AN: Good day to you all, if any of you are left with how long it has taken me to get this chapter. I was stuck at a rut of where to go for this chapter and then work and now I'm having a second child with my lovely wife. Two children under two years old, I am getting old. But, yeah having to help with getting things ready since baby is due in December along with working extra hard due to being understaffed because no one wants to work has made it difficult to find time. Either way I am sorry that it took so long and I hope this chapter makes up for the delay. IMPORTANT: As a heads up Zyon's name will be changed to Zipher due to the owner of the character name would like it to be so since he is pulling from fanfiction altogether and out of respect for letting me use the name I agreed I will be going back to previous chapters and change the name while trying to correct any mistakes in them too within time. The harem is as follows:

Cynthia

Anabel

Korrina

Serena

Ursula

Elesa

Roxie

Hilda

Sabrina

Skyla

Zinnia

Pokémon- Attack

"Pokémon"- Pokémon speaking (people won't understand unless told otherwise)

"Pokémon"- Human Speech

'Pokémon'- Thinking

"Pokémon"- Pokédex Entry

Pokémon Chapter 30:

Disaster Struck a Hero's Rage

Zipher laid there in wait as the chains rushed at Mewtwo, helpless to save the Psychic Legendary Pokémon.

Just as the chains were about to pierce their target, a bright flash of light appeared as two Aura Spheres rushed and countered the point of the chains, causing them to shatter upon impact.

From the light came Ash, Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu as they landed lightly on the ground. Ash quickly surveyed the area and situation before giving his orders. "Pikachu go and free Mewtwo with Iron Tail, Lucario go take care of that Espeon. Gardevoir please entertain both Bisharp and Mismagius for me." He tossed a Pokéball and released Sceptile from its confines. "Go free Blaziken and get those three out of the way, also make sure she doesn't interfere or get in our way."

Everyone followed their given orders as Ash fired another Aura Sphere that freed Zipher's Lucario who landed on both of his knees with heavy breaths. He looked to Mewtwo whom was struggling to stand on his own feet. Grabbing another Pokéball, he tossed it behind him as he himself rushed at Shadow. "Defend Mewtwo until he gets his second wind." His Zoroark appeared in a flash as it roared in acknowledgment of his orders.

Shadow grit his teeth in frustration as he cancelled his chains and fired his Dark Aura: Dark Pulse that Ash easily plowed through by covering his body in his own Aura. This shocked Shadow as he didn't expect Ash to be to capable of doing that.

He paid for his lapse of attention when Ash slammed an aura-infused punched into his gut. This caused him to gasp in intense pain before being sent flying back. As he flew, Ash appeared running beside the flying Shadow before he used an aura-infused knee into the side of head to send him upwards.

This ascension was, again, halted by Ash who used Vine Whip to wrap around him. "I'm going to make sure you pay for your crimes and for laying your filthy hands on my loved ones!" Ash pulled him down and slammed Shadow into the ground which kicked up enough dirt and debris in the air to cover the impact zone.

"The situation is no longer in your favor Shadow," Ash said as his aura lashed out, causing the ground to begin cracking under the pressure. "No innocent lives for you to threaten and no Espeon to bail you out of here. This time you will have to face me." Ash took out his aura weapon and took a fighting stance "And I won't give you a chance to escape me now." Ash gathered the Aura to encompass his staff before changing its properties to fire, causing flames to cover the staff.

Shadow grit his teeth as he called out his chains and readied himself to fight, knowing Ash was right. 'For now,' he thought. 'I just need an opening, one slip-up and its over for him. Too bad Ash, you won't gave the same protection that Zipher possess. I can take you, but my Master has plans for you.'

Ash swung his staff as arcs of fire rushed at Shadow who had to dodge by jumping side-to-side. Swinging his chain sideways, he cancelled out the arc before it hit him. His eyes widened when he saw that Ash was no longer in the same spot he was in earlier.

Feeling an intense heat beside him, he ducked as the staff almost hit his head. What he didn't expect was for Ash to turn and kick his face with his heel. This caused Shadow to stumble back, but he kept his footing. He gathered his aura and power to his fist before punching the ground in his anger.

" Void Daze!" he yelled in anger as a dome of red and black energy formed and quickly expanded.

This didn't deter Ash who merely backflipped away and avoided the dome altogether, while also using his aura to analyze the energy in the move.

'That is definitely Night Daze,' he thought as the dome vanished and Shadow stood in a smoking crater of death. Nothing around him was alive, as if the life was sucked away from anything not destroyed by the dome itself. 'That feeling was not normal in the slightest. It's familiar yet so different.'

Shadow stood up and glared at Ash, his body giving off the red and black energy. His eyes glowed brightly as his chains appeared from his fists. He swung the chains at Ash who fired multiple Aura Spheres that destroyed each chain.

Shadow charged at Ash in a blur that Ash was able to see easily. So when Shadow made to punch Ash, he was quickly judo flipped over his shoulder. The stunned Shadow had no time to react before Ash slammed his aura-infused heel into his gut so hard a crater formed underneath them.

Normally Ash would not be hitting someone this hard, but Shadow has shown to not be a normal person and needed much harder strikes to do actual damage.

Sensing danger, Ash jumped up in time as chains burst out of the downed Shadow's body. Each chain changed trajectory and charged at Ash who dodged by twisting and flipping over them. Using his staff, Ash destroyed each chain that tried to grab onto him or pierce him. Landing on the ground, he took a stance as he smirked at the glaring Shadow.

"That the beat you could do Shadow?" Ash asked in amusement at his anger.

"I'm going to enjoy devouring your soul," Shadow growled as more of his power was being released. "I'm going to tear it out in the most painful way possible, guardian!"

In the treetops was Lucario and Espeon, both of which just clashed a Dark Aura: Iron Tail and an Aura: Bullet Punch. The moment their feet touched the tree trunk, they pushed off at each other which destroyed the branch.

They clashed their attacks once more, creating a powerful airborne struggle before Lucario grabbed the Iron Tail and spun Espeon around before throwing him towards the ground.

The ground shook from the impact as a crater was formed, but Espeon got up and fired multiple Shadow Balls. Lucario nose-dived toward the Ghost type attacks, undeterred as he gathered aura around his fists and arms. He deflected any of the attacks that he couldn't move away from as he approached Espeon fast.

The Psychic type jumped back to avoid being in a direct path but was shocked when a fiery heel drop aimed for his temple. Quickly using Teleport, the powerful Pokémon barely avoided being slammed by an attack that demolished where he once stood.

Lucario stood tall as he recreated an Aura Sphere in his left paw. " Your good Espeon," he said to the Sun Pokémon. " If I had to rank you, you are definitely a Champion level Pokémon. So why work for someone like Shadow? Why world for a guy as cruel as he is?"

" I don't answer to you," the Sun Pokémon replied as the dark aura surrounded him. " You have no idea what I had to go through. So shut up and fight! Shock Wave !"

He fired the electric orb at Lucario who fired his Aura Sphere with a disappointed look.

The two attacks collided in a devastating explosion that made both opposing Pokémon brace themselves.

As the two Pokémon charged each other with their respective energies surrounding them, they slammed their heads against one another.

Lucario was surprised when Espeon moved to the side and slammed an Dark Aura: Iron Tail into his chest. This sent him airborne in pain, way more than he anticipated.

The Aura Pokémon was caught by Gardevoir who appeared behind him and grabbed his arms. She looked to her sides as Mismagius and Bisharp rushed them from the right and the left. From the front, Espeon fired a dark aura powered Shadow Ball at them. The Embrace Pokémon simply smiled before using Teleport to dodge them all just as they were about to collide with them.

They reappeared behind Espeon and blasted the Psychic type with her own Shadow Ball that caused him to cry out in pain and tumbling away.

Lucario stood up and nodded at the Psychic/Fairy type. " Thank you for the save Gardevoir," he said to the motherly Pokémon. " He slipped through my guard."

" Its fine Lucario ," Gardevoir replied. " But we should definitely be more careful as who knows what other tricks they have. Should be pretty fun in the end."

Both Pokémon looked forward to find their opponents had grouped up and were glaring hatefully at the duo.

" Well it seems that they are teaming up," Gardevoir said as she gathered up her Psychic energy. " If they want to team up then why don't we do the same, Lucario?"

Lucario nodded before he smirked at feeling a powerful aura join them. He looked down to find Pikachu has joined them with sparkling cheeks.

" I figured you guys wouldn't mind a little back up," Pikachu said as Lucario looked back to their opponents. " Let's go." As soon as he finished, Pikachu seemingly vanished before reappearing beside Mismagius, Iron Tail slamming into the Ghost type's head.

Espeon made to attack Pikachu, but jumped away as an Aura Sphere from Lucario flew passed him. The Psychic type glared at Lucario who charged at him. Not willing to step down, he ran at the Aura Pokémon, charging a Dark Aura: Shadow Ball.

Gardevoir simply walked up to Bisharp, whom only glared at the Psychic/Fairy type. While she had a bright smile on her face, the power wafting off her body showed how serious she was.

Bisharp rushed at Gardevoir, his Metal Claws glowing brightly and menacingly. He began swinging at Gardevoir who just began dodging each swing before jumping over Bisharp and kicking off the back of his head.

As she landed, she leaned back as Bisharp swung his Metal Claw at her head. Using that footing, she struck a foot out and tripped Bisharp which caused him to fall forward. Before he could hit the ground though, Gardevoir fired a Moonblast into his face that sent him tumbling away.

" It would be in your best interest to stay down Bisharp," she said to the Dark/Steel type who only glared at her.

To the side as Ash and his Pokémon handled the threat, Sceptile kept watch over May and Blaziken. Blaziken watched in awe as Ash and his team of Pokémon picked apart the same enemies that was crushing them just mere moments ago!

" How?" Blaziken asked herself, gaining Sceptile's attention. " How could he be taking these guys down with no real effort? I could do nothing to them and now they are being treated like untrained baby Pokémon."

Sceptile smirked at the fire starter, not noticing the blush on her face as she looked at him. " Your not seeing anything yet," he said as he used Leaf Blade to destroy a stray Shadow Ball. " Ash isn't using his full strength and neither are the other Pokémon. No point in wasting energy needlessly."

He couldn't help but preen a bit when Blaziken looked his way with awe.

" Showing off Sceptile, that isn't like you," Zoroark said walking up to the Grass type with Lucario and Zipher on his shoulders.

"Zipher!" May cried out as she ran up to the young guardian who was barely sitting up now. "Oh my goodness, are you ok?! I'm so sorry! None of that would have happened to you if not for me!" She had tears falling from her eyes at seeing the wounds on Zipher's body.

"Don't worry about it May," Zipher replied as he pet her hair to calm her down. "You don't have to worry about it, I will be alright. This won't keep me and Lucario down for long. Right buddy?" Lucario nodded his head before an explosion above them caught their attention.

They looked up to fund Ash and Shadow clash with their glowing fists. Shadow was struggling while Ash just looked more focused. Shadow was caught by surprise when Ash hit him with an Aura Sphere to his gut. Using Magnet Rise he tilted the electric platform before kicking off it to chase Shadow.

" Ash is showing absolutely no mercy this time," Zoroark stated. " He's actually aiming to take down Shadow, painfully. I almost feel bad for the human honestly. He's lucky Ash is not using some of his more powerful Pokémon like Charizard or Greninja."

"That would honestly be overkill as Lucario, Pikachu, and Gardevoir are more than enough to handle this," Sceptile replied watching Pikachu knock Mismagius unconscious. " That's one down and I have a feeling that Bisharp over there is about to follow suit."

" Yeah, facing your crush over there can be a total nightmare when she is being completely serious," Zoroark said with a teasing grin.

Sceptile blushed as he sent a glare at the chuckling Zoroark, missing the heartbroken expression on Blaziken's face. "That was a long time ago, Zoroark! I don't like Gardevoir like that anymore."

While Blaziken breathed a sigh of relief, Zoroark finally broke and began laughing at the look from Sceptile. This stopped when Bisharp landed next to Mismagius , also unconscious. Gardevoir simply shook her head in disappointment, making her way towards Pikachu's side.

"It would seem things are coming to an end," Zipher said as he watched the fight turn in their favor. "It won't be long before Ash and Lucario take out Shadow and Espeon."

"How do you know Ash, Zipher?" May asked. "For him to appear here like this shows that you at least know him in some way."

"That's kind of a long story May. I have known Ash for quite some time as he helped me through some tough times in my life. I honestly wouldn't be here without him."

Though May wanted to ask more, she didn't want to push it as Zyon was still badly hurt. Instead, they watched as Espeon and Lucario collided over and over. Iron Tail vs Bullet Punch. The exchange ended when Espeon fired a Shadow Ball into the ground between them, using the explosion to gain some distance.

Then it used Shock Wave to shock Lucario who grunted in pain before he broke out of it and fired Aura Sphere, that Espeon dodged.

Landing, it twisted its body in time to dodge a Blaze Kick before pushing away as a glowing Bullet Punch narrowly missed him. He shot another Shock Wave that pushed the silver furred Lucario back.

The Psychic type landed, but was panting heavily. The constant battle from Mewtwo to now going against Lucario, along with the wounds sustained from both battles now getting to him. Not to mention having to mix its dark aura to its attacks have drained him even further. Even if he won, he would still have to deal with Pikachu, Gardevoir, Sceptile, Zoroark, and Blaziken. The last three were of no issue to him even as exhausted as he was, but Pikachu and Gardevoir were a huge threat to him.

He knew that he could not keep raising battle up for much longer.

Fur slightly singed, Lucario got up as he shook off the leftover sparks. He looked to Espeon as he gathered more aura throughout his body.

" Even if your my enemy, I must commend your strength Espeon. You are truly a powerful opponent to go through such a battle and still give me so much trouble. I am honored to have such a battle with you, but saddened that I will have to end this battle so soon."

" I'll destroy you! Shock Wave !" Espeon yelled in anger as he fired another orb of electricity towards Lucario who dodged it, fully prepared this time.

Using his Extreme Speed, Lucario was able to end within reach of his opponent in seconds and slam a powerful Blaze Kick into Espeon. A shockwave was felt from the impact as the Psychic type flew back in agonizing pain. Before he could recover this time though, Lucario was above him and once more slammed him into the ground by the use of his Aura Sphere.

The explosion shook the area as a small dust cloud of debris overtook the two Pokémon. The smoke dispersed when Lucario jumped out and landed by the unconscious Mismagius and Bisharp.

" That makes three down," Lucario stated as he set the unconscious Espeon by its allies. " All that is left now is Shadow himself."

An explosion caught all their attention as Ash had punched Shadow with an Aura enhanced Thunder Punch that sent the dark man back.

He landed on his feet, before dropping to his knees in exhaustion. Ash slowly walked up to the man, his aura encasing his body like a protective shield.

"Just give up Shadow," he said looking down at the man. "You have lost here. There is no point in humiliating yourself any further by continuing this futile effort."

Shadow growled before lunging at Ash, his entire arm coated him red and black crackling energy. He aimed to stab Ash through the chest, but it was stopped when Ash swung his staff that actually cut Shadows arm clean off.

May screamed in horror as the others looked towards with Ash with indifference other than a silently terrified Blaziken. Lucario was the only one of the group focused on watching Shadow intently, having an idea why Ash did something so brutal.

Shadow grunted in pain as he held the spot where his arm used to be, as he looked at the now useless limb laying on the ground. He began to growl in boiling rage, the growl sounding almost primal.

"I told you to give up Shadow," Ash said as he stepped on the fallen limb. "You wasted your chance to just surrender and now you lost your arm because of it. Now just stop wasting both of our time and give up before you lost the other limb."

"I…will destroy you," Shadow mumbled lowly as his rage only grew before he could no longer contain it. "I no longer care what his intentions or orders are anymore. I WILL DESTORY YOU!" A new arm made of red and black energy formed from the stump before flesh formed over it and clothing over that. A dark orb formed in his hand before firing it at Ash's head, the young guardian merely tilting his head to dodge the attack.

"So I was right about you Shadow," Ash said. "You're an energy construct made from the left over power of Yvetal."

Everyone except Ash's Lucario, Gardevoir, and Zipher looked shocked by their trainers words.

"So he really is like me," Zipher whispered, getting May to look at him in surprise. "There really is someone like me, but that would explain the animosity towards me."

"Now the million Pokédollar question is," Ash continued. "Who helped give you shape and form."

"Wouldn't you like to know," Shadow taunted as he stood up again. Controlling the energy in his body, he was about to attack before a blast of psychic energy caught everyone off guard and sent the two fighters flying back.

Before the other Pokémon could act, another psychic aura surrounded them and levitated them in the air before tossing then away. They all slammed into trees, but Zipher was able to save May from impact by wrapping around her and taking the brunt of the damage. Sceptile did the same thing but for Blaziken, who was also too hurt to properly brace herself.

Everyone recovered and looked around only to find that Shadow and his Pokémon had all vanished.

Ash looked around using his aura as best he could, stretching its reach to the best of his abilities. 'Espeon was unconscious, so there is no way it helped them escape. Who helped them?' Looking towards his Pokémon, he saw them getting up while his Lucario sensed around the area. Even Gardevoir and Mewtwo were using their psychic power to sense out the area.

Taking a deep sigh, Ash turned to the heavily wounded Zipher who was being helped up by a battered May. Ash had to bite back an angry growl at seeing the Hoenn native, having more concerns than her at the moment. "Scizor, come on out!"

The Bug/Steel type burst out from the Pokéball and stood next to Zoroark. "Scizor, I want you and Zoroark to fan out and look for Shadow and his Pokémon as best you can. Report back to the others if you found something or if an hour has past. If you see anything or anyone suspicious then report back immediately. DO NOT engage unless forced to do so and even then I want you to send a Flamethrower and Flash Canon respectively straight up as a signal." When both Pokémon nodded in understanding Ash raised his hand. "May the aura guide both of you. Move out!"

Both Pokémon took off in opposite directions, both hoping to find something to help stop that madman.

Looking to Zipher once more, Ash walked over to them which made May tense at seeing him. This Ash was much more ruthless than she ever knew, and she had no clue what to do.

"Are you alright Zipher?" Ash asked his student in a tense tone. "Are you able to walk?"

"Unfortunately not on my own," Zipher replied as he winced in pain. "Shadow and those chains did a real number on my body. I will no doubt need some sleep to regain any strength."

Ash nodded as he could see Zipher's wounds bleed more and noticed Shadow was going for points to cause critical condition for a normal person.

"I can help take him to a hospital, Ash," May offered only to visibly flinch away as Ash's glare became more intense when he looked at her.

"He wouldn't have been in this position if not for you getting in his way!" Ash yelled as his eyes gained a black tint to them before it vanished. "We got to get him to the others so he and Lucario can heal up."

"Ash," Zipher said, gaining his master's attention. "She needs medical help too and her Blaziken definitely needs medical attention."

"Fine Gardevoir can drop them off to a Pokémon Center," Ash replied with a scoff. "That way they can get help and are out of my hair."

"Master, you know as well as I do what the lingering effects of our power can do," Zipher replied. "And if he is a creation made from that Pokémon like he said then she will need me nearby to heal properly."

'It's not a matter if he was telling the truth, since I have it confirmed with no doubt in my mind,' Ash thought with clenched fists. 'With all of that death energy, there is no doubt that May and Blaziken absorbed some of it into their bodies. It will eat them from the inside out since the power was more corrosive in its use. Dammit he is right!'

"Fine Zipher, you win. Your right, as I can sense the death energy flowing through their bodies as we speak. We will take them back to camp, but she better not expect a five star stay. Gardevoir, do you mind taking us to camp? I also will need your help in grabbing the others."

Gardevoir smiled and nodded before she used Psychic on them all and used Teleport. All of them vanished in a flash of light, leaving a destroyed section of the forest.

Hidden Cave

In a flash of light, Shadow and his Pokémon appeared as each of them dropped to the floor. Shadow was the only one who still conscious of his group, despite still being heavily injured and exhausted.

In front of them was Red who had his arms crossed and glared angrily at Shadow. Beside him sat his Pikachu, who grinned at Shadow with dark amusement.

"Your lucky that your still alive Shadow," Red said as he looked down to his subordinate. "You got too complacent and took a huge risk that no doubt had completely exposed you to them. Why would you so foolishly go after the guardian's Mewtwo in the first place?"

"I figured we could use its power eventually," Shadow replied a bit nervous at his masters stern gaze. "And thanks to that I was able to return with a gift for you Master." He raided his right hand as red and black electricity shot out and encircled a purple orb of energy that formed from his palm.

"The energy I took from Mewtwo could very well come in handy as it was quite powerful, more than I expected. Him not knowing I was stealing copious amounts of his power throughout our battle was what lead me to my overall victory and completion of my goal. I just didn't expect that wannabe and the guardian to appear and get in my way."

Red gazed at Shadow for a moment before he nodded and raised his hand. Black wisps of aura reached out and encircled Mewtwo's stolen energy as he examined. Lifting it up, he looked behind Shadow. "Take this and add it into your body. This should help with increasing your power as the stolen energy is both compatible and quite dense."

The purple energy streamed behind Shadow as a pale gray hand absorbed the power. When the energy was done being absorbed, a bright dark blue light shine before it vanished.

"Energy absorption is complete Master," a feminine voice said.

"Good, that will help you plenty and make your power boosts more solid," Red replied before looking back and addressing his subordinate. "You are to rest for the rest of the day Shadow and once complete, I will be sending you out on another mission that I have for you. It would seem that Kyogre is close for capture soon. Now go."

Shadow stood tall and bowled. "Yes my Master, I await your next orders. What of my team if I may ask? What of spying on Ash and that dammed Zipher?"

"Your team will be taken to the labs for healing while you recover," Red replied. "Once I summon you, then they will be returned to you along with an addition as its conditioning is complete. You will also have an add-on to your team for this mission."

Shadow bowed once more before leaving, walking past his team without so much as a glance at them.

"You take them to the labs and you may return to your resting position. I would rather you not risk yourself being discovered yet until we are in place to wage our little world wide war, Mewtwo."

From the confines of the caves shadows, walked out a Mewtwo whose eyes were a dark blue. "As you command of me Master. I shall return to you shortly." The revealed Psychic type said in a female tone that echoed throughout the cave. The unconscious pile of Pokémon were surrounded by a dark blue aura of psychic energy before they all disappeared.

"My army is nearly ready and in position," Red said as he looked to the Pikachu next to him. "Soon, not even the deities of this world will be able to stop me and Arceus shall pay for what he has done to me."

Back with Ash

The group appeared in the clearing in a flash of light, gaining everyone's attention. When they saw Ash, they all got happy at seeing him but that quickly changed to wariness as they saw they dark look in his eyes. They all calmed down though when they saw Mewtwo, Lucario and Pikachu were there with him. Even Gardevoir was there, meaning if Ash does lose himself again then they will be able to stop him.

"Espeon, I need you over here to help Gardevoir. Blaziken and Lucario need the most attention. I would do it, but I need to heal Zipher's wounds as you all know. So while your at it, can you handle healing the brunette over here. After which, send her and her Blaziken to me and Lucario. We will need to handle an unwanted energy entering their bodies."

As he finished, an Espeon walked up and nodded to her trainer. Gardevoir just smiled as she used Psychic to lift up May, Blaziken, and Lucario. May was shocked when she was lifted up and taken towards the lake with Espeon following behind them.

Once they were out of sight, Ash turned to Zipher whom was leaned up against a tree. He had a low pink glow surrounding him as he took slow and steady breaths.

"What you did out there was foolish and risky Zipher," Ash told his student as he gathered aura to his hands. "Taking those hits for her like that was stupid. You knew what he was planning, that the attack was to lure you in. You should have made a different plan."

Zipher chuckled weakly as he looked towards Ash. "Yeah, I know I was a bit reckless but I didn't have much of a choice. The attack was moving too fast and had gotten too close to her before I acted. I had to pull on my core power just to reach her. I was lucky that I was able to block the chains from hitting her."

"And now look at you, having to pull in energy from nature to heal yourself and keep yourself conscious. Your lucky that those chains missed anything vital." He then began guiding his aura in Zipher, who sighed in contentment. His body had a duel blue and pink glow to it. If you looked closely enough, you could see the holes in his body begin to close up and his cuts along with his bruises vanish. "As the energy construct of Xernias, I would have expected you to do a lot better due to you being his polar opposite."

Zipher just chuckled weakly as he knew his teacher was right. Zipher was actually the gathered left over power of the Legendary Pokémon of Life, Xernias. Ash had noticed that a forest was growing out of control due to an overabundance of Xernias power and Ash used his aura to gather it all. The issues was, Ash was having issues contained it at the time.

Thankfully Arceus had a solution and instructed Ash in how to make use of that energy. Lucario had used his power to form a clay body while Ash guided the life energy into it. Soon the clay hardened as his aura enhanced the energy. Features formed and soon Zipher was born.

Xernias energy and Ash's aura, gave Zipher life. Ever since then, Zipher had become Ash's apprentice in the ways of an Aura Guardian and the protector of Legendary Pokémon.

"The question I have, is how was Shadow born?" Zipher asked in confusion. "You got instructed by Arceus through a telepathic communication to create me. So, who created Shadow?" Ash had no idea how to answer that good question.

Before anything could be said, Ash felt May come from behind him. Taking a calming breath to control his already rising irritation, he turned around.

Standing there was May and Blaziken along with his Pikachu, Gardevoir, and growling Glaceon.

" Glaceon, stop growling this instant," Gardevoir told the Fresh Snow Pokémon. " They have to go near Ash to rid them of the death energy in their bodies."

"Why can't Lucario do it alone?" Glaceon questioned in annoyance as she glared at May and Blaziken. " I don't trust them around Ash."

" Because Lucario still needs help when it comes to guiding that type of energy out of a body," Sceptile said as he walked up to Glaceon with Zoroark next to him. "Not to mention Ash and Lucario will need to abolish the energy lest it destroy the nature of the area. You know that well Glaceon."

" Doesn't mean that I have to like or approve of it. They will just hurt him all over again."

"You don't have to like it," Zoroark cut in as he walked up. " Besides, if they so much as try to hurt him, they will cut them down in a second. It would be foolish, especially since we outnumber her and her Pokémon."

"May and Blaziken, I need you both to come sit over here," Ash pointer to a spot by the tree next to Zipher. "That fight with Shadow has left a very dangerous energy within your body. If we leave it as it is, then you will inevitably die. My natural aura will ward it off and help remove it. Now sit still, shut up, and let us do our work."

May and Blaziken sat down as they were told while Ash and his silver furred Lucario stood in front of them. A light blue orb formed around her and starter's chests as their bodies glowed. Feeling at ease from the power, May look towards the healing Zipher. Everything that he had done to protect her kept playing in her mind like a recording on loop. How he all but gave his life in order to defend hers. As she thought, a light blush formed on her cheeks.

Blaziken wasn't doing much better as she looked at Sceptile who was having a conversation with Zoroark and Gardevoir. She couldn't help the blush on her cheeks, thankful that her red fire hid it well, especially when Sceptile looked towards her direction. ' He still looks so cool even after all these years,' she thought.

Blaziken was knocked from her thoughts when the glow around her body vanished. She saw that her mistress looked much calmer as the glow died down.

"There you both are now all healed up," Ash said as both he and Lucario held a black and red substance in a sphere of aura. Both trainer and Pokémon grabbed their respective sphere with both hands as the orbs glowed and began attacking the substance within. In a few minutes, the substance glowed gold before it began to vanish.

May was mesmerized as she watched one her closest friends destroy the evil energy that was inside her and her partner.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Zipher said, gaining May's attention. The black haired man stood up and looked towards his teacher. "Ash's ability to manipulate energy in such a way is so amazing to watch. For Ash to manipulate, change the property, and then eradicate it one after the other is simple awe-inspiring."

"Are you doing alright Zipher?" May asked the construct of Xernias. "Those wounds were pretty bad."

"Yeah I am doing much better," he replied. "I just needed to rest and gather energy to heal up. Plus, Ash helped me heal up much faster than I normally would. Hey Master, are you going to bring the others here?"

Ash took a deep breath as he calmed his aura. "Yeah its pretty late now, so I'll be going back to grab the others alongside Gardevoir." Looking to resting Mewtwo, he gave a warm gaze. "Do you mind, if your willing to of course helping us out with that?" His responses was a nod from the Pokemon.

"I may be tired, but I still have more than enough power for such a simple task."

Ash nodded as Gardevoir floated over to him, having heard her name be called. "We are going to bring the others back, which will give us time to alert them of what happened." Ash turned to May and glared, causing the Coordinator to flinch at the anger in his eyes.

"I expect you to be gone by the time I return," Ash said in anger. "I wouldn't worry too much about Shadow coming after you as you were not his target in the first place. You just decided to foolishly add yourself into a battle that you had no business in. Your foolish actions nearly got Zipher killed, so keep that in your mind."

May looked down in sadness and shame as tears threatened to fall from her blue eyes. She could not deny his words one bit, not matter how much she wanted to.

"Actually Master it's the opposite ," Zipher chimed in, gaining their attention. "If it weren't for her and her Blaziken, I would have died much sooner. Shadow had me and Lucario pinned down and was about to stab me with his chains. If it wasn't for May and Blaziken, ai wouldn't be here right now."

May's tears fell slightly but in joy at not being totally useless. She looked at Zipher, surprised that he would defend her after he got hurt so bad.

"Is that so?" Ash asked as he gazed back to May with a blank expression. "Fine then I shall thank you for saving my apprentice. I guess I'll reward you another time, but I stand by my want of her being gone upon my return. Just her being here is taking all of my self control."

Zipher nodded, knowing that Ash was doing his best not to strike out towards May. He could see the aura in Ash's body running rampant, trying to go black instead of its normal blue. Right now, this was the best that Ash could do. It would be best to get May out of there as Ash requested.

"Me and Lucario will make sure that she leaves," Zipher said as his Steel/Fighting type agreed.

Ash nodded as he to his Pokémon and returned four of his own Pokémon while Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "Gardevoir, Mewtwo, you two know what to do." The two nodded before Ash and Gardevoir vanished in a flash of light. Mewtwo floated towards a tree as he laid his back against it and rested. Tired from the battle and the day that he has had.

Zipher looked to May and nodded. "Well, you two are healed up so I'll escort you out of the forest. Don't want to risk another fight from Shadow, incase he didn't completely leave."

May thanked him as she decided to keep Blaziken out, afraid of being unprepared should they be attacked.

" I'll escort you all as well," Sceptile piped in, joining Zipher's side. " I want to make sure you have back up if your attacked again. Your Pokémon may be mostly healed, but it does t hurt to have help."

" That's why I'll be joining you all as well," another voice said causing them to turn and noticed a Pokémon May and Blaziken were unfamiliar with.

" Greninja, are you sure?" Sceptile asked the now named Pokémon. " You, me, and Lucario may seem a bit overkill. Don't you think?"

"With how crafty our enemy seems to be and having to keep the girl and her Pokémon safe, I don't think it is. Plus I could use the stretch. Planning on asking Ash if I could be used for the tag battle tomorrow."

"Well let's go then," Zipher said as he turned around. "I could use a good rest after today's events. Plus the Sun will be down soon and her friends are probably worried about her."

After agreeing, the group walked through the woods in complete silence. As they walked, May kept glancing at Zipher who was keeping his Aura Sense stretched out as he looked for any danger. When the fading light hit him, May blushed as she couldn't help but to admire how the sunset light enhanced his aura glow. It only served to make him more handsome.

As May was lost in thought, Blaziken worked up the courage to address her old friend. " Hey Sceptile," she began gaining the Grass type starter's attention. " How have you been? It's been a few years since we had a moment to just talk."

Sceptile just glanced at her, missing the blushing of her cheeks. " I have been well, mostly training to get stronger and help show everyone wrong doubting my Master. Like your Master did."

Blaziken flinched at the controlled anger in his tone, having a good idea at the pain Ash had felt because of what his old friends did. " Please understand Sceptile, they never wanted to hurt Ash! They weren't saying that with any malicious intent."

"You don't get it," Sceptile replied. "It's not about you all just turning your back to him, but it was pure insulting. Insulting all of our hard work, all HIS hard work. To him, we are family and they insulted his family. He had done the best he can with what he had, having to stop training to help his so called friends with their dreams along with saving other Pokémon and Legendaries because of the constant villain teams. His goal is our goal, and we all felt completely insulted and pained by those words and disbelief. That's one of the main reasons why Ash is so hateful. Why we are so angry."

Blaziken looked down, saddened by the fact the Pokémon she admired the most may hate her.

Seeing this, Sceptile sighed. " Contrary to belief, not all of the other Pokémon hate you guys, me being one of them." This made Blaziken look up to him in hope. " We just don't trust you all." This made her look back down. " Maybr someday we will again, but that remains to be seen."

" Then that settles it," Blaziken whispered before looking at the forest trees. " I and the others will work hard to gain your trust back! I and the others won't stop until we do!"

Sceptile just chuckled, finding the spark in her eyes cute. " Well good luck then Blaziken. You guys will need it."

"Hey Zipher," May called out, getting the apprentice's attention. "Do you think that Shadow guy will attack again? He was so powerful that it seemed like he didn't even need his Pokémon. I'm afraid that despite the beating Ash gave him that he will attack me and hurt us while we least expect it or worse."

Zipher was lost on what to do or say. His guardian side wants to help and comfort the scared girl before him, but he was worried about how Ash would feel due to her being one of the people who hurt him so bad. 'I have job to do,' Zipher thought with resolution. "I wouldn't worry about anything happening to you May. I swear to you as an Aura Guardian, or at least one in training, that I will stop him and protect you."

May blushed and was speechless at his words. He spoke with such conviction that it made her feel safe. Her heart skipped several beats and her legs felt weaker by the moment.

"We are here," Zipher continued as they exited the forest. "We will part here as I need to get back to the Pokémon. I may be healed up, I need to get some test. Have a goodnight May." Zipher turned around and was followed by Lucario, Greninja, and Sceptile.

Lost in thought, May snapped out of it and called out to Zipher. When the guardian turned around to address her , he was caught off guard by a kiss to the cheek from May. The other Pokémon were surprised by the kiss, though Lucario gained a teasing grin.

"Thank you for saving me Zipher," May said with a blush. "I guess I will see you later. Goodnight!" With that, May ran off with her blushing cheeks, followed by her Blaziken.

Zipher was lost in thought as he turned back to the forest, his hand laying on his kissed cheek.

'I hope that this was just out of grateful feelings,' Sceptile and Greninja thought. 'Things may get complicated if that's not the case.'

As they made their way back to the clearing, everyone just wanting to sleep.

AN: And that is a wrap for this chapter. Again I'm going to apologize that this took so long to get out. I do appreciate all of you that is still interest and still around to read this story. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter as I was so happy to find time to type it. As usual please Review, Follow, and Favorite.

Dragon Soul94 is out!