Hey all! DarkSlash9 here with Chapter 13! Not much to say up here this time around. Sorry this chapter took so long, I wasted countless hours watching the 2019 Pokemon Cypher on repeat.

I'd like you all to read the Author's Note at the end though, there's something of a special announcement down there. As for the Q&A, I've decided to just answer questions through PM from now on. It's quicker for the askers as opposed to waiting for me to update again.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

DISCLAIMER: Iay on'tday ownay Okemonpay.


XIII


[Dark Order: Main Headquarters...]

It was truly remarkable how just one status report could turn an entire day upside down. Just minutes ago, Dr. Feinberg, one of the 7 Grand Disciples of Master Brecht, had been in his lab, studying mutant Pokerus viruses and their possible correlations to muscle growth in water types. Simple experiments for no purpose other than curiosity. Now, he found himself sprinting to The Commander's throne room, beads of sweat accumulating on his brow. He was no athlete, far from it. But the news he had just heard from his correspondents was far too catastrophic, it needed to be relayed to the head of the Order as soon as possible.

Reaching the throne room, he shoved the door open, without knocking.

"Commander _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _!" he cried, stumbling into the room. "I have horrid... news..."

Upon his entrance, Feinberg was immediately met with the sight of Commander Alexander's back. He was sitting in a regular fold out chair, facing a large 75-inch TV screen. The television was new; it certainly wasn't there the last time the Doctor was in the throne room... which was only 6 or 7 hours prior. On the screen was what Feinberg recognized to be an anime. It seemed to be one about... cooking?

Hearing Feinberg's entrance, the masked Commander turned around, right as a character in the anime ate a piece of cheesecake. The two Dark Order leaders looked at each other, the only sound in the room coming from the anime girl eating the cake. She let out a strangely sexual moan as she chewed the dessert, various sparkles and glimmers appearing around her body as she did.

"Feinberg... I shouldn't have to remind you about the importance of knocking." scolded the Commander, pausing the show. "What is it?"

Shaking off his confusion at the Commander's choice in entertainment, Dr. Feinberg took a few extra steps into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Sinnoh Base is under attack by the Chosen Guardian and his cohorts." he reported, his distress evident in his tone. "My sources tell me half the base has already been destroyed."

"And...?"

"With all due respect, Commander _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , this is not news to be taken with your usual laid back nature. One of our regional HQs is in shambles."

"If anyone's been too laid back, it's you." replied the Commander, quite calmly. "What did you think the Chosen Guardian would do once he returned? Cut our grass, repaint our houses, and dry-clean our coats? While that would be great, no, I doubt any of that is in his plans. Obviously he'll be doing quite a number on our forces during his quest. You shouldn't be so shook. You see, I recognized beforehand that things like this were bound to happen. Therefore, I'm not all disheveled like you are, which, in itself, is uncharacteristic of you. You always plan ahead, so why... oh... ohhhhh... wait. Is this about your two experiments, Nate and Rosa? Actually, that's definitely what this is about. Aw, look at you Feinberg, caring for others! You been to church lately or somethin'?"

"I do not wish for them to perish." admitted Feinberg, his gaze shifting to the floor. "They are my greatest creations, the products of 2 long years of tireless experimentation."

"Ah Feinberg, you worry too much." chuckled the Commander, turning back towards the TV. "Your powerful little super soldiers are durable, aren't they? Besides, you already know how to make more. Even if you didn't... they're with Lord Kamerion. He's a powerful man, that guy. He'll protect them."

"You think Lord Kamerion is enough to protect them from Ash Ketchum?"

"Yeah, sure." confirmed The Commander, resuming his anime. "Totally. Now, please, go back to mixing Diet Pepsi and Mentos in your lab. I'm trying to binge this entire season today, and I won't allow for any further disturbances."

"As you wish, Commander..." muttered Feinberg, taking his leave.

"Oh, Feinberg. One more thing. Well, two things actually." called the Commander, turning around again. "First of all, I'm hungry. Order one of my attendants to pick me up some Popeyes, and yes, I want the chicken sandwich. I don't care how many innocents die in the process of them getting it, I just want it. As for the second thing, it's completely unrelated to what we just talked about, but it does have to do with the Sinnoh Region."

"And that is...?"

"I want you to send a group of 2 or 3 men there to retrieve a certain item for me. It's very important, I want it done immediately. Tell them they are to use full force in retrieving the object - just like my sandwich - and to leave no witnesses alive afterwards."

"Not a problem... where exactly should I mobilize them to?"

"Veilstone City."


[Dark Order: Sinnoh Base...]

Nate and Rosa continued to look at each other's foreheads until the numbers slowly lost their glows and vanished. By the time the numbers were gone, Ash had overcome his astonishment at their inclusions into the Fellowship, our hero shifting gears to a much bigger focus. He looked at everyone, an extremely serious look on his face.

"Alright guys," he began, charging an Aura Sphere. He then fired it at Kamerion's Dark Aura construct, the one sealing off the room's exit. The construct shattered, opening up the doorway. "All of you need to get out of here. Stay together and watch each other's backs."

"Get out of here?" questioned May, standing up. "We're not going to leave you behind, Ash. We all can beat this guy together, can't we?"

"I'm sure we could." agreed Ash, his staff materializing in his hand. "But why put everyone else in harm's way when I can just kick his ass myself?"

"Oh, can you?" sang Kamerion from the other side of the room, smiling. "I'm unlike any foe you've faced before, Chosen Guardian! I am the mighty, powerful, fabulous Lord Kameri-"

Kamerion was silenced by the sound of a bullet piercing the wall behind him, just a few inches from his head. Everyone looked to Gary, the one undoubtedly responsible for the interruption.

"Shhhhhh..." hushed the brown-haired Researcher, shaking his head. "They are clearly trying to have a conversation right now. Goodness gracious, no fucking manners... *sigh* Continue, Ash."

Ash gave Gary a quick thumbs up before turning back to May and everyone else.

"...As I was saying, I've got this." he continued, his eyes lighting up with Aura. "This guy's Aura is pretty powerful, I don't want anyone getting caught in the crossfire of our fight. Max, Gary, Pikachu; you guys go with May, Serena, and... uhh... um, I'm sorry, what are your names?"

"I'm Rosa, and this is Nate." greeted Rosa, pointing to her companion. "Nice to meet you. And I have an alternate idea, if you don't mind. The Lucario you've been looking for is held in captivity here. On the 1st floor, in a hidden room. It's in an area undamaged by the plane you guys crashed into the building. Give us the ball containing the spirit of Sir Aaron's Lucario and we'll take care of that for you while you face Kamerion. Once we do that, we'll get out of here and head as far away as possible to avoid any danger."

Ash, Max (who had finished vomiting), and Gary all stared at Rosa, flabbergasted by her inexplicable knowledge. Meanwhile, May and Serena stared at Ash, Max, and Gary, flabbergasted by the fact that they, allegedly, flew an airplane into the base. In response to the boys' stares, Rosa curved her lips into a pleasant closed-mouth smile, finding mild entertainment in their shock. The smile only served to bolster the trio's bewilderment.

"...Sounds good." chirped Ash, saving his questions for later. He then handed Rosa Lucario's ball. She was part of the Fellowship; despite her odd nature, he trusted her. "I'll catch up with you all in a-"

His senses ever sharp, Ash quickly turned around just in time to block a lightning fast kick from Kamerion, who had bridged the gap between himself and the Fellowship in a matter of milliseconds. The clash of Auras created a powerful shockwave, nearly knocking everyone else off their feet. Blue and red hues splashed throughout the room as the two combatants tested their mettle against one another, both of them sporting competitive smirks.

"Oh, this is gonna be good." muttered Ash, locking eyes with Kamerion. "Everyone, get out of here! Follow Rosa!"

The 6 members of the nearly completed Fellowship of the Aura heeded their leader's orders, running through the doorway with Rosa leading the pack.

"Be careful, Ash!" called both May and Serena in unintentional unison.

"Look at this man..." chuckled Gary. "Already has a fan club."

As soon as everyone's footsteps were too far away to hear, Ash shoved Kamerion away, ending their power struggle. Kamerion's body soared through the air, the short-statured villain landing perfectly on his feet despite his high launch speed. Letting out a strange purring noise, Kamerion proceeded to power up, Dark Aura swirling around his body like a crimson tempest. In response, Ash released some of his own Aura, easily matching Kamerion's display.

"You're strong, I'll give you that." commended Ash, slowly walking towards Kamerion. "But I didn't come here to lose to a 5 foot 2 Keebler Elf."

"Oh trust me, Chosen Guardian." giggled Kamerion, also stepping forward. "I'm just getting start-"

Seizing the moment, Ash's slow steps unexpectedly transitioned into a blindingly fast dash, the raven-haired Guardian delivering a precise blow to Kamerion's throat with his staff. Immediately after the move, he created an Aura Sphere in his palm and shoved it into Kamerion's chest, right where his heart would be. Once again, Kamerion's body was sent flying, but this time there was no graceful landing. His body rolled and tumbled across the floor, motionless.

Ash raised his eyebrows; he hadn't expected such a quick and easy "battle". He had expected Kamerion to dodge or block his strike, but alas, neither thing happened. Instead he'd taken the blow, and seemingly lost his life for it. Curious, Ash walked over to the Dark Guardian's body, poking it with his staff.

"No fucking way..." he muttered, still poking.

Kamerion was dead.

"Well... that was a let-down." he thought, giving Kamerion's body one last poke.

The final poke would prove to have consequences. In an extremely unanticipated turn of events, Kamerion's eyes opened, the red glow of Dark Aura overtaking them. He grabbed hold of Ash's staff, yanking the pole out of the unsuspecting Aura Guardian's hand in one fluid motion. A blast of Dark Aura then erupted from his body, blowing Ash a couple feet away in the process.

Landing on his feet, Ash returned his focus to Kamerion, who was now standing up, Dark Aura emanating from his body. Our hero's demeanor instantly lost all nonchalance, his senses immediately picking up on a rather concerning stimulus: Kamerion's Aura had become denser, more powerful. It wasn't all too substantial of an increase, but an increase nonetheless. Astonished, Ash watched as the Dark Aura surrounding the Dark Guardian converged at his fingertips, creating small claws. He seemed ever so slightly taller too, his height increasing by 2 or 3 inches.

Ash reached forward, his staff disappearing from Kamerion's hand and returning to his own.

"What the hell..."

"I told you..." purred Kamerion, smiling. His teeth were sharper than before. "I'm just getting started."


Already on the floor below the control room, the rest of the Fellowship had made quick progress in their search for the Lucario. Very little had been said since they'd left Ash, all of them coming to a mutual non-verbal understanding that sharing words would only slow them down. They hadn't stopped moving at all, but as in all cases, there was a first time for everything. This precedent was set in the form of Pikachu, May, and Max stopping in their tracks, all three of them feeling Kamerion's growth in strength.

Confused as to why they'd stopped, Serena turned around.

"What's wrong?" she asked, breathing heavily.

"That guy's power just rose." stated Max, looking up at the ceiling. "He's even stronger than before."

"Nothing Ashy-boy can't beat though, right?" inquired Gary.

"Yeah, Ash's strength is still much greater..." answered Max, shaking his head. "But this doesn't bode well. I can sense when someone is using their Aura to its maximum extent. That guy already displayed his full power a couple seconds ago, and Ash matched that power easily. Then it all went away. But now it's back, and it's even stronger than it was previously."

"So what does that mean?" asked Serena, frowning.

"I don't know..." admitted Max, closing his eyes. "But I don't like what it could possibly imply."

Just then, a powerful tremor from the floor above them shook the hall, the rumble undoubtedly coming from the battle.

"Should we really have left him alone...?" questioned May, her concern evident in her tone. "What if Kamerion can keep on doing that?"

"May, you heard Ash, and you heard Max." stated Rosa, turning to the worried brunette. "He's got this, he's still way stronger than Kamerion. We have our own mission to take care of. Ash will be fine. We have to focus on our own task, the one he gave us."

"Yeah..."

Once again, the hallway shook, yet another testament to whatever chaos was unfolding on the 5th floor. In response to the quake, Pikachu bolted down the hall in the direction the Fellowship had come from, the yellow rodent requiring no permission from anyone to aid his companion. Everyone simply watched him go, the electric mouse being far too quick to stop. Gary opened his mouth to comment on the unexpected departure, but closed it when he saw yet another one take place. Following Pikachu's lead, Nate also sprinted down the hall.

Startled but not surprised by Nate's actions, Rosa closed her eyes.

"Oh man..." she sighed, sliding a hand down her face. "Well, there you go, reinforcements are on the way. The rest of us should continue, Nate and Pikachu have clearly stated their opinions on the matter and have acted accordingly. They'll do their thing, and we'll do ours. Sound good?"

A chorus of various responses were heard, all of them more or less agreeing with Rosa. She was right, merging the Lucarios was their mission. They had to trust in Ash's power, which would soon be aided by Pikachu and Nate. And so, they continued down the hall, resuming the silence that had dominated their procession earlier.

As they continued on, Serena retreated into her thoughts, her legs on auto-pilot. Even though the situation was certainly still urgent, she felt a sense of safety she hadn't before. It was no secret that it came from Ash's presence. However, other things came with Ash's presence, such as her memories of her conversation with May. They had both confessed their love for him, neither having any hesitation or cold feet in doing so. When their current fiasco was over, how would such a conflict of interests be dealt with? After hearing May's story, the honey blonde survivor couldn't bring herself to antagonize her. Truth be told, since the day they met, May had treated her with nothing but kindness. But she wanted Ash. They both did.

Serena sighed; why couldn't things be simpler?

Pushing her inner conflict to the back of her mind, Serena refocused her mind on the task at hand. They had reached the staircase to the next floor, the 3rd. The group walked down the steps, Rosa in front. However, right as they reached the bottom, Rosa held a hand up, signalling for them all to stop. Everyone did, but not without questions.

"What's the hold up?" inquired Gary, tilting his head.

"Someone's coming." she whispered, somewhat aggressively.

The harsh nature of her tone did not go unnoticed by Gary, nor everyone else for that matter. However, they were far more concerned with what Rosa had said, all of them looking forward. From around a corner appeared none other than Wade, with 5 grunts behind him. They were walking with a sense of urgency, urgency that was no doubt brought about by the plane that had crashed into the eastern half of the base just 10 minutes prior. But of course, as soon as Wade and his cohorts spotted the Fellowship, their march came to halt.

"Well look at what we have here..." observed Wade, smiling. "May Maple, Max Maple, one of the escaped freaks, the motherfucker who shot my leg, and a hot blonde! This day is just full of surprises, and it's not even noon yet! Happy you found your friend, Ms. Maple?"

"Ecstatic." growled May, taking a step forward. "I don't know how your leg's healed already, but I'm about to mess it up all over again."

"Is that a threat?" mocked Wade, unfazed.

"A promise." clarified Gary, also stepping forward. He pulled his gun from the confines of his cloak. "May, take five. They're mine. I need justice for the shit these dickwads did to my lab."

"Gary, with all due respect," chimed Serena, from behind her two brown-haired teammates. "There's 6 of them. Even with a gun, you probably can't take them all at once. Let's just fight together, it'll be much easier that way."

"Serena my darling, you flatter me with your concern. But this is more than just a gun." assured Gary coolly. "Trust."

Max snorted.

"Hmph, doubt it."

Deciding to let his weapon do the talking, Gary quickly pressed the small button on the gun and pulled the trigger. Just like on the plane, a thin beam of energy came from the barrel, not a bullet. But, unlike on the plane, the beam was not white, and it did not spawn jagged ice crystals on whatever it touched. This time it was orange, and whatever it touched smoldered into smoke and ember. In this case, the recipients were Wade and his men. Before any of them could even draw their weapons, they found themselves sustaining third degree burns on various areas of their bodies, Gary's laser cutting clean through their uniforms.

Howling in agony, they all collapsed, immobilized by the pain of their injuries.

"Everybody's a gangster until Gary Motherfucking Oak pulls up with the tool." declared Gary, blowing the smoke off the gun.

May, Serena, and Max all stared at Gary's gun, astonished.

"How did you do that?" asked May, stepping closer to examine the gun. "That was bananas."

"Well, as you all may or may not know, I'm a Pokemon Researcher well on my way to becoming a Pokemon Professor." explained Gary, putting the gun back into his cloak. "Pokemon Professors all specialize in a different field of study. Gramps studies the relationships between pokemon and humans, Birch studies pokemon habitats, Sycamore studies Mega Evolution, so on so forth. My study is the genetics behind pokemon types, as well as the status effects each type is capable of inflicting. This gun here is a product of my research... and my inherent need to keep the heat on deck, in case some drug lord or hitman shows up trying to kill me and what not. Believe me, you can never slack when it comes to those guys. But yeah, it can shoot bullets as well as the concentrated energy of any of the 18 pokemon types. What I just used was Fire."

"Wow!" beamed May.

"Interesting." said Serena with a smile.

"That's pretty cool." admitted Max.

"Spectacular." droned Rosa, walking on ahead. She calmly stepped around Wade and his grunts, heading further down the hall. "Come on, everyone. Let's not forget what we're doing. The enemies are dealt with, let's keep moving."

Everyone watched Rosa walk away, rather put off by her demeanor. However, she was right; the show had to go on. And so, they continued onward, but not without a rather confused grumble from Gary. He had a keen eye for people that disliked him, and so far, Rosa's behavior was sounding all the alarms... and then some. It didn't make sense for her to feel such a way, he mused. They'd just met.

"Okay...?" he thought, walking past the grunts.


"This is ridiculous..." thought Ash, looking down.

The Chosen Guardian of the Aura currently found himself in quite the predicament. He was breathing heavily, his head a few inches away from the ceiling. He'd lodged his staff in the wall, perching on it like gargoyle. He did this to give himself temporary relief from whatever monster he was doing battle against, down below.

It didn't make sense. Including his original strike at the start of the battle, he had landed three different killing blows on Kamerion, only for the Dark Guardian to rise up each time, notably stronger than he was before he was knocked down. Not only was he more powerful, his appearance was changing. Down on the floor - staring back at him - was no longer a short, pudgy little man, but some cross between man and beast, with Dark Aura thrown into the mix. Kamerion was on all fours, having formed claws, slits for pupils, and fangs. His body had further grown, becoming more slender while also gaining muscle definition.

And to top it all off, his attack patterns were becoming feral.

"Come down, Chosen Guardian!" hollered Kamerion, eyeing Ash. "You can't be tired already, can you?!"

"Far from it." called Ash, closing his eyes. "bercinta dengan pria ini, dia payah... bercinta dengan pria ini, dia payah... encase and collapse, Aura Compaction!"

As soon as Ash reopened his eyes, his spell began to form. A cube of Aura immediately formed around Kamerion, capturing him. Terrified by what the attack's name implied, Kamerion desperately slashed at the walls of his prison. Unfortunately for him, he found no success. Trapped, he could only continue to struggle as the cube got smaller and smaller, slowly crushing him.

"Can't get back up without a functional body..." muttered Ash, jumping off his staff.

Landing a few feet away from the cube, Ash watched as it continued to squeeze Kamerion. He wasn't exactly delighted by the sound of muffled screams and cracking bones, but he knew he had to see this through to make sure the job was done right. As expected, the cries and cracking eventually ceased. Once again, Kamerion seemed to be dead. However, not wanting to take any chances, Ash began to charge an Aura Sphere, one larger than usual. In the event that Kamerion some how bounced back from his demise, he'd be ready.

But it seemed the spell had done the trick. It continued to compact, even though Kamerion's body was surely mangled beyond recognition. Deciding there was no point in spending extra Aura to continue the spell, Ash put his free hand forward with intentions of dismissing it. However, a certain sight would stop him from doing so:

Cracks forming in the cube, with red light shining through.

"Son of a-"

In a blast of Dark Aura, Ash's cube exploded. Standing his ground through the shockwave, our hero attempted to fire the Aura Sphere he'd charged, only for a clawed hand to emerge from the light and drive itself right through the attack, grabbing his forearm. The owner of the hand then threw Ash across the room, right into the unforgiving hardness of the concrete walls. Upon the collision, Ash sunk to the floor, dazed by the powerful impact. Once the stars cleared up, he took a look at the creature responsible for his manhandling.

What he saw brought about true horror in his core. His spell had done the trick; Kamerion's body was indeed mangled. Various joints and bones were bent in ways they shouldn't have been. His body was no longer in one piece; certain parts and limbs were detached, held together by nothing but Dark Aura and random patches of crimson... fur? As if that wasn't terrifying enough, blood dripped from his countless open wounds, various streams of the liquid pooling on the tiles he stood upon. And to top it all off... his Aura had increased yet again.

His eyes were fixed on Ash, an animalistic grin on his face.

"I kNow, i KNoW, i'M uTTerLy faBuLOuS, aRen'T I?" purred Kamerion, his voice scratchy and distorted.

"What the hell are you?" uttered Ash, standing up.

"ComE NOw, Isn'T it OBvIouS? MeOw!"

"(ಠ_ಠ)"

"MEoW!"

"I can't say I've ever come across a cat that can talk." admitted Ash, gripping his staff. His grip then loosened for a second. "Oh, well actually, I guess there was Team Rocket's Meowth, but... never mind, not important. Why do you keep not dying?"

"SimPLe!" exclaimed Kamerion, the demonic double in his voice decreasing as his voicebox reconstructed itself. "I am a different breed. Through all sorts of experimentation and magics, the 7 Grand Disciples of Master Brecht all possess fabulous abilities unlike anything this feeble world has ever seen. I'd be a fool to tell you the powers of the remaining Disciples, but my ability grants me the soul of the fabulous feline, with a twist! I have 9 'lives', each one more powerful and fabulous than the last!"

Ash slowly nodded his head.

"So what you're saying is... I just have to kill you... *counts on fingers* 5 more times, and then it's done."

"If you can." retorted Kamerion, his tone becoming far more serious. "The increase is exponential. It'll be harder to overcome every single time. I saw you breathing heavily against my previous life; If I'm already making you try at my 5th life, one can only wonder how much longer it'll take for my fabulousness to eclipse your own."

"If you think I've actually been trying, you're sorely mistaken." declared Ash, powering up.

"Fabulous!" beamed Kamerion, vanishing from sight. A split second later he reappeared behind Ash, claws poised to slash. "That makes both of us!"

Ash was able to dodge the claws, but not the entire attack itself. Kamerion's forearm smashed into Ash's shoulder, sending the raven-haired Guardian stumbling a couple feet away. Right as he was about to regain his balance, a barrage of Dark Aura Spheres were sent his way. Intending to make a statement, Ash simply called upon his massive reserves of Aura, the energy surrounding his body being more than enough to deflect every single one of Kamerion's spheres.

When the final sphere of the volley came his way, Ash grabbed his staff and hit it back to Kamerion, like a baseball. In turn, Kamerion slapped the sphere back to Ash with his bare hands. Staff still in hand, Ash returned the Dark Aura Sphere once more. Ready for more, Kamerion responded with another backhand, sending it back to Ash yet again. Aware the battle would devolve into the First Annual Aura Sphere Tennis Festival if something wasn't done soon, Ash did not hit the sphere back. Instead he put his hand forward, caught it, and squeezed it into nothingness, crimson sparkles blooming from in between his fingers.

It was then that things got physical. Both combatants charged towards each other, closing the gap in the blink of an eye. Sparks flew as Kamerion's claws clashed with Ash's staff, both warriors moving at speeds beyond that of normal human capabilities. In a feral fury, Kamerion put everything he had into his assault. Each blow was deflected by Ash, who was experiencing all the proof he needed that Kamerion's power was getting problematic. He wasn't going all out, but Kamerion's current strength certainly required him to pay attention and fight smart. As he continued to deflect the slashes, Ash grit his teeth in frustration; he still had to kill Kamerion 5 more times, knowing he'd come back stronger each time. It was then that the truth of the matter became clear to Ash.

The outcome of the battle wasn't going to be decided by his strength; it would be decided by his endurance.

"Pay attention!" cackled Kamerion, going for a low kick.

Having spent too many seconds thinking, Ash was unprepared for Kamerion's mix-up. Kamerion's leg swept Ash off his feet, but before his body could hit the ground, Kamerion swiftly transitioned his leg-sweep into a powerful shove. As soon as his shoulder smashed into our hero's abdomen, a mighty shockwave of Dark Aura pulsated from the contact, shaking the entire room. Rendered airborne, Ash landed a few feet away, writhing from the pain of the blow.

"Ow..." he groaned, opening his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Kamerion just a few feet overhead, the Dark Guardian well on his way to delivering a lethal blow from above. His body reacting on its own, Ash put his hand forward and fired an Aura Sphere. However, things ended up playing out quite differently than either of them would have expected. Firstly, Ash's Aura Sphere was a failure; he'd missed Kamerion by a few inches. But the true surprise of the situation came from Kamerion's side of things. He did not end up attacking Ash, as planned. Instead, he found himself seeing nothing but golden light as excruciating pain rippled through every cell in his body. But the surprises didn't end there. Before his vision could even return to him, Kamerion felt a hard object nail him in the throat, the force of it sending him careening into a nearby wall. When he hit it, a chunk of the ceiling fell on top of him, crushing his body.

Ash, still on the ground, glanced at the one responsible for Kamerion's sudden downfall. Unable to conceal his delight, he grinned.

"Thanks for the assist." he uttered, standing to his feet.

"Look at you, getting your ass beat by this scrub. Shameful shit if you ask me." replied Pikachu, the glow of his Iron Tail diminishing. "Don't worry though, we're here to fuck shit up FOR you. Gang shit."

Ash raised an eyebrow.

"We?"

Just then, Nate entered the room as well. Without a word, he rushed towards the wall Pikachu had sent Kamerion hurtling into, fire already dancing in his palms. With all the heat he could muster, he committed Arson the pile of rubble, embers floating through the air after each incendiary toss. Ash watched in nothing short of awe, the Aura Guardian having never thought it possible for a human to conjure fire from their body. However, his mind was still present, prompting him to speak up.

"Nate, stop."

Nate turned to Ash, raising an eyebrow in a manner that could not be deemed as anything other than blatant disrespect. He then continued to throw more fire.

"Why does he need to stop?" inquired Pikachu. "He's fabulously cookin' that bitchin'ly bitchass bitch."

"When it comes to this guy, he's wasting his energy. It'll come back to bite him in a few moments." answered Ash, walking towards Nate. Once close enough, he grabbed the firebending teen's shoulder. "Nate, listen to m-"

Unfortunately the only thing Nate - as well as Ash and Pikachu - would be listening to was the deafening sound of a massive burst of Dark Aura. All three of them quickly found themselves on the other side of the room, laying flat on their backs. Having expected something this to happen, Ash was the first to get back up and focus his attention on where they had just been standing. Sure enough, there Kamerion was, having risen from the death dealt to him by Nate and Pikachu's efforts. As anticipated, his size, strength, and feline traits had all increased. On the spectrum between man and feline, he'd become more aligned with the latter.

While Pikachu and Nate stood up, Ash summoned his Aura, ready to resume the fight. Once on their feet, Nate and Pikachu took a look at Kamerion, quite horrified at his burnt, grotesque new form.

Noticing their glances, Kamerion burst into laughter.

"My fabulousness leaves the crowd speechless." he sighed, a euphoric tone governing his words. "Let's continue, boys!"

In a glimpse red light, Kamerion vanished, reappearing behind Pikachu. The only one with reflexes sharp enough to react, Ash swung his staff at Kamerion, only for the feline monster to evade the attack and follow through with his intentions: kicking Pikachu across the room like an NFL field goal punter. With the yellow mouse sent flying, Kamerion turned to Nate, slashing at the brown-haired teen. The ferocity of the slash created four claw mark lacerations on Nate's torso, while the momentum of the attack left him spinning to the ground.

Now behind Kamerion, Ash attempted to punch the Dark Guardian's back, his fist imbued with a powerful torrent of Aura. Ever spry, Kamerion evaded once again by jumping into the air, just high enough to kick Ash's face with the heel of his foot. Upon landing, he turned around and fired a basketball-sized Dark Aura Sphere at the raven-haired Guardian. The attack sent Ash sliding into the spot Pikachu had landed, the two companions coming into collision.

Kamerion then turned his attention to Nate, who was still on the ground. The pain of his wounds left him unable to get back up, the mysterious teen resorting to labored hisses through gritted teeth to help cope with the pain.

"Like I fabulously stated before..." cooed Kamerion, walking towards Nate. "It'll take more than a fire-type fuckboy to take me down. I don't like repeating myself, it's something I hold in low regard when it comes to fabulousness. Your little partner Rosa made me do a lot of that today, though! What a transgression! I'm offended to say the least. Seeing that you and her share such a close bond, it's not too crazy if you take the heat for it, right? Pun intended!"

Kamerion slashed Nate again, creating another set of deep gashes in Nate's abdomen.


"So Rosa..." started Gary, walking alongside the brunette. "Tell me about yourself. I don't know what it is, but I can tell there's obviously something extremely extraordinary about you."

"You think now's the time for backstories?" droned Rosa, saying it like a statement rather than a question.

"I don't need your life story." replied Gary, doing his best to keep his tone friendly. "Just some insight."

Rosa's cold demeanor towards Gary had continued throughout their descent to the 1st floor of the base. They now found themselves at the 2nd floor, almost at their destination. They hadn't encountered any foes in a couple minutes, leading to a somewhat relaxed atmosphere. Minor short conversations had been had between various members of the Fellowship, and through them, everyone more or less came to understand one thing: Rosa did not like Gary. Both intrigued and frustrated, Gary found himself hungry for a reason. So there he was, eagerly waiting for Rosa's reply.

Rosa stopped walking, turning to Gary. It was the first eye contact they'd established since Gary's arrival in the base.

"Nate and I have spent the past two years as glorified lab rats." she stated.

Everyone's eyes widened, certainly in response to what she said, but also at the unexpected fact that Rosa had actually answered Gary's question.

"We've had countless different men in hazmat suits run countless tests on us to the point of mental breakdown. Countless times." she continued, staring into Gary's eyes without blinking. "One of Lord Kamerion's equals, Doctor Feinberg, was the scientist in charge of it all. He specialized in experiments regarding pokemon types, as well as the status effects each type is capable of inflicting. Sound familiar?"

Gary's eyebrows furrowed.

"Hold up, what are you trying to sa-"

"His goal was to 'bridge the evolutionary divide that separated the pokemon and human worlds'. Nate and I were the first test subjects the Dark Order had collected for him, and we're the only ones that didn't die from his 'studies'. We're his first successes, the products of the good doctor's hard, honest work."


Reeling from their injuries, Ash and Pikachu got off each other and set their sights on Kamerion, who was still standing over Nate. They both immediately sprung into action, but quickly halted, noticing a sharp increase in the room's temperature. Knowing such a phenomenon could only be coming from one candidate, they stared at Nate.

Flames had joined him on the floor.

"Toasty!" giggled Kamerion, hopping away from Nate to avoid sustaining burnt feet. "It's rude doing this, y'know! The AC system surely broke when your friends crashed a plane into my base!"

"Ummmm... what's going on...?" thought Ash, watching as the flames began to travel towards Nate's body. "Pikachu?"

"After that kick, I don't even know what day it is anymore." muttered Pikachu, rubbing his head.


"Nate and I have been turned into something I'm sure you've wondered about yourself, being the innovative scientist you are." said Rosa, eyes narrowing. "At the price of things such as my vision and Nate's ability to speak, we've been engineered to embody one pokemon type each, in every way possible while retaining the intelligence of human beings. I was compatible with psychic-type DNA, and Nate with fire. Of course, that was only discovered through harmful exposure after harmful exposure to DNA integrations we weren't compatible with. Some only resulted in vomiting, migraines, or bad rashes, while others induced seizures, temporary bouts of cardiac arrest, and week-long full-body pain so awful that even breathing could make us cry. There was never a boring day."

"Rosa..." uttered May, unable to prevent tears from welling in her eyes. "I... I'm so sorry."

"That's just... horrible." added Max.

Both Maple siblings were hit by Rosa's words the most. Of all the things their minds had dared to imagine she'd been experiencing since their failure to prevent her capture, none of them were even a hair close to what had truly transpired. But it made sense. It had been quite obvious - even to Max, who had only met her for all of 15 minutes 2 years prior - that her nature had completely changed. The energetic and explosive personality that defined her had been completely absent since their reunion with her, and now they knew why. Even Serena, who hadn't known her, was beyond words.

"So, if you'd like some insight, Gary, there you have it." concluded Rosa, resuming her walk down the hall. "I can do a lot of things, one of which is reading thoughts, no matter how recent. That's how I know what I know, and do what I can do. That's why I'm 'extremely extraordinary'. Aura users aren't as easy for me read, but regular people like you... you're open books. You're all hurt that I'm not drooling over you and desperately trying to dry my panties, like every other woman does when they lock eyes with the one and only Gary Motherfucking Oak. Forgive us if Nate and I aren't that happy to be around someone like you. I'm sure you understand, you're a smart guy underneath that fat chunk of arrogance lodged in your cerebrum. We're not like everyone else... and we hate every minute of it."


Ash, Pikachu, and Kamerion all watched as the room's temperature continued to rise in tandem with the intensity of the flames concealing Nate's body. Their dance had gone from graceful to frantic, the fire burning orange, then blue, then white. Right when the heat was reaching an unbearable level, it condensed and shaped itself to Nate's silhouette, the teen having transformed into a glowing white figure. Said figure stood to its feet, its outline morphing into something slightly larger and wider.

And then, in a final flash of dazzling white-hot heat, the room returned to normal.

Ash and Pikachu were quick to open their eyes, the duo having closed them due to the burst. Pikachu was the first to react to what their stares showed them.

"Well, that's something different."

"Woah..." added Ash, blinking his eyes.

No longer was a human occupying the space Nate had been. Instead, an Incineroar did, residual embers sizzling off its fur. Like Nate, The Heel Pokemon bore eyes of auburn, as opposed to the usual green of the breed. Said eyes were focused on one person and one person only: Kamerion. A low growl emanated from the pokemon, the fires of its belt growing as the sound persisted. Kamerion responded to said staredown with a grin.

"Oh, this is fabulous!" he giggled, clapping his clawed hands repeatedly. "Feinberg really pulled all the stops with you guys! And you, sir, have fabulous taste, might I add. A cat pokemon; you flatter me!"

Nate responded to Kamerion's praise by leaping into the air, yellow and orange flames spawning around his body. He then began his descent, which was far faster than what Kamerion was expecting. In a matter of seconds, the room burst into an explosion of flame as the Malicious Moonsault met its target. The force of the ensuing inferno was enough to completely blow out the roof of the room, allowing the accompanying smoke and debris to soar out of the building and into the surrounding woods.

Having spawned a protective bubble of Aura around himself and Pikachu, Ash watched in awestruck silence as he and his companion were also launched high into the air. Below, they could see the entirety of the massive base they were just in, as well as the remains of the plane Gary had lodged into the side of it. But most importantly, they saw Kamerion's limp body flying in the air a couple hundred feet below them, landing somewhere in the forest.

"That... was insane." commented Ash as their bubble began its descent back to the ground.

"Where is he...?" questioned Pikachu, looking downward.

As they fell, they could see Incineroar-Nate hastily climb out of the base and leap into the forest, towards the very same area Kamerion had landed. Aware the battle wasn't over, Ash turned to Pikachu, nodded, and directed the bubble in the same direction Nate had gone.


"Rosa, if you can really read my mind, you know that I'm just as disgusted by what that doctor did to you guys as everyone else here is." called Gary, his tone level. "I would never, ever take my research that far. That's so unethical and wrong... I'm not that kind of scientist, and you know it."

"Rosa, Gary is a good person. Please, don't hate him because of what he does for a living." pleaded May as she caught up with her fellow brunette, who had already walked a few feet away from everyone else. "I'm not telling you to be his best friend or anything, I can see why you wouldn't like being around someone like him... but he's not like Dr. Feinberg."

"Well, he's certainly conceited and a natural-born douchebag, but he's still a decent human being." added Max. "I can't read his head like you can, but I can read his Aura. There isn't any evil in it."

"He's been nothing but kind to me ever since I've met him..." added Serena, trying her best to contribute to a conversation way beyond her area of expertise.

Rosa stopped walking and looked at May, Max, and Serena, acknowledging their words. But that action was the only response she'd grant them. In silence, she then continued walking, hands at her sides. Unable to think of anything else to say, May, Max, Serena, and Gary simply followed her, resuming their descent to the 1st floor.

Rosa knew their words held truth. She didn't find any type of malice in Gary's mind; he was a far more honorable man than Feinberg. But that didn't mean she had no reason to dislike him. In the back of his consciousness, she'd picked up on something Gary had not stated aloud in his rebuttal to her tale. In all honesty, it was likely a sentiment he wasn't even aware of: a hint of awe-inspired envy towards Dr. Feinberg and what he'd managed to do, a small molecule of respect for the doctor's prowess in the field. That was all Rosa needed to know, and to her, it didn't matter whether he was aware of it.

He would be, eventually.


[Sinnoh Region: Veilstone City outskirts...]

"Officer Jenny, for what feels like the thousandth damn time, I insist you reconsider."

"No can do. You told me when you applied for this job that you have an older brother, yes?"

"Yes, I do."

"I'm ordering you to take a week off at home and spend time with him. You haven't seen him in a couple months, correct?"

"*sigh* No, I haven't, but that's neither a big deal nor any of your business. Look, I've been working hard to join the force, I don't need a week off. I'd rather spend it on missions, gaining more field experience. If I needed a vacation, I'd have told you. This entire thing is pointless, a flagrant waste of time that I could be spending improving."

"It is not a waste of time. I admire your determination and hard work, but you have to learn to relax. Your missions will resume when the week is over. Until then, you are to stay in Veilstone and enjoy time with family. Life isn't all about work. It's especially important that an officer spends time off the clock, away from the stresses of the job. You'll thank me later. Seeya in a week!"

"Officer Jenny-"

The line promptly went dead, which in turn caused a frustrated grunt to sound from the young man's throat as he shoved his phone into his pocket. His grouchy gaze shifted to the mountain-side city just a few more minutes' walk away, his hometown. He'd never liked spending much time in it, having always preferred to exercise his freedom in being able to travel the world. But orders were orders, he knew he'd most likely regret disobeying Officer Jenny's commands if he did. As much as he wanted to just go somewhere else and train his pokemon for a week, he knew spending the next 7 days as ordered would be more beneficial to his goals in the long run.

He wanted to join the Sinnoh Police Force. He'd passed all the physical and written exams months prior, and had been doing office work and routine training missions since. He was almost ready to earn his badge and be allowed to patrol on his own, he could feel it. The last thing he needed was a week away from the job. But, in an extremely rare but brief moment of optimism, he mused that maybe he'd end up enjoying it somewhat.

His entrance into town was rather uneventful. It was a big city, full of people who didn't know him. There were no warm welcomes, not that he was looking for any. As he walked through the busy streets of Veilstone, he passed massage parlors, casinos, screens depicting breaking news about a missing hijacked flight from Kanto that all the passengers were conveniently teleported off of; all things he couldn't have cared any less about.

It was only when he finally reached the front walkway of his brother's two-story house that he showed even a glimpse of emotion. With an irritated eye roll, he approached the front door, ringing the door bell upon his arrival. A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a tall, tan-skinned man with purple hair tied into a ponytail. A warm smile spread across the older man's face as he gazed upon who he'd opened the door to, an action barely returned by his visitor.

"Paul! It's been a while!" gushed Reggie, pulling his younger brother into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Just visiting. For a week." stated Paul rather dryly. He did return the hug, however. "Officer Jenny said I need some time to unwind."

"Those Officer Jennys..." sighed Reggie, ending the hug. "They're beautiful inside and out, huh?"

"...Sure." replied Paul, entering the house.

"Wait, actually," called Reggie, grabbing hold of Paul's shoulder. "I was just about to go shopping for some Oran Berries for the pokemon. Wanna come with?"

"Save your energy." responded Paul, turning around. "I'll get them."

"Truth be told, it's not that tiresome of a task." chuckled Reggie, scratching his head. "C'mon, let's go together. It'll be nice."

"Just stay home, Reggie..." sighed Paul, walking out the door. "There's some things I'd like to think about. I'd rather be alone for it. I'll be back soon."

"Okay..." murmured Reggie, watching his younger sibling walk out. Before Paul was out of hearing distance, he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Love you, bro! It's nice to have you home!"

"...Love you too." called Paul monotonously, not turning around.


Meanwhile, in the woods surrounding the base, the battle raged on. Since Nate's transformation, the trio had managed to kill Kamerion once more, putting the feline foe at his 8th and penultimate life. The change in setting had proven to be quite beneficial; no longer were they confined by a room. However, it was inevitable for the battle to have been taken outside, for Kamerion's growth in his last two deaths had been far greater in scale compared to the rest. Any semblance of humanity in the Dark Guardian was gone, his newest form being that of a blood red lion the size of a school bus. His mane and claws were composed of condensed Dark Aura, the evil energy splashing in all directions with every movement.

Nate's transformations had been quite helpful in the fight, but it didn't take long for Kamerion's rises in strength to eclipse said usefulness. Having never expected to face such a beast, the trio of warriors found themselves barely able to take the offensive. Despite his size, Kamerion was still blindingly fast, all of his attacks and pounces barely evaded by the heroes.

Ash bit his lip. As he'd half-expected, his endurance was being tested by the length of the battle. Even with his massive reserves of Aura, he found himself growing weary from the high class spells and attacks he'd been doling out during the fight, majority of which Kamerion evaded.

"We have to kill him soon." thought Ash, dodging a swipe from Kamerion. The attack instead connected with a nearby tree, cutting it clean in half. "He's still got one more life after this... but I have an idea."

"I'm all ears." gasped Pikachu, launching a Thunderbolt.

"I'm thinking that if we destroy this body to the point that there isn't even a corpse, he won't be able to come back."

"And how the hell will we do that? He's huge."

"Follow my lead!" called Ash, speaking to both Pikachu and Nate. "I've got a plan!"

Nate, who was currently in the form of an Arcanine, was too busy firing a Flamethrower to listen. Unfortunately, the flames didn't do much. They bounced harmlessly off Kamerion's body, prompting the giant lion to grin in amusement. Inspired by Nate's Flamethrower, he began to charge up a flame-like beam of his own. Seeing this less than favorable turn of events, Ash frowned.

"New plan! New plan! New plan!" he quickly stated, grabbing Pikachu in his hands. "Nate! Turn into something fast, now!"

Deciding to heed Ash's order, Nate proceeded to conjure his transformational fire around himself, his body shifting into a new form. He seemed to have sped up the transition this time around, a testament to the urgency of the situation. In mere seconds, he was no longer an Arcanine, but a powerful, flaming, and youthful Rapidash. Wasting no time, he trotted over to Ash and Pikachu, lowering himself so they could mount him. Once they were on, Nate used Quick Attack to kickstart a full-speed gallop through the woods, with Ash and Pikachu holding on for dear life.

Seconds later, Kamerion unleashed his attack. The beam's size was unprecedented. As fast as Nate was, he still had to weave through countless greenery and woods, while carrying Ash and Pikachu no less. Kamerion's Dark Aura Flamethrower had no such limitations. It tore through tree after tree, pulverizing everything in its path... including wildlife.

"Ash put this motherfucking plan into action, pronto." demanded Pikachu, holding on tightly to the Guardian's body. "He's killing all the Bidoofs, my guy, the fuckin' Bidoofs!"

"Nate, become a Charizard and fly!" roared Ash.

Nate did as he was told, his body already heating up and morphing into the desired shape. The pure, point-blank heat from Nate's transformation was almost more than Ash and Pikachu could handle, but they knew there was no backing out. Both of them were quick to sport closed eyes and gritted teeth, but did not let go; they had to see this through, no matter the pain. Right when the duo had nearly reached their limit, they felt the unbearable heat retreat. Upon opening their eyes they were met with a sprawling expanse of treetops and clouds, Nate having successfully shifted from grounded Rapidash to airborne Charizard.

As they soared through the sky at blinding speeds, Kamerion rose his beam from the forest and into the skies, following Nate.

"Okay..." sighed Ash, wiping sweat off his forehead. He then cleared his throat, preparing to raise his voice yet again. "Nate! I need you to keep flying us around and keep dodging Kamerion's attack! Pikachu! I'm going to put together a spell! On my signal, use Volt Tackle!"

"Hey bro, no hard feelings if this comes off as disappointing to you, but shit does NOT work that way. I can't use Volt Tackle when I'm not on the ground."

"Just trust me on this one, bud. I have a feeling you'll figure it out." thought Ash, closing his eyes to begin his chant. "If I had a hat on right now, you'd best believe it'd be flipped backwards."


"There it is." announced Rosa.

Everyone stared at where Rosa was pointing to, quite confused to say the least. It was a brick wall.

"Rosa," uttered Max. "This is a brick wall."

"I'm aware." replied Rosa, taking a step closer to it.

She placed her hand on the wall, slowly sliding it from brick to brick. A few seconds in, she stopped, her palm positioning itself over a brick bearing nothing unique in comparison to the rest . However, it was exactly the one she was looking for. All it took was a light push for the brick to retreat into the wall, activating the hidden mechanic. Directly across the hall, a portion of the wall slid downward into the floor, creating a new pathway to explore.

"From what I've gathered, this leads to Kamerion's secret study. The Lucario is being held captive there." explained Rosa, taking a step into the pathway. She then pulled Sir Aaron's Lucario's ball from her pocket, cupping it in both hands. "Once we merge both Lucarios, Max's Gardevoir will teleport us back to Ash, and we'll help finish the battle in whatever way we can."

"Wait. Didn't you tell Ash we'd get out of here and head to safety once we merged them?" inquired Serena, tilting her head. "I don't know if straying from that plan is a good idea. Given how strong that Dark Guardian is, we'd probably just get in Ash's way-"

"I'm not leaving this place without Nate." stated Rosa flatly.

"Rosa's got the right idea." agreed May, sounding as if she'd been waiting for such a moment. "I wanna go back too. No one's getting left behind, that's just not how we roll."

"Says who?" snorted Max. "You're by and large the least eligible to be calling the shots in this gang."

"Y'know what you're the most eligible for?" snapped May, turning to Max. "A slap upside the head. Free delivery when you use promo code 'BITCH'."

"Pshhhh, you can't touch this." chuckled Max, walking past Rosa and further into the hall. "I bet Gary could land a blow on me before you could, and he doesn't even have powers."

"I'm agile as fuck." agreed Gary.

"Who needs powers?" retorted May, hands on her hips. "Last time I checked, Serena doesn't have one either. Yet, if I've read the CarFax right, she's got a higher body count than you."

"Don't rope me into this." whispered Serena under her breath.

"I- that's- you-" stammered Max as he stopped walking, his body unable to recover from the raw power of May's clapback. "I'm not-"

"Max, just give it up." sighed Rosa, reclaiming the lead from him as she continued down the hidden hall. As she passed him, she'd given him a condescendingly comforting pat on the shoulder; a gesture meant to confirm that the battle was indeed lost. "Unfortunately, you've literally got nothing cooking, not a single sentence in mind to retaliate with. I checked."

"..."

With that, the Fellowship continued onward. The hall was a short one; in less than a minute they found themselves in the secret study, which was really nothing more than an office with portraits of various feline pokemon on the walls. As they entered, everyone took a second to stare at the numerous illustrations, all of their gazes riddled with pure puzzlement and inexplicable discomfort.

"Meow fuckin' meow." murmured Gary as he stared at a watercolor painting of a Delcatty, which was hung in a frame encrusted with authentic 24-karat gold. "The man's clearly got a fetish."

"That's not a Fetish. That's a Delcatty." corrected Serena. "I don't think I've ever even heard of a Fetish before. It's a pokemon, right?"

"Absolutely." confirmed Gary, keeping a straight face. "You're right though, this is definitely a Delcatty. You see, fetishes come in many different forms. Coupled with the fact that you never know when you're gonna be presented with one, it's easy to think 'that ain't no normal p*ssy' every time you-"

"Alright, the ball the Lucario is kept in should be in the bottom left drawer of this desk right here." announced Rosa, purposely cutting Gary off.

While Serena innocently wondered what it'd be like to have a fetish, Rosa reached for the drawer in question, opening it. As she'd expected, there was a Great Ball in it, among countless pens, papers, and office tools. She reached for the ball and grabbed it, now having both Lucarios' pokeballs in her hands. After closing the drawer, she looked around at everyone else. Then, without a word, she walked over to May and handed her one ball, and then handed Max the other.

The Maple siblings looked down at the pokeballs, then at Rosa.

"So what now?" asked May.

"I gave you two the balls because you're Aura users." explained Rosa. "I don't know how the merging process works, but something tells me you guys are best equipped for starting it."

"Makes sense." agreed Max, turning to May. "Okay, May, you have the Sinnoh Lucario's ball. Release him first, and then I'll release the spirit of Sir Aaron's."

"Right." answered May, nodding.

She then took a deep breath, honing her senses to their sharpest. She looked around; Gary and Serena had stationed themselves in the far corner of the room, while Rosa stood slightly closer, but still a notable distance away. After another deep breath, she felt ready. And so, she pressed the button on the Great Ball, releasing the creature within in the customary flash of white light.

Seconds later, a Lucario materialized in between her and Max, eyes wide. As soon as it finished appearing, the Lucario growled and activated Bone Rush. Before the bone had even fully materialized in his palms, he lunged towards Max at a speed almost imperceptible to the human eye. By the time everyone even realized what had happened, he had already landed the attack on his target.

His eyes further widened in shock when Max raised his free hand and caught the bone, the dark-haired teen's irises shining with an azure gleam. A soft but powerful glow then emitted from the younger Maple as he tightened his grip on the bone, barely able to keep it at bay. The Lucario was powerful, that much, Max could deduce.

"We're not... your... enemy." grunted Max as he forcefully lowered the Lucario's bone.

Noticing the unmistakable light of Aura radiating off the teen, the Lucario let up, dismissing the weapon.

"Let me explain." began Max, dismissing his Aura. "We were sent to free you by-"

"Wait. We don't have time for long explanations." interrupted Rosa, stepping forward. "Max, hold his hand, and then give me your hand."

Listening to Rosa, Max slowly reached for the Lucario's paw. The Aura Pokemon cautiously met Max's hand halfway, and once he did, Rosa grabbed Max's. She then closed her eyes for a few seconds, inhaled, and held her breath, a faint lavender glow shining from her body. As she did, Max began to feel an odd sensation in his head; an indescribable fog the likes of which he'd never experienced before. However, it only lasted about 10 seconds. The feeling quickly ceased, coming to a full end right as Rosa finally exhaled and reopened her eyes.

"What did you just do?" asked Max, blinking.

"I transferred all your knowledge regarding both our mission and his mission to his mind." answered Rosa, her voice noticeably weaker than before. She then took a step back, almost losing her balance. "I've never actually done that before... It would've been tiring with normal people, but doing it with an Aura Guardian and a pokemon was... a lot. But I think it worked."

"Wow... Rosa, you're amazing." commended May, feeling a sense of sisterly pride.

"I'm tired." corrected Rosa, sitting on the floor.

"So, is he down to fuse with Sir Aaron's Lucario, then?" asked Gary.

Everyone looked at the Lucario, who was still standing between May and Max. After processing the wave of new information that had suddenly appeared in his mind, his hands were at his sides, a patient look on his face. He seemed to be staring at the ball Max held, waiting for him to press the button and release the spirit within. Max gave him one final nod before pressing the button on the ball.

Blue plasma surged throughout the room as pure Aura flowed from the ball, swirling harmlessly around all those present to admire its beauty. As soon as the flow ended and the room was filled, the energy began to spiral, swirling around the Lucario. A mighty roar sounded from the pokemon as the Aura rushed straight into his body from all angles, the force of the fusion causing the entire room to shake and shudder. Even when all of it had entered the Aura Pokemon's body, both his roar and the tremors continued, a testament to the supernatural strain of such a procedure. But, like all pokemon of his breed, his will to persevere was as sturdy as diamond. After a few more moments of stress, his voice lowered itself, eventually dwindling down to nothing but labored breaths and sporadic hiccups. Once those were finished, he just stood there, silent.

"...Is it done?" asked May, to no one in particular.

"It is done." sounded a voice unfamiliar to everyone in the room.

Everyone reacted to the voice, not only due to its foreign nature, but because they'd all heard it from their minds as opposed to their ears. None of them naive enough to be confused by this phenomenon, they collectively stared at the new Lucario, who was looking back at them all, as calm as ever. While Gary, Serena, and Rosa's stares didn't hold anything other than awe at the fusion they'd witnessed, May's and Max's gazes held a little more substance. Without focusing, they could sense Lucario was different. Not only was he different from who he was beforehand... they sensed a far more astonishing change.

They sensed power.

They sensed strength unlike any Lucario they'd ever come across, the product of two already powerful entities combining into one. Fitting of a being composed of two others, his Aura had a different feel to it, a combination of both Lucarios' energy signatures. They had truly become one, in every sense.

"Release your Gardevoir, Sir Max." urged Lucario, walking towards the room's exit. "We must make haste. I sense the Chosen Guardian will need our assistance shortly."

"Uh, right. Will do." stammered Max, reaching for Gardevoir's ball.


The situation was becoming dire. Nate had not stopped flying through the skies at top speed for the entirety of the time Ash had been taking to build his mysterious spell. He could not speak, but it was becoming very clear he could not keep up the constant evasion much longer. Kamerion had not stopped firing his dark flamethrowers at our airborne heroes, and judging by the persisting potency of the attacks, he was in no way growing tired of shooting them.

Just as Kamerion ended his attack and began charging up another, Ash finally opened his eyes.

"It's ready!" he hollered, eyes glowing. "Pikachu, Volt Tackle."

"Bruh, I've already told you-"

"VOLT TACKLE!" repeated Ash, sticking a hand outward. "Part 1: Adorn and augment, Aura Cloak!"

At Ash's call, Aura began to materialize around all three of them, fully encasing the trio in blue, flame-like brilliance. Heeding Ash's order, Pikachu closed his eyes and attempted to activate Volt Tackle despite having no ground to run off of. Much to his surprise, the attack came out, but it was in a way the yellow mouse had never fathomed to be possible. Instead of enveloping his own body in lightning, Volt Tackle spread to all three of them, mixing with Ash's Aura to create a blue and yellow display of violent energies that did no harm to its hosts.

"Nate!" shouted Ash, his body undergoing strain from speaking in the middle of a spell. "Now's our chance! Fly directly towards Kamerion, use Flare Blitz to do it!"

Pushing through his exhaustion, Nate complied, making a sharp turn towards the Dark Guardian still stationed on the ground. As he began his descent, he folded his wings inward slightly, increasing his speed. In tandem with this maneuver, oodles of fire began to spawn around him, and with Ash's spell still in effect, they spread to everyone, adding to the raw destructive power already blazing around them.

"Part 2!" growled Ash, his voice hoarse. "Crash and collide! Shooting Star!"

At Ash's command, the blue, yellow, and orange lights surrounding the trio became more uniform and streamlined, truly giving them the appearance of a comet tearing through the atmosphere. The pressure of the spell was immense; all three heroes participating in it could barely comprehend what was going on around them once they'd reached full speed. Well aware the attack was bad news, Kamerion fired yet another Dark Aura Flamethrower at them, hoping to halt their descent.

He did not reap the desired results.

As if it were nothing, the Shooting Star plowed straight through the beam, splitting the attack in two as it carved through the Dark Aura like a hot knife through butter. It continued its concentrated rampage until it lodged itself right in Kamerion's mouth, forcing its way past his oral cavity and into his core. Kamerion promptly began to convulse and heave, but there was no escaping what would come next. From the inside out, his body exploded into smithereens, fire, lightning, and Aura bursting in all directions.

With no means to escape the blast they'd created, Ash, Nate, and Pikachu were sent flying among the debris, their bodies landing many feet away from where their foe once stood.

Still conscious upon landing, Ash opened his eyes. His entire body was in pain, his vision was doubled, and a strange nausea had overtaken his stomach... but he was alive. He slowly turned his head to Pikachu and Nate, the latter having reverted back to his human form. It was quite clear Nate was no longer conscious, but the same could not be said for Pikachu, however. The mouse's body was twitching, stray sparks of static electricity still dancing off it.

"You crash land one plane with Gary... and suddenly you're the Kamikaze King, huh?" wheezed the rodent, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Fuckin' maniac."

"Look..." sputtered Ash through blood-dripped coughs. "We survived, and he's dead... quit the bitching... Now lets go meet up with everyone else."

Ash attempted to sit up, but quickly laid back down, his body simply refusing to do anything else. He was, in every sense of the word, exhausted. Since the incident on the plane, it had been nonstop battle for him, and after fighting Kamerion 8 times, he found himself truly spent for the first time since his return to the physical realm. He still had his Aura, but his body was in no shape to call upon any more of it.

"On second thought... let's chill here for a bit." he sighed, staring at the sky.

"I'm down."

...

...

...

"So, Nate and Rosa..." said Ash, still staring at the skies above. "Who are they?"

"How would I know?" asked Pikachu, rolling his eyes. "May and Max seem to know Rosa though... and Rosa seems to know everything."

"Yeah... maybe she's got some kind of power too?" wondered Ash. "I mean, Nate's clearly no ordinary human... or pokemon... or whatever he is. If they're associated with each other, it's safe to say she's the same-... shit."

"Nah, I doubt they're the same shit, she's-"

"Pikachu..." said Ash lowly, his demeanor making a sharp turn towards the more grave side. "Do you feel that?"

"I-" started Pikachu, quickly stopping himself once his ears perked upwards. "...uh oh."

"How?" asked Ash, forcing himself to stand up. "He's got no body left, he can't be back..."

Ash was correct; there was no body for Kamerion to return with. Small pieces of flesh, bone, and red fur still littered the forest grasses, and they didn't seem to be putting themselves back together. But the all too familiar Aura they sensed coalescing in their area was nothing to ignore. As expected, it was far stronger than the last incarnation, reaching a level that, in his current state, Ash could not dream of meeting.

With an exasperated groan, Pikachu lifted himself off the ground as well, limping over to Ash. On the way, he slapped the back of Nate's head with his tail, but it was a useless effort; the shape-shifting fire-type was still out cold. Side by side, Ash and Pikachu watched as pure Dark Aura began to form before them, once again taking the shape of a giant lion. Kamerion was even bigger than before, easily dwarfing a school bus in size. His 9th and final beastly form seemed to be composed of nothing but solid Dark Aura, giving him a truly hellish appearance.

Not even giving Ash and Pikachu a chance to say anything, Kamerion unleashed a massive beam of Dark Aura upon them, the blast swallowing the duo.

Or so he thought.

When the he'd finished unloading the attack, Kamerion stared at where Ash and Pikachu had been standing, expecting to see corpses. However, all he saw was a Lucario with its hand outstretched in his direction, the pokemon seeming to have snuffed out the colossal beam with nothing but an Aura-charged paw. Befuddled, Kamerion quickly looked around, trying to understand what was happening.

It all started to make sense when he spotted Ash, Pikachu, and Nate leaned against the trunk of a large tree, with May, Max, a Gardevoir, Rosa, Gary, and Serena standing near them. Rosa seemed to be clutching Nate's unconscious body with all the worry in the world. Max's hands, which were glowing blue, were on Ash's shoulder. Gary, kneeling beside Pikachu, seemed to be pulling a small bottle of potion spray out of his cloak. Meanwhile, May and Serena stood near Gardevoir, neither of them having moved since the Embrace Pokemon teleported them all both to the scene and away from Kamerion's attack.

"Nate? Nate, wake up!" pleaded Rosa, displaying what was by far the most panic she'd shown all day. "Nate!"

"He's alright... he's just knocked out." grunted Ash, leaning his head on the tree trunk. "Why are you all here? I told you guys to get to safety..."

"Shut the fuck up, you were literally about to get cremated. By a giant demon cat, no less." retorted Gary, spraying Pikachu with the potion. "What happened to Kamerion?"

"That is Kamerion." revealed May, scanning the beast's Aura from afar. "He's bigger, stronger, scarier, and much more... not human, but it's still him."

"Max, is Ash going to be okay?" asked Serena, cyan eyes fixed on the Guardian in question. "I'm not too sure we can take that thing down without him."

"He's pretty beat up. It's gonna take a couple minutes for me to heal it all." deduced Max, hands still on the Chosen Guardian. He then turned to everyone else. "You guys will have to buy some time for me to get him back in fighting shape, if you can."

"I don't think that's much of an issue." stated Serena, turning back towards Kamerion. "Lucario seems to have it taken care of."

Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Lucario...?"

The group shifted their collective attention back to Kamerion and Lucario, who were staring each other down, giant Dark Aura lion monster vs. bipedal super-charged Aura jackal. The staring contest came to an abrupt end when Kamerion swiped a claw at his new adversary, a lightning-fast attack meant to kill. The epitome of relaxed, Lucario raised his arms and caught Kamerion's paw, halting the attack. However, Kamerion's brute physical strength was far greater than that of Lucario's. The weight of his paw alone was enough to cause Lucario's feet to sink into the ground a little, the Aura Pokemon's legs shaking from the stress they were under. In response, Lucario let out a strained growl and summoned forth his Aura, powering himself up.

However, this was no ordinary power up. Lucario's Aura kept on flaring into existence, until at one point, his body was barely even visible. During all of this, his hold on Kamerion's paw remained, exposing the Dark Aura beast to a rush of Positive Aura.

"Holy crap... he's powerful." observed Ash, eyes wide.

"Max?" murmured May. "Is it me, or is his Aura getting even stronger than when we merged them?"

"It is..." answered Max, just as shocked. "It kinda feels like he's ascending to another level... something even greater."

"He is." confirmed Gary, scanner in hand.

Everyone's next impulse was to ask Gary what he was seeing on his scanner, but it turned out no such questions would have to be asked. Lucario's massive burst of power was dissipating, rendering him visible once more.

It was no secret to anyone that his appearance had undergone changes. The beige fur on his torso had lengthened around his waist, and red markings adorned his arms and legs. The dreads that hung from his head had gotten longer, and the black patterns in his fur had become more intricate. He was no longer just a Lucario, having transformed into the pinnacle of his breed.

"Mega-Evolution? Without a Mega Stone?" asked Serena, talking to no one in particular.

"It's extremely rare... Frankly, I thought only Rayquaza could do it." explained Gary, putting his scanner away. "But I suppose anything's possible when you're composed of two Lucarios that were already freakishly strong on their own. Forcing himself to Mega-Evolve is probably the only way his body can properly utilize the amount of raw power he's got."

Gary's hypothesis was spot on. As a Mega Lucario, Lucario could finally feel his true strength coursing through his new body, 100% of it available for use. No longer needing both hands to hold back Kamerion's arm, Lucario dropped one hand to his side, summoning a Bone Rush in it. He then jammed the energy bone into Kamerion's paw, earning a pained howl from the Dark Guardian. Injured, Kamerion immediately pulled his paw back and jumped away, attempting to distance himself from Lucario. Unfortunately for him, there was no escaping such a warrior. Lucario gave chase, another Bone Rush bone already in hand.

It was a sight to behold. Two creatures, one much smaller than the other, fighting on even ground. Blue and red energy flashed everywhere as Lucario continued to trade blows with Kamerion's 9th form. Very little was said by the Fellowship as they watched, but of course, such silences were never eternal.

"It's time to finish this." declared Ash, standing up. "Lucario is holding his own, but he won't be able to kill Kamerion unless I help."

"You're not fully healed yet." said Max flatly.

"Max, I know my body. I'm fine." replied Ash, staff in hand. "This'll be quick work."

Our hero then ran towards Kamerion and Lucario, who had taken their battle several hundred feet away. Everyone quietly watched him go, knowing there was no chance of stopping their raven-haired leader from doing something he set his mind to. It was only when he was out of hearing range that someone finally spoke up.

"...He was putting up a front. He's still in a lot of pain." stated Rosa nonchalantly. She seemed to have calmed down from her earlier distress, having sat down by the tree trunk. She had positioned Nate so that his head was resting on her lap. Once she took note of everyone's stares, she continued speaking. "In fact, he's literally cursing in his head with every step."

On instinct, Serena and May both opened their mouths to speak. But before they could, Rosa put a hand up.

"But," she continued, gently running her fingers through Nate's hair. "He wasn't lying when he said it'll be quick work. Relax."

...

...

"Shit, fuck, double shit, double fuck, dammit, fuckin' shit, goddammit, motherfuc-"

"Please stop."

"Lucario?" thought Ash, still running. "You sound different... Wait, duh, you fused with the other one. Sorry. In that case, Sinnoh Lucario: Nice to see ya again, little guy! Well, I guess it's 'big guy' now. Congrats on evolving into a Lucario, my man! Anyway, I'm glad we can fight together after all these years! Welcome aboard. Now, as for Sir Aaron's Lucario: Help me put an end to this piss-sipping cat bastard once and for all. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"...No. Please explain."

"Well, you should remember an advanced two-person attack that you and Sir Aaron demonstrated for me in the Corridors, back in the second year of my training. Y'know, the one that can only be done by a Guardian with their Lucario."

"The Cerulean Cross." recalled Lucario, who had still been battling Kamerion for the whole conversation thus far. "One of the oldest maneuvers in Aura Guardian history."

"An oldie, but a goodie." confirmed Ash, finally arriving at the battle. "Get in position, partner."

Needing to distance himself from Kamerion for the plan to work, Lucario spawned a large aura sphere in his hands. When the attack reached the size of a beach ball, he sent it hurtling into his foe's face. It was a direct hit to the nose, causing Kamerion to reel back in pain. This created enough room for Ash and Lucario to work with, the duo already summoning their Auras around their bodies.

In unison, both Ash and Lucario put their hands forward, working together to create a massive Aura Sphere. Considering it was being crafted by two titans in the field of Aura usage, it didn't take long for the sphere's size to equal and surpass that of Kamerion's body. As the attack continued to swirl and form, wild and unpredictable winds began to blow leaves off the nearby trees.

With a forceful shove, they sent the colossal orb of energy barreling towards Kamerion. With no chance of evading in time, Kamerion adopted the persona of a deer in front of headlights: he stayed put, well aware danger was at his doorstep. And indeed, it came knocking. The sphere smashed into the front half of his body and pushed him through the forest, his firmly planted feet creating drag marks across the ground.

From the sidelines, the Fellowship watched, stunned. The size of the sphere Ash and Lucario had created eclipsed that of any attack they'd seen on their journey so far. However, it was only half the show. They were all so amazed by the Aura Sphere that almost none of them noticed Ash and Lucario practically vanish, the pair chasing Kamerion down at speeds only reachable by the best of the best.

In mere seconds, they'd caught up with the sphere, which was still pushing Kamerion through tree after tree. After a millisecond's worth of eye contact, both heroes initiated the second half of the maneuver. Ash's staff appeared in his hand at the same time that Lucario manifested yet another Bone Rush, and when both weapons were in proper grips, their wielders jumped forward, into the massive Aura Sphere.

Refusing to meet his end, Kamerion let out a belligerent roar, calling forth all the Dark Aura his soul possessed. Right after, the Aura Sphere burst, allowing the Dark Guardian's body to finally come to a halt.

Only for it to seize immediately after.

Unable to grasp what was happening, Kamerion could only watch as two hair-thin lines of cerulean-blue light streaked from in front of him, intersected at his throat, and presumably came out through the back of his neck. They seemed to be the remnants of whatever was causing his body to malfunction, but unfortunately for him, he was given no chance to turn around and see the ones responsible. First, his head fell off. Then, his body burst into a massive pillar of Dark Aura, his essence dispersing for the 9th and final time.

The crimson light could be seen from miles away, while the force of the violent implosion could be felt by every living thing in the forest, bar none. Fairly close to the blast, the Fellowship huddled together to protect themselves from the fierce winds that were sent their way. The phenomenon lasted for a long 30 seconds, but even when it was finished, the group remained huddled, fearing the possibility of a second blast. Fortunately, one never came.

"...I think we're good." announced May, opening her eyes.

"I don't sense Kamerion anymore." added Max.

"So, it's over then... right?" asked Serena.

"Yes." confirmed Rosa. She then turned to Gary. "Which means you can get off me now."

Deciding not to bother with a response, Gary did just that, removing himself from Rosa and Nate while May removed herself from Max and Serena. It seemed the blast had been enough to shake Nate back into consciousness, as his eyes were currently open. His gaze matched that of Rosa's, both of them looking at Gary. In response to this sight, Gary smiled.

"Glad to see you're still alive, my man." he beamed, giving Nate a thumbs up.

His head still on Rosa's lap, Nate blankly looked up at his aforementioned companion. One look at her face told him exactly how he needed to respond to Gary; with a venomous scowl. Half-expecting such a response, Gary simply nodded his head and turned around, pretending none of it had ever happened.

"So..." he sang, looking around. "Where's Ashy-boy? May? Max? Pikachu? You guys sense him?"

"I do." replied Max, looking around. "It's strange though..."

"It kind feels like he's right here. But like... he's obviously not." finished May, pouting in confusion. "Hm, I don't really get it-"

Just then, two objects fell out of the sky, landing just a few feet away from the group. The first one was Lucario, who landed on his feet quite gracefully. A second after, the second one landed. Unfortunately, Ash did not land on his feet. Instead he landed face down on the ground, his body completely still. While Lucario reverted back into his base form, May and Serena rushed over to Ash, who had shown no signs of life since his landing.

Serena got to him first. Worried sick at the thought of how many bones he could have broken from such a fall, she gently turned his body over, revealing an unexpected sight: open eyes. It was then that May reached him as well, kneeling on the side opposite of Serena. Both young women quietly waited for him to say something, and eventually, he did.

"Hi." he uttered, his voice shallow. "I fell... from the sky."

"Yeah... you did." agreed Serena, smiling.

"Word is you've done a lot of that today." added May, also smiling. "How're you feeling?"

"Dandy..." whispered the raven-haired hero, closing his eyes. "Definitely in excruciating pain, but... just... dandy..."

There was a pause before anyone spoke again.

"Ash?" inquired Serena. "Ash...?"

"He's likely unconscious. His body has been pushed to its limit." explained Lucario. "He will need thorough healing and proper rest before we are to continue our quest."

"Well, I can provide the healing for him... and for Nate." volunteered Max, approaching Ash's body. "As for the whole proper rest thing... it's best we get him somewhere where he can sleep well. I guess I'll have Gardevoir teleport us to his house."

"Gardevoir is out of Teleports." revealed Rosa, helping Nate to his feet. "You used up almost all of them evacuating the passengers from the plane. She used the last one to bring us here."

"I see..." muttered Max.

"Wow, I'm getting the craziest sense of déjà vu right now." noted May, rolling her eyes.

"Y'know, I'd vacate Mom and Dad's whole life savings if it meant you'd shut your face." snapped Max. "Anyway... Um, I don't know if this is rude to ask or anything, but can you teleport us, Rosa? Teleport is a psychic-type move, so maybe...?"

"I can't." stated Rosa, rather quietly.

Everyone waited for her to say more on the matter, as for a split second, it seemed like she intended to. But for reasons unknown, she didn't.

"...Well, if we can't teleport, then we'll just have to walk to the nearest town or city." declared Gary, lifting Ash's body off the ground. "Anyone know where that is?"

"Yes." confirmed Lucario. "There's a city fairly close by, we should arrive in an hour or so's time if we move with haste."

"The only way we'll be moving with 'haste' is if we take turns carrying this heavy fucker." grunted Gary, hanging Ash over his shoulders. "What city is it, anyway?"

"I believe it is called Veilstone."

"Well then," began May, standing up. "Veilstone City, here we come."


And that's that. Jeeeeeez this one was a doozy. Fun to write at some parts, torturous at others. I hope it was worth it though! I wanted to fit the explanation of the Dark Order's workings and such in this chapter, but it turns out that's going to be fully dealt with next chapter. Speaking of next chapter...

The Fellowship will be completed by the end of it, and so will the first phase of this story. I mentioned earlier that I wanted to write 10 or so chapters in a more episodic format that are meant to build upon various Fellowship members' interpersonal relationships while still advancing the overall plot. That is still the case, and that will begin after the next chapter, but it's going to be 5 chapters, not 10. After that, the story will be in its final acts, which should take anywhere from another 8-10 chapters depending on how I write it. So basically we're looking at around 28-30 chapters total, haha.

As for the SPECIAL announcement I wanted to speak on...

I wanted to talk about myself a bit. Recently I've decided that I really do want to branch out and share more of my art with the internet/world. In general I want to start putting all my stuff out there instead of just keeping it to myself for practically no one to see. I've been a creative writer for as long as I've been on this site, but as most [or ALL] of you probably didn't know, I've been an illlustrator/artist for way longer.

So yes, I am shamelessly promoting my new art page on instagram to anyone interested in seeing it. Feel free to follow me at "illustrated_shapes"! Y'all could also follow my personal account at "jasonjasonjasonjasonjason" (yes it is literally my name 5 times). I don't post suuuuuuper often, but... yeah.

But, back to more important matters...

What awaits our heroes at Veilstone City?

What's the Dark Order all about?

Will Ash fall out of the sky yet again?

Learn the answers to all these questions and more in the next installment of Pokemon: The Fellowship of the Aura!

Happy Holidays,

~DarkSlash9