Flaaffy launched a Thunderbolt toward Totodile, who easily danced out of the way. Inspired by the erratic nature of the water type, Ash had encouraged him to adapt his dancing into an evasive technique to use in battle.
Dancing enthusiastically, Totodile returned fire with a Water Gun attack which slammed into Flaaffy.
"Watch your speed," Ash called to Flaaffy.
Growling, Flaaffy launched a Shock Wave which rolled across the field and slammed into Totodile. The Water Type yelled in pain from the attack, but quickly recovered and charged an Aqua Tail and slammed it against Flaaffy. He then span around and used Power-Up Punch against Flaaffy's side.
"Gahhh!" Flaaffy cried in pain, wincing and backing away.
"Alright, that's enough," Ash called, stepping between the combatants. They relaxed, wincing from their respective wounds.
"You both did really well," Ash said, "Flaaffy that was an excellent use of Shock Wave to hit an evasive opponent. Totodile, you did well with your retaliation. You're both progressing very well."
"Thanks," Flaaffy said with pride.
"Yay, I did good!" Totodile cheered, dancing in place. Suddenly, he froze and a bright energy enveloped him.
Ash stepped back in shock but then a smile broke across his face, "Totodile's evolving."
The Pokémon's body grew larger, his already powerful jaw grew more muscular, the spikes along his back and tail grew more pronounced and a new set grew on top of his head. A moment later the energy burst away to reveal a newly evolved Croconaw.
Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan the Pokémon.
Croconaw, the Big Jaw Pokémon, and the evolved form of Totodile. Once it bites down on something, it won't let go until it loses its fangs. But new fangs grow back quickly. Upon evolution, Croconaw learned the moves Crunch and Superpower.
Ash grinned, "Awesome Croconaw, you're incre..." His voice trailed off as he heard a familiar beeping sound coming from his backpack.
"Guys, the egg's hatching!" he shouted, pulling the incubator from his pack.
Brock and Misty hurried over to watch.
"Oh, I wonder what it will be," Misty sighed.
"We'll find out in a moment," Brock said.
The egg's glow grew more pronounced and it began changing shape. When the energy faded away, it revealed a Pokémon none of them had seen before. It was bipedal with a light brown chest and dark brown arms. Hooded around it's head was a green soft shell that stretched down it's back and along its tail. On it's feet were long, sharp claws.
"Ches?" the Pokémon said, looking around itself in curiosity.
"What is it?" Misty asked.
"No idea," Ash said, pulling out his Pokédex to scan the Pokémon.
Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. Chespin can flex the soft spikes on its head, making them so stiff and sharp, they can even pierce through stone. This Chespin is male with the ability Bulletproof. He knows the moves Tackle, Vine Whip, and Pin Missile.
"Hmm, I've never heard of Chespin before," Ash mumbled, pulling up the extended information, "Oh, here we go. It says here that Chespin are from the Kalos region. Grass Type."
"Well of course," Misty said, "You won it in a Grass type Tournament."
Ash nodded to himself. Putting his Pokédex away, he reached out with a hand to touch Chespin. Like all infants, Chespin had the utmost trust for Ash and sealed the Aura Bond immediately.
Ash, Brock, and Misty were walking down a mountain path when they heard it, the distinctive clicking of a camera shutter.
"Do you hear that?" Misty asked.
"Its coming from over there," Brock said pointing to a patch of bushes off of the main road. They crept over and gazed over the bush to see Todd Snap taking a picture of a Bellossom that was sleeping under a tree.
"Todd!" Ash greeted happily, "What's up?"
"Oh, hey guys," Todd said, "It's great to see you."
"Yeah," Brock said, "We haven't seen you since Ash's gym battle in Viridian City. Are you still taking Pokémon Pictures?"
"Yeah, take a look at these?" Todd said, pulling a photo album from his bag and showing them several pictures.
"These are incredible Todd," Misty said in awe.
"Thanks, oh and I also have these," Todd pulled out a couple of envelopes, "I kept these in case I ever ran into you guys." He handed the three of them each an envelope.
Ash opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of pictures. He smiled as he recognized several of the shots from when Todd travelled with them before. There was a picture of Lucario in the middle of creating an Aura Sphere. A image of Nidoking in the middle of his evolution. An image of Dragonair before he evolved and another right after he evolved.
He looked over at Misty and saw that her eyes were watering. He looked over her shoulder and saw the picture of the hug she gave to her Feebas right before it evolved.
"Thank you Todd, these are incredible," Ash said, showing Lucario the picture of himself.
"Thanks," Todd said, "But the shot I've really been wanting to get is of an Articuno."
Ash froze as information about Articuno filled his mind. A flying/ice type. It lived high atop snowcapped peaks and rescued stranded mountain climbers. It's very presence was cold enough to freeze the water vapor in the air and create snow.
"Really?" Misty asked.
"Yeah, someone in the village nearby said they saw an Articuno nearby," Todd said excitedly.
"That's incredible," Brock said, "Would you mind if we joined you. I'd love to be able to see an Articuno myself."
"Sure, that'd be great," Todd said.
'Your best bet to find Articuno would be to look in a high snowcapped mountain,' Latios advised.
Ash turned to Brock, "Hey can I see a map of this area?"
"Sure," Brock pulled out his handbook and turned to a map.
Ash looked at it, before pointing to a spot to the north of them. "Articuno is probably heading for this mountain."
Todd came over and looked at the map. "Snowtop Mountain? Yeah, that sounds like where an Articuno would roost. Let's go check it out."
It took a week to reach Snowtop Mountain. There was an incident where they found a frozen Sunkern, but Ash was able to have Croconaw thaw it with his Scald attack. Then they ran into a man and daughter and their three Swinub and helped them find a Hot Spring.
When they finally reached Snowtop, they headed to a convenient Pokémon Center to talk to the nurse after pulling Brock away.
"Articuno have been coming to Snowtop Mountain for longer than anyone can remember," Nurse Joy told them.
"Really? How do you know?" Ash asked.
"Because several times over the years, ice climbers who've gotten stranded on the mountain are rescued by Articuno," Joy said, "1200 hundred years ago, three travelers who were rescued were so grateful that they built a statue of Articuno and set it up near the Pokémon Center to honor and thank it."
"That's incredible," Todd said, "Can you show us this statue?"
Nurse Joy took them out of the Center and led them to an alcove carved into the side of the mountain. There, standing proud in the alcove was a magnificently carved statue of the Legendary Articuno. It was obviously quite old and weather worn but the love and care that went into creating the statue was still evident.
"Beautiful," Misty breathed.
"Yeah," Ash agreed.
His senses suddenly began prickling. The temperature plummeted and the wind began picking up.
"Hey, what's happening?" Brock shouted, huddling into his vest. Ash put a hand in his hat to keep it from flying away. He gazed intently into the wind, looking with his Aura sight.
'There,' Lucario thought, pointing with his paw. Ash followed his gaze and gasped.
"Todd," he shouted, "Get your camera ready!"
Todd quickly brought the camera to his face.
Suddenly two bodies dropped from the sky and landed in a snow drift before them. They were two men, wearing warm clothing and with climbing gear in their belts.
Nurse Joy gasped. "I know those two!" She said, "they passed through here two days ago, planning to scale Snowtop."
Ash kept his gaze locked skywards. Slowly descending from the cloudy sky was a magnificent blue bird Pokemon. "Articuno," he said.
"Greetings Chosen One, I sense you wish to see me," Articuno stated.
'Yes,' Ash thought, 'my friend wished to take a picture of you. Will you allow him to?'
Articunoshifted its gaze to Todd. The young photographer seemed frozen in awe, his camera halfway to his face. Articuno considered him for a moment then nodded its consent.
"Todd," Ash said, "now's your chance. Take your shot."
"Right," he said. He brought the camera up to his face. Everyone heard a single click of the shutter and he lowered the camera. "Articuno, thank you," he said sincerely.
"You are welcome," Articuno replied. Flapping its wings harder, Articuno flew away back towards the mountain.
"That was incredible!" Todd gushed once Articuno was out of sight. "I need to go develop this." He raced into the Pokemon center muttering to himself.
Ash, Brock, and Misty helped the two frozen men into the Pokémon Center where Nurse Joy stoked the fire then went to make a pot of hot soup.
After two hours, Todd came out of his makeshift darkroom holding up a large image of Articuno.
"Oh my goodness, it's gorgeous," Nurse Joy said with awe.
"Yeah, I think so too," Todd said proudly, "I was hoping you would allow me to hang it up here in the Pokémon Center Nurse Joy."
"Allow? I'd beg you if I had to," the Nurse replied.
Todd framed it, and together he and Nurse Joy chose the perfect spot on the wall and Todd hung the picture on a hook.
"That looks amazing Todd," Ash said admiringly.
"I agree," Brock said.
"Me too," Misty said.
"So what are you going to do now?" Ash asked.
"I think I'm going to stay in the area," Todd said, "I want to take more photos of the kind of Pokémon that live near Snowtop Mountain."
Ash smiled, happy for his friend, "Well, good luck."
"You too Ash, Misty," Todd said, "Take good care of them Brock."
"I will," Brock said with a laugh.
It was a calm and foggy morning as Ash sat meditating beside the lake they'd been camped at the previous night. Brock and Misty were still asleep, this being their one sleep in day a week. Pikachu meditated with Ash, sitting comfortably on top of his head, and Lucario sat next to his trainer in a lotus position identical to Ash's.
There was a sudden and loud splash right in front of Ash, causing the Aura Guardian to leap to his feet. His eyes widened as he caught the sight of a Rhydon leaping from the lake before him and diving back into the water.
Ash gaped for a moment. 'A Rhydon, that can Surf!?' he thought incredulously. Then a grin split his face. "I have got to catch him. Croconaw, are you up for it?"
'Oh yeah, let's catch a Rhydon,' Croconaw replied. Ash gripped Croconaw's Lure Ball and tossed it into the lake, releasing the Pokémon.
Closing his own eyes, Ash entered Croconaw's mind and watched through the water types eyes as he swam towards the Rhydon.
'Start off with Water Gun,' Ash ordered.
Croconaw launched a stream of concentrated water that cut through the surrounding lake water and slammed hard into Rhydon's back. The ground/rock type whirled around, growling angrily at Croconaw. His horn began spinning rapidly, creating a whirlpool in the water that sucked Croconaw right in.
Ash suppressed Croconaw's dizziness and ordered, 'Use your own Whirpool to cancel this one out.'
Croconaw flashed blue for a moment and a second, larger whirlpool began spinning around Rhydon's in the opposite direction. Rhydon's Horn Drill created whirlpool became unravelled, and Croconaw's attack travelled down and slammed into Rhydon.
Rhydon yelled in a panic as it began to run out of oxygen and frantically made it's way towards the surface.
'Give it a little boost,' Ash said, 'Use Hydro Pump.'
Croconaw unleashed a huge blast of high pressured water. It sliced through the lake and slammed into Rhydon with extreme force. Rhydon went rocketing skyward and broke the surface of the lake with a tremendous splash.
Ash was ready. The moment Rhydon broke the surface, Ash launched his Great Ball. It impacted against Rhydon's side and absorbed it in a flash of red light. The Great Ball landed in the water with a splash and floated on the surface. It rocked back and forth once, twice, three times, four times. It suddenly dinged and released a burst of stars.
"Yes!" Ash cheered happily.
Croconaw surfaced just underneath the Great Ball and balanced it on his nose, swimming back to Ash with it.
"Thanks buddy," Ash said, scooping up the Great Ball.
"Anytime," Croconaw said before leaping back into the lake and began swimming merrily. Ash smiled at his Pokemon's enjoyment before turning his attention to his new Rhydon. Pooling his aura into his hand, he forged a link with Rhydon.
He let his emotions flow over into Rhydon, letting the Pokémon see into his core. Most Pokémon respected their trainer to a point and listened to their orders because the trainer beat them in battle and captured them, this made them worthy to command them in a Pokémon's eyes. Trust however, was built up over time with training and winning matches.
An aura bond could not be created without an absolute trust between Trainer and Pokémon. This was why Ash allowed any Pokémon he captured to see into his core, the absolute center of his being where all of his deepest thoughts were kept. A Pokémon looking into his core allowed them to see the absolute truth about himself and allowed them to build a firm bond of trust through that act.
Ash felt Rhydon gaze into his core and he in turn was able to look into Rhydon's core. He could see all of Rhydon's hopes, dreams, wishes. It allowed him the knowledge to train Rhydon to his fullest capabilities.
At the speed of thought, Ash and Rhydon came to an understanding and Rhydon completed the bond.
Suddenly, an older teenager came running up to Ash. He blinked in surprise at her appearance. She had long green hair pulled into a high side ponytail not dissimilar to Misty. In her arms was a Marill that had a small golden earing in it's left ear. She had a worried expression on her face and was breathing hard after her run.
"Excuse me," she said, "but have you seen a Rhydon around here? Maybe swimming in the lake."
"Er, yeah," Ash said, "I've actually just caught it." He held up the Great Ball. "I didn't realize that there was someone hunting him."
"Oh no," she said in despair.
Ash frowned slightly, she wasn't acting like an average trainer that had missed a rare catch. He extended his aura, gently scanning her emotions. She really needed Rhydon, for a reason that was very important to her.
'I'll help her,' Rhydon said, 'She's been after me for a while. She must be really determined.'
"What did you need Rhydon for?" Ash asked, "Maybe I can help."
"Oh would you?" she asked, relieved.
Ash nodded.
"Thank you so much," she said. "I'm trying to create a tunnel through the mountain for my grandmother so she doesn't have to climb it when she goes into town. But a leak sprung up in the tunnel and it scares away my rock and ground types."
"So you need a rock type that won't be afraid of water," Ash said, nodding in understanding.
"That's right," she said.
"Alright, lead the way," Ash said.
"Oh, thank you so much, my name's Pietra by the way," she said, before turning and walking towards the nearby mountain.
'Croconaw, stay here and let Brock and Misty know what happened,' Ash thought to his Pokémon.
'Alright,' Croconaw replied.
Lucario got to his feet and fell into Ash's wake as he followed her.
It only took thirty minutes to reach the tunnel that Pietra had started. They walked to the end where a Sandslash and a Graveler were slashing and punching away at the rock wall. Ash looked up at the ceiling and saw water pooling from a minute crack. A drop fell and landed right on Sandslash's head. The Ground Type went into a panic and bolted from the tunnel, Graveler not far behind.
Pietra sighed, "You see?"
Ash nodded. He gripped Rhydon's Great Ball and tossed it into the air, "Let's go Rhydon!"
It burst open and Rhydon appeared.
"Use your Horn Drill on the rock," Ash ordered.
Rhydon nodded and charged at the wall, the horn on his nose rotating rapidly. He slammed into the stone wall and his horn easily drilled right through. Water poured from the ceiling, but Rhydon simply ignored it.
"Now Lucario, use Rock Smash," Ash said.
Lucario's paw started glowing orange, he leapt over Rhydon's head and slammed his fist into the wall. The combined stress of the Horn Drill and Rock Smash was too much for the wall and it exploded outwards.
Sunlight began shining through the hole. A huge opening to the other side of the mountain could now be seen.
"It worked!" Pietra cried in delight. "Oh thank you so much. I don't know how I could ever repay you."
Ash just smiled, "it was my pleasure. A good deed is its own reward. I hope your grandmother likes the tunnel."
With that, Ash returned Rhydon to his Poké ball and started making his way back to the lake. 'Thank you Rhydon,' he thought to his newest Pokémon.
When he made it back, he explained the situation to Brock and Misty. When his short story was over, he helped them start packing up for the day.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of excitement coming from Croconaw. Frowning, he turned towards the lake where Croconaw came bursting from the water, holding something between his hands.
"Ash, look what I've found!" he shouted with delight, holding up a small smooth stone in his hands.
Ash blinked as he took the stone and gazed at it. There was no mistaking the colored spiral in it's core, it was a Mega Stone.
"This...this is..." Ash had no words, he was so stunned.
The stone itself was clear, with a core of striped blue and brown. One of the Pokéball's on Ash's belt suddenly burst open and Blastoise appeared in a flash of light.
"Radical! My very own Mega Stone!" he cheered.
He was right, Ash could feel the stone resonating with Blastoise's aura.
"Ash, what's going on?" Misty asked.
Turning, Ash showed her the stone, "Croconaw found this in the bottom of the lake," he explained.
Both Brock and Misty gasped at the sight of the stone.
Ash grinned and walked over to Blastoise. There was a small crack in his shell from a particularly hard training session, that Blastoise had refused to let Ash heal. Now, Ash fixed the Mega Stone into the crack and used his aura to heal the crack around it, fixing it in place.
"Sweet! Lets do it now!" Blastoise cheered.
"Alright," Ash backed up, pulling ins staff free of it's holster and growing it to full length in his hand. Pressing his finger against the Key Stone, he shouted, "Blastoise, Mega Evolve!"
White light burst from the Key Stone. At the same time, multicolor streams of energy burst from Blastoise's Blastoisinite and linked together with Ash's. The energy turned gold as it streamed back and forth, and Blastoise burst into shining light and began to change shape.
The two cannons on his back came together to form one mega sized cannon, the weight of which caused Blastoise to bend over. Two more cannons formed, one on each of blastoise's arms, underneath a smaller shell. His head grew several ridges, and a small beard shape formed on his lower jaw.
The energy burst away to reveal Mega Blastoise in all his glory.
"Oh ho ho ho," he cackled slightly, "Now this is radical."
He turned and fired a Hydro Pump with all three blasters across the lake. The massive power of the attack slammed into an island in the center of the lake and cut a swath through the trees that grew there.
'Hey! Those are my apple trees!' Rhydon complained.
"Oh, my bad, sorry dude," Blastoise responded sheepishly.
Ash rolled his eyes. He was getting a lot of exercise for his eyes.
"Olivine City!" Brock said, reading from his book as they walked through the main street, "One of Johto's most important port cities, Olivine is famous for it's Shining Lighthouse."
When they reached the Pokémon Center, Ash left his Pokémon with Nurse Joy and went to examine the bulletin board to see if there was anything important. A few adverts for the local Battle Tower, missing Pokémon signs, the usual Pokémon League poster, and... "Aw man, the Gym here is closed until further notice!"
"Why?" Misty asked, disappointment in her voice.
"Hmm, it says here that the gym leader has declared herself incapable of battle due to a psychological block relating to a sick Pokémon. Well I guess I can't blame her," Ash sighed, "Now what do we do?"
"Well," Brock began, "It says' here that there's a Fighting Type Pokémon Gym in Cianwood city. That's a peninsula only accessible by boat passed the Whirl Archipelago. We could take a ferry there and hopefully by the time we get back the Gym Leader here will be willing to receive challengers again."
"Sound's like a plan," Ash said.
The group was moving along the docks, searching for a boat that could take them Cianwood City, when suddenly...
"Ash, is that you?" A familiar voice called.
Ash froze and turned to see... "Cynthia?"
"It is you!" Cynthia said happily, running over and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
Ash returned it happily, "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to challenge the Elite Four."
Cynthia laughed, "I did and Aaron wiped the floor with me. I need to get some more training in before I challenge him again."
Ash nodded, "but why are you here in Johto?"
Cynthia smiled, "I'm going to compete in the Whirl Cup. It's this annual competition for Water Type Pokémon."
"Really?" Misty perked up, looking excited, "When is it?"
"In a couple weeks on Red Rock Isle," Cynthia explained, "That's in the Whirl Islands. It's an archipelago off the coast of Johto between Cianwood and Olivine."
"Awesome, I'm so going to enter!" Misty said delightedly.
"You're welcome to join me," Cynthia invited, "I've got a friend who's taking me there in her boat, I'm sure she'd be willing to bring you along too."
"Great," Ash said happily, "When is she leaving?"
"In half an hour," Cynthia replied, "I was just wandering the docks while she got ready. Are you guys set?"
"Yeah," Brock said, a huge blush on his face. Ash glanced up at him with a frown, he could sense Brock's lust but for some reason his friend wasn't acting on it like usual.
'It's because he's scared of you,' Pidgeot snickered.
'What? Why would he be scared of me? It's Misty who always drags him away when he's being a dick.'
'What would you do if he started hitting on Cynthia?' Garchomp asked.
'I'd kick his as...' Ash trailed off, sighing internally. It was really hard to go into denial when there were over 30 Pokémon inside of one's head.
'I rest my case,' Pidgeot said smugly.
'So when are you going to ask her out?' Charizard asked, causing Ash to splutter.
'I'm not going to dignify that with an answer,' Ash thought to the laughter of his Pokémon.
They followed Cynthia down to a dock with a small boat tied down to it. Standing next to the boat checking on something on the side was a young woman with green hair hidden under a backwards baseball cap. She wore orange pants and a green short tank top under an orange jacket.
"Guys," Cynthia said, "this is my friend Maron. Maron, these are some friends of mine, Ash, Brock, and Misty."
"Hi," Maren said with a cheerful wave.
"Maren, Misty and Ash are going to enter in the Whirl Cup too, do you think you can give them a lift too?"
"Sure," Maren said easily, "I've got plenty of room aboard. Hop on, we're ready to head out."
"Thanks a lot," Ash said gratefully as he climbed aboard.
"Don't worry about it," Maren said with a smile.
Once everyone was aboard Maren set off into the ocean, heading toward Red Rock Isle.
"Oh, it's so beautiful," Misty said dreamily, gazing out into the ocean, "Don't you think so Togepi?"
Togepi trilled happily.
"Hey Maren, do we have time to let our Pokémon out?" Cynthia asked.
"Sure, It'll take us a few hours to get to Red Rock Isle," Maren said.
"Great, come on out Milotic!" Cynthia launched her Poké ball into the air, releasing a beautiful serpent Pokémon into the ocean.
"Oh, you have one too?" Misty said excitedly.
"You have a Milotic?" Cynthia asked in surprise.
"Yeah, here," Misty threw her own Safari ball into the air releasing her own Milotic.
"Oh it's gorgeous," Cynthia gasped, "What kind of food do you use? Do you brush her scales?"
Ash shook his head as the girls fell into a deep discussion about their respective Milotic. He saw Brock was talking with Maren, though he wasn't sure what the Breeder was saying. Lucario was also there, standing on Brock's other side, gazing out into the ocean.
'Do you guys want to go for a swim?' he asked his three water types.
'Yeah!'
'That sounds delightful.'
'Ninja water time!'
Rolling his eyes at his Blastoise, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and made the relevant switches. Grabbing two Poké Balls and a Lure ball from his belt, Ash tossed them into the air and the three Pokémon burst out and dove into the water.
"Oh yeah," Blastoise sighed happily as he coasted through the water.
Glancing around, Ash saw that Pikachu was nowhere in sight. Frowning, he followed the aura trail to the front of the boat where Pikachu was sitting on the edge of the bow, gazing out ahead of them.
"What's up Pikachu?" Ash asked, sitting down behind him.
"I don't know," Pikachu said distantly, "There's something...wrong."
"He's right," Lucario said, coming up behind them, "The balance of nature has shifted. Something terrible has happened."
Ash's brow furrowed, a bad feeling coming across him. "Do you know what happened?"
"No," both Pokémon replied.
In the distance, dark storm clouds began to gather. The ocean was getting restless. Suddenly a huge wave slammed into the side of the boat, knocking them dramatically off course.
Everyone shouted in surprise. Ash whipped out his Poké Balls and returned the three water types in the ocean. Leaning against the hull, Ash huddled with Lucario while Pikachu clung to the railing on the bow. He heard Maren shut down the engines, their power useless against the strong currents.
For hours they were pulled along. The sky was dark with heavy clouds, occasionally illuminated by a flash of lightning. Oddly however, not a single drop of water fell from the heavens.
Eventually, an island came into view right in the direction they were heading in.
"We're way off course," Maron said as she caught sight of the island, "That's Shamouti, we're on the outskirts of the Whirl Archipelago."
The current continued to drag them further towards the island, into the bay finally to beach them on the island itself.
Ash was the first to hop off of the boat, gazing around in interest. His aura sense was beginning to tingle, a sense of impending doom growing upon him. He frowned, turning his gaze back out to the dark ocean. 'I'm starting to sense whatever this is too. What is going on?'
'Even we're all sensing it at Oak's,' Quilava said.
'I feel a pull,' Scizor said, 'towards your location. Something big is about to happen.'
'A choice is coming,' Latios said, 'An action that could save the world, or destroy it.'
'Well that's not foreboding at all,' Gyarados said sarcastically. Ash could feel her rolling her eyes.
'Regardless, something is about to happen,' Dragonite said.
Ash nodded absently in agreement.
"It's a good thing we found this island," Cynthia said as she landed on the sand.
"Yeah, I hate to think what would have happened if we'd drifted off into open sea," Misty replied.
"Uh, guys, we're not out of the water yet!" Brock said, sounding mildly panicked.
Ash followed his pointing finger and gasped at the sight of over two dozen figures standing on the sea wall above them, all dressed in some sort of tribal outfits. Each person was wearing a strange wooden mask of some sort of animal that gave Ash the creeps.
'What in the world!' Nidoking yelped.
All of the people leapt down from the wall, surrounding the group.
Ash didn't even realize he had his staff in his hand until one of the strangers said, "Maren how are you?" The figure in the front removed her mask, revealing a young woman with brown hair. She was gazing up at Maren, who hadn't left the boat yet. "It's been a while."
"Carol, I can't believe it!" Maren replied happily, "It's great to see you!"
"What are you doing back on Shamouti Island?" Carol asked.
"We got caught up in that storm and floated in," Maren explained, "and it looks like we got here at the perfect time."
"You're right, the annual legend festival starts today," Carol replied.
"This is my favorite Island Holiday," Maren said with delight, she mimicked playing a flute, "Are you going to be the star of the show again?"
"No, I'm too old to be the festival maiden," Carol said.
Brock choked, causing Misty to elbow him.
"This year my sister is going to take over for me," Carol continued, "I wonder where she cou..."
"I'm right here," a snooty voice interrupted.
Ash looked up to see a young teenage girl with long red hair, sunglasses, and a beret, standing on top of the sea wall. "The only one not wearing a stupid costume. You'd think after a few centuries you'd have outgrown this dorky ritual."
"It's our tradition!" Carol shouted angrily, "You should be honored to take part!"
"Don't worry, I'll play my role in the big legend," the girl said, her voice laced with sarcasm, "I've only see you do it like a zillion times."
"Just be there!" Carol shouted back, exasperated. Turning her attention back to Maren, who was climbing off of the boat, she said, "unfortunately, that's my little sister, her name is Melody. But don't be fooled, she isn't always this adorable. Who's this?"
"Oh sorry," Maren said, remembering to introduce her passengers, "This is Cynthia, Brock, Misty and Ash Ketchum, who're Pokémon Trainers..."
"Pokémon Trainer!" the whole group broke into celebration, cheering and dancing.
"The ancient legend foretells your arrival!" an old man said, he was wearing a blue bird mask and walking through the crowd towards Ash. "Only with you, can the guardian of the waters vanquish the great titans of fire, ice, and lightning! In your hands O' Chosen One!"
Ash paled rapidly at the title. 'How could he know?' he asked mentally.
"In your hands rest the world and it's fate!" the old guy continued.
Ash swallowed.
"Heh, don't let it worry you kid," the guy then said in an undertone, "It's just for the tourists!"
This made Ash frown, 'A coincidence?'
'Unlikely,' Metagross stated.
"So you're a Pokémon Trainer huh?" Melody said, walking over to check him out, "Hmm, I guess you'll do. Here's your traditional welcome kiss." Ash kept his face completely neutral as Melody kissed him on the cheek.
A flare of jealousy surged from his left. Ash used Pikachu's eyes to see that it was Cynthia staring daggers at Melody, while Misty looked amused.
Melody then turned and gazed at the rest of them. "Are you his little sister?" she asked, pointing at Misty.
"I'm older than him!" she snarled, bristling.
"Big sister then," Melody responded.
Misty looked over at Ash for a moment, considering him, then shrugged, "Mine as well be."
Ash grinned, "Does that mean I can start calling you Sissy?"
"Don't you dare," Misty growled, causing Ash to laugh.
"And what about you?" Melody asked Cynthia, "Are you his girlfriend?"
Cynthia's expression cooled by 20°, "No, just a friend."
Melody raised an eyebrow, then turned back to Ash, "Well, I'll be glad to perform for him at the legend banquet. Starts around 8," she put her sunglasses back on and walked off. She paused and turned back to Cynthia, "Oh and Cynthia, try not to get jealous."
Cynthia raised an eyebrow as Melody sauntered away.
"We have our Chosen One!" the old guy shouted, eliciting cheers from the rest of the islanders.
They started playing their various instruments and led the group up the stairs to the top of the ocean wall and into the village. At the last moment, Ash gazed out into the ocean, spying three islands in the distance. He shuddered, something very bad was about to happen.
That night, while they were having dinner in the main Banquet Hall, Ash glanced around worriedly. His sense of doom had only grown since they'd arrived. None of his Pokémon were of any help, feeling the same thing he was. Not even his legends could tell what it was.
'The balance of nature has shifted dangerously,' Latios said again, 'If it is not restored, then all will be lost.'
'How can we restore it?' Ash asked.
'I don't know.'
'Well, that's helpful,' Ash rolled his eyes.
The sound of a flute interrupted his conversation. He quickly looked around to see Melody, wearing a white dress and a veil over her hair come up to the stage, playing a tune on her flute.
He gasped as the notes of the song she played began resonating with his aura, their power amplifying with every note. Suddenly she stopped and began to speak directly to him, "Here ye all, from the trio of islands ancient spheres shall you take, for between life and death all the different you'll make. O' Chosen One, you must climb to the shrine to right what is wrong, and the world will be healed by the guardian's song."
Ash considered that, 'Latios?' He asked after a moment.
'This could be it, I seem to remember an ancient prophecy that refers to the forces of nature being thrown into chaos. If this is it, then you must hurry.'
Ash nodded. "Alright, let's go." He stood up.
Melody looked at him in surprise, "What? Oh you don't have to rush, you have all day tomorrow. Tonight's just for the party. Beside's you'll do fine. It's not that hard, almost all of the Chosen One's have come back."
"Melody!" Carol scolded.
Melody waved her hand dismissively at her older sister. "Just sit and relax," she said to Ash.
"I can rest when I'm dead," Ash said, "I need to do this now."
"I like your attitude," Maren said, coming up, "We can take my boat."
"Thanks," Ash said, "Anyone want to come?"
"No thanks baby bro," Misty said with a simpering smile, "have fun with your island hopping."
Ash rolled his eyes and turned to leave the hall, with Maren right behind him. they ran down to the docks where Maren's boat had been removed from the beach and tied down. Hopping aboard, Maren started up the engine and they raced out into the open sea. Lucario and Pikachu perched themselves on the prow of the boat, ignoring the seaspray as they gazed out into the ocean.
Very soon however the wind started picking up again. Lightning arced across the sky and thunder boomed.
"Not again," Maren moaned as rain began to fall. But revved up the engine and they increased speed, bouncing over the growing waves.
After twenty minutes the rain began to peter off, but the waves only grew in strength. Maren battled viciously with the waves as she wove the boat through various rocks jutting out of the water as they approached Fire Island.
The waves grew taller, literally throwing the boat into the air several times. Ash gripped the boat tightly, looking over to make sure that Lucario and Pikachu were secure. 'Hang on guys,' he thought.
'We are!' they both responded.
There was a sudden crunching sound as the waves flung them over a sharp rock.
"The Rudder!" Maren cried out.
A huge wave grew underneath them, lifting them higher and higher. Then it came crashing down on the rocky shore on Fire Island, beaching the boat once again.
Groaning from the bruises on his side from where he'd fallen, Ash got to his feet and gazed around. Instantly he saw a staircase carved into the rock, leading upwards towards the peak of the volcano that made up Fire Island.
"I'll be back," he said, leaping over the edge of the boat.
"Ash wait, we shouldn't split up! The storm might kick up again," Maren shouted after him.
"I have too," Ash responded, "This storm is only going to get worse unless I get those spheres."
He took off towards the staircase and started climbing with Pikachu and Lucario at his heels.
Ash didn't think he'd ever be so grateful that he worked his own body just as hard as he did his Pokémon's. HIs muscles burned as he climbed step after step, finally reaching the crest of the mountain and descending into the crater of the extinct volcano. Resting in the center of the crater was a shrine hewn out of the rock.
'There it is, the sphere,' Lucario said, pointing towards a red sphere resting in the mouth of some creature carved from the rock.
Ash yanked it free and held it up to see. He gasped as he felt the energies that resided within the crystal resonate with his aura and a small flame burst forth inside of it. HIs face a mask of grim determination, he turned and was about to descend the mountain again when a large red speedboat with a sail came rocketing over the edge of the crater and landed before him with a crash.
Ash stared in shock at the occupants of the boat, Melody, Brock, Misty, and Cynthia were all looking down at him from the cockpit.
"Well I hope your happy Mr. Hero," Melody said, "If you'd just listen to me in the first place and stayed at the party like I told you we wouldn't be stranded out here on this island."
Ash just gaped at her.
"Welcome to my world," Misty said with a sigh.
"Are you alright Ash?" Cynthia asked.
Finally Ash snapped out of his daze. "I'm fine. But you need to get out of here, this storm isn't natural. It needs to be stopped."
"You mean, like Mewtwo's storm?" Brock asked.
Ash frowned, "It's as bad as his, but it's not created on purpose. The balance of nature has been thrown off by something. It needs to be brought back or the world will be destroyed."
"What are you talking about?" Melody asked in confusion.
Ash's answer was cut off by a bolt of electricity racing down before veering off course and slamming into Pikachu due to his Lightning Rod ability.
"Gah, what was that?" Pikachu yelped, twitching from the extra power running through him.
More electricity crashed down on the island, some being absorbed by Pikachu, everything else crashing into the rocks and causing them to start glowing blue and sparking with electricity.
Suddenly, the source of the electricity became apparent as a Zapdos crested the edge of the crater, screeching loudly as electricity surged all around it.
"It's a Zapdos!" Brock shouted, ducking to avoid a bolt of electricity.
The massive Legendary screeched loudly again and landed on the top of the shrine. Ash gasped as he felt it's energy surging into the surrounding rock, and the whole island started glowing bright blue.
"What's happening?" Misty shouted.
'I'm going to try to talk to it,' Pikachu said.
'Be careful,' Ash responded.
Pikachu launched a Thunder Shock at the Legendary, embedding a question in the electricity. It slammed into Zapdos, surrounding the bird and drawing its attention. It flared its wings and returned the Thunder Shock with a screech.
Ash listened in on the message.
"Moltres used to rule here, but now that Moltres is gone Lightning shall rule over Fire and I claim this Island as my own from this day forward!"
With that, Zapdos exploded with lightning, making everyone but Ash and Pikachu duck and cover.
"This is wrong," Ash mumbled, "where is Moltres? Why did he leave his island?"
Now that he could see Zapdos, he was beginning to understand why nature was out of balance. These were the Alpha Legendaries, the original Zapdos and Moltres and the true guardians of their elements.
Suddenly, all of Zapdos' lightning was being drawn upwards. A massive metal airship descended from the cloud layer, absorbing all of the electricity that Zapdos put out. Finally, it stopped and Zapdos started panting from exhaustion.
An opening formed in the bottom of the airship and several strange diamond shapes came flying out. Zapdos tried to dodge, but it was too weak and two of the shapes trapped Zapdos between them in a cage of energy. Two other's surrounded Ash and his friends, lifting them and the boat up into the air and into the massive ship.
They were deposited into a cage that hung within a large room. To their left, they could see Zapdos trapped in a diamond shaped cage, and to their right, was Moltres in its own cage.
"Well, now we know where Moltres went," Ash said.
"What's this?" Melody asked, gazing at a tablet encased in a glass case below them. "'Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning, lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash.' Hmm."
In the center of the room, a large tower began descending to reveal a man sitting atop of it in a large chair.
"Well, this certainly is a pleasure, though an unexpected one of course," he said in a pleasant voice. "What do you think? Moltres the bird of fire, and Zapdos the bird of lightning. Of course without Articuno it's not a complete set."
"That's disgusting," Cynthia shouted, "Pokémon are not things to collect, they're living beings not stamps."
"What kind of trainer are you?" Misty demanded in anger.
"I'm afraid I'm not a trainer young lady, I am merely a collector," he said proudly, obviously not caring what they thought. "I began my collection with a Mew card. Now I have all this. Legendary Pokémon have always been my passion and soon my collection itself will be legendary."
The floor in front of him lit up and projected a holographic Articuno. A computerized voice said, "Sensor's indicate Articuno is changing course."
"And now you'll have to excuse me," he sat back down and his platform began to ascend again.
Ash growled, "We're getting out of here. Metagross!" He threw his Ultra Ball and released the massive Pokémon in a burst of sparkles. "Metal Claw!" Ash ordered.
Metagross drew his arm back and it claws began glowing with a metallic sheen. With a slash, the cage burst apart, dropping them to the floor.
Melody stood and made her way to the tablet she'd been looking at. "The Legend, could it be true?"
"What is the legend?" Ash asked.
"It's an ancient prophecy that the Legend Festival was created around," Melody explained, "This prophecy here. 'Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice or lightning, lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, and thus the earth shall turn to ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three. Their treasures combined tame the Beast of the Sea.'"
Ash scowled and turned to look at Moltres and Zapdos. "We need to free them."
"Right," Everyone shouted, throwing Pokéballs into the air.
"Garchomp, use Dragon Pulse!" Cynthia shouted.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" Misty ordered.
"Aerodactyl, use Hyper Beam!" Brock called.
"Metagross, use Meteor Mash!" Ash commanded, "Lucario Close Combat, Pikachu Thunder!"
All six Pokémon launched their attacks at one of the cages. They impacted against the energy shield.
There was an explosion as the shields were destroyed and their contents released. Both Zapdos and Moltres screeched and launched their attacks at the windows, blowing a hole wide open in the side of the airship. They both flew out of their holes and started launching attacks on the ship.
"This isn't good," Cynthia said, gazing out the hole Moltres created, watching the destruction unfold before them.
Ash returned Lucario and Metagross, and his friends did the same with their own Pokémon. Pikachu climbed up to Ash's shoulder and clung tightly. The ship, losing power from the destruction, began to slowly descend, coming to a crash landing on Lightning Island. "Hold on!" Brock shouted.
The ship hit the island with a bone jarring crash. One of the pillars surrounding it came free, crashing into the wall creating an opening for the five humans to escape through and forming a slope for them to get to the ground with.
"Let's go!" Ash yelled and they broke into a run, racing to the rock before the ship fell off the edge of the cliff. Ash chanced a glance around as they ran. The weather had gotten even worse while they were trapped. The rain had turned to a blizzard, covering everything with snow. The ocean was frozen over from Articuno's Ice Beams.
The airship started tilting again and one of its propellers smashed into a small shrine they were running passed. The ground shook, knocking everyone off of their feet and a wave of snow washed over and passed them. Ash's aura senses began tingling, and he looked up to see a small yellow orb sitting innocently in front of him in the snow. Within the sphere, a spark of electricity had ignited and began to crackle within.
"The Lightning Sphere," he murmured, grabbing it and shoving it in his pocket.
"Watch out!' Melody shouted. Zapdos flew over them, launching a continuous Thunderbolt. They all broke into a run again, making for the boat that had miraculously survived the crash and now sat in a nearby pool of water.
As they climbed in, Zapdos flew over again, breaking a hole in the side of the pool where water began spilling out into the ocean. The current began to pull the boat towards the new waterfall, and they were powerless to stop it.
"Everybody hang on!" Brock shouted.
The boat went over the edge and began falling towards the frozen sea.
Suddenly, a massive water spout burst from the ice and caught the boat in midair. It began moving across the water, breaking the ice as it went, heading towards Shamouti Island. As they moved, a sound began resonating from the water that caused Melody to perk up. "What's that?" she asked.
As they reached Shamouti, the waterspout suddenly flung the boat upwards and onto the edge of a high cliff.
"Everybody out," Brock ordered as the boat teetered dangerously on the edge. He grabbed Misty and Melody's hands and helped them out of the boat. Ash wrapped an arm around Cynthia's waist, "Hold on." Coiling his legs and building up his aura, he leapt, soaring out of the boat and only the snow covered rock in a single bound.
Cynthia gasped, "How did you do that?"
Ash smiled, "Did I forget to mention? I'm an Aura Guardian."
Cynthia gaped at him in shock, and he winked at her. Behind them, the boat fell from the cliff and crashed to the ice below.
Ash turned to see a Slowking standing on the bottom step of yet another shrine. Slowking pointed at Ash and said, "Take the treasure," he shifted his pointing digit to the center of the shrine, "and put it there."
Ignoring the fact that this Slowking could apparently speak perfectly in the human tongue, he nodded and climbed to the center of the shrine. Within the center of the shrine was a large mouth carved into the rock. Inside of the mouth were three stands for the spheres to rest, with an opening behind them revealing the island that the sphere's come from.
Ash put them in place just as Slowking came up behind him.
"So your Ash," Slowking said. Ash turned to him, "your one treasure short."
"I know," Ash said, "How did you know my name?"
Moltres' screech drew his attention before Slowking responded. He looked up and watched as the three Legendary birds battled in mid air, launching Thunderbolts, Ice Beams, and Flamethrowers at each other and everything else they could.
They slowly came closer and closer to Shamouti Island, threatening the shrine with their attacks.
"This is bad," Ash said quietly, moving up next to Cynthia.
Suddenly, before the three's attacks could hit Shamouti, the waterspout appeared again right in front of them, larger and more powerful than ever.
Ash senses a powerful presence within, slowly climbing up the spout. It suddenly flared its wings and the water burst away, revealing a massive silver legendary before them.
"The Great Guardian, Lugia!" Slowking said reverently.
"I can't believe it," Melody gasped.
Lugia opened it's mouth and unleashed a melody that echoed across the ocean.
"That sound!" Melody gasped, pulling her flute out. Ash also gasped as the song resonated with his aura, causing a wave of peace to come over him and strengthen him.
Suddenly, all at once, the three elemental birds attacked. Lugia easily dodged, weaving in and out of the Flamethrowers, dropping below the Ice Beams, and shielding against the Thunderbolts.
It dove back into the sea, and emerged a moment later surrounded by another waterspout. This time Articuno was ready and froze the water with an Ice Beam. Lugia broke free a moment later and it began again.
"Though the guardian of the sea shall arise to quell the fighting," Melody recited, "Alone it's song will fail, thus the earth shall turn to Ash."
Ash scowled, "I need to get that last sphere."
"Ash don't be crazy," Brock said, "going out there is suicide."
There was a sudden screech of pain. Everyone turned in time to see Lugia be hit by all three attacks and fall into the sea. The three titans turned back on each other again, now that Lugia was gone.
"Melody, play your song," Ash said quickly.
"What?" Melody's eyes widened, "Of course, the sound Lugia was making sounds just like the song from the legend."
She brought the flute to her mouth and began playing. The notes resonated across the ocean, but they weren't powerful enough to reach the three quarrelling birds.
Suddenly, Lugia emerged from the ocean again, glowing with multicolor motes and a golden aura.
"The song," He said, his telepathy reaching all of them, "The song has restored my strength. But it alone cannot bring harmony to the three warring ones. When the treasures of fire, ice, and lightning are brought together, my song shall harmonize with their powers and tame the beast both above and below the sea. But this can come to pass only with the help of the chosen one."
Ash nodded, "Alright, let's do this."
He grabbed a Poké ball from his belt, specifically a Fast Ball, and tossed it the air. "Latios, to the battlefront!" It burst open and Latios formed, much to Melody and Cynthia's astonishment.
"You...you have a Legendary?" Cynthia gasped.
"Three actually," Ash said, "Latios, I need your help."
"Of course Ash," Latios responded, lowering himself so Ash could climb onto his back.
"Let's go, to Ice Island," Ash ordered.
"Hang on!" Latios shouted and rocketed off. Ash gripped tightly around his neck, as they raced across the ice at nearly a hundred miles an hour.
It only took them a few minutes to reach Ice Island, but as they approached, Lugia descended on them, smashing them away with it's safeguard. Latios rocketed passed the other legendaries and flew to the top of the mountain, landing in an Icy crater. Ash dismounted Latios and ran up to the shrine, yanking the sphere free.
"Got it, let's go," Ash said.
Suddenly, Articuno appeared over the crest of the mountain and launched an Ice Beam at Latios. It slammed into the Eon Pokémon, causing him to cry out in pain. The power of the attack, plus his natural weakness to ice caused him to faint on the spot.
Ash grit his teeth, whipping out Latios' Fast Ball and returning him. "Thanks buddy," he murmured.
Rushing to the edge of the crater, he quickly climbed up to the top. A screech drew his attention and he turned to see Articuno crashing to the ground and not getting up.
His face a mask of determination, Ash went over the edge and started runner my down the slippery slope.
Suddenly Lugia was next to him, "The treasure?"
"Got it," Ash responded.
Lugia nodded, "Get on."
Stunned that he was allowing it, Ash nevertheless grabbed Pikachu and swung himself onto Lugia's neck.
The Diving Pokémon leveled out and soared away back towards Shamouti. "Hold on tight," Lugia warned as he began weaving and dodging the attacks from the two remaining birds.
At one point, Ash glimpsed the ground and saw thousands of Pokémon congregated, all staring at the battle above them.
"If is because they feel they must," Lugia answered Ash's unasked question, "in case they are needed."
With Lugia's superior speed, he was soon able to outstrip Zapdos and Moltres and they soared over the ice towards Shamouti.
Movement in the corner of Ash's eye caught his attention and he turned to see several of the capture rings spinning towards them from the Collector's downed airship.
"Look out!" he tried to shout, but it was too late.
They surrounded Lugia, creating a barrier around them. Lugia screamed in pain as the rings absorbed his energy. He flailed about and it was all he could do to stay on Lugia's back. Pikachu gripped his jacket tightly. Lugia suddenly dived into the water, still flailing before surfacing again. A chunk of ice from hit Ash in the head and he fell instantly unconscious. It was only the energy from the prison surrounding Lugia that kept him on the Pokémon.
Pikachu struggled to hold on as Lugia, now driven into a frenzy, launched a massive beam of energy at the collectors ship, slicing it in half. He launched another attack into the air, nearly hitting Moltres and Zapdos before he fell, his energy depleted. He crashed back into the ocean and began to sink, the rings coming free as well as Ash and PIkachu.
And that's it, I thought I'd leave it on a cliffy here. Wow it's been awhile since I updated this story, it's been difficult keeping myself in a Pokémon mood when I write, I only just got it back after watching the new Hoopa Movie (finally).
I've included the first bit of Rayshipping and I've more planned for the next chapter.
So there you have it, hopefully I'll have Chapter 22 out soon. Thanks everyone who keeps their patience with me and this story, you are all awesome.
Dragonwolf12