The irony of fate…

After battling his hardest with his strongest team of friends that he trusted so well, he was so close. He may have won the battle and the brief recognition of his skills, but some rude interruption had to disrupt all of that, driving away every adoring fan he earned. Sure he was regarded the greatest for his age, but at this time, people were now more concerned about living the rest of their mortal lives in fear of it now that it has been ultimately unleashed onto the world. And now Ash and his friends were one of the first few to experience and survive such a horrific encounter.

After Lance and Cynthia left to notify the rest of their fellow members from their escape, the remaining entourage trekked over to the laboratory in the quaint Town of Pallet after a brief stop at the Battle Dimension; the full explanation of the prophecy was spoken through the mouths of Ash and Anabel. Their worse fear has come alive, at least for Anabel, it had. The time had come and the beast arose from the depths of its hell, a twisted laboratory that completely altered its personality with increasing strength from a perfected virus. The psychotic mastermind, known as Ardos of Cipher, lingered in their minds since their fleeing flight from Sinnoh. His dark creature had already annihilated their previous location in Sinnoh and it was unknown to them if either Cresselia or Darkrai had survived holding off the monstrosity and the loathing criminals with control over it. With bitter emotions to swallow and move on, they approached the front door and knocked, responded with increasing footsteps on a wooden floor before the door swung upon casually.

"Good to see you all made back okay," Professor Oak greeted, accompanied by Tracey. "Gary, how is everyone?"

"Aside from an undefeatable monster overwhelming our best man and the Sinnoh Champion, then it's pretty much the same old, same old," Gary surmised, extending his hand out to the ragtag team behind him. "Of course, Ash has seen better days." He pointed out to the sulky Trainer with the Pikachu on his shoulder, comforted by his lavender-haired lover.

"Ah, an interruption on attaining greatness is something one cannot recover so easily from," Oak said, glancing at Ash before averting his gaze upon the rest of the company. "Pray tell, what motivated you all to come here for information?"

"That Shadow Giratina beast also destroyed most of Sinnoh Stadium and Sinnoh Castle!" May cried.

"Which means that the Sinnoh Grand Festival, for us anyway, is canceled until repairs are complete," Drew concluded, gritting his teeth hard. "You can't celebrate something as special as a Grand Festival without stages like they have… or used to have."

"So in short, the Coordinators want revenge on Cipher and their beast for ruining their Grand Festival," Gary said.

"That's too bad; your final battle with Cynthia was awesome, Ash," Tracey said, noticing that the almost-legit, depressed Master did not even hear a word. "Oh, my."

"I see; so what about the rest of you?" Oak asked, looking at Brock, Dawn, Max, Kenny, and Zoey. The five of them exchanged looks, blinking several times before answering.

"We were bored," the five of them said; nothing more and nothing less.

"Well then, we have enough people to support our cause on saving the rest of the wild Pokémon before they go wild as well," Oak said, clasping his hands. "All of you, come inside!"


"Everyone, meet my helpers from another land," Oak introduced to the group, presenting his arm out to the four people in his research lab. A brief tour of his laboratory and already Professor Oak had gotten to the point.

Another professor was analyzing something through a microscopic lens, assisted by a young lady wearing a pink lab coat; she was in her thirties. Following a discreet whisper to her ear, she motioned two young siblings to approach them; the elder brother with spiky red hair and the adorable younger sister that looked like a Kirlia from a distance. The four of them were aware of Professor Oak's visitors watching them from the doorway.

"Come in! Come in!" the other professor greeted jovially. "I assume you guys are, aside from Professor Oak's acquaintances, survivors of that Shadow Giratina?" The mouths of Ash and friends fell open, staring at the friendly colleague of Pokémon science as he continued grinning. They could have assumed that this man had watched them live with Professor Oak, but his presumptions were concisely accurate, as though he had experienced the terrible phenomena with them.

"Their response is yes," Oak answered, amused by their reactions. "Now then, Professor Krane, introduce yourselves to them, if you will."

"Kindly; as Professor Oak had said, I go by Professor Krane, resident Researcher of the Orre region," Krane said, glancing at his three allies. "This small family next to me lives at my research center, the northern Pokémon HQ Lab."

"My name is Lily," the mother greeted. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, I'm sure."

"I am called Jovi!" the hyperactive, blue-haired girl exclaimed, twirling on her tiptoes. With her older brother about to speak, casually raising a hand, Jovi stepped in front of him. "And this is Jovi's most awesomest brother, Michael! Jovi thinks Mr. Oak's lab is better than Mr. Krane's." Everyone stared blankly at Jovi, deeming her enthusiasm as the luxury of being young and innocent; something most people here wished to experience again right now.

"Jovi, let your brother have a word in," Lily scolded calmly. Jovi giggled childishly, skipping out of the room. The mother sighed, not sure whether to feel worried or amused. But then again, she was her daughter. "Michael, have you even found your sister's off switch yet?" Michael shrugged, flustered as much as his mother was about Jovi.

"So, you guys are from the Orre region?" Max asked, inspecting them at a closer distance, adjusting his glasses upon examining a sheepish Michael at an uncomfortable closeness. "What's it like there?"

"It's a desert out there!" Jovi exclaimed, unexpectedly coming in between Michael and Max. Michael grinned, pulling Jovi back from Max, but she avoided his force. "Hey! Jovi thinks you're a smart boy. And cute too! What's your name?"

"Uh, my name's, uh, Max," Max said, recovering from the momentary shock she gave him. "You know, you kind of look like a Kirlia."

"Thanks, I think," Jovi replied, pressing a finger to her lip. "Do you have a Kirlia, Max? Jovi wants to know."

"I got one," Max said proudly, holding the Poké Ball in front of her face. "I think it'd be best to stay out of everyone's hair and go to another room. That okay with you, Jovi?"

"Yep, Jovi agrees with you, Max," Jovi said, giggling. "Let's play!" A forceful grab and tug on his arm, Max was dragged elsewhere with the playful girl leading. Most of the adults chuckled to themselves about more of the innocence of youth.

"A little girl from another region and Max is already friends with her," May said, smiling.

"Well, with child's play out of the way, I believe we should move on with business," Krane said, gesturing the entourage to come closer.

"So Professor Krane, what was with that Giratina?" Brock asked, suggesting a suitable topic to start off with for the Orre Researcher.

"Ah, excellent; Brock, is it?" Krane asked. Brock nodded. "Very well. Now then, I'm sure you all know what a regular Giratina looks like and what its habitat is, correct?"

"Yes, Professor," the others concurred.

"Good, so we all know that Giratina is not totally colored in a sinister shade of purple and that is shouldn't decide to destroy things without any reason at all," Krane added. "Giratina is supposed to live in the Distortion World, alone and in peace."

"Yeah, but what I don't get is how that Giratina with that Cipher guy is so powerful," Ash said. "I faced a Giratina that wasn't so berserk, so consumed in darkness. It doesn't look natural."

"Good, good, you guys are gathering pieces to this puzzle," Krane said, satisfied with their attempts at solving the mystery. "That's because it isn't natural for a Pokémon, even a Giratina, to have that kind of power." Krane's face began to grimace; his past research has given him quite a burden to swallow. "That dark, shadowy power it has was granted to it through twisted, artificial means."

A cold silence filled the room. The eyes of Ash and the others had widened in horror at the circumstance of Giratina's powers. It was difficult to understand how anyone could swipe Giratina away and experiment on it until it became the way it was presented to them. A Legendary Pokémon like Giratina easily captured was a tough thought to even process, considering the immeasurable lengths one would have to go through to find and overwhelm it. But that was when they realized the syndicate that accompanied the corrupted beast in their shady hovercraft, along with the leader that began to lose all reason from all he had accomplished to obtain this terrible power.

"We guessed that Cipher might have risen again after their failed attempt of using Shadow Lugia," Lily said, glancing at her son. "Cipher was Orre's troublesome criminal organization, bent on using Shadow Pokémon, soulless fighting machines with invisible, emanating dark auras, to rule the world. Fortunately, our little hero saved the captured Shadow Pokémon and even convinced the mastermind of Cipher to surrender to the proper authorities."

Judging from her body positioning, several of them received the idea that Michael was the hero that protected Orre from Cipher. Some of them did not get the hint, brushing it off and waited for more news. Those who had indeed realized it kept the thought to themselves; their outside bodies betraying them with postures and signals that alerted to their knowledge. No one would say a word until Michael was ready to talk about it. They respected their guest's privacy as it was; it was simply proper etiquette to visitors.

"The grandmaster of Cipher back then was and old man called Greevil, who posed as a generous man named Mr. Verich," Krane explained. "And his twin sons, two top Cipher Admins, were Eldes and Ardos." The last name that had passed Krane's lips caught the attention of Ash and his group; Ardos, he was in charge of the Shadow Giratina they survived against. "When Michael took down Cipher and brought XD001 to a close,—."

"Wait! Michael was the hero that brought down Cipher?!" Ash interrupted, receiving two swift bops on the head by May and Dawn, light enough to keep him conscious for Krane's explanations.

"At least have the decency to raise your hand if you want to add something," May commented, stepping back with Dawn.

"Now apologize!" Dawn demanded.

"Eh, I'm sorry, Professor Krane," Ash said, chuckling nervously after a brief adjustment of his hat. He resumed his normal position, promising to stay quiet for the rest of the time.

"Uh, yes, well; after Cipher was taken down, two were sent to the authorities, one escaped his fate," Krane said. "The escapee was Ardos himself. Disgusted by his father and brother for their weakness and remorse, he hid himself for all these years now. My guess was that he rebuilt Cipher with his own hands, secretly gathering his remaining troops and scientists while acquiring new help as well. A ragtag team he gathered, Ardos must have thought about a plan similar to his father's, finding a suitable Legendary Pokémon to use as a mass murdering weapon while finding a way to spread his control over other Pokémon."

"But that still does not explain how that Giratina came to be," Gary said, impatient with all the back-stories and explanations of Cipher reemerging from the shadows.

"I believe I can answer that," an unknown scratchy voice said, originating from the corner doorway that led to another section of Oak's laboratory. As he emerged through the doorway, many were in shock upon the implausible identity and what motives he had on mind. A broken man he entered, but was easily recognized by the astonished Ash.

"It's Oompa!" Ash shouted, a fierce look flashed from his eyes. Pikachu leapt off his shoulder, threatening him with an Electric attack with vicious static from his red cheeks.

"Wait, Ash; call your Pikachu off," Oak requested. Ash looked at him with a vacant expression, bewildered on why Oak would have him here.

"Ragh, I have no time to deal with you kids," Namba grumbled, limping over towards Krane. His arm was in a cast and he had several bandages around his bald head. He was so deformed that he was even missing half a mustache. "And it's Namba!"

"But Professor Oak! Namba works for Team Rocket!" Brock reasoned.

"Hn, what Team Rocket?" Namba asked dourly, gritting his flat teeth furiously. "It's nothing but stupid Cipher now! Those turncoats think they can get away with this!"

"But why does he want to even help us?" Kenny asked. "Isn't he a bad guy? Dawn told me he was."

"That's correct, kiddy," Namba said, staring into space with melancholy contemplation. "At least, that was what I used to do. I don't even know what bad is now."

"What happened to you, Mr. Namba?" Anabel asked. Namba glanced at her pure sweetness; her concern was nothing to him. Not after the way he was thrown aside.


"Wh-What do you think you are doing?" Namba asked, cornered by four Cipher Peons in the airborne hovercraft. A shady figure approached from behind them; the Peons stepped aside.

"You've become somewhat an equivalent to a nuisance, Lumpa," Stein said, smirking cruelly. "You don't seem to have the guts to pursue our glorious dream of domination."

"It's twisted! That's what it is! And besides that, it's NAMBA!!" Namba shouted furiously. "I've done many crazy things in the past, but what you Cipher goons did to that Giratina is beyond rational thinking! You've defiled the laws of nature and—!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Stein taunted. "You just need to be smart enough to know where to control something big as a Shadow Giratina. I can assure you that XD00∞ is within our absolute control."

"And what if it goes beyond your control?" Namba asked. "It'll require even more therapy than you!" Stein glowered, grabbing Namba by the collar of his coat and lifted him up against the wall with as much agony to his victim as possible.

"You know what your problem is, Namba?" Stein asked. "You're too afraid to go beyond what you already know. At a short time at researching on something new like creating the ultimate Shadow Pokémon to date, you hesitated and cost us valuable time. I'm afraid to say, but I won't regret saying it anyway. You're obsolete."

"I'm WHAT?!"

"Men, let's delete this useless program. For good… Heh heh heh…"

"WHAT?!?!"

"Yes, Admin Stein!"

"Good-bye, Doctor! You're going straight to hell!"

"No! NO! N-NO-OOOO!!!"

"Mwe hee hee hee hee hee!"


"So they threw you overboard after passing over the Johto border into the ocean?" Anabel asked, clasping her hands around her mouth. Ash embraced her, just enough to ease her. Their friends had similar emotions of astonishment, pity, and anger.

"So much for loyalty in their organization," Zoey commented.

"I'm helping you guys for revenge on what they've done to Team Rocket, especially after I was fortunate enough to be rescued before I drowned," Namba said, eyeing closely at Professor Oak and Tracey. "I don't even know what they've done to our leader, Giovanni. Ardos and the rest of Cipher managed to get most of our agents to work for them now. And Team Rocket's more loyal workers, like Cassidy and Biff, have been captured, left in Ardos' merciless mercy."

"Giovanni's the last one to represent Team Rocket, as far as I can tell," Tracey said.

"I must save my boss from their insanity," Namba said; his strong loyalty to Giovanni was palpable. "Unlike that lowlife Team Cipher, Team Rocket members stay loyal to each other. I will get back Giovanni and together, with our whole group back, we will watch Cipher's downfall!"

"Your resolve is admirable, Namba, but for that to happen, you must explain Giratina's transformation," Oak interrupted. "After all, you were also involved with the creation of something else dangerous to Pokémon, if I recall." Namba stuttered, coughing to clear up his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Namba said, walking towards the microscope lens Krane previously used. "Two from your group, come here and you'll learn more." He motioned the two people at the front to step up. Ash and Anabel cautiously approached the former Rocket scientist.

"What's going on, Namba?" Ash asked. Namba directed them to the microscope.

"That's what's going on," Namba said. "How about one of you takes a quick peak?"

"Ladies first," Anabel said, gingerly strolling to the table. Ash stayed next to her. She leaned forward, closing her left eye for a clearer perception. "It looks like some microorganism or something." Namba snorted, pulling her aside.

"There's more to it than meets the eye, girly," Namba explained, glancing at Ash. "You go next." With a curtly nod, Ash stepped up in front of the microscope, performing the same actions as Anabel did. He, however, had a slightly different reaction from Anabel's impractical response.

"What's this germ glowing in dark aura?" Ash asked.

"Dark aura? Where have we heard that before?" Gary asked, pondering figuratively. "Oh, yeah. I guess it's safe to assume that Team Rocket and Cipher were in charge of that new Pokérus strain department." They glared at Namba, realizing the damage of the new Pokérus strain had done to the outside world; the latter unfazed by their transitory scorn.

"I've faced worse than you kiddies," Namba said; his legs trembling from their derisive looks. "I'm actually impressed you figured it out so quickly, especially since your friend here can somehow see something invisible to ordinary eyes."

"That's because we had to go toe-to-toe with several unpleasant Spearow near Ash's facility," Zoey said.

"And Ash's and Lance's Charizard went crazy during the match because of it!" Dawn added with Kenny's confirmation.

"Not to mention the wild Pokémon that disrupted the Indigo League! You ruined my brother's first chance for glory!" May shouted, fuming at the disappointment she had to lift away from Max since the incident.

"Enough!" Namba screamed; the criticizing came to an abrupt halt. "As I was saying, this strain of Pokérus Team Rocket and Cipher invented is called the ShadowPokérus, codenamed 'XDrus.' Original, yes, but basically tells of its nature with its name."

"Which is?" Brock asked, urging him to continue.

"Just like the ordinary Pokérus, the ShadowPokérus infects any Pokémon it can manage to latch onto like the parasite it is," Namba explained. "One huge difference between the regular and XDrus is that it grants the infected Pokémon overwhelming power while giving it the perks of a Shadow Pokémon. When enough time passes and the ShadowPokérus is shed off like the Pokérus, then the Pokémon becomes a full-fledged Shadow Pokémon. Technology is so incredible these days, making the illogical seem to be within one's grasp."

Many questions were answered from this simple explanation. It was obvious that the two criminal organizations worked over the hours to create something a potent as an instant way of obtaining a Shadow Pokémon. Their black ambitions had explained so much; they seemed so deranged at several perspectives and conjectures. Even Namba had expressed his doubts about creating such a biological weapon, especially after considering its ultimate outcome.

"Then you guys infected Giratina with it, right?" Ash asked, controlling his temper at the madness the Rocket scientist was involved in.

"We used a perfected strain called the Ankoku-ShadowPokérus," Namba explained. "If Krane had told you about Cipher's former titular Shadow Pokémon, then you must already know what its consequences are." Widened eyes and gaping mouths; these were the main reactions to the steps of creating a terrible chimera. Stealing away the life of an innocent Pokémon and infecting it with an incurable disease had already weighed heavily on all their minds. "And worse off, Giratina has the essence, the aura of another living creature within itself to stabilize its status as a Shadow Pokémon that can never be purified."

"What are you talking about?! You fed something to Giratina to make it this way?!" Ash shouted, suddenly tackling into the injured scientist out of uncontrolled, righteous anger onto the ground, gripping his collar. Everyone stepped back in shock. "Did you even have morals?"

"I did; Cipher didn't," Namba said weakly. His eyes were drifting around, unconsciously scoping the room "Their persuasiveness got a hold over Team Rocket, even catching Giovanni in their hypnosis. I wasn't fooled by their sweet words of world domination. Insanity was masked behind their cooperative façade. And so, we offered up a captive Rayquaza's life, giving it enhanced abilities to its own, as well as its ultimate Shadow Giraquazar Forme; Cipher planned to have XD00∞ use that powerful form only for the big finish, when they finally rule the world a year from today. They are waiting for XD00∞ to reach its fullest potential. That way, more sparks will be flying." Feeling that it was all he could offer, Ash got off of him and helped the wounded Rocket scientist.

"So then, what do we do to stop Shadow Giratina and Cipher?" Ash asked, a serious, grave look burned in his auburn eyes. "I've got nothing else to do know. I am and should be considered a full-time Pokémon Master since Cynthia's defeat."

"You sound so eager to start a new journey now, kid," Namba remarked. "Seeing as you somehow discovered the dark aura in the ShadowPokérus sample without and visual aid, I'm guessing that you're a select few that can wield aura. You'll need more than that. You'll need assistance. You'll need friends."

"Excuse me, but who do you think we are?" May asked, showing off herself and the others. "Ash even has a loving girlfriend who'd follow him to the ends of the earth. I think he has more than enough help!"

"What are you doing?" Drew asked. "What about the Sinnoh Grand Festival where we decided who's Top Coordinator?"

"Which is postponed until repairs are complete months from now," May added, "And that will be plenty of time to kick Cipher's butt and save Giratina from the darkness!"

"Well, I admire all of your dedication," Krane said, lifting up a metal box with Michael's help. "And if you all truly felt this way, then we're not going to stop you." He and Michael opened the crate, revealing several pairs of strange green gloves with peculiar patterns and eyepieces.

"What are those gizmos for?" Kenny asked.

"They are Purification Gauntlets and Aura Readers, personal inventions of mine and a local scientist, Dr. Kaminko, before Professor Oak summoned for me," Krane said. "As you know, wild Pokémon around Kanto and Johto have been infected with the ShadowPokérus, just like Namba explained. Before the virus gets to spread to Hoenn and Sinnoh, we need a group of strong Trainers to find the wild Shadow Pokémon."

"Then what?" Dawn asked.

"You battle them basically; that's how you eradicate the darkness, by reminding them of the good times they've had prior to their infection," Krane explained. "Once the Aura Reader alerts you to fading darkness within its heart, seize the Shadow Pokémon while wearing the Purification Gauntlets. These gauntlets are powered by Agate Village's Relic Stone. They will do the rest and open the door to the Pokémon's heart. That's basically it."

"Gee, that sounds so simple, yet I feel like I don't want any part of this," Drew said. "How can even find the infected Shadow Pokémon in the wild lands of Kanto and Johto?"

"My lab can serve as base, monitoring your locations while pointing out the various targets in whichever area you find yourself in," Oak said. "We're all in this together, so we will do our best to guide you all."

"That's awesome, but then how to we put a stop to Cipher and Shadow Giratina?" Ash asked. Namba walked behind, patting the young man rigidly on the back.

"My good boy, since it was apparent that you can see the invisible dark aura in the sample and in the infected creatures, added to the fact that you're considered the best Trainer of your generation, then by all means, go after them," Namba said, chuckling. "Why they plan to set up shop in Orre, at least that's what I heard before being tossed overboard."

"Orre? But how am I supposed to do such a task alone?"

"Who said you're doing it alone?" Anabel asked, pouting with her arms crossed.

"But Anabel, you even heard Samba say that I'm the only one suited for the job," Ash said. She was not convinced. "Uh, it'll be too dangerous?" Anabel exhaled calmly, shaking her head in disapproval.

"And it's Namba," Namba added irately, walking back to a corner next to Krane.

"Ash, do you really have to do this?" she asked.

"It's the only way, Anabel," Ash said, placing his hands on her shoulders, gazing deeply in her worried eyes. "I have to go to the source. I have to go to Orre." Silence followed as the others watched their favorite couple sort out the outplayed problem of romantic safety and concern.

"… Then I'm going with you!" Anabel declared, removing Ash's hands and taking them into her own. They stepped closer to each other; their emotions burning for a compromise.

"But—."

"You can't stop the Shadow Pokémon and Cipher alone," Anabel intervened, placing her finger upon Ash's lips. The stunned Trainer looked at her, surrendering the privilege of final words to her. "Not even Team Rocket stood a chance. I'm going with you and that's final!"

"…"

Any reason he thought of to dissuade her away from the danger, away from the Giratina that Darkrai implanted in her mind. But with her persistence growing as she further grew out of her shell, he had to respect her wishes. Ash saw her changing as well, perhaps even maturing further than he had. Her schoolgirl crush on him became real love. She never pointed out specific physical traits she admired from him, only falling for his wonderful personality and dedication to his Pokémon as much as her. So there was no dissuading Anabel; she convinced most of them of her expanding self-esteem.


"I guess the only one that I've lost since defeating Cynthia is to you, in a way," Ash chuckled. Anabel giggled; her countenance calming to her meek, cordial, and telepathic self.

"So it's agreed then," Anabel said, her smile livening up the tedious room. "I'm going with you, Aura Guardian Ash."

Only when you're well-equipped for the fight, a voice spoke; the tenderness of its tone echoed in the room. All eyes and ears were alert for the stranger, discovering the supernatural phenomenon materializing in the center of the room from a bright lavender flash of light. The Agent of the Light has survived.

"Cresselia!" everyone exclaimed, examining the roughened Lunar Pokémon floating before them. She hovered towards Anabel; her deep purple eyes signifying the pain she endured from the stall.

Anabel, first place your hand on my head, Cresselia requested. You do the same after her, Ash. The two looked at her as though she spouted blasphemy. Actions, now! Questions, later!

After a quick exchange of confirming looks, they did as she wanted. Anabel was the first to place her hand on Cresselia's forehead while Ash's hand hovered closer. The Lunar Pokémon's eyes flashed brilliantly, intentionally bumping into his hand, instigating something that has not been seen for centuries. His hand glowed the natural ebb of aura; the mystical blue light encircled both Cresselia and Anabel's hand, the aura extending to the rest of her body.

"W-What is this?! I have no control over it!" Ash shouted, unable to budge his arm as the peculiar process began.

Aura Fusion! Cresselia exclaimed, lighting her entire body in sequence to the rhythm to the aura's flow. Another bright flash of light enveloped the laboratory's room, everyone shielding their eyes from the intensity. The aura light dissipated as quickly as it had erupted. Cresselia was nowhere to be seen, but her psychic presence could somehow still be felt.

"What… just happened?" Ash asked, regaining control and mobility of his arm. He observed Anabel's eyes as meditatively closed, exuding her calm persona. Yet he felt something stronger about her from her inside. "Anabel?" Upon the name, she opened her eyes, luminescent as Cresselia's own eyes.

"She is not in control of her body right now; she can hear you, but I am merely substituting in order for her weary personality to recover from this ordeal," she spoke through a gentle blend of Anabel's and Cresselia's voices.

"Cresselia? You're in Anabel?!" May shouted incredulously, examining her closely. Aside from the otherworldly look in her eyes and the combination of voices, Anabel looked the same on the outside. The only factor was that Cresselia was in control of the body, as she previously claimed.

"What was that occurrence that just took place?" Krane asked, adjusting the nose of his glasses.

"That looked like something an Aura User would do," Oak mentioned.

"It is; this ancient technique is called Aura Fusion," Cresselia explained. "It is where a Pokémon and human of similar personalities and strengths fuse, as the name suggests, with an Aura Guardian acting as the bridge. The human is the host with the Pokémon's spirit sharing the body, like a divine symbiosis. The reason that this doesn't apply to Aura Guardians is because they don't need a Pokémon's abilities; they've their own aura powers as it is."

"So, you and Anabel…?" Brock asked, losing the rest of the words to speechlessness.

"Indeed, we are more alike than you know," Cresselia said. "You see, this practice has been discontinued due to the higher authorities fearing that this power might end up in the wrong hands. But I trust all of you enough that I had Ash fuse Anabel and myself."

"So then, how do you guys separate then?" Zoey asked. "I mean, people these days are after any rare Pokémon they can find. With you in a human body, you'll be captured easily."

"We can only separate if both our mentalities agree upon the division," Cresselia explained, wiggling her new fingers in front of the face of her shared body. "The only way we could get back together is if Ash agrees to perform Aura Fusion again."

"And you did this because?" Gary asked, snapping his fingers. Cresselia became exasperated; her new right eye twitched.

"What is it with you humans and your endless questions? Even I have feelings, too!" Cresselia exclaimed, flailing Anabel's arms in an abrupt fit of temper, eventually subsiding due to the unfamiliarity of the adjustment. "I want to save the balance of this world, stopping those evil fools and freeing a fellow Pokémon imprisoned in the darkness. I figured this was the only way I could help without having to be out in the open."

"So let get this straight, Cresselia," Oak said, approaching her cautiously. Cresselia nodded, permitting him to come closer. "Your natural healing abilities and power to break illusions, like Darkrai's nightmares, apply to Anabel now?"

"My powers can also save her Pokémon in tight situations, depending on the psychic bond she formed with them," Cresselia added. "I wouldn't be too worried. She's very close with her Pokémon, meaning that they will all receive the benefits as well."

"Brilliant!" Namba exclaimed, rejoicing to the ceiling. "It's settled. The aura boy gathers his own army of fused human and Pokémon and take down Cipher's army of Shadow Pokémon and their accursed Giratina!"

"No!" Cresselia shouted, pointing the palm of her hand towards Namba, sending a psychic shockwave to force him up the wall. "Only three people can go to Orre and face down Giratina! Ash, Anabel with me, and another with Darkrai are going!" The name of the latter struck a horrified nerve upon many.

"Wait! You want me to fuse someone with Darkrai?!" Ash shouted. "Who would even agree to that?!"

"Someone with a personality as abrasive, but soft inside as Darkrai," Cresselia said calmly, unfazed by his outburst.

"If you're referring to the third guy, then that'll be trouble," Ash said. "I have no idea on anyone who's as aggressive as Darkrai. Where is it anyway?"

"Darkrai's off looking for its destined partner," Cresselia explained, turning towards the doorway. "No luck so far. Also, I entered Sinnoh Guardian Riley's dreams a while ago, arranging and telling him that he was destined to train you in the arts of Aura. Seven months is all it takes and three months to find Cipher and Shadow Giratina. Anabel and I will go with you, monitoring your progress while we become stronger as well." Ash said nothing, strangely accepting her words.

"Okay, so Ash, Anabel, Cresselia, Darkrai, and some mystery dude are going to Orre while the rest of us stay in Kanto and Johto and purify wild Pokémon upon battling them," Dawn surmised; an eager grin formed from ear to ear. "I love this new adventure, but I still plan on being Top Coordinator once this world is saved."

"Me too!" May exclaimed.

"And that goes the same for us," Zoey said, including herself, Drew, and Kenny in the matter. "So we have our plans for the future now, right?"

"All of us go out and spot any wild Shadow Pokémon we find before the ShadowPokérus spreads to Hoenn and Sinnoh," Brock said, "While Ash, Anabel, and the third chosen person face off against Cipher and Shadow Giratina."

"And Team Rocket will finally be avenged!" Namba exclaimed.

"You guys can't do it alone," a soft-spoken voice said. The speaker was the often overshadowed Michael, the laidback hero of Orre years ago.

"So that's what he sounds like," Dawn commented. "Dreamy…"

"I'll help in any way I can, even though this new practice Cipher has done has caught me off guard," Michael said. "I never expected them to just rely on wild Pokémon since Orre has barely any wild Pokémon living there."

"That's my son," Lily said. "We'll need all the help we can get…"


"Where… Where am I? Am I… alive… or am I… dead?" he asked himself, listening to the ocean tides washing to shore.

His vision was blurry, depicting for his mind to visualize a dark night next to an ocean. His body felt battered, squirming about beyond his control from each passing wave. He thought that he was drifting on a soft cloud on the golden skies above; more likely, he laid flat on a granite bed with a bubbling infernal pit underneath, waiting to devour his soul and punish him for his misconduct and horrible deeds he had committed his entire life. One terrible exploit he faced was signing a deal with a manipulative, backstabbing psychopath with a demented sense of humor, laughing at his fall to death.

And yet, he was alive…

"Boss!" three worried voices cried, dragging the poor soul's body off the sand and onto solid ground. He slowly woke up from his coma, discovering the faces of three worried buffoons. "You're alive!"

"You three, what are you doing here?" he asked the trio. He noticed the trio had suffered minor injuries, from torn white Rocket apparel to scratches and bruises.

"We found you lying on the beach," the crimson-haired female replied. "We couldn't let anything happen to you, Master Giovanni!"

"She's right, you know," the blue-haired man said, holding a rose in his hand. "You're our everything, Boss! Without you, Team Rocket is meaningless!"

"And we missed ya so much, ya big lug!" the Meowth exclaimed, greatly hugging him. "Meowt's so happy to see ya up and at 'em!"

"But, how did I survive?" Giovanni asked, swerving his head in different directions for an answer. The slight corner of his eye discovered a being floating nearby, clocked in a large brown cape. The tall being glared at him with reluctance in its glowing, piercing eyes, despising him for reasons unknown. What is that thing?

I don't know why I came to save you, the creature thought. Maybe it's because… No, that's not. Hmph!

The creature teleported away, never to be seen again by his mortal eyes. Giovanni wondered what that creature was, why it glared at him with contempt, and why he had the feeling that it rescued him.


Brief Note: January 23 is the anniversary of my becoming an author. Almost there…