Rebirth of a Hero
Author's note: Hello everyone. I hope you're ready for the next chapter of Rebirth of a Hero. I'm doing things a bit backwards as I had promised myself to get all of my stories to where the main events start happening (i.e. my Digimon story still needs to be there), but I wanted to go ahead and get another chapter done on one of my other stories and this is the first one that popped up in my mind. Oh and for those that might complain about Ash/Satoshi having gifts, it's something that was granted as they are/were the chosen ones in their time. Ash really doesn't see things though; she just gets dreams of her first life.
On another note, I'm super excited that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is now in theaters. I'm going to catch it when I can in between work and school.
Well, here's the next chapter of Rebirth of a Hero!
Key:
"Speech"
'Thought'
"Speech through Aura"
Dreams and Flashbacks
Disclaimer: I think you know by now, but if not, refer to the past three chapters.
Chapter 4~
Secrets of the Past
Dream Sequence: Satoshi groaned, opening his eyes. Looking around, he saw that he was in the healing chambers. Satoshi thought back, trying to remember what happened and he sat up, his hand going to his head. 'It's never been like that before,' he thought.
Satoshi felt something against his leg and looked down. His eyes widened when he saw his friend Pikachu sleeping curled up against his leg. Riolu was sleeping next to him, curled up slightly as well. Satoshi smiled as he realized that he would be able to become a guardian, even if his father insisted that he still be trained to take over when he dies.
Hearing the door open, Satoshi turned his head and saw his sister Ibuki poking her head through. "You're awake," she said, coming over to his bedside. "You've been out for a few hours. The healers actually had to force your father out of the room when he kept getting in the way of them trying to help you. What happened anyway?" she asked.
Satoshi sighed before he looked at her. "Gather our friends," he said ignoring the question for now. "We have much to discuss and they're a part of it."
Ibuki raised an eyebrow at him in question. "Do you want me to get Wataru?" she asked.
Satoshi nodded. "He can give some insight. Don't tell anyone else though. What I'm going to say might shock them," he answered.
Ibuki nodded in understanding. "I'll have them gather in your meeting rooms. The healers did say you could leave as soon as you woke up."
"Thanks, Ibuki. I'll meet you guys there," Satoshi said as he got off the bed. Picking up Pikachu and Riolu, the two siblings left the room, only one knowing some of the peril that lied ahead.
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Ash sat up, breathing hard. Looking out the window, she saw that it was still dark out, indicating that it was still early morning. Ash grabbed her notebook from beside her bed, after turning on the lamp, and wrote down the dream that she had just had. 'Who were they and why did they seem familiar?' she thought as she continued to write.
"Pikapi?" a voice from beside her said.
Turning, Ash saw Pikachu stretching and smiled, seeing her partner. "It's nothing Pikachu. I just had another one of those dreams again. Go back to sleep," Ash suggested.
Pikachu shook his head and came over to Ash. "Pika Pi Pikachu," he said, rubbing his head against Ash's arm.
"Thanks buddy. I better tell Cilan and Iris. You know how they are."
Pikachu nodded and leapt off the bed. He headed for the door and waited for his trained.
"At least the sun is finally up. Now Iris can't complain that I woke her too early," Ash joked as she opened the door. Lady Ilene had decided that since they were going to discuss some things that the group could just stay in the castle for the night.
Pikachu nodded, laughing as well. He jumped up onto Ash's shoulder as the girl headed to her friend's rooms.
"Ash?" a voice asked, sounding startled.
Ash turned and saw Max standing behind her, rubbing his eyes. "Hey Max," she said, rubbing the back of her neck.
"What are you doing up already?" he asked.
"I woke up early and was going to check to see if anyone else was up," she said as they walked down the hall.
"I think they all headed to one of the dining rooms. Come on, we can meet them there before we find out what your dad wanted to talk about," Max said, turning the corner.
Ash nodded, following Max into one of the smaller dining rooms. Opening the door, they saw their friends, Ash's dad, Riley, Lance, Clair, and Lady Ilene sitting around the table, chatting. 'I guess it was later than I thought,' she mused silently as she headed for an empty seat between Cilan and Iris.
The group at the table nodded to the two newcomers and continued to eat.
"Why did you want to see us, dad?" Ash asked as she finished her third plate.
"I'll tell you in the conference room. It will take a bit of time to explain and even then, there are still some pieces of the puzzle missing," Mr. Ketchum replied.
Ash nodded, and once everyone was finished, they left the room and headed for one of the meeting rooms. Everyone wondered what would be revealed.
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Ash glanced around the room as the group took up a spot around the table in the middle of the room. At the end of the table sat Lady Ilene, Mime Jr. in her arms as they waited for Mr. Ketchum to start. Ash sat between Cilan and Clair with the others scattered around one side of the table.
Mr. Ketchum put a briefcase on the table and opened it, pulling out different scrolls and paintings. "What do you know of Pokélantis?" he asked as he pulled out a stack of paper.
Riley's eyes widened. "The island that sank to the bottom of the sea? It's said to be the home of the first Aura Guardians."
Mr. Ketchum nodded as he shut the briefcase. "Pokélantis is one of the oldest settlements known to man. It is said to be even older than Pokémopolis, which is an old kingdom in itself."
Ash, Misty, and Brock nodded at that. All three knew about that. Seeing their nods, Lance groaned, gaining looks from around the table.
"Why do I have a feeling that the three of you have had something to do with Pokémopolis?" he asked.
"I have no idea what you mean, Lance," Ash said.
"Oh, so I guess I just imagined that it was your Pikachu that had absorbed the blue orb that controlled Groudon in Hoenn? And that I saw you, Brock, May, and Max there as well?" Lance said, raising an eyebrow.
"Told you he's usually in the same area as a legendary that's about to be in trouble," Misty said as she smirked.
"Not to mention all the other trouble he's gotten into," Brock said in agreement.
"Fine, Brock, Misty, and I were in the area when Pokémopolis was discovered," Ash said, crossing her arms.
Mr. Ketchum cleared his throat, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Anyway," he said. "I managed to find some records of some of the stuff that happened during that time period and found some old paintings and records as well." He began to pass out the information.
Ash bit her lip, looking at one of the scrolls. 'It looks like one of the ones in my dreams,' she thought. Her eyes narrowed at the slightly familiar writing. "Where did you find this stuff, dad?" she asked.
"Shamouti Island in the Orange Archipelago. And don't think you're getting out of talking about what happened there, Ash. That was reckless and you know it," Mr. Ketchum said, glaring at her.
Ash gulped, sinking in her seat. "I had to help, dad. You would have done the same in my place. Plus, I was picked for the role. I guess they didn't think that it would turn out to be true."
"Wait, are you talking about the phenomenon that happened 4 years ago with the Pokémon acting weird and the weather being crazy?" Cilan asked looking at Mr. Ketchum.
He nodded. "I guess the effects were felt everywhere," Mr. Ketchum said.
Riley snorted. "That's an understatement. Lucario was acting odder than usual."
"Can we get on with what you found, Mr. Ketchum?" Iris asked, stopping the talk that was about to brew.
"Right, well, like Riley said, Pokélantis was known for having the first Aura Guardians. In fact, that's where a lot of the old practices came from. The guardians that weren't on the island when it sank began to take apprentices that showed the ability to use aura, though they didn't always have a Pokémon partner," Mr. Ketchum explained, finally taking a seat.
May looked at one of the paintings and gasped, drawing attention. "Who are the people in this painting, Mr. Ketchum?" she asked, holding it up. Ash's eyes widened as she looked at the painting. It some of the people in the dreams that she'd been having lately, including some of their partners.
"Ah, that's a painting of the crown prince, his sister, and their group of friends. From one of the journals I found of the prince's, they were a close knit group that were a lot like you guys, including looks." Mr. Ketchum sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Clair asked, worried about her uncle.
"From what I found in the diary, that painting was done not long after the prince, Satoshi, was picked to be trained to be an Aura Guardian. His older cousin," Mr. Ketchum said, pointing to the person, "was the heir to the dragon clan at the time and had been picked to be a dragon tamer." The group started as the person looked a lot like Lance.
"Is there a reason why you wanted to talk to the group here?" Lady Ilene asked, leaning forward.
Mr. Ketchum nodded. "From what I've read, the prince had been having dreams about what was going to happen and alerted his friends. Together, the group came up with a way that would allow them to be reborn time and time again up till the point of when whatever evil first caused Pokélantis to sink returned, thus ending the cycle. In each lifetime, one of the members of the group would start to remember and tell the others so that they would be ready. According to the journal, the prince would be the last to start remembering."
Cilan and Iris shared a look. They had a feeling about who the prince's reincarnation was, as Ash had been having dreams lately. They wondered if she would tell the others.
"That doesn't explain why you wanted to speak to us, though," Max said.
"I believe that the members in your group might be the reincarnations of the group in the painting. It seems to fit as you look a lot like them, but the only one I haven't been able to find is the reincarnation of the prince," Mr. Ketchum explained.
"Wouldn't he be the same gender though?" Dawn asked.
Riley shook his head. "Not necessarily. Even in different lifetimes, people could have a different gender than their previous one. I guess this is one of those cases."
"Not to mention the prophecy I found. It claims that the chosen one along with his friends would rise to save the world from an ancient evil, but no one knows when that will happen," Mr. Ketchum revealed.
"The prince looks a lot like Ash and Ritchie. Maybe it's one of them," Misty said.
"There's one more thing you should know. According to the journal and scrolls I found, there will be a traitor that will pretend to help you guys before showing their true colors," Mr. Ketchum told them. "Luckily, it's said that once you found out, the others would start to remember as well. The only that wouldn't is the traitor."
"That's comforting," Gary said, looking over at Ash. He could tell that she'd been having some trouble sleeping lately and hoped his childhood friend was okay.
"This is a lot to think on. Just so you know, I'll help you guys in any way I can. An aura user should prove to be helpful in this situation," Riley said.
"But Ash can use aura though," Max said before May could slap a hand over his mouth.
Mr. Ketchum and Riley turned to look at Ash. "Why do you hide that, Ash?" Mr. asked. "You used to use it quite a bit when you were 5."
Ash clenched her fist, looking down. "Because I don't remember using it before coming here, dad. That, and because of what happened in the Tree of Beginning."
"What happened?" her dad asked. Clair and Lance wondered as well.
Ash looked down. "Sir Aaron's Lucario sacrificed himself to save the tree. We were helping together, but he pushed me out of the way to finish it himself."
May covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. Lady Ilene looked down, sad at what she had just heard.
"Lucario did what it thought was right, Ash," Mr. Ketchum said.
"Not at the expense of his life!" Ash exclaimed, standing up. She clenched her fist. "I'm sorry, but I need some air." With that, she left the room, Pikachu on her heels.
"We never knew. Ash just said that Lucario had gone to join Sir Aaron. He never said what had happened," May said.
"No one knew. He'd been keeping it bottled up inside this long," Cilan said.
"I guess this meeting's over then. Thank you for letting us use the room, Lady Ilene." Mr. Ketchum bowed his head to her.
"No problem. I was glad to help." Lady Ilene stood and left the room. With that, the rest of the group left, heading off to find their missing friend.
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(Undisclosed location)
In a control room deep in Unova, a man sat back in his chair watching the monitors in front of him. It showed the group leaving the room as they headed out.
'So, Nathaniel has told them about it. I wonder who they'll suspect first,' the figure thought as the door opened behind him. He smirked silently as a dark purple aura surrounded his hand.
The door opened behind him and he turned, seeing one of his minions about to report. "Sir, the A team is in position to start their project," the minion said. They quaked lightly in their boots as they waited for confirmation to start it.
"Tell them to begin. It's time we started. The time of the Aura Guardians has come to an end," the boss said, chilling laughter falling from his lips.
The minion bowed and left quickly, terrified.
'Let the games begin, Prince Satoshi. This time, I'll win,' he thought as he looked at Ash looking over a balcony.
Author's note: Whew, that was a doozy. I hope you liked the scene at the end. Now, everything's going to go quickly from there, though the chapters will still be slow in coming. Sorry about that. Keep the reviews coming. Bye for now!
~Selene-daughter of the sea
