WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER VIA THE LINK PROVIDED, GO BACK IMMEDIATELY AND READ IT OR YOU WILL MISS WHAT HAS HAPPENED!

Hey there readers, I am back! Summer work can be fun, but it does make me miss putting these stories up. But, at least the breaks give me time to work on them in print.

Anyways, now we move on with Sora's journey. Gonna say once more, read the previous chapter because it has important info for what's gonna happen in this chapter. Because we get to see an intense battle between Sora(Ash) and his fierce rival from Tyrannia. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters. All rights to Nintendo and Game Freak.

Chapter 12:

In the Mouth of the Dragon

Sora stood poised on the deck, facing his teacher Lucario, staff held ready in a battle stance. Pikachu, Larvitar, Yolanda, and Tidus were on the side watching him train. Sora may have been new to this training regime, but he had to master it to become a better Aura Guardian. When Lucario gave him the signal, Sora willed his aura into the staff. In a blue blaze, it changed into his Aura Sword. Geared with this, Sora charged Lucario and swung hard. However, Lucario used Bone Rush to block the attack, then swung at his legs to trip him up. Pressing his makeshift bow staff against the guardian, Lucario signified his loss. As Sora's staff returned to normal, the others hurried over to see if he was alright.

"Sora, are you okay?" Yolanda asked worriedly.

Grimacing a little, Sora told her, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"That had to hurt master." Tidus spoke, "But, I'll bet you'll get the hang of it before long." Sora, however, wasn't convinced. He doubted that he would ever get to master using his new sword. He never wanted to use a sword because of how dangerous a weapon it was. Frustrated with himself, Sora threw down his staff, startling his friends. Then he stormed to the side in a fit.

Once there, Sora growled, "Why can't I do this? I'm an Aura Guardian! I have to be a master of my powers. So why can't I master a sword?!" Looking up at his partner in worry, Pikachu approached the fuming youth. He rarely ever saw Sora get so mad like he was now. But any time he did, it concerned Pikachu that Sora could lash out like he was doing.

Coming up behind him, after picking up his staff, Prince Pewter comforted, "Sora, you must never fear the slow and steady course. It often takes warriors quite a while to master an art. Your learning to use the sword is no different."

"Yeah, I know." Sora replied, dejected.

"You don't need to worry about Ragnar or Tyrannia. While you are battling the Chieftains, no one is to interfere in your quest. I've already sent word to the ruler of Tyrannia about your challenge. You have nothing to worry about." But the look on Sora's face didn't look convinced by the prince's assurance. He was still clearly concerned with mastering his sword, and his lack of progress in the matter. So then, he offered, "How about I teach you how to use a sword."

Stunned by the offer, Sora inquired, "But how? You're the prince of Aurora."

"Exactly. And being the prince means I must master fencing, which I have. So I'm more than qualified to teach you." Seeing no way around it, Sora took up Prince's Pewter to be trained.

A little bit later found Rina scaling the side ladder to see how Sora was doing in his training with Lucario. But when she managed to take a peak onto the deck, she spotted him facing the prince, and Lucario was off to the side with the others. Curious, Rina watched as Sora's training began.

"The first thing you should know is that the sword isn't some piece of dead steel." Prince Pewter lectured, "When you wield it, it becomes a part of you, like an extra-long, rather sharp arm." Drawing forth his rapier, the prince continued, "The sword is the most versatile of any weapon. Just as the ability of a warrior is limitless, so too are the possibilities of the sword."

Willing his Aura Sword, Sora asked, "So, my sword can be more than just a tool for fighting?"

"Exactly. It can be however you want it to be. But you must treat it like it is a part of you. Just like your Pokémon are an extension of yourself." Nodding in understanding, Sora held out his sword in a ready position. Prince Pewter did likewise with his rapier, blade pointed down. Rina found it odd that the prince was teaching Sora to use a sword, but she also seemed to understand his reasons behind it. She figured Sora had always been used to using his staff. So learning to use a sword was a whole new experience for him. But, she was eager to see how Sora would tackle this challenge.

When Prince Pewter came in with a stab at Sora, the guardian blocked by knocking the blade to the side. Then, unexpectedly, Sora lunged forward and had the prince at sword point. Everyone gasped I astonishment at this feat. Even Sora was surprised. So much so, that he dropped his sword when he realized what he had done. How did he do that? That was the prevailing question he and Rina had.

"Well, looks like there is some innate ability within you." The prince chuckled, "Why don't we try to hone it?" Picking up his sword, Sora continued learning to use his new weapon under Prince Pewter's tutelage.

"Psst! Rina." The mermaid heard her sister Kari call out in a hushed shout, "How's Sora's training going?"

Diving back into the water with a quiet splash, Rina told her, "He's… working on it. But, he seems a little reluctant with this new power of his."

"That shouldn't be such a big surprise. You do realize the only kind of battling Sora likes to do is Pokémon battles, right? Of course he's a little hesitant."

"I know. But I'm worried that the hesitation he carries will harm him in some way. What if it costs him his… life?"

Resting a hand on her shoulder, Kari comforted, "From what I've seen, that hesitation is a sign of a greater strength. One that I've never seen in any other human." Letting her words hang, Kari dove back to their secret room. But Rina looked back up, hearing grunting and clanging as Sora and the prince practiced.

"Hesitation." She muttered to herself, "It's a sign of a greater strength?"

The next day, the crew docked in Port Costa. Here, Drake hoped to restock on some much needed supplies, as well as barter for new gear for their voyage. The others took the time during so to explore the port town. Sadly, there was not much to see in regards to people. Very few denizens were actually out and about, and the few that were squatted in garbage so foul it made Skuntank stink seem like a field of flowers. In addition, strange Pokémon that were later identified to be Trubbish also milled about those garbage heaps. So everyone steered clear of those, and ventured to an inn further into town.

The inn was a small building, but was quite long to house the vast quantity of rooms. When the group entered, they noticed there was someone at the helpdesk, who wore a nurse's attire and had pink hair tied in two hair loops.

"Hello. Welcome to the Pokémon Inn." She greeted, "I'm the innkeeper, Keeper Joy. How may I assist you?" In the instant he saw the innkeeper, Prince Pewter began seeing hearts.

"Beautiful maiden, I think I've found love!" he moaned. Jetting over to her, he smooth-talked, "Hello, pretty miss. We'll need rooms to house seven visitors, and one special room for you and me."

"I beg your pardon?" Keeper Joy inquired.

"Well you see, my dear," the prince continued, "You are in the presence of a great royal. And I do recall that the customer is always right. Isn't that right?"

But then, Tidus yanked him away by the ear, grumbling, "And this is where you are always wrong."

Yet despite the drama being averted, Sparky cried out, "An innkeeper! That settles it! You're a keeper! You'd make a perfect wife for Cancer!"

"Sparky, I've told you a million times to stop!" Cancer freaked out, then he summoned, "Chespin, use Vine Whip!" And out of his Pokéstone came a brown, beaver-looking Pokémon with a green head and spikes. Chespin then shot out vines and carried Sparky over to Cancer. As Cancer pulled her away, he huffed, "We'll talk more about this later!"

Determined, Sparky giggled, "Think about it, Ms. Joy."

Slightly embarrassed, Yolanda requested, "We'll take six rooms, please."

"Of course." Keeper Joy replied, "And, I can take a look at your Pokémon and make sure they are all in perfect health."

"That would be much appreciated." Sketch spoke up, "Our Pokémon could all use a good checkup." But, Sora had other plans.

Heading for the door, he told everyone, "You all go on ahead. I'll catch up later on."

Puzzled, Yolanda called back, "Where do you think you're going?"

"To train." He answered, "Got to be ready for my next Chieftain battle. I won't be long." And with that, he took off for the outskirts of the port.

Later, in a remote region of the island, Rina had surfaced in a lake somewhat inland. She used the river that connected to the ocean to explore the new landscape in hopes of either finding new Water Pokémon to bond with, or to find where Sora decided to train. She felt like she needed to stop being so concerned about if Sora was gonna be alright. With his Pokémon beside him, he could handle anything. Besides, she was feeling pretty ecstatic about this new place. And she wondered what new Pokémon she would find.

Just then, while she was lost in thought, she heard a Pokémon cry out to her right. An Azurill was surrounded by a trio of Farfetch'd, cornering it near the lake. The Farfetch'd pressed toward the little tyke, savoring the sheer horror it displayed on its face. It wouldn't be too long before they would be close enough to attack without mercy. Rina couldn't believe the Farfetch'd would gang up on a little Azurill like they were doing. It just wasn't fair, and it wasn't right of them to bully it.

Having seen enough, Rina tapped her pearl and called out, "Corsola, stop them!" With that, Corsola appeared near Azurill, surprising the Farfetch'd in the process. They were stunned by its appearance at first, but then merely laughed afterwards. That just made Corsola mad. "Corsola, Spike Cannon!" Aiming its horns at the ducks with sticks, Corsola fired a volley of shots that caught them by surprise. Having recovered, the three tried to gang up and use Cut. "Tackle Attack!" As fast as an arrow, Corsola tackled all three Farfetch'd, sending their sticks flying. Weaponless, and facing a Pokémon as steamed as a Tauros, the Farfetch'd quickly got wise and led with their tail feathers between their legs.

With that settled, Rina recalled Corsola back to her pearl and swam over to the traumatized Azurill. Rina knew Azurill weren't technically Water-type Pokémon, but they had some traits that were similar to those of most Water types. It was when they evolved into Marill that Azurill became a Water type. Still, Rina slowly approached the baby Pokémon so she could calm it down without scaring it.

"It's alright." She spoke softly, "Those bullies are gone now."

"Azu?" Azurill perked up, but then cringed back.

"It's okay. I'm a friend. My name is Rina." She then offered her hand, hoping to calm the little tyke down. Azurill took a while to react, but it eventually looked back up to see Rina offering her hand. Slowly, it started stretching out its tail to the stranger, beginning to overcome its initial shock. When all of a sudden, Azurill ran away. Rina wondered what was wrong, until she was hit by a powerful electric attack. The shock caused Rina to pass out, and she fell onto the rim of the lake. Then, a shadow came over to her and pulled her out of the water, revealing her mermaid tail.

"So, those three were right." The figure pondered, "He did befriend a mermaid. Then, it's time to settle this."

Reaching a certain point in the woods, Sora, Pikachu, and Larvitar stopped and took a look around. This area looked as good a place as any to begin training, with very few Pokémon around to get hurt, and the trees spaced out nicely enough so there were no obstructions.

With his two friends hopping down from his shoulders, Sora told them, "Let's train here."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Lar Lar." Larvitar said likewise. Having settled that, Sora willed his staff into the Aura Sword, and drew it from behind him. After that, he instructed Pikachu to use Iron Tail to help him perfect his technique.

With Pikachu's small stature and nimble movements, it was perfect for the guardian to practice defense and work on his reflexes. But Pikachu's Iron Tail was nothing to sneeze at, as it was still hard to hold back upon impact. But Sora held firm, and continued doing his best.

Suddenly, while in the middle of the exercise, a Shadow Ball crashed between them from somewhere. Gathering together, Sora and his two Pokémon looked around to find their attackers.

"Who's there?! Show yourselves!" he demanded. From the woods, like shadows of the night, three hooded figures approached, a Pumpkaboo floating beside one of them.

Prepare for trouble, from in this wood.

Make it double, we make bad look good.

To protect the world from devastation.

To unite all peoples within our nation.

To denounce the evils of truth and love.

To extend our reach to the stars above.

Jessica!

Jameson!

The kingdom of Tyrannia sets off with speed and might!

Surrender now, or prepare to fight!

Meowth, that's right!

"You guys again?!" Sora gritted, "What do you want?!"

"Pikachu!"

"What we want is simple: that Pikachu." Jessica told him.

"Forget it! You're not getting Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

"Larvitar!"

"This isn't a discussion, guardian." Jameson came in, "It's our job to get that Pikachu, for the glory of Tyrannia."

"Maybe you haven't heard, but you are not supposed to interfere in my challenge with the Island Chieftains."

"Like we care about rules." Jessica scoffed.

Taking notice to the new addition, Meowth tried to point out, "Hey, didn't da twerp have a staff? Why's he got steel on 'im?" Remembering that he still had his Aura Sword out, Sora hid it behind his back before the other two saw what Meowth saw. He silently willed his aura to change it back into a staff, then brought out his traditional tool.

"Now guardian," Jessica tried to coax, "hand over the Pikachu."

"No deal!" Sora roared back, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Just as Pikachu was prepping its attack, Jessica barked, "Pumpkaboo, Leach Seed!" Then, Pumpkaboo shot out a few seeds at Pikachu's feet, missing it entirely. But then, vines grew from where they landed, and constricted Pikachu. From there, they began sucking its energy, thus halting the attack.

"Pikachu!" Sora cried out.

"Helpless, like you always will be." Jameson taunted, "Yamask, go get it!" Summoning a dark Pokémon holding a mask underneath it, he sent Yamask to take the ensnared electric mouse.

"Don't think I'm done yet!" Sora retorted, "Larvitar, use Bite!" Jumping onto Yamask, Larvitar bit hard on it and dealt major damage.

"Little pest!" Jessica growled, "Pumpkaboo, Dark Pulse!" As Pumpkaboo launched a dark wave at the rock child, Larvitar leaped out of danger with relative ease.

"Try Hidden Power!" With spheres appearing around it, Larvitar launched its Hidden Power at the pumpkin-ghost Pokémon, knocking it down.

"Yamask, Night Shade!" But before the attack was sent, Larvitar used one of its defenses: Screech. This time, however, Sora and Pikachu were ready for it, and managed to block out most of the noise. Their opponents, on the other hand, got the full brunt of the attack, and failed to launch any attacks in response. Then, something strange began to happen. Larvitar gained a white outline as a power rose from it. Then, it lifted its arms, and summoned rocks that entrapped Yamask.

"Awesome Larvitar!" Sora cheered, "You learned Rock Tomb!"

"Pika!"

"Lar! Lar!" Larvitar cheered. And thanks to its new attack, Pikachu was freed from the Leech Seed.

"You alright buddy?" Sora inquired. Pikachu replied with a firm look and intense gaze. "Okay then. Use Thunderbolt!"

But while it prepped its attack, Jameson called out, "Yamask, Shadow Ball!"

"Shadow Ball, Pumpkaboo!" So those two launched dark orbs at Pikachu.

Accompanying the attacks, Meowth cried out, "Try my Fury Swipes on for size!" But Larvitar got in their way again, ready to defend.

"Larvitar, Rock Tomb!" And with it, Larvitar summoned boulders that blocked the Shadow Balls, and turned Meowth into a pancake. "Now, go for it Pikachu!"

With electricity ready, Pikachu cried out, "PIKACHUUUU!" And an arc of electricity descended onto the Tyrannian trio.

But then, another Thunderbolt shot forward and cancelled out Pikachu's Thunderbolt, startling the heroes. Looking up to find they had been spared, the trio began to wonder how they had averted such an inevitable fate.

"Did we do that?" Jameson pondered aloud.

"We must have!" Jessica answered cheerfully, "It must have been one of our incantations that protected us."

"Ah yes! That must have been it."

"But we don't know any spells ta deflect a Thunderbolt." Meowth responded.

"Correct!" came a stern voice, "That honor belongs to me." Approaching the group, accompanied by an Electivire, was Ragnar the relentless.

"Ragnar?!" Sora gasped. Pikachu hunched over, ready to fight, while Larvitar ran and hid behind Sora's leg.

"So, Sora, I heard you've been busy. Having been challenged by the Eight Island Chieftains, I wager." Ragnar said to his rival.

Growling, Sora asked, "How do you know I was challenged by the Island Chieftains?"

"These three buffoons spied on your battle with the first Chieftain. Very impressive… for a useless nobody."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shot.

"But now," Ragnar continued, "You face a true challenge. Me!"

Picking up Larvitar, Sora replied, "Not today Ragnar. I am not obligated to battle you for Aurora. And besides, you are not to interfere in my challenge. Prince Pewter told me so. You'll just have to wait until I defeat all 8 Chieftains." With that, Sora began walking away with Pikachu and Larvitar.

As they did, Ragnar chuckled cruelly, "What if the stakes were not a kingdom, but someone's life? Would that change your mind guardian?" That made Sora stop. But he didn't turn to face Ragnar, for fear it was a trick.

Instead, he responded, "What life?"

"Let's just say… a certain fish of interest. Particularly to you."

"I have no idea what you are referring to."

"Then let me show you." Sora turned his head to catch a glimpse of Ragnar conjuring a vapory image in his hand. When he tossed it up, the cloud expanded, and the image became clearer. What was in it made Sora, Pikachu, and Larvitar all gasp in unison. Floating in a dark area, appearing unconscious, was Rina!

"Rina?!" Sora gasped silently, then shouted, "What have you done to her Ragnar?!"

"Nothing for the moment." He answered nonchalantly, "But if you don't accept my challenge, who knows what'll happen to her."

"That's low, Ragnar! Even for you!"

"Pika Pikachu!"

"Well then, what's your answer gonna be?" Sora didn't even have a choice in the matter. He wasn't sure how Ragnar discovered Rina, but he knew he couldn't refuse. But he didn't trust Ragnar with this battle. So Sora whispered something to Pikachu, and it took off.

"Alright Ragnar." Ragnar finally answered, "We will battle." Exactly as Ragnar had planned.

"Then follow me, guardian." And he led him, Larvitar, and the Tyrannian trio deeper into the woods.

From there, Ragnar led everyone to the only lake on the island. And floating over the center of the lake, with a weird aura surrounding her, was Rina. But Sora kept his cool and hid his emotions. He couldn't let Ragnar see how much his having captured Rina was tormenting him.

As she hovered towards the trio, he instructed, "Keep an eye on her for me."

"Yes, your Highness." They bowed.

"What are the battle conditions?" Sora inquired.

"Three battles. Best two out of three wins." Ragnar informed, "No help."

"Very well." With that, the battle commenced.

"Magmortar, standby for battle!" And from Ragnar's staff came a huge red, yellow, and orange Fire Pokémon. Sora tightened the grip on his staff, steeling himself for this confrontation.

Ready, he called out, "I choose you, Staraptor!" From his staff came a gray-and-white falcon Pokémon with a red streak on the crest on its head. With both Pokémon out, Sora made the first move by ordering, "Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" Becoming a blinding streak of light, Staraptor dove straight for Magmortar.

But Ragnar retaliated with, "Magmortar, use Smog!" So Magmortar unleashed a billowing cloud obscuring Staraptor's sight. However, the tactic failed, as Staraptor sliced straight into the Fire Pokémon with relative ease.

"Nice try." Sora retorted, "But Aerial Ace never misses when used."

"Hmph! The battle just started." Ragnar replied, "Magmortar, Flamethrower!" Turning its arm into a barrel, Magmortar shot at Staraptor to bring it down.

"Staraptor, Close Combat!" Diving through the tongues of fire, Staraptor descended and used its wings and talons to deliver some devastating combos. Even though Magmortar had taken a lot of damage already, it looked relatively unfazed. And as Staraptor returned to Sora's side of the field, it winced as if it had suffered some kind of injury. "Staraptor, what's wrong?!" Sora asked. Then, he sensed something through his aura. Closing his eyes, he looked at Staraptor's aura, and found there was a burn on its left wing.

"Pretty nice ability, Flame Body." Rangar chuckled, "A Pokémon that makes contact with Magmortar runs the risk of getting burned."

"This battle is far from over Ragnar. Brave Bird!" So Staraptor charged at Magmortar, a blue light engulfing it as it soared. Burned or not, Sora doubted Magmortar could withstand this attack. But as the attack was still on its way, Rina suddenly cried out in pain. When Sora looked over to her, he saw that Meowth had scratched her with its claw. He and the other two looked at Sora villainously, as the talking Pokémon made a move to make one more cut.

Fearing for her, Sora called back, "Staraptor, stop the attack!" Surprised by its master's command, Staraptor stopped just short of hitting Magmortar.

"Hesitation like that is fatal, Sora." Ragnar smiled, then ordered, "Fire Punch!" And Magmortar delivered a fire-infused blow to Staraptor, sending it hurtling into a nearby tree. When Sora went to check it out, it had fainted.

"The first round goes to me." Ragnar proclaimed victoriously.

"Wonderful young prince." Jameson cheered.

"You are your father's son." Jessica complemented. But Sora knew it wasn't a true victory. He didn't know if Ragnar had planned to pressure him using Rina, but it wasn't an honest win.

And as Ragnar returned Magmortar to his staff, he growled, "You shouldn't have been so easily overtaken. What a weakling!"

There he goes again, Sora thought to himself, discrediting his Pokémon's hard work. When will he learn? Still, he let it go, and recalled Staraptor.

"You were amazing Staraptor." He told it, "I couldn't be more proud. Now take a good, long rest."

"Now, Electivire, go!" And Ragnar's Electivire stepped forward to challenge Sora.

Staying strong, Sora summoned, "I choose you, Gible!" And out came his Gible, looking eager to battle or chomp on someone's head. But Ragnar laughed at his opponent's choice.

"You're sending another weakling against me?" he guffawed.

"Big things come in small packages." Sora replied.

"Hmph! Electivire, Thunderbolt!" And Electivire shot out tendrils of electricity at the land shark, which hit their target. However, Gible seemed unfazed by the electricity, and looked confused. Larvitar just laughed at Ragnar's big blunder, rolling around next to Sora. Both Sora and Ragnar knew that Ground-types like Gible were immune to electric attacks, but that just made Ragnar seethe. So he called out, "Hit it with Brick Break!"

"Use Dig to dodge it!" And just as Electivire was slamming its arm onto it, Gible disappeared beneath the ground. By the time Electivire could react, Gible came up from beneath and nailed Electivire in the face.

"Blast! Retaliate with Iron Tail!" With its twin tails, Electivire slammed Gible back. But Gible recovered rather quickly, looking eager to keep going.

"Gible, use Crunch!"

"Pound it into the earth with Brick Break!" Gible sailed for Electivire, mouth wide open for a Crunch, while Electivire shot its fist towards Gible. And when the impact was made, everyone froze in shock.

Electivire looked to its fist, and found Gible securely clamped onto it. Enraged, Electivire tried shaking it off by throwing its fist around. But no matter what it did, Gible was stuck on there and was not letting go. And as the electric titan made a clown of itself, Sora and Larvitar just burst out laughing. The Tyrannian trio also let out loud chuckles, but were quickly hushed by Ragnar's cold stare.

"Electivire, get that puny thing off of you!" But Electivire had tired itself out. All the thrashing and tossing it did just tuckered it out.

With Gible on the ground, Sora commanded, "Now Gible, Draco Meteor!"

"You're dreaming." Ragnar scoffed, "Gible can't learn Draco Meteor." But he was surprised when Gible, despite its being small, lifted Electivire into the air. With its body glowing orange with power, it let out a ball of light that launched Electivire out of its mouth and into the air. Then, the ball exploded into dozens of meteors, which crashed onto Electivire mid-fall. It crashed into the ground shortly following, and fainted.

"Alright! A win for us!" Sora cheered, until Gible chomped down on his head in excitement. Thanking his friend, Sora returned Gible to his staff, then rubbed his head from the bite. Ragnar, however, wore the same scowl he always wore as he recalled his Electivire.

"Beaten by a small fry?! Pathetic!" he growled.

"I thought Electivire did really well." Sora said to his rival, "And Magmortar too. Both of them were very awesome."

"Larvitar Lar." Larvitar agreed.

"Hmph! You're so naïve." Ragnar huffed, "Pokémon are nothing if they aren't strong. Weak Pokémon have no right to exist! What good are they?!"

In reply, Sora sighed, "You still haven't learned. And if you don't, you won't win this battle, or ever defeat me."

"Speaking of win, weren't we supposed to do some damage to the mermaid if the guardian was winning?" Jessica whispered to her allies.

"How could we stop him?" Jameson posed silently, "He called on Draco Meteor. We couldn't stop that."

"Yeah." Meowth schemed, "Besides, we need da prince ta win, but not if he knows we're the ones getting' him ta win. That last outcry almost blew da whole operation."

"So we'll do it with this final battle." Jessica suggested.

"Right. He only needs to lose one more. Then we'll claim victory."

Prepared for the final battle, the two opponents called out their final Pokémon.

"Aggron, standby for battle!"

"Sceptile, I choose you!"

And the wood gecko Pokémon Sceptile faced a tall, dinosaur-like Pokémon with a rock brown body and white steel on its back and head. The time for taunts and jeers had passed. The battle was about to begin.

"Aggron, Flash Cannon!" So Aggron started the battle with a beam of grey and white light, shooting it at Sceptile fiercely.

"Sceptile, dodge it!" Sceptile swiftly moved out of the way, the twig in its mouth narrowly avoiding the attack. Aggron shot a few more shots at Sceptile, but the gecko Pokémon ducked and dodged them all with relative ease.

When it had moved close enough, Sora called, "Use Leaf Blade!" The two leaves on its arms glowed with energy, extending out a little bit as well. Then, Scepilte sliced across Aggron's torso, and jumped back after dealing the blow.

"Agron, use Thunderbolt!" Ragnar barked.

"Thunderbolt?!" Sora gasped.

"Lar?" Larvitar quizzed. Somehow, Aggron charged electricity throughout its body, and shot two arcs of it at Sceptile. Sceptile bore the attack as best as it could, then shook it off shortly after.

"There you go Sceptile." Sora cheered, "Now use Slam!"

"Iron Tail back!" Ragnar commanded. So the two met in a clash of tails. It was like a sword fight between the two Pokémon, each parrying and deflecting the other's efforts to land a direct hit. The last clash pushed both Pokémon back, each sizing up the other on their next move.

"You're the same as ever Sora." Ragnar muttered aloud, "Naïve, weak, and vulnerable."

"You haven't changed a bit either Ragnar." Sora replied.

"Oh, but I have changed. Because now, I have made things even between us." Then, Ragnar lifted his left arm, showing a bracelet with a rainbow-colored stone inside it. A Keystone! "You thought you were the only trainer besides those Chieftains who could Mega Evolve your Pokémon? Please." he scoffed, "Grow up Sora!" Tapping his Keystone, Ragnar summoned out tendrils of light that snaked to Aggron, who in turn had tendrils meet the others.

"Keystone, grant me the power to overcome my foes!"

"Mega Evolve!"

With the transformation, Aggron gained a layer of steel padding that covered its rocky body, and making it bulkier. With it complete, the light around Aggron soon faded, revealing Mega Aggron. But Sora wasn't startled by this revelation. Having met two trainers who could use Mega Evolution, Sora knew he wasn't the only one in the world. Even so, he could still even the playing field.

Just as he lifted his Mega Ring to do it himself, however, Sora heard Meowth call out, "Hey guardian, don' even thin' about i'." Then, Meowth dug his nails right into Rina's shoulder, just above the first cut, causing her to cry out.

"Stop!" Sora protested, "What are you doing?!"

"Our insurance." Jessica cackled.

"If you try to win this battle, you might find this mermaid to be filleted." Jameson elaborated.

"You cowards!" Sora spat, "I'm ashamed at you Rangar. Why would you stoop so low?!" But Ragnar didn't respond. Instead, it looked like he wasn't even himself right now. His eyes were blank, and he was as still as a statue.

Ragnar's not in control of his Mega Evolution. Sora pieced together. To confirm it, he looked at Ragnar's aura, and found it to have blackened. This wasn't Mega Evolution, it was sorcery. Ragnar forged the Mega Evolution using dark arts.

"So, what's it gonna be guardian?" Meowth laughed, pulling his claw down Rina's shoulder more, causing her to wail out in anguish. Sora growled at his predicament, and at the cheap trick the Tyranninan trio pulled. But what could he do? There was no way around it.

Satisfied with his silence, Jessica whispered, "He's all yours, my prince."

Registering her words, Ragnar called out, "Aggron, Thunderbolt!" So Aggron let loose its electric attack, and blasted Sceptile. Sceptile tried enduring the attack as best as it could, but its strength was waning. Sora merely stood there, shell-shocked, watching both of his friends suffer because of him.

Hesitation like that is fatal, Sora. Sora hesitated to Mega Evolve because Rina was in danger, and he hesitated to save her because Ragnar might attack her. He had hesitated this whole time, and was now dying inside. Was this really it? Had he truly perished? Sora collapsed to his knees as his will abandoned him.

"I've… lost?" he cried silently.

"It's not over yet Sora! Don't give up!" he heard Captain Drake shout.

"Don't let this slime ball win Sora!" Kenneth pitched in.

"Are you really going to surrender when Rina needs you most?!" Kari questioned him.

"Stand up guardian! This battle isn't over yet!" Sarah barked.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu's voice squealed. Looking up, Sora spotted Drake and Kenneth confronting the Tyrannian trio, with Flygon and Alakazam beside them.

"Flygon, Sandstorm!" Drake ordered. And Flygon blew the back and away from the mermaid hostage.

"Alakazam, use Psychic to dispel that enchantment around Rina." Kenneth told his Pokémon. So Alakazam concentrated its psychic energy at the spell imprisoning Rina.

Surfacing next to him, Kari told Sora, "We got these guys. You just win this battle."

"Show this creep what happens when he messes with our sister." Sarah instructed. Then, Pikachu came up beside him, a strong gaze meeting his. Sora then looked up to Sceptile, who glanced down through the attack with a look that told him not to give up.

Slowly rising to his feet, Sora told everyone, "You're right. It's not over yet. And until I draw my last breath, I will never give up!" Then, a blue fire surrounded Sora as he tapped his Mega Ring, releasing tendrils of light. And Sceptile's stone did likewise, linking its light to his.

"Keystone! Here my plea and unite our hearts!"

"Sceptile! Aura Evolution!"

At that moment, Sora's aura raged between him and Sceptile, causing them both to glow with a bright light. Scceptile's tail extended, and began to narrow into a point at the end, and its leaves grew a bit. When its light faded, it had a combination of orange and green on its body, and the seeds near its tail were orange too. It had become Mega Sceptile.

As for Sora, he began to change too. His staff quickly turned into his Aura Sword. His cape disappeared, and his tunic became dark-blue. His gloves became gauntlets, with the Keystone shining in his left gauntlet. Shoulder pads materialized in the light, and the Mega symbol flashed on his chest. As the light exploded off of him, everyone stared in awe at the Aura Guardian that stood before them. And, struggling to awaken from her bindings, Rina managed to glimpse him in his new form.

"Sora." She whispered, too soft for anyone else to hear. Then, she passed out again.

But Ragnar met the challenge, and barked, "Flash Cannon!"

However Sora, in a distorted voice like a multiverse of Pokémon speaking with him, called back, "Solarbeam!" The power of the aura instantly charged its attack, and Sceptile blasted back the Flash Cannon with more force than was thought conceivable.

Then, Ragnar yelled, "Iron Tail!"

"Leaf Blade!" Aggron tried to slam down its tail on Sceptile, but it dodged and swiped at the steel behemoth. Aggron continued to use Iron Tail to try and pound its foe, but Sceptile was much faster now thanks to the aura. It disappeared each time, and then slashed at Aggron with its Leaf Blade. The pattern continued for a little while following, and Aggron began to grow weary.

Suddenly, a dark energy surrounded both Ragnar and Aggron. Their eyes turned red with hate and malice, dark marks ebbing on their bodies. Sora and Sceptile faced them, not even expressing fear.

"Aggron, Shadow Blast!" Then, the dark energy began to accumulate above Aggron, growing into an orb of pure darkness. But then, the aura around Sora and Sceptile began accumulating into Sceptile's tail. Everyone gasped as they witnessed the powers rising between the trainer and Pokémon.

With a steeled-gaze, Sora roared, "Sceptile, use Aura Rocket!" Aiming its tail, Sceptile's seeds exploded as it launched its tail right when Aggron shot its attack. The two powers clashed, neither giving an inch. It looked to be that they were even, and that the attacks would fail. Instead, at that moment, Sora drew his sword and lunged forward. The movement caused the rocket tail to begin drilling through the orb. Sparks of energy scattered all over the place, nearly hitting the innocent bystanders. Sora lunged again and again, and Sceptile's tail continued to advance with each lunge.

With one final lunge, Sora cried out, "RINAAA!" And with that last cry, the rocket blasted through, and blazed straight into Aggron in a mammoth explosion.

The blast was too much for the Tyrannian trio, as they were sent flying, announcing, "Looks like Tyrannia's setting sail again!" When the explosion ended, all was still. Aggron still stood, shadows rising off its body. Ragnar and Sora were panting from the battle and what it was doing to them. And then, Ragnar grimaced, and his Keystone turned black and shattered. With it, Aggron reverted to normal and collapsed to the ground in defeat.

What followed was a mighty cry from Sora's friends. They cheered at his victory, having defeated Ragnar once more. Pikachu and Larvitar danced around in celebration at their master's victory. But in the midst of rejoicing, Drake noticed that neither Sora nor Sceptile were changing back. Both were still in their new forms, their eyes locked on Ragnar as he started to rise.

Calling back his Aggron, Ragnar muttered, "I lost. I lost again." Unexpectedly, he drew some sort of blade from his staff, and shouted, "Those three idiots! They said I would Mega Evolve, but it was a lie. They forged the Keystone to trick me!" Then he turned, causing Drake and Kenneth to stand ready to fight. "And her! No doubt she was involved in this fallacy. Well no more! I shall shatter this illusion MYSELF!" He charged for Rina, sword held high. Drake and Kenneth tried to stop him, but he plowed past them and knocked them both into their Pokémon. Drawing nearer, Ragnar raised his blade, and struck.

From out of nowhere, a loud 'clank' resounded in the woods. Then, a sword shanked into the earth, knocked away by another. Sora held Ragnar at sword-point, standing before the mermaid he considered as a friend. Everyone was astonished and shocked by what had just happened. Even Ragnar stood aghast at this terrifying demonstration.

Then, Sora spoke, "Go home, Ragnar. Leave at once." Slowly backing away, Ragnar collected his staff and blade, and disappeared into the shadows. In that instance, Sceptile returned to normal and disappeared back into Sora's sword. The guardian's vision began to grow blurry, and he became very light-headed. As his friends rushed to his aid, Sora fell back towards Rina, and passed out muttering, "Rina."

Sora? Can you hear me? A distant voice came in, Open your eyes! Sora! Sora's eyes took a little while, but they eventually opened up to find someone tending to him. But his eyesight was still blurry for some reason, so he couldn't see who it was.

Looking at the figure, he asked, "Rina?"

The person quickly took notice to his waking up, and cried softly, "You're alright! Stars above, you're alright!" but the voice wasn't Rina's. As Sora's vision cleared up, he found it was Princess Yolanda caring for him.

"Princess? Where-" Sora wondered.

But as he tried to get up, Yolanda ushered, "Stay down Sora. Rest. You were in very bad shape when Captain Drake brought you back. He said you battled Ragnar."

Holding his temple, Sora recalled, "Yeah. He challenged me, while I was out training."

"I heard you defeated him. Well done Sora." He… won? Sora never recalled winning. He remembered he and Ragnar each had one win, and had sent out Sceptile and Aggron to battle. After that, it was a big blank. But, he didn't doubt being victorious. Still, how did he win?

Setting a cool cloth on his forehead, Yolanda set herself beside Sora and informed, "Keeper Joy is tending to your Pokémon, as well as Pikachu and Larvitar. They both looked positively horrified. What happened?"

"I… don't remember." He told her, "I can't remember what happened at the end of that battle."

"Strange. Still, I doubt it truly matters anymore. I'm just glad you're back, my love." But as she tried to snuggle up to him, Sora got up and looked out into the moonlight through the window. This whole ordeal disturbed Sora more than anything. He wouldn't settle down unless he came to grips with what had happened.

Taking his cape and gloves from the bed stand, as well as slipping on his boots, Sora said to Yolanda, "I'm going outside to the coast. I need to clear my head."

"Absolutely not!" she refuted, trying to pull him back in, "You need to recover. You're in no shape to leave."

"Princess, unless I come to terms with everything, I can't recover." Gripping the princess by the shoulders, he explained, "I… don't feel right. What had happened is making me feel like a foreigner in my own body. I must set it right." Without warning, Yolanda lunged into him and kissed him fully on the lips. The action startled the guardian, but he hugged her in return when he felt tears streaming down her face.

Parting a little, Yolanda comforted, "Don't be afraid. You are you, and nobody else. And you are my betrothed, my love. Come, rest." Yolanda then tried taking Sora by the hand and bringing him back to the bed.

However, Sora slipped his hand out of hers and replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't." And he left, leaving the princess disheartened and alone.

Rina lay in one of the hammocks in the mermaids' secret room, her left arm and shoulder bandaged up to heal her cuts. She was looking out the porthole to the moonlit village, mulling over some thoughts. When she had been attacked, all Rina could remember was darkness. A darkness that surrounded and engulfed her. Then, she remembered stabs from the very same shadows, tearing her apart. And finally, she remembered seeing a light chasing away the dark, and someone was in that light. It was Sora.

After all that, Rina remembered waking up to her sisters tending to her injuries, and telling her how Sora saved her from the human Ragnar. They were asleep now, but Rina couldn't. She was concerned for Sora. She felt some kind of anguish in him, and still felt it now. He was in pain, excruciating pain. She could feel it.

Then, Rina saw a light near the shore, like that from a fire. And she gained the feeling that it was Sora. Checking to make sure her sisters were sleeping soundly, Rina pulled herself out of the hammock and into the water. Despite her shoulder flaring pain, Rina raced to the high-walled shore, and surfaced to see what was wrong. As she climbed up, she saw some of Sora's Pokémon resting around Sora, including Charizard, Donphan, Swellow, Larvitar, Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. They were all resting around Charizard's tail flame, listening to Sora play the leaf whistle. As Rina struggled to keep her head up, Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle all noticed her appearing. Pikachu instructed something to Bulbasaur, who then used Vine Whip to carry Rina next to Sora. When they did, Sora stopped to find them resting her next to him. Rina chuckled nervously, like she was in trouble for intruding. But Sora merely smiled, and used his cape to cover Rina like a blanket. Then, he resumed playing the leaf whistle.

As he did, all the Pokémon began nodding off and turning in for the night. Even Rina fell victim to the soothing melody, and rested her head on Sora's shoulder. When the guardian finished, he noticed her sleeping against him. Also, unlike most of the small Pokémon snoozing soundly against him, Pikachu was resting in Rina's lap. For the first time since Sora woke up after his battle, he felt at peace.

He then laced his fingers with Rina's, being careful not to disturb Pikachu as he adjusted her position, and whispered, "Thank you, Rina." And he gave her a kiss on the cheek before resting against her. Having spied on his master, Charizard moved his wing to shield everyone in a little alcove, and smiled at the pair. As Pikachu snuck a peek at Sora and Rina, he made a silent wish for things to change and for Sora ad Rina to be together for real.

Rina: Hey Sora, have you ever heard of the Mermaid Pendant?

Sora: No, I haven't. What's that?

Rina: It's a magical charm that turns any human into a merperson, if only temporarily.

Sora: That sounds cool! Maybe we could use that ti have Yolanda meet you.

Rina: Yes. If there weren't a curse.

Sora: Curse?

Next time,

Maiden Metamorphosis