Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
Author Notes: Chapter 36 is finally here! Fun fact, this is only half of the chapter. It was starting to get too massive so I decided to split it. If all goes well the second much larger part of this chapter should be up in a week or so. Cheers!
I want to give a legendary shoutout to all the people that have decided to support me in my writing endeavors so far! This update of the A New Chance Series is sponsored by Raid Shadow Le—I MEAN, by:
Thanks to CreeperMaster343, Exzander, Man-O'-War, Caitou zzzzzz, Exos, and T_2the_homas77!
Special thanks to SGWarrior, RapidRotation, Saul'keth, Zeusdog17, Aspergillus nidulans, and FinalDragon!
Legendary thanks to ThatAverageDude and Roasted Cashew!
Thank you all for your continued support! If you want to support my writing and my story, look me up in the obvious place!
Chapter 36 — The Power of Life
Phaedra calmly swam through the vastness of the ocean at a swift pace, staying close to the seafloor and using the intense propelling force of a deep underwater current to further increase her speed. Despite the rhythmical undulating movements of her body and the occasional adjustments made with her great wings for steering, the Lugia made sure to keep herself as stable as possible for the comfort of her three passengers, who currently resided on an oval-shaped bubble of air atop her back.
Bianca sighed and idly looked to the side, finding the chilling darkness of the endless seafloor that greeted her both unnerving and fascinating. Thankfully, Phaedra's array of back plates emanated a soft and steady glow that provided scant illumination for them. "So, how long is it going to be until we get to Sky Pillar?" she asked while twirling her finger on a couple of feathers between her feet.
"It'll still be a few hours," Phaedra replied telepathically. "Sky Pillar is very far away right now."
"Wait, 'right now'? What does that mean exactly?" Brock questioned with piqued interest.
"You see, Sky Pillar is not a stationary place. It moves steadily throughout the world's oceans at Rayquaza's will. Sometimes, Skai makes it move too. It's currently quite far from Hoenn," Phaedra explained.
Brock frowned and shook his head unhappily. "Well, not much we can do other than wait it out, then." He looked at Pikachu, who had so far remained eerily silent with an unfocused gaze facing out to the nothingness of the seafloor, and adopted a concerned expression. The former gym leader slowly crawled over to him and put a comforting palm on his back to no response.
"Yeah, it'll feel like forever," Bianca muttered. She curled up and leaned against one of Phaedra's back plates. Her mind raced as it repeated the events that had transpired not long ago over and over as if looking for something she may have missed in the commotion. A distant flash of bright green light immediately caught her attention. "Huh, what's that?" she asked tensely, pressing against Phaedra's back plate out of reflex for protection.
Brock's squinted eyes nervously followed the green beam of light that flowed through the water alongside the Lugia. "Nothing bad I hope," he commented uneasily.
"Oh, you can relax. She's a friend and means no harm to us," Phaedra reassured them gently.
The green beam of light raced toward Phaedra's neck and materialized into a tiny gelatinous form with a rounded head and a red hexagon on her body. A single, large eye with a black pupil opened on its head and glanced around, lingering for several seconds on the humans atop the Lugia's back and then on her lost wing. "Phaedra," the Zygarde Core greeted politely.
"Hey, Zygarde." Phaedra craned her neck to the side and gave her fellow deity an apologetic smile. "Let me guess…"
"Yeah, you know exactly why I'm here," Zygarde said, throwing the Lugia a knowing look. "I was worried. I couldn't properly monitor the area where you fought or what you fought. Judging by the scope of your strikes, it had to be bad."
"It was. Sorry about that," Phaedra apologized with an embarrassed expression and a nervous laugh. "I had no choice."
Zygarde's eye narrowed suspiciously. "It was exactly like—"
"I know." Phaedra let out a low growl, which caused her body to rumble ominously and her passengers to look at her in alarm. "Oh, sorry! I forgot about you guys for a moment," Phaedra said quickly. "I didn't mean to spook you like that. Just, was thinking about some things that annoy me."
Zygarde looked at the humans briefly. "Who are they?"
"They're the twins' humans, which means they're under my watch for now," Phaedra answered. "Anyway. You're spot on, as usual, Zygarde. While Skai and I were protecting the twins, Azrael paid us a little visit. Skailyn fell to the Jade Orb and I had to fight and free her. That's why I had to cause such a mess."
"Very well." Zygarde nodded in understanding. "You can't exactly fight Skailyn with any restraint, or you'll lose. How is she?"
"She's very injured," Phaedra answered grimly. "She'll be down for a while, but it's nothing too grave, I think. Anyway, before you go, did someone pick Silver up? I haven't heard anything from my dad."
"Yes, I saw Lugia swimming away with both your siblings while checking the region for damage and instability," Zygarde answered. "If everything's okay, then I'll leave." The Zygarde Core glimmered in a shower of green sparkles that shot into the void in a dazzling beam of light that quickly faded into the distance.
Bianca blinked in confusion. "What was that? That's one of the smallest and oddest-looking Pokémon I've ever seen."
"That was Zygarde, a fellow deity. She's an order keeper who often monitors the world and takes care of nature's stability," Phaedra explained. "She's very no-nonsense."
"Huh, that sounds big and important. But… she's kinda tiny," Bianca commented with a nervous laugh. "That sounds like something a Legendary as big as you would do."
Phaedra laughed out loud. "Power and size don't correlate among Legendaries. But, in this case, what you saw was only a tiny part of her. Zygarde can split her body, consciousness, and powers into many cores and hundreds of cells which can then spread over the entire world and act independently. If she fuses into her full form, she's larger and more intimidating than I am. Anyway, given that I had to fight quite seriously and use a lot of power back there, it's not surprising she showed up to ask what happened." She snorted and rolled her eyes. "If I didn't have a good reason to use that much power, I'd be receiving quite an earful from her right now."
"Is everything alright?" Bianca asked worriedly, thinking back to the faded explosions beyond the horizon and the inclement weather she had witnessed not long ago at the Hoenn beach. "It doesn't sound good if such an important Legendary is paying you a visit."
"It should be, even if had to fight close to my limit," Phaedra answered. "A Legendary releasing such vast amounts of power is dangerous and possibly world-altering if left unchecked. That's why Zygarde is checking and making sure nature's order remains preserved."
Brock gulped, joining Bianca in recalling the monstrous things he had witnessed from afar back on the beach. "If what we saw was any indication, I can imagine. It was on a whole other scale than anything we've ever seen before." He looked at Phaedra, his gaze idly lingering on the Lugia's face.
"Yes?" Phaedra asked, smiling back at him.
"It's just, it's quite staggering to think all of that came from you. That was quite honestly terrifying," Brock added. "I've seen Lugia do things before, but not on this scale."
Bianca gave her an apologetic smile. "I hope you're not offended by that. It's just surprising. Yet, even if you can do that, you've been quite nice to us ever since you arrived." She scratched the back of her head. "We're just a bit afraid, and still shaken from what happened to us, that's all."
"Oh, it's fine. I understand." Phaedra craned her neck a bit more and gave them a reassuring look. "It can be shocking to witness because we gods very rarely unleash anything close to our full power. The fear isn't misplaced, but if I'm not fighting something on that scale, I have no reason to do anything like that."
"How rare is it?" Brock asked curiously. "Must be quite so if humans as a whole have never heard of it."
"It only happens when we're forced to and we have no other choice, as such power tends to be catastrophic on the world and our surroundings when used unrestrained," Phaedra answered.
"Still, I didn't know Legendaries had that kind of power in them," Brock commented. "I've read of many Legendaries on my books, we've interacted with a few, we've even talked to Latias and Latios, and nothing of this sort came up. What happened back there was frightening."
"It's rare enough that most generations of mortals go without seeing a Legendary's full power descend upon their world, so it's unlikely humanity is aware," Phaedra said while turning her attention back to her swimming path. "Besides, species that develop interconnected societies like humanity tend to react very poorly to the knowledge of entities of our power existing in their midst. If humanity at large was aware of the full extent of my power, then my mere presence alone in a region would be enough to cause widespread panic or a societal collapse. I'd completely warp a region's life and stability just by existing, even if it's not my intention. Hence why we tend to hide ourselves from humans."
"…I can see where you're going with that, yeah," Bianca agreed with a wince, shuddering at the mental images that came to her mind. "Are you worried about what you had to do that back there?"
"Not really," Phaedra replied, shaking her head. "I had to do what I had to do. It's not like we show ourselves to many humans and we Legendaries mostly stick to ourselves. The humans that know me may suspect it, but it's fine in a wider context."
"Well, I can say I definitely feel a lot better knowing you're on our side," Brock said with a nervous laugh.
Phaedra laughed along with him. "Indeed, lucky you." She shrugged slightly, being mindful not to move too much so as not to throw her passengers off balance. "In any case, you're all safe with me. Just sit tight, it'll be a long swim to Sky Pillar."
Ho-Oh stood up from her roosting place and gently lowered her wings, cradling Ash's soul within the wingtips. With utmost tenderness, the life Legendary laid down the translucent ball of light that was the human's soul—visible to her heightened eyesight—on the interwoven branches of the enormous tree that she was on.
A soft and golden hue enveloped Ho-Oh, which spread throughout her body in a mesmerizing manner and lit up the environment in a cozy afterglow. She reached down with her head and used her beak to pluck out a single red feather from one of her wings. She placed the feather right where the human's soul resided as the glow emanating from her body intensified. Ho-Oh opened her beak and exhaled a gentle stream of alluring rainbow fire that swiftly spread over the branch and erupted into a golden-hued multicolor bonfire that radiated with the goddess' majestic Life Power.
The feather quickly burned down into a heap of ashes under the intense heat of the Sacred Fire. The ashes spread out and formed a human-shaped skeletal structure that swiftly disappeared beneath the many layers of tissues, organs, veins, and muscles that formed over it. A final layer of lightly-tanned skin wrapped around the entire body, with two distinct sideways Z-shaped markings appearing under the closed eyes of the young black-haired human body that now rested in front of Ho-Oh.
Countless polychromatic embers danced wildly all around the human's body and seemed to magically sink into his skin, dragging his soul along with them and binding it to the newly-formed body. Ash spasmed several times and drew in a deep breath, filling his empty lungs with their first batch of fresh air. His upper body shot up and his eyes flew open at the distinct sound of a crackling fire. The Sacred Fire's comforting and loving warmth ended up completely lost on the panicked human, who let a harrowing scream and covered his face with his arms at the terrifying image of all-consuming fire that filled his vision.
Ho-Oh lightly swung one of her great wings, instantly dissipating her Sacred Fire into a stream of fading cinders that flew away through the tree's branches with an exertion of her will. She roosted down comfortably and focused her attention on the comparatively diminutive human in front of her. She remained quiet and idle to let him grow accustomed to his surroundings at his own pace.
Ash took in shallow breaths while beads of cold sweat ran down his forehead and back. He frantically looked around with shrunken pupils as he tried to understand what he was seeing. "What? How? Where… where am I?" he asked tentatively, noting that he seemed to be among the interwoven branches of a massive tree.
Ash gasped when he finally registered the other presence and crawled to the side to directly face the entity next to him. His brown eyes widened fretfully at the sea of red, white, green, and golden feathers that filled his vision along with the most intense ruby-red eyes that he had ever seen. The Pokémon couldn't be more than a dozen feet away from him, and its colossal body dwarfed him to such a degree that it made him feel tiny. He gulped and stared at her for several long moments, warily waiting for her to make the first move.
Ho-Oh gave the panicked boy a tender and reassuring look. "You're in Sky Pillar, Ash. I'm Ho-Oh, do you remember me?" she asked slowly.
Ash froze and his expression shifted to one of confusion until realization finally dawned on him. "I… I couldn't u-understand what you s-said…" he stammered in shock, barely able to find his words. "But… but I thought I could understand Pokémon?"
"I see," Ho-Oh muttered in understanding. A small wave of air breezed through the area at the goddess' will, altering the acoustic vibrations generated by her voice to turn her Pokéspeech into spoken English. "My apologies. To answer your question, you're in Sky Pillar, Ash." She paused to let that sink in and only continued when Ash's confused expression dissipated briefly. "Do you remember me?"
Ash closed his eyes and shook his head to try and get a clearer picture of what was happening. He panted deeply in a feeble attempt to calm down the train wreck of memories that flooded back to the forefront of his mind. "I… yes. I think I remember you. We… we met briefly in Kanto, right?" he replied tentatively.
Ho-Oh nodded once. "Indeed."
"What happened? Why am I in Sky Pillar?" Ash asked through labored breaths. He reached up with his hand and wiped off some of the cold sweat that had built up on his forehead out of reflex.
"Well, to start. I want you to take a moment to calm down. Take it easy, let your memories settle down, and tell me what's the last thing you remember," Ho-Oh encouraged in a soothing voice.
Ash closed his eyes for a few minutes and laid down, allowing his breathing to gradually grow calmer and steadier. "I was at a beach," Ash said at last, resuming a sitting position. "It was quite pretty, and we were all having a good day. We were looking for Sky Pillar. I played with my friends on the sea and then…" He clutched his head and whimpered. "I remember everything disappearing and feeling lonely. I ended up trapped somewhere and talked with someone who sounded very angry. Then there was…" Ash's breathing quickened and his eyes widened. His fingers gripped his hair and his toes curled. "There was…"
Ho-Oh extended a wing and tenderly draped its wingtip over the diminutive human. "Fire?" she finished.
Ash curled up, closed his eyes, and pressed against the soft and comforting touch of her warm feathers. "Yeah."
"It's okay. You're safe now," Ho-Oh murmured, lightly caressing the distressed human with her wing.
"But, why am I here? Why don't I remember anything? What happened?" Ash asked as he looked up at Ho-Oh with a frightened expression while pushing her wing away with his hands. "Who was that voice?"
"I'll be brief, as there's a lot of this that's for Latias and Latios to tell you eventually." Ho-Oh locked eyes with him. "Do you remember the human-told story of Alto Mare's creation?"
Ash stared back into Ho-Oh's ruby-red eyes and nodded slowly. "Yeah. I heard it when I met Latios and Latias. Though I only remember a bit."
"An ancient entity known as the King of Pokélantis possessed you. He is the evil trainer featured in the tale of Alto Mare's creation. He possessed you to steal some of the twins' powers," Ho-Oh explained. Her expression steadily grew somber. "In a moment of desperation to free herself—as well as free Latios and yourself—from him… Latias killed you."
Ash's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something but found himself completely at a loss for words. He slumped back into his spot and looked into Ho-Oh's eyes as if looking for falsehood in them, yet only found a steady and honest look in them. His mind raced with memories of all the times he spent together with the red dragoness ever since meeting her, both good and bad. He finally choked out, "If I'm here with you out of all Pokémon, then it can't be a lie, and that's because…" He froze, unable to finish his sentence.
Ho-Oh nodded and maintained eye contact. "I decided to bring you back to life, yes."
Ash winced and found himself unable to keep eye contact. He looked up at the swaying leaves of the tree above him and whispered, "Latias…" His hands tightened into fists and his eyes grew moist. "No… this… just, no…" he croaked while returning his attention to the life goddess. "She couldn't have! But, she'd… she's such a sweetheart! She hates hurting others. There's no way she did it!"
Ho-Oh lowered her head in dismay. "I'm not lying. I wish I was, but I'm not."
Ash's jaw dropped open and his eyes widened slowly. "It can't be…" He looked at Ho-Oh with trembling eyes. "She'd never hurt me. Not intentionally at least. She's saved my life a few times. She could never…" Ash sank back into his spot and shook his head. "She would never hurt me. I know it had to be an accident." He tensed and glared at Ho-Oh as if asking her for confirmation. "It had to be an accident," he repeated with a small voice. "I know by heart she'd never hurt me. What happened? Please…"
Ho-Oh closed her eyes, adopting a weary and troubled expression for a moment. She remained thoughtful for a moment and then opened her eyes to meet Ash's worried gaze. "I'm certain she did it by accident, yes. It was a moment of panic where her locked power broke free and unleashed without restraint." She gave him a sympathetic expression. "Ash, I understand if you're angry at—"
"Where is she?" Ash asked abruptly, interrupting the fire goddess. "If she learns what she did, she's going to feel horrible. She'll probably hate herself and, and, and…" He rubbed his eyes clear and glanced around worriedly. "Where is she!?"
Ho-Oh blinked, noticeably taken aback by the boy's reaction. "You're not angry at her?"
"No!" Ash replied briskly. "Why would I be? Latias…"
"Because that'd be a natural and normal reaction." Ho-Oh gave him a somber frown. "That's why I'm surprised."
"My reaction doesn't matter. I need to talk to her." Ash gasped loudly. "Wait! If Latias was in panic and danger and did what she did, that must mean… where are the twins!? Are they safe?" he questioned sharply.
"They're safe and they're okay," Ho-Oh answered with a comforting nod. "They're with us. I'll take you to them soon enough. However, they're currently unconscious, so I doubt you'll be able to talk to them right now."
Ash sat back and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, I was worried sick about them. I don't know what I'd do if either of them was gravely injured."
"You died. Yet you're more concerned about them than you are for yourself," Ho-Oh noted.
"Latios and Latias mean a lot to me. I care more about them than I do for myself." Ash smiled fondly. "Latios is like my brother, and Latias is my best friend along with Pikachu, of course I'm worried."
Ho-Oh easily noticed the genuine affection that flashed in Ash's eyes the moment he mentioned his relationship with the twins. She couldn't help but give him a heartfelt look. "I'm happy they have friends like you, then."
"I'm the lucky one to have them," Ash countered while whipping his eyes clear again. "But, does… does Latias know what she did?" he asked with a frown.
"I don't know yet," Ho-Oh admitted in a somber tone. "Given her current state of unconsciousness, I doubt she does. But it's possible she does or she could immediately figure it out. It depends on how quickly she reacted to her own actions before she passed out."
"So, uh, is that a yes, or no?" Ash asked, scratching the back of his head.
Ho-Oh hummed in thought. "Neither. It means I can't say for certain."
Ash's hands tightened into fists. "I guess we'll just have to wait until she wakes up. If she knows, I don't know what she'd do. I need to be there."
Ho-Oh looked to the side and adopted a rather dejected look. For the first time in their conversation, the unwavering resolve in the goddess' eyes seemed to falter for a moment. "Indeed." She returned her attention to him and met Ash's eyes unhappily. "I wish I could say the same, but my input here is minimal. What happened today is a tragedy. Even if she doesn't realize it immediately, she'll find out because of the power dormant in her."
The strange gesture didn't go unnoticed by Ash, though he couldn't quite piece together what it meant. "At least I'm alive now, that will help her." Ash rubbed his temples. "But, what do you think I should do? I want to be there for her, but once I'm there for her, I don't know what I should do."
Ho-Oh gave him a sad look. "You're her best friend, are you not? This, unfortunately, is something you must sort out with her by yourself and something you must overcome together with her. I can help and offer to counsel afterward, but not until you've settled it first with her."
Ash grimaced and met her saddened gaze with an apprehensive one. "But, I'm terrible at big emotional things or consoling hurting people. What do I even begin telling her?"
Ho-Oh reached with one of her wings and gently poked his chest with the tip, causing him to let out a soft laugh at the ticklish sensation of her soft feathers on his skin. "You have a good and undoubtedly pure heart. Just be yourself, that is what Latias needs. That's what she'd want."
"I guess…" Ash mumbled discontentedly. He fell onto his back and looked at the countless rustling leaves above him with a forlorn expression and whispered, "Why did this have to happen?"
Ho-Oh closed her eyes. "I've been asking that same question every day, Ash."
Ash rose back to a sitting position and blinked at her. "But this just happened today."
Ho-Oh opened her ruby-red eyes, showing a distinct glimmer of heartfelt affection in them. "We have our own situation to sort out with the twins," she answered. "Latios and Latias…, because of similar circumstances to what happened to you, we've kept a lot from them throughout their lives, and the time for it to stop approaches. That's why I can relate to your position, I really can. Much like you, all of these are hardships that I hope we can one day put behind us and overcome."
"What's been kept from them?" Ash asked with a frown. "That doesn't sound good."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you." Ho-Oh lowered her head thoughtfully. "You're their best friend. How much they decide to tell you and to what extent you should know is something that is up to the twins to decide. It's not my decision to make."
Ash crossed his arms. "That's not okay though. It sucks to have things hidden from someone. I'd hate it if a friend kept things that I should know a secret from me."
Ho-Oh shook her head a few times. "Just because it's done doesn't mean I said I thought it was okay."
"Huh?" Ash blinked, taken aback.
"It was necessary, but that doesn't mean I'm happy with it." Ho-Oh gave Ash a saddened look. "I've hated every bit of it."
"Okay, I guess." Ash gave the powerful Legendary a sympathetic look. "Thank you for bringing me back." Ash's expression shifted to a confused one. "Do I, like, owe you a life debt thing now?"
"Oh, no, not at all. You don't have to thank me or owe me anything." Ho-Oh let out a hearty chuckle. "Quite the contrary. It is I who should thank you. Just be yourself and continue being the twin's friends, that is all I desire."
"Okay. You said you'll take me to Latios and Latias soon, right?" Ash asked.
"Yes, I will." Ho-Oh looked out into the distance. "Your other friends are also on their way here. We'll head out when they arrive. No reason to do so until then."
Ash gasped and froze on the spot. "Bianca, Brock, and Pikachu! I almost forgot about them! Are they okay!?" He clutched his head. "Ugh, sorry, I've just had too much to focus on right now."
"The Legendary that's with them says they are. No harm befell them," Ho-Oh answered softly.
Ash opened his mouth to speak and then stopped. He adopted a thoughtful expression and paused for a lengthy moment. "I have a question, Ho-Oh. What do I tell my friends? You know, about what happened…"
"Honestly? That's up to you." Ho-Oh gave the young human an apologetic look. "I'm sorry if you expected me to give you an exact course of action, but they're your friends, not mine. What explanations you want to give them are all up to you." Her gaze relaxed. "All I did was revive you. I don't want to dictate what you should do in any way after that."
Ash sank to his spot and sighed. "I feel kind of pressured, you know."
"Don't feel like that," Ho-Oh said reassuringly. "If you want to hide what happened, that is fine. If you want to be honest with them, it's fine too. However, you're ultimately fine, that's what matters for your case." The life goddess tilted her head. "If you want my advice, I suggest just being honest from the start if the topic comes up."
Ash looked down. "I'll try to…" He went over his friends one by one on his mind, silently wondering how they'd react and how best to explain what happened to them if they asked. Brock and Bianca, he figured, would be easiest. Pikachu and his Pokémon, on the other hand, wouldn't.
"Just believe in yourself and be yourself. You're very good at that," Ho-Oh suggested kindly.
"I'm alive, I guess," Ash mumbled, deep in thought. As Ash's mind went over the many scenarios with his friends, the fact he could see the skin of his legs finally registered to him. His eyes widened when he focused on that, took a good look at himself, and realized that he was lacking any kind of clothes. "Wait! I'm naked!" he cried out in horror, curling up to cover himself. He looked at Ho-Oh with a deep red blush on his cheeks. "And we've been talking this whole time!"
Ho-Oh laughed and shook her head in amusement. "Don't worry about me, I literally created your body from scratch, you know? I know it inside and out." She shrugged. "If anything, it's alright by me. It's something natural that I don't give much thought to."
Ash frowned and looked at her with a deeply embarrassed and trembling expression. He pouted and slowly uncovered himself to sit in a more comfortable position. "You could've given me my clothes back."
Ho-Oh gave him a blank look. "I'm a goddess of life, not a goddess of clothes."
"But you're amazing! You surely could've revived me with some of my clothes back on, right?" Ash implored. "Right?"
Ho-Oh suppressed a bemused chuckle. "Ash, I can control and weave life, not clothes. As silly as it sounds, it is beyond my power. I can't exactly revive a piece of cloth or use my power over life to materialize it."
"…I hope they have my backpack. This is going to be a bit embarrassing to explain." Ash cringed. "How did I not notice until now?" he wondered.
"You've had far, far more important things on your mind right now than the worry of wearing clothes," Ho-Oh pointed out. "Such as dying and being revived, and the condition of your dearest friends."
Ash's eyes widened and he froze in horror when he realized a particularly troublesome detail. "Please, don't let the girls see me!" he cried out.
Ho-Oh stared at him. "It's a natural thing—"
"I know it's probably not a big deal for you because you're naked all the time but it is for us humans! Just this one favor, please!" Ash pleaded.
Ho-Oh gave him a mirthful look. "I'll think about it."
"Ho-Oh!" Ash crossed his arms and glared at her.
"Fine, I will." Ho-Oh chuckled. "Just remind me."
Ash sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"I will say, you took being revived a lot better than I thought you would once the initial shock dissipated," Ho-Oh noted, tilting her head curiously. "Generally, those who die violent deaths and end up revived tend to have much worse reactions. You do have a clear trauma regarding fire now, though."
"That's because I've already died once," Ash said while scratching the back of his head. He let out a nervous laugh. "I forgot about it for a while because a Pokémon named Mewtwo erased my memory, but I got my memories back when I met him a second time."
Ho-Oh nodded along. "May I ask what happened? I saw traces of that when I revived you."
"Well, long story short is that Mew and Mewtwo started a fight and I tried to stop it," Ash began. He paused and grimaced. "And… uh… to stop it, I…"
"You jumped right in the middle of it and got caught in the crossfire," Ho-Oh guessed.
"I didn't!" Ash lied.
Ho-Oh gave him a knowing look. "Oh, really?"
"Fine, I did. It wasn't my brightest idea, okay!" Ash admitted with a rosy blush. "I died there, and from what my friends said, I ended up turned into stone. Then, the tears of the crying Pokémon revived me."
Ho-Oh gave him an incredulous look. "The tears of the Pokémon revived you?"
Ash blinked. "Yeah. Is something wrong?"
"If tears revived the dead, very few would stay dead," Ho-Oh pointed out. "That was Mew's doing. She revived you. Why she decided to hide it behind an act of tears, I don't know. I know for certain it was her because I saw traces of her power on your soul."
"Mew also has the power to bring back the dead?" Ash asked curiously.
"In terms of Life Power, Mew is my superior and far exceeds me. She is its creator while I am its first guardian," Ho-Oh explained. "So, she can indeed."
"I guess that makes sense." Ash frowned and allowed himself to fall onto his back with a lost expression on his eyes. "I need to stop getting into these messes…"
"You really do," Ho-Oh agreed. "Resurrection isn't something that's done lightly. When someone dies, their soul is naturally drawn to the afterlife. Resisting that pull causes immense strain. That's why most undead entities that aren't ghost-types tend to be very unstable and dangerous. You've done so twice now."
Ash gulped and returned to a sitting position. "Is that bad? Am I in danger of becoming unstable?"
"Not necessarily, but it means revival isn't something that can happen infinitely. A second time is almost unheard of. If you die a third time, your soul will likely be too strained to stay in the world of the living and need to pass on to the afterlife to rest immediately, without even giving Mew or I any chance to revive you," Ho-Oh elaborated. "There's also the fact that the gods who manage death may not even allow us to do so." She gave him a saddened look. "So, the takeaway here is, just be careful from now on."
Ash looked away. "I'll try. But it's not like this last time was my fault. It kinda just happened." He grimaced. "Hey, I have a question about this. When I was in Lavender Town a couple of years ago, a chandelier fell on us and a few ghost-type Pokémon pulled my soul out of my body. Does that… count as a death?"
"Based on what you tell me, no. If your soul returned to your body and you continued living without problem, that means your body didn't die. Ghost-type Pokémon can pull souls out of sleeping or unconscious living beings, but that won't kill them unless the body dies physically," Ho-Oh answered.
Ash sighed in relief. "Okay. I understand now. It'd really suck if that was the first time, then." He let out a soft hum. "So, about my friends, I guess I'll just see what I tell them when I meet them. When will they be here?"
"They'll be here in a few hours. When they arrive, I'll take you to reunite with them," Ho-Oh answered. "No need for me to keep you here."
"Thank you." Ash let out a soft exhale and looked around thoughtfully, idly gazing at the countless leaves that swayed from passing breezes and then at Ho-Oh's enormous body roosting calmly in front of him. "Hey, there's something that's been bothering me. Ever since my encounter with Latios and Latias, I've been able to speak to Pokémon. Yet, when I woke up, I couldn't. You're speaking clear English right now, but it's not the Pokéspeech I'm used to. Why is that?"
"The entity that possessed you sought to obtain some of Latios and Latias' power, and used the makeshift bond you shared with Latios to connect to them to extract those powers. For what reason, we don't know. He ripped it apart while doing so and gravely wounded your soul in the process," Ho-Oh explained. "Without that bond, you no longer have the ability to talk to Pokémon."
Ash gasped. "But, Latios… and I… after Alto Mare… will something happen to us now? We're not in danger, right?" he asked quickly while fretfully shaking his head.
"You're both safe from harm," Ho-Oh responded gently. Her steely eyes softened as she adopted a reassuring expression. "Skailyn, the Legendary that brought you to me, is a Death Legendary. That means she helps sustain the cycle of life and death, much like I do as a Life Legendary. She healed both you and Latios on her way back and corrected the damage you two took that night and today."
Ash sank in place and felt his eyes moisten. "Does that mean I won't be able to talk to Pokémon ever again?" he asked in a small and trembling voice, weakly suppressing a sniff.
"I can grant you that ability," Ho-Oh offered. "It's within my powers to do so."
Ash sighed in relief. "That's something, I guess. But, what about Latios? It feels odd knowing something that I've lived with for a while now is just… gone, you know?"
"It can be, yes," Ho-Oh agreed with a nod. "The bond you used to share with him was a hastily-created patchwork in a dire moment for mutual survival. It has served its purpose and is now gone. However, if you wish to properly bond your spirit with him again—this time with a proper, natural, and far more powerful bond—that is possible."
"Huh, it's possible?" Ash asked, tilting his head in confusion. "How does that work? Should we, uh, do it?"
"It's possible, indeed. However, whether you should or shouldn't isn't something that I should tell you." Ho-Oh looked away into the distance. Her eyes narrowed and shone with a soft golden glow, allowing her spiritual eyesight to see hundreds of miles away to where the resting twins resided. "I can explain how it works to the both of you when he's awake. Then, when the time comes, it's something that you and Latios must sort out and decide alone."
Ash frowned. "I guess I'll see it with him, then."
Ho-Oh tenderly looked down at him. "For now, don't stress about it. All things will come in time. For now, you should lay down and rest. Your friends will be here in a few hours. Take a short nap, it'll do you wonders."
Ash looked at the many branches that surrounded him. "This place is a bit uncomfortable for a human like me, though," he pointed out.
Ho-Oh slightly opened her right wing. "Come here," she suggested softly.
Ash stared at her and, after making up his mind, slowly crawled up to the massive Legendary and pressed against the side of her warm body. Ho-Oh folded her wing over her side, gently draping it over the human. Ash closed his eyes and let out a relaxed breath at the cozy sensation of softness and warmth that wrapped all around him.
Hoenn League Champion Wallace hastily walked into an observation deck located atop a commanding airship at least half a mile long, which currently hovered about a hundred feet above the endless blue ocean. A steady roar echoed loudly throughout the area from the four massive jet engines—two on each side—that sustained the large airship in the air and caused large circular waves to ripple on the ocean surface below.
Wallace's light grey cloak billowed in the strong breeze along with a flag of the Hoenn region perched atop a small mast on the far side of the deck. He walked over to the security railing, leaned over it, and rested his head on his interlocked hands. "The ship's radar and all scouting planes haven't detected anything. It looks like we're not getting into a fight with whatever that monster was. Do either of you have anything?"
Steven paused, closed his eyes, and stayed still for a few minutes. A concerned expression flashed across his face until he opened his eyes and turned to face the current champion. "Just talked with Metagross. They haven't been able to detect anything either, even though they've been scouting the area using their longest psychic range. I think it's safe to say that thing is gone for good." Steven's eyes narrowed. "Metagross does have an interesting comment, though."
Wallace raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "A comment?"
"Throughout their scouting, Metagross was able to talk to numerous local seafaring Pokémon. None of them have any idea of what it was even though some saw it. However, they all described experiencing the same thing. That monster actively warned Pokémon to stay away from the area as it approached," Steven elaborated.
Wallace blinked, noticeably taken aback. "Warned them away? How so? I can't really imagine that thing politely asking them to go away."
"Not via speech. All of them described it as an instinctual and primal feeling, almost on a subconscious level. Something came with that thing's mere presence that they found nearly impossible to disobey or ignore," Steven explained. "Some even called it the command of a higher power."
Cynthia, who was leaning against a wall further back to stay out of the strong gales, tensed visibly. "That doesn't good at all." She glanced at her Lucario. "You have anything, Lucario?" she asked politely.
Cynthia's Lucario remained still and the azure glow that surrounded him didn't wane. His sensory organs levitated rhythmically from his head and a runic arrangement of deep blue aura spread around him and extended to six large bonfires of billowing aura. He opened his eyes, uncrossed his legs, and stood up while letting the energy emanating from him dissipate. "There's indeed a leftover aura of something all over the surrounding area. It isn't benign or malign, but it's immensely powerful," he answered telepathically.
"Define immensely powerful, please," Cynthia requested. "Like, Metagross and Garchomp immensely powerful or—"
"Not even close. I've never sensed anything of this magnitude." Lucario shuddered visibly and took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Not even Colden or Valeran in person and up-close feel even remotely close to this. And that's considering all I'm sensing right now is just the leftover Aura of this thing. I don't want to imagine what it'd feel like up close."
"Sorry to interrupt, but remind me who Colden and Valeran are?" Wallace requested.
"Tobias' Darkrai and Latios," Cynthia answered. "That's their names." She walked over to where the other two champions were standing, causing her long yellow hair to billow in the wind. "But from what I know, neither are adults. Would your reading change even if you consider their possible future growth?"
Lucario shook his head as he walked along with his trainer. "No. What I'm feeling here is worlds ahead of them. It's in a class of its own."
Wallace stood upright and tightly gripped the handrail. "That's strange. It almost makes no sense. Your Lucario described it as neither good nor bad entity of immense power, yet Metagross said it warned Pokémon away from it."
"I think this means what we saw had to be a Legendary Pokémon of some sort, and one of the bigger ones at that. I'm heading back to Sinnoh as soon as possible," Cynthia announced. "I need to have a word with Tobias and Valeran immediately. Especially if this Legendary could be a threat to the Hoenn region."
"So, it's safe to assume that monster we caught on satellites is a Legendary Pokémon, then," Wallace murmured. "I guess we really weren't imagining things. Still, how can something so massive just… disappear?"
"Legendary Pokémon can be quite elusive," Steven pointed out. "There's a reason so little is known about so many of them."
Wallace hummed in thought, carefully going over the whole situation. "Well, Cynthia, I don't quite think Hoenn is in danger anymore. While that Legendary got close to Hoenn, I think we have enough evidence to conclude Hoenn wasn't its intended target. It was collateral damage. However, keep me updated when you speak to Tobias and his Legendaries."
Cynthia nodded. "I will."
"I'll stay here," Steven announced. "First Rustboro City almost ended up destroyed by Team Aqua and now this happens. The wider public is bound to feel panicked and the regional government will struggle to maintain order if any other catastrophe happens. It'll do wonders to reassure the public the situation is under control if I remain here for the time being."
"Thank you. I really appreciate it, Steven," Wallace commented with a smile. "Your reputation in Hoenn is ironclad, after all."
"What about the rest of Hoenn? Did you receive any updates while on the bridge?" Steven asked with a worried frown.
"Not looking good. Thankfully, the damage is minimal on mainland Hoenn, though most seaports and coastal areas south and west took damage." Wallace's expression soured and his hands trembled. "Dewford, however, was hit by several huge tidal waves and the worst of the hurricane's onslaught. That's why we've had no communication with the island."
Cynthia and Steven gasped. "What!?" they echoed at the same time.
Wallace cast a downward glance. "Most infrastructure in Dewford is gone and we've confirmed many fatalities. The regional government has dispatched Hoenn's best rapid response brigades and the League has confirmed Drake, Sidney, and a team of Ace Trainers led by Katie have arrived for rescue efforts and support."
"What about Brawly, are he and his family alright?" Steven asked with visible concern.
Wallace nodded once. "Thankfully, yes. We've confirmed the survival of Brawly. He's helping the rescue efforts on Dewford as well."
Steven sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Calling Sidney. Be right back." He took out his PokéNav and turned around to walk into the ship's much quieter interior.
Cynthia watched her husband disappear into the ship and then leaned over the security railing. "What was that Pokémon? What kind of Legendary was it?" she wondered as she gazed out to the sea. "Judging by what Metagross and Lucario have said, I'm not entirely sure the three of us can take it down."
"I don't know," Wallace answered. "But it's staggering that it caused so much devastation with its mere presence hundreds of miles away from Hoenn." He gulped nervously and looked on with a fretful grimace. "I don't want to imagine what something like that could do if it was unleashed within a region's borders."
Chapter End
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