Chapter 10: Guardians' Guardian
The morning rose once more. Irma woke to find saliva on her pillow. Her dream of marrying Ash caused her to kiss it. Getting to the kitchen, the phone rang. Her mother answered it. "Lair Residence," she replied. "This is Anna."
"Is Irma awake?" sounded Hay Lin. Anna looked to find Irma chugging on orange juice.
"Irma, I know you had that nice date with Ash. I hope that's all you did." Irma stopped her juice drinking before wiping her mouth with her arm.
"If there was, you're dreaming," she snapped.
"That's what I thought. By the way, sounds like Elyon wants you." Hearing that the young Meridian Queen wanted her, Irma snagged the phone before dashing to another room.
"What's going on, Hay Lin?"
"Trouble in Meridian, big time! Ash needs to know as well. I've called Will and Cornelia, already." Irma figured the trouble needed Ash's attention as well.
"You don't need to tell me twice. I'll call up Ash."
"Okay, tell him and Pikachu to meet up at the Silver Dragon. We're waiting." Irma disconnected to call Matt's place.
"This is Matt," he replied.
"Matt, problem in Meridian. We need you and Ash at the Silver Dragon, pronto!" Ash and the two mice came to the kitchen and heard the trouble.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"We're on our way," Matt announced before hanging the phone. "We're needed at the Silver Dragon. Something's going on in Meridian that Elyon retreated." Pikachu and Huggles wondered the ordeal.
"Let me get ready." After getting dressed, Ash joined Matt out the door where Will joined. Huggles leaped onto the redhead to welcome.
"You got Irma's call?" asked Cornelia.
"We did, alright," Matt confirmed. "It's gotta be serious if we're adding Ash to it." While that group headed to the restaurant, Irma and Cornelia met up with Hay Lin nearby.
"Sorry it took long," Irma confessed. "Had to throw my pillow liner in the wash after I drooled on it. I thought I grew out of it." Cornelia had a guess to the occasion.
"Were you thinking of Ash after the date?" she thought.
"Me in a wedding with his mom in the crow- Oh! I married Ash and we kissed… or I kissed the pillow as a substitute." Cornelia and Hay Lin laughed to the confession. "Hey, you would be thinking the same thing with Caleb and Eric, right?" Hay Lin continued to laugh while Cornelia stopped.
"Hey, leave my privacy out of this discussion." Elyon emerged at the front door and alerted everyone inside. Before long, the others arrived, including Caleb. Elyon allowed the rest in before meeting in the basement where Ash reunited with Charizard. Looking, he spotted Irma batting an eye with a soft giggle. Ash blushed to Irma's look, the date still fresh on their minds. Taranee wanted to know the situation occurring.
"What's the crisis, Elyon?" she questioned. Elyon took a deep breath before coming clean.
"Phobos is once again freed," she reported. Groans loomed from the guardians.
"It's a big enough pain that we incarcerated him… three times already!" complained Will. "Now, we have to do it again?!" Not knowing Phobos, Ash wondered who he was.
"Doesn't sound like Phobos is someone to look up to," he guessed.
"Not even close," Cornelia corrected. "Phobos was the original lord of Meridian who wanted to rule the universe and the worlds within the veil, including Earth and Kandrakar. He's also Elyon's older brother and a powerful sorcerer." This led to more questions.
"How did Phobos escape this time?" wondered Hay Lin.
"From Blunk's take, Jeek escorted two adults and a cat to the dungeon," Elyon explained. Ash and Pikachu gawked to the briefing. Something about the description sensed a problem.
"This cat you mention," he spoke up. "Did it have a coin stuck to its forehead?" Elyon thought to the meeting with those who freed Phobos.
"Yeah, and it… or he spoke like he's raised in Brooklyn." This made Ash and Pikachu cringe.
"What's Team Rocket doing on Meridian?" The guardians now glanced to a pondering Ash with his thumb and index finger cupping his chin.
"Team Rocket?" Irma repeated.
"They're an organization bent on stealing other trainers' Pokémon for their rarity or power. The ones who you say freed your brother have been after me for Pikachu. My Pokémon and I stopped them many times but they never get the message." Now the teens pondered the reasoning behind Team Rocket and Phobos working together.
"You don't suppose Phobos promised them Pikachu when they broke him out of prison," Hay Lin guessed.
"It gets worse," Elyon continued. "When Phobos and Team Rocket confronted us, he said that he killed Cedric and Miranda." Everyone gawked to the update. They could wonder the purpose.
"Why would he eliminate his own minions?" wondered Matt. Will wasn't willing to stick around for more questions.
"Let's ask them when we reach Meridian," she proposed while standing up. "Guardians, unite!" The guardians transformed to their heroic attire. "The Heart!"
"Water!" claimed Irma.
"Fire!" yelled Taranee.
"Earth!" called out Cornelia.
"Air!" finished Hay Lin. Matt transformed to Shagon and Huggles also morphed. He became a fierce hybrid of muscles and dormouse wearing a sleeveless navy blue shirt and shorts. Caleb wanted to help Elyon reclaim the throne.
"Will, we're ready!" he announced. "Let's bring down Phobos once again and for all!" Will used the pendant to open a veil which all opened. On Meridian, Phobos and Team Rocket captured several men, including Julian. Jessie mercilessly kicked Julian to the ground.
"Phobos, you've been defeated before," he grunted. "History… It will repeat itself."
"Can it, pops!" scowled Jessie. "We're making sure the true ruler is back on his throne." Before long, the guardians arrived, as well as the boys.
"You're telling me those two in the white uniforms are Team Rocket?" murmured Irma.
"That would be them," Ash identified. Phobos turned around to find the guardians arriving along with the boys and the queen.
"So much for hiding when you've returned to accept your fate, dear sister," he sneered. Team Rocket saw the arrivals but eyed Ash and Pikachu.
"Looks like the twerp and Pikachu did find this place!" awed James.
"Okay, what's with da twerpettes flying?" asked Meowth. Taranee didn't approve of the name-calling.
"Hey, we're not twerpettes, fur-ball!" she snapped as she held fireballs.
"And why would Team Rocket work with a dictator?" snarled Will.
"Easy, we're here to put dear Phoby on the pedestal where he rightfully belongs," Jessie explained. Her naming of Phobos made the youths rather disturbed.
"Dear Phoby?" repeated Taranee. "She's… kidding, right?"
"We'll dominate Meridian, the Pokémon World… Pretty much the universe as king and queen." The group became more disturbed with her confirmation.
"Wish there were a few outhouses but I don't feel so good with that reply," Hay Lin gulped.
"That might go for a lot of us," Elyon shuttered. To Cornelia, she found an opportunity to dig in Jessie's nerves.
"I highly doubt Prince Phobos would ever have a queen who doesn't have a fashion sense," she scoffed. Jessie turned to Cornelia, seething from the taunt.
"What was that, you ingrate of a twerp?" she scowled. "This is Team Rocket's uniform! Show some dignity to the working class!"
"The work you do is less than civil," Ash retorted. "Stealing Pokémon from trainers like me, destroying property, kidnapping, false imprisonment..." James wanted to mute Ash for those remarks.
"Face it, you old hag," Cornelia continued. "Someone like you would never fit with Phobos." Hearing her new words, Jessie became furious.
"Old… Hag?" she repeated. "That's it! Prepare for trouble, you're on my nerves." James and Meowth reached Jessie and started a skit for themselves.
"Make it double, I'll make defeat on your reserves!" added James.
"An evil as old as the galaxy!"
"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"
"Meowth, that includes me!" added Meowth.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" resumed Jessie.
"To extend our reach to the stars above!" continued James.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"And Meowth are the names!" he mewed.
"Whenever there's peace in the universe…" Jessie continued.
"Team Rocket…" James named.
"…Will be here…" Meowth told.
"To make it worse!" the three finished. Will landed and faced Team Rocket.
"Nice motto," she murmured. "But this is why guardians are here! Quintessence!" Lightning shot out from Will but didn't hit any of the trio. This got under Jessie's skin.
"Hey, news flash!" she shouted. "Trainers aren't suppose to get into attack each other!" Cornelia came to teach Jessie the laws of Meridian.
"Not to throw shade to Phobos, but he doesn't take brainless people as followers," she pointed out.
"You forgot that we're not in the Pokémon World, Jessie," Ash advised. "Here, we're free to do what we want." The Rockets returned to their feet as Ash faced off with Pikachu ready for a fight. "I got Team Rocket. You do what you can to stop Phobos and get their prisoners free." Cornelia nodded to the idea.
"So, da twerp wants ta do dis in classic fashion!" growled Meowth.
"But now that we know what to do, let's show that twerp how nasty we can get!" suggested James. "Cacnea, let's go!" Throwing a ball, it opened to uncover a green cactus ball with cacti arms and spikes for legs. It also had a crown while it jumped onto James with a hug around his neck. The needles poked in James, now in pain. "You need to stop this!"
"Seviper, Dustox, I choose you!" summoned Jessie. She threw her balls and released a zigzag black snake with gold plating around the face. The other was a purple moth with green ragged wings. Pikachu snarled to seeing the Pokémon appearing.
"Ready to go, Pikachu?" asked Ash. Pikachu felt ready to head out. "Let's play it even. Charizard, Grovyle, Phanpy, I choose you!" Ash tossed three balls upward and when opened, unveiled the three creatures he called forth.
"Seviper, Poison Tail!"
"Cacnea, Needle Arm!" commanded James. Seviper swung its glowing purple blade as its tail as Cacnea spun an arm like a wheel.
"Corphish, Iron Defense!" ordered Ash. Corphish hardened its stance as Cacnea's arm came by. The arm smashed into Corphish but the crayfish stood tall while the tail missed. "Good! Phanpy, Rollout!" Phanpy leaped up and curled itself to form a wheel before spinning at Seviper. CRASH! The snake got rattled by the shot.
"Dustox, Psybeam!" issued Jessie. Dustox fired a beam of light from its eyes. Ash had to act fast.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" The Pokémon leaped clear of the Psybeam. Charizard breathed a stream of flames and burned Cacnea and Dustox. Seviper cleared from the strike.
"Did ya forget about Meowth?" he called. "Fury Swipes!" Meowth swiped the air aiming for Pikachu. Phanpy rolled around before facing Meowth, giving Ash the idea.
"Phanpy, Defense Curl!" Phanpy curled again but spun backwards as Meowth arrived. The back spin knocked Meowth back. As Ash dealt with Team Rocket, the guardians fought Phobos. Shagon helped with distracting Phobos but it proved futile. One blast blew Shagon from the sky.
"Matt!" cried Will before flying to aid him. Phobos fired magic missiles at the pair but Will flew Shagon out of the way. The giant Huggles charged at Phobos blasted Huggles away.
"Khor!" yelled Shagon.
"Seriously, Nerissa's power's minuscule compared to what I have now," Phobos taunted. He turned to find Caleb helping his father and others from their imprisonment.
"Caleb, get out of here!" warned Julian.
"Not without you, father!" refused Caleb. Phobos fired rays at the imprisoned but Julian shoved Caleb away, dodging the blast. Jessie saw Pikachu and Phanpy knock Seviper unconscious while Charizard torched Dustox.
"No more Pokémon Trainer!" she snarled while whipping out a bazooka. Cornelia saw the bazooka trained on Pikachu.
"Not on my watch!" she scorned before reaching out with her arm, grabbing air and pulling up. The bazooka flew from Jessie's shoulder and out of the area. Seeing this, Ash turned to Cornelia, both flicking thumbs up. Suddenly, Phobos appeared in midair and in front of Cornelia.
"I thought your battle was with me," he taunted as he stuck a hand out. Ash saw Cornelia in trouble and chose to act. Seeing Dustox struggle to fly in front of Jessie, he banked on a theory.
'Let's see if Wobbufett is with her still,' he guessed. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped high and right between Dustox and levitating Phobos. He launched Thunderbolt at Dustox when a blue blob with a squinted face standing appeared. It revealed a red glow as Thunderbolt struck it, saving Dustox from damage. The Thunderbolt came back at a falling Pikachu, missing the Pokémon by inches, but Phobos never saw it coming and took the shock in full. Landing and shaking off the electric attack, he turned to Jessie, not too pleased. Jessie gulped at the mean stare.
"Phobos, that wasn't me!" she claimed innocence. Ash faced Phobos who sensed the aura.
'What's this?' he pondered. 'I haven't seen this essence before… yet it's enticing…' That's when Irma tried to spray water on Phobos but he vanished.
"Where did he go?!" she gasped. When Cornelia returned to the guardians, many of the Prince appeared.
"Copies?" murmured Hay Lin. "Really?"
"Fly up!" ordered Will. The guardians flew upward but that's when the copies shot lightning and stopped the girls. More copies summoned vines to ensnare the girls. Even more combined blustering winds and streams of water to freeze the guardians. Together, Phobos had little effort making sure the guardians were in place.
"Now, to end the cycle of the guardian and triumph over the veil for good," he sneered. Ash saw the trouble affecting his friends. Looking, he saw the copies but they appeared someone transparent… except for one, and he dashed at him.
"I'll give you something good!" he yelled as he reached the copies. Irma found Ash on the attack.
"Don't!" she tried to warn. Ash found the Phobos and punched him on the chin. This made the copies disappear. Needless to point at the upset Phobos.
"That was uncalled for," he grunted. With Ash focused on Phobos, Team Rocket saw an opportunity.
"Let's get da Pokémon while he's distracted!" mewed Meowth. Jessie and James saw the opportunity with Ash fighting Phobos.
"Now or never!" grinned Jessie. Before they could, Caleb and Aldarn tackled Jessie and James, pinning them to the ground. Huggles/Khor grabbed Meowth by the head.
"Not while we're here!" snapped Caleb. Julian started wrapping James' legs. Khor eyed Meowth's coin and pinched it.
"My charm!" he complained as Khor pulled. The charm didn't budge. Khor seemed puzzled to it. Phobos recovered and fired a few magic blasts but Ash dodged within inches. Ash tried to buy time for the guardians to recover.
"Let's see you dodge this!" the prince shouted as he made multiples of himself before raining beams, all striking Ash and flooring him. He reeled in pain.
"Ash!" the guardians cried. Ash got to his feet while the multiples vanished. The aura illuminated heavily as he staggered.
"I see… The more you're punished, the brighter this energy glows." Ash took a deep breath before Aaron's voice came around.
"Descendant, now's the time to release it," he advised. "Allow me!" Ash flung his arms and suddenly, a flash. When it dimmed, Ash now donned blue armor from the torso to his feet. Chain mail covered his arms and knees.
"My, that's a nice getup."
"Thanks," Ash smiled. "It's made of aura… my aura. It's about time to show you the real power of an aura possessor." Phobos fired more beams but Ash sped around each shot before planting a punch to Phobos' face. The prince wasn't hurt and scorched Ash with a flame similar to Taranee's. Ash fell back and Phobos now focused on the guardians.
"From that, you have potential. Perhaps, you could be a member of my parliament once I reign control of Meridian from my little sister's grasp. At least she won't need to worry about the guardians protecting her or any planet I plan on seizing." He opened his hands to the guardians. To Ash, he had to stop Phobos from harming his friends.
"Don't hurt them!" To Phobos, it was an empty plea.
"Why should I? What would you do for them?" Ash nodded to what he planned.
"I never asked for this aura, this… power given. It may be better with you and not me." Phobos relented while Pikachu squeaked in refusal. "Pikachu, I wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer and become a Pokémon Master, not an aura guardian. It's luck that I have this." Phobos walked to Ash, intrigued.
"I will admit, this… aura is enticing. Perhaps by taking it and bringing you back to your world will you no longer have to worry about this nuisance. Let me take a sample." Phobos palmed Ash and the veil of aura started to leave Ash and go to Phobos. After a few seconds, the transfer stopped. Phobos felt the aura radiating from within. "It tingles… it throbs..." Jessie broke free from Aldarn before going after Pikachu.
"Now you're coming with me to take back to my boss!" she snapped. Phobos shot another beam which nailed Jessie and launched her several yards. Pikachu blinked to what just happened.
"Jessie!" cried James and Meowth. Jessie started to rise but stopped on her hands and knees looking at Phobos.
"Darling, why?" she whined. "I wanted to rule along with you… as king and queen of the universe!" Phobos sneered as he stared Jessie down.
"You're inferior," he mocked. "You don't have the same energy or essence he has. Besides, I don't need a queen… not that you're queen-material to begin with." Jessie screeched to the rejection. Ash laughed, adding to the mockery.
"They're better off in the dungeon, especially all the destruction they've made," he added. Phobos now showed attention to Ash.
"Indeed. Now, let me relieve you of this curse." Palm on Ash, he began to siphon the aura. Ash felt his energy sapping. Suddenly, a reaction. Phobos felt something inside fighting him. "What's going on?!" He clasped his own hand contorting and convulsing. Ash blinked at what he's seeing.
"His aura!" realized Elyon. "Aaron's aura's trying to control Phobos!" None of the guardians believed it.
"Could you run that again?" blinked Irma. Phobos did his best to suppress the aura and turn to Ash back on his feet but struggled to stand.
"I should end you for that trick!" he snarled. Ash eyed Charizard flying over. "Do you have any last words before you're a statue?" The guardians and the Pokémon gasped.
"Well, one," Ash grunted. He took a deep breath. "OVERHEAT!" Charizard heard the call and flew in with his body glowing red. In one fell swoop, the winged one collected the prince and flew him up before tossing him to the air. When his head turned to the guardians, Ash spotted it and dashed over, hoping to stop the attack.
"Begone!" He fired a massive beam just as Ash arrived and Charizard breathed a white blazing stream of fire. It completely engulfed Phobos while he cried in the brief pain. His entire body became incinerated. The beam he fired struck Ash as he stood in front of Cornelia and Irma with a massive plume of smoke. As the smoke started to lift, everyone wanted to be sure no one got hurt.
"Everyone okay?" wondered Julian. Irma looked up to find Ash, his arms stretched wide and somehow standing from the blast.
"Ash?" she called. Ash didn't move. It soon became clear why: Ash's body turned to stone. "Ash?!" The Pokémon were shocked as were the other guardian and Elyon. Irma saw the new statue of Ash, not believing the fate bestowed. "ASH!" She dove onto the statue, bawling to the loss. Matt reverted but when he reached Will, she hugged him with tears flowing. Caleb came to Cornelia's side when he saw her start to tear up. She dove onto his chest to cry out. Charizard flew back to the guardians but witnessing a death, Taranee's head buried herself in his abdomen. Hay Lin found Phanpy to hug while Elyon took a heartbroken Pikachu in her arms. The villagers saw the outcome.
"He gave his life to protect those he loved," Matt believed.
"Don't leave me, Ash! I never got a chance to tell you my feelings! I loved you! I would've wanted to stay with you! For all my life! Come back! Come back to me! Please!" The tears landed on the statue's shoulder before trickling down. That's when the tears started to glow. The glow began to coat the statue. Irma's tears began to make the statue light up. In a flash, the statue became Ash again. Ash blinked while everyone but Irma gasped in disbelief. He felt Irma hugging him and wrapped her, stopping her cry. Silence…
"You okay, Irma?" he asked. A pause… Irma stood up a little before a sniffle.
"Oh, Ash!" She hugged him again, only grateful to be with Ash alive. "I'll be fine… with one thing." Without a hint of hesitation, she kissed Ash on the lips like on the date. A newly-elated Pikachu squeaked to the kiss. The guardians and villagers cheered wildly to the revival. The Pokémon came to Ash while Ash held her head to kiss back.
"I guess it's official," Taranee teased. "Ash and Irma are an item!" Will used the Heart to transform Irma from her guardian gown but they never stopped kissing until Ash's Pokémon reached, including a relieved Pikachu.
"I may be protected by guardians," Elyon compared. "But Ash is the guardian of guardians." While the celebration continued, Cornelia spotted Jessie escaping. She flew to intercept her.
"And where do you think you're going, Jessie?" she sneered. Jessie looked up to find Cornelia in her face.
"It doesn't matter with you," she snapped back. "Team Rocket may have lost their chance this time but we'll get Pikachu for-"
"Nope! No way." Raising her arm, vines came out of the ground and wrapped Jessie, immobilizing her.
"Let me go!"
"Breaking a dangerous criminal out of the dungeon… You and your boys will have a nice rest of your lives in the same place you broke Phobos out of."
"You should know that no jail or dungeon will keep me locked up! I'll break out of there and-"
"You'll have your face ridiculed by me, and luckily I kept the makeup kit in the castle. Trust me, you'd be better off staying put." Jessie gawked to the torture Cornelia would give her. Aldarn and Julian escorted James and Meowth to the dungeon while other soldiers carried Jessie hogtied. Ash will need rest but the rewards are still to come.
TO BE CONCLUDED...