A/N: Hey-oh and hiya everyone! I'm sorry I've been out of the loop for a little less than a month and a half, but life happens. I haven't really been up to typing because I had all of my wisdom teeth removed ten days ago. Thank goodness I'm not a chipmunk anymore. I have been recovering well, too. I wasn't planning on updating, but I decided to update today because yesterday was the one-year anniversary of this story's release on the website. Might as well commemorate it with an update~
I have been working on this story. I've just been quiet about it.
Unfortunately, updates will remain sporadic until I have proper footing. I'm heading off to college by the end of the month and I need some time to adjust. I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm not dead. Not by a longshot.
Happy reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
"In some situations, if you say nothing, you are called dull; if you talk, you are thought impertinent and arrogant. It is hard to know what to do in this case. The question seems to be, whether your vanity or your prudence predominates." -William Hazlitt
Chapter 20: Prudence and Strength
Aru and Aurora found themselves to be in a rocky landscape. They were standing in front of an imposing ten-thousand-foot wall. It looked like the type of wall rock climbers would climb, but it was on a mountain formation. Aurora started to observe herself and then gasped in shock when she saw Aru. She didn't really see Aru, but she saw a wingless Charizard. The fire-type Pokémon had red eyes and was slightly paler than a normal Charizard. She then looked at herself. She too was a wingless Charizard. The only difference between the two was that Aurora retained her yellow eyes and her scales were not as pale. Mew teleported to be right in front of the two and marveled at their confused faces.
"(Lady Mew, what did you do to us?)" Aurora asked. She gasped at not speaking human. She realized she was speaking Pokélanguage.
Mew told them. "I decided to teach you a lesson of strength by transforming you into your Aspect of Strength. You need to learn not to rely on your powers so much. There may come a time where you can't use your power because you created your own barrier, mental or physical. I imagine something like this happened to you already."
Aurora remembered her most recent encounter with Charles. She almost died when he came and she was saved only because of her strong bond with Chari. She had frozen up in fear and she had shown him how afraid she really was. She looked down at her hands turned claws. She felt vulnerable around the candid Mew. She hated it.
"I want to help you remember the true essence of strength, not the one that was given to you. You could be the most powerful guardian in the world, but still be vulnerable to yourself. So, I decided the best way to show you is strip you of your powers and cripple you temporarily. You both cannot use your aura, any Pokémon moves and fly as I have taken your wings. You have about as much strength as a normal adult female human." Mew explained.
Aurora and Aru decided to test out what Mew said. Aurora took a deep breath and tried to blow out flames like Chari could, but she couldn't form anything. She only blew out some light hot air. She tried to create an aura sphere, but nothing came from her claws. It was just as Mew said. Aru tried the same things and she was failing as well. They both looked at Mew in complete shock.
"Although I have my positive biases, you need to understand why your family became the most powerful of the guardians. I didn't just pick some random humans and said, 'Here, have some special powers'. Being an aura guardian may be a privilege, but it is not a right." Mew told them.
"(Right. Mew, what do you wish for us to do?)" Aru asked.
"Simple. I want you to climb this cliff within one day." Mew pointed upwards. Aurora and Aru looked up and inspected the cliff. It was a pretty high cliff, but it didn't seem impossible to climb within a day. They looked at Mew questioningly.
"(Seriously? That's it?)" Aurora echoed in surprise.
"That's it."Mew nodded.
"(No laser beams?)" Aru asked.
"No."
"(No booby traps?)" Aurora continued.
"No."
"(No pitfalls on free platforms?)" Aru asked.
"No."
"(No fireballs or lightning?)" Aurora added.
"I wasn't planning on those things. Dear me, those are some awesome ideas! I must have rubbed off on you. Don't worry... your generous selections may be used in your next trial, but because you can't use your aura, I will not include any of them for this one." Mew snickered. Aurora and Aru paled and shivered. The primordial Pokémon twirled around and pointed upwards. Mew teleported to be on the top of the cliff. She waved at them from above, but she was much too high for them to see her.
Her voice echoed in their heads, "Do see how easy this is once you actually start climbing. Good luck and break a leg, as you humans would say."
Aurora and Aru hoped she wasn't being serious about that last part. They both steeled themselves for what would be a tough climb. Aurora and Aru began their trek up the mountain. Immediately when they grabbed a rock to support themselves, they both wished they had wings to use. They never imagined a Charizard's body to be so hard to move in, especially with their short arms and legs. They both were secretly hating Mew at the moment and the psychic type was fully aware of this.
It took both Auroras a couple of hours to get a proper gripping on the cliff and to get used to their temporary transformation. Without their wings, a Charizard's vertical mobility was severely reduced and both ladies were feeling the sting of it. In the hours they were trying to get used to their new bodies, they could hear Mew's constant laughing every time they failed to move up. Aurora grew infuriated with the New Species Pokémon, but was determined to overcome this challenge. Aru punched the cliff in irritation, but hurt her claws when she did it. This caused Mew to laugh even harder.
Aru roared loudly, "(This is impossible! How are we supposed to climb this stupid cliff!)"
Aurora seemed thoughtful and felt around the rocky formation. Her amber eyes searched the cliff for any sort of clue. Meanwhile, Aru continued to try climbing the cliff. Aurora felt the rocks just as much as she felt the caves of Mt. Silver when she visited Red. The rock felt eerily similar to the rocks she felt when she felt the cave walls of Johto. She wondered if Mew did that on purpose and thought Mew was cruel if she did. Aurora closed her eyes tightly when she began to think about her favorite goofball. If only to hold in tears.
When her eyes opened, they burned with a determination that seared through the obstacle. She doubled her efforts to find an easier incline. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed how stable the rocks were becoming. Aurora tried to take a step up the incline. She smirked when she didn't fall or slide.
"(Hey Aru!)" Aurora called.
Aru was so preoccupied trying to climb the same side that she didn't hear her. She got so angry that she started to punch the rocky barrier multiple times. The red eyed Charizard didn't seem to care that she was hurting her claws more than she was chipping away at the mountain. She hated not having her aura powers and admitted to herself that she was going through a bit of aura withdrawal. Aurora would have thought of this as humorous if they didn't have limited time to climb.
Aurora sighed and yelled louder. She would have gone over to Aru, but she didn't want to lose the texture of the mountain. Aru seemed more perceptive to her voice and stopped punching the wall. She walked over her balance, slightly puzzled and slightly peeved. She was puzzled as to how Aurora was so stable on the clip and peeved because she was so stable.
"(We can use this side of the cliff to climb. The incline isn't that steep here, so we can use that to our advantage. Use your head next time instead of punching the wall like a madman.)" Aurora told her.
"(Only I can make remarks like that.)" Aru smirked. Aurora playfully rolled her eyes. Aru patted her on the back. "(Nice work.)"
Aurora looked straight up and noticed a mischievous glint in Mew's eyes. She was surprised she could see so far, but Charizards did have very good vision. Mew's eyes were narrowed, but was eyeing their every moment. She was oddly serious with her blue eyes and Aurora noticed how peculiar they seemed. Mew's eyes looked darker than normal.
"(Yeah… I guess.)" Aurora had to shake off the sense of unease she had from staring into Mew's eyes. Aru noticed Aurora's voice tapered off slightly and wondered what was wrong. Aurora shook her head and began to climb, "(We're going to have to be careful. Keep pace with me and stop being so impatient.)"
"(Whatever you say, Mom.)" Aru rolled her eyes and started to climb up as well. She passed her yellow-eyed counterpart as her claws continued to traverse the wall.
Aurora stopped and looked down. She trembled slightly in place. Aru gasped immediately when she noticed and wished she could cover her mouth.
"(Aurora, I-)" Aru stammered.
"(Let's just keep climbing.)" Aurora coldly said abruptly and started to catch up to Aru. Aru looked guilty, but said nothing else. She began to focus on the ascent, but kept stealing awkward glances at Aurora. Aurora shook her head at being so flustered. She was used to Aru making retorts… so why was this one different?
As she was climbing, she realized why that little comment hurt her so much. Aurora felt an extra pressure as a Charizard just like she had an extra pressure when she climbed small mountains like this one with Ash. Ash was usually on her back as a growing toddler and it became a second home to him. He did the same with Red. Before Red went missing, he was a loving husband and an even more loving father. They moved around from city to city as a family, but made sure Ash never touched the ground when as entered. Ash usually rested on Red's shoulders when they went to a city and on clung onto Aurora's back while out in the open. It wasn't for any reason in particular… other than the fact that they loved their son too much for his stubby legs to be on the ground.
Eventually, the infant grew so complacent that he would nap on Aurora's or Red's back because of how comfortable they both were. Aurora was often seen with a smile because of Ash.
Aurora changed when Red went missing. She still had Ash on her back like a Kangaskhan would have her joey in her pouch, but it was much less often and she was often lost in thought. One reason was because Ash could walk longer distances by the time he was two. The other reason was that it was a bit of a reminder of the two things she lost when Red went missing. She never liked thinking about the second thing, let alone Red himself.
Aru knew this, too, but didn't think about what she said when she said it. She knew she was rash, but wished she wasn't in this case. They continued to climb in silence.
One they reached halfway up the mountain, they had about twelve hours left to climb. They both felt tired, but wasn't going to let their fatigue stop them. They felt like it was the middle of the night in the real world and Mew made it so that it was night time in their dream. They could hear soothing music along the faint breeze. Their eyelids grew heavy. Their breath grew slow. Aru began to nod her head and closed her eyes while climbing.
Aurora used her long neck to bump Aru's rear gently to make sure she would stay awake. Aru widened her eyes and nodded in acknowledgment. Aurora could feel herself nodding off, so she had to pinch herself to give herself a jolt of energy. She kept a stable claw on her supporting rock and had a bit of a scare when she almost lost her grip. Aru looked down to see what was wrong. Aurora shook her head and continued to climb. She slugged through what she perceived to be torture in disguise.
Aurora poked out her fangs and growled at the primordial Pokémon hovering at the apex of the mountain. She knew she was the reason for the lulling music. Mew was still watching them from above with those darkened narrowed eyes. They held no sympathy. Aurora didn't want her pity.
It wasn't like Mew to treat them nicely... not while she tested them. To be treated kindly was to be treated as if you are weak. To be treated harshly was to be treated as if you are strong. It was her way. As Mother Nature personified, her duty was tough, but true.
Aurora and Aru climbed all night long. Their eyes were drooping, but they didn't give in. By morning, they reached about three-fourths of the way there. They also had about eight hours left. At their current pace, they would make it to the top in no time. The pink protector of the Ketchums seemed to be increasingly aware of this and decided to make things more interesting.
From her paws, Mew released a large surge of water and splashed it down at her students. Aurora and Aru looked terrified. No matter where they could put their tails, they would be hit by the water in some way. With a bit of quick thinking, Aurora put her tail between her legs and tucked her head in. By the time the water hit them, Aru hadn't thought fast enough. Aru screamed in pain when her flame was mostly doused by Mew's water. She suddenly felt incredibly weak and her flame was reduced to a ghost of what it used to be. Feeling incredibly light headed, Aru let go of the rock supporting her.
Aurora's heart skipped a beat when she saw Aru let go. She gazed at Mew with more malice than the psychic type had ever seen from her. Mew looked unremorseful. With glaring at Mew, she removed her tail from between her legs and wrapped it around Aru's arm before it was out of reach. The nearly fainted Aru barely could hold onto Aurora's tail. She made an appreciative smile, but coughed out smoke. Her body shaking, Aurora continued to climb while having Aru hooked on her tail.
Aurora grunted for each rock she grabbed to move higher. The added weight from Aru made the challenge much worse. She desperately looked for a cliff for Aru to rest on. The lack of food and sleep was also taking a toll on her and she was beginning to feel light-headed herself. Fortune struck when she noticed a large cliff stable enough to support them right above her. Seeing the precipice above her strengthened her resolve. She quickly moved over to her right and climbed up. After about 20 minutes, Aurora climbed on the flat surface.
Aru's eyes widened with horror when her claws were slipping. Aurora made a roar worthy of her actual Charizard. Both Mew and Aru widened their eyes. Mew looked intrigued while Aru had an indescribable expression. Aru's claws slid from Aurora's tail. The yellowed eyed Charizard wouldn't allow anything to happen to Aru and caught her with her own claws in time. She started to pull. She heaved with all of her might. Aru had never seen this sort of determination from Aurora before... and all because of her.
Eventually, Aurora pulled Aru's body onto the cliff in a surge of strength. Aru gasped as she was yanked stomach first onto the rock formation. Aurora was relieved and sat up against the rocky wall. Once she saw Aru was safe, she made a small smile and was instantly knocked out.
While Aurora slept, Aru's eyes grew tender. In a gesture unlike herself, she kissed Aurora on the top of her forehead, pressed two of her claws closely together, and tapped them at the same place she kissed. This gesture meant deep gratitude or amity for ancient Ketchums. Aru murmured, "(I can't believe I was ever mad at you. Thank you...)"
Aru looked up at Mew and noticed she was beaming. She was tempted to give Mew an earful, but knew it wasn't worth it from where she was. She also knew that Aurora needed to rest a bit longer. For the next couple of hours, Aru sat on the cliff and rested while Aurora got some sleep. Aru kept nodding off and knew she would need something to keep her awake.
Aru could acknowledge that this is a dream and wondered if Mew would try to circumvent that. She closed her eyes and imagined a Sitrus Berry in front of her. A few seconds later, a Sitrus Berry did appear in her claws. Mew immediately teleported away from her spot and took the berry away. Aru's face contorted with a bit of annoyance, so she decided to create another one.
"(You know I can keep creating those, right?)" Aru quipped.
"Treat this as if this was real life, dear." Mew frowned. With a snap of her fingers, the berry disappeared. Aru snorted and created it again. They both got into a battle of creating and destroying Sitrus Berries. Aru grew heavily annoyed while Mew had a patient smile on her face. Eventually, Aru stopped trying to create berries.
"(This is my mind. You can't control me here. Why should I continue to listen to a God that doesn't respect me?)" Aru retorted testily.
"Aru, I won't tell you how to act around me. You can treat me like trash, but know that I'm doing this to help you and Aurora out." Mew sighed.
"(So attempting to kill me is your idea of helping? Yeah… I totally believe that.)" Aru snarled and threw a punch toward Mew. Mew widened her eyes in surprise, then narrowed them. She stopped the punch cold without lifting a finger. Aru's entire body was immobilized. Her eyes were seething in rage.
"We went over this while in you were in Shingetsu Town. What I do is in your best interest… and the fate of the world as well." Mew continued in the same tired voice.
"(You're willing to sacrifice everyone but yourself. What would have happened if I was the one to nearly kill you? What then?)" Aru hissed. Mew made no change in her expression and still had her immobilized. "(You treat every human like we're toys… like we're pawns in a chessboard you can tip over! I'm getting sick of it. My entire life… I've been used by you!)"
"I was the one who caused your birth in the first place. You should be thankful to be alive." Mew reminded her.
"(I'm thankful all right. I'm thankful to have birthed such a lovely son, but I feel bitter about why I was birthed. Mother was infertile and what did you do? You caused her to be fertile for one time so she could have a biological child. My parents may have felt blessed, but Aurora certainly doesn't feel blessed. Do you really think Aurora owes you for causing her conception? You seriously didn't expect any resentment from either of us?)" Aru began to move against Mew's will. Mew wondered how this was possible. Aurora and Aru shouldn't be able to use their aura right now. Aru's body continued to tremble. "(The Ketchums should have died with Father, but you refused to let go. Well, I'm beginning to let go of something: fear.)"
"…" Mew didn't know how to respond. She never wanted Aurora or Aru to be afraid of her.
"(Stop expecting us to be so unwaveringly loyal… because loyalty can break in an instant.)" Aru said with an anger that blazed through her eyes.
Aru gained full control over her body and punched Mew in her face. The primordial Pokémon floated there, stunned. Aru's eyes were orange for few moments before returning to red. Mew blinked several times and held on to her cheek. She looked at Aru with an indescribable expression. Aru thought she was crazy for punching a legendary, yet alone the most powerful legendary, but she didn't care. Mew noticed the conviction in her eyes and glanced at Aurora. The pink Pokémon seemed to be deep in thought. Aru got into a fighting stance and blocked Aurora from her.
Mew tilted her head, slightly intrigued. Mew didn't say another word. She flew back up to the top of the mountain with that same grin. Aru's blood was boiling. Whatever fatigue she had was gone and a giant urge to drive Mew out surged within her. She decided now would be the best time to wake up Aurora.
Aru shook Aurora gently. Almost immediately, Aurora responded to her touch and opened her eyes. She still looked somewhat tired, but she looked significantly better. Aurora moved her gaze to Aru's tail and noticed that her flame was burning intensely.
"(Care to climb, partner?)" Aru poked out one of her fangs with a grin.
Aurora had a swell of emotions stirring inside her. Without thinking, she gave Aru the largest hug she could muster. Aru's body froze. Aurora whispered in her ear, "(I know you don't like to be touched, but… I was really afraid. I'm so happy you're alright… you have no idea...)"
Aru felt moved and had to fight the wetness forming in her eyes. Aurora broke off the hug and made a small smile. Aurora kissed on top of her forehead, placed two claws together and tapped them on Aru's forehead. Aru looked stunned. Aurora smiled, "(Just returning the favor. Thank you for speaking the unspoken truth.)"
Aru had a bit of a blush on her face and grumbled to herself. She rubbed behind her head bashfully, "(Heh. Just doing what I think is right. Ready to teach that fuzz ball a lesson?)"
"(Absolutely.)" Aurora bared out her fangs with a grin.
Both sides of Aurora began to climb the cliff once more, side by side. Despite their fatigue and despite not having any food in nearly a day, they kept climbing. Mew was impressed with their determination and decided not to impede them again. She was curious if they would be able to finish the challenge on time, but knew never to count out a human… specifically a Ketchum.
One feet, one thousand feet, Two thousand feet.
Four hours left, two hours left, a half hour left.
Seeing the apex so close to their claws spurred them to climb faster. Mew conjured a clock in front of her with a timer and noticed the seconds ticking down. She grew a bit anxious, but didn't show it visibly. Aurora and Aru both groaned at their aching muscles, but ignored the pain. Mew's eyes stared intently into the clock.
Ten minutes.
Aurora and Aru tripled their efforts. They could now see the clock themselves.
Five minutes.
The climax of the cliff was near imminent.
Two minutes.
Both sides of the ebony haired female could now touch the top of the cliff. They dug deep in their inner reserves of energy. Mew was silently cheering for them, but kept a cold expression on the surface. Eventually, they made it to the top. Aurora and Aru were heaving heavily and they barely glanced at Mew's clock. Upon seeing the time, they garnered enough energy to jump up with excitement.
One minute was remaining on the clock.
Mew snapped her fingers and the clock disappeared into nothingness. She clapped her paws together. Aurora and Aru suddenly felt weird inside. They both began to glow in a harsh red light and their body shifted forms. They both grew back their hair, their scales changed to skin and they developed clothes. Aurora and Aru's bodies stopped shimmering when they returned to their human form. Their health also was restored completely.
"It's not exactly the Hollywood 'one second remaining' cliché, but you two certainly came close. Nice work… but you still failed." Mew smiled. Aurora and Aru looked disbelievingly at the New Species Pokémon.
"…What?" Aurora and Aru both growled in a dangerous tone.
"Yep. You failed." Mew chirped, eerily cheerful.
"Why did we fail? We climbed up the mountain just like you wanted!" Aru growled.
"I didn't see any strength from you. You tried to cheat by eating conjured berries." Mew reminded her.
"I chose not to eat any afterward. Besides, we made it to the top. What exactly are we missing here?" Aru snarled. Mew glanced at Aurora before shaking her head.
"Life is never fair, dear. I thought you of all people knew that." Mew sighed. Aru moved to approach the legendary, but Aurora brought her arm out and eyed Mew with an indescribable expression. Aru looked at Aurora incredulously and was about to voice a complaint, but one look from Aurora stopped her cold. Her amber eyes were seething with a silent rage.
Mew ignored this and continued with a frown, "I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to do this trial ag-"
Mew was about to snap her fingers, but Aurora snapped hers first. Mew became trapped in a yellow light and looked at the yellow eyed guardian with surprise. Aurora's face was unnervingly cold. Mew's face turned to one of challenge. Mew's eyes glowed a myriad of colors. Her body began to shake. Aurora bared out her canines and brought out her right arm further. Mew hissed in pain at suddenly being immersed in a dark aura. Aurora's other hand was clenched in a tight fist. Aru looked alarmed.
"Au-Aurora?" Aru now looked at her balance fearfully.
Aurora held no mercy in her eyes, just like when she fought Aru in their dream. Unlike then, her frigid expression was completely genuine. Aurora stared intently at the pink Pokémon. Her eyes burned with a malice neither Aru nor Mew expected.
"Release me, Aurora! Otherwise, I'll revoke your powers in the real world." Mew threatened. Aurora snorted and looked indifferent.
"A bluff. Try harder." Aurora flashed a fake smile. Mew looked insulted.
"If I can do it here, I can certainly do it in the real world. You haven't seen the extent of my power." Mew hissed. Aurora rolled her eyes.
"I may not have seen you in full swing, but I know you're lying. You aren't going to take away my aura as long as I need to train the next generation." Aurora reminded her. Mew inwardly scowled, but kept a neutral outer appearance.
"You don't know that, impudent child. I can enlist Gordon to train his grandson, you know." Mew pointed out. Another eye roll was the immediate response she got.
"You really must think I'll blindly listen to you," Aurora replied mordantly. "There has to be something you sensed in me that my father doesn't have or can't do. Ash has it as well because you've put him in the same state as me. I'm not sure what it is, but I know you want me to teach Ash what you sense."
Mew couldn't reply to Aurora's theory, but was in too much pain to care. She could feel Aurora increasing the potency of the dark type aura. She noticed Aurora's inhibitions lowering the more she used the negative energy. Her eyes were turning more and more feral. Her entire expression quaked in an unrestrained motion. It was in this time, Mew could see the pain in Aurora's eyes. She seemed slightly reluctant to hold Mew like this, but wanted Mew to feel her sting. And feeling her sting Mew was.
"Gah! Au-Aurora! Stop! Please!" Mew gasped in pain. Aurora ignored her and seemed to be in a world of her own.
"I'm not going to get walked on again. Not by you or anyone else!" Aurora roared with raw anger.
"Aurora, I think you're taking this a bit too far…" Aru tried to put Aurora's hand down, but Aurora firmly grabbed her counterbalance's wrist with her free hand and shook it away. Aru was surprised at the rough grip.
"Stay out of this, Aru." Aurora regarded her counterbalance coldly. It didn't even sound like Aurora was speaking anymore. Every word she spoke was icy. She turned to Mew and said, "If you want to subject me through trials against my will, you really do think I'm just a tool. You only care about me because I've proven how useful I am to you from time to time. I've always been your pawn that you could fall back on. That's something I won't allow any more. I don't know what sort of strength you're looking for, but I do know is that you aren't welcome here any longer."
"Ah! Aurora! Please stop!" The dark aura intensified and Mew couldn't bare the pain. Aurora's eyes grew darker.
"I'm tired of holding in how I feel."
"Aurora, please desist!"
"I'm tired of being used."
"Aurora!"
"I'm tired of you. You've made my life more complicated than it needed to be!"
"…"
"Get out my mind and undo the link you have between Ash and myself. I am not going to let you use him, too." Aurora's eyes turned completely orange in the process of saying that last sentence. Aru gasped. Mew got a small sparkle in her eyes. She made a hidden smile.
"...You… finally… passed…" When Mew said these three words, Aurora released her out of her dark aura with a gasp. Mew collapsed on the ground with dark electrical sparks entangling her body. Her entire body was quivering heavily. Mew looked like she could barely get up, but she was quietly laughing. Aurora and Aru were bemused. Mew's body continued to shudder until she started to slowly rise back in the air.
Mew was still shaking and her levitation wasn't steady. Aurora continued to regard her wearily. Aru looked at Aurora with a hint of admiration and fear. Mew's body began to glow in a bright pink. Any traces of the negative aura in her dissipated. Her hovering grew much more stable. She was no longer shaking as much as well.
"This… was totally… worth… the pain." Mew coughed out. She still had cold pangs reaching down her spine, but she knew she could recover from it easily.
"What are you on about?" Aurora asked skeptically.
"I forgot how technical she was with her aura. I can't wait to show her this…" Mew quietly mused to herself. Mew cleared her throat and regarded them with a huge grin. "Aurora… I like it when you're angry."
"You… wanted me to be mad at you?" Aurora blinked her eyes in surprise. Mew confirmed this a nod.
"Yep. I didn't care what either of you said or did to me as long as you showed me strength. You've both surpassed my expectations." Mew sang. Aurora's face lightened up significantly. Aurora's eyes returned to their usual yellow color. Aru was pleased to Aurora back to normal. Mew continued, "You see… true strength doesn't come from your fists or your aura. True strength comes from conviction. Humans have a tendency to conform to others around them, even if they think it's wrong. You've always yielded to me, even when you thought I was wrong. You didn't this time. You've both shown me you aren't so easy to conform and you will act on your own accord. That's a good thing."
"I… don't know what to say." Aurora stammered. She looked away from the pink Pokémon. "Aren't you mad at me? I willingly…"
"Sometimes, gods need a good smack on their heads to set them straight." Mew interrupted with a smile. "And… what made me pass both of you were your eyes. I noticed neither of you didn't want to actually harm me, but wanted to prove your point. I haven't felt this drained since Aaron tried to suffocate me in his aura when I mentioned how his wife got killed in the Rotan War. Needless to say, I know how to get under a Ketchum's skin."
"We noticed." Aurora and Aru agreed flatly.
Aru admitted, "Please don't mention how we were born. It reminds us of how tied we are to you and I can say for both of us that we want to at least feel some freedom."
Mew raised an eyebrow, then grinned.
"Noted, my ladies." Mew conceded with a bow. Aurora and Aru were baffled by the gesture. Mew chuckled while floating around them, "Except… you two aren't bound by me. Yeah, I have a bit of my aura in you, but that's only to help you once Ash remembers himself. I want you to feel free. You think you are pawns to me, but that's the farthest from the truth. I do hope we can have more of a symbiotic relationship as time progresses."
Aurora and Aru looked at Mew, slightly skeptical. Mew expected as much and made a sad smile.
"I'll do what it takes to help you believe me. This next trial, if you are willing, would test your mind. I don't want you to feel forced to continue to do something you don't want to. If you give me the word, I'll leave right now." Mew offered them. She stayed still and looked away from them.
Aurora and Aru look at each other and quickly conversed through their expressions. They quickly reached their decision.
"We've already finished one trial. It wouldn't be like us not to finish a challenge. Bring it on!" Aurora pumped her chest heartily. Aru grinned herself. Mew's face contained genuine excitement neither of them had seen from her in a long time.
"Consider it brung…" Mew replied. Mew snapped her fingers again and shifted the dreamscape. Once again, both sides of the Ketchum felt dizzy, but the last thing they saw was Mew's proud and relieved smile.
Both Auroras felt better when the dizziness finally subsided. They also weren't hungry. If anything, they felt empowered. When they recovered their sight returned completely, they noticed they were in front of an ancient temple. Moss covered the once marble walls. The entrance of the building was near a craggy sea. That much they could tell from the sea salt smell. Harsh waves crashed into the nearby cliff and the wind was strong.
Aurora glanced at Aru. This time, she noticed a Lucario with striking red eyes beside her. Aurora looked down at her hands. They were no longer hands, but rather, blue arms and black paws. She felt a lot shorter. She quickly realized what Mew did and felt a bit uneasy. Her ear twitched at the sound of something nearby. She felt like her senses were heightened to an all new high. Mew suddenly appeared right in front of them with a serious expression.
"Recognize this building?" Mew asked. Both Lucarios shook their heads. "This is the first temple enshrined to me and Arceus. The first aura guardians and psychics built it out of respect to Arceus and I and as a venue for testing. Guardians and psychics who came of age used this temple to test their skills, but it was often very risky. More people died than passed, so eventually this temple was abandoned to the sands of time. When you came of age, I didn't want to put you through this temple because I was afraid you would die as well. Now, I think this is perfect for your skill level."
"(So you want us to go in there like our ancestors did?)" Aurora assumed.
"Exactly," Mew confirmed with a nod.
Aurora glanced at Aru with a bit of unease. She seemed to be sharing the same thoughts.
"It seems like I have more faith in you than you have in yourselves. Trust your judgment and don't rush through. I'm giving you as much time in the temple as you need to reach the bottom. There's a pretty nasty surprise waiting at the end, so be careful and be prepared to fight." Mew advised. Both of them nodded.
Aurora and Aru glanced inside the entrance. Despite its aged appearance, the structure of the building was solid. The opening led directly to descending stairs. It looked like a long trek down.
"One more thing." Mew closed her eyes and projected an image of a peculiar object with her psychic power. It looked like a necklace of some sort. "I want you to retrieve this for me to prove you were wise enough to overcome the obstacles inside."
"(The Necklace of Judgement? I've read about it in an ancient scripture in the Tree of Beginning's walls. It is said to aid whoever finds it with good fortune if the person's heart is pure or cause bad luck if the person's heart is malevolent.)" Aurora recalled from the last time she was physically in Mew's home. Mew nodded.
"Correct. Usually, the real one would be in the temple, but I'm not going to teleport it in a dream. I've placed a replica for you to take." Mew said with a frown.
Aurora and Aru immediately grew glum. "(Aww…)"
"I know it's a bit disappointing, but hey, I still made the shrine exactly the same as its real world counterpart. You won't know the difference!" Mew chirped like her usual self. Aurora's and Aru's ears both lowered in anxiety. Mew noticed this and sighed, "Sorry. I have to remember to be more mindful of your feelings. I'll try to change."
Once again, Aurora and Aru was surprised by the mythical Pokémon.
"Go on, my students. I have faith you will succeed." Mew said as she teleported away from the two of them. Aurora and Aru both took a deep breath and went in the condemning tunnel.
The raven haired women turned Lucario continued their descent down the temple stairs. Like they feared, the path appeared to be endless. Each step they took grew demoralizing and every inch they saw made they wish for a change in scenery. Eventually, Aurora decided to sit down on one of the stairs and slide down on her rear. Since the stairs were fairly close together, it made sliding that much easier. Aru noticed Aurora's increase in speed and decided to follow her example.
Eventually, when Aurora reached the bottom of the steps, she groaned. She had too much momentum and it cost her. She rolled forward and landed on her stomach. When she recovered and looked around herself, she had a wide gaping mouth. The yellow-eyed Lucario was frozen in her spot.
A few moments later, screaming could be heard from up the stairs. Then, a short yelp.
When Aru arrived at the base of the stairs, Aru rolled forward and was about to collide with Aurora. Aurora anticipated Aru's approach and blocked her counterbalance with her paws while simultaneously drinking up the scenery. Her counterpart quickly grew annoyed.
"(Next time, can you think of something more practical, you-)" Aurora tilted Aru's head up without warning. Then, Aru grew wide-eyed herself. The only words she could say now is, "(Woah… what…?)"
The first room of the temple looked astonishingly similar to a dungeon. The room was well lit with several candles in every nook and cranny. Right in the middle of the room, was a statue of Arceus looking down at any travelers stupid enough to make it all the way to the beginning of the temple. It gave the impression that Arceus himself was watching them both, judging them to be either a friendly spirit or be condemned to the Distortion World.
On either side of the statues, they were ancient text littered all over the walls. However, there appeared to be no doors or platforms. There were no signs of the Necklace of Judgement, nor was there any signs of Mew being acknowledged in any way. Aurora thought of this as peculiar and wondered why that was. Aurora placed her paw on her chin in thought and closed her eyes. Meanwhile, Aru sighed.
"(I sometimes wonder why we tolerate her…)" Aru grumbled to herself.
"(Despite her crazy antics, she's probably the lesser of two evils.)" Aurora acknowledged with a shrug and opened her eyes. "(Do you really expect anything less from her?)"
"(I don't expect this to be easy. Mew always makes us earn our keep.)" Aru replied.
They both began to observe the room. Aru walked forward, touching various things she saw in hopes of activating something. She poked into pots, carefully navigated through the spikes and even punched through a few of them. Aurora just stood there, looking around. She walked through the destroyed path of spikes and began to read through the text. Aurora felt blessed that she paid attention to her mother when she taught her this, otherwise, she wouldn't be too sure what to do.
"'(Progression be wit and speed and spunk. Beware of Arceus and his funk?)'" Aurora blinked her eyes to make sure she read that correctly. She went over the same line of text again and again and decided that she wasn't going crazy. She continued reading. "'(His eyes be gone, ye heart be blue. What lies in continuing is watching over you...)'"
Aurora ghosted her vision at the Arceus statue. It still seemed to be looking at her every move. Aurora gasped when she noticed Aru climbing the statue. Aru used her paws to hold on to Arceus's stone wheels. She swung herself back and forward. Eventually, she gained momentum to spring off the wheel and onto the statue's back. She continued her ascent. Aurora shuddered in horror.
"(Aru, get down from there! You're desecrating an ancient symbol of respect!)" Aurora called out.
"(The only thing being desecrated is my patience.)" Aru rolled her eyes and continued climbing. Aurora ran to the base of the statue and looked up at her counterbalance. Aru said, "(I heard you reading the scripture. Seems like we gotta poke this thing's eyes out.)"
"(Are you insane? That's disrespectful to Arceus.)" Aurora frowned. Aru looked very irritated.
"(Says the woman who had his balance begging for mercy in her dark aura. I think we're beyond just respecting them at this point.)" Aru retorted as she climbed along the statue's neck. Aurora grew worried, but said nothing else.
Aurora walked back to the walls. She continued reading the walls and noticed some peculiar pictures. It depicted Arceus firing a beam of energy into the sky and a small being looking horrified. There was another picture of the beam of light separating into several balls of light, honing in on the small figure. The final picture depicted of the small figure being vaporized on the spot. Aurora stepped back in alarm and gasped.
"(Aru, whatever you do, don't pr-)" Aurora paled when Aru did the thing she was about to warn about. Upon closer inspection, the statue's eyes could be pressed in. Aru, out of curiosity, pressed them both simultaneously. Aurora began to panic.
"(Don't do what? Why are you freaking out?)" Aru asked quizzically.
"(For the love of Mew, get down from there and run!)" Aurora yelled. Aru thought Aurora was being overly dramatic… at least until she saw the statue's eyes glowing. The entire room began to rumble. Rocks began to crumble to the ground and the Arceus statue began to glow. At this point, Aru was spooked enough to jump off the statue and reunite with Aurora.
The statue continued glowing until the room stopped shaking. Then, a ball of energy began to form at the mouth of the statue. Aurora began to panic even more. Then, an idea formed in her mind. She whispered her idea and Aru's face perked up. They both looked determined. The statue shot up a ball of light into the sky and that light scattered into several rays of energy. Aurora and Aru ran opposite to each other immediately. Half of the beams of light honed in on Aurora and other half honed in on Aru.
The attack quickly picked up steam on both of them. There wasn't much space to run, but due to Lucario being naturally athletic, they used the different twists and turns of the room to their advantage. However, no matter how fast they ran, the rays of light inched closer.
"(Gah! Arceus's Judgement is too fast! I think we may need to use Extremespeed! Run toward me!)" Aurora decided while evading the statue's attack barely. She yelped, but kept up her quick pace.
"(Aurora, are you insane? We'll be vaporized!)" Aru would have argued more, but she made a quick turn to narrowly avoid another set of light.
"(No, but this has to work! I think this is how we gotta show our spunk! We've got one shot!)" Aurora urged. Seeing as she didn't have too much choice, Aru decided to listen to her.
"(Fine. If we die, I'm not going to your spiritual funeral.)" Aru quipped. Aurora nodded.
Aurora and Aru ran to the opposite sides of the room, beams of light pursuing their every step. They both increased the speed of their steps exponentially. Their bodies began to glow white. They got closer and closer to each other. Then, at the last second, they jumped up and off of each other's hind paws. Since they had been moving so quickly, the beams of light collided with each other in a massive explosion. Aurora and Aru grunted at the force of the blast and were knocked down.
When the smoke cleared, they noticed that the statue's eyes were still glowing. Then, they felt another minor tremor. The Arceus statue quivered until it began to move from its spot. It revealed it had been covering up a straight descending stairwell.
Aurora and Aru beamed happily and with relief. They went down the steps.
When they reached the bottom of the steps, they sighed with annoyance. This room looked even more imposing than the first. It looked like something they would see out of a movie where they were in a straight, almost seemingly safe corridor. Their instincts knew better than to take one step. The room was long and they could sense they had a long way down. They both thought, "(This is gonna be a long trial…)"
For the next several days, Aurora and Aru went through several rooms and corridors on their trek to head to the bottom of the temple. Any straight, nearly safe room immediately made them alarmed, as any step caused arrows to fly from or hidden traps to be activated. Both Lucario began to feel weary after seeing the same walls and setups for a few days. They began to view all shrines and temples as places of hell.
It didn't help that they couldn't find roo much to eat. Several times, Aru suggested they could create food with their minds, but Aurora insisted that they should go through the temple legitimately. It seemed Mew felt their pleas because every few floors down, they could find a small pile of berries and enough water to sustain both of them. It seemed the little pixie could actually pity something.
After the first room with the Arceus statue, none of the puzzles seemed particularly hard to them. True, some puzzles they had to think more about, like using their aura to create specific shapes, or working together to figure out ancient descriptions, but as long as they were side by side, nothing was insurmountable. They also grew more accustomed to their Lucario forms and began to use moves and techniques that they couldn't do in their human form, like make multiple copies of themselves using Double Team.
As they continued, they began to wonder if Mew was even telling the truth about this place. They never heard of any shrine being a death trap. They could understand why Mew warned them to take their time and soon realized this was not only a trial of wits, but also a trial of endurance. Thankfully, Aurora and Aru had monstrous endurance, but that could only last so long on a limited food and water supply. They could feel themselves weakening the longer they stayed.
After their third day in the temple, they finally reached what seemed to be the bottom. They assumed that time flowed in dreams the same as real life since they both were aware they were dreaming. This made both Aurora and Aru wonder about Ash and Ashton. Mew could easily be in multiple places at once. What sort of convoluted trial did Mew come up with for them and were they even awake at this point?
Ash had been both their resolves to keep going. Now, the end was so close.
Aurora and Aru inspected the room. They were in a spacious circular room. The area was littered with bricks that looked like they were made from granite. At the end of the room was a marble statue of Mew. The statue was wearing what they presumed to be the Necklace of Judgement on its neck. Having so much space in a seemingly safe room made them apprehensive of any traps. Their guard raised when they heard a voice.
"Congratulations on making it to the bottom, dears. Not many can make such a claim." Aurora and Aru both heard Mew's voice, but it didn't sound like Mew was too far away. Strange. They were the only two beings in the room.
"(A-are… we hallucinating?)" Aurora asked in a rough voice. She hadn't spoken in a few days, so it felt weird to hear anything but silence.
"No. You're hearing me perfectly. You made it." Mew chirped.
They didn't know where they were hearing Mew from, but also didn't care. There was one thing that made them puzzled. Aru asked, "(Mew, I thought you said there was going to be some super nasty surprise. Where is it?)"
"Oh right. I did say that." Mew remembered. The room began to shake heavily. Both Lucarios could barely keep their footing. They were afraid they Mew would crush them in there. Instead, the room stopped shaking suddenly. They both got a sense of foreboding. Aurora and Aru gasped in surprise when Mew's statue turned into the real thing. Mew tinkered with the necklace around her neck and smiled. Aurora and Aru immediately realized what was about to happen and shuddered heavily. Mew grinned, "Well, ladies, I'm the super nasty surprise."
"(Lady Mew, please don't do this to us. There's no way we can beat you!)" Aurora tried to reason with the primordial Pokémon, but this only caused a bit of a laugh.
"What? And make it easy? You know how I am with stronger Ketchums." Mew reminded them.
"(We aren't in any condition to fight anything, let alone you. We aren't ready.)" Aru also tried to reason with her, but Mew shook her head.
"That's the point, my dears. To be clever is to turn the situation in your favor, no matter how much the odds are against you. You'll need to fight me, the mistress of all Pokémon types, while I'm in my human-Pokémon hybrid form." As she said this, she closed her eyes began to change shape.
Mew's body grew taller. Her fur turned into fair skin. She had short messy pink hair and two little nubby ears poking out on either side of her head. She retained her long pink tail, which was freely flowing from side to side. Mew also adopted clothes. She wore a simple pink shirt with a picture of her regular form's face in the middle and fuzzy pink sweatpants. Oddly enough, she wasn't wearing any shoes or socks. She opened her eyes and revealed two bright, cat-like cerulean eyes, waiting to pounce on her prey.
Mew snapped her fingers. Another Mew statue appeared where the old one was. Mew took off the Necklace of Judgement and placed it on her statue counterpart. She stretched herself out.
"Ah… it's been a while since I've been in this form. Feels good." Aurora and Aru were surprised to hear her speaking as a human, even though she wasn't fully human. Mew got into a fighting position and smiled. "Brace yourselves, girls. If you get past me and get the necklace, you will prove you are sage and will be rewarded."
Aurora and Aru gulped and tentatively put their paws up in self-defense. They both looked shaken from the previous floors. Mew's eyes grew into sharp cat-like slits and her smile faded away.
Aurora and Aru decided the best way of fighting a huge threat was not fighting it at all. Aurora and Aru made an understanding grunt to each other. They backed away from Mew. Mew instantly matched their steps and inched closer. Then, without warning, they both used Extremespeed to make a mad dash toward the necklace. Unfortunately for them, Mew anticipated this and brought out both her hands. Aurora's and Aru's bodies stopped abruptly and got knocked into a wall. Hard.
They both gasped in pain. Rocks flew out from the wall due to the impact. They both squirmed and got themselves out. However, they could barely get up. Mew literally had taken the breath away from them.
Mew huffed in disappointment. She thought they would put up more of a challenge. She underestimated the temple's effect on their strength. As much she wanted to restore their energy, she decided that tough love was the best kind of love. The Pokémon-human hybrid told herself she would show them no mercy and would stick to that. Her irises grew sharper.
Aurora and Aru didn't expect Mew's power to be so potent. Still, they didn't spend four days in a death trap to give up so easily. Somewhat shakily, they got on their feet. Aurora made a small grunt to Aru and she nodded in agreement. They'd gotten into a habit of making small grunts and noises to communicate over the last few days and it had been proven effective.
Making their paws glow a bright blue, they shot a ray of energy at each other. They instantly felt their health restoring rapidly. Mew growled and brought her hands out again. Once again, both Lucarios were raised in the air, but this time, Aurora and Aru saw the psychic attack coming. They both surrounded themselves in dark aura and shot it at the New Species Pokémon. Mew gasped in surprise, then smirked. She quickly teleported away from the attacks. Then, she ran straight for them.
Aurora put up her paws while Aru went straight for the necklace. Mew shook her head and grabbed Aru with her tail. Aru squirmed under Mew's constricting grip and was surprised at Mew's reach. It helped that Mew was now a little less than two feet taller than both Lucarios, so her tail moved that much further.
Having Aru in her tail didn't stop Mew from throwing punches or kicks. Mew proved why she was the true matriarch of the Ketchums, showing Aurora techniques she never saw before. Aurora thought she was a master, but it was clear Mew didn't teach the Ketchums everything she knew. Aurora grunted with each hit Mew landed. Aru shuddered in horror at watching her balance get beaten to a pulp by the hybrid. Mew finished her assault with a quick jab to Aurora's stomach. Aurora screamed as she was knocked into the wall again. She landed on the ground, trembling heavily. She seemed to be in intense pain.
"(Aurora!)" Aru called out in anguish.
"Don't think I'll leave you out, young one," Mew said with a mischievous grin and threw Aru right beside Aurora with an incredible amount of force. Aru was in the same state as Aurora: trembling. They both struggled to get up again. Mew stepped in front of the two of them.
"So… what shall you do? Forfeit?" Mew asked. She was beginning to feel bad about what she was doing, but this was the best way nature taught. Through pain.
Mew grinned when they began to get up again. Mew's bare feet hovered above the granite floor and eyed the two curiously.
"(We will never surrender! I don't care how hard you beat us. We will never stand down.)" Aurora's and Aru's eyes became orange for a few moments before returning to their respective colors.
"I'm proud of your tenacity. That doesn't mean to say I'll go easy on you. Show this old Pokémon whatcha got." Mew gestured her fingers in a way that issued a challenge.
Aurora and Aru racked their brains for any ideas. Trying to fight her directly and avoiding the fight didn't work, so they decided to think a little more deviously. Eventually, an idea popped up in Aru's mind. She whispered her plan in Aurora's ears. Aurora blinked in surprise, then reluctantly nodded.
They began to circle around Mew in a burst of speed. Mew's eyes followed the circling Lucario until she could barely see them at all. They created a bit of a vacuum effect surrounding Mew at the speed they went, but Mew didn't need to breathe oxygen. She'd been in space before… and both Aurora and Aru knew this. Mew stayed put, confused. Then, she raised her fists in pink aura. She didn't know what to expect from either woman turned Lucario. Either way, she liked it.
Soon, Mew was pelted by fast approaching aura spheres. Each time a sphere grew close, she punched it and destroyed it in one shot.
Aurora and Aru began to run even faster and shoot even more aura spheres. Mew's reaction time grew crisper. She soon grew tired of punched balls of energy and resorted to using her psychic power. She stopped Aurora, Aru and two spheres in their tracks. However, she noticed something off with one of the aura spheres. When she touched a sphere, it vanished instantly.
"What the…?" Mew gasped in surprise when Aurora, Aru and the other sphere disappeared. She turned around. Her eyes widened with horror when she saw the Necklace of Judgement around Aurora's neck. Aurora and Aru smirked triumphantly.
"(I'd say that's checkmate, Mew.)" Aurora coughed heavily.
"You sneaky little…" Mew growled, but then started to laugh. She walked toward both of them and made a toothless grin. "You know what? I'm not even mad. What did you two do?"
"(We used Double Team while we were using Extremespeed around you and distracted you by using Aura Sphere. We just needed enough time for you not to notice the real us moving toward the necklace. We almost got caught, too. How are you so fast? I've never seen you in this form, even after viewing the ancient texts in the Tree.)" Aurora asked and noted.
"I'm only this fast in this form. I tap into the essence of aura guardians and use it to its maximum potential. What I look like reflects how aura guardians are really like: a mix of humans and Pokémon." Mew explained cheerfully while wagging her tail. Aurora and Aru nodded their heads mindlessly, then collapsed suddenly.
Mew instantly grew concerned. She held out her hand and made them both fall asleep completely. She sat between them and softened her eyes. She brought out her hand and began to heal them. "Good job. You two proved you are clever and can work together effectively. That's excellent for what's to come. Enjoy your rest for now…"
"Lady Mew, how much longer will she stay like this?" A feminine voice voiced out her concern. It sounded withered, yet crisp. It also sounded slightly hoarse. Then, an annoyed sigh could be heard.
"Stop asking me that. Seems like she's beginning to stir." Mew told the other lady with confidence.
Aurora held her head groggily and slowly rose up. She noticed someone had placed her on a bed and that two sets of eyes were staring at her. However, her vision was still blurry, so she couldn't she who had been talking about her. Eventually, after several moments, her vision cleared. Aurora thought she was hallucinating at first when she saw the lady.
"M-mom?" Aurora regarded the other woman, slightly afraid.
"Oh thank heavens you're awake. How are you, Auru?" Alice regarded her daughter with a sweet smile. Aurora immediately got up from the bed and moved to the opposite side of the room. She placed her back against the wall. Her heart was pounding and she eyed the other raven haired woman anxiously. Alice didn't expect this sort of response. When she approached, Aurora's hands were blazing with flames and she warned not to come closer.
"Aurora…" Alice said sadly.
"Are you some sort of dream….? Shouldn't you be at the tree-" Aurora was interrupted by Alice walking toward her and hugging her as tightly as she could. Aurora wheezed from her mother's strength and wailed. She cried, "Mom… please… let… go. Can't… breathe…"
"You know I love my Auru… and I can't stand to see you so scared. I'm the real thing. Please stop worrying." Alice whispered into her hair. Aurora didn't make any movement. Alice was sad. Aurora forced Alice to let go of her and continued to regard her wearily.
"She's right. I teleported you to your cottage here at the Tree of Beginning. You are safe." Mew spoke up. Aurora perked up to seeing and hearing Mew. Never in her life did she feel so happy to see Mew of all Pokémon. Then, pangs of disgust swelled within her.
"I'm so sorry, Mom. I wasn't sure if anything I was seeing was real… from Nyxcipher's nightmares to Mew's trials." Aurora looked away from her, ashamed.
"Don't worry about it, honey." Alice kissed her on her cheek and made a reassuring smile. Aurora smiled back. Alice turned to the pink Pokémon. "Wow, Mew. You weren't kidding when you said Aurora's been through a lot lately. I can't imagine the horror she's endured…."
"H-how much did Mew tell you?" Aurora asked in a shaky voice.
Alice said simply, "Enough. We don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to."
"Thank you." Aurora breathed a sigh of relief.
"Gordo is going to want to see you as well. He's outside, trying to fortify the psychic barrier. It's getting pretty strong. Soon, no psychic will be able to break through." Alice said to try to cheer her up. Aurora made a ghost of a smile before it disappeared. Alice sighed and grabbed Aurora's hand. "Come. I'll take you to where he is."
When Aurora, Alice and Mew sauntered over to where Gordo was they noticed how focused he was on his task. The rest of his guardian partners, Champ, a Grovyle, a Golduck, a Flygon, a Darmanitan and a Aqualine was vigorously helping out their longtime friend with the effort. They all had their hands and claws in the airs, pouring out their energy to the sky. The sky became illuminated in a bright red aura before it disappeared. All six Pokémon looked tuckered out. They laid on the ground with a thud. So did Gordo.
However, Gordo wouldn't give up. He promptly got back up, panting and all.
"Come on, guys. Dig deep. No matter how much pain we endure, we've gotta make sure this place is completely safe by the time my grandson arrives and… for Aurora's sake." He regarded all of his Pokémon with hardened eyes. They all nodded. They all began to get up, but then they started beaming. Gordo was confused by the change in expressions, then turned around. He became elated himself.
"Aww… I'm happy you're thinking about me like that." Aurora smiled.
"Daughter! C'mere, you!" Gordo quickly came in and wrapped his arm around her neck and gave her the largest nuggie he could muster. Aurora grunted both in happiness and in distress. Aurora's hair was incredibly messy by the time he was done with her. She wasn't sure if she preferred getting crushed to death by her mother's hugs or getting choked to death by her father's nuggies. The rest of Gordo's Pokémon greeted Aurora as well. Aurora waved at them happily.
Gordo said, "I'm so happy to see you're awake. We were getting worried."
"Mew, how long have I've been unconscious?" Aurora asked the observing psychic type.
"About six days in total. You've been unconscious for two days in the Tree of Beginning." Mew replied. Aurora was shocked.
"I didn't know Aru used up that much aura. Why aren't I tired, though? I should be feeling terrible right now." Aurora asked.
"True. You will continue feel fine until I teach you your reward. Then, your body will reflect how the third stage of the conflict really affected you." Mew frowned.
Mew hovered right in front of Aurora. Mew studied her eyes for a few moments. Then, she touched her forehead. A peculiar mark similar to Arceus's wheel appeared on her forehead. Aurora's regular 'z' shaped marks also appeared. Aurora didn't know what she was feeling, but she felt different… like Mew unlocked something she didn't know needed to get unlocked.
"Lady Mew, what did you do to me?" Aurora asked.
"I made it slightly easier for you to learn what I'm about to teach you. It will also help sustain you. This technique may very well kill you, but if you manage to survive, you can use this technique in so many ways." Mew gave a smile. Aurora frowned and crossed her arms.
"And what is such a good reward for subjecting me to life-threatening trials in my dreams?" Aurora asked with a bit of a sneer. Mew rolled her eyes.
"I'm glad you asked. I'm going to teach you how to project your counterbalance outside of your mind and dreams. Aru would be able to appear and fight alongside you in aura form instead of sharing your body." Mew explained. Both of Aurora's parents looked like their eyes were going to pop out of their sockets.
"What?! I didn't think that was possible!" Gordo and Alice said simultaneously.
"Yeah. Neither did I. There would be so many strategic things we can do with both of us out at once." Aurora said skeptically, but somewhat excited. Aru expressed internal surprise and excitement. Aurora could feel Aru's glee and Mew sensed it as well. Mew chuckled and began to freely hover around Aurora.
"Azelf himself has always smiled down on the primordial guardians and psychics. That extra determination of yours… is reminiscent of what I had when I first split apart from Arceus. You and Ash have shown willpower outside the calling of a human. For you, it was resisting Nxcipher's corruption and staying true to yourself, even when you and Aru were both under his influence. For Ash, it was when he teamed up with Azelf to stop Dialga's and Palkia's rampage." Mew explained.
"Ash did what?" All three of them said at the same time. Mew looked at them quizzically.
"Why are you all so surprised? All Ketchums aid legendary Pokémon multiple times in their lives. You always know when and where to show up." Mew explained. She looked at Aurora with a wink. "It's just like that time where you saved a Keldeo in Mufasa Fields from turning into prey or when you ended the legendary beasts' conflict between themselves in Ilex Forest or the time where you-"
"Okay, I get it. Ketchums are beacons of trouble." Aurora interrupted with a scowl and crossed her arms.
"Precisely." Mew agreed.
"So… how will this work?" Aurora asked curiously.
"I'm going to need you to concentrate on separating yourself. First, Aru needs to come out through your aura allegiance." Mew told her. Aurora nodded. Within that same moment, Aurora's left eye turned red. She had her fists clenched in a competitive manner. "Good. Now for the hard part. You have to imagine yourself as separate and separate your auras. The reason why this can possibly kill you is because your auras are codependent on each other. It is much harder on Aru because she would normally die if she is without you. Because of this, the counterbalance side will need to leave a little bit of her personal aura in the body for her not to get killed, but only a little bit."
"Us? Separate? I can't imagine myself without my other side." Aurora said in sync with Aru.
"If you want to learn this, you're going to need to try. The process is painful the first time, but you can overcome it. I certainly did." Mew smiled. Aurora nodded. The main reason she was even going through with this because despite all of what Mew put her through was because she trusted the Pokémon's judgment. If she trusted in Aurora to do anything, that meant she could do it. Aurora also couldn't think of any ulterior motive Mew would have for teaching her this as well. It felt weird.
"One more thing. Will we be able to join together again if we manage to survive?" Aurora and Aru asked.
"Yes, but I'll explain more if you separate yourselves. Go for it, young one." Mew nodded and winked at her.
Aurora took a deep breath. She could feel Aru agreeing with her with what to do next. Aurora walked away from everyone and looked up. The moon was bright and the darkened clouds were moving at an easy pace. She clenched her fists tightly and continued to breathe deeply. She looked down and saw Alice and Gordo giving her reassuring smiles. She felt encouraged and happy to see her parents again. That was at least one good thing that came out of this last week.
Aurora closed her eyes and concentrated. Yellow aura masked the raven haired woman in a veil and everyone watched her both in anticipation and nervousness. Alice placed a hand on her chest in worry. Seeing this, Gordo placed an arm around her shoulder to comfort her, but continued to eye his daughter intently.
A torrent of flames surrounded Aurora at her feet. She closed her eyes and continued to breathe deeply. Her body began to tremble as she tried to listen to Mew's advice. Aurora and Aru chanted multiple times in their mind coordinately, "Separate. Divide. Cut in half."
The flames grew strong and began to spread. Aurora's body quivered even more. Her fists shook. Her hair flowed on its own. The yellow aura grew wilder and wilder.
"Separate. Divide. Cut in half." Aurora said aloud, but this time, it wasn't synced with Aru's. Aru said it slightly later. They kept repeating those three phrases. They grew more and more unsynced and soon no one could understand what they were saying. Gordo and Alice raised an eyebrow. How could they not be in sync if they can't see Aru? Meanwhile, Mew was beaming, but still kept a watchful eye on the middle-aged woman.
Aurora shut her eyes even tighter. Her body began to show signs of strain and she began to visibly groan. Sparks of energy began to appear on her body and she looked like she was beginning to fade away. The flames grew even more intense. No one could come close to her without fear of getting burned. Alice immediately grew alarmed and would have run over to her, but Gordo kept her still with a forceful squeeze. He sighed, shook his head, and made a look that seemed to convey his feelings. Alice settled down, but still shifted uncomfortably.
The yellow aura grew more uncontrolled, but there were two distinct colors of yellow now. The aura was darker on the left side than on the right side. Mew's eyes sparkled at this. She cupped her paws together to call out, "You're almost there! This is the part that will make or break you. Separate your auras and complete the process. Keep enduring."
"Easy… for you… to say, Mew…" Aurora said with discomfort.
"Easy for you… to say, you… annoying pixie…" Aru said at the same time as Aurora, but it had more of an echo to it. It sounded like the darker yellow had spoken aloud.
As they continued to brave through the pain, the yellow aura grew even more unrestrained. She screamed in agony as her aura began to break apart. She became shrouded in a bright light that blinded everyone. For a few moments, everyone could only see yellow. They felt a wave of intense energy. When the light ended, Aurora stood eerily still for several moments. All energy left from her as her knees buckled forward. She collapsed on the ground. The torrent of flames disappeared and so did her marks. Alice, Gordo and Mew and immediately ran to help her.
As Aurora laid on the ground, Alice, Gordo and Mew looked at the fallen guardian with distress. She wasn't showing any signs of movement nor was she breathing. Mew tapped her face a little to get any response. There was none. Mew shook her head in denial. She commanded in a panicked voice, "Don't you go dying on me. Not yet."
Almost as if she heard the psychic type, Aurora's right 'z' shaped mark reappeared and half of the wheel-like mark on her forehead also appeared. They began to glow yellow as she began to breathe steadily again. A swirl of yellow aura appeared right beside Aurora and took on a more humanoid shape. It looked to be the exact same size and proportions as her. A 'z' shaped mark and wheel-like mark appeared on the left side of her cheek and forehead respectively. Everyone sighed with relief.
Slowly, Aurora opened her eyes. So did the yellow aura. They both got up and sat in a pretzel shape. Aurora looked at her other side with awe and curiosity. Aru checked herself out. She didn't feel too different, except for a little misty. The ground she sat on felt the same, but she could notice the auras around her more easily.
"Aru… how do you feel?" Aurora asked.
"I could be asking you that question, Aurora. Are you angry?" Aru's voice no longer had an echo to it, but she sounded nervous. Aurora looked at her quizzically.
"No. Why?" Aurora answered.
"My eyes are red. Your eyes are orange instead of yellow." Aru pointed out. At first, Aurora seemed surprised. Then, she realized what happened.
"I think that's because some of your aura is still inside me, but not enough to differentiate our normal eye colors." Aurora figured and looked at Mew for a confirmation. Mew supplemented her with a nod. She tried standing up, but she immediately lost her balance and fell on the ground. Aurora also tried getting up, but she immediately lost all the energy in her legs. They both groaned, "Ugh…"
Alice came over and hugged them both. They each returned the hug. Then, she slapped them both. Aurora held her cheek sorely while Aru was stunned that Alice was still able to hit her while in aura form. Nonetheless, they both grumbled, "Ow…"
"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you two. Do you understand me?!" Alice's normally smooth hair turned spiky and her bangs formed to resemble devil horns. Aurora and Aru would have jumped up in alarm, but they didn't have too much energy to move.
"Yes, ma'am!" Aurora and Aru held on to each other, deathly afraid of setting off their mother's temper. Alice's hair quickly returned to normal and her eyes quickly turned soft.
"Good. I… I was so afraid for you. I'm happy you two are alright." Alice smiled.
"I knew you could do it, Aurora and Aru… though I won't slap ya for trying." Gordo made a small stinky look at his wife. Alice rubbed behind her head. He continued. "It's wonderful to see you progress further with your goal. Mew, think you can teach me this?"
"Aurora already figured this out in her strength trial, but no, you can't learn this. You've gotten too old in human years to attempt separating yourself from Jordon." Mew explained sadly.
"Crud. I really wanted to get out of this old fart's body for a few minutes. Ah well." Gordo's eyes turned red and he shrugged his shoulders. He said it with a bit of a joking tone. Aurora and Aru both blinked their eyes in surprise. It was rare to see Jordon nowadays, but he seemed more indifferent than normal.
"Oh ha ha." Gordo came back out immediately with a growl. Jordon came out back out again and rolled his eyes.
"Lighten up, Gords and learn something from our daughter for once. You too, Alice." Jordon regarded Alice and his balance disapprovingly. Alice's eyes turned cold and she raised her nose in the air. Jordon walked over to Aurora and Aru and rubbed their heads affectionately. It wasn't nearly as hard as his counterpart. Aurora giggled slightly. He still had his warm smile, "Ya done good, kiddo. Keep it up and maybe I'll come out to see ya more often."
"Thanks, Papa," Aurora said happily. Jordon leaned in and gestured both Aurora and Aru to come close. He whispered something in their ears.
"Keep trying to help Gordon and Alice with their… racist… problem. If there's anyone that can, it's you two. I want you to know at least half of me feels the same way as you. I wish I told you this when you visited us in Shingetsu, but I didn't think my input was important. Gordon may not admit it, but he's torn after almost losing both of you. I am, too. I don't want to make the mistake of not telling you how I feel ever again." Jordon was oddly very serious before relinquishing control back to his balance. Gordo seemed to be heavily annoyed with his other side and looked away from his daughter.
"I don't have a problem, pea for brains," Gordo growled.
"That's what all close-minded people say. Peace out, partner." Jordon snorted before his presence disappeared. Meanwhile, Aurora had a goofy look on her face. Gordo grew irritated with both her and his counterbalance.
"Get that look off from your face. Now." Gordo ordered. Aurora tried to oblige, but she couldn't do it.
"Can't help it, Dad. I haven't seen Papa in so long. I'm happy he's doing well." Aurora continued to make her toothless grin.
"Whatever." Gordo crossed his arms. Aru could detect something else in his tone. Her face got just as goofy as Aurora's.
"Oh my Mew… are you jealous of Papa or not being able to split apart?" Aru jeered.
"Neither." Gordo immediately denied.
"Sure, Dad." Aurora dismissed incredulously.
"Shut up. Both of you." Gordo growled. They both laughed at him. Mew chuckled herself.
"I think you gave us all a bit of a scare, dears. You are the first Ketchum to learn this and you certainly won't be the last. As long as you have my wheel mark on your forehead, you can sustain your separation indefinitely. Make sure you never get rid of that mark while separated, otherwise, I'm not sure what would happen to you." Mew advised.
"Right." They both nodded.
"That mark is the only reason you managed to live. You were almost too old to learn this yourself, it seems. I'm so sorry for putting your life in danger like that. I don't want to gamble your lives away. Now, I feel this weird feeling inside of me. It feels terrible." Mew held her stomach.
"Is that feeling… guilt?" Aurora smirked.
"… I'm not sure. I haven't felt this way since I kidnapped Pikachu from Ash three years ago." Mew admitted.
"Yep. That's definitely class A guilt. You're finally learning how to emote for humans." Aru observed.
"Wow. I… I guess you are right. I don't like feeling guilt. How do I stop it?" Mew asked innocently.
"How about putting yourself in a human's shoes for once and assess how you would treat yourself. If you treat yourself well, you wouldn't feel guilt. The reverse should be true." Aurora suggested.
"I'll… try it. Thanks Aurora." Mew smiled. Aurora smiled back, then began to feel tipsy. She fell back on the ground, panting. So did Aru. "I think you two should combine yourselves once more and go back asleep. I have to get back to Ash anyway."
"How is he?" Aurora and Aru both asked immediately.
"He's… actually doing decently. Way better than I thought. Seems like his counterbalance is helping him remember a few things to aid him in the trial. This is the last day, so I'll need to reward him, too. This is what I'm seeing in his dream right now," Mew said. She closed her eyes and projected an image in front of them. It depicted Ash and Ashton panting while glaring at something. They both looked ready to fight. Aurora had never seen so much confidence or such a beautiful fighting pose from him. She felt proud. Mew made the image disappear. Mew continued. "I'll need to focus my energy on him completely. I'll teleport you back to Kalos, my dear."
"Does anyone know I'm gone?" Aurora immediately wondered about Clemont and Bonnie.
"I placed a Substitute attack in your shape where you were laying. For extra measure, I placed a bit of my aura to resemble like yours, but any master guardian could tell the difference. It shouldn't be too discernable for a regular human to pick up, though." Mew explained.
Aurora and Aru nodded. They slowly got back up, though they needed assistance from their mother and father respectively. Then, they shook each other's hand. Aru slowly faded away and transferred herself back into Aurora's body. Aurora's eyes changed back to yellow. All of her marks disappeared. She felt well enough to stand on her own again. Without Aru, she felt somewhat empty and drained. Aurora was glad she was back to normal. Aru had the same thoughts.
"Mew… before you teleport me, I have one more question." Aurora spoke up. Mew looked at her expectantly. "If I needed the wheel mark to maintain being separated from Aru, how will Ash learn this without it?"
"Simple. I just need to touch his forehead for him to get the mark. He's not even close to being ready to learn this anyway, so you'll have time to practice and get more used to this technique. Off you go to Kalos. I'll see you again soon enough." Mew prepared a burst of psychic energy in her paws. She was ready to teleport when Aurora was. Before she could go, Alice gave her another nearly bone crushing hug. Aurora wailed for her to get off, even though she didn't mind this hug as much as previous hugs. Alice complied to her wishes.
"Stay safe, Auru." Alice settling on kissing her on her cheek.
"Yeah. Stay alive so we can finally see our grandson again." Gordo added with a grin.
"I promise you'll see him soon. I'll see you around, Mom and Dad." Aurora gave them each a hug and then walked in front of Mew. Mew nodded and touched Aurora's forehead. The raven haired woman instantly vanished and returned to Kalos.
As soon as she made it back, the Substitute disappeared and Aurora fell into a deep slumber. Unbeknownst to her, a Lucario and a girl watched the entire thing, both in shock and in delight. The Lucario checked Aurora's aura and made a sigh of relief.
"I think we can finally get her aura completely stable again. Whatever she went through isn't draining her too much anymore." The Lucario told the girl.
"That's awesome news. Let's do this, then." The girl cracked her fingers and they began their work. Aurora felt their efforts subconsciously and began to smile in her sleep.
A/N: Now let's rewind six days to see what happened to Ash when he first began sleeping. Next chapter will be a lore bomb I guess you can say. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though. Here is some information about Gordo's Hokorian Pokemon: Aqualine.
Aqualine: The Aquatic Cat Pokemon
Type: Normal/Water
Pokedex entry: Aqualine are fiercely loyal to their trainers and will even give their lives for them. Their powerful legs allow them to jump very high and swim for long distances. They are often lifeguard Pokemon.
Next Chapter: Serenity Burned to Ashes