Cha. 37
It was the second time Ash was here. The domain of the nine floating islands. A rainbow extended from the center of the soul realm to below him.
Ash placed his feet on the dazzling highway, which retracted, pulling him to the front of a bright candlelight that hovered above the islands.
The bridges of white threads between the islands were completed, made of concentrated Qi. The first island was lit in a blue and red glow, twirling into the shape of Yin-Yang. The rest were a dark grey. There was no more spots of dried scarlet.
"Congratulations." The Light said with a harmonious voice.
Ash knew he was referring to the sole shining island. "What does it symbolize?"
"It means that you've officially stepped into the ranks of Mercury." The candle pulsed. "You would have earlier, but it took a lot of Qi to fix some previous scars on your islands."
Ash blinked. "Previous scars? From what?"
"You will know when the time is right..." The Light hesitated. "How is your training? I see you've Realized the first development of Devour."
Ash looked at the Yin-Yang. "Yes… I almost drowned in the process."
The Light gave a chuckle. "Scared?"
"Of course NOT!" The boy replied immediately.
"Good. Devour is a very challenging Method. Each development will require you to undergo extremely dangerous risk of life and death to awaken all of your internal potential. You cannot be scared."
"It's like climbing a ravine. If you get frightened, you fall, and you're a goner. But if you make it to the finish, you stand on the top of this dimension, with the world at your horizon." The Light flashed. "Trust me, drowning is nothing."
Ash fell silent. "I vaguely remember it to be extremely powerful. I think I overpowered an Arcanine with it."
"Yes. Even the first development will let you kill a Jupiter Pokémon, which is why it's a top Method. Not even Cosmic Methods will allow you to defeat a Jupiter from Mercury."
"The Mercury stage of the Method is called Devour-Species. Then it's Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom, Bio, corresponding with the ranks from Mercury to Pluto."
The Light noticed that Ash's soul orb was frozen. "What's wrong? Too amazed?"
"I… I killed… the Arcanine?" Ash stuttered.
"You didn't know?" The candle tilted. "Ah, yes, you lost consciousness after that. I forgot there are some side effects that you'll need to practice to overcome. Remember to practice it when you leave…"
He caught that Ash's emotions were still off. "Listening?"
"I… killed…" The boy quivered.
The Light blinked as he detected a wave of grieving sympathy dispersing off his apprentice. "HALT! Stop your ridiculous sadness and listen to me!"
Ash shook. A rainbow materialized in midair and slammed into his head. But instead of pain, a flood of relief entered his mind that pushed out the heavy grief, restoring his state to tranquility.
"Listen carefully, Ash Ketchum!" The Light glowed intensely. "I saw all that had happened! You were chased to the brink of the world by that woman. She knocked out your Pokémon and had shot you with the intent to kill."
"You killed her Arcanine out of self-defense. In fact, you should be glad you killed it, or else it will kill you. Not just that, you should have maintained your conscious for long enough to kill the woman too, because you tossed yourself in massive danger by fainting."
"Natural selection is how the world works. You shall protect what your faith lies in, and you shall destroy all that is stopping your pursuit. Overcome your sympathy, boy, or else you are not fit to handle Devour, and to become God!"
The Light's words busted through his mind like a ton of bricks, and they all landed to build a tower of realization into the sky. Within him, an epiphany awakened.
Natural selection. Survival of the fittest…
Ash bowed to the ground in the Light's direction. "Thank you, my teacher."
The Light nodded solemnly. "Be cold when you must, be warm when you can."
The rainbow spoke up after a period of contemplation and silence. "I called you in here to warn you about something."
Ash looked at him without interrupting. "Right after you passed out, someone came and took care of Jenny for you. When you wake up, you will find yourself healed of all your injuries."
"She is the Chosen of…" The Light breathed. "The second Mew."
"MEW!? SECOND!?" Ash's eyes snapped to their widest extent. Mew was the first legendary he had learned of in the books when he was young. She was amongst the strongest, but he had no idea there was more than one.
"Yes. The Mew were born in twins." The Light explained, detecting his surprise. "Both are Cosmic Legends, and they are in charged of Yang, the ultimate Qi of life force."
"Long story short, in order to persuade her to heal you, I imitated the scent of Giratina, her brother."
Ash's jaw dropped. "GIRATINA!?"
"Don't be shocked so easily. Have serenity." The Light remarked and continued. "Anyways, I'm guessing that she will have you follow her for a while. In the meantime, don't reveal anything about me. When she asked, indicate that you are Giratina's Ambassador."
"How would she ever believe me!?" Ash cried out in surprise.
"Nevermind that. If she asked questions, I'll project the answers in your mind. I will also help disguise the scent of your Qi into Yin, which is Giratina's Method. I can mimic it perfectly after I dissected it when you…" The Light coughed and trailed off.
"She shouldn't question too much about your Method or your attacks, since the unspoken rule of courtesy prohibits it. Also, if she asks, tell her that Dexter is the third 'Crimson Sun.'"
"Crimson Sun?" Ash blinked and repeated. There was something really important hidden from him. "What do I not know?"
"Where do I begin?" The Light replied jokingly. Seeing Ash's stern expression, he sighed. "I'm tired. Now, please leave your soul realm to me. It's in good hands."
Ignoring Ash's protests, the candle waved. A road of rainbow extended beneath Ash's feet and pushed him out of nine islands and far into the darkness.
Space and time flew by. The boy felt like he was stretched over an infinite distance. Then, there was a crushing sensation, like falling from a skyscraper and crashing into the ground, followed by a feeling of suffocation.
Sounds entered his ears, and Ash felt more… tangible. A smell of bacon entered his nostrils. He opened his eyes.
Above him was a tall tree covering the sunlight. A girl lied impossibly on her back atop a branch a way up from the ground, blonde locks and feet dangling simultaneously, munching on a strip of bacon.
Ash was pondering how anyone could ever be comfortable in such a position when the girl looked down, detecting his sight resting on her.
Their eyes met. A metaphorical knot began to be tied.
A/N: So the image of "Giratina" was just the Light's doing.
Btw, the rankings are based on biological classifications.