Of a Dragon's Bond
Chapter II: Fall's Summer Evening Sky
"Welcome back, Knight General!" the soldiers of Cameran shouted, formally bowing to greet Ash. "Thank you for your hard work!"
"At ease, men." Ash commanded. "Very fine work you did out here. Now, if you could find the leader of our unwelcomed… Visitors and bring him to me, that would be splendid. I have some questions that need answers." The young man said as he released his Lucario, instructing the Aura Pokémon to scout the area some more.
Standing not far from the soldiers were the three guests for Cameran's Royal Ball, one unable to follow the situation. "Who's the what now?" Iris whispered to Cynthia and Clair. "Knight General?"
Clair pulled Iris closer, careful not to alert the soldiers. "It's basically the highest ranking officer in Cameran's Order. Usually the Knight General is greatly respected by his subordinates, so take care not to say anything bad about him. You might get in trouble otherwise. And I've heard from my grandfather that the current Knight General has definitely earned his place in the Order." The blue-haired trainer explained, earning a silent nod from Unova's Champion.
"So that's the new Aura Knight General of Cameran…" Cynthia said as he looked at Ash. "He looks so… Young. And fashionable. I don't think I'd live to see the leader of such a proud, old-fashioned group with… Well, white hair highlights."
"I thank you for the compliment and for whispering that last comment for my benefits, Miss Shirona," Ash sarcastically commented, smiling at the blonde Champion. "But I assure you, that these white streaks are present without the aid of hair highlighting. It simply came with my powers." The young man attempted to clarify, receiving a rather confused expression from Cynthia. "Let's just say that for me, with greater powers, come… Well, more white hair, unfortunately. And quite possibly a lighter shade of indigo for my eyes."
"Seems something interesting is going on here." a man said as he came to the scene, accompanied by another person. "Is that… Is that who I think it is?" he said, looking at Cynthia. "It is!" he shouted as he made a wild dash to the Sinnoh Champion. "Miss Cynthia, it's truly an honor to have been able to meet you this fine night! Oh, how that beautiful golden hair complements your golden radiance-" Ash quickly grabbed the man's collar and threw him across the field, safely caught by Zen.
"Terribly sorry about that, Miss Shirona." Ash said.
"Oh, no, it's fine, Knight General. I've met him quite a few times in the past when he was still travelling." Cynthia replied, smiling. "How are you doing, Brock? And you are… Professor Gary Oak, yes? You're the grandson of Professor Samuel Oak."
Gary stepped forward and shook hands with the blonde trainer. "Yes, a pleasure to meet you. And as you've probably noticed, Brock is very happy as well."
"Are you here for the Royal Ball as well?" Cynthia asked.
Brock, having recovered, immediately went back and pushed Gary aside. "We are. We're here to represent the Elite Four of Kanto. I'm the current leader of the Kanto Elite Four."
"Yes, yes, save your boasting for later," Ash said as he pulled Brock away from Cynthia. "It seems one of my men is here with the person I requested."
"Knight General, I believe this is the leader of the group." A soldier said, bringing a person in front of Ash. The man fell on his knees, his hands tied behind his back.
The supposed leader of the PTA remnant group crossed his legs and looked up at Ash. "Whaddya want? Just send us to jail already, like ya' did the rest of us. We know when we're defeated."
"Oh, I will. As soon as the International Police arrive on the scene, that is. And that should take another… Ten minutes. Slow bunch, they are." Ash casually stated after taking a glance at his watch. "Now then, for my questions. Why did you attack these people?"
"It was supposed to be a pre-emptive attack. Eliminate potential threat kinda' thing." The man said, followed with a chuckle. "It's more of a last ditch effort at reviving the PTA, actually. With our leader jailed, nothing much we can really do, is there?"
Ash took a quick glance at the man and the rest of the PTA members. "What made you think you could have succeeded?"
"The fact that you weren't supposed to be with them," the man scoffed. "A major pain in our necks, that's what you are, ya' bastard. But we hoped that we could've gotten lucky like with that kid four years ago."
Zen went up beside the man and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "I'd watch your tongue if I were you. We don't take insults to our Knight General too kindly around here."
Ash coughed, signalling Zen to step back. "You say you were successful in a mission similar to this four years ago. And your target was a… Kid?"
"The PTA was a small, but well organized group at the time. The PTA looked at the factors that lead to the downfall of similar criminal groups of the past, namely Team Magma, Aqua, Galactic, and Plasma." The man explained, locked in a stare with Ash. "We found that these groups were greatly held back by this annoying kid and his friends. So we decided to take him out, and we did. Now, the PTA is in a similar condition. So again, we decided to take out that blonde missy over there, who greatly helped in taking out Team Galactic, and that missy with the crazy purple hair, who took down Team Plasma."
"I didn't take out Team Galactic. I only helped Ash and his friends do it, who at the time was involved in the situation." Cynthia said.
Iris nodded as she looked at Cynthia. "Same for me. If Ash weren't there, I don't think I we would have been able to crush Team Plasma like we did."
"But you still contributed greatly to the cause," the man spat. "So we tried to attack you. We were able to kill that 'Ash Ketchum' kid, so why not try again?" the leader of the remnant group bluntly stated, receiving surprised looks from the people surrounding them. Riley and Zen exchanged quick glances, shifting uncomfortably. Brock and Gary looked at Ash, who signalled to leave it be for the moment being.
"You say you've killed this… 'Ketchum' person? How, exactly?" Ash continued his questioning.
"It didn't really go to plan, but it worked out nicely." The man started, "We were trying to poach this one unique Riolu just a few days before the actual day to eliminate the kid, but the little bastard was too quick on his feet, though we were able to hurt it enough. And to our surprise, that kid came along and helped the small thing! Outside of Cherrygrove City! What are the chances, we thought to ourselves. He was supposed to be waiting for us to attack him in Pallet Town! But that didn't matter, so we waited. They were going somewhere, we followed. That little fool went to the Tree of Beginning! It was practically suicide. The moment they stepped in that place, a Regirock came flying outta' nowhere. They were done. To be safe, we waited outside to see if they came out, but there was nothing in three months. They couldn't have survived that thing. And I'm pretty sure I saw a Regice and Registeel wreaking havoc in that damned tree, too."
"Have you ever seen brother angry? I've never seen that expressionless face of his before." Zen whispered as he nudged Riley, the latter shaking his head. "Me neither. I'm going to video this for the records." He said as he took out his X-Trans.
Ash eyed the leader of the remnant group for a short while, arms crossed. "I supposed I should be angry, shouldn't I?" he said simply, "But I'll thank you instead. It's because of you and the PTA that I got to be the Aura Knight General of Cameran."
"What? That's bollocks!" Zen protested as he waved his recording device. "I think we all don't mind if you pop a jab or two at this person, brother. I don't think even our reserved brother minds!"
"That is true." Riley murmured as he nodded to himself.
"I think any personal feelings should but put aside for the moment being, no? We are professionals, after all." The Knight General said, squatting down match the captured man's level.
The man scoffed. "What personal feelings, ya' monster? I don't think you have feelings at all."
"Don't you get it yet?" Ash tapped the man's shoulder and locked gazes once more. "I am Ash Ketchum."
"What?! Impossible! That kid has been dead for a long time!" the man shouted, bewildered.
Ash stood up and fixed his coat, looking at the helicopter that had come on the scene. "Looks like the International Police is here. Men, take them away." He ordered as he turned back, seeing something amiss. "Where are our guests?"
"They left a while ago," Brock shrugged, looking at Gary. "Right around when that man said they tried to trap you in the Tree of Beginning."
"What?! Are you serious? So I let him go peacefully for nothing?" Ash whined. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I would've stuffed a thing or two down his kisser! I even refrained from making the 'be careful you don't drop the soap in prison, mate, I heard the Iron Masked Marauder swings the other way' joke!"
"So you acted cool just because you thought the girls were there?" Zen asked. "You could've looked around, couldn't you? Were you so immersed in looking like a benevolent fool that you didn't notice them leaving? I would've loved to see you teach that poor bastard a thing or two about trapping you in the Tree of Beginning!"
"Wait." Ash said, holding a finger up. "Please tell me the girls went to the Palace because they were bored."
Zen looked at Riley uncomfortably and winced. "Well, if the Palace is to the west of here, then…"
Ash clapped his hands once and waved them in frustration. "Oh, perfect! They went to the bloody Tree, didn't they! Don't they know that's bloody suicide?"
"Yeah, I don't think they know. Miss Iris just went up to one of our men and asked where the Tree of Beginning was, and Miss Blackthorn claimed she knew the location. And Miss Shirona seemed happy to offer her help. She said something about 'saving what was potentially a great asset to the Pokémon League'." Riley explained, pulling Zen back. "What are our orders, Knight General?"
"Return to the Palace with all your men, and bring these two with you." Ash ordered, pointing at Brock and Gary. "I know you want to help, Brock, but I've been to the Tree numerous times now, it's where I keep all my Pokémon. I know the structure very well." He said to his friend. Ash then looked to the sky and called upon his Charizard, who immediately swooped down upon being called. The Knight General got on his Pokémon and quickly made his way to the Tree of Beginning.
Covering a great distance very swiftly, Ash reached the Tree in less than twenty minutes. Coming closer to the giant structure, he caught the sight of a three-headed dragon with a girl on top of it, her crazy hair very noticeable. "Miss Iris!" Ash shouted as he got in speaking range with the Unovan champion. "You are alone? What of the others?"
"Knight General Ashton! You've got to help Cynthia and Clair!" the dragon trainer yelled back desperately.
"Calm down, Miss Iris. Do you know where they are at the moment?" Ash asked as he glanced over the Tree, looking for obvious signs.
Iris shook her head. "N-no, we were together when we entered the thing, b-but... We were attacked by a Registeel and had to separate… And then as I was trying to go back to them, I was attacked by strange… Creatures. I- I don't know how to explain it."
"I guess the Tree's antibody system has been activated… This isn't good, we need to act quickly." The Knight General commented. "Miss Iris, I trust your Hydreigon's aim is accurate?"
"H-huh? Yeah, I guess…"
"Great. Follow me, and don't lag too far behind. If you happen to see one of those strange creatures, just attack them with your Hydreigon!" Ash shouted, his Charizard accelerating.
Ash lead Iris to a large clearing section of the Tree and hopped off his Charizard. "Protect me, Miss Iris, as I try to search for them. You too, Pikachu, Charizard." Ash said as his Pikachu jumped off, ready for battle. Without any questions, Iris nodded and did as she was told. Ash spent a few minutes on his 'Reconnaissance' before finally releasing the technique. "Wonderful. They're both still alive, Miss Iris. Unfortunately, they are currently separated. We have to be quick if we want to save both of them. Come!" Ash explained as he allowed Pikachu back on his shoulder. Once again he got on his Charizard and made his way through the natural maze, with Iris close behind him.
Exiting the tunnels and emerging on the forest area, Ash found Clair fending off against Regice and a group of the Tree's 'white cells'. Deeming it too difficult to maneuver between the trees, Ash jumped off Charizard, leaving the fire-type and Iris to cover them from above. Ash made a wild dash to Clair, Pikachu halting the many of the Tree's antibody system while on his shoulder. "Return your Dragonite, Miss Blackthorn!" Ash shouted. After confirming the source of the voice, Clair hastily returned her pseudo-legendary to its PokeBall. Leaving the blue-haired dragon trainer with no chance to speak, Ash lifted her and carried her over his shoulder.
"S-ser Ashton! What are you doing?" Clair protested.
"I hope you don't mind a little base jumping, Miss Blackthorn!" Ash shouted.
Clair turned her head to see that they were running to the edge of the formation. "W-wait, Ser Ashton!"
Ignoring Clair's plea, Ash jumped off the cliff, causing the woman to shriek loudly over the short fall, the two safely landing on Ash's Charizard. "I hope you can carry one more person, Charizard. We've got one more coming." The young man said, answered by a confident blast of flamethrower from his Pokémon. Ash helped Clair to adjust her spot behind him on Charizard before ordering the Pokémon to head to where Cynthia was at.
"You could have told me we were going to jump, Ser Ashton!" Clair yelled over the loud winds.
Ash turned back and smiled, "Well, there really wasn't much time, was there? Besides, you seemed like you enjoyed it!" the young man playfully claimed.
"No, I didn't! That was very scary!" Clair retorted.
"Oh, lighten up, Miss Blackthorn! I'd say that was quite the experience!" Ash said as he laughed. "Ah, I see Miss Shirona."
They arrived at the enormous crystal bridges section of the Tree, finding Cynthia on one of the bridges, fending off the Tree's antibodies from two sides.
"I will attempt to do the same like in Miss Blackthorn's situation, Miss Iris! Please fend the antibodies off me as I take Miss Shirona off the bridge!" Ash shouted, jumping off Charizard once more. Approaching Cynthia, Ash asked the Sinnoh Champion to return her Garchomp, the latter reluctantly obliging. He then quickly lifted the blonde over his shoulder and jumped off the bridge, much to Cynthia's surprise. After another short fall, he landed on Charizard with Cynthia on his lap.
"Ashton, those creatures can fly! And they're chasing us!" Iris yelled upon seeing the incoming pursuers.
"Blast it, has it gone to that stage already? Miss Iris, we're going to try to outrun them!" Ash ordered his Charizard to fly away, Iris following close behind. Occasionally taking a glance back, Ash found that with three people on it, his Pokémon was unable to fly as fast. "They're catching up…" Ash muttered before noticing a pink, cat-like Pokémon flying beside him, giggling. "Mew, thank the heavens! Can you teleport us to your sanctuary?" he asked, the legendary Pokémon shaking its head. "What do you mean, no? Please! I'll play with you as much as you want, so please!" the young man begged, finally gaining Mew's approval. The legendary Pokémon teleported them to safety.
"Where… Where are we?" Clair asked, trying to regain her composure. "I can't believe I just saw a Mew… Most people spend a lifetime just to look for it."
"Neither can I," Cynthia agreed, being in a similar state. "I can never get used to being teleported... It puts me in such a disheveled state."
Iris groaned and rubbed her eyes. "I can agree with that. I feel dizzy…"
"You know what I could never get used to?" A voice said from below them, rather muffled. "Being sat on by three lovely ladies. Then again, it is my first time."
The three immediately looked down to see that they were indeed resting on the Knight General. They got up quickly and apologized, letting the young man stand up and fix his coat.
"Thank you kindly. And the answer to your earlier question, Miss Blackthorn, would be Mew's Sanctuary. This is the location where Mew places her stolen toys from the Palace and other sites. On another note, ladies, may I just say that it was very reckless of you to blindly charge in to the Tree without knowing anything."
"Thank you for your help, Ashton. It was my fault, I was too caught up in the moment," Iris apologized. "When they said they've kept Ash Ketchum in here, I had to see it for myself. He was a dear friend of mine."
"I'd also like to extend my gratitude, Knight General," Cynthia said, turning to Ash. "If this place could grant us any lead on his whereabouts, the Pokémon League will surely be happy to assist in the search."
Ash sighed and patted Mew's head, who had been playfully floating around him. "You speak as if you're sure this person isn't dead yet, Miss Shirona. Getting out of here alive is certainly no easy task."
"Yes, but I'm sure he pulled through. That's just the kind of person Ash is, that stubborn kid." Iris added, looking around the sanctuary, curiosity piqued by certain objects.
"And how are you so familiar with this place, Knight General?" Cynthia asked.
"All my Pokémon reside here, Miss Shirona. I've visited this place quite often in the recent past to rotate my team." Ash answered simply. "And to visit Mew, of course. I've gotten quite fond of the little troublemaker."
"I found something!" Iris excitedly claimed, kneeling down at a tree's base. "These are Ash's clothes!" she said as she picked up a set of clothes Ash had placed back in the Sanctuary for sentimental reasons. "That's strange… The sleeves are cut off." The Unovan Champion commented as she inspected Ash's jacket.
Ash smacked himself mentally, reminded of his stupidity. The pointless sleeveless jacket.
"This is still pretty clean, definitely not left alone for more than three years." Cynthia commented as she looked at the jacket. "This means he was here recently. Are you sure you've never seen Ash, Ser Ashton? You might have passed by him a few…" The blonde trainer trailed off, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
"This Charizard…" Clair said, petting the fire Pokémon. "I've seen him many times in the past. Liza often brought him to the Dragons' Holy Land to train. You said this is your Charizard, Ser Ashton?" the dragon trainer asked, looking at Ash. "You're Ash Ketchum, aren't you?"
Ash chuckled as he walked closer to Iris, who was seemingly astonished by Clair's claim. "That's a bold statement, Miss Blackthorn. Very far-fetched, from a logical point of view." He calmly stated as he picked up his cap he wore whilst travelling in Unova.
Clair took another glance at the Charizard. "I'm not a dragon trainer for nothing, you know. I am completely sure that this is Ash Ketchum's Charizard, the very one he used to beat my gym. And I also saw a shiny Noctowl and a Snorlax somewhere in this place, the very same he used in our battle. Either that's a scary coincidence, or Ash Ketchum is well and alive."
"Are you… Are you really Ash?" Iris asked.
"So I am." The young man answered as he put on his cap. "I believe I'm better known to be wearing these things the last time I was seen." Ash said, before being tackled by a hug from Iris. "Oh, what's this? Somebody has been missing her dear friend, has she?" Ash commented with a laugh, ruffling Iris' hair. Pikachu hopped to Iris shoulder, greeting the purple-haired trainer in its own way.
"Oh, shut up! You know I don't have a lot of friends!" Iris protested, breaking the hug. "Jeez, what a kid." She said with a smile, her eyes tearing up. "It's nice to see you again, Pikachu!"
Ash turned to Cynthia, who was seemingly still lost in her own thoughts, staring at Ash. "I've already alerted my presence to the Pokémon League when I reinstated my Pokedex, Miss Shirona. You needn't trouble yourself with such things."
"…Oh, no, yes, of course. Thank you." The Sinnoh Champion stuttered. "I'm sorry, but you've changed so much after the last time I saw you. It caught me by surprise that you're that Ash Ketchum."
"Let's continue this conversation in the Palace, shall we? It's much more comfortable for such talks." Ash said, allowing the girls to leave first for the Palace, where he would tell them his story.
"So they know about you now?" Brock asked, trying to keep himself warm. The weather had been getting colder in Cameran, well into the last weeks of fall. The fact that he was sitting outside at the Palace's training site surely did not help.
"Yes," Ash simply said, continuing his morning exercise. "I wasn't exactly trying to keep it a secret. Though I hadn't told them that I was the Kanto Champion."
Gary, who had been lightly hopping for the past few minutes to keep himself warm, scoffed. "Of course you didn't. Well, Brock, it seems we'll have the next few days filled with questions about the new Kanto Champion, won't we?"
"I don't exactly mind, it's not too much trouble." the leader of Kanto's Elite Four shrugged. "By the way, Ash, aren't you cold?" Brock asked, looking at Ash, who was only wearing a thin t-shirt.
"I was, but not anymore. It gets better once you actually move your body." Ash said, putting an end to his morning exercises. "I am sleepy, though. Only managed to get a few hours of sleep with all those blasted questions last night."
Gary looked at his watch and stretched his back. "Well, it's only six in the morning. Maybe you should've gotten some more sleep."
"And miss my morning exercise? Blasphemy." The Knight General claimed with a stoic expression. "Speaking of which, why are you already up and about?"
"Couldn't sleep anymore," Brock promptly answered. "We slept at around ten o'clock last night, right when we got back to the Palace. We're planning to do some more training soon, though."
"Should we get back inside, then? I'm sure it's much warmer inside." Ash said as he wrapped a towel around his neck. "I need to take my morning shower."
"Sure thing," Gary followed Ash who was already walking toward the Palace. "Say, were they surprised when they found out about you?"
Ash pondered on the question for a brief moment, recalling the events that happened the night before. "I suppose Iris was quite shocked when she found out, as well as Cynthia. I can't say the same for Clair, though. Then again, I didn't know her as well as the other two. The only reason she remembered me was because of Liza constantly complaining about how Charla – Liza's Charizard – misses my Charizard, she told me last night."
"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Brock commented.
Ash shook his head. "Not quite, I paraphrased. She's a very nice person, actually. Ah, we're here. I'll meet with you two at breakfast after I finish my shower."
Parting ways temporarily with his friends, Ash proceeded to take his morning shower after his daily morning exercise. After finishing, he spent a quite lively breakfast chatting with Brock and Gary, later joined by his two fellow Knights. Once breakfast was finished, the two Kanto Elite Four decided to start their training, with Riley and Zen joining them to watch. Ash went on ahead and started to make his way to Rota to patrol the city, intending to get some fresh air before having to do the mountain of paperwork he had waiting on his desk. Ash picked up Pikachu from his room, also grabbing his coat.
On his way out of the castle, he ran into Mr. Blackthorn, who made a comment about having slipped the black folder from the day before in Ash's office, away from Clair's reaches. After exchanging short pleasantries, Ash exited the Palace and headed to Rota.
Similar to his other patrols, nothing notable occurred to the young Knight General. After quickly completing his rounds around the city, Ash arrived at the bustling marketplace.
"Oh, if it isn't the Knight General!" one of the shopkeepers said. "Escaping from paperwork again, Ser?"
"You could say that," Ash chuckled as he stopped to look at the man's merchandise. "Healthy harvest this time around?"
The shopkeeper grabbed an apple and tossed it to Ash. "The green houses are a wonder! This year's supply is especially good, Ser Ash! That apple is on the house, thank you for your good work!"
"Ah, many thanks!" Ash said, splitting the apple in two, giving one half to Pikachu. Noticing a familiar person browsing the berries section dressed in her tracksuit, Ash went over to her. "You could have sent someone to do your shopping for you, Miss Blackthorn."
"Ser Ash! What are you doing here?" Clair asked, surprised to see Ash.
"It felt a little cramped in the Palace, so I decided to patrol the city after my morning exercise." Ash said, smiling. "I take it you were also doing some physical exercise?" the young man asked, looking at her tracksuit.
Clair nodded, going back to picking out berries. "Yup, I finished jogging just now. Gym Leaders have to keep their stamina in check. Ah, this one should be fine."
"Figy berries?" Ash asked. "If I recall correctly, I often see Mr. Blackthorn eating those."
"That's right, grandfather loves the spiciness. The only thing that can jog his taste buds, he said." Clair said as she brought the bag of Figy berries to the cashier. "I wonder why he told me to buy it from here, though. Usually he gets it from the castle's kitchen."
To carefully grab your marriage candidate folder and place it in my office, I presume. Ash thought to himself, amused at the old man's antics.
"Oh? I didn't know you had a lady friend, Knight General!" the shopkeeper asked, looking at Clair. "Why, if it isn't Miss Clair! It's been a while since you last came here. Getting along well with the Ser Ash, are we? Tell you what, then, these berries are on the house too! It's the least I could do for the Knight General!" the man excitedly said as he gave Clair the bag of berries.
"Oh? B-but we're not…" Clair attempted to explain, before interrupted by Ash.
"Many thanks, mister! I'll be sure to recommend the shop to friends of mine!" Ash said as he dragged Clair out of the shop. "And there are quite a lot of berries, too. Lucky!"
Clair sighed, disappointed. "Somehow, I expected the Knight General of Cameran to be less childish… This doesn't feel right."
"That came from a woman who is still having difficulties sleeping without her plushies…" Ash remarked, nodding to himself. "Credible."
"H-how did you… It was in the stupid files, wasn't it?" Clair asked, receiving another set of nods from Ash. "Well, whatever. Sadly for you, you won't be able to see any more of those."
The young man nodded, his Pikachu playfully imitating. "Untrue. Mr. Blackthorn had slipped the folder in my office earlier today. And one does not simply walk into my office without my permission."
"I can't believe him!" the blue-haired trainer yelled, frustrated. "And why are you so fixated on my files? You're not seriously thinking of marrying me, are you?"
"Well, not at the moment, no." Ash answered simply. "But it proves to be quite the entertainment, Miss Blackthorn. Amidst the tedious paperwork that I must do every other day, it will be the sole source of refreshing energy!" Ash joked. "However, all clowning aside, Sanzou-jii would be quite happy just to have another… Choice to my current list of 'candidates'. Is there no way of having your consent on having your files?"
"No!" Clair said before seemingly mulling over her decision. "Well… Maybe there is something…"
"Just ask and I will do my best to help." Ash stated confidently.
The dragon trainer sat on a nearby bench and motioned Ash to do the same, which he complied to. "Have you heard of the Stone Sentinel Shrine?"
"I believe I have, yes. It's located northeast of the Palace, a handful of kilometres away." Ash said, trying to jog his memory. "Due to an strange energy present in the shrine, records in the Palace show that it's supposedly warm all year long. But no one has ever been able to open the door to the shrine. But I assume you know this already."
Clair nodded. "You see, I've always been interested in catching a Swablu. But I've been too busy this year, and was unable to go to Hoenn, sadly. But at this time of the year, with winter close, many packs of Swablu migrate to a warmer parts of the regions, usually to the warmer parts of Fiore and Almia. And since the shrine is supposedly warm all year round, I've heard that many Swablu rests there during the colder seasons."
"And you want me to take you there?" Ash asked.
"Yes, if that's possible."
"After that… You'll agree to let me have your files?"
Clair dejectedly sighed. "I guess, yes... But you're not to show them to anyone else! It's already embarrassing enough as it is."
"Excellent! And trust me, your files are safe with me. And Sanzou-jii, should he decide to take a peek in your little folder." Ash joked, receiving a glare from Clair. "I'm joking, your files are safe with me. So when do you want to go to the shrine?"
"Is today okay with you?" the dragon trainer asked.
Ash thought about the mountain of paperwork on his desk and winced. "I suppose that's possible… Though we might have to go a little late in the afternoon. I have many reports that require my immediate attention."
"That's fine with me, Ser Ash." Clair said, getting up. "I'll drop by in your office later, then."
"Please, just call me Ash." Ash smiled. "As I've told you before, I'm not too fond of honorifics."
Clair chuckled, shaking hands with Ash. "Only if you call me Clair."
"Very well, then… Miss Clair. I'll see you later."
The two trainers flew to the shrine, the trip taking less than an hour. Ash had researched the exact coordinates after he finished his paperwork, making it quite easy for the young man to locate the desolate shrine. Getting off on foot, the two returned their Pokémon. They entered a compound filled with broken down pillars, the main path leading to a door covered with moss.
"The door feels very… Warm. I guess the stories are true." Clair commented, touching the stone door. "I can't get it to open. Let's look around to find a way to open the door."
Ash looked around, his attention caught at the gigantic sentinels located between each pillars. "Look at these detailed carvings… Each of them has a different set of armor and facial expression. Whoever built this was very meticulous." He said, allowing Pikachu to jump on one of them, playing with a Furret who happened to have slept on top of one of the sentinel's head. Another figure caught his attention, however, this one seemingly translucent. The man was dressed in heavy armor, leaning on a tree with his arms crossed. A large battle axe was also rested on the tree right beside the man. "Miss Clair, I'll be covering this area over here." Receiving confirmation from his companion, Ash went on ahead and came closer to the armor-clad man.
"You are the current General of Cameran, yes?" the apparition said, his voice thick and heavy.
Ash nodded and placed his hands behind his back. "Ser Deerhound, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Yes. You know of me?" the man said, scratching his chin.
"Of course, you're one of the members of the first generation Three Knights, after all. Is there something keeping you here, Ser?" Ash asked. "The numbers of apparition in the Palace have gone down drastically, Ser Deerhound. Have you sent them away?"
"Yes, their main mission was to find you, and it has been completed." Ser Deerhound said as he grabbed his axe. "We've remained here in this world to see if any Knight of Cameran is worthy to be left with the Queen's Crystals."
"The Queen's Crystals?"
Ser Deerhound nodded, pointing at Ash's neck. "Yes, it's a necklace of some sort, comprised of three crystal pieces from the Tree of Beginning. You're wearing one at the moment. I believe that's the Crystal of Honor, although it doesn't seem like it has accepted you as its bearer just yet."
Ash looked at his necklace, recalling the moment he picked it up in the Tree of Beginning. "Accept me?"
"You'll understand in due time, General. I hold a Crystal too, of course, the Crystal of Virtue. However, before I give it to you, please head to the innermost part of the shrine, General. Think of it as a test of a sort… Ah, and you can open the door with the Crystal you already have. There should be an indentation somewhere on the door. Do be careful, now." The man said, slowly vanishing into thin air.
Ash shook his head and sighed. "It seems this whole 'apparition' business is more serious than it looks…" he muttered to himself, returning to the door. There, he found Clair making her way back from her side of the investigation.
"There's nothing over there, Ash. Did you manage to find anything?" the dragon trainer asked.
"I did, in fact. I've found a way to open the door… I think." Ash said, coming closer to the door, looking for the indentation mentioned by Ser Deerhound. Hidden by some moss, the young man found the slot, along with an inscription above it. "What's this? 'The Smiling Sentinels guard our warmth, the bravest of warriors cower under their smiles'…" he read as he inserted his piece of Crystal into the slot, causing a mechanism inside the shrine to react, the doors slowly sliding open.
"You did it! You opened the door!" Clair said excitedly.
Ash stepped back from the door. "Yes, quite so… However, it seems to be opening in an extremely slow rate." The young man remarked, turning around after hearing his Pikachu cry something out.
"I think we can spare a minute or two waiting… Thank you, Ash. Without you I wouldn't have been able to open this door." The blue-haired trainer said as she took a peek inside the opening doors. Feeling Ash tapping her shoulder, she turned around. "What is it?"
"…Miss Clair? I do not wish to alarm you, but we have a situation over here." The young man laughed awkwardly, looking at the group of sentinels who have moved and surrounded them. Slowly walking towards the two, the sentinels grabbed their weapons, the sounds of rocks moving against each other loud and clear. The sentinels looked down at the trainers, their lips widening. "I guess the text on the doors pictured the situation quite literally… Look at them smile! How did they make the sentinels do that, I wonder?"
"I'm sure it's a great story in all, Ash, but we have to do something! It doesn't seem like they came to us to smile and drink tea!" Clair yelled, attempting to pull the doors apart to open it faster.
Ash chuckled and crossed his arms. "Oh, lighten up, Miss Clair. Look at how slow they are moving. They won't be able to do a single thing-" the young man said before interrupted by a sentinel swinging its axe down at Ash, missing by a millimetre, the hit cracking open a split on the ground. "A-alright, maybe they're able to do something…" Ash muttered with a nervous laughter.
"The door is open wide enough for us to slide in!" Clair said as she went inside the shrine, Ash closely following.
Being too large for the door, the sentinels were left outside, unable to enter. One did, however, take the chance to peek its face through the door, blocking the entrance. "Well, I suppose it's safe to say that we have to find another way out."
"Ash, there are more sentinels in here…" Clair called out, tapping Ash on the shoulder.
Turning around, Ash confirmed the presence of more stone sentinels, however, the sizes significantly smaller. Facing the human-sized sentinels, Ash quickly told Clair to follow him, running past the shrine guardians. Making their way through the man-made maze, the two reached a point where the sentinels had stopped pursuing.
Their rest was cut short, however, due to more sentinels popping out from many places, chasing them once more. Due to the fatigue, Clair was unable to keep up with Ash. Taking this opportunity, one of the sentinels dove down and successfully grabbed her leg, causing her to fall. Noticing the dragon trainer's short scream, Ash immediately turned and kicked the sentinel's head, decapitating it.
"Quickly, Miss Clair. On your feet!" Ash said as he fended off a couple more sentinels who managed to close in. "What's wrong?" he asked, seeing Clair clutching to her ankle. "You didn't…"
"I'm sorry, I think my ankle is sprained…" Clair winced. "That sentinel grabbed it very hard, and I think the fall made it twist my ankle wrongly. I don't think I can run very far…"
Ash looked at the group of sentinels not far from the and sighed. "I guess it can't be helped, then." He said as he lifted Clair over his shoulder. Ash then quickly continued to escape from the sentinels after making himself comfortable with the extra weight.
"Ash?" Clair called out, holding herself up. "I don't mean to complain, but your shoulder's pushing into my stomach and it's hurting. Can I change my position?"
"You're quite outspoken to ask that of the person who's going out of his way to help you, Miss Clair." Ash said with a chuckle. He pushed Clair forward and caught her back with his left hand, carrying the woman in a bridal carry. "This better?"
"Y-yeah…" Clair managed to say, looking away. Having their faces so close together was quite embarrassing, though not entirely unpleasant. "…Thanks."
"Save your gratitude when we get out of this mess, Miss Clair." Ash said, noticing a source of natural light and the end of the hallway. "Hold on tight, Miss Clair, I think I see the exit!" shouted the young man, concentrating all his energy on the last stretch.
Exiting the shrine, the two found themselves in a forest clearing, a path leading them to a lake. As warm as any summer's day, Ash could see many Pokémon that disliked the cold playing around the clear water.
"This… This is amazing." Clair muttered in disbelief after being set down on the grass.
"Yes, quite so." Ash agreed, kneeling down. He grabbed and looked at the dragon trainer's sprained ankle, performing a healing technique on the injured spot. "Unfortunately, I'm not an adept at healing techniques. The pain should be gone, but you should still get it checked when we reach Cameran, Miss Clair."
Clair stood up and moved her ankle. "It doesn't hurt anymore… That's amazing! What did you do, Ash?"
"A simple Aura Technique," Ash simply said, crossing his legs. "Now run along and look for a Swablu while I rest here – save your gratitude for when you've actually caught a Swablu, Miss Clair." Ash continued, stopping Clair before she could thank him. The dragon trainer nodded and went off in the forest.
"Beautiful place, isn't it?" A man said as he appeared beside Ash, sitting down. "Used to be my favorite place when I was alive, it was."
"I can't believe this place actually exists," Ash added as he released some his Pokémon to enjoy the warmth. "You said you had a test for me, Ser Deerhound?"
The former Knight nodded and turned to look at Ash. "Nothing physical from this point on, General. I've seen you fight at times, and I can tell you are superior in terms of strength. I had no doubts that you would pass the shrine with ease." Deerhound explained, expression unchanged. "You are a virtuous man, General, even the hateful Dalmatian could see that. For that, let me grant you the Crystal of Virtue." Said Deerhound, handing Ash an ethereal crystal. The moment it touched Ash's hand, it materialized into a real object and shone brightly, much to Ash's surprise.
"You're just… Handing this down to me?" Ash asked.
"You are far more qualified to have the Crystal than I, General. The bright light from the Crystal proves it." Deerhound explained as he stood up, axe at the ready. "It seems my time in this world is over, Ser Ash. It has been a pleasure talking to you."
Ash stood up and gave a respectful bow at the man. "Until next time, then."
Slowly fading away, Deerhound returned the bow. "Until next time."
Seeing the former Knight off, Ash sat back down and crossed his legs once more. Letting the warmth envelop his body, he slowly dozed off as he watched his Pokémon similarly enjoy the climate.