Hello readers! Thanks for sticking with this story for so long, I wish we could be a lot farther than we are now but that's what happens when you're in the military. So this is a shorter chap than the other but I think it turned out pretty good and hope you enjoy it. I've got some crazy ideas and the plot line all sorted out in my head, I'm happy to say that I haven't been able to find anything else like it on Fanfiction yet! Read and Review, let me know in in a review or a message if you think either Tory, Max, both, or neither of them should be aura users! Whether they are or are not I can work it in perfectly. ENJOY!
The last few days passed by in a blur, exploring the castle and reading old texts taking up most of Ash, Cynthia, Ashley, and Brock's time.
Brock was busy pouring through books of old medical treatments and styles from before the old war like a kid who got his first Pokémon, meanwhile Ash and Cynthia were trying to find anything related to the Red Aura her boyfriend had discovered.
Ashley paused in her search through the numerous bookshelves, "Hey Ash, when we were watching the time flower… what was that woman's name?"
He looked over his shoulder curiously before pulling another book out, "Which one?"
With a huff of frustration the raven-haired girl tossed another text carelessly to the side, "None of these are worth looking at! The one that ordered the right of annulment…"
The ball of emotions in her chest threatened to explode violently yet again, she forced it back down into the pits of her mind. She hated being so emotional, 'that's not who I am.'
Something touched her mind, it felt like and icicle was being pushed through her forehead. The sensation was familiar though, it always happened whenever Darkrai would talk empathically to her 'Then who are you little one?'
Before the train of thought could continue down a darker path, Cynthia broke the twin's concentration, "What are these?"
Getting up from the table, Ash went to see what she was talking about. Cynthia was thumbing through a tome that appeared to be ancient, the pages yellowed and falling apart with anything more than the most delicate of touches.
Ash had a grin plastered on his face, "The Annals, I'm surprised they're here! They are the history of the different Aura Guardian communities. This one is the book of Croaker; dad mentioned it once I think… they called him Croaker as a nickname because he was the group physician. If I'm right they were called the red company, tasked with keeping the darker side of nature at bay as well as discovering what they could about the ancient ones… this is exactly what we needed!"
Ashley let her head drop in exhaustion, she was sick of looking through half of the damned library the last few days.
Turning to the final page in the book Ash skimmed through the final records Croaker had made.
'As I finish the last of these annals I shall pass them on to the next of my kin. It is with a heavy heart that I must say we have committed many atrocities in the pursuit of knowledge; the only solace I was able to take in this fact is that up until now it had been worth it in the end, the lives of so many people were improved because of us. Alas, we took it too far in our final journey together. So many good men and women lost, people I have called brothers and sisters since I foolishly signed on with the Red Company at nineteen. My youth has long since passed, I am an old man now and I fear that I will pay the price for what we did when I proceed on to the next great journey and attempt to pass through Aura's Star. Arceus I hope I am still allowed to join my kin. We found an ancient cave; we believed it to have been an indigenous tribe from centuries past. They worshipped strange deities; I cannot recall seeing anything like these paintings before then. They depicted what we believed to be a way of communing with their God. Foolishly we believed it had been supernatural voodoo practiced by savages. The paintings depicted the use of blood and Aura alongside a reflective surface. Say a mirror, a puddle, a piece of metal. We were damned fools to try and attempt this as fun and games. If you are reading this, NEVER fool with things beyond your knowledge. Nothing in this world is as it seems. When it worked we thought we had opened up window of sorts, the creature called it the Reverse World. It lured us into a sense of safety, and then showed us how wrong we were. It wasn't a window, by the gods it was a damned doorway. So many of us were pulled into it, me and a few others escaped, they became sick, the survivors; none of the others have survived except for me. I must return these annals to Rota; they must make it home and be spread to every side of the continent so that no one else makes the mistakes we did. I, as senior ranking member, hereby disband the Red Company from here on. May my children never suffer for my foolishness but I know deep down they will, I am cursed. This Giratina… this monster… my Aura is tainted, infected with a blight the likes of which there is no cure. From herein, our Aura runs red.
-Croaker Senior Physician, the Red Company, "And so we wrought the Last of our Red. With this new Beginning we put Away the Dead."
Ash was ecstatic, with a whoop of joy he grabbed Gardevoir who was floating next to him helping him search the books and spun her around in joy, "This is it, this is what we've been looking for! This might have some of the answers we're looking for sis!"
Needless to say Gardevoir was in heaven being held by her master, the blond couldn't see but she was on the receiving end of a nasty glare from the Pokémon.
Ashley put her chin on her brother's shoulder and was gazing contemplatively at the book, "Say Ash, does something feel strange about this book?"
Looking over at her curiously he glanced back at the book but couldn't find anything wrong with it, "Nope, should I?"
"I'm not too sure… something feels off about it. Not physically, try and feel the book…"
Ash flicked her on the nose, "You can't feel inanimate objects you dummy."
Cynthia took this as her cue to rap her knuckles on the back of the Ash's head, "Be nice."
Rubbing the back of his head he gave a fake glare at the woman snickering under her breath. Reaching a hand out he pulled trace amounts of aura into his hand, in small quantities Aura can interact with nonliving objects but anything with bulk such as an Aura sphere will have explosive results. 'One of many lessons learned,' he thought.
Running his fingers across the page nothing happened, "See I told you."
"Try turning the page, I know something is there."
Taking the hand with teal energy swirling around it he turned the page, slicing deeply through his finger in the process. Yanking his hand to his mouth, the room felt like it was spinning as the feeling of light headedness grabbed hold, he watched as the world faded around him faded away and all he could see was the drop of his blood evaporating into the Aura tainting it a deep red.
His body was humming with energy unlike anything he had felt; Ash was bursting at the seams being able to feel his core like this. Vision still tunneled on his finger he noted in the back of his head that the cut wasn't clotting, the droplets kept sliding out at a steady pace, being sucked away moments after they appeared.
Ashley grabbed Ash's hand and slammed into onto the final blank page, Aura sucked out of his hand and drawing the wielder back into reality.
Cynthia placed a hand around his waist to steady him, Gardevoir looked like she had seen the greatest thing on earth, the power was overwhelming to the Pokémon and the feelings she was receiving from the trainer were euphoric.
The page began to reveal glowing lines that formed the Aura's star on a chalice flanked by two gryphons with a droplet falling into it.
"This…" Ash was struggling to find the words, "This is amazing..."
The Aura left his body and Ash found himself struggling to stay steady on his feet, whatever that was took a lot out of him.
Ashley ruffled his hair, "Come on, we've cut it close enough as it is. It's time for the opening speech for this contest Ranger-boy."
Cynthia pulled Ash into a hug and gave him a light kiss, "I'll be in the crowd watching, knock them dead love!"
Max and Tory were seated in the front row, as far away from where his sister and the rest of their group would be sitting as they could get. She and Drew had become unbearable over the last week after he and his friend had run into Brock, Cynthia, and that stranger.
Max nudged Tory's side, "There's that ranger we saw with Brock again."
Tory was looking around confused, "A ranger at a Pokémon league event, now that's new…?"
The announcers voice rang over the chattering of the crowd, "We have a guest speaker today, due to our being placed in Rota it was deemed that the only appropriate thing to do would be allow our generous hosts to start off this once in a lifetime event! Allow us to introduce you to Aaron Knight, our very own Aura Ranger!"
On queue Ash took the stage. They expected him to give a speech, tell them all that they could do it. That any one of them could win and all they needed was to put a little effort. After all, that's all it took right?
He remembered back to when he used to think that, 'I couldn't have been more foolish if I tried. Well let's get this show on the road, I'll tell them what they need to hear.'
The chatter throughout the room was deafening. Between everyone talking, shouting to someone on the other side of the room, or not paying attention and on their Pokégear, he could tell just from a glance who didn't want to be here. His eyes immediately spotted those few who did though, the ones that were in their seats waiting for him to start
In the middle row of the auditorium he spotted a few familiar faces, Gary... Dawn...Paul.
'I'll get to them eventually, but where are May and Max? It would be just like her to not show or just leave him behind,' Ash let out a huff of irritation. 'Max and Tory didn't even recognize me earlier… and they still acted the way they did, there's still hope for them. I have to applaud him though for being cautious… he's learning.'
Adjusting the microphone attached to his vest he walked out onto the platform, the heavy thuds issuing from his boots drawing the attention of a few spectators in the front rows. They wanted him to go out in full gear but he refused, forgoing the heavy material and simply donning a pair of jump-pants, combat boots, and his Ranger jacket.
With Riley at his side he knelt down with a tattered half ribbon in hand and whispered into the dog's ear, "Find the scent boy and take your time." Pushing the dog forward, it jumped down into the aisle and began trying to find the scent it smelled. It was faded but there was just enough.
Flipping the mic on he walked to the edge and sat down allowing his feet to dangle. Seeing that most of the people were stilling talking he cleared his throat, the sound echoing throughout the room. A few people stopped what they were doing while others spared him a glance and went back about their business. An aggravated look grabbed hold of his face, 'they asked me to speak, and this is what I get... worse than new recruits.'
Standing up he walked over to the large podium, "This will do."
Undoing the mic he set it on the wood floor and leaned against the podium. The few who were watching looked at him curiously; the ranger motioned for them to cover their ears. They looked surprised but slowly obeyed; looking out into the crowd he saw that the group of his old traveling companions wasn't paying him any mind. Yup, he was going to enjoy this.
Looking over at Cynthia he gave her a sly wink before turning back around and slamming the podium down with all his might.
The bang alone of the massive stand hitting the wooden floor shocked half of the room, but with the open microphone next to it... it sounded like a bomb went off. Ash couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped, as high as these people jumped... he definitely had their eyes on him now.
Ash could just make out Gary's scowling face saying something like, "Who does this guy think he is."
Picking the mic back up and returning it to its spot on his jacket it was time to begin.
Giving and over-exaggerated flourish and bow, "I am honored, to have all of your attention. It is so very kind of you, what with me here giving away my valuable time so freely so I could come speak with you all. That was a very warm welcome."
The looks he got in return ranged from disappointment to rage, 'I am hard but I am fair. You will all come to realize this.'
Someone in the crowd decided to speak up, "Just who do you think you are to talk like that to us! We were invited here because we are the best of the best; you should be giving us your respect. I bet you didn't even get invited." Murmurs of agreement spread like wildfire through the audience.
Ash scowled at the arrogant young man, and walked to the front of the stage. "Well then let me introduce myself. My name is Aaron Knight and I am an Aura Guardian from this wonderful kingdom of Rota and work in joint cooperation with the Pokémon Ranger's Special Rescue Forces or the SRF. So for your information I was invited to this tournament as a special guest; I'll be competing during the final stages of the tournament, how about you?"
A smile formed on his lips as the trainer who originally spoke up hastily sat down with a beet red face, laughter rang through the hall.
"I don't see what's so funny to all of you, weren't you just agreeing with him? The way I see it, you sided with this man; you are now partnered with this man." Everyone quieted back down...
Sitting back down Ash looked around the room with an unimpressed look on his face and began meeting everyone's gazes, "Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm a Para-Rescue Jumper for the Hoenn division of the Pokémon Rangers; my life is also pledged to uphold Aura and all of her glory. I have done more, seen more, and lived more than you could ever hope to in multiple lifetimes"
Someone in the back of the crowd stood up, "What could the Rangers possibly have that makes them better than being a trainer. We get all the action and excitements, you rangers just fires and stop the occasional wild Ponyta."
Ash laughed at this statement, "Son, that's just the crap we make the new guys that are still wet behind the ears do."
Ash leveled his gaze at him, "Tell me something, how many legendary Pokémon have you met during your career?"
The stranger just stared blankly; obviously he wasn't getting the hint, "Let me put it this way."
Ash remembered the ballad they all used to recite, some of it fantasy, some of it jokes, some of it true, but behind it all the meaning stood strong in all of their hearts. No one can do it the way we do it, as good as we do it, or as completely as we do it.
He slowly paced back and forth on the stage, losing himself in the memories of his old team, "I've been around the world twice and talked to everybody once… I've seen two Wailords fuck, been to three Grand Festivals, I've watched a Mankey try and hump our football, I even knew a bug catcher in the woods who thought he was a samurai."
People began laughing at this thinking it was a joke, the ranger on stage just ignored them and continued reciting. "I watched the waters burn in the Gulf of Orre, because of this I pushed harder, ran faster, and jumped farther than I thought humanly possible. I'm a hard-bodied, hairy-chested, Aura Shooting, parachuting, demolition, heart breaking Rescue Ranger, and there ain't anything I can't do."
Gary could only think of how arrogant this man sounded. All this high and mighty talk like he was better or knew more than him, he was a Researcher for Arceus sake. This man hadn't seen half of what he had. Feeling something brush past his leg, there was that man's dog; it was sniffing for something until it stopped at May's seat. With a low growl the dog left the isle again, following the path she had took.
"What the… why is it looking for her, just who is this guy?" Gary crossed his arms and let out a huff.
Ash glanced toward Riley sniffing around Gary before taking off again, so he found her. Good. He stopped pacing and faced the crowd, "It is my duty as an Aura Ranger to save lives and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things I do, that others may live."
With one last calming breath he closed his eyes and finished, "Because there's no sky too high and no sea to deep. I've learned a lot of lessons in my life, but above all else…I'm a Lover and I'm a fighter."
Now he had everyone's attention.
Smirking out at the crowd he asked, "So who's going to win this contest?"
Everyone began cheering and raising their hands, "Wrong answer!"
The crowd shut up real quick, "Almost every one of you is wrong, just by looking at some of you I know you'll be out before you can reach for your poke-ball. One person is going to win this, one of you is correct, but the rest of you are dead wrong. There are winners and losers, none of that in-between junk you've been told throughout your life. We're not going to give you a reward for second place, second best never got anything except beaten."
Some faces had looks of worry, more were smug, and a few contemplatives, only a couple in the audience had thought about it that way.
"Now that that's out of the way, it's time I get to the biggest reason I was invite to speak to you all. Due to the nature of this tournament there has been a slight change to a number of the rounds, this will not only prove your Pokémon's toughness but yours as well and how well you can coordinate with them. Seeing as how this would leave some at a disadvantage there will be two rewards given out. The primary award as well as the most reputable will be for fighting alongside your Pokémon, the secondary will be for battling under normal conditions but will not hold the same prestige. It is your choice contestants as to which you attempt to compete for."
With a loud clap of his hands the stage he was on began to extend outward, "You will fight alongside your Pokémon."
Cries of outrage and intrigue sprang from the crowd, one voice shouted out over the others, "You can't expect us to fight with our Pokémon!"
Ash's eyes slowly shifted to a shade of blue, "And why not? The Pokémon Rangers do it every day as well as the Aura Guardians, it is far from impossible and is highly respected by Pokémon. Hell, that is how me and my first companion became so close, I fought to defend him myself when we ended up in a terrible scrape. That is the ultimate bond between you and your partner, so I say again. It's nowhere close to impossible."
Cynthia chuckled to herself as she thought of when Ash had first gotten Pikachu, it was still one of her favorite stories of his. Seeing her chance the blonde shouted over the crowd, "Then show us how it's done!"
Ash shot a mock glare in her direction, "Alright… Any volunteers?"
Seeing nobody raise their hands he decided he needed to pick somebody. Looking down at Max and Tory Ash hiked an eyebrow, "You're the two boys from earlier correct?"
The dumbfounded teens nodded in agreement, "Max, Tory, Brock mentioned that you had a Gallade and a hitmonlee, I'd like you to call them out, you've been selected to be my lovely assistants."
Excited at the thought of a new challenge the teens bounded up to the stage, this man had been on their mind for the last few days and they finally were getting to see just what he could do. The last time they had met an Aura user was Ash but they never got to see much of it.
Facing back to the crowd, "Everything goes in these types of battles, we expect you to show us your creativity as well as the ability to literally think on your feet. Call out your Pokémon now."
Two flashes of light and both Pokémon were on stage prepared for battle.
Grinning at the two teens, "Remember, I'm who you will be facing in the finals should you choose this style of battle."
Determination settles over the three men's faces, "Gardevoir dear, it's been a while since we've had a bit of quality time, care to join me?"
Immediately the ball burst open and Gardevoir materialized behind Ash, floating down against his back and loosely wrapping her arms around his neck. The psychic type sent a vicious glare towards the two Pokémon, daring them to lay a finger on her trainer.
"Begin!"
Max and Tory wasted no time calling out their attack, Gallade's blades taking on a dark aura while hitmonlee began speeding towards Ash ready to unleash a devastating barrage of kicks.
In a shocking display of grace for the crowd neither attack managed to land on the Ranger. With an arm covered in the vibrant teal Aura that was so foreign to the majority of the onlookers, Ash managed to deflect Gallade's blade away from him and drive it through the floor, forcing splinters to explode outwards.
Just as Gallade found his arm stuck in the floor and got over the shock of facing an Aura Guardian, Hitmonlee began firing off kick after kick towards Ash, each time it was swatted away by a wave of psychic energy being flung in the form of a kinetic shield, every deflected shot threw the kicking Pokémon slightly more off-balance.
Seeing his chance, this trainer nodded towards Gardevoir. Quicker than the opposing trainers could counter it, Gardevoir bound the Hitmonlee's legs together and helped give Ash's return kick that extra fire power as he slammed into the Pokémon's side and tumbled into the recovering Gallade. Vaulting over the tight jumble Ash placed a palm against both trainer's chests, "I win."
Max was awestruck seeing how Aura Guardians fought, "That was incredible!"
Tory was murmuring the same agreement, Ash placed a hand on the young man's head and whispered into both trainers' ears, "If you want to learn a few tricks then come by the castle tonight."
Shooing them away to their seats Ash looked back at the crowd, "This is what you have to expect. As I said, the choice is yours but you need to be prepared if you do this. Rota doesn't reward second place, if you want the glory then you need to win. There's not much left to say, you're welcome to explore Rota to your heart's desire and we welcome you all to tour the castle."
The sea of heads turned to face the doorway as shouting came from the hallway.
Ash's voice rang clear over the crowd, "Well it's a pleasure for you to finally join us."
May was pinned against the wall by Drew; everyone was in the auditorium listening to the speaker so Drew had pulled her away from some quick private time.
One hand was pulling on the ponytail she was wearing while the other worked its way up her stomach, what small protests she tried to make about it not being the place for such things was quickly forgotten.
Riley came bounding down the hallway scaring the hell out of May and causing her to push her boyfriend away.
The dog sat on its haunches gazing up at the female human, the small scent left on the ribbon was definitely her. He found her… now what?
Drew glared angrily down at the mutt, "Get out of here damn dog."
Apparently trying to shoo it away with his leg was a bad idea as it immediately went on the defensive and began growling menacingly at the green haired trainer.
Riley wasn't concerned with this one, he was here for the female and he was leaving with her. As Drew backed away the dog grabbed onto May's sleeve and yanked her alongside him towards the auditorium.
Ash's voice rang clear over the crowd, "Well it's a pleasure for you to finally join us."
Her face went hot with embarrassment at all the eyes on her.
In a booming voice that silenced the crowd, "You're all dismissed. We will be hosting the Winter Ball at the end of the week. All participants have been granted access to a limited wardrobe provided by the royalty should you wish to dress up in a fitting manner for ancient Rota, if not then your suit or dress shall be paid out of pocket. Enjoy your time here!"
As the crowd filed out of the room Ash spared a glance at Cynthia who gave him a wink before leaving with Brock.
Returning his gaze to May, he held her stare for what felt like eternity before nodding towards a chair, indicating to take a seat.
Getting the hint she hurriedly sat down, worried about what the man was going to say.
Looking over his shoulder he gave Gardevoir a warm smile which she gave in return, "We will talk about what happened the other day tonight, but for now Gardevoir. How would you like to be my date at the ball, we both know how much you love to dance?"
With a tiny eep, she shook her head in affirmation furiously before kissing him on the cheek.
Taking a seat on the edge of the platform again Ash continued to gaze at May, Gardevoir took her place behind Ash and hung her arms around him again, resting her chin in the crook of his neck.
The coordinator began to fidget, something about the man in front of her was nerve-wracking.
"You're name is May correct?"
"Yes sir…"
"You understand all trainers were required to attend this meeting correct?"
"Yes but you see-"
Ash raised his finger at her, silencing her once more. "You understand you can be disqualified from all proceedings as of now correct? This was a mandatory meeting. Not to mention the amount of disrespect towards me and everyone who set this up, I assume you were in the hallway getting frisky with that green haired child?"
May piped up at once, "His name is Drew and he is not a child."
Ash's gaze formed into a glare, "No May, he is a child. If nothing else because he can't tell when to keep it in his pants nor how show a sliver of respect in a kingdom that thrives off such. I know who he is, and you as well. You two are decent coordinators in Hoenn, but what I'm trying to figure out is how you were invited here?"
May puffed up her cheeks at this, "I earned the right to be here just like everybody else!"
Ash chuckled, "No you didn't toots. You're not a battler, neither is he, as well as a few others I noticed. Let me see your invitation."
Reaching into her bag she pulled out the pass she was issued, the man examined it alongside his own. Holding it back out in front of him she rose from her seat to take it back, "You're cleared, try to show some tact next time."
"I'll have you know I am an extremely talented battler! I may be a coordinator but I had help and learned to battle just like the rest of you."
As May grabbed the ticket she felt something drop into her hand, her heart dropped into her stomach as she recognized the ribbon half from so long ago, leaning forward he placed his lips mouth by her ear, "I know who taught you, you have no right to claim such things. It was a…. memento… from a friend. It's such a shame really, do try and not to let happen to you what happened to him."
Ash gave her a blank gaze as she tried to formulate words, she wanted furiously to know when he had gotten this. A part of her was angry that her old crush had given it away, but another tore her inside. It had been so long she'd thought of the trainer she used to travel with. "It's quite poetic really, but do be on your best behavior. I don't need any additional trouble while I'm here. I've seen your record, as well as Drew's, let's see if you can learn a little respect while you're here. You can leave, I have important matters to attend to."
Looking back up one last time at the man whose attention was focused back on the Gardevoir, "What happened to him?"
The Aura Guardians laugh shook her to her core, there was no humor or joy within it… no, it was haunting... foreboding… it scared her, "Why May, such a silly question with many open ended answers. He found his place among us perhaps, maybe he died on some far off continent, or it could be that he's sitting right in for of you? Sadly though, that's not the correct answer, not the one you're looking for at any rate. I know all about him, I know his life, his loves, his hates, I know everything there is to know about Ash. That little trinket in your hand, I bet you still don't have yours do you, was the final stepping stone for Ash. We all give up a piece of our old lives when we pledge our service to Lord Arceus, a way to show that we are serious in our commitment."
Ash leaned forward, his face close enough for her to feel his hot breath on her skin like she was in an oven. His eyes began to glow a brilliant shade of teal, "You asked what happened to your friend Ash? Well May, you happened to him. If you want anything to do with him, then you go out and find him yourself, it's neither my job nor my want to put him back into a past he freely left behind. Good luck."
With shaky legs and tears in her eyes may ran out of the auditorium, she never wanted to be left alone in a room with that man again. He was insane, nothing about him was right. Lost in her own thoughts and worries she brushed past Drew without a second thought.
Machines were beeping throughout the lab, "Subject Zero, alter the comet's trajectory. We need it to land within our operational radius."
A grey and pink bipedal form was hooked inside of a machine, its head was covered by a helmet with various tubes going in and out of the body flowing with an inky fluid. The low of hum of psychic energy being collected was followed by a dimming of lights throughout the complex as the power was drained.
Outside they could hear the rushing sound from the space rock entering the atmosphere. Inside the hunk of minerals was a green gem filled with a small amount of fluid in the center. The virus swimming inside eagerly awaited the landing, once dug out of the rock it would come into contact with the biological life on Earth and the genome could be complete, allowing the Deoxys lying dormant inside to form a physical body.
Personnel from the science division were waiting at the projected landing site, two in hazmat suits were carrying a lead box which was allowing the vapor from the liquid nitrogen and oxygen inside was escaping the seams. Setting the container down, it was opened and the two men picked up the vial contained inside with a pair of metal clamps. Upon leaving the near absolute zero container it immediately began bubbling appearing as though it was attempting to climb out of the vial.
A pair of men in hazmat suits were standing in the back watching the proceedings, "Sir are you sure this is the best place to be doing this?"
Not taking his eyes off the proceedings, "I am, we cannot risk Deoxys coming into contact with any biological materials on Earth before it has been introduced to the genetic material from the marker."
Taking the stone Poke-ball off his hip he held it in front of his face, the markings carved into the surface of the ball contained the missing genetic sequences needed to perfect the shadows. "Just think Jason, thousands of years ago humanity was almost ascended to a higher calling. Pokélantis was the epitome of civilization, they almost started Ragnarok… humanity almost became Gods. The first Arcanine, the dread wolf, Fenrir, names are of no shortage for the beast, he is the spawn of Giratina though. During a time when Lord Giratina and Arceus shared a throne in the Hall of Origin, the reverse Pokémon created this Arcanine to destroy the other Gods in secret. Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus."
Jason crossed his arms and watched as the meteor was cracked open, "There are many legends out there, Groudon and Kyogre for example, but they are mere beasts created by Arceus and Giratina to aid in the formation of the world. Lord Giratina didn't believe the world should be left to its own devices though, unlike Arceus who swore to never directly interfere in the affairs of mortals. For his failure to see the same way and attempting to rule in the way that was truly fitting of creation he was cast into the reverse world. Fallen from the skies into the darkest pits of the universe where the remnants of the Gods first failed attempts at creation lie.
The Leader smiled under his mask, "If we wish to break Giratina free from his shackles then we require his first child to be freed once more. Those abominations, those Aura Guardians sealed him away long ago through trickery and deceit, now only once he is free again can Fenrir kill Arceus, which in turn shall free Giratina at last and allow him to take his rightful throne once more. "
Their room in the castle was destroyed, Ash, Cynthia, Brock, and Ashley were all ducked behind the overturned bed. Gardevoir was defending the group from Darkrai as it writhed in the shadows of the room suffering in agony, the only thing stopping her from killing the monster in front of her was the command not to from Ash, even now she was fighting the urge to disobey his command. The Darkness Pokémon was alternating from lashing out in an attempt to kill the group to throwing the attack off course or turning it on itself.
Its voice was echoing through every persons head, 'I can hear it in my head, the whispers are deafening! Remove this voice Ashley, remove it! You say that I am no more a monster than you, but do you have this beast in your head as I do? Telling you to kill, telling you to obey the purpose of your creation? I do not wish to, but it demands it. How must I make it stop?'
