Chapter Twelve

"My Lord, Guardian Ash of Petalburg has arrived," An older man informed peeking into the Barons office.

The Baron, a slightly over weight middle aged man with brown hair nodded expectantly, "Very good Phillip, send him in."

"Yes my Lord,"

Phillip pushed open the door to the Barons office and stepped aside as the Aura Guardian came over to where the Baron sat behind his desk. "Baron MacArthur," Ash greeted holding out his hand.

MacArthur stood up and took his hand in a firm handshake, "Please drop the pleasantries Ash, it's a pleasure to see you again," He gestured for Ash to take a seat.

Ash grinned and took the offer, "And you too Jeffery."

"I was surprised to say the least when I received your letter a week ago, would you mind filling me in on your reasons for coming all the way out to Lavaridge?"

"I've been given the assignment of dealing with the creature from Mt. Chimney," He saw the flash of concern enter the Barons eyes immediately.

"Is Lady Cloud with you?"

"I'm on my own for this assignment,"

"You do know what happened to Lance and Drake don't you?"

He nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, it's unfortunate. But it was really the reason I decided to make a stop here before starting the climb,"

"And why is that?"

"Would it be possible for me to go and visit Lance, I take it he still has residence in the castle?"

Jeffery nodded to himself, "Of course, he's been recuperating for some weeks now in the recovery ward. If you'd like I could have Phillip bring you to him,"

"Id be thankful for that," He stood up and offered his hand to the Baron, "I'll come by after the job is done, let you know if there is anything left to worry about."

Jeffery grinned shaking his hand, "And for that I'll be thankful, ride well Ash and take care."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ash followed Phillip through the castle and to the recovery ward, "He'll be in here," Phillip flourished an arm to the door.

"Thank you Phillip," Ash gave the secretary a nod before walking in. The room was empty, with cots lining the walls all unoccupied except for one bed where a man with flame red hair lay reading through papers.

The man turned his gaze away from the papers and to Ash as he approached, painfully he pushed himself back so that he was in a sitting position. "Ash Ketchum as I live and breathe," He held out his hand, "And by what honor am I owed this visit?"

"My final Assessment, how are you feeling Lance?"

Lance gave him a crooked grin and lifted the side of his shirt, Ashs eyes widened at the jagged claw marks running down his side, "I've been better, my legs are worse though. Haven't been able to walk since I've been injured,"

"Will you be able to eventually?" He questioned curiously.

"In do time yes, but for now I'm bed ridden whether I like it or not," He then eyed the younger Guardian thoughtfully, "Now your Assessment you say?"

Ash sat down on a cot opposite of the red haired Guardian, "I've been tasked with killing whatever did this," He gestured to Lances side, "To you and Drake,"

He raised a surprised eyebrow, "This is no job for an apprentice lad," Lance cautioned, "That dragon-"

"Dragon?" Ashs voiced was laced with confusion, there were no dragons left. After the Great Hunt of Debenshi well over four century's ago, all dragons within Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh had been extinct. All except for the legendary beasts of course.

"Ay, they've been calling me insane for even saying this, but what killed Drake and injured me was a dragon boy."

"A dragon… Your sure Lance?"

Lance chuckled humorlessly, "I'm not surprised you don't believe me, hell had I been in your position I would have agreed with you." His eyes turned serious, "But mark my word Ash, this monster was blood thirsty. You will have to slay it whether you like it or not."

"What can you tell me about it, is there anything you saw… Or figured out that may help me kill it?"

Lance pursed his lips thoughtfully, "Fight it from a distance, your sword won't be useful in this fight boy. Get to close and you'll be burnt crisp,"

"It breathes fire?" He whispered in shock.

"Aiy, keep it grounded. Drake and I had a hell of a time trying to hit it when it was maneuvering faster then our arrows. Damn near wasted two quiver fulls,"

"If I could have Pi electrocute it, stun it. Would an arrow to the skull kill it?"

Lance looked thoughtful, "You little mouse has the ability to paralyze yes?" He nodded, "You may stand a chance after all... Make the climb, have your mouse take point. Those ears of his will pick up the dragon before you do, also leave your mount at the base of the mountain. The terrain is a death trap for horses,"

Ash stood up and gave Lance a nod, "Thank you Lance, I'll make sure this is taken care of,"

As Ash started to walk away Lance grabbed his arm, "Above all else Ash, your life is greater than completing this Assessment. To run in the time of danger is not a cowardly act if all else fails. Remember that."

"I will Lance, thank you," Lance released his arm and watched as the young Guardian walked out of the ward and out of sight.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

May sat next to Dawn and Drew's advisers, who were just as arrogant as the Prince in question. They were seated around a table in the courtyard currently working on the guest lists, "Of course we'll need the Lords and Ladies of the Orange Archipelago, the LaRousse's are tight knit with the lords and it would be a disgrace not to invite them."

"Of course," The princess stated dryly, "And of his many many friends throughout Johto how many of them should we invite?"

The adviser waved a nonchalant hand, "No more than a hundred and fifty, we need to keep the list short after all."

"Of course…" She drawled sarcastically, she was going to place a dagger right between her ribs if she didn't get away from here. The past week and a half had been nothing but planning. Planning and… She shuddered, staying in the same room as LaRousse.

The Prince had ever so kindly explained in length to her father that it would be best for both of them f they got used to the idea soon rather than later. She had asserted her thoughts to both her father and the Prince only to have them waved away as if it were no problem at all.

More than occasionally she had to… Show the Prince that she was not some object, usually by delivering a low blow or a hard slap to the cheek even though it was not lady like in the least.

Her eyes drifted across the courtyard to the blonde Aura Guardian who was striding towards the castle doors. Quickly getting up from her seat, she ran over and stopped the older woman before she disappeared side, "Lady Cloud!"

Alyssa stopped herself and turned around, surprised to see the Princess running towards her, "Your highness," She bowed politely, "What can I help you with?"

"Have you gotten any word from Ash?" She asked hopefully.

A smile touched the blondes lips, "Unfortunately no, he should be arriving at Lavaridge Town within the day however. From there on it's anybody's guess on what he'll do."

"Are you worried about him?" May asked curiously, she figured she knew the answer but was intrigued by the older woman.

Alyssa looked passed her and to where Dawn and the Advisers were looking in their direction expectantly, "It looks like you could use a break," She smiled, "Care for a cup of coffee?"

May grinned and nodded happily, "That be wonderful, continuous work without a break is draining,"

Alyssa gestured for the brunette to follow her and started for the castles kitchen, "To answer your question, yes I'm worried about him. It's hard not to be when somebody you care for goes off and you're unsure of whether he'll come back dead or alive,"

"Is it really that dangerous, that thing that killed the Guardian?"

"Yes, Lance and Drake are a few years younger than myself, but they are wise for their age. Two of the best Guardians of this day in age."

"Second only to you?" May asked with a small grin.

Alyssa grinned in response as they entered the kitchen, "I'd be lying if I didn't say yes now wouldn't I?" The brunette giggled as she continued, "Ash… Well Ash I have no doubt in my mind that he'll surpass me, the day I laid my eyes on him I knew he would be one of the best Guardians of our time."

May bit her lip thoughtfully as Alyssa went over to a nearby stove and started searching for coffee beans, "If you don't mind me asking, when did you first come across Ash?"

Alyssa hesitated removing a coffee pot slowly from a nearby cupboard, "Curious about that are you?" She asked interestedly.

"When we met, and he told me you were basically his mother. And that as far back as he could remember he had always been raised by you,"

Alyssa placed some wood into the stove and lit it, "I saved him, that much can be said. Not even six months old when his parents died." She turned away from the boiling pot of coffee and to the Princess, "He had no immediate family he could be given to, no place to go so I took him in."

"Why would you do that if you didn't even know him? How old were you?"

She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed, "Couldn't have been older than he is right now, I was lucky really. My apprenticeship had just ended and I was posted over in Littleroot Town, nothing happened there, it was just a small peaceful little town without trouble. The perfect place to raise a child really."

"You were so young though?"

"It didn't matter to me," She seemed like she was beginning to struggle with what she was saying, "When I was growing up I didn't have a mother or a father, I was a beggar until the age of ten when my teacher took me in after I tried pickpocketing him."

"He gave me a life, something that I thought would never happen in a million years. The same could have been for Ash in a way; I could have dropped him off in an orphanage, or just let him die. But I knew what it was like to have no one love you, to have nobody looking out for you. So I took him in, it was the best decision I ever made honestly."

"And why's that?" She asked quietly as the Guardian handed her a freshly poured cup.

"Guardians don't have the luxury of having families, it's near impossible when they're called off on courier missions or tasked to hunt down killers."

"But what about you? You raised Ash to be… Well perfect!?"

Alyssa grinned to herself before taking a sip of her coffee, "I'm glad you think so, I'll be honest at first I thought I was doing a chivalrous thing, saving a baby from certain death. But on the ride back to Littleroot the reality hit me on the fact that I was going be a mother."

"If you had the chance, go redo taking Ash along with you would you change it from happening?"

She shook her head immediately, "I wouldn't change a thing, in the first few days of living with him I grew attached right away. I'd take him everywhere, got a lot of strange looks to. An Aura Guardian with a child is not an everyday occurrence."

"Were his parents murdered?"

At this Alyssa hesitated, taking a longer sip of her drink then necessary, "His father was killed in battle, his mother murdered…"

"They died during the war?" She whispered uncertainly.

"They did, at the end of it. Right before we pulled out of Viridian."

May set her cup down thoughtfully, "Why haven't you ever told him this? It's something he's curious about you know,"

"With the way things are going, he'll be learning soon enough. Which is why if you see him when he returns from Lavaridge you must promise me that you will not tell him of this conversation."

"I promise,"

"Good, now I think you've got to go help your friend out with whatever you were working on out there, leaving her with those advisers probably has her tearing out her hair,"

May grinned, "I suppose, thanks for talking with me, other than Ash and Dawn I don't really have any other friends around here."

"Same time tomorrow then?"

"Huh?"

The blonde grinned, "I'll be up and around the castle for the next few days working with your father to plan your escorts to Johto and back for the coming months. And it would be nice to spend time with the girl my boys head over heels for,"

She laughed happily as the Princess blushed shyly, "Come on your highness, you've got work to do."


I'll be damned, this was originally… What eight hundred words when I finished it? But nope, managed to pump out another 1200 without even trying. Well I'm surprised that I finished this in one sitting without being distracted… That much.

Pretty straight forward Chapter, the first week and a half Ash is gone. Next chapter will be another time jump, about two weeks. It'll set up a short arc dealing with Ash as a Guardian and the leading up to the wedding.

Well anyways that's all for now, hope you enjoyed and I'll see ya next time around! Please drop in a review as well, let me know what ya think!