Ok, guys, you are in for a doozy of a chapter. Now, I may have had to put off writing an essay for a few days to make sure I could get it out, but it's been just over a month, you

shouldn't have to wait much longer. I know I said this a while back, but as I wrote this, I couldn't help but feel as if this was my most impactful chapter yet. Things may seem a bit rushed, so I apologize in advance. Then again, if you're reading this, you know all about Advance already, heheheheh. Ok, I'll go kill myself for that pun right now, I am sorry.

But all jokes aside. You ready to see what happens next? On your marks… Get Set…

GO!


Beach


Riolu and Kirlia stared in shock as he lied on the ground, lifeless. The air temperature continued to drop as Articuno hovered in the air above the scene.

Riolu's fists and eyes clenched shut, tears threatening to spill forth from them. "No… Why did he do that?" he sobbed. "He shouldn't have taken that attack, it was meant for me!"

Kirlia was paralyzed in shock. "Why… How… What, what happened?"

"The s-same thing that always happens" Riolu sniffed. "He put everything above himself, like me… He shouldn't have, he didn't deserve it!"

Above them, Articuno let out another ear-piercing shriek. Eyes sparkling, Riolu turned to face the massive Legend, stepping forward and placing himself between Articuno and Kirlia. "You hurt my friend!" he growled, anger filling him up inside. "No one hurts my friend!"

Muscles in his legs tensing, Riolu sprung as high as he could into the air, before swinging at Articuno with Bullet Punch, striking her scruff repeatedly. Articuno looked down, almost pitifully, before swinging around with a Steel Wing, knocking Riolu back to earth with a mighty crash.

"Riolu!" Kirlia cried out, breaking free from her paralyzing fear. Sparks travelling down her arms, she aimed up into the air and let out a powerful Shock Wave upwards at Articuno. The electricity ran across Articuno's body, but she easily shrugged it off. Aiming down, she opened her mouth and let an Ice Beam course down through the air at the two of them.

Focusing, Kirlia raised her arms again and a golden barrier appeared in the air. The Ice Beam struck it and pierced through, the barrier weakening the force, but still plenty powerful. Arms stuck in place from holding the Light Screen, the Ice Beam carried on through towards Kirlia. But, before it could strike, there was a blur of blue and black in front of Kirlia, and Riolu appeared, holding a Focus Blast in his palm, holding it out to catch the attack. He managed to keep it at bay for only a moment, before the Focus Blast detonated, sending him careening back through the air, singed by the energy.

Flipping, he barely landed on his feet, panting hard. "No…" he grunted. "I'm… Too weak without him." Closing his eyes, he let out a cry of frustration. "I'm not powerful, unless he's sharing his power with me. I'm helpless on my own!"

"Riolu, don't say that" Kirlia said, using a well-timed Teleport to narrowly avoid Articuno's next Ice Beam, reappearing near Riolu. "What would Ash say if he heard you talking yourself down like that?"

"He'd tell me I'm plenty strong" Riolu grunted, pushing himself to his feet with difficulty. "But I'm not, not without him, I can't do anything to even affect this thing!"

He punched the ground as hard as he could. "If I wasn't such a pushover, he wouldn't have had to take that attack for me!" he cried out. "If I hadn't gotten in the way, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. I should have stayed out, he always puts everyone else before himself…"

The two worked in conjunction, combining another Light Screen and Focus Blast to narrowly avoid another of Articuno's attacks. "He's always been like that, always caring for us before himself…" Kirlia agreed, reaching up and touching the gem that Ash had given her for doing so well. She turned it into a pendant with a piece of string so that she could carry it on her. "And in battle, he would always give his own life to protect us too…"

Riolu stood up. "He did our surviving for us, when we couldn't" he growled, his eyes burning with a blue fire. "Everytime, he was completely selfless, he taught us how to be a true hero, yet he wouldn't let us be the heroes over him, he couldn't bare to lose anyone."

As Articuno readied one last Ice Beam, Riolu started charging Focus Blast, once more. "And I won't let this happen any more!" he shouted, as this one began to grow larger. "I won't be weak again, this time, I'll fight, I'll prove myself for him! And I won't give up!"

"Riolu…" Kirlia said, taken aback by the sudden change from anger to confidence. Feeling Riolu's emotions, she felt her own fire burn inside of her. "That's right" she agreed, stepping up beside Riolu as she formed her own ball of energy, this one a glowing, swirling pink and purple. "He's given up everything for us, now it's time we make it so that he doesn't have to do that again."

Pushing her Psyshock forward, Riolu mirrored her by pushing Focus Blast forward. The two energies melded together, not reacting violently like the Psychic did on Riolu before, but this time, fusing together easily. Riolu and Kirlia glared up at Articuno. "We don't care if you're a Legendary!" Riolu shouted defiantly.

"No more crutches!" Kirlia shouted. "No relying on others!"

"We… Will… Be… Strong… On… Our… OWN!"

Articuno's Ice Beam rained down out of the sky, and Riolu and Kirlia pushed forward, holding their attack out as a shield. The two energies collided, and Riolu, alongside Kirlia, began to be pushed backwards across the ground. Shaking his head vigorously, Riolu gritted his teeth, and kirlia's eyes flashed wide open as she dug her feet into the ground. They slowed down as the attack kept pushing them back. Kirlia's mind was strained to her limits as she pooled all of her power into the Psyshock, and Riolu tensed up as hard as he could, pooling every last ounce of energy in as well.

The two brave Pokemon gave one, final thrust, and the Ice Beam shattered into frost crystals as the Psyshock/Focus Blast combination burst through, flying up through the air and exploding against the body of the Legendary.

Riolu quickly caught his breath, before steeling himself and springing off of the ground into the smoke. His vision masked, he closed his eyes as he soared on through, feeling for Articuno with the sense of Aura, before spinning in the air, foot sparking before he unleashed a full, successful Blaze Kick, hearing the satisfying shriek as the fiery strike connect with the cold feathers.

He fell back towards the ground, but the impact was soft as Kirlia caught him with Psychic. Nodding in unison, the two of them prepared attacks again, Psyshock and Focus Blast. As the smoke began to clear, they thrust forward once more, and the two moves swirled into the air, and detonated hard again, this time, sending Articuno crashing towards the ground.

The large bird righted itself before it stuck the surface, eyes filled with cold hatred, before unleashing another unearthly shriek at the pair of Pokemon. Winds began surrounding Articuno's wings again…

Kirlia and Riolu vanished in a flash of light, reappearing on Articuno's back. Electricity travelled down Kirlia's arms while flames leapt up around Riolu's foot again. Articuno noticed they were their, and attempted to buck them off, but Riolu grabbed Articuno around the neck, brought his foot up, and began stomping his Blaze Kick into Articuno repeatedly, while Kirlia brought her hands down and used Shock Wave directly into Articuno. The large Pokemon continued to try to throw them off, but once it had, it had already suffered serious attacks by the two. Riolu flipped through the air, Kirlia landing beside him.

"I don't care if you're not in control" Riolu growled. "No one hurts my friend!"


Beach Behind Them (Same Time)


May sprinted across the path and down the sandy turf, not slowing down in the slightest on the rough terrain. Her legs burned from her run there, but she ignored it, it meant nothing to her. She was dimly aware of flashes of a battle off to the side, but her tunnel vision blocked it out.

She was almost to where Ash laid, panting heavily as she approached. Something shot past her, and she felt herself get whipped off her feet and land hard on the beach. A spray of sand went up in front of her, shielding everything from view. She covered her eyes as the sand came down, before getting back up and running forward.

Barely having time to floor herself again as a stream of green fire came out of nowhere and shot directly at her. She felt the heat of the attack sear the back of her neck as it narrowly missed her. Looking up, she was shocked at what happened next.

There was a mellow glow of light above Ash's body, and as it faded, a red and white Pokemon materialized, floating above him. With a long neck, folded wings, and hardened, auburn eyes, the Pokemon before her was obviously very angry. "SHAAAAOOOOHHHH!" she cried out.

May eyed the Pokemon apprehensively. The Latias was hovering around Ash, almost protectively. She figured that whoever the Pokemon was, she knew him. And while the Pokemon wasn't very big, she could see how fierce she was with a look at her.

May stuck a hand out calmingly. "Please, I'm a friend. Just let me come close, I'm here to-"

The Latias fired another Dragonbreath as May stepped near, forcing her back again to avoid being burned as the green fire blasted past her.

She began to feel extremely upset. Ash was right there, yet this Pokemon was standing between him and her. She flinched slightly as a white band of energy soared over her head, a stray fragment of an Ice Beam.

She took another step forward, she had to get to him somehow. The Latias growled, and this time, rather than a green flame, a ball of fog began forming in her claws. Seeing the Pokemon prepare another attack, May steeled herself, then jumped forward.

Immediately, the ball of fog flew forward at her, and May dived for the ground, barely avoiding the Pokemon's attack. She got back up, only to be slammed into as Latias tackled her, sending her sprawling across the sand, breath knocked out of her. May gasped as she struggled back to her feet, breathing raggedly. A sharp pain shot through her chest, it felt like one of her ribs had broken. She looked around, the Latias had disappeared. She attempted to take a step forward once more, not giving up, when a flash of light caught the corner of her eye. Another ball of green fire had begun forming in the air.

May's eyes widened, and she didn't even have time to react as what would be the final Dragonbreath shot at her. She wasn't in any shape to react, and the flames were almost licking her skin, before…

"CHUUUUU/GLAAAAA!"

A combined swirling ice and electric energy swooped past her, colliding with the Dragonbreath and pushing it far to the side, out into the ocean where the three attacks detonating underwater, sending up a spray of foam. May looked over to the side, and she felt a swell of happiness at the sight that greeted her.

A battered Pikachu and Glaceon, both panting heavily, stood there, glow of their energies fading. They both ran forward, standing in front of May protectively. "Glaceon, Gla!" Glaceon said looking around warily.

There was a movement in the air to their left, and Pikachu reacted first. Jumping up, Pikachu twisted around with a glowing tail, swinging forward before stopping, sparks flying in the air revealing a long wing. Seeing some of the Pokemon it was attached to in the light, Pikachu twisted around further, slamming to right right and meeting a much softer target this time.

A high pitched cry rang through the air as Pikachu and a larger body fell out of the air, becoming visible. A large, red and white Pokemon fell to the ground, kicking up sand as a Steel Wing faded.

Pikachu landed, cheeks sparking fiercely, but the electricity slowly faded as he looked at the Pokemon. "Pika Bi?" he asked.

The Latias' eyes clenched shut as she let out a low squeal of pain, before levitating back up, the glare of anger reentering her eyes. But, the glare softened as she noticed the Pokemon in front of her. "Shao?"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu said happily. "Pikachu, Pikachu Pika Pikachu, Pika Bi."

May felt a small sense of surprise at how Pikachu seemed to know this Latias, but got past it. Turning away from the Pokemon, she ran as fast as she could over to Ash, heartbeat quickening. And when she got a close look at him, a scream almost left her mouth.

What she could see of Ash's face was extremely pale, almost white as clouds. His clothing looked like he had been in a fight with an Ursaring and lost badly, cut to ribbons. Blood, thickened by the cold it had been in contact with, was slowly congealing over wounds, soaking the fabric and making it stick to his skin. His raven hair was hardened with frost, and his lips were blue from the same symptoms. The rise and fall of his chest was extremely limited, to the point where she may have been imagining it happening.

Her joy of finally finding Ash was becoming mixed with a horror at the condition he was left in. The deep sinking feeling she felt throughout her entire body, was this how he had felt, looking at her broken body when she fell from that cliff?

"What do I do?" she whispered, feeling helpless. She didn't know how to help him. She wasn't a doctor, none of her Pokemon knew any recovery moves, unless Munchlax somehow got a Heal Pulse out of Metronome, but even if they did, her Pokeballs were locked. She had no way to heal him.

Her body shook as the tears pooled in her eyes. "Ash…" she whispered, the hot liquid dropping as she blinked.

There was movement behind her, and Pikachu and Glaceon came running around her side, stopping before the trainer on the ground. A bright flash lit up the air, coming from the battle, but they didn't pay it much attention.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked sadly, in shock.

"Gla?" Glaceon asked, looking down at the marred figure.

"We have to help him…" May said. "But… I don't know how… How do we do it?"

Only the cold winds and battle cries seemed to answer. Then, something happened…

Suddenly, May felt weightless, being lifted up into the air. She looked around in shock, not knowing what had happened, and she realized Ash's body was rising with her. She felt herself be settled down on a soft, thin being, colored red and white. She was shocked, as the Latias set both herself and Ash on her back.

Latias turned her head around, facing May, eyes no longer hardened, but rather, sad and apologetic. "Shaoo…" she whined quietly, looking up at them.

May didn't know how to respond to what was happening, but she had a feeling that the Latias was trying to help. Whoever she was, she obviously knew Ash from before he had left them to have known Pikachu as well, and she wanted to make sure Ash was okay too. She could carry them to help.

May thought back to her earlier thought. She may not have been a doctor, but she did know one… One who would do everything in their power to help.

"Brock!" she said. "We need to find Brock!"

She looked around, trying to get her bearings. "Brock was staying over in that neighborhood" she said. She looked back down at the ground. "Pikachu, Glaceon, come on!" she said to the two little Pokemon.

Glaceon began to walk forward, but she stopped when she realized that Pikachu wasn't following her. Pikachu's ears were twitching, and he was glancing to the side. Both May and Glaceon followed Pikachu's gaze, and immediately knew what he was thinking. "No, Pikachu" May said.

Two small Pokemon, one green and white, the other blue and black, darted around the massive blue bird that was raining down frozen hell on the beach. Sparks leapt from Pikachu's cheeks, and he faced them. "Pika!" Pikachu said defiantly. At that moment, May knew, he wouldn't back down from this fight. He was still tired from his battle with Zapdos, but it wasn't like him to just walk away from a battle. Especially once he reached that tone.

"...Ok…" May said reluctantly. Glaceon seemed reluctant to leave Pikachu behind, but she was in worse shape than Pikachu after taking the Thunderbolt to use Mirror Coat. She slowly climbed up onto Latias, who was hanging low in the air to let them climb on. "Pikachu, be careful" she said.

"Pikachu Pi!" Pikachu nodded, before turning towards the battle, going down on all fours and tail stuck high in the air.

Latias began levitating higher into the air with some difficulty, not used to carrying any passengers, let alone three. She glanced up at May, questioningly. May didn't say anything for a second, looking at Ash, before she remembered the severity of the situation. "Oh, we need to go that way" May said, pointing in the direction that Brock's house was in. "As fast as we can."

Latias nodded, before she folded in her wings and flew as fast as she could in the direction May had pointed her in. The wind whipped their faces, May held tightly onto Glaceon, while maintaining one hand on Ash. She felt as if she let him go, she wouldn't be able to find him again. He had been gone for so long, feeling him was all that kept her from breaking down at his condition.

A single, sparkling drop, fell out of the air as they soared for help, falling down towards the ground, and landing with a simple splash, lost in the roar of the winds.


Beach


Seeing the red and white dragon soar off into the distance, Pikachu steeled himself and turned back around to the rampaging Articuno. He was tired, and unlike the Zapdos, he knew that he didn't have any sort of natural defense against those attacks. But, neither did Articuno.

Dashing forward, Pikachu kicked up sand running across the beach. There was an explosion ahead of him, and a green shape flew out of the smoke. Reacting with his training, Pikachu leapt into the air, catching the falling Pokemon and hitting the ground rolling, depositing the Pokemon before springing high with great power, cheeks sparking as his body lit up lighter than the sun, before crashing into the bird with a massive electrical blast.

Down on the ground, a Riolu pushed himself back to his feet, blinded by the yellow neon light. "Was that the Zapdos?" he asked.

Pikachu fell backwards through the air, and was shocked when the Articuno looked relatively the same as she was before the attack. Helpless, Pikachu had the wind knocked out of him as an iron-clad wing dunked him towards the ground. Just as he was about to make an impact with the sand, he felt himself slow, landing very lightly on the ground.

A small flash of light appeared next to him, and a Kirlia flashed into existence, flashing a quick smile. "Thanks for helping me there, I'm glad I could return the favor" she said.

A light footfall sounded beside him, and the Riolu stood forward. "You're a brave one, taking on this thing like that" he grunted. "But you should get out while you still can. Trust me, you don't want to be here."

Pikachu gave a tired grin. "Are you kidding? I used to fight like this on a regular basis" he said. "My trainer sometimes thinks I tripped and swallowed a Light Ball when I was younger."

Riolu dashed forward, Focus Blast held in his palms, and slammed it upwards, protecting the group from an Ice Beam. The connecting forces detonated, pushing the three of them back, but leaving them relatively unharmed. "Judging by that electric attack you just used, I don't doubt it" he conceded. "But you don't get it. We won't let an innocent bystander get hurt. Leave this giant frozen chicken to us."

Those words gave birth to a particular idea, and before either of them could react, Pikachu sent up his strongest Thunderbolt, mere static electricity making Kirlia and Riolu's hair stand on end, while lighting Articuno up like a beacon. As the electricity faded, the two glanced at Pikachu in shock, while Pikachu shrugged. "Well, I can't just be an innocent bystander anymore" he said smartly.

Riolu blinked, then readied his fists, smirking. "You know, you're just a little crazy. I like that. Fine, go on, you can help fight this thing."

Kirlia laughed lightly. "You remind me a lot of Riolu here. No wonder he'd like you."

Riolu glanced back and forth between the two. "Hey, I have an idea…" he said.

"Oh, that's what I smelled" Kirlia laughed again, prompting Riolu to give a fake frown.

The three had to react, leaping high into the air as Articuno soared down at them with a Steel Wing, twisting in the air to barely avoid the attack. As Pikachu and Riolu rolled, and Kirlia floated down, Riolu looked at the massive bird. "I'm not joking" he said. "This thing is still a Pokemon, it's still got weaknesses. And with this little guy, maybe we can exploit them."

"Me?" Pikachu asked.

Riolu nodded, explaining quickly as the Articuno wheeled around in the air. "It's a bird, it can be shocked out of the air. If we combine electric moves, maybe we'll have a way to put it down for good. I have a Thunder Punch, Kirlia, your best Shock Wave, and you seem to pack one hell of a Thunderbolt. If we can distract it with an explosion…"

"You'll use Thunder Punch to conduct the other moves, and try to hit it with one focused attack" Kirlia said admiringly. "That's really smart."

Pikachu's tail began glowing gray as he brought it up into the air. "I've got the distraction covered" he said, leaping forward. Articuno hadn't reacted again yet, and before it could, Pikachu faked it out with an attack, beginning a swing before flipping forward, landing on Articuno's back. Surprising the bird, she wasn't able to react before the already dark sky darkened even further, and a massive blast of lightning came roaring down out of the sky. The blast of lightning connected with Pikachu, being conducted through his body into the shimmering plumage of Articuno.

Pikachu wasn't sure how to follow up, but as the attack coursed through him, he suddenly felt a surge of power, as if his strength had increased tenfold, just like he had when he was fighting Zapdos. The power surged through him, and as the attack ended, he sprung through the air, electricity congealing around his tail as he twisted around and flicked a massive Electro Ball through the air, which connected heavily, detonating and filling the air with smoke.

The force blew through the air, knocking Pikachu back. He spun, landing on all fours and skidding backwards. "There, good enough?"

Just like before, he seemed to shock the two Pokemon with his display of power, but they had no time to lose. Sparks travelled down the arms of both Pokemon, while more flared around the cheeks of Pikachu. Riolu stepped forward, fists crackling like thunder as the smoke began to clear.

"Are you ready?" Kirlia asked.

Riolu nodded. "Let me have it!" he said, legs tensing.

Blue electricity travelled down Kirlia's arms, and yellow likeness spread across Pikachu's body. Riolu sprung into the air with all the force he could muster, and he spun, the power from his electrically charged fists sparking around him, just as the two bolts flew off, and Riolu gathered them in, becoming as brightly lit as the midday sun.

The smoke cleared, revealing Articuno to the surroundings a mere instant before Riolu pushed forward, and delivered a nuclear-level Thunder Punch directly to the front of the massive bird. Articuno let out an earsplitting shriek, soon silenced as Riolu reached back and slammed down with his other fist, sending both himself and the bird careening towards the ground, a plume of sand rising into the air.

Riolu sprung back from Articuno, electricity fading, but as he hit the ground, he nearly blacked out on the spot, his power fading. "Ugh, why do I feel like I was hooked up to a Zekrom's tail?" he muttered in a delirious fashion. "Oh, wait, that's why…"

His legs gave out, but he felt a pair of arms catch him before he could smack against the ground. "Thanks Kirlia…" he groaned.

He could feel her worried glare on the back of his skull, it made his skin tingle. "Thunder Punch didn't work like a barrier, huh?" she asked.

"Not as much as I would have liked" Riolu admitted. "That guy packs electricity like I haven't felt since out mission in Unova…"

Riolu suddenly felt extremely disoriented, and he became weightless. When he felt his feet reconnect with the ground, the air felt much colder, and a shriek rang through the air. This got his attention enough to push himself back to his feet. "What… She's still not down?" he asked. "We, we really aren't strong enough…"

There was a flash of white light that streaked across Articuno's body, as Pikachu dashed across and cut sideways with an Iron Tail, fueled by the speed of a Quick Attack. As he cut away, Articuno swung a wing at Pikachu. It wasn't a Steel Wing, but the impact was enough to send Pikachu flying backwards through the air. Twisting as he flew, fighting through the pain, Pikachu let an Electro Ball fly.

Riolu held his hands to his side, and energy began to form, a Focus Blast, but the energy dissipated before it fully formed. Frowning, he tried to do it again, with the same results. "Riolu, don't try to strain yourself right now" Kirlia said.

"We couldn't do it…" Riolu grunted again. "He's fighting, but that thing is still strong… We… I think we lost…"

Articuno dived at Pikachu, talons outstretched, and Pikachu darted to the side, getting out of the way before wheeling around with his tail glowing, and began spinning on the spot, sending out sharp bursts of steel-colored electricity, slamming into Articuno repeatedly with high effectiveness, but not enough to deal critical damage to the Legendary. Abandoning the fusion move, Pikachu lit up with electricity and ran across the beach, each step he took turning the loose sand into molten glass. Chasing down the airborne Pokemon, Pikachu sprung into the air with Volt Tackle, but didn't have the push necessary to reach Articuno, and fell back to the ground below.

Articuno wheeled around, much faster than expected, and unleashed a blinding fast Ice Beam, slamming Pikachu through the sand, coated in frost and plowing a large trench. Struggling, Pikachu barely managed to stand up, before collapsing, breathing heavily. "Chaaaaa…" he groaned, not even having the effort to make a real word to express his exhaustion.

Frowning determinedly, Kirlia stepped forward, the last one of them in any condition to still fight. Pikachu was on the brink of fainting, and Riolu was out of power. Pushing her hands forward, she unleashed a wave of Psychic energy through the air, bombarding Articuno with a Confusion attack, but the move wasn't nearly enough to limit Articuno's movement, and it wasn't showing any visible damage.

Abandoning the Confusion, Kirlia braced herself on the spot, multiple rainbow lights appearing around her, before sending a storm of Magical Leaves high into the air, each one shattering against Articuno's body uselessly.

Articuno wheeled around in the air, diving towards the two of them. Riolu was barely standing, and Kirlia stood her ground. Opening her hands, a solid orb of Psychic energy formed, and she unleashed her Psyshock, bursting against Articuno who flew on through, diving down at them, wings glinting cruelly.

Articuno was coming fast, and Kirlia had used Teleport so much, she wasn't sure she could muster another right now. She tried to build up some energy, enough for a Reflect, but she wasn't sure she could do that either.

Both her and Riolu cross their arms in front of them defensively, trying to minimize whatever damage they would take. The roaring sound of cutting through the wind was growing ever closer, and they closed their eyes, preparing for the final blow.

Articuno dived down between them, and slammed into them dead on, sending them high into the air, bodies wracked with pain. Riolu fell unconscious before they hit the peak of their rise, and Kirlia was struggling. They crashed back to the ground, feeling as if they had broken all the bones in their bodies. Kirlia couldn't breath, wind having been knocked out of her lungs.

Flying back around, Articuno let out another shriek, before hovering down before them. The air grew rapidly colder as ice particles were being shedded from her wings, giving them the feeling of being encased in death. The sky seemed to grow even darker, the cold wind biting like knives. It was too much, Kirlia fell unconscious from the experience.

Articuno looked down on the destruction caused on the beach. Several spires of jagged ice, trenches, craters, the bodies of Riolu, Kirlia, Pikachu, Electivire, and Paul all lying within them. Specks of red were in a spot below. Nothing had gone untouched from the attack.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Articuno shrieked in triumph, relishing in the destruction.

For a second.

A high-pitched whistling sound rang through the air, and as Articuno turned, there was an unmistakable wall of attacks crashing down towards her. Gouts of fire, blasts of lightning, beams of Psychic energy, purple mist, jagged stones, blades of wind, a massive stream of water, and waves of erratic green power.

The enormous amalgamation of attacks struck Articuno directly, before she could react, and sent her crashing towards the ground. An armada of Pokemon, Pidgeot, Butterfree, Volcarona, Lapras, Primeape, and Rotom, backed up by the might of Zapdos and Moltres, landed on the beach.

The two massive birds stepped forward, and before Articuno could do anything else, the two unleashed their most powerful attacks, Fire Blast and Thunder, striking the Ice and Flying Type from two angles, and immediately, the ice titan fell over. Articuno struggled, but the combined might of her two brothers was too much, and she fainted.

Every one of them immediately stumbled low, getting into a resting position. None of them were free of battle wounds, even Zapdos and Moltres. Pidgeot and Volcarona used their Roost techniques to attempt to rest up.

"So, unless they brought big daddy along, we should be in the clear, right?" Pidgeot huffed.

Moltres nodded gravely. "Those bastards took us, but they didn't dare try to draw out Lord Lugia. The crisis should have passed…" His gaze hardened. "As soon as I give those same bastards a send off worthy of Yveltal!"

Nodding at Moltres' words, Pidgeot lowered her head, breathing deeply, and something caught her eye. "Riolu, Kirlia!" she exclaimed, flapping over to the two fallen Pokemon, noticing something else in the air. "Pikachu?!"

The three Pokemon laid lifeless in the frosted beach, at the mercy of the elements. Pidgeot flew to each of them, checking them worriedly, and feeling relief when their hearts were still beating. "Primeape!" she called.

Grunting heavily from exhaustion, Primeape lumbered over to the scene. "Ah, that's where these two went" Primeape grunted. "Are they ok?"

"I don't know" Pidgeot admitted. She glanced around, an unknown sense of dread becoming apparent. "Where's Ash? Riolu was with him, and he's gone."

Primeape struck a thinking pose, then glanced back. "Maybe when Frosty wakes up, she'll have the answers."

"They don't have that kind of time" Pidgeot said. "Help load them onto my back, I'll take them back to the clearing. We have berries there, and maybe Latias will be there too. We have to help them!"

Primeape nodded and grunted out a "Right!" Moving fast, he jumped over and picked up all the limp Pokemon in one go. Rushing back over, Pidgeot leaned down, letting Primeape toss them on as quickly as possible.

Pidgeot spread her wings, wincing slightly, sore from all the battling that she had been doing. Flapping hard, Pidgeot took to the air, barely clearing the treeline before she hit, and going as fast as she could for the clearing, hoping to find a way to save the three on her back. "Come on, you guys, hold on" she said. "You two have survived worse before, and Pikachu, boy do I remember what you could do. I won't let this be what does you in, so you guys better not either!"


Residential District


Latias descended to the ground rapidly, with May's directions. May's own house just a few feet away, they set down in front of the house emblemized with the numbers 389. She wasted no time jumping down off of the Eon and running up to the door as fast as her legs could carry her, Glaceon running behind her. She pounded on the wooden frame so hard that she could have woken up the dead, but she didn't care.

There was a shuffling sound behind the door, before it cracked open, revealing the tall, dark frame of Brock. "May, what are you doing out?" he hissed. "It's dangerous out there-"

"Brock, help!" May cried out, effectively stunning the Pokemon Doctor.

"What, what happened?" he asked her.

May gestured behind her and stood aside, not able to say the condition that Ash was left in. Brock opened the door and looked where she had pointed, and promptly froze in shock. Not at the Legendary Pokemon floating before him, but…

"May, is that-" Brock stuttered out.

"Please, help him" May said.

Breaking free of his shock, he ran outside. Latias floated forward, bringing Ash closer. It only took a moment for Brock to register the Pokemon before him as the same Latias that Ash had met in Alto Mare all those years ago. But now wasn't the time for that. Reaching out, he picked up the body of his friend off of Latias' back, and rushed as quickly as he could back into the house.

May rushed inside after him, not wanting Ash to leave her sight, even for a single second, with Glaceon following her. She was dimly aware of a light flashing behind her, but paid it no heed, too focused.

Brock ran over into the living room, just as a figure emerged from a basement door. "Brock, what's going on?" Lucy asked.

"There's no time to explain, Lucy" Brock said. "I need some help with this, run upstairs and get my tools."

At that moment, Lucy realized the body that Brock was carrying. She didn't recognize it, but she did recognize the severity of the situation, and ran to fetch what he needed with question.

Brock swung his arm wide, clearing the coffee table of anything on top. "May, I need towels" he told the young brunnette.

"Wher-" May began to ask, before remembering that these houses were mass produced. The same place she'd found her towels…

She ran over to where she remembered the linen pantry to be, and grabbed a massive armful of clothes, immediately rushing back to Brock's side. A simple nod told her what she needed to do, and she spread towels out over the table, covering the entire surface, and getting out of the way so that Brock could set Ash down on the table. She still had a few rags in her hands.

Two women ran into the room, Lucy, and another, wearing a green skirt and with spiky brown hair. Lucy held a large bag of medical supplies, which Brock immediately accepted. Grabbing a sharp instrument out, he made a clear cut straight down, splitting the blood-matted cloak in two .

and pulling it off. The legs didn't have as many injuries, and weren't as caked with the fluid, so they could be easily rolled up.

May couldn't help but let out a small shriek when she saw what had really happened to the Trainer. Across his torso, he had countless gashes, most at least an inch wide. They weren't too deep, but much deeper than a normal scratch. The skin around each cut was slightly swollen, and pale blue from the cold, looking almost frostbitten.

Brock frowned. Looking around, he noted who was there. "Latias, could you get me a bowl of hot water?" he asked.

May glanced over, and didn't see Latias anywhere. But, when Brock asked that, the new girl nodded, running over to where she could get into the kitchen. Any other time, she would have questioned it, but she was too worried right now.

In a few seconds, Latias came running back out, a bowl full of steaming water levitating in front of her. Brock grabbed it, and one of the remaining cloths from May, soaking it in the liquid, before he began applying the cloth to each of Ash's wounds. He scrubbed gently, but enough so that the congealed blood came off. Each time he finished with one, the color seemed less blue.

The girl stood next to May, looking on, intently and worriedly. May looked to the side, still having trouble believing that Latias was capable of taking a human shape. Something rang in the back of her head, Ash once telling her about an adventure with a Latios and Latias, and she figured that this must be the Latias from that story. If so, it was no wonder that she appeared to be just as worried as she was.

Lucy ran up with an empty trash can, which Brock nodded gratefully for, taking it and tossing the bloody rag in. Taking a bottle of disinfectant out of his bag, he began spraying some into each wound, the spray turning to foam on contact. May hoped that that was a good sign, that it was supposed to foam to remove any germs.

Grabbing another fresh rag, Brock wetted it and wiped the wounds clean of the disinfectant as well. Tossing it in the bin, Brock stood up and ran into the kitchen, coming back with an armful of berries in a bowl, a large mortar and pestle as well. He quickly mashed the berries into a paste, a sickening green, and set it aside. Reaching into his bag, he came back out with a spool of thread and a thick needle.

He quickly began to stitch Ash's wounds, each gaping crevice slowly growing smaller and thinner as time went by, seconds like minutes, minutes like hours.

When he finally gave the last stitch, he picked up the berry paste he had prepared, and began scooping it out, and spreading it over each stitch, covering each wound up completely. Grabbing some large bandages out of his bag, and covering even the paste underneath the heavy layers. And even after that, Brock took out a large roll of gauze, and began wrapping it around Ash's entire torso, mummifying him, almost.

Time seemed to fly yet crawl, and the entire process took fifteen minutes to complete, and Brock finally stood up straight, his dark face pale. On the floor, away from the table, laid a large dark hat, and a pair of gloves with white gems embedded within.

Brock let out a trembling sigh. "I, I've done all I can" Brock said.

May was terrified of his tone. "Is… He…"

Brock nodded. "I think so" he said. "Any longer, and we might have had a problem. Those wounds may have gotten frostbite by then, and it's easy to remove a finger or toe, but that much, it would be impossible. You got him here in the nick of time, May."

May felt herself tearing up, and didn't trust herself to speak. The fear she had felt, still terrified her with how intense it had been, and she broke down crying, falling to her knees and letting them fall from her eyes.

"Glaaaa…" Glaceon cooed, rubbing up against her trainer comfortingly.

It took several minutes for May to calm down. Having to push her feelings aside in the heat of the moment, it all hit her at once, almost more than she could handle. After letting her recover, Brock helped May back to her feet, which she appreciated.

Lucy stepped forward. "Listen, I know things are bad, but we should get back into the cellar. We still have three angry Legendary Pokemon out there, and we need to be protected.

May hiccupped. "No, things are good now" she said. "I saw the Moltres fly towards Zapdos and attack it, and Pikachu was helping take care of the Articuno. I think… That we don't need to go down there."

Lucy glanced out the window skeptically, it it was true, there was no sign of any fighting still going on out there. No flashes of lightning, or bright Ice Beams. Seeming satisfied, she nodded. "Well, I think we have a lot to talk about" she said.

Brock nodded. "Come on, May" he said. "I'll make some cocoa for all of us, we can warm up, and you can tell us exactly what happened."

May wiped her eyes clear of the remaining tears, and nodded. "Ok…" she said quietly.


The three of them sat at the table. Glaceon lied on the floor, next to May, while Latias never left the living room, opting to stay there and watch Ash.

The steaming mug was sat in front of her, and she picked it up, taking a sip of the sweet beverage, the warmth filling her inside and helping to seemingly dispel some of the fear she felt. She looked up, and nodded to Brock, silently thanking him for the cocoa and giving him the go sign.

Brock took a sip out his own mug, and looked back. "May, how… How is this even possible?" he asked. "How is Ash here?"

May let out a shaky breath. "I don't know…" she admitted. "I just found out that he was here… Without knowing how."

"You knew?" he asked.

May nodded. "I left my part of the Terracotta Ribbon at home one day" she said. Brock nodded, knowing how important that Ribbon half was to her. "While we were out, Max pointed it out on the ground, and we thought that I must have grabbed it out of habit, and dropped it. But, when we got back, my half, it was still in my drawer."

Brock felt surprised. "You mean, Ash's half was just lying around?" he asked.

"Yes" she responded. "And Pikachu proved it was his, he could smell Ash on it. And, then, I just knew, he was still out there."

Brock's eyes widened. "How long ago was this?" he asked.

"Two days" May admitted. Before Brock could respond, she continued. "I really wanted to find him on my own, and I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up if we were somehow wrong" she said, covering herself.

Brock could understand that. He was a little upset, but he could understand where she was coming from. "So, what happened next?" he asked.

"I was looking all over the island" May said shakily. "I searched for him far and wide, until the Legendary Pokemon attacked earlier. When me, Pikachu, and Glaceon were trying to get away, I heard a scream."

"A scream?" Lucy asked. "Was it..."

"Yes" May said. "When it happened, I followed it, and it led me straight to Ash, just as he took an attack from the Articuno…" she trailed off as the gory image, still fresh in her mind, assaulted her once more. "And, when that happened, Pikachu stayed to fight the Articuno to let us get away."

She took another sip to attempt and dispel the chills. The table was rather silent, even though May had given a heavily abbreviated version, it still hit them hard. Brock and Lucy looked at each other in shock.

"And, where's Pikachu now?" Brock asked.

"I don't know…" May whispered. "He wouldn't come with us, he insisted on fighting that thing. I hope that he did it, I know Pikachu is really good at this kind of thing, but I'm still worried about him too…"

"..." Brock didn't respond, still letting it all sink in. Looking over to the living, room, he still saw Ash lying there, bandaged heavily with Latias watching over him. "So what now?" he asked.

"What?" May asked.

"What do we do now?" Brock asked. "I'm just as ecstatic as you that Ash is back, but what does it mean? Why did he stay away, what has he been doing, is he leaving again? I wish we could get the answers from him, but we need to let him rest now. We can't chance waking him up."

"I know, it's gnawing at me too" May admitted. "But… I don't think he's going to leave us."

Brock nodded. "That isn't like Ash, but leaving in the first place wasn't either."

"Brock" May said. "Ash left last time, because the last thing he saw of me was that I was dead. However he stayed alive, he was living knowing that I had died. I don't think he could face anyone after that… I know I couldn't have if we were reversed…"

May started to feel extra emotional again. She hadn't truly considered what he must have felt until now, but, she thought back. She began seeing all the pieces put together.

"Aaron had a Riolu…"

Near where Ash was, there were two Pokemon already fighting Articuno. One of them was a Riolu.

"A cloaked trainer…"

She wouldn't have recognized him if his hat hadn't fallen off. He was completely camouflaged to them.

"A blue energy began to leak out of him… I only felt a fraction of what he carried on him... No wonder he was so withdrawn, he must want to never feel anything again…"

"I doubt we'd be sharing a house with an Aura Guardian…"

"I ran a broken man from because I couldn't respect his privacy…"

The half of the Terracotta Ribbon lying on the ground…

Ash was Aaron, that was his cover name. He had been in so much pain, even after three years, that he still felt that strong about it. She could barely believe it, and she doubted, even with what she felt, that she could comprehend it either…

Brock let May sit for a minute. Standing up, he walked into the other room, letting her absorb everything slowly. Brock came back in a minute later, still pale from what he had witnessed. "I asked Latias if she wanted to come sit" he said. "But, I guess I should have known she wouldn't have wanted to leave his side."

"Hm?" May asked, looking at Brock. "Did you know Latias?"

"A little…" Brock said evasively. "I just should have already known the answer is all."

At this point, Lucy noticed something up with Brock as well. "Come on, Brock" she said. "What are you keeping us in the dark about?"

Brock glanced sideways at May in an almost nervous fashion. "Trust me, it's nothing" he said soothingly. At least, he attempted soothing. His will quickly crumbled under the glare Lucy gave him that would put her Seviper to shame. "Fine…" he muttered. "Latias, she, well, she may or may not have a crush on Ash."

You could suddenly hear a speck of of dust settling on the floor, the kitchen grew so quiet. In truth, neither of them expected anything of the sort that Brock had revealed. Brock quickly felt extremely awkward standing there, but felt as if he were frozen as well.

"What?" May asked. "How do you… Know?"

This was why Brock hesitated to tell them, but his big mouth got him into trouble. May had revealed almost as soon as Ash left, her feelings for the trainer. Knowing that he had a partner in the form of a love interest, well…

Brock let out a sigh. "A long time ago, just before we left Johto, we took a vacation to go see a town called Alto Mare for a few days…" he said.

"Ash told me the story" May said.

"Did he say how it ended?" Brock asked.

"Yeah" May said. "Latios and Latias both went to save the city, but Latios was hurt, so it took his life and turned him into a new Soul Dew. You guys barely got any rest, and spent the next day remembering Latios, before you had to catch a boat back to the mainland the next morning."

Brock let out an internal groan. "Yeah, little detail that was left out. I can't blame him, it was a little awkward for him to discuss, even around us."

May eyed Brock warily. "What?" she asked.

Brock rubbed the back of his head. "Well, as we were pulling out, a girl ran up along the pier to say goodbye. She looked like Bianca, but that was the form Latias always took, and she wasn't wearing her hat, which she used to distinguish herself from Latias. And, the person who came up, gave Ash a sketch of him and Pikachu, and, well…"

At this point, Brock was stuttering, but Lucy filled in the blanks when he couldn't seem to go on. "She kissed him?" she asked.

Brock nodded hesitantly. "Yeah…" he muttered. "And, later, when we had a chance to talk with Bianca again, she said that she was sad that she didn't get to see us off that morning…"

May blinked. A Pokemon, a Legendary Pokemon, had kissed Ash, her Ash, before she had even met him. And, over the past few years, Ash was travelling around with her…

Despite being able to understand, she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. She knew Ash was probably too dense to have understood what it meant, but that didn't change her deeper feelings about the whole deal. She knew Ash had countless adventures before he met her, during their adventure, and well after, and things happened a lot. She could still remember how down in the dumps he was after Lucario passed away.

"I wouldn't worry about it" Brock said, noting May's worried face. "It was just a kiss on the cheek, nothing serious."

That made her feel a little better. She knew she was acting a little irrational right now, so she tried to push past it. She drank the last dregs of her cocoa and set the cup down. "Brock, how long until Ash wakes up?" she asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure" Brock said. "My worst Pokemon patients have had wounds less than this and took a while to recover. Ash was always a fast healer, but I don't know if it caught up to him or anything that might have happened in the past few years."

"What about a Pokemon?" May asked. "A Heal Pulse, or a Recover, or something? Your Chansey knows Softboiled!"

Brock sighed. "Those moves aren't as strong as they seem" he said. "Starmie can regenerate lost limbs with Recover just because their bodies are made that way. Heal Pulse, Softboiled, those kinds of moves, they're only meant for minor cuts and bruises, healing energy, making you feel better when you're sick, not closing wounds of that size and making the person completely better. Trust me, I studied all of this stuff at Pokemon Medicine School."

"Oh…" May said. "So we can't do anything else?"

"Not right now" Brock said. "We've done all we can, now we just have to wait, and hope nothing else happens in the meantime."

Words that should never be spoken. When you voice your hope, the universe loves nothing more than to crush it. At that moment, a bright light radiated out of the living room, catching the attention of all three of them. May stood up, ready to run into the room, when suddenly, a low growl fell over the group.

A power, one that made them all tremble just from the atmosphere, began moving towards them. Turning the corner, a purple, humanoid Pokemon appeared, and the face, the pure rage emanating from its face, was the stuff of nightmares.

"You're the ones who did this…" he growled, hand extending, and a sheen of purple energy extending outwards, solidifying into a blade.

"Mewtwo?" Brock gasped in shock.

Mewtwo raised the Psycho Cut as he heard Brock, but slowed as he got a good look at him. "I remember you…" he growled.

Brock saw his opening. "Mewtwo, listen, I don't know what you think, but we didn't hurt Ash" he said. "We've been trying to help him!"

Mewtwo's attack lowered further. "I believe you…" he admitted. "For now. I remember our last encounter, and you. However…" he glanced around the room. "I do not recognize these two. So, explain to me, what exactly happened to the Chosen One?"

May's breath caught in her throat. "Chosen One?" she asked.

Mewtwo glared at her. "Do you know what happened?" he growled.

Terrified, May nodded as fast as she could. "Good" he said. "Then I will see."

At that moment, May's mind went completely blank. She couldn't sense anything, at all. Then, as quickly as it began, May fell back into her own body, head pounding slightly. She felt unbalanced, and nearly fell backwards, before Lucy darted forward to catch her. "Are you ok?" she asked.

For a moment, May forgot how to speak. But she found her words. "I… Think so" she said.

Mewtwo's Psycho Cut dissipated, and he looked down at the two of them. May tensed up again in fear of this Pokemon. She hadn't recognized the name before, when she talked to Misty, but now she remembered. The Mirage Lab, Dr. Yung had created a fearsome Pokemon, Mewtwo. She hadn't remembered the name, until she saw the Pokemon itself.

"My apologies" Mewtwo said, surprising the group.

May and Lucy stood up straight, and Brock walked beside them. "You must understand, my mind is running high right now" Mewtwo growled. "I just finished taking care of some Rocket bastards, and when I come to find the Chosen One in this state, things did not look good for you through my eyes."

"Apology accepted" May said shakily, a sense of relief filling her again. "You… Know Ash?" she asked.

Mewtwo looked at the coordinator. "You appear to as well" he said. "Ash, yes, you could say that we are, partners. That is part of the reason I reacted so strongly. His current condition could be devastating to our goals."

"What goals?" Brock inquired.

Mewtwo shot Brock a glare. "None of your concern" he said. "We are the only ones to know the mission here."

Brock was taken aback at Mewtwo's tone. "I thought you just said you trust me?" he asked.

"I said I believed you" Mewtwo corrected. "I trust no one besides the Chosen One and his allies."

"Brock…" May whispered. "Do you know why Mewtwo is calling Ash 'The Chosen One?'"

"No" Brock said back. "Ash was named the Chosen One as a prophecy in the Orange Islands, Misty told me, but that was all."

Mewtwo turned around and floated out of the room. Confused by what he was up to, the three of them followed him. Mewtwo came to a stop in the middle of the room, and gave a nod to Latias, before levitating Ash's body.

"WAIT!" May cried out, rushing forward. "What are you doing?!"

Mewtwo looked down on her. "I am returning to our base" he said. "We must take stock."

"You can't take him!" May shouted defiantly. "You can't take him now, not when I've just found him!"

"He doesn't want to be found" Mewtwo growled. "He stayed with me because he wanted secrecy, and after the way he has serviced the world, I shall be damned if I let a premature human ruin his desire for solitude!"

"You don't understand!" May said. "He left because he thought I died!"

Mewtwo, who had been about to respond angrily, to shut her up, instead found himself to be the silenced one. Ash's body slowly fell back towards the table. "You…" he said. "You are the one that he has done this over?"

May nodded, tears streaming down her face. "And I thought he was dead too, but then we found him! Please, you can't do this, not after all this time!"

Mewtwo turned, and fully faced May. "And how am I to be certain that you are telling the truth about this?" he asked. "Because where I come from, returning from the dead isn't a very common occurrence."

May steeled herself. "What you did, just a bit ago, you were looking at my memories? Do it again."

Mewtwo appeared slightly surprised that she was recommending this course of action, knowing how distorting it was, and the pressure it put on the mind, essentially forcing the person out of their body during the process. But he didn't hesitate, and did exactly what she recommended.

"..."

"I see…"

May nearly fell over again, but she was caught by thin arms, Latias supporting her, and setting her down on the couch gently. She nodded gratefully to the disguised Eon Pokemon, feeling slightly awkward about her conversation earlier, but thankful nonetheless.

Mewtwo glanced around. "I see it was not only the Chosen One affected by this event" he said. "But many of those involved as well."

Recovering quicker the second time, May nodded. "Will, will you leave Ash?" she asked.

Mewtwo gave a curt nod. "I shall" he said. "I believe that it is in the best interest of the Chosen One to become acquainted with this knowledge."

May let out a sigh of relief. Ash had almost been taken from her again, and she was ecstatic that she had been able to prevent it. "Thank you…" she said.

And, at that moment, it all seemed to catch up with her. The stress of the Birds attacking, and finding Ash, the attacks from Latias, and everything altogether that she had felt over that day. In almost an instant, her eyes closed, and she passed into a deep sleep.

Brock and Lucy both walked over, and picked her up, carrying her between them. "We'll have to move her into a bedroom" Brock said. "And we should probably set up Ash in the other. A glass table isn't exactly a good spot for recovery."

"Allow me to assist with the Chosen One" Mewtwo offered, and once more, Ash's body began levitating into the air. Closing his eyes, Mewtwo began to guide him upstairs without having to follow him. There was the sound of a door opening, the depression of a bed, and the door shutting.

Brock and Lucy were back down after a minute, getting May situated. Brock immediately grabbed a jacket and walked up to the door. "Ok, Dawn, Gary, and Max will probably be worrying themselves to death about May by now" he said. "I'll go get them, and bring them over. If I know them, then they probably know about Ash being back too. I'll bring them over, let them know May's ok, and show them Ash if they want to see him."

"But are we sure that the Birds are no longer out there?" Lucy asked.

"I came to the surface a few minutes ago, it would appear the fighting has quelled" Mewtwo said. "It is safe out there, I personally sent the majority of those bastards packing, either in their helicopters, or in body bags."

Chills ran down the spines of the two as they heard Mewtwo's dark tone. They couldn't tell if he was joking, but they wouldn't put it past him. "So it's safe" Brock said. "I'll be right back, they're only a few houses away."

Lucy gulped. "Yeah, sure thing" she said. "I'll see you in a minute."

Brock gave her a quick peck on the cheek, before zipping his coat up and stepping out the door, into the chilled air.


Later


It was as Brock had expected all around. When they heard May was with him, they were extremely relieved, but nothing compared to when he told them that someone else was there too. All four of them, Piplup included, rushed right past him, without bothering to grab anything.

They were initially surprised at the appearance of Mewtwo, but got over it quickly enough. After checking to make sure that May was ok, they rushed to the room where Ash lay. To say that they were all shocked at his condition was an understatement, but they were also ecstatic to find him still breathing.

Eventually, they made their way back downstairs, and they traded information. Brock learned everything that they had been doing and seeing, while he himself shared back what had happened since May knocked on his door, as well as what she had told him about that day. Similarly to Brock, as the Birds struck, they hid in the house, attempting to stay safe, but they had worried about May, and whether or not she would let a little thing like a Legendary Pokemon attack get in the way of searching for Ash.

They also made the promise to wait to let everyone else know, at least until, hopefully, Ash got back up. They didn't want to cause pandemonium if he somehow didn't pull through. The damage to them would be severe, there was no need for any collateral. Mewtwo and Latias both joined them eventually, and seeing as all of these people were extremely close to Ash, began sharing small bits about the past 3 years. Mewtwo remained stoic, however, on disclosing information on the mission they were on.

The sun began setting, and even through the clouds, the land became much darker quite rapidly. At one point, three lights in the distance took to the air, one yellow, one blue, and one red, and flew away from the island. It appeared that the Legendary Bird Pokemon were done here, and had taken their leave.

Later into the night, Mewtwo vanished somewhere, only to return with a satchel of Pokeballs, as well as cradling 3 heavily injured Pokemon. A Riolu, a Kirlia, and Pikachu. Brock went to work immediately, helping the three recover. And all of them were back on their feet before midnight. Riolu and Kirlia were nervous, being around so many people. Riolu growled and got in front of Kirlia when Dawn approached, before Mewtwo explained the situation. After that, they calmed down, but still maintained a distance, at one point leaving to go view Ash. Pikachu had yet to tell them about his origins with Ash, somehow, that had slipped his mind.

None of them could sleep until late that night, things were too intense for something like sleep. At one point, around half past one in the morning, May woke up, and came downstairs to what could almost have been a party, by all the people there. She was extremely relieved that Pikachu was fine, and felt a lot of her tension leave when she found out. Everyone split their remarks between congratulating her for finding Ash, and helping not feel so down about his condition. Of course, that only reminded her, of the way his body was broken, down in the sand…

Eventually, they got a message on the T.V. in the living room. Much of the arenas had been destroyed in the attack. Thankfully, there were no casualties, Pokemon or human, but due to repairs being needed to be done, the rest of the tournament would be delayed by a week. 7 days before things were back on, those Birds had really knocked the island for a loop.

Mewtwo went out back, and released all of Ash's Pokemon, save the two Lapras, so they could stretch and rest. They were exhausted from all the battling they had done, but luckily, besides Riolu, Kirlia, and Pikachu, all of them had escaped relatively unscathed. Max was immediately interested in Ash's Pokemon, especially Pidgeot, having heard about what it had done just as a Pidgeotto, and wondering what it could do as a fully evolved and heavily trained ace. Pidgeot, Primeape, and Butterfree all recognized Brock, but Rotom and Volcarona, similar to Riolu and Kirlia, maintained a safe distance.

When they were all released, Latias stepped outside once more, finally transforming back into her true form, feeling to cool air on her feathers. Greeting the team, she began to tell them all that had happened, and why they were here. They were worried about Ash, as everyone was, but they had a strong conviction that he would be fine, based off of what they had seen him handle in the past three years.

May sat in the kitchen, people all around her, and while her worry for Ash was bigger than anyone's, she couldn't help but give a small smile occasionally. Even if he wasn't up, Brock had promised her Ash would be okay given some rest.

It was almost 4 in the morning before they started turning in for the night. Brock and Dawn stayed in the kitchen, talking. Max and Gary went back to their place around the same time. Lucy had gone upstairs, letting May know that she could spend the night at this house if she wanted to remain closer to Ash, an opportunity that she gratefully accepted.

She tried to be a part of the conversations downstairs, but eventually, the day caught up with her again, having not slept it all off. Bidding the others good night, she stepped upstairs and made her way to the remaining guest bedroom, before laying down in the bed and closing her eyes.


?


Ash's dream made no sense, which was good, he wasn't sure he could handle sense right now. Of course, when you go to the extreme in the other direction, it doesn't do much good.

Ash was down in some sort of field, a storm raging above, as he dueled Arceus himself. It was less of a duel, and more of an attack directly from Ash, as Arceus didn't retaliate at all. He felt a sickening swoop of anger as he constantly swung his Bone Rush at the Alpha Pokemon.

"I've constantly served you, for years on end!" Ash roared as Arceus backed out of reach once more. "Every single second of every single day, feeling nothing but pain. Yet you still make me go on protecting this world that you messed up by allowing evil to breed."

Arceus' face was passive as Ash attacked him in two ways, verbally and physically. The Bone Rush connected directly on the bridge of his head, and he didn't flinch.

Ash growled. "You may think it's easy, choosing one person to clean up the mess. But you have no idea what it's like! You go off and take a vacation in some alternate dimension and leave me here, suffering and subservient!"

"..."

"..."

"ANSWER ME!" Ash bellowed, swinging again, this time, connecting so hard that the bone shattered, and leaved a burn across Arceus' face from the aura that burst forth.

Any other person would be afraid of attempting to wound a god, but Ash felt his rage fuel him past the normal boundaries of any other being. A look flashed through Arceus' eyes, but not one of rage. It was indescribable.

"You made this world!" Ash roared, abandoning the pretense of using a Bone Rush and merely fueling his fists instead. "You made the evil, and you forced me to be your puppet that fights it!"

Sinking his fist as hard as he could into the side of the Alpha Pokemon, he continued shouting. "What, did you kill off May too? Because she was distracting me from being the perfect slave to your faux utopia? DID YOU?!"

Ash was self aware that he was in a dream, he had no reason to let up. Standing back, he cradled an Aura Sphere in each hand, and blasted Arceus repeatedly, forming a new sphere every time an old one was used. "WHY ME?!" he bellowed, keeping up the continuous fire. "WHY ME?! WHY ME?! WHY ME?! WHY ME?! WHY ME?!"

"I HAVE GIVEN EVERYTHING TO YOU!" he kept on shouting. "I saved the world before I was labled your Chosen One several times! I already gave my entire life to helping out the Pokemon of the world! I saved your sorry carcass before I was even born! Is this how you say thank you?! Enslavement with a fancy title?!"

Ash felt completely drained, he had shouted until his throat was sore and kept blasting the Pokemon until his Aura was expended. He hadn't even made Arceus feel hardly anything.

Taking a deep breath, his rage refueled him, and he charged forward once more, energy congealed around his fist as he made to attack him once again, but he found himself frozen.

"Stop this, Ash"

He felt whatever had stopped him release him, and glared at Arceus spitefully. "Why should I?" he spat. "Don't like hearing stuff that makes seem anything other than some sort of benevolent, caring creature?"

"Ash, I understand your rage" Arceus sympathised. "The burden I have placed upon you is a great one..."

"You think?" Ash asked sarcastically.

Arceus nodded. "You must understand, for there to be a true balance in the universe, I must give free will to my creations. And with all will comes the potential for evil."

Arceus levitated into the air, Ash following him, lifted along. The scene began to shift around him. He looked down on a storming sea, one island in the midst of the brine, and several clashes of light and roars echoing from below. The Battle of New Island...

Ash and Arceus settled down in the midst, just as Mewtwo and Mew sent powerful blasts at each other once more, and the younger version of Ash ran in between them, struck by the torrents of Psychic energies.

"I know better than anyone of your exploits, your care for the world" Arceus said as he watched the replay of the battle. "And in return, the world cares back."

As he said that, the Pokemon tears began sparkling across the field, and the stony body of Ash's younger self began to restore. "You have a gift, to not only combat evil, but to turn it" Arceus said. "Mewtwo was once your fiercest adversary, a truly evil being. Yet you showed him the light, and now, he is most closely bonded with you."

Ash growled, and thought of another place to take their conversation to. The scene warped, and suddenly, they were in a rustic town, surrounded by waterways, as a massive tidal wave careened towards them. "Yet evil still wins sometimes" he shot back. "I have to win just to keep things normal, time and time again. But if they even half wins once..."

The tidal wave burst apart, and Ash willed himself and Arceus forward, and just in time, to watch the faint spirit of the noble Latios, vanish forever, leaving Latias alone, and tired, falling towards the water.

"And even when it doesn't come down to sentient beings!" Ash shouted, changing the scene once more, arriving in a crystalline cavern, a place that still haunted Ash on occasion, as Lucario fell to the ground, and vanished in a cloud of blue energy. "Needless death, by the work of your own nature!"

Arceus grew quiet, which angered Ash. "WHAT IS IT?!" he shouted. "You more prattling on about my gifts or special talents? No, because YOU KNOW that neither of them had to die. Minimal evil, or no evil at all at work, resulted in two of my friends' deaths! And I'm supposed to believe that my work to help the people and Pokemon of the world balances out like this? No, but that wasn't enough, things weren't balanced yet, no..."

It pained Ash, but he couldn't stop himself. He took Arceus, to a storming cliffside. Winds and lightning that would put Rayquaza and Zekrom to shame. Two figures, running down the path, before a bolt of lightning struck down, knocking one person off. The other tried to catch them, but... They slipped nonetheless.

Ash felt the tears stream down his face, seeing what had happened as if it had happened only yesterday. "Latios, he was noble, he gave his life for a cause" Ash said lowly, venomously. "It wasn't fair, but he made the choice. Lucario, he did the same. But... What happened to May... Don't you even DARE try to muck this as another Tauros' shit excuse of balance. She did absolutely NOTHING to deserve that, she was hurt, SHE WAS KILLED, and in the process, I was brought to complete and utter servitude in isolation, in constant pain, as part of YOUR plan for this world!"

Ash turned to fully face Arceus. "WHERE IS THIS BALANCE? BECAUSE I SURE AS HELL DON'T SEE IT!" he roared, drowning out even the roar of the approaching Charizard. "Is this your idea of balance?! Those who give live in endless pain, or die, while the villains never let up?! THE SCALES WERE TIPPED LONG AGO, YOU FRAUD! WHETHER EVIL WINS OR FAILS, I PAY THE PRICE IN THE END!"

Arceus turned to face Ash. "The balance is not always even" he said. "And to those caught in the disturbances, it never appears to be so. You focus on your burden, rather than count your blessings."

"Blessings? From you?" Ash replied scathingly. "Don't make me laugh."

Arceus gave Ash a solemn look. "As much as you wish to blame me, I am only partially at fault" he said. "I do not control this realm with a magic ball as you think I do. I created this place, and let it flourish independent of my touch, save for few instances..."

"Like when you tried to destroy the world?!" Ash growled. "Face it, even being good is an illusion. When it came down to it, you were more evil than Mewtwo ever was."

Arceus let out a sigh. "I can understand all you are saying, Ash. Your words do pierce me, and sometimes, you do hit close to the truth. but what you fail to realize, is that I am not the one full to blame, and beyond that, for everything you have experienced thus far, you still have your own long path before you."

"Great, I can go on and lose even further!" Ash growled. "Who are you going to kill of next, Arceus? Mewtwo? Latias? Riolu? Or maybe you'll take someone in my old life out of play and find a way to make sure it reaches me. Maybe you'd like to kill my mom, or even Dawn, or Brock? Anything to cause me pain, right? I don't want to be the Chosen One, I'll serve my duty, but if Death comes calling, I'll be on the first ride out, just you watch!"

Arceus closed his eyes. "I can believe that, Ash, it saddens me." his eyes reopened. "However, hold out for now-"

"Oh, yeah, of course, anything for your majesty" Ash growled.

"Ash" Arceus said, becoming stern for the first time. "I may not be able to see or control what's ahead, but believe me when I say, I see a more positive future ahead of you quite soon..."

"False promises..." Ash muttered. "I can no longer have a bright future, thanks to your balance."

A dark fog rolled across his vision, and the image of Arceus began to fade. "Perhaps, but I would see... The balance always rights itself in the end..."

Ash felt his body become light as he lost all vision. "I'll believe that... When I see it."


Ash's eyes shot open, and he gasped in pain. "Oh... This is what confetti feels like..." he groaned, memories of what last happened rushing back to him. The Articuno, the Blizzard/Hurricane tag attack, Riolu...

"Rio?"

"Lia?

Ash took a second to recognize the sounds, but when, with difficulty, he looked to the side, he couldn't help but break out in a smile when he saw Riolu and Kirlia each standing there, looking a little battered, but in high spirits nonetheless. The two immediately ran over to him, looking on to him with a worried expression on each of their faces.

"Hey you two…" Ash grunted, reaching down and tustling their heads a little. "Sorry if I worried you."

"Rio, Riolu Lu!" Riolu shook his head.

"I can be sorry for worrying you even if I was the one who took the attack" Ash countered. "That's different."

"Lia Kirlia" Kirlia said.

Ash grunted in pain, letting it pass. "You too? I do have something to be sorry about if I… You know what, fine, you guys win."

The two nodded in unison, making Ash chuckle. Only after he stopped, did he begin to wonder something. "Where, am I?" he asked. He could feel the soft surface of a bed beneath him, and while he couldn't see much else, there was faint light leaking in through a windowpane a few feet to the side. "Ugh, how'd I get back into one of these things?"

Looking down, he noted that he was covered in bandages. From his waist to just below his shoulders, he was wrapped in gauze. "I guess someone tried to patch me up…" he grunted. "I hope they did a good enough job…"

Holding his hand out to the side, a blue light materialized in the air, and he formed a Bone Rush. He began breathing hard as soon as it was brought into existence, telling him more about his condition than he cared to know. If he was so weak that the tiny bit of Aura it took to use Bone Rush was doing this…

Steeling his resolve, he planted the bone in the floor, and pushed himself into a sitting position. His body screamed at him so loudly he was sure it was literally making noise that could be heard in Kanto. He felt like his torso was being torn apart by torture tools, and it took all of his effort not to do anything more than grunt.

Having to brace himself once more, he pushed down again, and got to his feet, shaking and putting almost all of his weight on the bone. His legs wobbled, and he fell forward, barely catching himself on the wall, his knee colliding heavily with a dresser. He let out a sharp, low swear word as the pain shot through his body again, and pushed himself back up.

"Sorry guys" Ash said back to Riolu and Kirlia. "Come on, let's head back."

Kirlia and Riolu both nodded, and as Ash hobbled to the door on his crutch, Kirlia opened it with Psychic, the door creaking slightly as Ash stumbled out into the hall.

"We just gotta, find out, where we are, then we can head back" Ash grunted. "Come on, you two…"

"..."


May had barely closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would take her soon, when she heard a light thumping noise through the wall. She was initially too tired to even recognize it as something, until it happened again, quite a bit deeper this time, and there was a creaking sound.

Immediately, her eyes were wide open. She slipped out from under the covers, and cracked her own door open slightly. She didn't see anything at first, but soon, a dim blue light began to shine in the hall…

A glowing staff was the first thing she saw, even that dim glow blinding in the near pitch black room. There was grunting, and some low words exchanged, as the figure fully stepped into the light. Light shining off the bandages, messy raven hair barely visible, May's breath caught in her throat, as Ash stumbled into the hall.

She couldn't believe it, he was already up. Something was rooting her to the place, even more effectively that Glaceon's Ice Beam, she found herself frozen, in what felt like a combination of fear and joy.

And just as the figure began stumbling away, she found the strength, to break free. She pushed the door open and jumped into the hall. "Ash!" she said.


Ash had taken a few steps down the hall, when all of a sudden, a voice rang in his ears. "Ash!"

Ash froze, seemingly even down to the blood in his body stopped moving. That voice, a voice he could recognize from anywhere. The voice that haunted his nightmares and filled his dreams. A voice, he never thought that he'd hear again.

He knew he must be losing it, but, he couldn't help himself. He turned, facing the way he came, and his eyes widened.

Moonlight seeping through the doorway, illuminated the figure, the one he'd lost forever. "M-May?" he could hardly breath.

The figure in the moonlight nodded, and suddenly burst forward, rushing to him, and throwing her arms around his shoulders, and held him tight. Ash couldn't believe it… Her touch… It felt real. And, everything, felt real. The sobs he heard as her head rested on his shoulder, the heat of tears on the same place, and the pain he felt from his wounds, but they didn't seem to matter.

"Ash… You're… You're…" May kept sobbing, holding him even tighter. "You're here!"

"M-May…" Ash whispered coarsely. "Is, are you, really…"

May lifted her head, and stared at Ash directly. "Yes…" she whispered. "Ash, it's really me…"

Ash looked down, then back at her. "Then… Am I really…?" he began to ask, but May shook her head, knowing what he was about to say.

"You aren't dead, Ash" she whispered. "You're… You're back… Back with us… Back… With…"

And before she could finish her final word, she closed the remaining distance between the two, leaned in close…

And kissed him.


I'll keep this brief, none of you want to read author notes after that.

I love Advanceshipping, but does it get any easier to write? Talking about their love is one thing, but when it comes down to the proximity and the kiss at the end there, it kind of felt hard to write.

Forgive me if I have upset you. I'm hopeful that you enjoyed the chapter, but I'm pretty sure some hardcore Advanceshippers out there may be a bit infuriated that I dared mention Altoshipping. What can I say, it's my second favorite ship to sail on, I wanted to at least reference it. Besides, you all know it's basically canon as far as this story is concerned. It wasn't Bianca, and you know this.

I considered Riolu and Kirlia both evolving in a rage against Articuno, and completely destroying it with their new powers, but when I sat down, it didn't feel right. I feel much better about the end of the fight that I created instead. Besides, we haven't had enough time with them to evolve them yet, right? Of course, they will evolve eventually. I have plans for both of them...

Quarter is about to end, so hopefully, you'll have another chapter by Christmas. Hope you all enjoyed, I would love it if you would drop a review on the way out, and until next time, Happy Holidays!