Chapter 22: Students Council

The monolith continued to be compressed by Kenshi while Chiaia and Aura held up the village's deity. Now, Lan's forces were attacking and Ash was ready to help in Excalibur. In MechaWorkers, Lan and her cohorts rushed in to attack Kenshi's crew after working themselves to exhaustion. Ash boarded his Sacred MechaLord and prepared for battle. "Fire!" shouted Lan. Each MechaWorker fired rounds toward the Sacred Mechanoids under the monolith. Excalibur intercepted it with his Ena Sword.

"Why didn't you tell me we're playing tennis!?" he scoffed before delivering a backhand swing. It made contact with the rounds and deflected back at the MechaWorkers. Lan moved clear from the volleys of returned shots.

"Dammit!" she snapped. Seeing Ash's defense to Lan's forces, Lashara, Maria and Pikachu awed Ash's actions.

"I had no idea that you could use the Ena Sword like that!" gasped Maria.

"You wouldn't be alone, dear cousin!" believed Lashara.

("That takes me back to Luana's Gym Battle,") Pikachu squeaked. Aura saw Ash's defense and marveled to it.

"It's about time Ash helped out!" she gasped.

"But I thought it was to keep this monolith up!" argued Chiaia.

"Let's let Ash deal with them!" urged Kenshi. "We need to continue on this!" Just then, Sacred Mechanoids appeared and were making a beeline to Kenshi, Chiaia and Aura. Ash spotted them and Excalibur pounced into their path. His Ena Sword clashed with the rifles and shredded them to pieces. The rogues continued to charge, hoping to stall Excalibur from reaching Lan's backup. Shots rang out from behind. Ash turned to find Yukine's Sacred Mechanoid entering.

"Ash!" she called out.

"Yukine, you and the frame aren't back to full strength!" he argued.

"I'll be fine as long as Kenshi's protected!" Hearing Yukine's declaration, Ash bobbed a nod. That's when more shots rang out. Those struck the rogue Sacred Mechanoids and destroyed their frames. Ash and Yukine blinked to the new rounds.

"Looks like we're able to save little brother before he got destroyed," sounded Lithia. Five Sacred Mechanoids sided with Ash and Yukine.

"We're here for King Kenshi!" cheered Yeliss.

"We can't forget about Prince Ash!" added Wreda.

"The Shitoreyu Empire will fall under the real children of the Holy Land!" growled Bwoole.

"And the Swan will rise above all!" grinned Gryino. Ash sneered, ready to help with the help.

"Okay, who said I was the Swan's Prince?" he laughed. That's when Kenshi pushed once more, the monolith aglow. With a flash, the monolith looked to be nothing more than a large and stony spike. A gold ring expanded and the monolith fell into the ring, locking it in place. It now looked like a stone sword and one swing of it created a blast of wind. It was so strong, the frames couldn't stand it. With the heavy resistance, Lan's army retreated. With the forces backing off, everyone still there turned to Kenshi and the new sword.

"Check it out!" he cheered.

"We did it!" huffed Yukine.

"I swear, Ash may need that sword as much as Kenshi does," Aura snickered. "Anyway, let's bring this all on the Swan." The Sacred Mechanoids flew back to the Swan where Lithia and Mexiah's class emerged. They all wore skin-tight outfits: Bwoole wore black and gray, Gryino wore pink, Yellis wore blue and Wreda wore yellow. The students hugged Ash as Lashara and Maria emerged with Pikachu. Ceres and Hazuki also joined.

"Long time, no see, Kenshi!" cheered Gryino.

"No, no, Gryino!" corrected Yeliss as she and the students came near Ash. "You address him as Sir Kenshi."

"Not to mention, Prince Ash," Wreda giggled as she kissed Ash on the forehead.

"Okay, how did I become a prince?" he asked again while blushing with embarrassment. Yeliss added a kiss to Ash's nose while Lashara and Maria growled to Ash's affectionate barrage.

"Easy, since Sir Kenshi is king," Bwoole clarified as she laid a kiss to Ash's cheek. "Sir Ash is the Swan's prince." Ash and Kenshi shuttered to the thought as Gryino ended the kissing with one to Ash's other cheek.

"I'm glad to see everyone is alright," Headmistress sighed in relief. Everyone turned to see the Headmistress.

"How are things with the Pope?" asked Ash.

"We've come to an understanding of sorts," Headmistress smiled. "I'll fill everyone in on where the church stands with the Empire. Meantime…" She stood to the side and revealed the female students who became excited to see Ash and Kenshi again. "These ladies insisted on being by your side in fighting with all of you." Ash nodded, ready for the aid needed.

"Sounds like good news," Ash accepted as Lithia and Lapis approached. Kenshi began to fear what Lithia had in mind. "Stand tall, Kenshi." Hearing Ash, Kenshi stopped and stood straight. Upon reaching, Lithia, Lapis, Bwoole, Wreda, Gryino, Yeliss and everyone else knelt to Ash and Kenshi.

"If you allow us, we will follow wherever you go, Sir Kenshi Masaki and Sir Ash Ketchum," she promised. Kenshi wasn't sure on how to respond but Ash stood and faced the girls.

"Then let us lead the way to putting Babalun's crimes for his penance," he replied. Lithia nodded to Ash's idea.

"Thank you, young prince," she praised.

"THANK YOU, YOUNG PRINCE!" the girls copied. All boarded the Swan as it took off. The next destination would be the Holy Land. Ash and Pikachu joined Headmistress down a hallway.

"To think that the Swan is now an independent country, it does speak highly to the dedication of what's best for the Holy Land and the world in general," Headmistress praised.

"It's a little more complicated than you'd think, but I think my words may have laid the foundation for it to happen," Ash shrugged.

"I was meaning to bring it up… You didn't do anything to Queen Flora while in Havoniwa, right?" A head shake was the start to Ash's reply.

"Queen Flora wanted to buy Kenshi's and my talents as Male Sacred MechaMasters on a blind trust, and I wasn't happy about it."

"Oh, you don't believe you would've gotten something out of it?"

"More like something I would regret if I did… or they would."

"Ahh… In other words, you should be the Swan's king, not Kenshi."

"Whoa, don't sell Kenshi short. He's just as talented as I am, even more. In fact…" As if on cue.

"WE LOVE YOU, KING KENSHI AND PRINCE ASH!" the girls screamed.

("They have a lot of faith in him,") Pikachu squeaked. Ash and Headmistress opened the door to see the girls also gather around him.

"Prince Ash, is it true?" one girl asked. "You're the reincarnated king of Ashvalha?"

"So why are you a prince and Kenshi a king?" another girl wondered.

"And we heard that your Sacred Mechanoid is actually a Sacred MechaLord!" one more advised.

"Believe me, he's more responsible," Ash instructed. The girls cooed to Ash's modesty. Then, there was a thud and a scream.

"KING KENSHI!" they cried. Hearing the thud, Ash and the Headmistress swam through the girls to find Kenshi collapsed on the ground and breathing hard.

"He- He began to lean on the wall!" blubbered Wreda. "And he- he just fell!" Headmistress palmed Kenshi's head, reeling back from the heat.

"He's got a high fever!" she warned. Ash confirmed by the look of Kenshi's exhausted face.

"Let's get the king to his room!" he urged. Bwoole and Wreda helped Ash get Kenshi to his room which he was joined by Chiaia, Wahanly, Aura and Yukine. Lashara and Maria saw Ash and Pikachu leave the room and into the meeting room. The other girls joined.

"How is he?" asked Lashara.

"He's got a fever, no doubt from all that work compressing the monolith," Chiaia reported.

"I can imagine," Maria hummed. "But at least his most ardent supporters are there."

("And he'll be fine with some rest,") Pikachu concluded. Lithia rejoined Ash for the latest.

"The Wild Beast is resting, little brother?" she asked.

"Yeah, he'll be fine soon," Ash assured. Out of nowhere…

"Lithia, at least you have the politeness of addressing your prince," another woman sneered. Everyone turned to see a buxon woman with curly dim blond hair. She wore a purple shoulder-less suit. Lithia growled at the sight.

"It's not enough to chastise me while in the holy underground bunker, Morga!" she seethed. "Is it?" Lashara and Maria gasped to the mentioning.

"We barely recognized you, Morga," Lashara awed.

"As did I, Empress Lashara," Morga greeted. Ash and Pikachu blinked to the new woman.

"You know her?" asked Ash as Morga snagged Pikachu.

"Oh, I thought the Koro were the cutest thing!" she cooed. "Makes me doubly glad to come to this country!" She kissed Pikachu's nose, causing him to shrill happily.

"Pikachu's made a new friend with the former Student Council President," Maria joked.

"Oh, so she was the president before Lithia, huh?" guessed Ash.

"That's right, dear," Morga agreed. "Morga, Sacred MechaMaster from the Tribble Kingdom. I was hoping to meet the king but I guess some circumstances are out of my control." Ash nodded to Morga's claim.

"Agreed," he believed. "Hopefully, Lapis will verify his condition." Out of nowhere…

"Poor Kenshi's ill?" cried Flora. All turned to see Flora and King Shurifon. Ash and the girls were surprised.

"Mother!?" gasped Maria. Aside from Lashara and Maria, the girls bowed to the two royals.

"Queen Flora?" realized Ash. "King Shurifon?" The Dark Elf king laughed to Ash's shock.

"I expected a reaction such as that!" he proudly stated. "Besides, we did come to see the progress my future son-in-law is involved with the new country." Flora scoffed to King Shurifon's claim.

"He is gonna be my future husband and stepfather to Maria!" she protested. Maria gawked to Flora's wish.

"Mother, seriously!?" she yelped. Pikachu started to show concern for Maria.

"That notion certainly has left your princess daughter speechless," King Shurifon snickered. "Though the idea's not a bad one." Realizing what he meant, Aura's shock caused her ears to droop.

"Fa- Father…" she muttered.

"Well, well," Flora smiled. "Now they're both in utter shock." They laughed as Morga shook her head.

"Any reasonable being would be in shock about their banter," Lashara scoffed. "You didn't come all the way here to mock us, right?" King Shurifon scoffed to Lashara's assumption.

"On the contrary," he denied. "We actually wanted to show all of you our maturity." The girls looked on in complete shock.

"Sounds to me like you two would be perfect for each other," Morga shot back. "Perhaps show the prince of what true love really is." Ash, Lashara and Maria jumped in surprise to Morga's rebuttal. Suddenly, a thunderous thud was overheard.

"What was that?" wondered Wahanly.

"Kenshi!" realized Chiaia. "Ash, stay with Lashara and Maria! Aura!" Knowing their care for Kenshi, Aura nodded and rushed out with Chiaia. A little while after they left, Chiaia was heard.

"Me- Mexiah!?" Hearing the name, Wahanly, Morga and Lithia rushed out. That's when the Swan jolted to one side. It threw Maria onto Ash and onto Lashara and all three sprawled to the floor. King Shurifon steadied himself as he caught Flora. A woman appeared on a holographic screen.

"Empress, are you okay!?" she tried to mention.

"We're fine!" assured Lashara. "What happened?"

"There's an abnormal mass coming from the hangar!" the woman reported. Those inside the meeting room glanced to each other.

"The Tenchi Sword?" guessed Ash. Ceres ran toward the hangar after hearing of it while trying to enter. He found the ring on the monolith sword opened up. He ran back to the meeting room.

"Everyone, the anti-gravity ring on the Tenchi Sword's busted!" he informed.

"It's what!?" gawked Ash. The Swan was on a dive to the ground. Lashara ordered maximum output to keep the Swan afloat but it looked hopeless as Ash boarded Excalibur once again.

"Let's put Wahanly's upgrades to good use!" he growled as he flew underneath the Swan. He positioned himself under the low point of the Swan. Like Chiaia and Aura before, Ash used a force to catch the Swan. It began to backfire. The weight and force of the Swan was becoming too much. Suddenly, a red and black Sacred Mechanoid emerged and also tried to hold the Swan up.

"So, this is the famed Excalibur," Morga sneered. Ash twitched before turning.

"Morga?" he guessed.

"Told you that I was a Sacred MechaMaster!" she teased. Mexiah's students watched the action, unsure how to help. Out of nowhere, Kenshi's Sacred Mechanoid emerged.

"I got this!" he alerted. Ash and Morga gawked and turned to the white Sacred Mechanoid, fully active.

"Kenshi!?" cringed Ash.

"Lapis gave me the right medicine!" advised Kenshi. "I'm good to go!" He joined and all three began to hold up the Swan as Aura and her frame emerged.

"Now I understand Ash's argument from before," she smiled. "And there's no better way to describe it." Flora marveled to Kenshi's Sacred Mechanoid and how it was able to hold up the Swan.

"So, this is the new knight-frame," Lithia awed. "Wahanly's outdone herself."

"Agreed, and it's so incredible!" cooed Flora. "We should be calling it a Sacred MechaLord as well!" When Wahanly repaired the anti-gravity ring and replaced the wedges, the Swan was back in the air. With the Sacred Mechanoids and Excalibur back inside.

"So what happened, Kenshi?" asked Ash. "What did Mexiah tell you?"

"Well, it's that Mexiah said that she and I belong together since we have the Core Crystals and that she can't destroy me or I can't destroy her," Kenshi briefed. "Although, it may have been her ability to come at me for Babalun who tried to take control." Ash and Morga gasped.

"That didn't work?" she pondered.

"No, and while I'm not too sure about it, if I do, I want this to stay safe," Kenshi wished as he palmed his chest. "By the way, I didn't get to meet you until now."

"Indeed, since you're the one Lithia keeps referring to as the Wild Beast," Morga teased. "I'm Morga from the Tribble Kingdom."

"She's Lithia before Lithia in the Academy," Ash summarized.

"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you," Kenshi smiled and offered a hand to shake.

"Likewise," Morga accepted. After a night to rest, the Swan's Sacred MechaMasters gathered and met with King Shurifon and Flora.

"We have a plan to stop Babalun so hear us out!" ordered Flora. "Basically, we're counting on you two, dears Ash and Kenshi."

"Relax, you two," King Shurifon assured. "We know you two will lead a front on the Shitoreyu Empire." Ash and Kenshi bobbed their heads. Lashara and Maria came to Ash, Pikachu in Yukine's arms as she stood behind the cousins.

"Well, Ash…" Maria teared up.

"This is… goodbye for now," Lashara shrugged. "Hopefully, you'll be back to give you all the love needed." She kissed Ash on the cheek. "That is for remembering us."

"Indeed," Maria agreed as she kissed the other cheek.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ash promised. "My Pokémon are ready to protect you as well as Yukine." Her name mentioned, Yukine nodded. Aura came to King Shurifon and Flora.

"Father, best of luck," she offered.

"Remain true to your husband," King Shurifon suggested.

"I will," Aura smiled. The Swan flew as Shurifon and Havoniwa's fleets left, their royals knowing the battle ahead would be the biggest one to fight. Ash boarded Excalibur but did not activate it. He wanted to take his time, mentally preparing for the fight of his life.

TO BE CONTINUED…