Hey all! DarkSlash9 here with another chapter of Pokemon: The Fellowship of the Aura! Look at me, not taking an eon to update! I'm proud of myself. Anyway, last time, Serena had just freed Ash from his slumber, and as soon as she did, the Mark of the Fellowship appeared on her! Ain't that wonderful? This chapter picks up right where the last left off, so let's see what happens! :D

Q&A

awesomeandroidyt

Why does Ash have a crush on Serena and not on May? In your other story Ash liked May.

Answer: This story isn't meant to be the exact same as the first. Ash likes both of them in this story.

TheYummyDonut

Are you going to explain why May is medication dependent?

Answer: Of course! It's coming, just not in this chapter. Probably not the next either.

Alright, enjoy chapter 7!

DISCLAIMER: I honestly don't know why I still do this, lol.


VII


[The heart of the Tree of Beginning...]

Ash stared at the glowing number, stonefaced. In seconds it faded away, returning Serena's forehead to normal. He looked back down at Serena's watering eyes, and never had he seen tears filled with more joy. It was amazing, he thought; so much about her had physically changed, yet her eyes had stayed the same. Still blue, and still beautiful. Her hair was long again, perhaps even longer than it was before she cut it back in the day. He preferred it that way, her long hair had always given her a more angelic look in his opinion. Her face had become more of an adult's, any and all remaining baby-fat gone without a trace. Ash hadn't felt it in 5 years, but he knew the burning sensation on his cheeks meant he was blushing. Serena had changed. She wasn't a girl anymore, she was a woman.

And he was on top of her.

"Uh, uh uhhh..." stammered Ash, averting his eyes from Serena's. "I, uhh..."

"Uh duh hadurrrrrrr," mimicked an annoyed Pikachu, walking over. "Shut up and talk, man."

"It really is you... Ash Ketchum..." said Serena, her voice shaky. She looked at Pikachu as well, who stared back with mild interest. "and Pikachu..."

"Girl, you better hit that SHARP Rainbow Road swerve. Your pretty face not boutta make me turn my back on my roots." answered Pikachu. "Team May all the wa-"

"Pikachu. Shut it." ordered Ash, via mental link. He then returned his attention to Serena. "Hey... Sere-"

"ASH!" cried the honey-blonde, pulling the young Aura Guardian into a hug.

Serena's embrace forced Ash's head to rest on her shoulder, and vice versa. At first, she said nothing, simply holding him in her arms and enjoying the fact that she could feel his body heat. But after a few seconds, Ash and Pikachu began to hear full sobs and sniffles. Her hold around Ash loosened as she broke down right under of the heroes she had spent years searching for.

"You're alive... you're here... I... I can touch you! You're here, you're real! It's... it's not just another dream this time..." sobbed Serena, hiccuping between many of her words. "Ash Ketchum, if you just knew h-how things fell apart after you left! You took so much with you, so much! The whole world, all of us thought you we're gone! You don't know how much this means to see you here, alive! When you left... I just couldn't... I fell apart, and we all did, but I-I... I just couldn't go on without you, Ash! I couldn't pick myself back up! Everyone went back to normal life after a while, b-but how could I? I couldn't even try to understand how they could go back! You left such a void in me, I've felt so cold, and so empty. B-but now... for the first time in years... I don't anymore. I've spent years on my own, searching, and finally... it's over. You're here... you're older... you're an Aura Guardian..."

Ash's eyes widened at that last part, causing him to finally get off Serena and stand up.

"You know? That I'm a Guardian?" he asked, befuddled. "How?"

Ash put a hand forward to help Serena get up. The honey blonde accepted the help, but only after wiping some of the tears off her face. Once they were both standing, Serena spoke up.

"Yes. I do." she answered, sniffling. "Right now, your appearance is very... Guardian-like."

"My appearance...?" asked Ash, turning to a nearby crystal. His eyes widened. "Oh my god."

In the reflection of the crystal, Ash saw himself. He was in his usual Aura Guardian attire, but his face was a different story. Though far from being unrecognizable, it was considerably different from how he had looked in the Corridors. During his training he'd grown taller, more muscular, and his voice had gotten deeper. But apparently, in the real world, a bushy beard (mustache included) and hair flowing down to his shoulders had grown as well. Ash felt his face, white teeth contrasting black whiskers in the form of a huge grin. He turned to Pikachu, who didn't seem nearly as excited.

"Feelin' little itchy, feelin' little weird, feelin' hella manly, 'cuz now I got a beard. Never copped the Rogaine, grew this on another plane-"

"Nah. Not not the time." interrupted Pikachu, nodding towards Serena.

"Right." thought Ash, returning his full, serious attention to the honey-blonde. "Is my appearance the only thing that told you?"

"No... I've known for a while now..." revealed Serena, trying her best to ignore Ash's... bars. "I spent a lot of time reading up on Aura Guardians and their history before I set out to find you. I concluded you were alive by combining my memories of what happened when you left with what I learned from my research. You're the Chosen Guardian."

"Well uh, yes. Yes I am." answered Ash, scratching the back of his head. He didn't expect her to hit the nail square on the head like that. "And, uh, you know what that entails, right?"

"You're going to save the world..." said Serena, turning towards the room's exit. She sighed, knowing where this was going. "You have to defeat that guy - I'm coming up blank on his name -, who's seal is broken or should be breaking any day now. It's probably going to be an extremely perilous quest filled with numerous trials and tribulations. A journey completely unsafe for anyone other than a full-fledged Aura Guardian..."

"Yeah... about that..." chuckled a nervous Ash. "You're totally right, but there's more to it. I'm actually not supposed to do it alone. My masters, right as I was leaving, said that I'd need to gather a group of Chosen Ones to aid me in a group that would be called the Fellowship of the Aura. They said 7 people would be in The Fellowship, and I'd know who they were because their Aura would react to being near me, causing a number to appear on their forehead. And it just so happened that when I fell out of the crystal..."

Serena turned around, her eyes meeting Ash's. Ash smiled.

"There was a 3 on your head." he finished.

"I'm a part of it...?" she asked, honestly shocked. "Really? But I don't have any powers or anything. How would I be of any help? Like, at all?"

"Only the Aura knows." answered Ash, materializing his black staff out of his Aura. "But I've come to learn it's never wrong, so I'm sure you're just selling yourself short in some way. You got here, didn't you? Not many people can make it into the heart of the Tree of Beginning looking as... alive as you do. You've got something special about you, and I need you if I want to be able to save the world. So, will you join me, Serena? It'll be like another adventure... but with, y'know, actual stakes."

"I... Of course I will." answered Serena with conviction. "I'll help in any way I can."

"Alright, then! I guess you're part of the team...? I hereby declare you a member of the squad...? I'm not entirely sure how to make this official-"

"Touch her forehead with the end of the staff."

Both Ash and Pikachu looked around, both hearing the voice echo in their shared mind. It was a familiar one.

"Lucario?" thought Ash, placing a hand on the sole pokeball attached to his belt. "Is that you?"

"Yes... Master." answered Lucario's voice, distinct hesitation existing between the two words. "To brand them with the Seal of the Fellowship, you must touch the crest of your staff to their head."

"Lucario, you don't have to stay in your ball, y'know. Just like Sir Aaron, I'm totally fine with you walking around."

"I am no longer living, only my soul rests in the ball. To give me physical form, you must find a body compatible to host me. This is how Sir Tobias was able to enter the world of the living both times, and it's the only way I will ever be of physical use. I believe you crossed paths with a prodigious Riolu on your journey through Sinnoh, many years ago. He is likely to have become a powerful Lucario by now, and he is likely to be the exact host I need."

"But what'll happen to him?" asked Pikachu, climbing into Ash's shoulder. "You're straight up gonna jack his body like that? Y'all are some savages."

"His consciousness will merge with mine, and we will become one Lucario until the time for me to return to the Corridors arrives." answered Lucario. "As Lucarios, we know our duty to serving the Aura is paramount. He will understand."

"Alright..."

Serena watched as Ash and Pikachu made several facial expressions and gestures, all without actually saying anything. They both looked absolutely ridiculous, but she didn't sweat it too much. It was probably some Aura Guardian thing that normal folk wouldn't understand without an explanation. Regardless, she couldn't stop herself from looking at them as if they were senile.

Realizing Serena had been waiting, Ash gasped.

"Oh, sorry about that, you see I have voices in... my... head." stammered Ash, aware that he sounded insane. "But anyway,"

Ash tapped the tip of his staff on Serena's forehead. A small blue spark shimmered upon contact, disappearing quickly after. Suddenly, Aura began to materialize around Serena, encroaching the air around her body until a navy blue, hooded cloak was formed, concealing her body from her neck down to where the cloak ended, halfway down her shins. Serena looked down at her new threads, admiring them.

"welcome to the club." finished Ash, putting on his hood. He then walked towards the exit of the room, staff in hand. "Now, let's get out of here. Hoods up."

'Why?" asked Serena, putting up her hood and following Ash.

"Because," began Ash, grinning. "we didn't choose the Aura life, the Aura life chose us."

...

"Damn, the delivery on that one was dope." complimented Pikachu. "No lie, didn't see it coming."

"Pfft, you know me. I saw the opportunity, seized that shit A to the SAP." thought Ash, proud of himself. "Always paying due respects to my boy Tupac, y'know?"

"West side." agreed Pikachu. "Ain't that right, LucariBro?"

"Ughhhhhhhhh..."


[Elsewhere...]

The time was nigh. A torrential downpour descended from the skies above, thunder accompanying it; a fitting atmosphere for the plans that were about to be put into action. The rolls of thunder echoed strongly in throne room of Commander _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, shaking his main base to its foundations. But, as he expected of his organization (people often called it a cult, but when asked, he strongly affirmed it was no such thing), all personnel were doing their jobs, regardless of the weather. In The Commander's world, slacking off was never tolerated... unless he was doing it.

Which he was.

Truth be told, when not doing field missions he deemed too complex for his men to handle, he was always on his throne, relaxing. But now, he could no longer sit in relaxation. He hadn't been notified by his recon staff yet, but it didn't matter, he could feel it; The Chosen Guardian, as foretold by the prophecy, had set foot on Earth again. Of course, this meant Master Brecht and his army of imps, demons, and other malevolent entities would be released any time within the next coming days. It was time to prepare.

First, he lifted up a hatch on the right arm-rest of his throne, revealing several buttons. He pressed one of them and closed the hatch, only to turn around and do the same on the left arm-rest, except this time, only 6 buttons were revealed. He pressed one of them, and a beep sounded.

"Feinberg?" he spoke, leaning back into his chair.

There was a pause.

"My liege," sounded a voice from a hidden speaker. "we are picking up a MASSIVE spike in the planet's overall Aura readin-"

"I'm well aware. Come to the throne room. And, as usual, bring me something to eat. I'm starving."

"Yes, my liege."

And then, the waiting began. The Commander sighed; Feinberg always took his sweet time with everything. Predicting it'd take at least a couple minutes for his head scientist to arrive, he removed his mask for a second, wiping his face with his hand. The air circulation in it was terrible, truly a factor he didn't consider when he started wearing it. There were two small slits for him to see through, but no breathing holes by the mouth area to breathe through. This led to a very humid climate in the space between his face and the mask. He often wished he didn't have to wear it, but he did. If he didn't, well, none of what he'd be doing would be possible.

Right as he began to rub his tired eyes, the sound of someone punching in the access code to the throne room sounded, prompting Commander _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to frantically reattach the mask to his hood, concealing his face once again. Right as the mask was back on, Dr. Feinberg opened the door, rushing in with a fresh tray of pizza rolls. Mixed emotions washed over The Commander; he loved pizza rolls, but Feinberg had come drastically earlier than expected.

"How did you get here so quickly? I literally just called you." he inquired, adjusting his casual sitting posture to a more formal one. "Leave the pizza rolls right here."

"Yes, Commander." answered Dr. Feinberg, cautiously placing the pizza rolls next to the throne. "I was already on my way here, my liege. The Aura readings in my lab were going off the charts. When I was first notified I feared it was one of those Maples, but when I looked at the readings myself, it was clear it could only be-"

"The Chosen Guardian has returned." interrupted The Commander. More often than not, Dr. Feinberg talked too much for his liking. "Which means Master Brecht will as well. As Head Disciple of the 7 Grand Disciples of Master Brecht, I declare the Dark Order to be in a military state. Tell Captain Kurt to mobilize more troops to all regions, but Kanto and Johto especially. That's the area the Chosen Guardian currently resides. Also, all of the Grand Disciples are to be stationed at each region. I'll decide who goes where later, but the purpose is to have a leader in every region, so wherever the Chosen's fellowship goes, we'll have strong leadership."

"I see... and what shall we do when Master Brecht appears before us?"

"He won't. He'll need a strong, young, and most importantly of all, compatible host to give him physical form, and I'm afraid none of us 7 Grand Disciples fill that role. His seal will be broken, but his soul won't be able to leave the Distortion World." explained The Commander, skillfully slipping a pizza roll under his mask. "However, his army of ghosts n' goblins is a different story. They were much simpler beings than the big man himself, so finding compatible bodies will be a cake-walk for them. Any day now, majority of our ranks will suddenly become Dark Guardians. Then they'll truly be dangerous."

"I see... but if we'll have an army of Dark Guardians at our disposal... won't the countless experiments I've conducted for the last few years be in vain? My team and I just recently reached a breakthrough too..."

"A breakthrough?" repeated the Commander, leaning forward in interest.

"Yes. While not perfect, two of my youngest test subjects have finally begun to show favorable results." confirmed Dr. Feinberg, smiling with dark, twisted pride. "The serum finally seems to have worked, though with some minor side effects... Regardless, I believe they're ready to be trained for combat."

From behind his mask, The Commander's eyes narrowed.

"The youngest two, you say?" he asked, slipping another pizza roll into his mouth. "Hm... Okay, Doctor, here's what we'll do. Obviously the success of these experiments means a great deal to you, and considering how much time you've put into developing this serum, I'll honor your sentiments. Go and contact Lord Kamerion. Tell him, that by my orders, the 2 test subjects will be sent to his base in Sinnoh. He'll "brief" them, and then begin their training. Depending on the results of this all, perhaps we'll incorporate your serum into our military strategy, deal?"

"Thank you, Commander." sighed Dr. Feinberg, relieved his experiments would be put to use. "Ah, one last thing I'd like to ask about... what shall we do about the two Maples in Hoenn? They're undoubtedly going to be part of the Chosen Guardian's fellowship as well, we have records of both showing great potential. Now that the Chosen Guardian has returned, we can no longer deem them as harmless due to lack of anyone to teach them the ways of the Aura. I advise that we apprehend them and-"

"I've got it covered." said The Commander, waving his hand dismissively. "You're dismissed. But come back in 15 minutes with more pizza rolls. No, wait, actually... bagel bites. And make it 20 minutes. As you leave, disarm the door's passcode, I'm expecting someone any second now."

"Yes, Commander." complied Dr. Feinberg, bowing.

He then turned around and took his leave, leaving The Commander of the Dark Order and Head Disciple of the 7 Grand Disciples... to his tray of pizza rolls. If he wasn't aware of the immense power The Commander possessed, he'd have never assumed such a man would be the leader of their entire organization. He was looked up to by the whole organization, not only for his astounding prowess in battle, but for his willingness to compromise with his subordinates to find the best solutions. It was his rule that caused the recent growth in the Dark Order's numbers. When he had taken command, it was still but an uncivilized cult, despite its centuries of existence. But now, in his 21st year of being in command, it was an elaborate, advanced, world-wide organization.

Feinberg and the rest of the Grand Disciples had full faith in Commander _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _'s leadership, leading to them almost never questioning his decisions. Which was why when The Doctor left the room and saw that Wade Felix, a low-ranked member with only one successful mission on his record to date, was the person The Commander was expecting... he simply shrugged, disarmed the passcode, and went on his way.


A solid 30 minutes of walking followed Ash and Serena's reunion. The large crystals inhabiting the Tree of Beginning harmlessly lit the caverns within, the tree seeming to be aware Ash and those associated with him were the furthest things from threats. No white blood cells had been encountered, nor had any of the Regi-golems. The walk had been completely undisturbed so far, neither Ash nor Serena speaking since the latter's induction into the Fellowship.

Serena simply couldn't figure out what to say. It all felt too surreal. She had succeeded; She had actually set out, found, and released Ash Ketchum, the only boy she'd ever loved. But right when he was finally with her again, talking had suddenly become an unconquerable mountain. What to ask? What to tell him? The biggest question she'd currently had was why he wasn't talking. All he had done for the past half hour was walk forward, loyal Pikachu on shoulder and staff in hand. Was he uncomfortable? He'd looked a little flustered in his first seconds of freedom from the crystal. Or was he just thinking about something important? Serena wished she could read his mind... or at least see his face. Even when walking beside him, the shadows cast by the large hoods of their cloaks made it hard to see any facial expression clearly.

Serena sighed; what could he be thinking about?

"Fellowship be pushin', yeah we making a killin'." thought Ash, straight-faced. "Cashin' on some spoiled-girl flow, Paris Hilton. The truth from the Chosen of the Aura be spillin', whole squad pull up, chillin' like villains."

"The money comes quick, by bars come quicker, rappin' off 3 pints 'imaginary liquor." continued Pikachu. "My girl, she BAD, but she ain't ever tryna bicker, we both know we tryna make these fat wallets thicker."

"Now I gotta call a gas, 'cuz you a fake. Your untrue hullabaloo gets me irate. What girl? Don't make me hurl, that ain't my fate. You single, can't even mingle, gimme a break."

"Oh so you wanna get realistic, huh?" inquired Pikachu, malicious intent in his voice. "I'm game."

"No wait-"

"Forgive me Lord, I shall commit a sin, gon' expose this fraud as a simpleton. Wanna talk girls? You're done twenty seconds in! You're a scared young lad, I'm a rap kingpin! Talkin' down on me? I'll slay your whole darned kin! No survivors, just some fires from the thunder kid! You love two damn girls? YOU INDECISIVE SHIT! Fuck out' my sight, please sir just hit the dip! I'm spittin' cannon fire, so just abandon ship! Young Pika takin' names, so sonny, get a grip! I've just expelled your ass, now here's your damn pink slip."

"...(ಥ_ಥ) ..."

"... (⊙_⊙) ...Oh my..." sounded Lucario's voice in the background.

"Damn right... ( ̄へ ̄)..."

During Pikachu's utter annihilation of his self-esteem, Ash had stopped walking. The heat was simply too much, fire of that magnitude would surely have resulted in arson charges. And of course, since Ash was walking in front, Serena had also stopped walking. Confused, she watched him, wondering why they had come to a halt. He was gripping his staff quite tightly, giving off the impression that he was under some sort of stress. Was it time to talk to him? Was this the right moment to ask him something? She took a second to ridicule herself for thinking of such questions; of course she could talk if she wanted to.

"Ash?" she asked, removing her hood. "Are you alright?"

"Huh, wha?" asked Ash, removing his hood. He looked at Serena's eyes and immediately blushed. "Oh, sorry. I was just... recovering."

"Recovering?" asked Serena, her eyes never leaving Ash's. "From what?"

"Those fucking eyes, those fucking eyes..." thought Ash, nearly suffocating from the unintentional intensity of Serena's gaze. "...Don't worry about it, just some mystic Aura Guardian stuff."

"Mystic Aura Guardian stuff." repeated Serena, blinking for what seemed like the first time in ages. "Interesting."

"Yeah..." said Ash, continuing walking. At that point, that was all he could do. If he'd spent even another second in that situation, his head would have stood the near-actual threat of exploding. "But, uh, if you have any other questions, I can probably answer them."

"Questions..." said Serena, her eyes darting to the crystalline ceiling. They then refocused on Ash. "Oh, what were the Corridors of the Aura like? That's where you've been, right?"

"Yeah, that was where I trained." answered Ash, putting his hood back on. Almost automatically, Serena did the same. "It was an interesting place to say the least. It was huge, lots of sprawling halls with many doors to many rooms with many things in them. It took me about a year to figure out where everything was. The floors were tiled, royal blue and black, while the walls were made of the same stone Gothic churches are made of, I think. Just like Gothic churches, there were also rose windows, and of course every one of them had a blue color scheme. Everything was lit by torches, but don't let that fool you; there were lights installed in the ceiling. My masters just liked being as extra as possible."

"Really?" laughed Serena, liking Ash's changed speech patterns. It was reminiscent of his younger ones, but with a wittier, older-sounding twist to it. "Besides being 'extra', what were your masters like?"

"Being real, they were all different breeds of social degenerate/outcast." said Ash, earning laughter from Pikachu and disapproving grumbles from Lucario. "Sir Branford taught me a lot of hand-to-hand fighting and built up my strength. High school wasn't a thing when he was around, but if it was, he would have peaked there. Sir Tobias, well he was just an antisocial asshole, nothing too complex there. He taught Pikachu and I a lot of teamwork and synchronization techniques. Sir Hylus taught me how to use a lot of weapons, and after many months, we realized I'm best with staves. I'd say something about him, but its hard to get a read on the personality of someone who just does not talk at all."

"They sound like quite the bunch." commented Serena.

"Oh, there's more. Sir Riley was the one I was closest with. He taught me how to perform spells, as well as how to shape and control my Aura. He was much more in touch with his social skills than the rest, and I'd even go as far as to say he's one of the best friends I've ever had. But in the end, he just wasn't as cool as I am. And last but not least, there was Sir Aaron."

Ash could hear Lucario growling in his mind.

"Do not speak ill of Sir Aaron-"

"Sir Aaron was like a stereotypical dad that tries to be cool to the point of embarrassing himself. His attempts to use slang always resulted in massive levels of second-hand embarrassment. But when he wasn't trying to be "gnarly", he was teaching me how to fully tap into my latent powers. That's when he would really show why he was one of the most powerful and revered Aura Guardians in history. His Aura, it felt like it never ended sometimes."

"Gnarly..." giggled Serena, laughing at the criminally out-dated word. "So, are you more powerful than him?"

"Yes. I'm the most powerful Aura Guardian that's ever lived... and it's all thanks to them." said Ash, smiling. "They trained me with their end goal being me surpassing all of them... and that's just what I did. It was hard work for all of us, which is why I'm not going to let them or anyone in this world down. We're going to kick some ass and save the world, Serena."

"You make it sound like it's going to be easy..." noted Serena, still unsure of her purpose in the Fellowship.

"It'll be a cake-walk." answered Ash nonchalantly.

Serena furrowed her eyebrows, expressing her persisting uncertainty. Ash noticed this and frowned. He stopped walking, as did Serena.

"Look, Serena," he said, fully turning to her. In an attempt to add more weight to his words, he awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Similar to what I said earlier, just trust in the Aura. We will save the world. I'm the Chosen Guardian for a reason, and you are one of the Chosen Ones for a reason. We were Chosen for this. Doubting your place as a member of The Fellowship won't do you any good, because like it or not, I'm keeping you around, and the same will go for everyone else once we find them."

Serena's cheeks reddened at Ash's touch. The assuring look in his auburn eyes sent her hormones into a feral frenzy, an amalgamation of different sensations rushing through her. Her stomach was experiencing waves of fluttering butterfrees. Chills weren't just running down her spine, no, they were drag racing. Suddenly, her heart beat became very feelable, the pace picking up a little.

"How are you going to find everyone else?" she asked, her voice uneven. "Can you sense them?"

"No, but I'm sure fate will take care of that." answered Ash, removing his hand. "Right now, our focus is on getting to the Sinnoh region. I need a Lucario, and the one I'm looking for is somewhere there. I can't sense him from this far away, but once we get to the region I should be able to pinpoint where he is. I'm not too sure how we're going to get there though... We're near Johto, right? Maybe I'll pick up Charizard from the Charicific Valley so he can fly us."

"...We're also near Kanto." stated Serena, calming down.

"Oh here we go..." thought Ash, rolling his eyes.

"You're not going to tell everyone you're alive?"

"No..." muttered Ash, putting his hood back on as he continued walking. "I've already decided that I'd wait till after the world is saved to see everyone, just in case I fail and actually die. I wouldn't want them them to go through the whole mourning process a second time... catch my drift?"

"I can't say I do. I thought you said this would be a cake-walk." retorted Serena, raising an eyebrow. "Ash, you have to visit them. They deserve to know, regardless of what happens. And what if one or more of them are part of the Fellowship? It's not a far-fetched concept for at least one of them to be a Chosen One; Brock and Misty were your first traveling companions. And your mother? Well, she's your mother. You have to visit her at the very least."

"..."

"She spits facts." agreed Pikachu.

"I concur." added Lucario.

Serena silently stared at Ash, waiting for an answer. After a couple seconds of mulling it over more with Lucario and Pikachu, the young Aura Guardian cleared his throat.

"...Alright, once we get out of here we'll set up camp. If my memory serves me correctly, we're pretty close to Pewter City. We'll stop there tomorrow morning, say hi to Brock and Misty, make our way to Pallet Town, and spend the night there. Those are the only visits I'll allow, since they're close by and won't hinder our progress all too much. From then on, it'll be world-saving, fellowship-building, evil-doer ass-whoopings, and nothing else."

"Fine by me." answered Serena, her lips curving into a smile. "Afterwards, I'm sure you'll be glad you visited."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Ash sighed, relieved the conversation was over. In all honestly, it was probably the most exhausting thing he had gone through in a while. Serena had definitely changed as a person. She seemed far less bubbly than she was 5 years ago, seeming to have adopted a more serious, straight-to-the-point way of speaking. But her actual speech patterns themselves... either she'd answer with a quick sentence, or drop a full, emotional paragraph. And the way she looked at him every time he spoke... it was like she barely ever blinked. Her gaze was so concentrated... almost overbearing. Her body language was off as well. She didn't seem uncomfortable, but it wasn't very difficult to observe that she seemed to think before every action, as if messing up in a simple conversation would be the end of the world.

Her social skills had definitely declined in his absence, that was for sure.

But before Ash could wonder why, he remembered her saying that she'd been searching for him... alone. Thinking back, he realized he didn't recall her saying how long the search was. She had left it at a simple "years", which raised a question in his mind. In all that time she had spent searching... how many people had she actually held a conversation with?


[Petalburg City...]

Max Maple couldn't sleep. How could he? Ash Ketchum, his childhood hero, was alive and well. He had been in a deep sleep just a half hour ago, but as soon as Ash's Aura returned to the physical plane, he was immediately woken. Of course, he had sensed May's Aura fluctuate as well, which had prompted him to check on her. She indeed felt it too, but could only discern it as a feeling similar to how she felt when Tobias had come, years ago. Max made the decision to leave it at that, opting not to tell her that she was, in fact, sensing Ash. He'd left her room shortly after he had entered, and now he was in his bed, lost in his own thoughts.

"He's back." he mused, staring at the ceiling. "And he's insanely powerful... as in Chosen Guardian levels of powerful... What am I gonna do now...?"

The question was more valid than one would think. Max now found himself in a situation that could quickly become sticky if not handled properly. May was back to normal, back to living her own life. She was her own person again; she no longer needed Ash Ketchum around to be happy. Was this really the time to tell her he was back? Right when she had finally moved on?

"She'll have to find out eventually..." echoed a voice in Max's mind.

Max eyed one of the two pokeballs on his nightstand. He hadn't fully forged it at the time of May's rescue, but after two years at home, he now shared a mental link with his main pokemon, Gardevoir. Max sighed, cupping the ball in his hand as he continued to think.

"I know that, Gardevoir. Really, that's the part that bugs me. I know there's no way she wont find out... I just don't want her to find out for a WHILE. I know May; if she finds out that he's alive, she's going to draw the connection that he's the Chosen Guardian, and she's going to want to join him. She'll ask me to teach her how to use Aura, and even if I say no, she'll defiantly declare that she'll just go to Ash and have him teach her instead."

"But if that's what she wants-"

"For once, I don't care what she wants." declared Max, leaning his head back. "Not only would she be in extreme danger joining Ash on his quest... she just doesn't need that kind of craziness in her life anymore. Ash was and probably still is a great person, but the effect he has on May... it's too strong. I don't want her to slip back into bad habits, or to lose herself again."

"Max... while your reasoning is noble intention-wise, it's wrong. You can't choose May's path. She's older than you, and she's her own person. As her brother, the best thing you can do is just stand by her and always offer her your support."

"I guess... but-... wait, hold on."

Max's conversation with Gardevoir had to be put on hold, as he could sense May approaching his room. He sat up in his bed, waiting for the knock that was sure to come. But no, May did not knock. Instead, she slowly opened the door, peeking into the room. Still as a statue, Max stared at her, startling the 22 year-old brunette. Seeing that he was wide awake, she opened the door fully and walked in, closing it behind her. She then leaned against the door, hands clasped behind her back. She was staring at the floor, seeming to have trouble deciding what to say.

"What's up?" asked Max, putting on his glasses.

May softly bit her bottom lip before locking eyes with Max. Max sighed, knowing what she was going to ask. The look in her eyes told it all.

"Max, is it possible you can teach me how to use my Aura? / You want me to teach you how to use Aura, right?" said the Maple siblings, simultaneously.

May's eyes widened, surprised Max already knew what she was going to ask. Before continuing the conversation, she quietly walked over to Max's bed and sat next to him. She looked at her brother, determination in her eyes. Max stared right back, opting show no emotion, regardless of how he felt inside.

"Why?" he asked, maintaining eye contact.

May sighed and looked down at her lap, shrugging.

"So you just felt the sudden urge to learn how to harness and control life energy?" asked Max, folding his arms. "That's neat."

"I just... I feel like I should learn. You said what we were feeling earlier was a powerful Aura user, yeah? I feel like so much of the past few years of my life have been connected to Aura in some way or another. It's a part of our family, and unlike Dad, I'm not afraid to embrace that. I'm tired of being in the dark about everything. I want to be able to sense things on my own, to be able to protect myself, to be able to actually communicate with Glaceon like you can with Gardevoir..."

"Is that really all?" asked Max, skeptical.

"Well... those are the logical reasons." answered May, interlocking all fingers except for her thumbs, which she slowly twiddled. "If you want me to be honest... I just feel a strange calling to finally learn. I can't explain it. Something about the way that powerful person's Aura felt... it literally felt like it was calling me to come with them... and for some reason... I feel like I should. I can't explain it Max, but I got a weird rush of hope after sensing them, even though I don't know who they are. What if it's that Chosen Guardian person you were talking about after you rescued me?"

"Wow. Just... wow." commented Gardevoir. "You really weren't too far off, Max..."

"Called it." thought Max in response. He took a deep breath before speaking. "May, I dont know. It's not easy, and I'm no teacher, let alone a master. I'm merely an amateur, nothing compared to an actual Guardian. I was just barely able to learn Aura myself, I really don't think I'm capable of teaching it to another person. And even if you asked me 2 years ago, back when I could do more than just heal people and talk to Gardevoir... my answer probably would've been the same."

May didn't say anything at first. Instead, she continued to stare at her lap, seeming awfully still. Max leaned forward to see her face better, and what he saw - as well as what he felt for a split second - made his mouth open slightly. Her sapphire eyes had taken on a lighter hue, as well as a vibrant, blue glow that Max knew all to well. A single tear was running down the side of her face, a blue gleam on the end of it.

"May?" stammered Max, absolutely positive he could see an extremely faint blue glow emanating from May's body.

"I'm alright... I don't know where the tears came from... heheh..." answered the brunette, wiping her tears away. "I don't know, sometimes I just get choked up for the smallest things."

She turned her head to Max and gave him a reassuring smile, which Max responded to with widened eyes and a frown. Her glow had vanished as quickly as it came. Her irises had lost the unmistakable glow of Aura that he'd seen just seconds ago, returning to the usual deep oceanic blue they usually were. Like magic, she was back to normal, which only further fueled Max's confusion. Noticing Max's expression, May frowned as well.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head.

"...Nothing." answered Max, shaking his head. "Anyway, I'm sorry, but I can't teach you, May. It's just not possible..."

"I understand, Max. I just thought I'd give it a shot at least... Some day, I'll learn." said May, exaggerating a yawn as she did so. "I'm gonna try to go back to sleep, it's getting late. Goodnight, love you."

"Love you too." replied Max, watching as May got out of his bed and approached the door. "Sleep well."

"You too."

Max waited until May was fully out of the room before freaking out in response to what he'd just witnessed. Ironically, May had (unknowingly) just been using her Aura. Due to their family's strong connection between Aura and emotion, she seemed to have been subconsciously releasing small amounts of it. She had shed a few tears, so Max could only conclude that her Aura was reacting to that same sadness, the sadness he didn't have the chance to ask her about. But that wasn't the reason for his current state of awe. It was the degree of potency he sensed in her Aura, the base level of power... that was the true noteworthy aspect of the scenario. It was the first time he'd ever seen May's Aura actually being released, and somehow... it was already stronger than his own. The power wasn't worlds apart, and like he'd stated, Max was no master, but still... it came as a surprise that May's completely inexperienced Aura had already surpassed the Aura of someone going into his fourth year of using it.

Max rolled over and buried his face into his pillow, his same question from earlier returning to his head.

"Ughhh... What am I gonna do now?"


[Outskirts of Kanto...]

The Tree of Beginning was now a landmark not too far away, its green exterior coated in spindles of moonlight. Ash and Serena had safely made it out of the tree, opting to set up "camp" (they gathered some wood and started a fire) as soon as they reached level ground. They had spoken a little more since their conversation in the tree, but for the most part, things were quiet. Serena had released all of her pokemon once camp was set up, giving Pikachu a chance to catch up with Sylveon, Pangoro, and Braixen. Pikachu tried to talk to all of them, only really getting a good conversation out of Sylveon. Braixen and Pangoro were far less talkative.

In fact, it seemed like Sylveon's interest in Pikachu was so high that it made up for the lack of interest from the other two. Pikachu, who already found Eeveelutions to be "hella thicc", was definitely interested in Sylveon as well. However, the yellow mouse was surprised by himself; before this, he was sure he only liked Ice-types. But the way Sylveon looked... he was heavily considering changing his stance to a dual Fairy-type/Ice-type preference.

But of course, Pikachu hitting things off with Sylveon came at a price... for Ash at least. Shortly after everything was settled, everyone had begun to fall sleep. The Chosen Guardian watched as an exhausted Serena and Braixen leaned and curled up into Pangoro's soft fur, both falling asleep near instantly. Right when he was about to wonder where Sylveon was, he spotted her by the fire, cuddling and dozing off with Pikachu.

Alone and with no one to talk to, Ash sat against a tree, waiting for sleep to come to him. Unfortunately, it didn't come as fast as he'd have liked. There wasn't even much on his mind; he just hadn't lost consciousness yet. It felt odd to try to sleep in somewhere other than the Corridors.

"Well... this is boring." he thought, yawning. "Wish I had someone to talk to... But no, Pikachu's BUSY..."

"Hello."

"Shit!" swore Ash, startled by Lucario's sudden greeting. He then retreated into his thoughts once more. "Oh, Lucario! Not gonna lie, I forgot you were here. You're not asleep?"

"No."

"...I see." answered Ash. "So, what's going on? Wanna play I Spy or something?"

"No. I wish to recommend an action, if you do not mind. It is of great importance."

"That being...?"

"By my estimate, Master Brecht's seal shall be broken in mere hours. From here on, we will face danger and peril, often when we least expect it. But, of course, proper rest is an infinitely important component to our success, so I advise you to cast a protective screen over the settlement as you sleep. That way, there will be no need to worry about safety during the hours of sleep."

"Gotcha." murmured Ash, materializing his black rod in his hand. He placed both hands on it and touched the end to the ground, beginning his chant. "Semak melakukan sembilan sebelas, semak melakukan sembilan sebelas... protect and preserve, Hidden Barrier."

Thin wisps of Aura spun and slithered into existence from the top of Ash's staff, injecting themselves into the air. They expanded until the entire camp was surrounded by them, and once enough had been released, they formed a thin dome of Aura around The Fellowship. The dome then faded out of visibility, indicating the spell was finished.

"There. If anyone that's not part of the Fellowship even touches it from the outside, they'll be stopped in their tracks. It's a pretty strong barrier, one of Riley's favorites." said Ash, sitting back down. He let out another yawn. "Alright Lucario, I'm actually gonna try to fall asleep now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Master."

"Ew..." muttered Ash, closing his eyes. "Please stop calling me that..."

...

[The next morning...]

...

Ash's eyes fluttered open, only to immediately close in response to the Sun's light shining directly into them. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. When they opened again, he was able to see, letting out a yawn as he did so. His mouth felt funny; he urgently needed to brush his teeth. Unfortunately, his masters didn't send him back with a toothbrush. He sighed and turned towards the area Serena, Pangoro, and Braixen had fallen asleep, wondering if the honey-blonde had any ideas for maintaining oral hygiene. She had been searching for him in the wild, yet her breath didn't smell when he'd talked to her yesterday; she had to know something he didn't.

"I wonder what her secret is- uh oh."

Ash's eyes widened, the young Guardian noticing that Serena wasn't curled up against Pangoro like she was when she'd fallen asleep. He looked around, and much to his concern, she wasn't anywhere within the confines of the barrier he'd created at all. All 3 of her pokemon were still there, soundly asleep, but she herself was gone... without a trace. Ash scrambled to his feet, instantly feeling a wave of worry wash over him.

"Crap crap crap crap crappity crap crap crap crap..." he stammered, panicking.

"Relax." advised Lucario. "Feel for her Aura."

"Right!" answered Ash, nodding.

After taking a deep breath to calm himself a little, he shut his eyes in an attempt to feel for Serena's Aura better. Luckily, there was no way she could've gone far enough to be out of his range. It didn't take long till he pinpointed her location; she wasn't far, but she was definitely a considerable distance away.

"...There she is." he sighed, immensely relieved. He then frowned, realizing Serena Yvonne wasn't all that he sensed nearby. "Ahhhhh shit... they're bad news."

"We must hurry."


Serena had woken up approximately an hour before Ash had. Her body clock always woke her up around sunrise, making her the true definition of a morning person. Like she did most mornings of her travels, she'd immediately searched the nearby areas for lakes or streams. She opted to leave her pokemon with Ash, as, odd enough, none of them had woken up when she had.

She had found a large pond about 45 minutes into her search. Once she arrived, she performed the usual routine when her water searches yielded success: she made sure it was clean, fresh water, collected some in a large bottle for drinking (only after she'd have Braixen boil it for her first), and then removed her clothing. She opened a compartment of her backpack, revealing copious amounts of hand-picked mint leaves with varying levels of dryness. She grabbed a couple, began chewing them, and then waded into the pond, stopping when the water reached her shoulders.

The bath had been rather uneventful. She'd spent most of it thinking about how Ash had changed, and how even though he was different, he was still the same old Ash. Near the end, she had almost started to doubt her place in the Fellowship again, but she stopped herself. Ash's words of encouragement were still fresh in her conscience, warding off such feelings. Serena smiled; if they were in the same situation 5 years ago... there wasn't a doubt in her mind he'd say the same things. He was still Ash, and she was still in love.

"Just trust in the Aura..." she whispered to herself, getting out of the pond.

After waiting for her body to dry off a little, she began to put her clothes back on. Right as she finished putting on her last garments, she began to hear voices nearby. They sounded like male voices, but much to her alarm, none of them were Ash's.

Deeming anything that wasn't Ash, Pikachu, or one of her pokemon to be a possible threat, Serena entered survival mode. One of her hands reached into her cloak, pulling out one of the knives she carried at all times. In a perfect world, she'd be able to escape whoever was nearby and get back to camp. But if not... then she'd have to defend herself, which she was no stranger to doing. She slowly walked towards the direction of the camp, being sure to be as silent with her footsteps as possible. However, she soon encountered a problem: the closer she got to camp, the louder the voices got.

Before backing up and deciding to find another route, Serena stayed put. She was close enough to hear what the people were saying, which she planned on using to her advantage. If they were friendly, she'd have no problem walking by and being on her way.

"Alright guys, according to our orders passed down from The Commander himself, the Chosen Guardian & Friends should still be in this area. We see him? We kill him. On the spot. Preferably before he has a chance to kill us."

"Yes sir!" answered multiple men in unison.

Serena frowned; they were not friendly.

She began to back up, deciding to take another route back to camp. Whoever these people were, they were clearly enemies. From what she could hear, there were at least 10 people; too many for her to take care of without her pokemon.

"Whoever they are, they're definitely dangerous... I have to get out of here so I can warn-"

Serena paused, feeling her back bump into something; the breathing she heard told her it was a person. Not ready to take any chances, she immediately thrust her knife backwards. The faint sound of metal lightly clashing with metal entered her ears, causing her to look over her shoulder in confusion. Sky blue eyes met brown as she locked eyes with none other than Ash, who had managed to deflect her stab with his staff. There was a surprised look on his face. Serena fully turned around, and saw Pikachu (who looked very groggy) on Ash's shoulder.

"Jeez, Serena." whispered Ash, scratching his head. "A little quick to the trigger, don't you thin-"

"Shhh..." hushed the honey blonde, covering his mouth.

Serena pointed to the direction she'd heard the voices from. Ash responded with an eye roll, conveying that he already knew there were enemies ahead. Serena raised both eyebrows and then rolled her own eyes, realizing Ash's senses were obviously many times keener than hers. Ash's eyes darted back and forth between Serena's eyes and the area the voices were coming from. He then wiggled his eyebrows. Serena shook her head. Ash nodded. Serena shook her head faster. Ash nodded faster. Still groggy from Ash's less than ideal method of waking him, Pikachu yawned. And then he sneezed. Loudly. Both Ash and Serena looked at Pikachu, who glared at both of them.

"Hey, did you hear that?" sounded one of the voices up ahead.

"Pikachu, what the fuck?" thought Ash, removing Serena's hand from his mouth.

"Nah, fuck you! Shit wasn't on purpose, but it's what you deserve for waking me up like that!" declared Pikachu, sparks flying from his cheeks. "Yanking me by the tail off Sylveon like that... that's some motherfucking abuse if you ask me!"

"Pay attention!" roared Lucario, silencing both them.

Both Ash and Pikachu looked forward. 11 men in black uniforms were approaching from less than 40 yards away, swords in the hands of most and crossbows in the hands of a few. As soon as they saw Ash, in all his Chosen Guardian glory, their walks turned into runs, realizing they had found their target. Ash gripped his staff tight, an azure glow overtaking his eyes. Pikachu's eyes glowed blue as well, more sparks flying from the rodent's cheeks.

Pikachu leaped from Ash's shoulder into the air, while Ash began to charge Aura into his free hand.

"Watch out, they're going to do a synchronized attack!" barked one of the 11 foes. He seemed to be the leader. "Take cover!"

With an iconic battle cry, Pikachu called down a mighty Thunder attack... but the target was not the attackers. Instead, the powerful bolt came crashing down onto Ash's hand, which the raven-haired Guardian was holding upwards. The Aura surrounding said hand absorbed the electric shock, creating a deadly display of sparks and static electricity around Ash's hand and forearm. While Pikachu landed safely by Ash's feet, Ash lowered his hand, slowly balling it into a fist as he did so. He then thrust his arm forward, releasing an electrically charged blast of Aura straight at the mysterious enemies, annihilating 3 grunts, the ones that couldn't dodge in time.

"My crossbowmen!" cried the leader. "Troops! Show no fear! We fight for The Dark Order till our last breaths!"

"The Dark Order?" snorted Ash as he rushed the nearest two grunts, staff in hand. "You cannot be serious."

With a quick swing of his staff, he parried a slash from the first grunt, leaving him open to receive a point-blank Thunderbolt from Pikachu. Ash then ducked, dodging a swing from the second grunt.

"If that isn't the most generic, wanna-be edgy name I've EVER heard..." commented Pikachu, landing an Iron Tail on the crook of the second grunt's neck. "What's your leader's name? ShadowLord101? MegaPyroBlade X? DarkSlash9? Yo, let's just sit down and play Shadow the Hedgehog while we're at it."

Two more grunts came charging towards Ash, who was laughing at Pikachu's words. Stifling down some chuckles, Ash put both his hands forward and fired two Aura Spheres at the men. Only one of them hit its target, putting the Dark Order operative it hit out of commission. The second sphere, however, was deflected by the other grunt's sword. It was sent hurtling right back at Ash, who, still smiling, absorbed the sphere, only to send back another one that was twice as large. This time, the target was hit, right in the gut.

"DarkSlash9? You're ridiculous, Pikachu." laughed Ash, shaking his head. "But anyway, 7 down, 4 to g-"

"AGHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ash and Pikachu both turned around, startled. They turned just in time to watch another grunt fall face first into the ground, their assailant quickly moving onto the next one. She moved with such grace, such deadly, aggressive, icy grace. The next grunt swung their sword at her, but it clashed with the dagger she held in hand. In one rapid motion she slid her blade down the sword, till her own steel cut through the hilt and made contact with the grunt's hand, doing minor yet but painful damage to his fingers. She then delivered a swift knee to the man's crotch, causing him to hunch over. But unfortunately, that just left his face open for a powerful knee to the nose.

The last of the grunts, angered by the swift defeat of his brethren by the hands of a woman, sprinted towards her. Instead of engaging him, she simply threw her blade towards her attacker, her aim near perfect. As if it were hot and going through butter, her knife lodged itself in the man's thigh, stopping him in his tracks.

"You..." growled the group's leader, drawing his own blade. "BITCH!"

He charged towards her, but before he could get close, he felt a hand grab him by the collar. He looked over his shoulder and met the eyes of the Chosen Guardian and his loyal Pikachu, who had climbed back onto Ash's shoulder during the defeats of the last three grunts.

"Yeah, no." said Ash, both his and Pikachu's eyes flashing with Aura.

He then used his leg to sweep the leader off balance and followed up with a downward push, thrusting the man's face into the ground. Holding the man's head down with one hand, Ash nodded his head, prompting Pikachu to release a Thunder Wave on him. The shock traveled safely from Ash's shoulder down to his palm, releasing its paralyzing effects on the last remaining enemy.

As their eyes returned to normal color, Ash and Pikachu both looked at Serena, who had taken her knife out of the man's leg and was calmly wiping the blood off it. They stared for a couple seconds, both in pure awe.

"...I'm glad Black Widow left The Avengers and joined The Fellowship." said Pikachu, breaking the silence between him and Ash.

"Serena..." said Ash, standing up. "That was amazing."

"Huh?" asked Serena, turning to Ash.

Ash walked over to her right as she returned her knife to the confines of her cloak. The look of adoration he was giving her caused her face to burn up in blush.

"I said, that was amazing." he repeated, sliding his staff into the holder on his back. "How the heck can you question your place in The Fellowship when you can fight like that? That knife throw was absolutely insane!"

"Oh, um, thanks!" stammered Serena, not really seeing it as that big of a deal. "But I only took out three of them... You and Pikachu were the really amazing ones."

"Well that's only because we basically have superpow..."

Ash trailed off, never finishing his sentence. Serena frowned, noticing more and more discomfort overtaking Ash's face by the second. His eyes began to twitch, his facial expression becoming one of pure agitation. Thinking he was about to sneeze or something, Serena took a step to the right. This put her at eye level with Pikachu, and much to her concern... Pikachu's face wasn't too different from Ash's. They both looked as if they were experiencing an immense displeasure. Ash then began to shiver slightly, while Pikachu shakily placed a paw on Ash's head, seeming to be unable to maintain his balance on Ash's shoulder.

If their sudden changes in demeanor weren't enough to scare Serena, both of them beginning to breathe heavily surely was.

"Ash? Pikachu?" she asked, looking at them both. "Are you alright?"


[Ferry to Kanto: Hoenn waters...]

"What... in the world...?" growled Max, clutching his head.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. It had happened so suddenly, but in a split second, things had gone from completely normal to hellish. He felt like he was being suffocated, as if a great force was closing in and smothering him with its power. Everything around him felt pressurized, as if the air itself was about to implode. He could feel his consciousness wavering in and out, his vision becoming blurry, even with his glasses aiding his sight.

"May...? May...!" he wheezed, making his way out of the room he was in.

He had to find his sister. She had stayed up on the deck ever since they boarded the ferry 30 minutes prior. Right as Max reached the halfway point of the staircase that led to the deck, May stumbled into view at the top, looking just as stressed. Her eyes were only half open, and her legs were shaky. Her brother's name was all she could groan before passing out and falling forward, landing on him. The siblings then fell down the stairs, both out cold by the time they reached the bottom.


[The Corridors of the Aura...]

"It appears the time has come..." muttered Sir Tobias, walking through the halls of the Corridors.

He made his way to the main hall, where Sirs Riley, Aaron, Branford, and Hylus waited. They all looked at him with grim expressions, which Tobias responded to with a hard frown.

"Why the looks of dread?" he asked, his voice level. His lips then curved into a rare smirk. "Did we not train him for this?"

The rest of the Guardians' frowns turned into smiles as well. Sir Tobias was right; there was no need to worry. They trusted in their student, and they trusted in the Aura. That was all they could do. And so, Sirs Branford, Aaron, and Hylus departed to their quarters... but Sir Riley stayed behind. He let out a deep sigh and looked towards the ceiling, closing his eyes. Sir Tobias approached him, placing a hand on the younger Guardian's shoulder. Riley grinned.

"Sir Ri-"

"Yeah... I know... he'll be alright."


Alone in his throne room, The Commander sat. He felt it; The weight of millennia descending upon the planet, the tides of terror finally reaching the fated threshold. He'd never experienced anything like it before, but it was welcomed with arms as open as the cosmos. He could sense countless changes occurring throughout his base, and each one only made his hidden smile grow. One by one, primordial darkness filled his subordinates.

"And now... the fun begins." he mused, lifting up his mask to sip some wine.


"Ash!" cried Serena, grabbing the Chosen Guardian by the shoulder that Pikachu wasn't on. "Ash! Pikachu! Guys! What's wrong?!"

Ash ran a hand through his hair, his eyes darting back and forth. He wanted to answer Serena, but he couldn't. It felt as if the world around him was collapsing, caving in on itself in favor of a new one. Head pulsating in dull pain, he managed to look up at the sky, just in time to see it's transition from baby blue to an ominous shade of red. Noticing the change in lighting, Serena looked up as well. She gasped at the sight of blood red skies, a phenomenon undoubtedly associated with bad news.

Unable to take it anymore, Pikachu lost consciousness, falling off of Ash's shoulder. Ash grit his teeth, his eyes taking on an azure glow. His colossal reserves of Aura were the only things keeping him from doing the same.

"Lucario..." he thought, the sight of the reddened sky sending chills down his spine. "Is this...?"

"Indeed... the 10,000-year seal has broken..." answered Lucario, his tone grave. "The Dark Guardians... they walk the Earth once more."


Well, that's that. Gosh, that chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought it'd be. Anyway, here's something I'd like to say, just to avoid any confusion: This is still very much a shipping vs. shipping story. It just seems more leaned towards Amourshipping right now because May hasn't come into the full picture yet. But she will, along with the rest of The Fellowship.

One last minor thing. If you'd like to know what Ash's outfit looks like, go on Google Images and search "Kratos Aurion". Hes one of my favorite video game characters. Ash's outfit is the same as his, but instead of violet and lavender, it's navy blue and sky blue. And Ash wears a cloak over it.

Well, I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Later,

~DarkSlash9