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Chapter 20 – The Power of One Part 4

Slowking paid no attention to Misty, Melody, or Tracey; his tense focus was on Ash. "Take the treasures," he stated, surprising everyone as he pointed towards Ash's pockets. "And put them there." He pointed towards a large shrine behind him, ringed by the same mushroom-shaped pylons they found on Fire Island.

"You can talk?" The words slipped out of Ash's mouth in confusion. But before he could continue, Pikachu pointed towards the pockets of his jacket. "Oh, right!" he stated, grabbing the two orbs. He studied their glow for only a second before following his Pokémon.

He ran past the ring of pylons, approaching the steps in the middle of the shrine that led to a small monument. Rising up the stone steps, he studied the headstone at the top that contained the same language as the writings on the ancient tablet in Lawrence's airship. Unable to make out any of the language written there, he turned to the small cavity underneath the writing.

Peering inside the cavity, he saw three small pedestals that were shaped to hold the spherical orbs. But his gaze was drawn to the three windows behind them that lined up with islands of Fire, Ice, and Lightning.

He understood their meaning, placing Fire Island's orb on the pedestal lined up with its respective island. He did the same with the yellow orb. Both glowed brighter once placed on their pedestal but did nothing else.

Ash narrowed his eyes in confusion; he'd expected something cool to happen, but nothing did. It was then that he noticed the gap between the two orbs, where the third pedestal remained empty, and the window that led to the only island he hadn't been to; Ice Island.

"So, you're Ash?" Ash jumped at Slowking's question, turning to find that the odd Pokémon was now standing behind him.

He found it strange that the Pokémon could talk; as far as he could tell, no other Slowking had ever shown the ability to do so. It led to another question; If this Pokémon had been gifted the ability, what made it special?

"You're one treasure short," Slowking stated, oblivious to the confusion and unease of the human beside him.

"Yeah, I know," Ash agreed. With a thousand questions flooding his mind, he decided to choose one associated with himself. "But how do you know my name?"

"I've known of your name since before you were born," Slowking explained.

But any further explanation would not be forthcoming as their attention was drawn to the battle of the three legendary birds just off the island's coast. Slowly, the attacks drew closer and closer towards them, as if the three Pokémon were intentionally directing their battle towards the shrine.

Fear gripped the three trainers standing in front of the shrine as Ash recklessly ran past them to face the three birds. "Cut it out!" he yelled. Whether the Pokémon couldn't hear him over the sound of their attacks, or they simply chose to ignore him, Ash couldn't tell, but he didn't have time to dwell on it as he attempted to shield himself from the coming onslaught.

But right before one of the attacks could hit, a similar column of water as the one that had carried them to the shrine rose into the air, absorbing the attacks. Ash uncovered his eyes, only to notice two things.

Firstly, there was a thin barrier in front of him that he hadn't put up. And secondly, the column of water continued to rise into the air, knocking back the three birds. Light flickered through the column of water, illuminating the unknown Pokémon within. Everyone watched as suddenly the water dissipated, revealing the majestic silver-white form of Lugia.

"The great guardian, Lugia," Slowking stated, mesmerised. Blinded by awe, he lowered his claws he had raised only a moment earlier.

"I… I can't believe it," Melody said. Her shocked expression was mirrored by the others, who also didn't understand what was going on.

"Lugia?" Ash questioned. Mesmerised by the Pokémon's elegantly slow movements, he couldn't help but wonder how such are large Pokémon was able to keep itself in the air. He figured there must have been another force helping Lugia remain afloat.

With everyone watching, including Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno, Lugia opened its mouth, echoing a gentle melody throughout the islands.

"Wait! That sound!" Melody instantly recognised the tune, pulling her ocarina out from her bag. Misty recognised it too, silently admitting that she'd paid more attention to Melody's performance during the festival than she'd previously let on.

But the song did not affect the three elemental birds, who continued to fly aggressively just out of Lugia's reach.

Having heard Lugia's song as it echoed throughout the four islands, Lawrence the Third, who had remained on his crashed ship, turned his large mechanical telescope towards the Pokémon. "Finally, my prize," he satisfyingly muttered, feeling his efforts hadn't gone to waste. "The beast of the sea will soon belong to me."

After what felt like an eternity for the four trainers near the shrine, the legendary elemental birds finally attacked. Zapdos unleashed massive bursts of lightning towards Lugia, who effortlessly spun away from the attack.

Articuno quickly followed, firing a beam of ice at Lugia as it came out of its spin. Again, Lugia dodged, but it was clear that the Pokémon wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. Next came a flurry of fire from Moltres, who tried to catch Lugia by surprise.

But none of the attacks struck, and all three Pokémon became frustrated. Instead of taking on Lugia one at a time, they all attacked at once. Lugia, sensing that it would be overwhelmed, dove back towards the frozen sea.

Just before the Pokémon hit the water, the dark blue plates that had been jutting outwards from its back folded down, smoothing the surface of its back. A barrier instantly appeared around Lugia just before its body collided with the frozen surface, allowing it to smash through to the ocean below.

Once submerged, Lugia created the same vortex around itself it had earlier. The vortex crashed through the ice, rising into the air. But this time, the three elemental Pokémon were ready. They dodged the attack effortlessly while Articuno quickly countered, freezing the vortex in ice.

The three Pokémon flew around the frozen column of ice, allowing a bit of respite from the battle, before the form of Lugia, held within, glowed. Instantly, the ice shattered, and the battle continued.

Lugia retreated towards the surface as the three birds gave chase. Attack after attack flew towards Lugia, who was now beginning to struggle against the onslaught.

Deciding to go on the offensive, Lugia slowed, allowing the three birds to launch attacks directly at it. But just before the attacks would hit, Lugia created a clear barrier around itself and deflected the attacks back towards the three elemental birds. But Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno quickly shrugged off the attacks.

"Though the Guardian of the Sea shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail. Thus the Earth shall turn to ash," Melody recited, watching the battle unfold.

"This looks bad," Slowking concerningly muttered. Since he was born, he'd known about the prophecy and wondered if it would ever come about during his tenure, but he'd never imagined it would be like this. "The prophecy never explained how devastating the whole thing would be."

"What do you mean?" Melody questioned, turning towards the Pokémon next to them. "The prophecy seems straightforward to me."

"I only know what was imprinted in my memory at birth," Slowking explained. "As Token Bearer of the Fire, Ice, and Lightning Tokens-as well as the keeper of this shrine-I've been gifted with the knowledge of this place. I knew the damage would be great when the three elemental birds awoke from their endless slumber. Still, I never imagined we would be watching the planet's ecosystem collapse before our very eyes. I had underestimated the significance of this place."

"You created the barrier when Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno attacked, didn't you?" Ash questioned. Slowing nodded, confirming Ash's question. "Thank you."

"It wasn't for you," Slowking explained, shaking his head. "I'd raised a barrier to protect the shrine. It is my duty."

Ash felt that Slowking was hiding something, but he decided not to push further with their situation as dire as it was.

Lugia dodged attack after attack, but eventually, Lugia was hit, with the force of the three attacks knocking it out. Lugia's unconscious body fell towards the frozen ocean, smashing through the icy barrier hard. Three attacks instantly followed, sealing the ocean below.

Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno flew around triumphantly, now free to continue their battle for dominance.

Professor Oak, Professor Ivy, and Delia watched the battle unfold from the helicopter hovering safely near Shamouti Island.

"What are Ash and his friends doing out in this terrible weather?" Delia worryingly asked, watching Lugia be struck by the attacks from the three elemental birds. "I'm worried about them."

Professor Oak slumped back in his chair, sighing after he watched Lugia disappear beneath the sea. "I wish Yellow were here." He instantly froze, realising what he'd muttered. He stared at the back of the head of the brown-haired woman seated in front of him, worried how she would respond.

"Who's Yellow?" Ivy questioned, failing to notice Professor Oak's unease.

"She was an old friend," Professor Oak cryptically explained. "She'd had more experience with Lugia than anyone. She'd know what to do about this if she were here."

"Well, she can't," Delia spat; her eyes narrowed. "She's gone… And she's never coming back."

"There's only one hope," Slowking continued. "Only the Chosen One can bring together the treasures to help the water's great guardian."

"But the legend says its song will fail," Melody countered.

"And thus the earth shall turn to ash," Slowking continued, turning towards Ash.

"But how are we going to find the Chosen One if we don't even know where to look?" Melody questioned, clearly missing Slowking's implications as the Pokémon continued to stare towards Ash.

"It's right in the legend," Misty stated, realising what Slowking was saying. "The Earth shall turn to Ash. It wasn't referring to the ground crumbling; it meant that the planet would pin its hope on Ash."

"I agree," Tracey added. "I think it's talking about you, Ash."

"I'm the… Chosen One?" Ash nervously pointed to himself. But deep down, he knew he'd heard of that title before; he couldn't remember where. But realising its implications, he was immediately gripped by fear. "Wait. Wait. Wait!"

"I know it doesn't sound easy, Ash," Misty continued, understanding Ash's reluctance.

"But you're the only one who matches the legend perfectly," Tracey added. "What do you say?"

"Well, right now, I wish my mum had named me Bob instead of Ash," Ash explained. "But something tells me the prophecy would have changed its phrasing if that were the case."

"Ash, this whole thing is my fault," Melody apologised. "I… I should never have dragged you into this."

"Well, I guess I've got to go along with that," Ash accepted. "But none of what's happening is your fault."

"Don't blame yourself," Misty consoled, agreeing with Ash. "Ash is always getting us into trouble."

"Yeah, but nothing like this," Ash argued. Ash didn't know who he was trying to convince; Himself or Misty, but they both knew it was a lie. Their memories were a little vague around what happened in Vermillion City, and then there was the whole incident in Cerulean City that had left the town in ruins.

"Huh, Lugia!" Melody's thoughts came together when she remembered the sound the Pokémon had made when it first arrived. "The sound it makes is just like the song from the legend!" She pulled out her ocarina and began playing the tune from earlier.

The melody slightly affected the shrine, and Ash could feel a small amount of energy radiating from it. The energy wasn't powerful enough to affect them, but he felt it was meant for something else.

Beneath the sea, as Lugia sank to the bottom, the energy from the shrine reached out to the Pokémon, engulfing it in multi-coloured light. Slowly, Lugia's strength returned. It opened its eyes, sensing the shrine's power and the song that had unleashed it.

Melody's tune came to an end, and it felt like nothing had happened. The small amount of energy from the shrine had dissipated, and everything remained the same. They stood there silently for a brief moment, staring out at the frozen ocean before them.

The strange calmness that had befallen the island disappeared as a vortex of water sprouted into the sky. This vortex was different, however, with the water shrouded in multi-coloured light. The colours of the rainbow reflected from its surface before shattering to reveal Lugia, who was shrouded in light.

Having returned with most of its strength, Lugia slowly lowered itself to hover just above the shrine. "The song. The song has restored my strength," it explained telepathically in a distinctly male voice. "But it alone can not bring harmony to the three waring ones."

"What do you mean?" Ash questioned.

"When the treasures of fire, ice, and lightning are aligned, my song shall harmonise with their power and tame the beast both above and below the sea," Lugia explained. "But this can come to pass only with the help of the Chosen One."

"But what can I do to help?" Ash asked. "That somebody else can't?"

"Only in the hands of the true Chosen One will the ice sphere glow like the others," Lugia continued. "Its power awakened."

Ash looked towards Ice Island, his gaze falling on the three legendary birds fighting before it. "I have to go over there?" he nervously questioned.

"The choice is yours," Lugia explained. "You must go only where your heart leads."

"Maybe I…" He stared worryingly out on the battle before him, his fear growing by the second. But he suddenly felt a tug at his pants. Looking down, he looked at Pikachu as the electric-type Pokémon stared encouragingly back at him. "I can?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded. Suddenly, several of his Poké Balls burst open. As the light faded, Ash stared at the Pokémon around him.

"You think so, too?" Ash questioned. They all roared in agreement.

No, Pikachu and the others were right. He had to do it; he understood that. The spheres had only glowed in his hands; there was no one else that could do it.

"Okay," Ash agreed, but a new fear gripped him. He was no longer worried about facing the challenge head-on; he was now worried about failing and the ramifications that would come from that. He tipped his cap over his eyes to hide the small number of tears that were forming. "I'll do whatever it takes to get that third treasure. But what if I mess up? But what if I…." He couldn't speak anymore; fear taking over his body.

"You can do it," Misty softly encouraged, understanding how hard it would be for Ash.

"We know you can," Melody added.

At their words, his mind raced, and he suddenly remembered the day when Mew had referred to him as the Chosen One. This day had been a long time coming, and he had to accept the responsibility that came with it.

"Yeah, you're right." Ash agreed, his eyes ablaze with determination. "I can do it; I'm the Chosen One!"

When Ash reached the bottom of the steps that led to the shrine and took his first step out onto the frozen ocean, he realised he wouldn't be able to reach Ice Island on foot. It left him with one option. Grabbing the Poké Ball, he released the one Pokémon he knew would be able to travel across the ice both quickly and efficiently; Lapras.

Lapras glided across the frozen surface with ease. Ash and Pikachu sat cautiously near the Pokémon's neck, while Charizard flew only a few metres above them. Ash had come up with a plan should the three legendary birds turn their fury on them, but he hoped they would be too focused on each other to notice them as they approached.

Lugia flew above them, planning to shield them from any attacks that may come their way, but they knew they couldn't count on the legendary Pokémon to protect them completely; it was three against one after all.

It was this reason that Ash had summoned Charizard. While he knew none of his Pokémon would be strong enough to defeat Moltres, Zapdos, or Articuno on their own, he figured he could use the same attacks from the three Pokémon he'd called out to try and deflect any incoming attacks. It was the exact order he had given his fire and flying-type Pokémon, and he only hoped that Charizard wouldn't see any of the legendary birds as a worthy challenge to face.

In only a minute, they were already halfway to Ice Island. As they drew closer to their goal with each passing second, they also drew closer to the danger.

The wild winds blew into the helicopter, causing it to sway as it neared Shamouti Island violently. The pilot had attempted to land the helicopter on Shamouti Island while the three Legendary birds were occupied near Ice Island, but the fierce winds had ruined that plan.

Professor Oak, Professor Ivy, and Delia clutched onto their seats as the helicopter crashed onto the ground, coming to a sliding halt on the cliff above the shrine; smoke and dust flying into the air. None of them made a move; too worried that any shift in weight would cause further harm.

But once the danger had passed, Professor Oak was the first out of his seat. He quickly checked over Delia to make sure she was okay. She nodded, confirming she was alright, before unbuckling herself from the seat.

After checking on the other passengers, Professor Oak made his way to the door, forcing it open with all his strength. His old bones ached as he jumped out of the helicopter, his legs nearly buckling as his feet hit the hard frozen ground. "I'm not nearly as young as I once was," he muttered before helping the others out of the helicopter.

Moltres and Zapdos dived towards Ash as he neared. He knew his hopes of simply slipping past the waring Pokémon were gone as the two Pokémon launched a blaze of fire and shocking lighting at him.

Pikachu and Charizard immediately countered their attack, cutting off the fire and electricity before it could reach them. Ash silently thanked that he had visited Trovita Gym before coming here; otherwise, he wouldn't have known the best way to counter the legendary Pokémon's attacks. If it weren't for the race at Mikan Gym, he wouldn't have realised how fast Lapras was on the ice.

However, Ash didn't have much time to mull over his learnings as Articuno followed up with a powerful Ice Beam launched straight at them. Lapras had intended to counter with her Ice Beam, but at that moment, Lugia dived down in front of them, protecting them with a field of energy that surrounded itself.

"Do not worry about their attacks," Lugia reassured. "I shall draw their attention away from you. Focus on making it to the treasure. I shall meet you there."

True to his word, Lugia lured the three legendary Pokémon away. But Ash could tell that even though their attacks were focused on Lugia, there was a slight chance that they could still be glanced at by an attack as Lugia attempted to dodge it.

"Remain vigilant," Ash told his Pokémon. "We may not be out of the woods just yet."

Lapras nodded, picking up speed as they neared Ice Island. Charizard roared as he flew slightly ahead, and Pikachu squeaked next to him. They understood they weren't out of danger, and they were about to let their guard down for a second.

Perhaps it was Ash who should have headed his own words the most. He'd allowed himself to relax for a brief moment, sighing in relief as they neared the island. But at that moment, he failed to notice Lugia as it dived near him, a burst of flames that followed slicing through the ice in front of them.

Ash had little time to react; Lapras was racing towards the gushing water flowing towards them. He quickly returned Charizard to protect him, but he could not stop Lapras from smashing into the water. The Pokémon could only travel in a straight line on the ice, unable to manoeuvre in any way.

He didn't want to ask his Pokémon to freeze the water either; they would then be faced with a solid wall of ice that they would somehow need to smash through. But his worse fears were realised when Articuno fired an Ice Beam towards the surface, freezing the water instantly.

He tried to think of something that could help, anything that could steer Lapras away. He tried to remember a time when he'd faced a similar challenge, and at that moment, the answer came to him.

He remembered the one piece of advice given by the Gym Leader of the Navel Island Gym; "Use the environment to your advantage."

Clutching its Poké Ball, Ash summoned the one Pokémon he knew could steer them out of this. The Pokémon appeared on Lapras' shell, taking up nearly two-thirds of the Pokémon's back. Ivysaur looked around confused until Ash told him what to do.

"Use your vines to steer us clear of that!" He pointed towards the mountainous ice wall that had formed in front of them. "This is just like the sled race on Naval Island. You're the only one that can do this!"

"Ivysaur!" The Pokémon nodded. Ivysaur extended his vines, one wrapping around Lapras while the other smashed through the ice below. Ivysaur had expected his vines to catch on the ice, but they were moving too fast, his vines cutting through the ice like scissors through paper.

They weren't slowing down, and Ash was out of ideas. Unless Ivysaur's vines could latch onto the ice, there was no chance of them evading the wall in front of them. And as luck would have it-the first time Ash felt he'd been lucky that day-Ivysaur's vines managed to latch onto a small stalagmite beneath the frozen surface.

They turned sharply, and Ash had to grip onto Lapras' neck tightly to prevent himself from being thrown off. Just as the sudden moment shift ended, and Ash relaxed on Lapras' back, he realised they were travelling parallel with the ice wall.

Once they reached the end of the wall, Ivysaur used his vines to turn them again. They found themselves heading directly for Ice Island with none of the legendary birds in sight. Ash sighed, relieved that they had managed to escape from the precarious situation and that they wouldn't have to deal with Moltres, Zapdos, or Articuno for a little while.

They now had a straight shot at Ice Island, and he wasn't going to let it go to waste.

What Will Happen Next? Continue the Story with The Next Chapter!

Any questions, Pokémon suggestions, ideas for the story, or OC's you have that you would like to see in the story, just PM me or send it in a review! All are welcome!

Ash's Pokémon:

On Hand:

Pikachu (Electric) (Male)
Lapras (Water/Ice) (Female)
Ivysaur (Grass/Poison) (Male)
Charizard (Fire/Flying) (Male)
Blastoise (Water) (Male)
Rhydon (Ground/Rock) (Female)
Riolu (Fighting) (Male)
Snorlax (Normal) (Male)
Ralts (Psychic/Fairy) (Male) (Shiny)
Grubbin (Bug) (Female) (Shiny)

At Oak's Ranch:

Pidgeot (Normal/Flying) (Male)
Arcanine (Fire) (Male)
Nidorino (Poison) (Male) (Shiny)
Umbreon (Dark) (Male) (Shiny)
Raticate (Normal) (Female)
Butterfree (Bug/Flying) (Male)
Kingler (Water) (Female)
Absol (Dark) (Male)
Gengar (Ghost/Poison) (Male)
Primeape (Fighting) (Female)
Muk (Poison) (Male)
Tauros (Normal) (Male) (x23)
Sandslash (Ground) (Male)
Gyarados (Water/Flying) (Male)
Dragonair (Dragon) (Female)
Beldum (Steel/Psychic) (Shiny)

Departed:

Mew

Misty's Pokémon:

On Hand:

Starmie (Water/Psychic)
Seel (Water) (Male)
Feebas (Water) (Female)
Vaporeon (Water) (Female)
Psyduck (Water) (Male)
Togepi (Fairy) (Male)
Egg

At Oak's Ranch:

Kabutops (Rock/Water) (Male) (Shiny)
Seaking (Water) (Female)
Staryu (Water/Psychic)
Tentacruel (Water/Poison) (Male)
Pelipper (Water/Flying) (Female)
Seadra (Water) (Female)
Froakie (Water) (Female)

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