"Ash? Ash, can you hear us?"

His vision cleared to reveal a visibly relieved Lance, Riley, and Delia.

"Thank God," Delia cried, taking Ash's hand. "I was so worried..."

"What happened after we initiated Alea Ultima?" Ash asked, attempting to sit up.

Lance held him down. "You're not moving just yet, you've got five broken ribs, a fractured ankle, multiple broken ribs, cuts everywhere, and a concussion to top everything off. Alea Ultima worked. MissingNO was obliterated before it could turn against the general public. Cabot's in our custody but he's in rough condition."

"Raziel, Cass, Gabriel, and I teamed up to give you emergency aura transfusions," Riley said, shaking his head. "We came too damn close to losing you both. Aurian hasn't woken up yet."

Ash turned his head to find his sister on an adjacent bed in the clinic, hair splayed out across a pillow. "How long have we been out?"

"Medics pulled you from the field at 0600, it's currently 2100 hours," Lance said, checking his watch. "We thought you'd be out longer."

"Is my sister okay?"

Delia nodded. "We didn't think she was going to make it but Cass pulled through and saved her. The toll of Alea Ultima was much heavier on her since she's a lot smaller than you are. Riley's been giving you both hourly aura transfusions to speed up the regeneration process."

"It felt like a supernova went off in the stadium," Lance said, pulling up a chair between the two beds. "The sheer amount of energy you two produced was felt in Sunyshore and beyond. I had Elite Four from all over the world calling and asking if there was an earthquake-"

Aurian spluttered for air and tried to sit up. "Where are we? Is Ash okay?"

"Ri, I'm here. We did it and got out alive. We have Cabot."

Tears of relief streamed down the younger patonai's face. "Finally. Sorry for worrying you guys. Lance, what's the injury count?"

"No casualties on our side, thank goodness, but we came close with you two and some of Dragonite Reserve. Couple of career-ending injuries in Garchomp and Dragonite. Michael's leg is in pretty bad shape. He'll be limping for the rest of his life. Wes, Eusine, and Hiori are really torn up, Misty and Brock have multiple minor injuries that will heal within two weeks," Lance said. "The entire Andan computer system's been taken down and we're processing their information. Research is working on deciphering what they have and getting the legal team ready to start a crapton of lawsuits."

"You, little lady, are lucky to be alive. Same goes for you, Ash," Riley said. "When I found you, you both had fifteen seconds' worth of aura left in your system. Find Cass and Raziel and thank them profusely, they gave almost all they had to save you."

Ash bit his lip to keep from crying. "First battle with Raziel and I'm already in his debt."

"How bad are my injuries?" Aurian asked.

Lance flipped a few pages on his clipboard. "Concussion, fractured right leg, four broken ribs, multiple contusions across the face and body, sprained shoulder, shattered right ankle. You're also running on way less sleep than normal."

"Eh, I've had worse," Aurian said. "This is a cakewalk compared to our first Sinnoh tour. Riley, what's the status on our reserves?"

The Armada commander's eyes glowed blue. "Fifteen percent and increasing. You won't be able to wield at all for another week and it'll take a week or two to regain what you lost."

"We're sitting on a while with no aura," Ash said, crossing his arms and immediately regretting the action.

Riley nodded. "That's more than enough time to help me with all the paperwork that you two created!"

The patonai groaned, much to Lance's amusement.

"Your friends are waiting to see you two. Get some rest and don't over-exert yourself," Riley said, holding the door for the adults.

Ash smiled. "We'll see what we can do."

"No guarantees," Aurian shrugged.

The corners of Lance's mouth twitched upwards in a slight smile. "Don't get yourself killed this time, okay? Five times in three years is five too many."

Max, Maddy, Misty, and Brock burst into the room, their unanimous cries of relief and shock at the extent of the patonai's injuries washing through the room like a tidal wave.

"One at a time!" Ash said. "We're still feeling a little hazy."

Misty sat next to Ash's bed and took his right hand. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"To be totally honest, we weren't," Aurian said, accepting Brock's gentle hug. "It was a gut reaction."

Brock raised an eyebrow. "Exploding Stadium D in whatever the hell that was was a gut reaction?"

"MissingNO was about to vaporize the island halfway through the evacuation process! We figured two lives in exchange for thousands was a good trade-off," Ash sighed.

"And this idiot very nearly screwed it up," Aurian said, rolling her eyes. "But all's well that ends well, right?"

"You two are hardly well," Brock protested. "Ash, this is the most beat-up I've ever seen you."

Max's jaw dropped. "Wait, that was two of whatever you did?"

"I think we're the first patonai to escape a double Alea Ultima alive," Ash said, attempting to remember a millennium and a half of Guardian history through the haze of morphine.

Misty wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I don't give a damn about history, I'm just happy you guys got out. How long will your recovery take?"

"Depends on how often Riley and company are willing to donate aura," Aurian winced, shifting positions on her mattress. "We're sitting on two weeks recovery at the moment. Looks like we won't be able to wield for just under a month if our reserves keep refilling at the rate they are."

Maddy frowned. "What will you guys do until you're back in fighting condition?"

"Paperwork," Ash groaned. "We created a crapton of paperwork by exploding the stadium. And decimating Andan's experiments. And wiping their systems. And destroying their leader. Cabot's in custody. We fully intend to speak with him once we're back to normal."

"Ash, we have to file a mission report," Aurian said, hands on her forehead. "Do you realize everything we have to include?"

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Brock asked.

Ash shook his head. "You have no idea. The Johto mission was three days. The report was fifty-nine pages. This mission was... what, a month?"

"Twenty-seven days. We have to cover every single move we made and how everything changed," Aurian continued. "The Johto report took us two all-nighters and a total of twenty-seven cups of coffee. This is gonna suck."

"Can we help?" Max asked. "There has to be something we can do for you guys."

Ash smiled at his trainee's eagerness. "As much as I wish you could, this has to stay within the Armada..."

"We're still Armada," Misty said, crossing her arms. "Riley hasn't dismissed us from service yet. Go back to sleep, Brock and I will write a report of the invasion."

Aurian shook her head. "But-"

"No buts, you two've done enough," Brock protested. "Let us help you."

"Fine," Ash huffed, "but you'd better get clearance from Riley before you start."

"Yeah, yeah," Brock sighed. "Misty, how's your technical writing?"

The redhead laughed. "Rusty?! Haven't written an official report since Rocket burned my Gym down."

"Just what we need," Brock said. "Come on, we'll get out of their hair."

The four said their goodbyes and left the patonai in their hospital room.

"Dammit, it's too peaceful," Aurian said. "I've gotten so used to chaos over the past few weeks that I've forgotten that peace even existed. I don't like it. We should be doing something."

Ash laughed. "We are doing something. We're healing. Our bones are knitting back together as we speak."

"Bones? Yes. Lives? No. That's gonna take some time. I don't know if I'll ever fully recover from what we just pulled off."

"How so?" Ash asked.

"Most men flee from death," Aurian murmured. "We became it."

"God, that's brutal," Ash said.

Aurian raised an eyebrow, blue eyes filled with pain. "Ash, it's true. We flat-out murdered MissingNO. I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight."

"It had to be done," Ash protested. "I don't agree with what we did but if we hadn't stopped MissingNO, who would've?"

Aurian wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Lord, Ash. I'm still shaking, thinking about it."

"And that is normal, considering the amount of stress this ordeal put you through," Cass said, poking her head in the door. "I'm sorry for interrupting your crisis but I can't let my Masters overanalyze this and sink into a depression."

Raziel followed her in. "Patonai, what would MissingNO have done if you hadn't obliterated it?"

"Destroyed the world," Ash snorted. "Killed Ri. Killed Mom. Killed me. Killed Riley. Killed the rest of the Armada. Killed Misty-" he choked up, head in his hands.

"Precisely," Cass said, situating herself between the patonai's hospital beds. "Riley is a capable wielder but he can't hold a candle to what you two are capable of when you're together. Because you were in the right place at the right time, the largest threat to world peace since Aaron's Great War has been neutralized."

"At what cost, though?" Aurian asked. "We've already given our lives to the G-Men. What did we lose to MissingNO? Our identities? Our hope?"

"That glitch stole your reason," Raziel growled. "You were justified. The man that killed your father and your Guardian family was after your scalps with a weapon of mass destruction. It wasn't self defense, it was vengeance for Sir Aaron and for robbing your family and your original time away from you. You're overthinking this. Breathe and let your actions go, you cannot change the past for it is set in stone."

Ash nodded. "Thanks, Raziel. I never asked- is Mewtwo okay?"

"Spencer's taken good care of him. Mewtwo's on the mend. That last Hyper Beam really screwed his systems up but he wanted me to pass on his message of awe of your abilities and concern for your welfare."

"Tell him we're hanging in there," Aurian said, a thin smile dancing across her lips, "and that we'd like a visit whenever he's up to it."

Cass bowed. "Understood. Sleep well, masters, you've earned it. Can we do anything for you?"

Aurian nodded. "Yes, actually. If you wouldn't mind asking Spenser to send a squad of Chansey up here to Heal Pulse the living crap out of us, that'd be great."

"An interesting oxymoron," Raziel noted, laughing as he held the door for his fellow Lucario. "We'll see what we can do."

"Oh!" Ash cried. "Laptops! Ask one of the commanders if they can bring our laptops from our room. If we're gonna sit here all night, we might as well start writing the mission report."

Cass laughed. "Death can't keep these two from being productive. We'll have someone bring those up for you. Sleep well, patonai."

Ash chuckled as the two Lucario left the room. "Those two will make a great team."

"They already do," Aurian said. "I can't wait to see what the four of us are capable of together."

"Same! But for now," Ash replied, taking a notepad that Lance left on his bedside table, "we need to outline out this damn report. Start with a timeline and go from there?"

Aurian nodded, tucking an extra pillow under her shoulders. "Better now than never. Should we call Misty and Brock back in here?"

"On it," Ash said, texting Misty with his request.

Five minutes later, Brock and Misty reentered the patonai's room accompanied with four laptops and a squad of Chansey, who heal-pulsed the patonai on Lance's orders.

"Holy crap, that feels amazing," Aurian sighed, pink light fading as the Chansey left. "I can breathe without my chest exploding in pain!"

Ash nodded. "I can finally feel my ankle. Misty, does my face look any better?"

"Everything's starting to scab over," the redhead replied, passing Ash his laptop. "What have you guys started so far?"

"We're a quarter of the way through the Mt. Silver infiltration. We'll need summaries of your actions to finish everything out since we weren't at Lily of the Valley to watch everything go down."

"That's fair," Aurian said. "We were thinking of starting from the beginning and steamrolling through everything as quickly as possible. Since there are four of us, we can finish this in what, two days?"

Ash shook his head. "We can finish this in the next thirty hours. You think we're cleared to drink coffee now?"

"No idea but we don't have another option," Aurian replied. "Okay, we arrived on the island on the evening of October 27th..."

"And we're done!" Ash announced, attempting to staple their two-hundred page report and failing miserably.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Ash, we both know that isn't going to work. I saw a few hole-punchers in a copy room on my way here, let me grab those and a few binders."

"What time is it?" Brock asked, yawning and draining what remained of his cup of coffee.

Aurian checked her watch. "Midnight. It took us exactly twenty-four hours."

"Great. Are you guys gonna turn that into Lance now?" Brock asked.

Ash shrugged. "The doctors did clear us to use crutches now. We'll go in the morning after we sleep."

Misty opened the door, carrying four binders and three hole-punchers. "Found them!"

"Okay, we have four binders. Fifty pages each," Aurian said, taking the stack and divvying the report. "Start punching."

"Yes ma'am," Ash called, saluting. His face contorted in pain. "Crap, that was my bad shoulder. Not a good idea."

Misty chuckled as she organized her pages. "Pick up the pace, Borealis, you're slacking."

"What is this, everyone-gang-up-on-Ash-day?" he groaned, adding a cover page to his binder.

Aurian winked. "You guessed it! I'll take Brock's work since he's passed out over there-"

A large snore ripped through the room, scaring Misty off of her chair.

"I'd forgotten about how hard it was to do things with a chainsaw in the area," Misty groaned, handing her completed segment to Aurian. "Ash, remember how late we stayed up on the first night?"

"Just the three of us? That was awful," he replied, passing his binder to his sister. "Didn't get a wink of sleep. May have explained why I failed so spectacularly against that forest Samurai."

"Forest samurai?" Aurian asked, an eyebrow raised. "Ash, you never told me about this."

"And I will, as soon as we get these in," Ash said. "Think Lance is still up?"

Aurian nodded. "He's up, I can feel it. Misty, feel free to crash here for the night. We'll bring blankets back up for you guys."

"I'd appreciate that," she said, dragging herself over to a couch in the corner and curling up on the cushions. "See you in the morning."

Ash tucked his crutches under his arms, grabbed the binders, and held the door for his sister, who limped out the door, her aircast thumping against the floor.

"You sure you don't want me to help carry those?" Aurian asked, propelling herself down the hallway.

Ash shook his head. "Nah, I've got this. You've worked way too hard."

"As have you, brother," Aurian chuckled, pausing in front of a flight of stairs. "Crap. How do we deal with these?"

"Carefully," Hiori said, taking the patonais' arms and leading them down. "I've navigated my fair share of stairs while injured. Now it's time to return the favor."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Combat injuries?"

"Nah, always in the wrong place at the wrong time, especially when I had to rescue Lily. I miss her."

"She doing okay?" Aurian asked.

Hiori nodded as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "Lily's doing great. I tried to get her to enlist but she laughed in my face. She's done with military service after Galactic kept her for six years."

"Touche. What're you doing up?"

Hiori shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Called Lily, she offered to knock me out so I'd sleep better. Now I'm here with you guys."

"There's more to it than that," Ash said, his crutches hitting the floor with a distinctive thud.

The lieutenant sighed. "I saw some things in Mt. Silver. Now I get why Madrigal said that war was hell; that had to be what Lily lived through for six years. I had to kill people to make it out alive, patonai. I've never had to do that before-"

Aurian dropped the crutches and hugged her friend, who returned the action and sobbed into her shoulder. "Oh, Hiori-"

"We understand, Hiori," Ash said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let it out."

"All I did was fire once-" he took a shaky breath, "and he dropped. Then Michael was hit, and..."

"Hiori, look at me," Aurian said, staring him down. "Would you rather it've been him or you?"

He paused, eyes bright from tears.

"Hiori, anyone involved with Andan wouldn't've hesitated to kill all of us. They almost got away with it." Aurian protested, voice cracking. "They would've taken the world if we didn't act. They would've taken Lily, Giovanni would've killed us personally, Charon would've finished off the Armada. We were put on this earth to protect others, including ourselves, and that includes taking lives when necessary."

"Think of the people you saved," Ash said. "From what I heard from Misty and Brock, you saved Michael. If you hadn't've fired when you did, Michael wouldn't've made it out."

Hiori dried his eyes and handed Aurian her crutches. "Thanks, you two. Can I come with you to Lance's office?"

"Of course," Aurian replied, her uneven steps echoing through the staircase. Come on, we should catch him while he's still here."

The trio reached Lance's office. Ash knocked and Lance opened the door, wearing a vintage G-Men sweatshirt and holding a cup of coffee in his hand.

"You're up late," the commander commented.

"As are you," Ash retorted. "We have our report."

"Already?"

Aurian nodded and passed over the binders. "Two-hundred pages ready for filing with insurance and whatever else needs to be done."

"And you're sure it's complete?"

Ash slammed his hand on Lance's desk. "Lance, we're running on fumes. Misty and Brock are currently asleep in our hospital room after drinking six cups of coffee each. We're out of our morphine haze. We ran through every phone call, every text, every single entry in our internet histories. It's complete."

Lance nodded. "Understood."

Aurian crossed her arms. "Lance, we'd like to put in a request for a sabbatical. We've worked non-stop for the past three years. It's time for a break."

"A sabbatical, huh?" Lance said, looking over their paperwork. "Good God, this is the fastest major mission report in the history of the corps. I personally don't see an issue with you two bailing for a while, you need the break."

The patonai grinned and high-fived.

"However, you can't goof off while you're there. I need to call Lady Ilene back on business, I'll ask if she's willing to host you," Lance continued, signing off on the leave of absence forms and turning towards his computer.

"While you're pulling up the window, we have another request," Ash said. "We want to talk to Cabot."

Lance nearly dropped his coffee mug. "Why the hell would you want to talk to the man that nearly killed you?"

"We need answers, Lance," Aurian said, "and this is our last chance to ask him as Aaron's children and the last surviving Borealises. In the courtroom, we're just Aurian Copland and Ash Ketchum."

"As much as I would love to say yes and watch the hell that you two would raise, you need to wait until he's conscious. Cabot's was knocked out by the blast from the double Alea and he hasn't woken up yet. We've got him in the cement castle downstairs. You two will be the first to interview him when he wakes up, as I'm extremely curious about his motives. For now, worry about yourselves and take your break. I've got Ilene on the line, are you ready?"

Her Royal Highness appeared on the screen, hair in a messy ponytail and a latte in her hand.

"Good morning, Lance. Do I see your star Armada agents behind you?"

Lance nodded. "Yes ma'am. Casual Friday in the office?"

"You know as well as I do that our annual Tournament isn't for another three weeks. Allow me some peace with my mocha before I have to speak like Rin for five days straight. I can only hold that accent for so long without losing what's left of my sanity."

"Touche," Lance winced. "I have a favor to ask."

"Shoot," Ilene replied, taking a sip of her coffee.

"These two agents are Ashton Ketchum Borealis and Aurian Copland Borealis. They come from a long line of Aura Guardians and are extremely proficient in wielding," Lance said, motioning for the patonai to continue his introduction.

Ash cleared his throat. "Good to see you again, Highness. After the mess that went down two days ago, my patonai and I are searching for a location to take a sabbatical from active duty. We'd like to spend some time in Rota due to the high concentration of Guardian artifacts and writings."

"We would like to petition you for Rota residency for the duration of our sabbatical," Aurian said, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "We'll repay you by working for the palace in exchange for access to old documents."

"Of course!" Ilene said, reaching for a notepad and jotting down a few lines of text. "It's been ages since we've had active Guardians in the halls of Cameran; it will be a welcome change. I have a friend who is working on assembling Guardian artifacts for a new museum display called the Preservation Project; I'm sure he'd love your help in collecting items and creating a space for them. When will you arrive here?"

Ash and Aurian looked at each other.

"We're still healing from our last battle and we need medical clearance before we leave," Aurian pondered. "Would two weeks be enough time to make the necessary preparations?"

Ilene nodded. "I can make that happen. One question before you leave- your last name wasn't Borealis when you last visited, Ashton."

"We'll explain once we get there," Ash said. "It's a very long and complicated story."

"So we're clear?" Lance asked. "Undefined sabbatical until Captains Borealis and Borealis are ready to return or until a great need calls them back?"

"I accept your terms. See you soon, Captains!" Ilene waved, ending the call.

Ash and Aurian hugged each other, warily avoiding their injuries.

"We're going home- for real this time," Aurian said.

Ash grinned. "Mom's gonna like this destination. No crazy time-traveling guys trying to kill us, no mass destruction, no secret identities."

"It'll be hard to leave our friends," Aurian replied. "But that's what Pokegears were made for!"

Lance nodded. "Riley can hold down the fort while you're gone. You two deserve a break, especially after the stunt you pulled with Alea Ultima. Are you sure about the quick turnaround?"

"It's what we're used to," Aurian shrugged. "It'll be good to get back to doing something, I can only take sitting on my butt being useless for so long."

"Besides," Ash protested, "this isn't quick. You had us pull twenty-five days between Johto and Sinnoh and three days between smaller-scale missions. Compared to those times, this is a dream vacation."

Lance laughed. "Good point. Also, I forgot to tell you that we've called a full assembly to discuss the outcome of the Mt. Silver infiltration and what that means for us."

"The G-Men aren't in trouble, are we?" Aurian asked, eyes wide.

"No, it's not anything like that," Lance said, shaking his head. "We've received a very generous monetary compensation from the League for our actions and we need to figure out what to spend it on."

"How generous?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Enough to finance your paychecks for the next century. It's quite a lot and I figured the corps would want a say in where it goes."

Aurian nodded. "Good idea, Lance. We'll see you then. What time?"

"Ten sharp. I'll send someone to make sure you're awake. Get some sleep," Lance said, dismissing the patonai.

The patonai saluted to the best of their abilities and returned to their rooms.

"Ash? When's the last time the corps was called to full assembly?"

"No idea, Ri," he said, climbing back into his bed, careful not to disturb Brock and Misty. "Before Lance's predecessor?"

"Looks like we're in for a surprise tomorrow," Aurian replied, rolling over. "See you then."

Silence filled the room for a few minutes.

"Ash?" Aurian asked. "What if Cabot dies before we get the chance to talk to him?"

"Then we accept life and move on, just as Aaron said we should. Look, I'm curious and all, but Cabot's the last thing I'm worried about at the moment. Now, we need to focus on our sleep instead of our problems..."

Ten hours later, the patonai sat front-row as Lance climbed the makeshift stage.

"Attention!" Lance said, the corps falling silent at a moment's notice. "I've called this meeting for two reasons today. The first is to discuss the League's monetary compensation for our actions two nights ago, but that can wait. As you all know, Captains Borealis and Borealis exhibited tremendous courage in the face of combat during their last mission."

The assembly erupted into cheers and whistles.

"Because of their bravery and willingness to sacrifice all for the sake of the world, the Council has decided to award our Captains with the Indigo Shield, the Platinum Star, and promote them both to the rank of Colonel!"

Aurian burst into tears and hugged her brother, who delicately returned the action while wiping his eyes with his sleeves.

"Does anyone second the motion?"

Riley stood and crossed his arms. "I second the motion."

"Corps assembled, all in favor of promoting Captains Borealis and Borealis to Colonel say aye!"

The G-Men stood and yelled their assent, a few members throwing hats in the air.

"Motion carried! Colonels, rise!"

Ash and Aurian carefully adjusted their crutches and limped up to the stage, where Lance pinned their respective awards to their hospital jackets.

"Lance, the G-Men don't promote to Colonel unless-" Ash started.

"Unless the current General is ready to name his successors?" Lance answered, pride filling his eyes. "You've demonstrated remarkable leadership and poise in times of international emergency. I wouldn't want to pass control of the corps to anyone but you two."

Aurian frowned. "You're not bailing on us now, are you?"

"Hell no. I've got a few more years left in me. After that, I'll drop to just the Championship, that'll keep me occupied until I"m ready to retire fully."

Ash put an arm around his sister. "Thank you, Lance, for trusting us with the future of the corps. We'll do our best to keep the standards."

"Keep? Hell, you've redefined the standard of what a G-Men member should strive to be like," Lance said, hugging his Corporals. "I don't tell you two nearly enough how proud I am of the officers you've become. Go celebrate with your mom before you leave."

"Sir!" they cried, saluting. The patonai left the stage to roaring applause and found Delia outside in the hallway.

"Mom!" the patonai cried, moving as quickly as they could towards Delia, who wrapped her kids in a hug.

"I'm so so proud of you two," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Highest military honors before you're nineteen? And Corporals! I'm the mother of two Corporals! You'll start running the G-Men before I can blink-"

"Hey, we have a few years," Aurian protested. "We're not through with active missions just yet."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Says the girl that medicine patched together after our last one."

"You're one to talk! We'll both be on crutches for another few weeks," Aurian groaned. "Mom, we've picked our location for our sabbatical. We're going to Rota."

Delia teared up. "You're going home."

Ash nodded. "We figured you'd approve. Ri and I are planning to use our time to find what remains of Father's research and continue on with it there. A change of scenery would be nice."

"Plus we'd like to avoid the threat of imminent death," Aurian added. "You okay with this?"

"More than okay," Delia said, "I'm thrilled that you're headed to Cameran. I'll give you a list of things to look for whenever you two settle in. Maybe I could come visit!"

"We could definitely swing that, Ms. Ketchum," Lance said, ducking out of the door.

Aurian raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to lead a financial discussion?"

"That's Koga's area of expertise," Lance shrugged.

"Lance, we've been over this," Delia sighed. "Call me Delia. I appreciate your politeness but it's unwarranted here, especially since you've been taking care of my kids for three years."

"All right, Delia. For now, they need to heal and their reserves need to replenish to at least seventy-five percent before I feel comfortable letting them lose. How long will that take, Riley?"

"They're healing remarkably well," Riley said, drifting into aura sight. "Reserves are hovering at thirty percent and their broken bones are well on their way to healing. Our patonai will be back to normal in a week, their reserves will be ready for action in two."

"Two weeks can't come soon enough," Aurian said. "I can't wait to see where we were born and pick up where Father left off."

"Until then," Lance said, "rest, if you still remember how. We kind of need you intact."

TWO WEEKS LATER

"Today's the day, Ash!" Aurian said, slamming the lid on her suitcase shut. "One last engagement to finish off the GIGT and we're off!"

Ash tucked one last pair of pants into his duffel and set it at the side of his bed. "Riley said he'd take care of the luggage, we just need to take care of ourselves. Ready to head out?"

Aurian checked her hair in the mirror. "I still can't decide if keeping my hair down or in a braided bun looks better."

"They'll recognize you with your hair down," Ash said, attaching the shoulder-cape to his formal uniform and straightening his new awards. "That's what we're going for, right?"

She frowned. "Never thought of it like that. Come on, we'd better meet Lance outside the stadium gates before he kills us for being late."

"Never thought we'd be the ones to break international news," Ash muttered, releasing Gallade. "Xiphos, take us to Stadium D one more time. We have a mission to finish."

Gallade glowed pink and the patonai touched down three feet in front of Lance.

"Good! You made it!" he said, clapping his officers on their shoulders. "Just in time, too, we're about to head in. Steven's giving the opening remarks."

"We just follow you, right?" Aurian asked.

Lance nodded and opened the entry gates. "As long as you don't explode this stadium again, we should be fine."

Ash started to retort but Aurian socked him in the arm as they took their seats at the front of the gathered crowd, mutters following their advance.

Lance took the podium and cleared his throat.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. A terrorist society called the Andan Alliance, formed from a coalition of criminal syndicates from the League Regions, attempted a coup on Lily of the Valley Island on the evening of November 29th. At 2230 hours, the G-Men, led by the Armada division, staged a raid on Andan Headquarters. Mt. Silver proved to be a formidable opponent but the Armada was stronger. Upon the completion of the raid and the disarmament of Tobias Langley and Faith Sorenson, Giovanni di Angelo released an artificial Pokemon named MissingNO, which wreaked havoc inside Mt. Silver before moving here to Stadium D. Our Armada Captains selflessly tailed Giovanni and gave their aura- and very nearly their lives- to keep MissingNO's influence from spreading beyond Lily of the Valley Island."

The assembled crowd gasped as Ash and Aurian joined Lance on stage, their uniforms crisp against the shattered background.

"Our Captains- now Colonels- are here before you. Please give a warm welcome to Shadow and Braveheart."

The patonai gratefully accepted the stools that Lance and Steven brought out for them and quieted the roar of the crowd.

"We have a bit of explaining to do," Aurian said, a sheepish smile on her face. "As some of you have already figured out, Blue Katrian and Red Aronshu are no more than cover identities for this mission. Due to the delicate nature of this operation, we cannot go into a lot of detail about our actions or our purpose."

Ash picked up where his sister left off. "We cannot tell you how we came to be at this specific location or what our true names are. We are, however, allowed to tell you that Andan is no more. Giovanni has been arrested, MissingNO was destroyed. In addition to the imprisonment of multiple legions of Andan members, Charles Goodshow has been indicted on charges of conspiracy, treason, money laundering, bribery, and perjury."

"This may come as a shock but our accusations are not unfounded. Since Mr. Goodshow is currently within the custody of the International Police and incapable of performing his duties, the League has officially chosen a new head as of last night. Selected to take his position is no other than our own Steven Stone," Aurian finished, welcoming Steven to the podium and backing away.

Steven nodded. "Thank you, Braveheart. As both an Ex-Champion and a G-Men Executive, I feel that I have the necessary experience needed to effectively guide the League towards a better place, starting with reorganization of our upper-level faculty and Regional Heads. There will be changes- lots of them- but the heart of the League has always been providing experiences and opportunities for young trainers to further their passion and skill in the battling arts. That concept will remain key as we rebuild from this tragedy. Thank you for your time and I look forward to working with you all."

Applause echoed throughout the ruined stadium as Steven took his spot next to the patonai.

Lance took the podium. "One final announcement- because of extensive property and personal damage, the League has decided to cancel the rest of the Global Invitational Grand Tournament. Thank you all for your time. If you would like to meet our Colonels, we will be waiting off to our left of the stage to receive visitors. That is all."

The patonai hurried to the left side of the stage, where they were met with a blushing Touko. Gary and Paul stood off to the side.

"You were undercover agents all this time?" Touko asked, shaking her head.

Aurian nodded. "Sorry about that, we couldn't exactly come out and tell you 'by the way, we're here to keep the mother of all criminal syndicates from destroying the world.' Wouldn't've gone over very well, yeah?"

"I understand," Touko said. "But still... you guys are Aura Guardians?"

"We can't say much on the topic but yes, we are," Ash replied. "We'd demonstrate but we're medically barred from wielding until tomorrow. Destroying their greatest weapon completely drained our reserves. We're working on replenishing those."

"I'd like to apologize for picking a fight with you guys back on day one," Paul sniffed. "I had no idea what I was getting myself into."

"An early grave?" Aurian asked, an eyebrow raised.

Ash lost it at the dumbfounded look on Paul's face.

"Savage," Gary whistled. "Thank you for your service and the work you've done for the good of the Regions. You seriously won't tell us who you are?"

Aurian shook her head. "Lance would kill us."

"Indeed I would," Lance said, cape fluttering behind him. "You two ready to head back?"

The patonai nodded and bid goodbye to their friends and competitors.

"Off to Rota now," Lance said. "I'm going to miss you two."

"Likewise," Aurian replied. "Without the early-morning mission calls and PT, though. You're a little too brutal with those."

The G-Men Commander laughed. "That won't change while you're gone. Remember, you'll be running that someday."

Ash released Gallade, who teleported the trio back to headquarters.

"How long until Ilene's expecting us?" Aurian asked.

Lance frowned. "She's ready. Leave when you can. Riley's taken care of the luggage, right?"

"We only really need to say goodbye to the Armada, the trainees, and mom, right?" Ash said.

Aurian nodded. "Misty and Brock said they'd be in our HQ with Max and Maddy. Let's head over."

"Before you go," Lance said, "I thought I'd give you an update on Cabot's condition. He's still in a coma, looks like he'll be out for about a month. If he wakes up during your sabbatical, would you be willing to come back and talk to him?"

"Without hesitation," Ash answered, eyes narrowing. "We have a few words for him."

Aurian nodded. "Call us, Lance. We'll come. In the meantime, we'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Not too soon," Lance grinned. "See you, patonai."

Footsteps echoed through the halls as the patonai approached their division headquarters. Once they got there, the patonai spotted Misty, standing outside the door with arms crossed and gaze downward.

Aurian clapped her brother on the shoulder. "I'll meet you inside."

The younger patonai entered the room to rowdy yells of congratulations.

"Hey, Colonel Borealis," Misty said, a blush overtaking her face.

Ash grinned. "Hey, yourself. Everything okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I'm still shaken up from what we had to do to ensure a victory. Was that what most of your missions were like?"

"Sinnoh was more intense, but yes," he replied, crossing his arms. "You're stalling, Mist. Speak your mind."

"When do you leave for your sabbatical?" she asked.

Ash sighed. "In an hour or so? Lance wanted us to go back to Lily of the Valley to finish up some League business."

"It's good that he made you wait. Can't have you two reopening old wounds by falling down a staircase or something," Misty chuckled.

"Hey! I'm not that clumsy anymore!" Ash protested.

Misty switched her gaze from her friend to the ground. "Ash, I was wondering... after all this blows over, would you like to... well, you know..."

"Go out sometime?" Ash asked, ears burning a brilliant crimson. "How does dinner and a movie sound?"

"I'd like that," she said, grinning. "Looks like we'll have to wait a while for that to happen, though."

Ash shrugged. "For you, it's worth it. I'm sorry I was such a butt for three years-"

Misty cut him off with a kiss.

"Damn," Ash said as they broke for air. "If I'd known what that would be like, I would've asked you out a hell of a lot sooner. You gonna hold up okay while we're half a world away?"

"Rota's not that far," Misty replied. "Might drop in for a day trip and surprise you two."

"You don't have to lie," Aurian said, poking her head out the door with a lopsided grin. "You'd go for him. I'd be the attractive background noise in your romance."

Misty rolled her eyes. "We're friends, Aurian! I'd come for you too, I promise."

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, Ash, our division's waiting."

They walked into the Armada Headquarters to confetti falling from the ceiling and banners strung up across the room.

"Ash!" Michael exclaimed, putting an arm around his mentor. "Way to make us proud, Colonel!"

All assembled wrapped the patonai in a massive group hug.

"Back off on a mission?" Eusine asked.

Aurian shook her head. "No, we're off to Rota on a sabbatical. We need a break."

"Greatly deserved," Hiori said, picking Aurian up and spinning her around. "When do you guys head out?"

Ash checked his watch. "Pretty soon. Any farewell words?"

Wes stood from the couch. "Am I in charge again?"

"Looks like it!" Aurian said, embracing her tall friend. "Don't let them destroy the place, yeah?"

Wes groaned as the Armada exchanged devious looks. "Why me?"

Brock and Misty hugged their friends one last time.

"Call us when you get settled in!" Misty said. "We're dropping by when we get the chance."

Brock nodded. "Think of all the hot babes!"

Max jumped on Brock's back and pulled his ear. "Think of something else, you hopeless romantic!"

Maddy laughed. "I'm going to miss you guys. Take care, okay?"

Aurian patted her trainee's shoulder. "We will, I promise. See you guys soon!"

The patonai left headquarters and made the familiar trek up to Delia's room. She answered the patonai's knock with a smile.

"Heading out?"

Ash nodded. "We have a vacation to enjoy."

"I made cookies for you to take to Ilene. I know it won't mean much to her but tell her that I say hello and thank you. Call me at least once, I'd love to know what you get up to back home," Delia said, embracing her kids.

Aurian laughed and accepted the package. "Sure will, Mom. We'll see you soon."

"I know you will," she said. "I'm indescribably proud of you both. Ash, you've come so far from where you started on your tenth birthday. Aurian- I'm so sorry I never got to watch you grow up, but you've become someone special over the past three years. Aaron would be bursting at the seams with pride for your accomplishments."

Ash wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "That's the highest complement we could ever hope to achieve. Thanks, Mom."

"Things have been far too emotional over the past two weeks. Go on, then! You have a new adventure to begin!" Delia said, affectionately shooing her children out the door.

The patonai waved and left their mom and shouted their goodbyes as Gallade teleported them away.

Delia closed her door and sat on her bed, holding her husband's wedding ring in her hands.

"Aaron, can you see our children right now? You'd be proud of Ash and Aurian. They've done the Borealis family name proud."

A gust of wind drifted through the open window, blowing a single aura blue flower into Delia's cupped hands...

(A/N): Hello, everyone, and thank you for reading Chapter 25 of Primary! We're so so close to the end that I can almost taste it! Thank you so much for hanging in there with my crazy delays. When I started this fic, I was a sophomore in high school who had way too much free time on her hands. Now, I've moved off to college and it's been a unique experience to watch the characters and my writing style transform for the better.

I've gotten a few requests to update AIAFTP lately- as much as it pains me to say it, I need to regroup and figure out what Secondary will entail. I might add a few chapters while I'm doing my research but it's likely that AIAFTP will remain on temporary hiatus.

This is PL, signing off! See you soon!