Suicune stretched, rolling her neck from one side to the other, and sighed. "Ah, it's good to be among friends."

"Very true," Entei agreed.

He patted Houndoom affectionately, nearly flattening the other Fire-type. "If I had known quite how much our new compatriots would solve a problem we hadn't known we had, I would have seriously considered what Raikou did."

Houndoom turned to look down his flank, trying to see if Entei had left a mark. "Well… I'll take that as something positive."

"So you should," Entei confirmed. "I am honoured to have you as an ally, Houndoom – you and all the others who I would not have met were it not for a crazy idea Suicune had one afternoon."

"It wasn't crazy," Suicune protested. "It worked out, didn't it?"

"That does not preclude that it was crazy," Entei retorted. "A hundred years criss-crossing the Home Islands, from as far south as Hoenn to as far north as Sinnoh, and occasional forays ashore, and never considering a trainer before then – and it is not as though we had never encountered trainers before, either."

Suicune dipped her muzzle. "Yes, our encounter with Hunter J stands out but is hardly the only example…"

"What did make you decide, then?" Houndoom asked. "I sort of assumed it was just because Ash is the Chosen One, but then again I heard it didn't happen the last time around."

The Water-type paced around in a circle. "There's… more than one reason," she said, trying to assemble her thoughts. "Firstly, of course, as you say he is the Chosen One. And since joining him – since meeting him – I've seen several proofs of that, from the large to the small. Our trainer is a human I can feel proud of, and not just because he has assembled a remarkable team but because he is a remarkable young man himself."

Houndoom nodded. "Yeah, I can see that – I still remember when he carried me to the Pokémon Centre."

He looked down at his long legs, and flicked his spade-tipped tail. "Of course, I was smaller then."

"I'm not sure that would have stopped him," Entei quipped. "I mean, I'd lay odds on his being able to carry me these days."

"Another reason," Suicune went on, trying to pull the conversation back on topic, "is that the world is changing. It's always been changing, of course, but the changes these days are faster. More wide reaching. It was already beginning before Ash ever came back, but it's only accelerated since."

"But that can't be what you were thinking of at the time… can it?" Houndoom asked.

"It was part of it," Suicune reiterated. "It was something I had noticed some years ago, but by itself it would not have been enough for me to make my approach to Ash."

She sat down, and nodded over to Ho-Oh – currently sitting talking with Ash. "Perhaps the biggest single cause was Ho-Oh himself, in fact – who certainly had no qualms about deciding to let Ash catch him almost immediately. I understand that his opinion of Ash was formed partly based on our reports – we try to keep track of those who have some kind of Aura potential, but there are plenty of them and it was only when Ash's Aura blazed up – probably when he came back in time – that Father actually took a specific interest. And he liked what he saw."

Suicune was about to continue, but she was interrupted by Raikou coming over. "What did you fellows want for lunch? Brock's being dashed kind, and he's taking suggestions."

"I'll decline from making a suggestion," Entei elected.

"Ooh – can you ask for sausage and leek?" Houndoom requested. "If Brock has sausages, that is."

"I'll pass that on!" Raikou nodded. "And you, sister?"

"Honestly?" Suicune thought, then nodded. "I think I'd just like a salad."

"Boring," Raikou declared.

"Hey!"

"And I thought you were about to say the cooking was one of the reasons you suggested we challenge Ash," Entei chuckled.

"...actually, it was," Suicune admitted. "Father made it sound so nice..."

Houndoom used a paw to muffle his snort.


"So there are six other Battle Frontier locations," Ho-Oh said, looking at the symbols. "Tower, Palace, Pyramid, Dome, Arena and Pike."

He looked up. "And does that mean that you will definitely be employing me at at least one of these locations?"

"Of course!" Ash agreed. "I know you're interested in having more battles, so I'm going to make sure you get at least one – and I might ask you to hang around for a couple of weeks too, in case we get into any battles with wild Pokémon."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Ash?" May asked, looking up from sketching out a costume. "I think using Ho-Oh for a battle with a wild Pokémon would be ridiculously over the top."

"It's not that bad, right?" Ash said, frowning. "Besides, it might mean that some Pokémon wouldn't attack us at all…"

"Perhaps I should just head over to the Charcific Valley and challenge all the Charizard at once," Ho-Oh mused.

"Actually, I'm not sure how that would go," Ash said, thinking hard. "I mean, it might depend on if they had the authority to use Blast Burn, that's a very powerful move – and I think Charizard taught Charla how to use the amped-up version we came up with."

"That sounds like a challenge," Ho-Oh said, sounding more interested. "But I will expect to join in at least one of the Battle Frontier battles – if this is a test of you as a trainer, then let them get your full force!"

"Does that mean you or me?" Pikachu asked.

Ho-Oh contemplated the little Electric-type. "...actually, that would be quite an interesting battle."

"Please don't do it here," Brock said, beginning to fry some thick slabs of cheese. "I'm pretty sure Misty would be upset if we burned down some of the forest around her hometown."


Silver's wings beat lazily, the whoosh of the air around them indicating the scale of the Wings of Air he was using.

"That's good!" Pidgeot commented, riding a breeze around him and checking his form. "If you can keep that for a long period of time, you can be really agile – you're still young, but that is almost an advantage here as it means your weight's low enough to be knocked about very usefully."

"Great!" Silver smiled, glad he was getting this down.

He swooped low over the beach and out to Shamouti Sound, glorying in the simple pleasure of flight.

Then he spotted something, and backwinged.

"Something wrong?" Pidgeot asked, as Silver dropped lower and landed. "Did you strain your wing?"

"No," Silver replied, and waved his wing at a small rockpool. "What's this?"

Pidgeot examined it, hovering on the merest breath of wind – a little red dot, inside something larger and with a ring of yellow dots just below the clear surface.

"I don't know..." she admitted, interested.


Todd's breath misted in the freezing air. "Phew, it's cold up here."

Sneasel laughed, settling down into her snowdrift and checking the camera.

"It's all right for you," he said, waving at her. "You're adapted for it."

Raising his own camera, he made sure it was well charged and had a lot of memory, then took a moment to make sure the physical-film one was working as well.

"I'm honoured that you came and got us, by the way," he added, looking up at the Articuno standing next to him.

He didn't understand what the Ice-type said, but Sneasel nodded to him.

Todd chuckled. "I guess it's fine. Still, I wanted to say."

He squinted through the light snow, then zoomed in a little. "Okay, here we go."

The wind was light, and coming almost straight up the mountain – meaning that the opening to Articuno's cave was a small lip of snow built out of eddies in the wind, then a long, steep snowfield drop-off.

And, as they watched, the other Articuno they'd introduced to one another came out of the cave – shepherding her chicks.

Todd's camera shutter whirred as he captured picture after picture – showing the expressions of the fledgelings, as much a thing of the whole body as a thing of their faces alone – and he could hear Sneasel doing the same thing down to his side.

The first Articuno chick bobbed her head, then took a step forwards and spread her wings. They rippled slightly in the wind, and she looked over to her father with a sudden nervous movement.

Her father nodded, and gestured down the slope.

As she swallowed and took another step, balanced on the lip, her brother came up behind her and chirped. "Ti-cune?"

"Aaar," she replied, a little testily, and jumped.

She got about fifty feet down the slope, then hit the ground with a thwhump and a crunch of snow.

Todd got every movement, including when she stuck her head out of the snow and shook it clear, as Sneasel kept her own camera trained on the male chick.

"I guess it does kind of make sense for a Pokémon to want a family photo album," the photographer said to himself. "And this is going to be a pretty cute one."

That got him a pleased chirp from the male Articuno, who then launched himself off his perch to glide down and fuss over his children.


All right, everyone's here?

I think so! Mew agreed, rising out of her seat and looking around ostentatiously. Three Deoxys, one Mewtwo, two Mew-one, Hoopa, Sabrina, Baraz and the lawyer guy!

"Hoopa wants to know why it is so early in the morning," the portal master said, balancing a ring on the end of his finger. "Hoopa needs to sleep."

It's because many of us are synchronized with Saffron Time, Mewtwo explained patiently. But we can only hold the meeting here in Dahara, for obvious reasons.

"Stupid binding," Hoopa said, crossing his arms and letting the ring clatter to the floor. "Hoopa is totally not a really big prankster most of the time any more."

Really? Mew asked, from his place next to Sabrina. I can give you some tips if you like.

No pranks now, please, Mewtwo requested. I would like to have this meeting with as few disruptions as possible.

He steepled his fingers together. So. The reason for this discussion is that, two days ago, I assisted the Mossdeep Space Centre in launching a large payload into Low Earth Orbit – and the results have been so effective that they are already asking me for at least two more scheduled launches. However, I think it is important now to set up a financial framework.

The Mew who sometimes hung around him groaned. Awwww… this is going to be that kind of meeting.

"You weren't warned by the lawyer present?" Sabrina asked, chuckling.

I thought he'd be fun.

Amusement, Deoxys-green stated.

I feel, Mewtwo went on, that – as some of the most powerful Psychic types in the world – we could organize a corporation to put psi-assisted launch on a service and contractural basis that would allow expansion in the future. Is my assessment correct?

"Well, yes – in a way," the lawyer hedged, pulling his chair in a bit. "By establishing a company, you won't necessarily be able to stop others from offering the same service for free but you can certainly set up a situation where quality services are associated with the company.

"That sounds like a good start," Sabrina nodded. "What about Hoopa? His way of transporting objects is completely different."

"Hoopa wants to take part!" Hoopa said. "Does this mean Hoopa earns money? Hoopa has heard that you can get candy that way."

Candy is the least of the things you can buy.

"It would be a pretty good thing to earn money, Hoopa," Baraz volunteered. "I make some money with blessings, but it'd be good to have more – that way I could help more of the people who really need it."

"Wait – what are blessings?" Sabrina asked. "I thought you were just Hoopa's caretaker..."

"Well, I am, but that's a legacy that my great-grandfather passed down," Baraz summarized. "We use our connection with Arceus to perform feats that normal people can't."

As he spoke, he tapped the golden-wheel symbol around his neck, which glowed.

"I've never heard of that before..." the Saffron gym leader said, interested.

"We might be getting off topic," the lawyer suggested. "I assume the Deoxys are also on board?"

Affirmation, Deoxys-Purple agreed.

Agreement, Deoxys-Green concurred.

They both looked at the third Deoxys, with a blue gem.

...payment of fines, the third one stated, the emotion somehow conveyed as a grumble.

I'm on board, at least until the rocket gets to space! Mew stated with a giggle.

The other Mew pouted. Awww… I wanted to do that joke!

Then it sounds like we've got a good target to aim for, Mewtwo summarized.

Is it too soon to think up company names? Mew asked.

"I was wondering about Federated Telepath and Teleport," the lawyer said. "It summarizes-"

Telepath? Mewtwo asked. I suppose telepathy is faster than light speed communication, but even a two second round trip communication lag is hardly significant.

"Six minutes each way to Mars might be important, though," Sabrina said.

"Hoopa is not counted in that name," Hoopa complained.

And a lot of what we do is telekinesis anyway…

"I guess that's a no," the lawyer said, shrugging. "It's okay, we can come up with something else."


Leaves crunched under the impact of a sturdy pair of shoes, and the crescent moon hung low in the sky.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" whispered a Woobat, hovering nervously.

"I am confident," N replied, then patted his shoulder. Woobat came down, landed, and poofed into Zorua. "If my father is right, then I have nothing to fear from any Pokémon – and if my father is wrong, then I will find out one way or another."

"That's kind of… wow," Zorua said, flicking an ear. "Well, I guess you're the brains of the outfit."

"What does that make you?" N asked, looking up at his friend with a smirk.

"The fluff. Obviously."

N chuckled. "I suppose so," he said, then blinked as a shimmering line of steel appeared to bar his way.

"State your name," a brass-voiced Cobalion instructed, Sacred Sword blazing.

"Natural Harmonia Gropius," N said evenly.

That made the Fighting-type blink. "...very well," he said, frowning. "What is your purpose here?"

"Cobalion," another voice chided, and a Terrakion came trotting over. "It's not illegal to walk in the woods, is it?"

"Not to my knowledge," Cobalion confirmed, Sacred Sword unwavering. "And if I get a good answer, then this human may go on his way."

"I was looking for the Swords of Justice," N informed him. "I seek advice."

"See?" Terrakion asked, punching Cobalion's haunch – not with any real force, but still producing a clang sound. "That's legit."

"How did you know we were here?" Cobalion pressed.

"We asked questions, duh," Zorua yipped, fed up. "There's loads of grateful Deerling all over the place – of course, most of them are asleep now."

"Zorua," N chided, raising his hand. "Manners, please."

Cobalion's Sacred Sword deactivated, and he nodded slowly. "Very well. Terrakion, get the others."

"Why do I have to go get the others?" Terrakion asked.

"Because you know where they are," Cobalion countered.

"Oh, uh – good point," Terrakion admitted.


"So, what brings you out here?" Virizion asked, inclining her head gracefully towards the human. "It's quite late."

"Yeah, it is," Zorua agreed, now sitting cross-legged on the leaves as a Mienshao. "Why did we come out here so late?"

"Because the ritual is tomorrow, Zorua," N answered. "And-"

"Wait, hold on," Keldeo interrupted, blinking. "I'm pretty sure that you answered Zorua's question… can you speak to Pokémon?"

"Indeed I can," N confirmed. "My guess is that you use Aura to communicate with humans, but my own understanding of Pokémon comes from my entire upbringing."

"Huh, neat," Keldeo pronounced. "That's different to how Ash does it."

"Ash?" N repeated. "Ash… Ketchum, correct?"

"You know him?" Keldeo asked, taking a step back in sheer astonishment.

"No, but I read about him in a book," N explained. "By Mewtwo."

"Oh, yeah, Mewtwo," Keldeo agreed. "He's nice."

"Keldeo, you may be showing off," Cobalion noted.

"Oh, uh – sorry," Keldeo said, shaking his head. "You're right… okay, what was Virizion's question?"

"I still remember it," N assured them. "And to explain – my father has raised me to be the Hero of Unova."

"Which one?" Terrakion asked. "There's at least two."

"Truth, I believe," the boy answered. "There is a ritual soon – tomorrow afternoon – which is intended to summon Reshiram, and with his aid I will save the Pokémon of Unova from human tyranny."

"Humans aren't tyrants!" Keldeo protested.

"You do not sound very sure of yourself," Virizion observed, glancing at Keldeo to remind him to stay calm. "Why is that?"

"It's what I've been reading for the past few months," N explained, spreading his hands. "Well, more like a year now… I've been travelling Unova, and encountering humans and Pokémon working together, and I've been reading a book by Mewtwo which explores all the ways humans and Pokémon do help one another. And then – just recently – there was the Comet."

All four Fighting-types – and the one pretend Fighting-type – nodded, knowing what he meant.

"Were it not for humans and Pokémon working together, our world would have been destroyed – or horribly wounded," N explained. "And I cannot condone any purification that kills so many."

"Reshiram," Keldeo said, making the others look at him. "Reshiram is the Pokémon who aids the Hero of Truth, right?"

"I believe that is correct," N nodded. "Or a Reshiram, at the very least – they are patrons of order and truth."

"I don't particularly like Reshiram," Keldeo told him. "I know that I shouldn't judge them all by it, but… one of them killed my parents, and it is hard for me to forget that."

"Then do not forget it, Keldeo," Cobalion advised. "Instead, let it temper your steel – you know one Reshiram did terrible things to your family, but remember that that is only one and that others do not deserve the blame."

Keldeo was silent for a moment.

"I think I understand," he said, eventually. "And – thanks."

He turned back to N. "If you had all that power, if Reshiram did exactly what you want, what would you do with it?" he asked. "If you had all the power of a Legendary Pokémon like that, I mean."

It was N's turn to sit in silence.

"I'm… not sure," he admitted, shaking his head. "Two years ago I would have said that I would have Reshiram enforce the separation between humans and Pokémon – use the threat of Reshiram's power to build a world where Pokémon could live free of the interference of humanity. But since then…."

The Plasma scion's hand went to his forehead, then he dropped it. "It's a funny thing," N said, with a chuckle. "But I can't think of a single time in the last year I thought I should call upon Reshiram's power."

He looked to his side, at the bulky shape of Terrakion, then went on. "Well, that's not quite true… a few times I have genuinely seen people mistreating Pokémon, and while Zorua and I managed to sort them out with the help of our friends… Reshiram would have done it faster. But that doesn't mean I'd need the power of a Legendary at all."

"Maybe that's what it takes to be worthy of Reshiram," Terrakion suggested. "Just being honest!"

"I can't help but think that there'd be more Heroes of Unova if that were true," Virizion said with a chuckle.

"Perhaps," N agreed.

"So, what do you think you're going to do?" Keldeo asked, after a long silence.

"I think I will attend the ceremony," N decided.

"But-" Terrakion began, blinking. "Didn't you just say-"

"And," N went on, "I will see how my father acts. What he does."

"I don't like the sound of this, N," Zorua warned, flashing back to his base form and then becoming a Furfrou with long, shaggy hair.

The Dark-type nosed into N's side. "It sounds like that might be kind of dangerous."

"I don't need to worry," N said, scratching Zorua's ersatz ear. "You'll be there to help me."

"Now I'm really worried."


"Open a bit wider."

The shiny Entei duly opened his mouth a bit wider.

"Looks fine to me," Tracey pronounced, fiddling around with a mirror and a torch. "Have you been flossing?"

Entei made a mumbled sound.

"He's not been flossing," the shiny Suicune answered for her mate. "He just incinerates everything in his mouth that's not able to bear volcanic temperatures."

"That'll do," Tracey agreed, and pulled his head back out of Entei's mouth. "Want a lollipop?"

"...yes."


"I swear something happened about now, last time," Max said, looking out at the green-cloaked hills south of Cerulean. "I wonder what-"

He stopped. "Casper!"

Casper poked his head out of the ground. "What?"

"I saw you taking that food dye," Max said. "Put it back – May will kill me if it gets into her shampoo."

"...that's not what I was going to do with it, but now I want to..." the Ghost-type said, then bobbed up and down. "But fine, I'll put it back. I did what I wanted to anyway."

"I'm afraid to find out..." Max admitted.


"Raikou?"

The Electric-type raised his head. "What, what?"

"How long is it since you drank out of this bowl?"

Raikou looked into it, and shook his head. "Well, that's no dashed good! It's all green! When did this happen?"

"I just noticed it now," Donphan said. "I was having a drink, and..."

Suicune dipped her paw into it, and the water went sparkling pure.

"Sorted," she said, sitting back down.

"That was easy," Raikou chuckled, then looked up at the sound of paws. "Eh?"

Ash and Lucario stopped trying to punch one another, and followed his gaze – seeing an Arcanine pelting along a nearby path.

It glanced their way, did a double take – nearly tripping over in the process – then swerved, took three loping strides and launched itself clean over Suicune and Raikou to crouch behind them.

"What the blazes?" Raikou asked.

Entei snorted, and raised his head sleepily. "Huh?"

"There's an Arcanine hiding behind us," Suicune explained.

Arcanine, Dexter stated helpfully. The Legendary Pokémon.

"But we're Legendary Pokémon," Entei protested, still half-awake.

So am I! Jirachi said.

Arcanine looked around, baffled, then coughed. "Um… excuse me, but – can you protect me? Someone's chasing me to catch me."

She nodded back the way she'd come.

"Of course!" Raikou declared. "Legendaries should stick together with Legendary Pokémon."

"That seems like they're different meanings of Legendary," Ash said, taking his Pokédex out. "Dexter, why are Arcanine called the Legendary Pokémon?"

Beats me, blame humans.

"That's your answer for everything," Entei said, shaking himself out. "Who is this trainer chasing you?"

"It's not Hunter J, is it?" Pikachu asked, cheeks sparking faintly.

"It's a human – a boy – on a Flygon," Arcanine explained.

Everyone looked over at Brock, except May and Max.

Flygon shrugged his wings. "Don't look at me."

"Why is everyone looking at Brock?" Max asked.

"Wait… is that Drew?" May said, pointing.

"Looks like it," Ash agreed.

"You know him?" Arcanine asked, worried.

"Don't worry," Suicune told her. "Legendary Pokémon are safe around here."

Drew's Flygon came down to a landing just down the slope, and Drew got off. His Leafeon appeared in a flash, and May's Glaceon padded down the slope to catch up with her mother.

"Look, can we talk?" Drew asked. "I think I made a mistake."

"That sounds like quite a big mistake," Pikachu said, looking between him and Arcanine.

"I'm confused," Brock admitted. "Should I do extra sushi?"

"Probably," Lucario nodded. "Should I help?"


"So… you said the wrong thing," Arcanine said, tilting her head.

"Yes," Drew agreed. "I wanted to ask if you would be interested in being my Pokémon, but… yeah, it came out wrong."

He glanced at May. "Thanks for having Ethan translate, by the way."

The pleasure is all mine, Ethan told him, projecting the words in front of his eyes.

"Yeah," Drew went on. "What I wanted was to offer you a place – to be part of my team, even part-time – and to try and sort out any other problems. But it was going to be an offer."

"I have pups who I need to take care of," Arcanine said, frowning. "I may have to decline."

"Is that the only reason?" Ash asked. "Or – is it the main reason?"

"The main reason, yes, but not the only one," Arcanine told him. "I'm also not sure if I'm cut out for battle."

"Well, you could give it a go," May suggested. "And then Drew could release you if it wasn't working out."

"I know!" Houndoom said suddenly.

Arcanine jumped. "Where did you come from?"

"Johto," Houndoom answered, then snorted. "Sorry. But… well, my family live at Oak's Ranch – none of them are captured, I'm the only Pokémon in my pack with a trainer – and it kind of works out well."

Arcanine considered that for several seconds.

"I wish I knew if you were all honest," she said.

There was a moment of silence.

"Done!" Jirachi decided, and there was a flash of light.

"Oh," Arcanine blinked. "Well, fair enough… I suppose?"

She shook her head. "How would that work, then – this trial period?"

"I'm pretty sure that Drew can send Pokémon to Oak's lab, if we get him set up," Ash said slowly. "And then all we'd need to do is to move Arcanine's pups to the ranch, and Arcanine could visit them whenever she wanted."

"That sounds like it would work," May agreed.

"But how are you going to move them?" Arcanine asked, tail lashing.

"Actually, I think I have an idea..." Entei mused.


"This is not what I was expecting," Ho-Oh muttered.

"At least Ash is using you, father," Entei pointed out.

On Ho-Oh's back, the two Growlithe chattered excitedly to one another.

"This is going to be so much fun!"

"How high are we going to go?"

"Are your feathers really rainbows?"

As they did, the Fire- and Flying-type Legendary (as opposed to the other Fire-type Legendary or the Legendary Pokémon) nodded reluctantly. "I suppose there is that."


There was a whoosh as a sturdy bat completely missed the baseball.

"Yeah," Casey said, wincing. "I think you're right."

"It is only natural," Lucario replied, transferring the bat to her off paw and shaking her dominant one. "I am considerably taller – and faster – than I used to be, and as such my batting is off."

"That's okay," Casey told her, as Beedrill came buzzing back over with the ball. "That just means we need more practice!"

"Any excuse for a game of baseball," Pidgeot agreed. "Hey, do you want a really fast fastball to deal with?"

Lucario contemplated the idea.

"Maybe tomorrow, or whenever my batting has gotten that good."

"You know," Casey added, tossing the ball up and down in her hand as she thought. "I kind of think it can't be easy for you to handle all the parts of getting used to being a Lucario at once. Do you want to try pitching or fielding first?"

Lucario considered that.

"Perhaps pitching would be good. Certainly I don't want to lose my fastball special."

"That's the spirit!"


As Casey and her Pokémon dispersed to their posts, their trainer on home plate with her bat ready, someone dipped in and out of the clouds high above.

Never for long enough to be seen. Just long enough to observe.

"Hmmm..." the Pokémon mused, beating spiky yellow-black wings. "Worth thinking about."


Bubbles rained down on the stage as the Pokémon and trainer posed.

"Marcus and Popplio!" Nurse Joy said, clapping along with her fellow judges. "A fine display!"

The applause from the crowd agreed.

"Now, there's only one more competitor," Joy went on, as the Coordinator and his Water-type left the stage – and as the suds drained off to one side. "And it's her first time on the Johto circuit, so let's give Jesselina a warm welcome!"

More applause rose as Jesselina stepped out onto the stage. She bowed, her pink-and-orange dress billowing out around her, then threw a Pokéball into the air.

Everyone watched as it rose, peaked, and fell – then it hit the ground behind her, and Jesselina jumped at the sound of the tik of impact.

She never landed again, as a Moltres erupted out of the Pokéball and came sweeping up underneath her. Flames crackled, not touching her dress but producing a slight haze of white smoke, and Moltres rose slowly into the air – hanging almost motionless above the crowd.

Then, as Moltres began a slowly gliding descent, spiralling back towards the floor, Jesselina stood. She walked out onto the stiff wing, which caught fire below her and all around her – hiding her from view for a moment – then revealed her, utterly unharmed.

"Remarkable," one of the judges breathed.


"Ya gotta admit, it's workin'," Meowth said, taking a pawful of popcorn.

"I don't have to," his teammate replied with a huff.

"You're being a bit judgemental," Audino volunteered, waving a little flag with J on it.

"I actually tink he carries your dress off better dan you do," Meowth ventured.

Jessie sighed, sinking further into her trenchcoat. "That isn't one of mine."

"...okay, you have to admit, that one was obvious," Marowak chuckled.


"Okay, so – Articuno is in here," Aaron said, looking up from the map. "And I guess we're going to have to fight that Legendary as well."

He looked over at Dialga. "And, by the way, you're the one with the best type advantage against Articuno, so I expect help."

"But he's ice-type," Dialga whined. "How do you expect me to help?"

Aaron sighed, rolling the map up, and used it to gesture. "Firstly, Steel-type attacks. Secondly, time alteration stuff. Thirdly, you're Steel-type, you only need to worry about Fighting and Ground attacks."

"Around here I think we need to be at least wary of everything," Giratina pointed out. "That reminds me… hey, Dad!"

What now?

"Are we ever going to actually advance the plot? I feel like we've been doing this for weeks – and we're not even getting any money for it."

You did the last dungeon so many times I had to stop spawning enemies.

"Yeah, well..." Giratina shook his head. "I was hoping to come up with a way to grab cool stuff from the Kecleon."

"And that is why we keep having to peel you off the walls," Palkia sighed. "Don't mess with Kecleon!"

"Both of you have a point," Aaron said, rubbing his muzzle. "Arceus, this plot is largely based around my not knowing my own backstory, and that's frustrating. But Giratina – we should really follow the critical path and get to the rest of the actual meat of the story."

"I suppose," Giratina sighed.

There was a pause.

"So, do you need me for Articuno? Or can I just go off and try to find more-"

"Sure, go ahead," Aaron agreed, waving a paw. "Now, Palkia – how many cross-eye seeds do we have?"

"...seven," Palkia answered, inspecting them. "Why?"

"I think I know how to make Articuno a lot less of a hassle than Moltres was," Aaron said. "Wait and see..."


"...was one of my favourite islands!" Groudon roared.

"Then it shouldn't have had an unstable caldera," Kyogre thundered back. "It's your own fault!"

Groudon slammed his tail into the top of the cliff, and a brilliant light began to shine down from the sky. "Take that back, or I'll make you!"

Kyogre's flukes hammered the water below Groudon's cliff, and clouds started to gather. "Bring it, rocklizard," she taunted.

A golden blaze of light stabbed into the very edge of the cliff, blowing fragments of rock and clouds of steam in all directions. It held for a long moment, carving a line midway between the two titans.

Rayquaza slid slowly down from the sky.

"Rayquaza, at last!" Groudon said. "Kyogre was-"

"Don't listen to-"

"Be silent, both of you."

Rayquaza's gaze swept across first Groudon, then Kyogre, and he spoke in an icy voice.

"When I was first created, many eons ago, Arceus the Origin of All assigned me to two solemn tasks. To ensure that our planet, our sacred inheritance and the world upon which we all live, was safe from the great mountain-sized rocks that periodically fly to strike it from the heavens; and to keep two of my fellow Legendaries from causing trouble."

His tail lashed. "It astonishes me now that I ever thought the former duty was the harder, the more onerous, or the more frustrating."

Groudon began to growl, and Rayquaza glared at him. The glare was only a look, not any kind of attack, but it held Groudon in place as if paralyzed.

"Several times a decade – every decade – I am called upon to battle the two of you because you have ended up in another one of your interminable spats. Spats which you feel deserve the kind of power which can reshape continents, flood deserts and topple islands. Spats for which you deploy the force Pokémonopolis and Pokeatlantis tried and failed to harness."

The Dragon snorted. "You are mature Legendary Pokémon with responsibilities. Act like it."

"But I-" Kyogre began, then quailed when Rayquaza's gaze transfized her. "...I helped with the meteorite," she went on, much more quietly.

"I am aware," Rayquaza confirmed, with a slow nod. "I am also well aware that you were strongly encouraged to do so by the Lake Trio of Sinnoh."

He let the words hang in the air.

"Still," he went on. "It was a good start. Now, try and keep it up – perhaps you could find out where droughts are taking place and alleviate them. I hear Orre is a good place to start. And Groudon – your powers over the earth would allow you to reduce the impact of land subsidence."

"That sounds too much like work," Groudon muttered.

"It would also get you at least two thousand miles apart, which would be a good start," Rayquaza concluded. "See that I do not need to come down again."


"I think we sorted the Arcanine problem out pretty well," May said, sipping from a mug of hot cocoa. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, I agree," Max nodded.

They looked up at the darkening sky.

"Do you think you're going to challenge Sabrina?" May asked.

"Probably at least try," Max agreed. "Cinder can have a good go of it, and so can Casper – and maybe I should give Jirachi a go, too."

He speared a marshmallow on a skewer, then held it out to Corona. "Here you go."

"What's this?" Corona asked.

Max checked his Pokédex, then replied. "It's a marshmallow – like the ones in that cocoa we had a few days ago? You can heat them up and sort of melt them over a flame – like your tail flame – and they taste pretty nice."

"Sounds fun," the Charmander said, twisting a little so she could get at her tail. "Okay, so I hold it in the flame..."

It caught fire.

"Maybe not quite that close," Max chuckled.

"Hey, Max… look," May called, pointing.

Max followed her finger, and spotted what she meant – a dark shape against the gloom.

"That looks familiar," he said. "Hey, Ash! I think Lugia's shown up!"

"Really – oh, yeah," Ash agreed, striding over with Pikachu jumping to his normal position on his shoulder. "I wonder why?"

"Ash, it's good to see you again," Lugia said, mental voice covering the whole hilltop as he slowed to hover effortlessly. "I was wondering if you could help me with something – my son found this recently, and we've got no idea what it might be, but Pidgeot thinks you could know."

Ash frowned as Lugia undid the straps of his satchel, then closed one eye – and took a sharp breath.

"What's wrong, Ash?" May asked, looking up at her friend.

"May, look!" Max said urgently.

May turned back – and saw what Lugia was lifting out of his satchel.

An unmistakeable blue Pokémon egg, translucent and almost fluidlike, with a red core and a ring of little pearls floating inside it.


Ahh…

Celebi closed her book, and set it down next to her.

That was great, she said, looking at the cover. But I really want to know what happens next…

After a moment's thought, she sighed. Wait, I forgot.

A globe of white light surrounded her, and she vanished.


I assume you know what this is? Lugia asked, seeing May's reaction, and placed it on the grass.

"Of course!" May said vehemently. "Of course we know – that's Manaphy's egg!"

She looked aside at Ash. "Ash, is he-"

"Yes," Ash agreed. "He's-"

There was a slight pause. Then Ash fell over.

"Ash!" Max called, as Lucario helped the young man back up.

"Yeah?" Lugia replied, eyes now a pale sky-blue and wings working hard. "Sorry, I'm trying to concentrate on not crashing."

"...oh, you have to be kidding me," Pikachu sighed.

Is this what it's like being human? Ash's body asked, confirming Lugia was in it. It's very confusing. I feel small.

"I feel big," Ash said, hitting the ground a little too hard and nearly falling over himself – one wing brushing the blue shape of the egg in front of him. "Any idea how we fix this?"

Manaphy's egg flickered.

Then there was a flash of white light, and when it faded the Prince of the Sea was sitting on the grass.

"Um… where am I?" he asked, frowning – then spotted May. "Mama!"

"Manaphy," May said, reaching out and scooping him up for a hug – one he was happy to return. "It's been so long since I saw you!"

"Me too," Manaphy said.

"And look at you!" May added, chuckling. "You've learned a lot more words!"

Excuse me, Lugia said, sitting down with Lucario's help. But can you please help put us back in the right bodies?

"Oh – oops," Manaphy blushed. "Okay, hold still… right, that's Ash's body, where's Ash's soul?"

"Here," Ash replied.

That's my body, Lugia contributed helpfully.

"Heart Swap!" Manaphy declared, and his antenna flashed pink. Little pulses of light hit both Lugia and Ash, and the blue colour faded from their eyes.

That is better, Lugia stated, sweeping the air with his wings and rising back into the sky.

"I think I have a nosebleed," Ash volunteered.

Sorry.

"May?" Manaphy asked, as the light of his Heart Swap faded. "I love you."

"I love you too, Manaphy," May assured him, smiling warmly.

"Thanks," Manaphy replied brightly. "But… uh… and this isn't me being insulting… how come you're not any taller?"

He glanced over at Max. "And I think Max is a bit shorter than last time we met."

This is the bit where we explain the time travel, Ethan observed. I like this bit.

"That would explain why I remember only just hatching," Manaphy mused. "Wait, does this mean we can have Brock's cooking, Mama?"

May laughed. "Of course it does!"

She sat down, still smiling. "Oh, I didn't realize how much I've missed you."

"I knew exactly how much I missed you," Manaphy told her. "Do we get to spend longer together this time?"

"I hope so," May said, blinking tears from her eyes. "I really do."

"So do I," Glaceon smiled. "Hello again, Manaphy. You'll have to meet all our new friends."

"Does this mean that Brock's the only one without at least one Legendary Pokémon?" Max asked.


"Wa-choo!"

Uxie sniffed. "Sorry."

"That's fine," Azelf replied. "What's next?"

The Lake Guardian's tails flickered slightly.

"The location of the next meeting."

"Yeah, I like the idea of having it somewhere sunny," Azelf said. "Mesprit?"

"Excellent idea. We could sunbathe."


Ahh…

Celebi closed her book, flipping it around so it rested face-down on the hillside.

That was great, she said, very satisfied. Now, I mustn't forget to put this back when I got it. I don't think the author would appreciate it if I gave away the spoilers she hasn't even written yet.


AN:


Chapter two hundred. (Well, counting the prologue.)

Today's theme: Legendaries.

As an example of the kind of fanart in the fanart gallery for this fic, the Articuno scene has been arted. Like a lot of the other fanart this fic has had (though not all of it) it was drawn by Blyndri on Deviantart - go have a look!