Chapter 18

Chespin, Fennekin and Slowpoke fought hard against the family of the Canyon boss. Chespin would lift them up and toss them as far as he could with his Vine Whip attack, while Fennekin would trap them in a fiery vortex with Fire Spin. Even Slowpoke helped out, easily defeating the Rock and Ground types with his Water Gun attack. However, they could only hold out for so long.

"This is, er… Getting tiring!" Slowpoke shouted to his friends.

"Yeah! I don't know how much longer we can keep going like this!" Chespin agreed, "Hey, Fennekin, do you have any ideas on how we can take these guys down all at once?"

"I don't," Fennekin said, "But look up in the sky!"

There she was. In all her Sky Forme glory, Shaymin soared through the air towards them, launching Bullet Seeds at the Flying types that were flying around the Canyon, shooting them down.

"Hey, guys!" Shaymin shouted happily, "Don't worry, little hero! The Sky Warrior is here to help!"

Despite himself, Chespin smiled vigorously.

"She made it!" He exclaimed, "She got the Gracidea! We're out of the danger zone!"

"I wouldn't say that just yet!" Shaymin said, before firing a Seed Flare at maximum power, which knocked out the remaining circle of enemies surrounding them.

"Where's Froakie?" The Sky Warrior asked.

"Fighting Aggron by himself, I'd imagine…" Fennekin sighed, "He just can't help himself!"

"He's almost as bad as me!" Chespin smiled.

"Anyway, let's head up and help him. Unless any of you 'family members' have something to say about that?"

Thirty fearful Pokémon averted their gazes. Even the most powerful looking of them, including Golem and Nidoking, didn't try and make a move against them. They had accepted the eventual downfall of their boss. It was sad, because they were deluded that Aggron was doing some kind of good work, but at least now they wouldn't have to continue living under the control of a corrupt "businessman" and paying taxes.

Shaymin, Chespin, Fennekin and Slowpoke headed back up the cliff side, to help their friend.

Froakie cried out in agony as he was sent flying backwards by a rock bigger than his own body. He got back up and glared at the Mega evolved Pokémon looking back at him with a sick grin on his face. Aggron was enjoying his pain.

"This is why you don't mess with the Canyon boss!" He laughed cruelly, "But not to worry, your little friends will soon be suffering the same fate!"

"Fat chance… You'll be up against a… Legendary Pokémon…" Froakie fought to get the words out.

"That little shrub will fall to me, Gracidea or no Gracidea!"

"You… Know about the Gracidea?"

"Yes. I know the legends of Shaymin, I just couldn't believe that little shrub-rat was her! Even she couldn't defeat me and my family!"

"I hate to break it to you," Froakie said, "But we've already taken out most of your family. Now all that's left is you. I've heard if they take enough of a beating, Mega Pokémon are forced to revert to their ordinary forms. Let's try that, shall we?"

Froakie shrugged off the pain of the last few attacks and fired off a round of Water Shuriken at the Canyon boss. He made them large, and packed a lot of power in them. Aggron gave a roar of pain when they made contact with him, five shots relentlessly attacking his abdomen. Perhaps he had been underestimating this one. Very well, then. It was time to get serious.

Froakie ran in for a physical attack when Aggron was still reeling from the force of the blow, but by the time he reached him, Aggron was ready to retaliate. He used Iron Tail and whacked Froakie in the chest, trying to wind him. Froakie cried out once more. This definitely wasn't good. He was being beaten, and there wasn't much he could do alone against the Mega Pokémon.

He thought back to his assassin days, when he would be sent alone to kill Pokémon larger and stronger than he was. Granted, none of the foes of her past were capable of Mega Evolution. Perhaps Froakie was biting off more than he could chew here.

Fight, little one! Memories of Tyranitar, his unforgiving mentor, flooded back to him. What would Tyranitar say if he saw Froakie getting pummelled like this?

Then he thought of his father. He had been an incredibly fast Pokémon. Froakie remembered learning the Water Shuriken from his father. He had been the youngest family member to ever learn that technique. The second youngest had only managed it as a Frogadier. His father had always said he was special, but Froakie had always thought that was just a word.

He tried once more to damage Aggron with Water Shuriken, but the huge iron dinosaur was ready this time. He caught the Shuriken and fired it back at him. Froakie managed to get out of the way at the last second.

"You won't defeat me like this!" Aggron taunted, "You claim to be strong, but are you really? Wake up and face reality! You won't win against a Mega Pokémon with just a type advantage!"

He's right. I need something… More.

He recalled the training his father and Tyranitar put him through. He remembered the focus on speed that both of them had. After all, he would evolve into a ninja Pokémon with unnatural speeds. Perhaps if Water attacks wouldn't help, speed would.

He focused for a moment, dodging an Ice Punch from Aggron. Then, he moved for the attack.

He slipped past another Ice Punch, then Aggron was open to attack. He sent the huge Pokémon reeling back with a punch of his own. He could then feel even more strength welling up inside him. This was the Power-Up Punch attack.

"You sneak!" Aggron said, "Slipping through my defences!"

Froakie smiled. "There's more where that came from."

He sent a flurry of punches and kicks at the large Steel type, and his foe tried to counterattack with Iron Tails and Bullet Punches, but Froakie was a blur to him. Aggron was powerful, but moved slowly. Froakie had figured out this foes weakness, and now the tables had turned. At first glance, his rock-hard body and iron plating would make it seem like physical attacks wouldn't hurt him, but all Froakie needed was to put a lot of force in them. He could feel Aggron getting even slower. This was it! He was wearing him out.

Froakie dazed Aggron by kicking him in the head, then used the time to charge up his biggest Water Shuriken yet. It was time to end this and send him back to his original form.

Froakie fired the Shuriken, but Aggron must have caught on to this. He was probably feigning confusion after the kick. He swung his tail, and the Shuriken deflected once again and this time Froakie couldn't avoid it. He was sent smashing into the wall of the tunnel.

"Don't get cocky," Aggron said, "You really think you could beat me by using the same trick twice? Now it's time to end you, then go after your friends!"

"I don't think so, Canyon boss!"

Froakie looked up to find that his vision was blurred. A green form could be seen. There was no mistaking his loudmouth friend Chespin. He smiled faintly and his vision started to return to him.

There they were. Chespin, Fennekin, Slowpoke and Shaymin. Aggron was outnumbered now, but remained cool.

"Well, if it isn't the Sky Warrior!" Aggron grinned, "Thanks for making my job a lot easier, bringing these little brats back to me!"

Chespin rushed to Froakie.

"You okay?" He asked, concern on his face. He helped Froakie up, and Froakie gave him a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It'll take a lot more than that puny attack to take me down. I've suffered a lot more than that. Anyway, let's finish this off!"

Chespin turned back to Aggron angrily. The Canyon boss merely smiled irritatingly.

"You!" Chespin shouted, "I don't know who told you we were coming here, but we're on official business for Exploud's Guild! Now let us pass, or I'll tell Klinklang about what you did to us!"

Froakie added, "I'll let them in on your real intentions!"

"Do what you want, boys. I find it funny that you think you're getting out of here alive."

Chespin noticed Aggron's Mega form, then turned to Froakie, "Hey, does he look different to you than he did earlier?"

"You idiot… You're only noticing now?" Froakie grinned at his friend, "I'll tell you about it later…"

Fennekin spoke. "It's over, Aggron! Miss Shaymin got the Gracidea and now she has enough power to destroy you!"

"Oh, 'Miss Shaymin' this, 'Miss Shaymin' that…" Aggron said arrogantly, "I'll show you all that no Pokémon is any match for my Mega form!"

"Er, Miss Shaymin!" Slowpoke yelled, "Watch out!"

Shaymin noticed a second too late. From a crack in the ground, quicksand was seeping out. Aggron smiled evilly.

"You fool!" Shaymin cried, "How dare you trap the great Sky Warrior? I could destroy you in a hundred ways! Eek!" The sand started to rise. She was trapped.

"Shaymin, it's okay!" Chespin shouted desperately, "We can take him on our own, that should release the Sand Tomb!"

"Hurry!" Shaymin said, "It's getting deeper!"

Aggron laughed haughtily. "This was all for nothing. Shrub-girl getting the Gracidea, the puny little ninja stalling me. You're all going to die here, and no one will know! I'll play it off as a tragic cave-in accident when you were coming up here to meet the real-life Canyon boss, in person! Really, you all deserve this, after hurting my family…"

"Shut up, you creep!" Fennekin yelled, breathing out a Flamethrower at Aggron.

Then Chespin, Froakie and Slowpoke made their moves. First, Slowpoke distracted him with a Water Gun attack. Then, Chespin caught him in a Grass Knot attack, and threw him into the wall, breaking it open and sending rocks crashing down on top of him.

"This is it, 'Canyon Boss'", Froakie whispered, before dealing the fatal blow with a Water Shuriken. This broke the Mega Evolution, reverting him to his normal form and freeing Shaymin, just before she fully sank and the quicksand could start to spread across the tunnel and capture the rest of them.

"I bet you wish you'd just let us pass through now." Shaymin smiled playfully. She released her signature Seed Flare, and Aggron was knocked out.

"Another criminal, brought to justice," Chespin said happily, "Of course, it was my weighty contribution that saved us all!"

Shaymin smiled at him. He truly was a smaller, more annoying, Grass-type version of Keldeo.

"You did well, little hero. Good job using Grass Knot, I'm impressed you had the knowledge to use an attack that damages heavier Pokémon like Aggron more. I'm just confused about what that form of his was…"

"It was Mega Evolution," Froakie said, "That's what he called it, anyway. He used that Stone in his armour. It's called Aggronite. Some Pokémon can use it to reach a form of power transcending normal evolution. Not much is known about it, though."

"Wow, Mega Evolution!" Chespin said, "Wait a minute, how did you know about it, Froakie?"

Froakie said the first answer that came into his head. "I read a lot." He replied dismissively.

"Sorry I didn't do more, guys," Fennekin said. She really felt quite useless with two strong team-mates like Chespin and Froakie, who could take down a Mega Pokémon.

"It's okay, Fennekin! You fought hard as well against all those henchmen! We wouldn't be here if you weren't around!" Chespin said kindly. Fennekin flushed red. He was so nice and made her feel so nice. Perhaps what the rest of them had been teasing her about really was true.

"Er… So, what do we do now?" Slowpoke asked.

"We're done here. We'll head to Holydawn Town and meet this Alakazam person so you can learn how to evolve, then head back to the Guild."

"Er… Sounds good."

"I miss the Guild," Fennekin said, "I know we've only been away for a while, but this mission felt long. That last battle was really intense."

"Yeah," Froakie said, "It taught me that I need to be stronger. There are other Pokémon who can Mega evolve out there, and I bet Darkrai is recruiting them. Aggron seemed inexperienced in using the Mega Stone. If we ever came across Pokémon who are more used to it, we could land ourselves in big trouble…"

"You're right," Shaymin said, "It worries me too."

"What are you going to do, Miss Shaymin? Are you going to come with us to Holydawn Town?"

"I'm sorry, but no." Shaymin said solemnly. "Seeing you four bright young stars has made me realise what I have to do."

"And what would that be, Sky Warrior?" Chespin said jokingly.

"I have a friend who's missing. I'm going to do my best to find him, even if I have to make it through hell and back, or even face off against Darkrai himself."

Froakie thought of that night when he had overheard Shaymin and Fennekin talking about Keldeo. He was glad that Shaymin was pursuing her dream once more.

"Darkrai himself…" Chespin said thoughtfully, "That reminds me! I wonder if Lucario and Luxray are doing okay! We need to get back to the Guild fast!"

"Yeah, I hope nothing happened to them!" Fennekin said, "Oh! Miss Shaymin, can we ask a huge favour?"

"Anything, Fennekin," Shaymin smiled at the Pokémon who was so similar to her.

"Before you set off, can you take my Explorer badge and warp back to Treasure Town with Aggron and turn him in to Klinklang at the Police Station?"

"That's no problem," Shaymin said, "I'll leave your badge with Exploud at the Guild when I arrive."

"Thanks so much, Miss Shaymin. For everything!"

"Er… Yeah, you really helped us out here in the Canyon!" Slowpoke said happily.

"I concur, we couldn't have done it without her!" Froakie said.

"What are you guys talking about?!" Chespin yelled, "All she did was land us in trouble and get stuck in some quicksand!"

"CHESPIN!" Fennekin scolded, "This is the last time you and Miss Shaymin will see each other! Show some respect!"

"This isn't goodbye, though, Fennekin," Chespin smiled at Shaymin. "Not forever, at least! We'll see each other again!"

"That we will, little hero." Shaymin smiled back. Perhaps Chespin wasn't so bad, after all. He could be annoying, but his heart was as pure as they come.

As they walked outside and back down to the bottom of the Canyon, Shaymin lagged behind the rest to talk to Froakie.

"Something bothering you, Miss Shaymin?" Froakie asked, noticing her trailing behind.

"Oh, nothing, Froakie, it's just one thing."

"What's that?" He asked, thinking it was nothing.

"I know who you are," She said quietly, with an unreadable expression on her face.

Froakie's heart skipped a beat, and a knot grew in his stomach.

"I was still awake last night when you were fighting off those thugs. I heard what they said. I know you're an assassin, and I know who you work for."

Froakie struggled to find words. "M-Miss Shaymin... I'm not… I left them…"

"I don't believe you," She said coldly, "And, to be honest, I don't know who you've been sent to kill, but if you even try to lay a finger on anyone in Treasure Town, I will personally hunt you down and make you wish you weren't born."

Froakie was shocked. "I don't want to kill anyone. I've made a life for myself here. I have friends…"

"You and I both know that sooner or later, if you don't commit whatever atrocity that you were sent to commit, that Tyranitar will come for you."

Froakie's own deepest fears were spoken when she said that. He realised that his new life was just a ticking time bomb that would blow to smithereens when Tyranitar grew impatient. And he knew Tyranitar didn't like waiting.

"You're right…" Froakie said, "Maybe I should just go back… Tell them I couldn't do it…"

"Who are you even out to kill back at Treasure Town?"

Froakie whispered the name in Shaymin's ear. Her eyes grew wide, and then turned to anger.

"You're a good Pokémon, Froakie. I heard what Tyranitar did in your home village all that time ago, and I believe you are fully deserving of this new life. However… You can't let Tyranitar control you. You have to confront him, sooner or later… Before it's too late."

Froakie looked at her with pain in his eyes. "I know, Miss Shaymin… Thank you for making me realise this. It's been an honour to travel with you."

"You, too, hero," She smiled at him again as if that painstaking, paradise-shattering moment had never happened.

They caught up to the rest of their friends at the bottom of the Canyon, Chespin exhausted from dragging Aggron down the trail with his Vine Whip.

Fennekin handed Shaymin her Explorer badge.

"Safe travels," She said.

"Same to you," The Sky Warrior said.

"Thanks for everything." Froakie said.

"Er… Hope you find who you're looking for!" Slowpoke said cheerfully.

Chespin freed Aggron and set his huge unconscious body beside her.

"It's been fun," He said, "Even if you're a brat."

"Takes one to know one," Shaymin said coolly. Seeing Chespin's smile, so like the smile of her closest companion, almost made her well up. Before she let Chespin and the others see her cry, She touched Aggron with her front leg and held the Explorer badge in the toes of another.

"Goodbye, everyone," She said, choking back tears.

"Goodbye, Miss Shaymin!" The rest of them called.

Then the Sky Warrior was gone, back to walking the road of a hero, off to search for her long-lost companion, Keldeo…

A/N: I've been so productive in terms of writing this story lately. I really need to slow down and focus on school, though, so this will probably be the last consecutive Chapter for a while. The next update will probably be on Monday or Tuesday, as I need a bit of a break. I feel like the pacing of this is very slow, as the Hollow Canyon arc has been going on for a while. We're approaching the last segment of Part 1, though, so that's exciting. Thanks for reading, and please follow, favourite and review if you like the story.