and landed on top of Togekiss, and the two laughed happily as they flew around like little kids.
Then Togekiss flew back in as the Togepi hopped down, took one look around, and beelined straight for Princess Sara.
She barely had time to gasp before it leapt into her arms, nuzzling against her chest and chirping happily.
The king sank back into his throne, hand over his mouth. The queen clasped her hands together, eyes shining.
Sara froze, then slowly hugged the Togepi back, tears spilling down her cheeks, "I-I promise," she whispered, voice shaking, "I'll protect everyone. I'll protect them. I swear."
"The ceremony can proceed!" the king said excitedly, "At last."
Cheers followed. Priests dropped to their knees. Advisors scrambled to one another, already shouting about preparations, dates, and traditions that had been delayed for far too long.
D was already done with this. He was glad he had a mask, because he was cringing hard at all of it. Sometimes he forgot how strange people in the Pokémon world could be.
"Great," he muttered, "Portal opened. Rain of divine egg babies accomplished. Can we move on, please?"
Togekiss nudged him with her head, clearly pleased.
"Don't get smug," D said, pushing her face away slightly, "This was a favor."
Sara looked up sharply, "Wait—!"
She rushed forward before anyone could stop her, Togepi still clinging to her. She bowed.
"Thank you," Sara said, voice earnest, "You didn't have to do any of this. You saved our kingdom. You did far more than I could ever pay back."
D looked away, "Don't read into it."
But she smiled anyway. Sara smiled anyway, "Then… at least accept our gratitude."
The Togepi chirped at him.
D sighed, "…Yeah. Fine."
Jay frowned slightly.
Helena bit her lip.
Domino crossed her arms.
Enid watched, expression tight.
They exchanged looks.
"…She's really grateful," Jay muttered.
"Yeah," Helena said softly.
Domino narrowed her eyes as she grit her teeth, "A little too grateful."
Enid said nothing, but her fingers curled slowly at her side.
"May I see my hero, at least?" Sara asked, a small blush growing.
D went very still. Then he looked at her, "…No," he said.
It wasn't harsh. It wasn't loud. It was just flat. Final.
The smile on Sara's face faltered, "O-oh. I didn't mean to, I just thought—"
D turned fully toward her, "It's fine. I just don't show my face," he said, "It's better that way. You won't like what you see."
The Togepi in her arms chirped, confused by the sudden shift in tone.
Sara hesitated, then nodded quickly, "I understand," she said a little too fast, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's fine," D replied.
Jay leaned toward Helena, whispering, "Wow. Shot down by a mysterious masked antihero. Brutal."
Helena elbowed him.
Domino just narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.
Enid looked at D's back, jaw tight, fingers still curled.
Sara shifted her grip on the Togepi, then looked up again, determination returning, softer this time, "Then… may I at least know your name?"
"No," D said again, "Everyone just calls me D, and I'd like it to stay that way. In fact, it might be better if you forget about me and move on."
Sara's shoulders drooped just a little, though she tried to hide it, "I… see," she said softly, "Then… D. I'll remember that much." Inside, she didn't give up. She'd try again next time.
D didn't answer. He had already turned away, attention drifting back to the king like this was a business meeting that had gone on far too long.
"Right," he said, "Now that we've dealt with all that, can we get back on topic, please?"
The king straightened, "You said you did not do this out of kindness," he said carefully, "Name your price."
D raised a finger, "First, relax. I don't want gold. Or land. Or titles." He glanced briefly at Sara, then away again, "And definitely not your throne. I really don't want to be any kind of king, too annoying to deal with."
"Long story short, in a week's time, one of our people will contact you to form, well, let's say an alliance, even though that's not really the word for it. You'll get more information when she contacts you, and before you say it, no, we're not forcing you to sign anything. It's meant to actually be a deal, so don't think this is some hostile takeover."
The king nodded slowly, understanding a little and calming down, "Okay. We will welcome whoever you send."
"Good. And the second thing is more of a personal matter," D said, growing serious, "Tell me, has there been anything strange going on in the desert?"
—
About an hour later, the group walked out of the castle. D wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, because he really didn't want to be involved in any of the festivals, especially since they would make him the guest of honor, and he didn't want that.
Meanwhile, Jay, Enid, Helena, and Domino walked behind D, all feeling a little down. For one, they hardly did anything here. They were the ones who begged to come with D, and yet it felt like they didn't do anything at all, like D could have come here on his own and nothing would have changed.
D walked ahead of them, hands in his coat pockets, unbothered. Behind him, the others slowed their pace.
Jay kicked at the sand, watching it scatter, "So," he muttered, forcing a tone that didn't quite stick, "guess that's another country saved."
No one laughed.
Helena hugged her arms around herself, "We didn't… really do anything, did we?"
Domino didn't answer right away. Her gaze stayed on D's back, on the straightness of his posture, the way he never once looked back to see if they were keeping up, "He didn't need us," she said finally, "Not even a little."
"That's not fair," Jay said automatically, then hesitated, "…Is it?"
Enid stayed quiet.
Her steps were heavier than the rest, boots sinking into the sand with each pace.
She was looking at D's mask and remembered the fact that they had fought him, all of them, and that they couldn't beat him. They still thought it was their fault that the mask exploded and that D was left the way he is now. Enid remembered that she never did get to properly apologize for any of it.
Helena slowed too, tapping the sand with her heel, like she was waiting to see if D would ask them something, but he didn't.
Domino clenched her fists. She hated that D never talked about it. Hated that he'd just… put the mask back on like nothing happened. Like they hadn't been the ones standing there when it did. And frankly, she thought she might hate herself for it.
Ahead of them, D stopped just short of the helicopter.
He didn't turn around. The wind tugged faintly at his coat, sand whispering across the ground.
The sudden halt almost made them collide with one another.
Enid's breath hitched. It was now or never.
She took a step forward, voice low, too low for how badly her chest hurt, "D…"
He tilted his head slightly. Not quite looking at her.
She clenched her fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms, forcing the words out before she could lose her nerve.
"…Do you hate us?"
That finally made D turn around and look at them with his one good eye, and the group held their breath, waiting to hear whatever D would say.