When The World Ends

by Skylight Sparkle

Nothing in the world lasts forever. Sometimes the good guys aren't all that good, and the bad guys aren't quite as dark as they seem. Ash and his friends are about to learn that, in a world that's about to end, all actions come with a consequence and all secrets come with a price. Sequel to The Harbinger of Life.

38. Powerful Beyond Measure

When The World Ends
Chapter 37 – Powerful Beyond Measure

"Mist." Her eyes fluttered a bit as she was slowly roused from her sleep against her will. She was incredibly comfortable and warm for once, and would rather keep her heavy, slightly sore eyes closed. "Misty." She felt a gentle shake and quietly groaned.

Slowly, she opened one of her eyes and peered up at Ash, who was leaning over her, standing at the side of the bed rather than laying on it with her where he was supposed to be. A very quick glance at the window informed her that it was the middle of the night, much to her displeasure. She scowled at the boy and hissed, "What?"

Just because Ash insisted on waking her at Arceus-awful hours in the morning didn't mean that she was going to wake up anyone else sharing the room with them.

"Come on, I want to show you something," he whispered quickly, tugging at her arm.

"Can't it wait 'til morning?" she whined, voice thick with sleep.

"No. We're leaving in the morning. It'll just be a few minutes. Please?" Misty glared and Ash looked at something behind her. She felt Pikachu start poking and prodding her to get her to move.

Realizing that both trainer and Pokémon were going to be relentless, she sent Ash a magnificent scowl and made a big, yet quiet, show of getting out of the warm, comfortable, Pokémon Center bed. Pikachu gave her a thumbs up, but then curled up on the pillows.

"Come on." Ash grabbed her hand, barely giving her the chance to pull on her shoes and make sure that one of them had the cardkey to get back into the room.

They moved quietly down the stairs, and by the front desk where the Nurse Joy that was on night duty didn't even notice them.

Ash pulled Misty outside, and she could at least appreciate the fact that the air was still warm. Ambrette Town was completely quiet at night, and with the beach and the ocean in sight, it was actually rather nice. She felt something warm rise in her chest, because this was what she wanted when she first came to Kalos. She wanted to support Ash and then go and explore some other places.

Belatedly, she realized that Ash was heading towards a strange looking tunnel beside the aquarium. It was definitely manmade, and she could see blue light swirling on the walls. "Ash?"

"Come on. We're allowed in here," he assured her, tugging her along with him. They went inside, rounded the corner, and her mouth fell open.

The tunnel was actually a wide corridor that cut through a part of the mountain, glass tanks on either side that led towards the tanks of the aquarium. The nocturnal Pokémon swam by, glancing at them curiously.

"I figured, you wanted to see this and who knows when we'll get the next chance. It's not the real aquarium, but it's as close as we can get for now." Ash's small smile fell. "Who knows what might happen, right?"

Misty's annoyance was completely gone now, a soft expression crossing her features. She slowly let go of his hand and walked towards the tank and put her palm against it, smiling at the Chinchou that drifted by.

Suddenly, she didn't see the Pokémon behind the tank, she saw Daisy staring back at her. Misty gasped and jerked backwards, realizing that it wasn't really there as Ash grabbed her shoulders, grounding her in reality even if he didn't realize it.

"The nightmare I saw in the cave," she spoke up before he could ask. "My sisters were behind a glass wall with water coming in on them, before it shattered on me."

Ash's hands squeezed her shoulders a little more tightly than she expected. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Raising an eyebrow, Misty looked up at him, a bit surprised by his pained expression. She quickly realized that he was sorry for bringing her to a place that made her relive that, even just for a moment. Of course, he would know the pain of reliving nightmares. Misty turned and patted his cheek gently. "No, no. I'm glad we came here. I can't…I won't let myself fear this." She motioned to the aquarium. "I won't."

Ash watched her before smiling and shaking his head. "I don't get how you're so strong."

"You are too. I can see the difference since we got here." He tilted his head at that, his stare inquisitive. "You didn't shut in on yourself despite whatever Arceus-awful nightmare you must have seen. It's a good thing."

Instead of arguing, or putting himself down, Ash seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding his head. Misty smiled a bit as she hugged him, feeling a lot lighter. They stood like that quietly, with only the sound of the ocean waves and the occasional Pokémon cry in the air.

Without warning, Misty grabbed the front of Ash's shirt and jerked him down towards her. He grunted, surprised by the sudden motion, but didn't at all protest as she pressed her lips to him. Misty tilted her head, her fingers running through his hair, pulling him as close as she possibly could, feeling one of his hands rest on her waist while the other was pressed against her back.

For a brief moment, there was peace. For a brief moment, it was easy to pretend that there was nothing wrong in the world. Except that Misty couldn't pretend that everything was alright, not even for a moment. Though her lips moved with Ash's, her back hitting the tank behind her as they stumbled a bit, her mind ran over a thousand different things at once.

They couldn't run. There was absolutely nowhere to go anymore. Though Kalos was peaceful, if Giovanni had it his way the world would be on its knees before him. She wanted to save Ash, but Cilan was right, everyone was right, she was doing it completely wrong.

Misty wanted to fix her gym. She wanted to get it back up and running, even if it was just in honour of her sisters. Maybe she wouldn't be a Water Pokémon Master, having to run it, but that would be okay. If that was the one thing she had to sacrifice to get everything else, that was fine by her. She wanted her home back in a world where they weren't constantly looking over their shoulders. She wanted to get married and have a herd of rambunctious children with Ash. In that future, they were all safe, they were all alive. That was what she needed to strive towards, not just keeping Ash in one piece now (though she'd certainly try to help with that too).

Ash might not feel like he had it in him to save the world, but that was alright for now. She would believe in him, so would everyone else, until he could see it again. They were going to save the world so that all of them had a future to go towards.

Misty pulled away from Ash, only realizing then that her lungs were screaming for air. She couldn't stop herself from smiling, feeling warmth rush through her when Ash smiled at her in response. It was so genuine and honest, the Ash that she had known for so long.

Then he yawned broadly, and she laughed. Misty tugged at Ash's hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" His fingers easily slid between hers.

"Back to sleep before we just end up crashing here. I don't think anyone would appreciate a couple of teenagers making out against, and then falling asleep in, an aquarium."

Still holding her hand, Ash let out a genuine, bellowing laugh, even though it really wasn't that funny. Tears started to prick at his eyes from the laughter and tremors that ran through him. He was actually a bit surprised with himself. He couldn't remember the last time he really laughed, but in that moment, he realized that he missed it. He missed laughing and being able to train his Pokémon like a normal person. He missed exploring with his friends and discovering the beautiful and amazing things in the world.

Warmth rushed through his chest as a wave of determination that he hadn't felt in a while surged through him. He wanted that back not just for him, but for his friends too. Though rather selfish and self-centered when he was younger, he relished in his friends' personal victories as well, encouraging them to chase their own dreams even if it meant saying goodbye for a little while.

Ash felt like an idiot. Yes, there was a lot of pressure on his shoulders, he was self-aware enough to know that, but everyone else had willingly given up relative safety, and it certainly wasn't for the world. It was for him. They truly didn't understand what it felt like to not have a choice in the end, to be forcefully given a destiny that was too much for a single person, not really. They knew what it felt like in theory though, and that's why they were there, so he wouldn't have to do it alone.

"Ash?" Misty whispered, frowning a bit as they got back to the Pokémon Center. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head slowly, because he was still lost in his thoughts that hit him like a speeding train. He had never been alone, even when it felt like it. Ash wanted to make his own choices so much, yet here he was disregarding his friends' choices as unimportant like he used to when he was younger.

He pictured Ritchie, blue eyes filled with determination and life, so much like him. Ritchie who took advantage of a situation that got twisted against him. Ritchie that would have kept on fighting if he had lived, no matter how injured he was. He pictured Reggie, injured so badly that Ash had no idea if he was still alive. He pictured Cresselia hovering sadly over the deceased Darkrai that tried to protect something that wasn't even his duty to protect. He pictured Cobalion on the ground. He pictured Groudon and Kyogre fighting with their fakes and what those mirages did to them. He pictured Drew, who chose to let go instead of dragging May and Serena with him.

He pictured what would happen to Arceus if he faced off against a Mirage Arceus without whatever they were doing.

Their sacrifices, and the sacrifices of every other person and Pokémon, couldn't be in vain. It couldn't, but it would if he didn't pull himself together. It hurt, and it wouldn't stop hurting, but he wasn't alone. He needed to step up again for his friends, for everyone else both person and Pokémon, and for himself.

"Why are you crying?" Misty whispered as they got back to their room, not paying attention to the fact that Leaf and Gary were both gone, or that May and Dawn were still soundly asleep in the bed they were sharing. Her focus was completely on Ash as she pressed her palm against his cheek as silent tears slid down them.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu murmured.

He wiped his forearm across his eyes and smiled at both Misty and Pikachu. "I'm okay." He didn't have to say that he was okay as anyone could be in the situation, that came as a given these days anyway. Even if it didn't, Misty and Pikachu were the two that he didn't have to explain everything to. That's why he knew that they knew.

For the first time in a long time, it was completely true.

…..

Leaf looked down as the familiar, but strange laugh reached her ears. A soft smile crossed her features as she looked up towards the sky. It was nice to hear Ash laughing again, but whatever he and Misty were doing was their business.

It was strange, since they finally had the chance to sleep in relative comfort and safety, but no she wanted to be outside. They had spent the last couple of months outside for the most part in such a strange variety of weather that it sounded like a poorly slapped together plot that used weather for excuses for events, when she thought about it.

Leaf shook her head. She was tired. Still, she wanted to look at the stars.

Tilting her head slightly as she heard footsteps approaching her, Leaf recognized Gary's silhouette anywhere. He didn't say anything as he sat down beside her on the edge of the cliff, one leg dancing over the ledge while he kept his other knee propped up, his arm resting against it.

"Can't sleep?" he asked after a moment.

"I'll go back soon," she assured him, staring up at the sky. "I just wanted to be out here, as strange as it sounds."

"It's peaceful here," Gary supplied. "It feels like everything else has been an Arceus-awful nightmare. But then I move my shoulder the wrong way and I remember that it's all real."

She frowned, reaching out to touch his shoulder. She had forgotten that his arm still hurt him from time to time after being impaled back in Hoenn. That felt like eons ago, or, like Gary suggested, a nightmare. She had almost lost him then.

"I'm sorry," Leaf said suddenly, and Gary raised an eyebrow at her. "I know what I said before when we were disguised, about giving a relationship a shot, and I want to, I do, but—"

"Now's not the time," he finished for her. It had been on his mind too. They agreed to give it a shot but nothing had really changed since then. It had frustrated him at times, but he understood.

"Yeah." She nodded her head, and silence fell over them.

Gary tapped his fingers against his leg before saying, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being an emotional asshole that flips out at everyone. Now and in the past." He looked a bit unsure before his stare turned to the ground. "To be honest, I think I do it because I'm…scared and don't want to admit it. I don't really know how to handle fear and I push others away, even though it's the last thing I want." He glanced over at Leaf and saw that she was listening keenly, but not interrupting or judging him. Encouraged by this, he continued. "Misty asked me once why I came with you guys, and I think I figured it out. What I saw in that nightmare – my grandfather, my father…it made me realize that I…don't want to be alone. So my natural reaction is to be a jerk, which naturally puts people off of me. Great reaction, huh? That's why I came. I didn't want to lose you or Ash again so soon after getting you both back." He shook his head. "Those other kids were never my friends. Not like you two. They cared about the Oak part of me. You guys cared about Gary."

There was a long, pause, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Gary thought that he'd squirm with embarrassment after admitting such a thing, but he didn't. He did feel a little foolish that he was afraid of being alone when there were much worse things to fear those days, but he couldn't change the way he felt.

"Mine was, once again, about the fact that I don't want to be compared to my mom. How's that for sad? The world's ending and the worst thing to me, is to be too much like the woman that gave birth to me. She's not even close to being the worst person in the world. I mean, this has even gotten in the way of our group dynamics." Leaf smacked her hand against the ground. "The worst thing is that I know I am like her. As much as I try to prove otherwise, I do everything the same. I'd take any opportunity, even if it meant doing something questionable to save any one of you, and that's exactly what she did for your father and Red."

Gary thought about that before eyeing her hesitantly. "This is just a suggestion, I could be completely wrong, but did you ever think that maybe you being afraid of being like her might not actually be a fear of being like her?"

Leaf raised an eyebrow. "Think about what you just said."

He held up a hand in surrender. "I mean, it might not be being like her right now that you're afraid of. What if it's becoming like her after everything was over – alone, her friends dead or having abandoned her, so in turn, she doesn't let anyone get close, not even her own daughter."

Leaf thought about laying in a house completely alone, knowing that Gary was dead and never coming back, that Ash had walked away from her, that everyone else was either dead or just gone. Her heart constricted at the thought, and she struggled to keep in a sob that desperately wanted to rise up in her throat.

It hit her so hard then. Gary was right.

When a sound finally escaped her, it was a strange twist of a laugh and a sob. She looked at Gary. "I guess that makes us the same in what we fear then, isn't it."

"I guess it does," he agreed, staring out over Ambrette Town. He glanced down at his hand when Leaf took it in hers a moment later.

"When this is over, we'll try, because I do forgive you for everything." Her voice held such conviction, like there was no doubt that everything would be over eventually.

Gary's fingers curled around hers. "I forgive you too."

…

"So Diancie said that we need to see the dragon next?" Cilan asked as he stared at the paper map before them.

"Yeah," Serena answered, twisting her wet hair around her finger. She had spent far too long in the shower that morning but had very little regrets about that. "There's only one dragon legendary in Kalos."

"Zygarde," Clemont finished for her, his brow furrowed as he typed rapidly on his laptop. He felt comfortable actually using it since no one was tracking them in Kalos that they knew of. "Rumour has it that Zygarde lives in the Terminus Cave, but a few months ago, not long before the Kalos League, Zygarde was said to have been seen fairly close to Lumiose City." His eyes turned up towards Ash, who was picking at the last of his food at the table across from him. "Do you know anything about that?"

Ash paused and then looked at him. "Team Flare was going to use Zygarde to destroy things, take over the world, whatever. We stopped it." Ash didn't want to tell Clemont how close Lysandre had come to almost attacking Lumiose City, that his original plans had been to attack after the league, but of all people Jessie and James had stumbled onto the plot and risked arrest to warn Diantha.

"I wish you had told us," Serena sighed as she stared at him. "We could have helped. You didn't have to do everything on your own."

"Same here," Iris agreed from where she was sitting, brushing her long hair so that she could tie it back again. "I get you wanted to keep your abilities as quiet as possible, but I wish you had trusted us more."

Ash blinked at her, clearly taken back. "It…Iris, it wasn't about trust. I trusted you. I trusted Cilan, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie too. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of me."

"We wouldn't have—"

"People have died because of me before," Ash interrupted, his voice surprisingly straightforward, like he was speaking basic facts. Even years later – three for him but thousands in reality – Ash could still see the pain in Damos' eyes when he realized that he was going to let him die to save Arceus. It had only been a split second, but it would be seared in his mind forever. "If you didn't get dragged into those situations with me, at least I knew you were safe." That was really the crux of his deception. He wasn't strong enough to lose his friends.

A wave of determination rushed through him, similar to the night before, as he looked down at his empty plate. They could have easily died because of him recently. Now, Ash knew he couldn't really blame himself in theory, depression was a nasty thing that was nearly impossible to control, but in practice it was a lot harder. He wouldn't let it happen again. He wouldn't.

"You're such a kid," Iris replied to him with a note of finality, finishing the conversation on a lighter note. Everyone was honestly glad for that.

"The Terminus Cave is almost smack dab between Anistar City and Couriway Town. Depending on where we can get first. Both would work and we'll just walk from there." Gary said, pointing at the map. His eyes rose up to Ash again. "Don't suppose you could ask Giratina to give us a lift? It's relatively safe here."

"It's not like she's waiting around for us," Misty answered for Ash.

"He could be," Gary replied, a bit of a challenge to his voice.

Misty slapped her hand on the table. "Listen here, I swear Giratina is female."

"Definitely male, didn't you hear his voice?"

"Yes!"

Ash rolled his eyes. Aside from some legendary Pokémon like Latios or Latias, or those that identified themselves specifically as a certain gender, most of them sounded like whatever a person thought they would. The only exception was Arceus that sounded like everything and nothing at the same time (it was truly surreal). So really, both Misty and Gary were right. He kept that to himself as Misty placed the second piece of toast she grabbed, but apparently didn't want, on his plate.

"That's a lot of spots, Cilan," Dawn noted as she looked at the train routes he was mapping out with a bit of excitement.

"Yes, I know. It's just in case though," he admitted. "We seem to be safe at the moment, and we could try to make a straight line to Anistar City or Couriway Town, but we'd still have to make at least two stops. Just in case someone is still tracking us – Ash, Misty, Team Rocket grabbed his mom, and Bonnie here, after all – so going on a couple detours, just jumping from train to train, might throw off anyone who could be tracking us. Just a safety precaution."

"You just want to see the trains around here," Iris said, nudging his shoulder. He shrugged, not bothering to deny it, because he knew his reasoning was completely sound about taking precautions.

"How much longer would it take?" May asked curiously.

"If we go to Anistar City, it'd be the difference of getting there at night as opposed to getting there in the morning," Cilan explained. "On the other hand, with the trains to Couriway, it'd be the next day. There's a bigger layover in the last train heading there."

"How do we get down to the Terminus Cave from Anistar City?" Leaf asked, tapping her hand on the table, making it clear where she thought that should go. "Take more cars?"

"We could rent them for once," Serena toned in dryly.

"Shouldn't waste our money on that," Gary said with a shake of his head. "We really don't have all that much left between us." He glanced at Cilan. "Can we get transfers at some places, or do we have to keep paying at every stop?"

"There are places in both," Cilan said. "A straight line would be cheaper and fast, but jumping from spot to spot would be safer."

"Why don't we put it to a vote?" May suggested. There were really pros and cons to both ideas. "All those to go on the detour of different stops, raise your hand."

Cilan's hand rose, along with Iris, Serena, May, and Leaf. Dawn pressed her lips together and said, "Half and half, right?"

"You guys all want to go straight there?" Leaf asked. Misty, Gary, Dawn, and Clemont, all nodded their heads, causing her to frown. "Ash?"

He tilted his head slightly, biting his lip. Personally, he thought they should just go there, a complete mad dash across Kalos. It would be faster and more than anything he felt like time was really important. Still, it was true that there was a small faction of Team Rocket working in Kalos as of a few months ago and they could track them, so for the safety of his friends, the more random route seemed better. Speed or defense; those were the different strategies before them. If he went with speed, they'd keep talking about it.

"Detour," he said, but not without a bit of reluctance. Thankfully, no one decided to question him.

"We'll probably have to walk to the Terminus Cave," Clemont pointed out. "If we take the extra time to go around Kalos, we should start heading right down that way." There was an odd firmness to his voice that left no room for argument.

Serena raised an eyebrow at him and glanced at Gary, who shrugged and turned his attention to the blond boy. "Sounds good to me. We should all get our stuff together, finish getting ready, get our Pokémon from Nurse Joy, and head out."

"Get a few more provisions before we leave too," Misty added to his list of things to do, and he nodded.

Everyone got up from the tables they were occupying in the Pokémon Center, heading towards their rooms to get ready to set out again. Their night of peace was one they all needed, but they needed to get moving. There was really no time left to waste.

Clemont suddenly grabbed Serena's hand. She looked back at him curiously, and he said, "I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Come with me." Clemont dragged her off without another word.

…

There was something nice about racing across a region with no one taking notice of you, and not worrying about being caught for grand theft auto. May wondered what her parents would have said if she told them everything that happened since she last saw them. She wondered what Brendan would say. A twinge ran through her as she thought of Drew. He wouldn't believe her at first, but she would have gotten him to come around eventually.

She leaned against the window of the train, pressing her forehead against the glass and staring outside. He would have loved Kalos. Though they only made a couple brief stops so far to swap trains, even backtracking once, she got to see enough to know that it was beautiful. Though he denied it, Drew certainly had an eye for details and an appreciation for more of the beautiful things in life.

May closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked around to see Dawn smiling at her. May smiled again, mentally counting her blessings for having the other girl along with them. Dawn's smile and optimism kept her sane when really nothing else could (she wasn't counting that period of time where vengeance was her motivator), and she would forever appreciate that.

Leaning back once again, May glanced out the window and gasped. "Wow, look at it. That's Lumiose City, isn't it?"

Dawn got on her knees, balancing over May to press her hands against the glass and look outside. "It is! Oh wow, it's amazing! Look at the Prism Tower!" She twisted to look over her shoulder. "That's your gym, right Clemont?"

"Yeah," he answered, and winced. Clemont wondered about the state of the gym, not just the building, but officially. His family was allowed to leave on vacations, sure, but they had been gone for months. Kalos wasn't like the other regions, everything didn't come to a stop. There were probably still trainers and challengers searching for a badge that no one was there to give. Abandoning a gym meant losing it, and that one had been in his family for ages. Surely Diantha would understand, since his father was in Kanto with no way of leaving.

Clemont's hands clenched against the fabric of his overalls. His father shouldn't have been dragged into this mess, neither should Bonnie. They should have been here, in Lumiose City, where it was safe.

"Clemont?" He jerked with surprise at Serena's voice. He looked up at her face, marred by a frown. She looked out the window as Lumiose loomed ever closer. "I wish my mom was safe here too." She bit her lip and lowered her voice. "At least when we get home, we know we still have a home here."

"That's true," he agreed. "It doesn't make it easier, not knowing if anything happened to them."

"They're not alone. They're okay, I'm sure of it." Serena spoke with such certainty, that Clemont couldn't really find it in him to disagree.

In the seats behind them, Misty had been sitting with her head on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu sitting on her lap, half dozing while he stared out the window. Ash nudged her, and she fully woke up to look out the window. Instead of gaping or smiling like the others, a frown passed her features. "The train station is where Team Rocket took your mother and I."

Ash frowned a bit. "I forgot about that. This is literally where it started for us. I would have fought back and got myself and Bonnie away from Team Rocket if they didn't have you and mom. This is where it began for us, even if Team Rocket had been kidnapping and killing people for months beforehand."

"Hey." Misty grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly. "Do me a favour? Don't let anyone grab me while we run to the next train." He didn't say anything, but his tight grip was enough of an answer for her. Pikachu shifted on her lap and, his paw patting her hand as if reassuring her that he'd be there for her too.

Sure, Misty could save herself, but having backup never hurt either.

Unfortunately, there was a slight layover in Lumiose City, so they moved together towards a corner, Ash and Serena drawing their hats down over their faces more while Clemont kept surrounded by others. They were the three that people would easily identify there.

"On the TV," Iris spoke up. "Isn't that Champion Diantha?"

They looked up curiously, and sure enough, there was the Champion standing before a podium, speaking to a large group of people.

Curious, the group moved closer to listen to what the woman was saying. She looked just as beautiful as always, but her blue eyes were stern, her expression hardened and serious. She looked ready to go to war at a given moment herself.

"…Kalos is my priority, as it should be." They heard her say as they got closer to the television. "I am your Champion, and I will continue to fight for you along with the Prime Minister and the rest of the government. We will not let Kalos fall to this senseless violence perpetrated by Team Rocket and their fake legendary Pokémon." People in the visible press section suddenly burst into questions, but she held up a hand to silence them. "Yes, let it be known, that they are indeed fake legendary Pokémon. They are not the ones we've looked up to for centuries, however, they are just as dangerous, perhaps even more so, and there is the potential that they could appear within our region in the future, but we will fight them."

Some people asked her questions about that, but Diantha fielded them with practiced ease until she found a statement that she could talk more to. "To those from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova, I assure you once again that you are welcome here for as long as you need to be. To our Kalos citizens currently stranded within one of those regions, if you hear this, know that your family and friends are safe here, your lives are safe here when you return."

"Guys," Gary whispered. "We need to go or we're going to miss the train."

A bit reluctantly, they pulled themselves away from the television. Serena nudged Clemont gently and said, "Looks like that's your answer about the gym. It's a little win."

Clemont sighed, he shoulders slumping a bit, but he nodded at her. "Little wins, for right now."

…

Iris yawned as her eyes slowly blinked open. She looked around with confusion before realizing that they were still on the train. She groaned a bit and looked up towards the window, only to see the sky burning with a bright orange sunset. She sat up, from where she was resting beside Cilan and stretched out. "We almost there?"

"Yeah." He nodded his head. Everyone else was certainly tired of being on trains and running from one to another one, but he looked like a kid in a candy store.

It was funny how a couple days without being hunted or in direct danger made everyone act a little lighter. Sure, sometimes when things got too quiet, Iris could see her friends retreating a bit into themselves, no doubt still thinking about the nightmares that they saw in the Glittering Cave, but it was good to see smiles. If that was something that she noticed, she could only imagine what someone like Serena, Misty, or Clemont, who had been in this mess since the beginning, noticed.

Everyone was all too eager to get off the train and actually have solid ground to stand on.

"Oh, wow," Dawn gasped, her eyes going wide. "Look at that!" The sunset made Anistar City sparkle, sending rainbows arching across the surfaces of the city.

"That's beautiful," Misty agreed in complete awe. "What on earth is it?"

"That's a sundial," Serena explained. "If you're here at the right time of day, it's amazing. Even more than this! The rings in the middle spin and you can see sparks in the sky like snow." She clasped her hands together and sighed whimsically. "We missed that though, if I remember the times right."

"We need to get moving," Clemont urged them.

"Yeah, you're right," Misty agreed, albeit, reluctantly. She looked at the colours dancing across the city almost wistfully. "I'd like to come back to see this too. It's almost like an aurora."

"An aurora?" Ash repeated, squinting his eyes a bit. "I guess I see it. Auroras are cooler though. Especially things like Aurora Beams. It's even a neat word to say."

"A neat word?" the redhead asked slowly, and he shrugged.

"Guys!" Iris called out to them. "Flirt later! Let's go!"

Misty shifted her backpack onto her shoulders, and they started to walk, her mind straying from her conversation with Ash. She looked up at the sky that was a blend of deep blues and oranges as day gave way to night. They were so close. If they were right (and she was sure that they were), they were fairly close to the Dragon Orb. After that, there was only water, fire, ice, and electric, and they knew where three of them were.

They were so close. Once they had all the orbs, Arceus would do whatever with them to stop Team Rocket, and everything would be okay.

Misty's heart sank a bit. She didn't want to voice any pessimism, they didn't need that now, but she got the feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy, and given everything they went through so far, that thought made her feel sick.

…

They had all gotten far too used to cars and the quickness they provided with getting from point A to point B. It was a bit frustrating trekking over the terrain and knowing that they could have been there already. On the other hand, there was something about walking in the outdoors without it being some extreme form of weather. Clemont and Serena both confirmed that it was a little bit warmer than normal for that time of year, but not nearly to the extreme that other regions suffered.

Dawn eyed the blond boy oddly as she walked behind him. He seemed so eager and insistent for them to keep going forward, even when he himself looked like he could use a break. Serena didn't seem worried about him, so the blue-haired girl figured that she knew and it wasn't a big deal. It was just so strange of him.

They avoided areas that were heavily wooded or heavily grassy. Though Team Rocket, or any other team, wasn't causing problems in Kalos at the moment, the Pokémon were very defensive and wary of anyone. They realized that pretty quickly when a group of Flabebe started to chase them about an hour before. It was best to just avoid them. If anything, they could sense the impact that this entire mess was having more than any person could.

The Sinnoh native had a theory about the group. The air in Kalos itself seemed to be lighter to the point where Ash could actually sense it, and that, or maybe something else too, she didn't know, made him a little more easy-going, a little more like the friend she had met years ago. That, in turn, made everyone else perk up and feel a bit more optimistic. They were so close to getting all the spheres that maybe, just maybe, it was okay to let themselves hope for the best.

Allowing the carefree air to take her over for just a bit, Dawn climbed onto one of the train tracks that they were walking by, carefully balancing herself as she walked forward. Pikachu had been walking on them, and glanced back at her with amusement.

May came up to walk alongside her, and though she didn't say anything, Dawn got the distinct impression that it was to catch her if she stumbled off. May was an awesome friend like that. "Hey, Dawn?"

"Hmm?" The blue-haired girl looked down curiously at her friend, who was speaking in a very low tone so she wouldn't attract attention from anyone else.

"I've been thinking about the orbs that are left," May explained, her voice almost hesitant. "We're pretty sure the dragon one is here, and we know where fire, ice, and electric are…but water is something else and there really aren't that many legendary Pokémon that are water-types. Kyogre's gone with only an egg in the Distortion World, we didn't get it from Palkia or Keldeo so...what if it's Manaphy?"

"I suppose that makes sense." Dawn perked up a bit. "Doesn't it have that Sea Temple? Orb might be there."

"That's the problem. It moves, and there's really no easy way to find it." Her shoulders slumped as she spoke.

"Of course not," Dawn sighed. There had to be a catch somewhere. She looked forward, and realized that the tracks ended – broken off at the edge of a ledge Pikachu was standing by. She stopped behind him and looked down. There were jutting rocks, thick grass, and abandoned tracks and mine cars below them. "I think we're in the right place."

"We got a bit ahead of everyone," May pointed out. Dawn looked over her shoulder, not having realized that they were quite so far ahead of everyone else.

"Oops," the girl said with a small shrug. The breeze brushed by her, and she wet her finger a bit, holding it in the air. "Hmmm."

"What are you doing?" May blinked up at her.

"Just checking the wind, but I don't think this is a good spot." The brunette didn't look any less confused so Dawn clarified what she meant. "I'm still looking for a place to put the seeds Shaymin gave me. I haven't found anywhere that feels right yet."

"Oh! I forgot about that!" May shrugged. "Maybe it'd be better to wait until after this is over? So they don't get lost or ruined?"

"Maybe. Unless I find the right spot."

Having just walked into their conversation, no one else knew what they were talking about. Cilan nodded his head and said, "This is the right spot." Or at least, it was the spot they were aiming to find. He looked over his shoulder at Ash for confirmation.

Everyone's eyes turned to the boy, and almost became worried at his shell-shocked expression. He had been so strong, so upbeat, but that expression was the one they had become familiar with in Unova.

"Ash?" Leaf prompted. "You alright?"

"I can't tell if it's there." His shoulders slumped.

"What do you mean, you can't tell if it's there?" Iris questioned him, raising an eyebrow.

"They're strong and I have a ton of them in my bag," he motioned to his pack in reference to the orbs that are in there. "It was hard sensing things with them around before, but after the fairy one it's been super hard. Plus the cave itself…well…I think you need to see it to believe it."

"Let's go see it then," Leaf spoke up and tossed a Pokéball into the air. Venusaur appeared, and Leaf ran her hand along the Pokémon's smooth skin. "Care to use Vine Whip to get us down?"

"Saur!" the Pokémon replied eagerly. All of them were much more lively once they had been properly treated. Pokéballs healed a bit, they kept them safe and almost like they were in a suspended state, but there was nothing like being fully healed and ready to go. Vines rose into the air and went to the ground below, allowing them to slide down a few at a time, before Leaf called her Pokémon back.

They walked towards the cave, creeping inside. At first, it just appeared to be a normal cave and no one was quite sure why Ash was acting like it was an amazing thing. The Glittering Cave was more impressive than that.

Ash stopped and waved his hand for the rest to go. "Give me a sec, you go ahead." Pikachu patted his head from where he sat on his shoulder.

Iris gasped when they walked inside of a cavern that seemed to glow from all different angles with a bluish-green light. She turned around in a circle, staring at everything in awe. "Oh wow."

"It's beautiful," Dawn whispered, and Leaf nodded in agreement.

"Absolutely stunning!" Cilan cried out

Gary glanced down at May when she didn't comment. "You don't seem surprised to see this." He was, and he had seen Arceus before.

"I've seen something like this before," May admitted. "Misty and I both did." She looked around as Ash finally walked in. "This is Aura, right? Just like the Tree of Beginning?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded.

"You good?" Misty asked.

"Just needed to prep myself to see this mess. I'm okay," Ash assured her, motioning to the light around the room.

"I never even thought," Serena spoke up, casting Clemont a quick glance as he sat down and started pulling all kinds of things out of his bag. She looked towards Ash again. "Is this what you see when you concentrate?"

"No, this is what I see all the time."

"Seriously?" Iris asked as she looked around. It was bright, and she couldn't imagine seeing the world only like that. "Can you see other colours or anything? Do you have to close your eyes?"

"I can see the glow when my eyes are closed too," he admitted, walking forward. Pikachu jumped from his shoulder and took a drink of the glowing water. "Riley was an Aura Guardian in Sinnoh. In the end, he was the last one – I don't count. He taught me a lot of things once I met him. Till then I was just figuring things out as I went. He taught me how to ignore Aura unless I need it.

"He…was the last one?" Iris asked cautiously.

"Team Rocket took him when they were kidnapping people before everything went to hell. He's dead. Everyone they took is," Misty answered when Ash wouldn't.

He was too focused on the pang in his chest. He hadn't thought about his old mentor in a while. He hadn't thought about any of the people who had been captured when Team Rocket still worked in the shadows. So many people captured, so many people died. Ash wondered if Master Red was still alive.

"I'm sorry," Iris said, looking at her feet as she played with her sleeve. She hadn't meant to bring up a sensitive topic, not wanting to get him upset again.

Ash saw that sadness in her eyes and his breath hitched in his throat. He didn't want to see anyone sad or in pain anymore. Mentally scrambling, he said, "This type of Aura is just like a default one. Everyone has their own coloured aura that I can see." Lower-cased aura, since everyone had an aura, but not everyone could use Aura. That confused him so much at first.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I explained that when we were in Hoenn." He turned around to Dawn, who stood beside him, and tapped her forehead. She scowled at him playfully and lightly smacked his hand way. "Yours is bright pink and really strong. There's a bit of blue too at times – from your mother probably. There's also some red and purple too." He turned to Iris. "Yours is yellow with some purple and green around it." Ash's eyes flickered to Cilan, and he did a double take, glancing back at Iris' before looking at him with a grin. "Yours is mostly green, but there's some red, blue, and yellow too. It's not just seeing them, you all just feel different too." He genuinely loved all of his friends' unique auras. Every single one of them brought comfort to him.

"Pikapi," Pikachu spoke up. "Cha Pikachu pi pika pika chu."

"Oh, right. Thanks buddy. The problem with the orb is this." He motioned to the room. "Between all the orbs with us, and this, I won't be able to feel it."

"So we'll have to split up to cover more ground," Clemont spoke up, and everyone turned to him. He had a bunch of strange things on the ground.

"What are these?" Gary asked, squatting down to look at them curiously.

"Probes. I can control them from here and sent them into the caves to map everything out. I think. I started planning this early, but it's been hard to work on. I finished it when everyone was asleep on the train. That way we can pick different routes and mark them so we don't get lost," he explained. "If someone finds it, they run back and get Ash."

"That's why you asked me to go get different colours of spray paint!" Serena cried out, startling everyone. Clemont's face went red. "You've been planning this the whole time!" That was what made him act so odd lately.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I just wasn't sure if I'd get them working but the system seems to be working. And not blowing up."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Misty agreed. "How are we splitting up? Groups of two?"

"Probably for the best," Clemont said with a nod of his head. "Last time we were here we ran into some trouble with a group of people in the cave. For all we know there could be someone here trying to find Zygarde since this is where it's rumoured to be. Just because Team Rocket's not active here, nor Team Flare, doesn't mean there might not be a small pocket of people here."

"Wait a sec," Serena interrupted, her brow furrowing in thought. She looked over at Ash. "Those people we fought. They were from Team Flare, weren't they?"

"Yeah." Ash shrugged. "I recognized them later on when I met them again."

Clemont didn't really pay attention to them, prepping to release the probes down to the tunnels below. "Now, there's really no rhyme or reason to where the shrines are. The ones that have been underground seemed to be really well hidden, but the above ground ones are generally right in the open so we have to be prepared for the possibility that they could be close by too."

"There's also the fact that we might walk right by a secret section in the tunnels," Gary added with a frown.

"What do we do then?" Dawn wondered.

"We get Ash to walk down those marked off tunnels until we find it." Misty looked at her boyfriend. "Sorry." He just shrugged.

"Actually, about that," Clemont said. "Someone should stick here to monitor everything that's happening. We don't have enough walkie talkies and there's no time for me to make more. We got rid of all our other communication devices a while ago so we don't have any way to keep in contact with everyone. If someone finds the shrine, they'd have to run back, and run down whatever one Ash went down and all the way back." He looked up at his friend. "You should hang back by the entrance to the tunnels so that no one has to run around on a wild Swanna-chase to find you. I'll stay with you and monitor the probes."

"If you think that's best," Ash decided with a shrug. He had no idea if he even needed to be the one to lift the orb from the shrine, or if they could be given to him by someone else, but it wasn't worth the risk since they didn't know. Otherwise there would be no need for him to have to go personally. As it stood, they didn't know what would happen, so it was better just to go with the safe route, and if him staying in one spot made everything easier on everyone else, he was completely down for it.

Little lights lit up on the probe, and Ash had to wonder when the hell Clemont had time to make something like that (though there was the possibility that it was something he had started way before now but put on the back burner until it was useful). Like with most things his friend created, Ash had to marvel at them as the balls rolled down into the caves.

They all waited with baited breath as a map slowly started to form on Clemont's screen, starting with one tunnel and branching out into two, then four, and so on.

"Oh god," May groaned when she saw the size of it. Some tunnels seemed to just end, which was a relief, but others twisted around so badly that it almost gave her a headache to look at.

"Well, I guess we should get started," Misty said, a grim tone to her voice.

"And you're sure you can't feel the orb?" Gary asked Ash again, sighing when his friend shook his head. "Well shit. Alright. Let's get going."

Groups were decided. Spray paint canisters were handed out. Ash flopped to the ground beside Clemont as he watched everyone else walk into the caverns, the blond's attention on the screen before him.

Pikachu climbed up onto Ash's lap, cooing a bit as the boy scratched his ears. He looked up as Ash took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Just because he couldn't find the orb in the twisting lights of all the ones they collected, and the naturally powerful Aura within the Terminus Cave, didn't mean that he couldn't try to keep track of his friends.

Maybe then he would know which one had found the shrine and they wouldn't have to come back.

…

Professor Samuel Oak had been born, and had grown up, during the Kantonian Civil War. Once a vast region that expanded beyond the Silver Mountain Range in the north, things had been peaceful for a very long time. Then the war broke out between the North and the South. Many of the records about why the conflict had overcome the region were lost over the years, and Professor Oak never once found out what happened.

That was why he went to Johto when he was young to study Pokémon. He believed that they were more than weapons like so many people used them as. The sad part was that not many people shared the sentiment at the time, though the people in Johto were a little more open to the idea. There was some worship behind Ho-oh, Lugia, Celebi, and the three legendary beasts that didn't exist for the three legendary birds in Kanto. People were amazed by Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos and their powers, that was true, but they didn't necessarily have the same awe-inspiring legends that people believed in.

In many ways, it frustrated young Sammy Oak. Then he was catapulted into the future where he met a boy that absolutely fascinated him, one that had a good heart and a love for Pokémon that seemed almost foreign to him. It was awe-inspiring.

Sammy never forgot Ash. He never forgot that peaceful world. That was a large part that pushed him forward so he could see that bright future again. It was why he could proudly hold his head up when people asked him why he didn't become a soldier – why he chose research and to help that way instead.

Once the war was over, nearly an entire generation had been wiped off the face of southern Kanto, leaving single mothers, saddened and ashamed elderly people, and children that had no real structure or motivation in their lives. His own son and daughter had been amongst that generation of children. They were certainly much better off than Northern Kanto, which was nothing but shambles and ruins that were abandoned beyond the mountains – completely uninhabitable.

Within the chaos, a new threat rose up, lingering in the shadows and controlling Kanto in terrifying ways. Samuel Oak started to fear the worst.

Then he met a boy with the last name Ketchum and had to do a double-take. The name didn't match though. Jack Ketchum certainly wasn't mistakable with Ash Ketchum. Jack was a pale, skinny boy that wanted to explore the world. There was an eagerness to him that prompted strong nostalgia within Professor Oak. With his messy, raven-black hair, and a determination that flared through his narrow, crimson eyes, Jack – or Red as he was called – made Samuel wonder if the future had been altered and if this was Ash. He even ended up getting a Pikachu.

Then everything went to hell again because of Team Rocket. When Red went missing, Samuel met a girl with long, blonde hair, determination and spirit like he had never seen, and bright brown eyes that reflected all of her inner emotions. He had seen those eyes before. No matter how much time had passed, he would never forget them.

Death, tragedy, and victory echoed through their lives, out of his reach to prevent. People were murdered in cold blood, those murders covered up. Red changed all this when he became the Pokémon Master, or maybe he had just swept it under the rug. Jack Ketchum had vanished from the records, like he had never existed at all.

Except for the fact that the girl who had been Delia Bosque, turned Yellow, became Delia Ketchum as her stomach grew round when she was only 18. Yellow disappeared as much as Jack Ketchum had, or perhaps Red held onto Yellow in the way that Delia hung onto Jack.

When Delia presented her son – only a month younger then Samuel's own grandson, having been premature – as Ash Ketchum (not Ashton, Asher, Ashley, or any other Ash-something name, just Ash), he knew who the boy was and was honestly a bit shocked.

Samuel once asked Delia why she gave him that name. She just smiled like there was some joke he didn't understand.

Then tragedy hit in a way that Samuel had never experienced before. He had lost his wife to sickness when Daisy and John (or Blue, as he preferred) were only young, but it was nothing compared to losing both of his children in a single moment along with his daughter-in-law. The media said it was an accident, but he knew it was no such thing. Then Kene, Leaf's father, had vanished and Amanda Green had lost herself in depression, and he knew that it had to be connected.

Red had been silent throughout it all, and Samuel forgot about Ash for a while.

Then he found the boy who had once been his grandson's best friend (he didn't know how that break had happened) happily interacting with Pokémon in the woods at his summer camp in a way that many young kids didn't. In a way that many adult trainers couldn't, and he remembered then.

Professor Oak watched this boy grow with baited breath, sure that he was the boy he remembered. He certain looked the same, with Delia's brown eyes, Red's black hair, and a dark skin-tone that was apparently inherited from Delia's long deceased mother.

When Ash was one of the children that became eligible to receive a Pokémon and leave home on the first of April after his 10th birthday, Professor Oak had been just as proud as he was of Gary (and Leaf too). He had not swayed or skewed anything.

Though he had held his breath when he found a Pikachu that had been harassed and attacked by his own kind. He had been angry and vicious until Samuel got him to just be annoyed and a bit cranky.

Samuel honestly forgot that there was a fourth child coming to get a Pokémon the morning of April 1st. When little Joey had shown up for his Pokémon, the professor's heart sunk with shame. His bias was showing so strongly. That was when he remembered that there was a fourth option. He still had that Pikachu. He kept it hidden from Joey, Leaf, and Gary. He knew Ash, and had a feeling he'd be late. Thankfully he was right.

Professor Samuel Oak had seen the world fall apart and rebuild itself more than once. He had seen the impact a peaceful world could have on a bright-eyed child who turned out to be far more special than little Sammy could have ever predicted. He had seen the hope, the future.

Now he was watching it crumble before them once again and there was nothing that he could do about it. He was too old this time, too feeble, and his knowledge of the bonds between trainers and Pokémon could only go so far.

He knew he should show trust in Lance, the G-Men, and everyone else, but he just couldn't. It was irrational, really, but his faith laid within Ash, Gary, and their friends. Even their recent advancements within Johto and Kanto had been more because of Bonnie, Max, Tracey, and Brock, than anything else, when he thought about it.

So he tried to put his skills in research to some use. He had seen Mirage Pokémon before. He had interacted with them in ways that others hadn't – having been corralled and held captive by them. Yet, no matter what he did or researched, he could not find a way to stop them and it was frustrating. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He knew fully well that Aura could disrupt the mirage system, though he had no idea how much Aura or effort would be needed to collapse this system if it was even possible. With so many unknown variables, Professor Oak kept that tidbit to himself. He was not going to be the one to reveal Ash's secrets to the world.

So he read and researched every possible link and connection to the point where he was physically exhausted, slumped over against the computer. It would surely wreak havoc on his spine when he tried to move later.

That was why he was right there to start awake when he got a sudden email. That was strange, since most communication still wasn't possible outside of highly secure email networks. His research was secure, but he couldn't reach out to others.

He was so tired that Professor Oak didn't even think when he clicked it open. It could have been malware to get into their system, especially since the sender was one he didn't recognize and there was no subject.

Giovanni is sending people to set up shop on Shamouti Island. Fully armed. They're waiting for something there, but are planning to strike at some point in the future.

Professor Oak blinked at the email in confusion before he suddenly though back to vicious weather patterns, warring legendary Pokémon, and Delia's scream of terror when her son fell into the frigid, rough ocean. His heart sunk. There were already enough problems with Kyogre and Groudon gone (he suspected the fact that everything hadn't gone to hell was Rayquaza's doing), they couldn't risk disrupting the balance between the legendary birds.

Though he had faith in Ash and his friends, this was not something he could keep to himself. Professor Oak pushed himself to his feet, wincing as his back cracked, and went to go find Lance.

…

Bright green eyes stared at a tiny screen hesitantly, before he clicked the 'send' button and the message was gone. Quickly, he laid a special magnet on the side of the computer, feeling a bit bad that he was about to destroy something that belonged to hard-working business owners (not that they were really happy or free to do as they pleased anymore anyway). He heeded the computer fried.

Once James was sure that he was alright, he got up and made his way out of the small internet café. He glanced around before spotting Jessie and Meowth across the street.

"Did you do it?" Meowth asked him. He was sitting on the ground, a bow around his neck pretending to be a normal Meowth. It wasn't exactly something he wanted to do, and made it clear how unimpressed he was, but he also didn't want them to get caught.

"I did," James agreed, fixing the cap on his head. It was a bright, sunny day, so no one questioned the young man wearing a cap and sunglasses. "You think we're okay here?"

"I'm sure," Jessie assured him. She pressed her red lips together, brow furrowing in thought. Though she seemed calm, her blue eyes darted from side to side, looking at every person there. Her magenta hair that would have normally given her away was tired up beneath a wide-brimmed sunhat, which also shaded her face. One thing that she and James were oddly good at was blending in and being unnoticed, even if their costumes weren't that extreme. Even so, she wanted to be prepared. No one was going to sneak up on them if she had anything to say about it.

"And you're sure we're doing the right thing?" Meowth asked, almost skeptically, though both Jessie and James knew it was for show more than anything else.

"Yes," James insisted. This was his idea, and he was more than confident in his decision. "They need to know. Remember last time?"

Jessie shuddered as she remembered plunging down through the ice into the frigid water, and watching the Twerp go down not long after. She pursed her lips slightly. "It was always meant to be the Twerp, wasn't it?" They had known that there was something special about him and his Pikachu. That was why they continued to follow him as the baseline for the machines and traps they tested.

That boy just drew people in, good and bad alike, and they weren't sure whether that was a good or bad thing.

…

May sighed as she sprayed a blue number four onto the wall. It was the fourth tunnel that she and Leaf had gone down, and she was honestly getting tired. She thought they were lucky when the last tunnel lead to a dead-end, but this one was proving her wrong. It twisted and turned, and she had the distinct feeling that it was all going downhill, so they'd have a fun time going back.

"Holy hell!" Leaf exclaimed as she came to a sudden stop. May peered over her shoulder and through the narrow opening that they had been heading towards. Leaf's flashlight illuminated the room enough to see that there was a narrow rock-bridge that led across a chasm that they couldn't see the bottom of. The room was huge, and it made a sick nervousness creep up in the younger of the two.

"We should just go back," May suggested, in an almost pleading voice.

Leaf looked ready to agree, but groaned in annoyance. "Knowing our luck the stupid shrine is on the opposite end of this. We should—"

Her sentence cut off as the part of the rock bridge she stepped on crumbled beneath her foot. Leaf screamed in surprise, and May yelped, dropping the spray paint as she grabbed the rock wall with one hand and Leaf's hand with the other.

Leaf hung precariously, one foot still pressed against the rock wall, but that didn't matter in the least. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest to the point where she was positive she could hear it outside of her body too.

Panic ripped through May when she felt Leaf's hand starting to slip out of her glove. For a moment, it wasn't a brunette teenager, but rather a green-haired boy dangling before her.

With a determined cry (and adrenaline pumping through her), May jerked back, managing to drag Leaf up with her. The two girls stumbled back into the safety of the tunnel, falling onto the ground.

"Holy shit," Leaf breathed out as she stared at the ceiling, her shaking hand still clutching the flashlight that she had never let go of. "Thanks."

May nodded her head and tried to voice that it was no problem, but the sickness in her stomach became too much and she lurched to the side, expelling the contents of her stomach on the ground.

Leaf was at her side instantly, rubbing her back. "It's okay. We won't go down there." She paused for a moment. "You saved me, May. You did that. You pulled me up, because you're strong. You understand?"

She did. She had always had the strength to save Drew, but the circumstances, and his choices, made it so she couldn't. It had been entirely out of her hands.

"It wasn't my fault." With those words, it was almost like something had been freed from her. No, it hadn't been her fault.

They knelt in silence for a few moments before May picked up the spray paint. "We should go do another tunnel then." She didn't want to, but they couldn't stop.

"If it's not down another one, we know where to look, right?" Leaf nodded towards the chasm. The two teenagers stood back up and started walking back down the tunnel.

…

Iris traced a bright red five on the wall as she and Misty walked, the red-haired girl holding the flashlight that was lighting up the area before them.

She wouldn't lie, she had been excited to be on the trail of the dragon orb. From the way Ash described it, it sounded like the essence of the dragon-type itself, which was confusing but very cool. She knew that types were man-made classifications of what was reflected in nature, and maybe they were just calling the orbs names like 'dragon', 'fairy', 'ice' and so on just so that they as humans could comprehend them. Who knew?

Now though, Iris wasn't very excited at all. In fact, she was almost bored. The tunnels she and Misty had gone down were fairly straight, not deviating, descending, or elevating at all. It was just a straight path surrounded by rock. Her excitement of seeing this dragon orb was definitely put off, and instead, her thoughts went to her own Pokémon of that type.

"Hey, Misty," Iris spoke up, causing the other girl to hum. "There's only five more including this one, right?"

"Yeah." She nodded, keeping her eyes on the area in front of them. "Only dragon and water left to find. We know where the others are."

There was something really poetic about that to Iris. A smile rose up on her lips. "Well, I mean, dragon and water-types are pretty badass. Best for last, right?"

Misty laughed, looking so unlike the girl that had broken down and cried the other day. Iris knew the pain was still there, but she was handling it better now, and that was a relief to see. The loss of her sisters was nothing to just push aside, even for the greater good.

"Hey, can I ask you something? One specialist to another?" Iris asked a moment later, not quite sure how to word what she wanted to say. She still felt like her troubles and worries were nothing compared to those that the others faced, and was a bit ashamed that they bothered her so much.

"What's up?" Misty replied, glancing over her shoulder.

Iris hesitated for a moment, biting her lip a bit. Her shoulders slumped as she painted another number on the wall. "I…this sounds so pathetic, all things considered, but the thought of going after the dragon-orb, it just makes me think…"

"It's okay. Say what's on your mind."

She took a deep breath. "Did Ash ever tell you how I couldn't get my Dragonite to listen to me at first?" She wasn't at all surprised when Misty nodded. "Well, I never told anyone this, but my Druddigon gave me problems too. And we all saw what happened with Hydreigon. Do you think…maybe I'm just not cut out to train dragon-types?"

Misty came to a stop, and Iris almost crashed into her, but managed to stumbled backwards in time. The redhead didn't look back as she spoke. "Iris, do you love your Pokémon? Do you regret training them?"

"Of course I love them! I'd never regret it!"

"Do you love dragons?"

"I do!" Iris nodded her head confidently. "I studied them all my life! It's been my dream to be a dragon-type master ever since I knew what it was! My parents trained dragons, and I don't remember them, but it…connects me to them, you know?"

"I understand that, trust me," Misty said with a soft tone. Both of her parents, along with the aunt that she was named after, had trained water-type Pokémon. It was part of the reason her father had noticed her mother in the first place, or so her grandmother said. "If all that's true, then yes, you're cut out for it." She turned to face Iris. "Dragons are strong, temperamental, stubborn, and yeah, even vicious. That doesn't mean you're weak by not getting them right away. Even Pokémon that look like dragons have those issues."

She crossed her arms in front of her, accidentally shining the beam of light coming from her flashlight in her face. "Look at Ash's Charizard. He didn't listen to Ash for the longest time because he was too strong and cocky, and Ash was too inexperienced. But you know, it wasn't Ash becoming a better trainer that changed things. He was always improving, that's true, but it didn't matter to Charizard. What did was Ash's dedication and love." She sighed. "I used to ask Ash why he didn't just swap Charizard out with a Pokémon that would listen, but he said that was exactly why. He loved Charizard, he never turned away from him, and that was what won him over.

"How about my Gyarados." Misty took one of her Pokéballs off of her belt and stared at it. "I was terrified of Gyarados since I was a little baby. That's a long story. My sisters left this one behind because they couldn't control him after he evolved. I was so scared, but I kept trying to work with him. He was in a cage and these…assholes were going to hurt him. I took a Tentacruel's poison sting for him when he was helpless, and then he saved me in turn. It wasn't my prowess as a trainer that won him over. It was respect and love. And Iris, I've seen you with your Pokémon. That's what drew them all to you. That's what made Hydreigon come back. So yeah, you are cut out to be a dragon-type trainer, because you say you're one. That's what matters and no one can take that from you."

Misty took a deep breath, and then her cheeks turned pink, like she was embarrassed about her speech, but didn't want to lose her determined expression.

A laugh escaped Iris' lips. "You're awesome, you know that?"

"I try." Misty winked and they both laughed. "Seriously though, Iris, I don't think it's strange that you're worried about that. I think it's…great actually. It's like…you can see something bright beyond all of this and you still worry about it." She waved her arms around the tunnel they were in. "It's nice to think that there's still a reason to worry about those things."

"I never thought about it like that before," Iris admitted. "Well, I guess if it helps—"

"It does."

"—Then you're welcome?"

Misty smiled at her. "Come on, let's find this orb so we can get closer to worrying about the things that we should be worrying about."

Iris nodded her head, and the two continued on down the tunnel.

…

Walking down the stone corridor with Gary was actually pretty awkward for Cilan. It was easy to pipe up and respond to one another in group conversations, but Cilan had never really had any substantial, one-on-one conversations with him in the past. Not without another person to add something to it.

Armed with spray-paint and a flashlight, the two made their way down an ancient-looking staircase. They were careful, since it didn't look like it would meet any safety inspections at all, and Cilan was more than relieved when they got to solid ground again.

"It's strange to think that people had to carve things like this," he spoke up, motioning to the staircase. There was no need for Pokémon to create something like that.

"There are strange things all over that we haven't discovered," Gary acknowledged. "Maybe it's just because I'm from Kanto, and so much of our history, even fairly recent history, has been lost, especially in comparison to other regions, but finding things hidden like this really doesn't surprise me all that much anymore." He shined the flashlight on the wall, slowing down a little bit to look at the hieroglyphics that were carved into the smoothed stone. "Never ceases to amaze me though."

"Why these caves, why this far down?" Cilan wondered. He didn't really wants to put any spray paint on this particular place. It had to be archeologically significant, and he didn't want to ruin that. "This place certainly has a strange flavor, but still."

Gary shrugged. There was really no way to guess without studying the area in more detail – finding clues about those that lived here long ago. He wanted to stop and look at everything in greater detail, but he knew that they had a job to do.

He came to a sudden stop when a certain patch of hieroglyphics. "Huh."

"What?"

"Can you hold this for a second and shine it on that thing right there?" Gary asked, and held out the flashlight.

Cilan took it, and pointed the beam and the symbol It was strange, like a circle with a square around it, four slightly familiar Pokémon at the corners of the square, and writing around that. "What is it?"

"I could be wrong, but it looks pretty similar to something I saw in Hoenn while we were traveling." He had a little notepad out with a pencil, and was sketching it quickly. "I didn't get to sketch it that time, but I don't want to forget. Maybe after this is over I can come back and check them out. You know, compare and contrast."

"Do you think it means anything for us now?"

"You mean with Arceus? I doubt it. He's normally represented by the wheel around him or as his distinct Pokémon form. Never things like that. It's probably an ancient kind of Pokémon that died out a long time ago, that's all." He shoved the book away. "Sorry, I know we're in a hurry, but I didn't want to forget this time."

"Don't worry," Cilan assured him, passing the flashlight back. "There's nothing wrong with looking beyond the darkness and planning for a bright future." He thought about his brothers for a moment. "We just have to believe that things will turn out alright, and work towards that."

"You're right," Gary agreed as he started to walk forward, looking at the other symbols with interest. Cilan sprayed a three on the ground, so he could avoid ruining the walls but they'd still be able to keep track of where they were.

After all, they still had a mission to complete.

…

Dawn painted a green five on the wall. She yawned a little bit, still tired from the long trek there. They hadn't really stopped to sleep since Ambrette Town, though most of them napped on the trains. Once they got to Anistar City, it took a few hours to hike down to the Terminus Cave. They were on their fifth tunnel already, and Dawn kind of wanted to lay down and have a nap.

She glanced over at Serena, who seemed to be on the same wavelength as her, judging from the dark circles under her eyes.

Dawn shook her head, trying to keep herself awake as she thought of something to talk about. "You know, I really like the little bit of Kalos we've seen. I think I'd like to come back here and travel sometime maybe."

A soft smile appeared on Serena's face. "Well, if you ever do, I can show you around a bit. Maybe show you some Performances." She paused for a moment. "I'm really glad that Kalos is in such good shape too. I think we all needed it."

"Everyone seems so much lighter and happier here," Dawn said with a nod. "I mean, if we had been hit with those nightmares in Sinnoh after the prison invasion, or even in Unova, I think we'd be running a lot slower than we are right now. I'm still so impressed that you broke through yours."

"Mine was just…I saw my father and I know that he died years ago. I just…I've never even had a dream where he's still here, and I'm not sure what that says about me. I just knew he wasn't real."

"My mom was fairly young when she had me," Dawn admitted. "In her 20s, but still young. My…biological father didn't stick around. A one-night stand. I saw a shadow of him, I saw my mother blaming me for the fact that he left. For her career ending. For everything. I never even met my father but I couldn't break out of it. I believed it." She looked down. "You're so strong, Serena."

"You are too," the elder of the two assured her. "We all have our different strengths and weaknesses, right? I mean, look at you. You're this bright ray of hope when no one else can be. I couldn't even be that in the beginning. That's something to admire."

"It feels like a weakness to me," the blue-haired girl said sharply. "It makes me feel…stupid and naive even though no one calls me that."

"It's not stupid to want to see things in a positive light. Not at all." Serena thought for a moment before she smiled and laughed.

"What?" Dawn asked, tilting her head slightly.

The expression of curiosity reminded Serena so much of Ash, that it made her laugh again. She shook her head. "I stayed in school until I decided to become a trainer just a little over a year ago. One of the things we had to do once was memorize a poem that was pretty profound. I didn't really get it back then, not really, but I think I do now."

"Did you memorize it?"

"I did," Serena answered with a nod. She thought for a moment before she started reciting. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world, there's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Serena glanced at Dawn's gaping face and blushed. "I don't remember who wrote it though."

"Wow, that's really…that does make a lot of sense, doesn't it? I guess that's what I was doing earlier, right? Being afraid of my own light. And…that's sort of what Ash does too. He's so afraid of his own power that he'd rather hide it than embrace it really." Dawn clapped her hands together. "Thank you for sharing that, Serena!"

"It's not a problem," Serena replied as they walked forward. She watched the younger girl put some more spray paint on the wall, and came to an abrupt stop.

She stared at the wall. Dawn stared at the wall. They looked at one another before looking back at the wall.

The spray paint had gone through it, but it certainly looked like there was solid rock there.

Dawn bit her lip, but then screwed her face up in determination. Serena made a strange sort of choking sound as she reached forward, as if that would help, but she could barely twitch before the younger girl's hand passed right through it.

…

Clemont glanced over at Ash, who was sitting with his eyes closed and his brow furrowed. He watched his friend, but didn't disturb him again. Earlier he had questioned what the other boy was doing, only to be told that he was trying to track everyone's aura. It wasn't an easy task by any means.

He stared at the screen as more and more tunnels and passages were mapped out. The Terminus Cave was far bigger than he ever could have imagined and it really didn't seem to have an end. There was no telling where the orb could be, and Clemont was starting to wonder if they had come to the wrong place all together.

He saw movement out of his peripheral vision, and expected to see one of their friends coming back. Instead, what he saw was a small, mostly green Pokémon staring back at him.

His breath caught in his throat. He knew that creature. He knew it very well. That was the Pokémon that simply vanished on them one night, the one that had Bonnie in tears for weeks, the one that they just didn't talk about anymore in an effort to make sure her sister wasn't upset.

Clemont sprang to his feet, startling Ash and Pikachu. "What's wrong?" Ash called out, but Clemont wasn't paying attention to him.

Squishy turned and vanished down the tunnel, and without any form of thought, the blond boy ran after it, ignoring his friend's protests.

Ash caught up to him quickly. Even at his top speed, Clemont couldn't come anywhere close to outrunning him. Ash managed to grab his arm to stop him from running.

"Let go!" he cried out. "I need to—do you see what that is?"

Ash and Pikachu both looked around him, gaping with surprise. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and approached Squishy, muttering quietly to him.

"You left Bonnie," Clemont said, a bit more bitterly than he meant to. "She didn't – she wouldn't…you left her without even saying goodbye."

Squishy looked down before looking at Ash. Clemont followed the Pokémon's gaze, his eyes locking with his friend's. "Ash…did you—did you know what happened to him?"

Ash's mouth opened and closed, before his shoulders slumped and he sighed, nodding his head. "He's a form of Zygarde. Flare grabbed him, and I went after him. That's how I got involved in that whole mess. He couldn't come back at the end of everything. It was too dangerous, and Diantha made me sign all these things to keep quiet. I'm sorry."

In a completely uncharacteristic moment, Clemont could only picture how heartbroken his little sister had been, and he snapped. "What the hell, Ash? How could you—why would you…didn't you see how she acted? Didn't you care? I—I—you don't have a younger sister, you wouldn't get it, but still!" Ash said nothing, and the blond breathed heavily.

Then logic came back to him. He understood exactly why Ash had kept quiet. He would have too, no matter how much he wanted to insist that he wouldn't. He could also see how miserable the secrets made his friend. He had never wanted to keep things from them or hurt them. It must have ached like hell to actually be able to feel Bonnie's misery at the time and keep quiet.

"I'm sorry," Clemont sighed. "I—I don't like it, but I understand. I do. I just…Bonnie's my little sister. And I feel like all I do is let her down. I promised my mom. I promised her I'd keep Bonnie safe. I'm not even in the same region as her right now and we're in the middle of a war. She would be so much safer here."

"You do know how proud of you she is, right?" Ash asked slowly. "You're right, I don't know what it's like to have a little sister, but I do know that she looks up to you. You mean everything to her. She's safe right now, with your father. It'll be alright."

"I know. I know but…this is only going to get worse before it gets better and you know it. We have almost all the orbs, and then what? The Mirage Pokémon are still out there."

"Aura can break down whatever energy that is." Clemont had once theorized that the energy used was charged with the opposite of Aura. Ash always just thought that the opposite of it was just no Aura at all, but after a lot of confusion, he sort of understood. It was another energy, but negatively charged. Ash wasn't a big fan of physics or chemistry, but it sounded familiar. "I'll be damned if I let anything hurt her or any one of you when I can do something about it."

There was the Ash that he remembered. He inhaled and then looked down, pleased to see that Squishy was still there with Pikachu, watching the altercation with interest. "I don't suppose that you could show us where the orb is?"

Squishy made a sound and nodded, hopping quickly down the tunnel they had just came from. Clemont, Ash, and Pikachu ran after him, a bit surprised at how quickly something without feet could actually move.

They hurried after him until Clemont felt like his lungs were going to explode. Even after all this traveling, running and a lot of physical activity didn't really sit well with him.

So when they ran into Serena and Dawn, he didn't really have the coordination to move. He and Serena slammed into one another, tumbling over to a pile on the floor. Dawn skidded into Ash, but he managed to grab her shoulders to steady her.

"We found the orb!" Serena said before she could even untangle her legs from Clemont's. "It's just down—Squishy?" She blinked at the Pokémon and looked at Clemont. "What?"

"It's a long story," he answered.

"No it's not. Squishy is a form of Zygarde. We saw him. Asked if he could show us where to go," Ash said bluntly.

"Okay, no, there's definitely more to the story than that," Serena insisted, finally pulling herself up. "But we'll deal with that later."

After quickly introducing the Pokémon to Dawn, the four trainers and Pikachu followed the little legendary down the tunnel and through the illusion of a wall.

Ash came to a stop as the dragon orb's power overwhelmed his senses. The shrine was large and decorated with different Pokémon, some he didn't recognize. Slowly, Ash walked forward, his eyes locked onto the indigo orb within the shrine. He reached out, and when his finger's brushed the smooth surface, it started to glow.

He held it close to him and looked at the others.

Clemont smiled and looked down at Squishy. "Thank you. You should hide for now, just in case someone does come to try and get you—again. And if you have the chance, stop by and see Bonnie at least once after this is over, okay?"

Squishy nodded, and was quick to start hopping away.

….

Water. Fire. Ice. Electric. Those were the only orbs they had yet to collect, and they knew where three of them were.

The only problem was the water orb. Once everyone had gathered together again, exhausted from their trip and wanting to know what was going on, May had revealed her idea of Manaphy. It was the most solid idea they had at the moment, but the problem came from the fact that they had no idea where the sea castle could be.

"We do know where three are though," Misty pointed out. "And they're surrounded by water. Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be there. If not, well, we still get three orbs."

"Makes sense," Cilan agreed. "I can understand wanting to get everything else when they're safe, but in this case, there's no point."

"Right. We can rest up here, and then get Giratina to take us to Shamouti Island, right?" Leaf asked. Almost everyone nodded, but Ash had a far-away look on his face. "What's up Ketchum?"

He started a bit, but smiled almost bitterly. "It's just…that's where this sort of all began for me. That was the first time I even heard the words Chosen One. About me at least."

Laughter bubbled up from Misty, and she nudged him. "Still wish your mom had named you Bob?"

He regarded her seriously. "Bob Ketchum has a great ring to it."

"Well, at least you got one of your future kids named," Gary sniped sarcastically.

Ash stared at him blankly, and Misty gaped in horror. For a moment, the brunet thought he had gone too far, and then the girl snapped, "I am not naming my kid Bob!"

Gary was about to pick on the fact that she hadn't denied future children, just the name, but Ash quickly changed the topic. "I told my Pokémon that I felt more like the Frozen One rather than the Chosen One. I forgot about that until now." He wanted to see his other Pokémon again, even those that were away from him.

"One thing at a time," Dawn told him. "Orb first. Victory second. Pokémon third. Future children that I call dibs on being the godmother for fourth."

"What? No way!" Maybe they were all deliriously tired, but soon they were in a debate about who the godparents should be.

Ash just watched them blankly before looking at Misty, who seemed rather smug. She glanced up at him, and he said, "Let's just hope no one is messing with the legendary birds. We don't need anymore bad weather."

"Here's hoping," Misty agreed, turning her attention back to the debate.

Ash settled down and decided to just shrug it off and rest for a bit. He had Misty beside him, Pikachu on his lap, and all of his friends seemed okay for now. He'd take that little win, because soon he'd have to call Giratina again, and they would be almost at the finish line.

And that absolutely terrified him.

…

Note

What's this? An update that didn't take three or more months? I'm spoiling all of you! To the people who were really pumped and saying 'update soon it's been so long'…well…there have been 3 to 5 month hiatuses between chapters before. The speed between the last couple chapters is not the norm, it's the exception. There will be longer waits again, but I WILL be finishing this.

At this point it's more a matter of pride than anything. I'm SO close to the end that failing to finish it would be a huge personal failure on my part.

The poem Serena recited in this chapter is called 'Our Greatest Fear' (well, it's a variant of it) by Marianne Williamson. You may have heard it on Coach Carter or another variant of it in Akeelah and the Bee. It's amazing and I love it. It was also the inspiration of the last chapter's title too.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are all awesome! This includes: Nerdy anime girl, xolo, scarlett, zaxas, Aaml mania, UGX7, Walelu, Tropicallight, Joy-girl, thor94, cake0108, amandaalb4, JZuCuadra, thedarkpokemaster, ultimateCCC, PokeshipperByHeart, swimming-toon-love, gio08, and Hinata001. If I missed anyone, I apologize and blame the internet.

Some people pointed out that Ash seemed to do better and I think I need to clarify something about him in this chapter. He is not back to normal. He is not miraculously healed. He is still very much suffering from PTSD, depression and various other things because of all this (him and the others, though it's showing in different ways). The thing is, Ash is so freaking self-sacrificing, and just these moments of calmness made him realize what he did. It's not that he's better, it's that he's at a higher moment now and his sheer stubbornness is fueling him.

So you might notice moments where he'll seem OOC, but considering the circumstances, it makes sense. Highs and lows.

Thanks again to everyone and thank you to my amazing beta reader, EP. I don't know how he deals with me, but bless his heart.

Til next time,

Written by: Skylight Sparkle
Edited by: EchidnaPower