DWA: Heyo everyone, How's it goin!? Doin' well on my end. So, Last time was, exposition really. However, Lily's heading to Whirl Isles this chapter, is she ready? Find out…well now. Ya know the lack of reviews is slightly disheartening, but seeing the traffic graph definitely helps, it shows that people do read each update I put out. Either way, back to the story!

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"Speech"

'Thoughts'

-Telepathy-

[Translated Pokespeech]

Ch 23: A Guardian is Made

-(o)- Location: Ecruteak City, Time: 12:08pm

Lily, Robin, Zack, and Midnight stood outside the Ecruteak Dance Theater. They had traveled here after preparing in the morning. Lily took a deep breath and opened the door. One of the women inside looked over.
"Oh sorry, we don't have a show tonight." She said as her Flareon walked over. Lily didn't say anything as she went into her bag, and pulled out the Silver wing, the women's eyes widening.

"I see, you're here to help Lugia." She said as the rest of the dancers and their Eeveelutions came out.

"You know?" Robin said.

"Yes, we are crucial to summoning the Guardian of the Oceans forth." One said as the one originally seen took the feather and waved her hand, and a shimmer appeared in the air.

"We shall see you at the Whirl Isles." She said and they all walked into the shimmer, and vanished.

"…For some reason I'm not surprised." Robin said.

"You don't have to come with me." Lily said.

"And miss seeing Lugia?" He asked.

"It won't be safe, I'm sure of it." She said recalling Zack and Midnight and taking out Tera's Ball. She ran outside and tossed it, Tera appearing and swooping down. Lily ran over and jumped on as Robin ran out and did the same with his Charizard, no way was he missing this.

An hour of light later, the Isles where in view, the storms normally plaguing the Isles seemingly calmer. As they got closer, Lily heard a voice.

-Lily, The Shadows are strong at the Isles, fly low and to the back.- Giratina's voice rang out.

"Robin, follow me!" She shouted and she had Tera dip low, Robin following, flying by small buildings were seen, the ES logo on them. Around the back was a small opening that they could fly through. They did so, and came to a large cavern, where the Kimono girls waited in front of a waterfall. Lily landed Tera and called out Zack and Midnight, recalling Tera. Robin landed and recalled Charizard.

"You are here, but so are agents of darkness. We must act quickly." One of the kimono girls said. Lily manifested her weapon as the Kimono girls danced.

-(o)- Deep in the ocean

Lugia slept, a deep unending sleep, until the ring of a bell, a tiny fragment of his essence called him.

'Why must they persist, why won't they let me be!?' He thought in anger as he rose from his slumber and called out, the currents bowing to his whims, and rising as he shot forward.

-(o)- ES outpost

Alex was in his office reading reports when a grunt burst in. "Sir!" He shouted.

"What?" He asked not looking up.

"Lugia is on the move!" He said. Alex looked over and chuckled. "Good." He said, grabbed the Master Ball and ran out, Danny was waiting and followed him immediately.

-(o)- Cavern

Lily waited alongside Robin. The Kimono girls finished their dance, and soon, the water fall burst for a second, and out flew Lugia with a cry of both anger and sadness, and looked directly at Lily.

-You!? I told you to…you led them here!?- Lugia shouted.

"ES…no, they were here before I intend to take you from here before they get here!" Lily shouted. Lugia landed, not relaxing. The Kimono girls bowed, and faded in a shimmering light

-Too late.- Lugia growled as Lily turned, it was the boy that's tried to kill her…and…

"Alex…" She said.

"Lily Zenex, so nice to meet you again. I wish it could have been better circumstances, but you alas, it was not to be." He said and held out the Master Ball. "Meet, your doom, Zenex! Shadow Lugia, we shall destroy these foolish people, and usher in a new age!" He shouted and tossed the Master Ball, and a dark, evil twisted Lugia appeared. Eyes glowing red with hate. Lily gasped, they, looked like the eyes the Unown showed her.

Midnight and Zack jumped in front of Lily as she stared at the dark Lugia.

"No no, this ain't just about her now, Charizard, Mega Evolution!" He shouted and tossed the Poke ball, the Pokémon reappearing, and then Mega Evolving into CHarizard X. Lily shook her head.

Danny tossed two Pokeballs, revealing his Empoleon and Lucario.

Lily looked at her two Pokemon, she needed to help them…but she was paralyzed. There was a massive opening to the outside, the two groups stood at opposite ends, ES up a natural incline to the outside, Lily's at the bottom.

"Lily Zenex you interfere with forces beyond your comprehension, a mere child as well. You are dangerous simply because of the blood that runs in your veins. You are a Zenex, and for that you must die." He said

"The fuck does her last name have to do with anything!?" Robin shouted.

"I would not expect you to understand, I doubt even she knows. You were thrust into a war you can't possibly win or understand just like your brother!" Alex shouted. Lily gasped. Was…Stanley wrapped up in all this too?

"And who to blame but your worldly champion! Mike, that man tampers with powers beyond his understanding. But now we take the first blow to our war in true, with the death of a Zenex!" He shouted as his mask went from smiling, to beastly and dark as his hands gained a black and purple flame over them.

Lily looked at her gun, and at her team, she had to do something, anything!

She will!

"Midnight, Zack, let's create something more, something new, let's take hold of Fate, take hold of the threads, and make our own path!" She shouted as the Key stone in her glove shone brightly. "I will save Lugia, I will save everyone from ES!" She screamed. "I will be, a Guardian against the Dark!" She screamed up and a bright light came from her, and from Lugia.

-What!?- Lugia shouted as tendrils extended from her keystone to both Zack and Midnights Mega Stones and they were both enveloped in light, one bright, one dark, and in a flash, everything changed.

Midnight had become a Mega Absol, Zack had become a Mega Gallade, but his cape was tattered, and he looked more like a villain than a noble night. As for Lily…

Lily's right arm was covered in a silver armor, the rest of her seemed to be covered in leather armor, and her jacket still on but longer, going past her waist reaching her knees, hood up. She looked right at Alex.

"Dark and Light collide here, marking the first battle in a war we shall not lose!" She shouted, eyes glowing gold. Robin was just staring, stunned. Lily aimed her gun right at Alex. "Come at us." She said. Alex chuckled, then blew into a full on laughter as soldiers of ES walked over.

"Gladly." He growled suddenly.

Shadow Lugia reared his head back and fired a beak of shadow energy. Zack jumped up and crossed his arms as he took the attack, Lugia's eyes widening. Midnight shot forward and launched a blade of psychic energy that sl;ammed into Shadow Lugia as he ended his attack and looked down at Midnight.

-INSIGNIFIGANT PEST! - It shouted and fired the blast again, the attack striking Midnight and causing her to scream in pain as she was launched back. Lily took aim at the dark creature, and before she could fire noticed in the corner of her eye a ball of darkness. She jumped to the side, and saw Alex walking towards her.

"You're fight is with me child." He said.

"You're stooping low…" She said. She was, terrified, why was she even standing up to him?

"Anything for the one I serve." He said as the cloud of shadow in his hands formed swords and he ran at Lily. She took aim and fired three shots, Alex blocking them with his blades. Lily used her right arm to block his strikes. How, did she know what to do? She jumped back, farther than she thought she could and took aim, and fired, the shot hitting Alex in the chest and pushed him back.

"It…wasn't a bullet, your childish innocence prevents you from killing!" Alex shouted laughing.

"And that's so bad!" She said and then she noticed the ES grunts with rifles pointed at her.

"It's not the same for me! Kill her!" He shouted and vanished in a cloak of darkness. Lily gasped as she started firing, each shot hitting a grunt in the head. She got two shots out before Lugia landed in front of her and she heard gunfire, a nearly invisible shield around him.

-I don't know who you are, but you have the power of the weapon I am connected to. You are bonded with me. I cannot sit by as you fight to protect me. I wanted to waste away under the sea, but, I suppose I can't avoid the fact I am part of the Council.- He said

"Council?" She said

-Later. For now, we fight!- He shouted and fired a Hyper Beam at the grunts, blasting it across in a line, blowing them all back. When that was done Shadow Lugia slammed into Lugia and their natural cries and roars echoed in the cavern. Lily looked over to Zack, Midnight, and Robin's Charizard fought all of Danny's Pokémon.

"You have annoying allies." Alex said from behind her. Lily spun around, gun pointed at his head. He gathered shadow in his hands and launched a dark beam at her. She ducked to the side and fired, knocking his arm up, Alec grunting in pain. Wind swirled around the barrel of Lily's gun as she straighten up and took aim. She then fired and a shining projectile was launched that seemed to pierce Alex and go through him. Right after a massive blast of wind picked him off his feet and he was flung back, bouncing on the ground before hitting the wall hard. He groaned in pain.

"You will die Zenex!" He said and stood. He threw balls of shadow as Lily shot each one destroying them.

"Give it up Alex." She said.

"Give up…I will never do such a thing to a CHILD!" He shouted as shadow energy flared from all parts of his body, and his mask went from white, to black. He roared something inhuman as he sent a huge blast of shadow at Lily, who was hit and sent into the wall on the other side of the cavern by the beam and pinned for a few seconds before it relented. Lily slumped down, everything hurt, she could taste blood in her mouth. Not even the attack from Lucario hurt this much. Still, she stood up and glared at Alex.

"You are nothing Lily Zenex!" He shouted. Behind him, Lugia and its Shadow counterpart raged in battle, the winds were howling.

"I am something. I am a trainer! And, I will protect Lugia, and my friends!" She said and took aim with the gun again. "I, I will protect them!" The gun shone. "I WILL!" She shouted and fired, the recoil sending her arm straight up as it impacted Alex and sent him skidding back and holding his chest. She looked at the silver revolver in her hand as it shone. She then looked to Alex who had formed the twin swords and was running at her. She saw the battle in the background. She took aim as wind swirled around her. She fired, the projectile a blue beam the streaked past Alex, the winds pushing him back.

"And where do you think you were aiming!?" He shouted.

"At an abomination." She said as the guns light died. Alex looked past to see the bolt of energy pierce Shadow Lugia, whose red eyes widened. It started roaring in pain as cracks in its body formed.

"W-what…?" Alex said.

"Shadow Lugia is the hate in Lugia, separated, it can be destroyed, by it, or in this case, by me, and Lugia." She said.

Lugia charged a blue orb, and fired a blue beam of energy at Shadow Lugia, that blast straight through the beings chest, and caused it to explode in a shower of darkness.

"NO!" Alex shouted, He turned only to be hit by the blast from the revolver, once, twice, thrice…six times. Alex staggered as the shadows died from him. "N-no…" He muttered. "Danny should have killed you when he had the chance…" He said.

"Well, here I stand." She said and put the gun to his mask. Alex started laughing.

"You think you've won? No, no no no. I've won." He said. "The loss of Shadow Lugia was, unexpected, but, everything still moves forward, progresses, to an inevitable beginning. Mike will say the war nears its climax, but in truth, it has only, just begun!" He shouted as shadow enveloped him, and faded. He was gone. Lily looked over and Danny had vanished, her friends seemed, hurt, but okay. She fell to her knees and flashed, back to normal, and exhausted. She could hear helicopters flying and the footsteps of her friends.

"Lily!" A voice shouted as Lily blacked out.

-(o)- Location: ES Johto HQ, Time: 9:31 pm

"So, Shadow Lugia is truly lost?" David said to Alex, who under his robes had bandaged himself.

"Yes sir, I am, terribly sorry. Lily had tremendous power along with Lugia's revitalized spirit." He said.

"Legendary weapons are incredibly powerful…A setback indeed but we proved a concept with Shadow Lugia. We can extract the darkness in a Pokémon's heart and make it reality. I will start study on it. How did the gloves work?" He asked.

"Excellently. We have accomplished much here, what's next?" He asked.

"I'm heading to Unova, soon." He said

"Unova?" He asked. "Why would you go personally?"

"I must, its time I make more appearances. I believe Mike is heading there too, and want a rematch. But I need to oversee Unova personally. That will be all Alex." He said and hung up. Alex chuckled to himself.

"The time is so close, perhaps just a single year…" He said as he left his office

-(o)- Location: ?

Lily drifted, unsure of where she was, it felt, like water. But she could breath, she could walk, though she was so tired. She opened her eyes to Lugia.

"Awake?" He asked.

"…Maybe?" She asked.

"It's a dream, but I am real…ish. I, wanted to thank you, you're willingness to protect your friends, reminded me why I…am on the council." He said.

"What is that, the Council?" She asked.

"It's not for me to say. Lily, I will be with you from here on out. Probably a bit, unceremonious, but fitting. Call upon me when you need me. See you soon." He said.

Lily gasped and sat up and looked around. She was in a bed, and looked around. Robin, Lily, and Zack, all asleep, on a table, a silver Poke Ball.

"…I see." She said. "I…guess I'll sleep, big day tomorrow huh?" She whispered as she lied back down.

She felt, free, for the first time since coming here.

May celebrate by sleeping. Tomorrow, Victory Road." She said

DWA: EYYY, got one out early. Pretty happy bout that. Getting near the end of the story. May do a bit less for some of the League, just head to the 6v6 ya know? I am excited for the next arc. So, on that note, don't forget to fav, follow, and of course, Review!