Well, things are getting a little crazy for our heroes, but let's see if this chapter can shed some light on what exactly is going on. Comments of any kind are always welcome.
Disclaimer: Pokemon is owned by Nintendo. Only a few key concepts and characters belong to me
Last time: Ash and Misty's wedding was interrupted by Normela, a member of the Grand Shadow Covenant. Ash faced off with her in battle and, with some unexpected help from both Chellsy and the former Team Rocket, managed to destroy her. But soon afterwards, a strange bracelet suddenly appears on Chellsy's wrist, making everyone wonder why the GSC wants her eliminated so badly.
Part 11: The Request of a Lifetime
Kendrax sat silently in his private quarters, feeling somewhat impatient. He had been waiting for Normela to return from her mission and bring news of the child's demise for several hours. He felt that she should have been back by now. Maybe the mission was a bit more difficult than he had lead her to believe and she was having some trouble, or maybe she had gotten a bit carried away and went on a killing spree. These thoughts raced thru his head as he tried to think of reasons she might be late, but then he started thinking that maybe she had been…
Kendrax stretched his hand forward and called upon an enormous broad sword using his shadow power. He focused his gaze on the blade, which was decorated with 17 different colored, orb shaped lights that were lined up along its length. Each of these lights represented the status of one of his loyal warriors. The dimmer the light was, the closer that warrior was to dying. He took a look at Shocker and Ivy's lights and saw that they had become a bit brighter than had been a few days ago. He then turned his attention to the light near the end of the blade, and was surprised to see that it had completely gone out. His suspicions confirmed, he de-summoned the sword just as someone knocked on his door.
Kendrax: Enter.
The door opened and Toxica walked in. She closed the door behind her, and then slowly approached where her master was seated and bowed.
Toxica: My lord, I'm afraid I have bad news. Normela has been destroyed.
Kendrax: I know. I just checked her status on my sword. Do you have any details on how it happened, Toxica?
Toxica: Yes. Before she began her assault, Normela planted several hidden cameras around Pallet Town to record her mission.
Kendrax: Very well, let's have a look.
Kendrax snapped his finger and a video screen dropped down in front of them from the ceiling. It then came to life and began showing footage of Normela's final mission. He watched as she faced off against Ash in his Aura Knight form, her coming close to killing him only to watch him be rejuvenated at the last second, him striking her down and exposing her Crystal Heart, and finally her lunging at him in a last ditch effort to finish him off, only to have her heart be destroyed by another trainer's Seviper.
Kendrax: Rewind to the point where Ash's strength is restored and pause it there.
The video sped backwards to the point where it showed a golden light radiating from the very girl they sought to destroy.
Kendrax: This is not good. The girl's powers are beginning to reveal themselves.
Toxica: What should we do, my lord?
Kendrax: Have everyone assemble in the grand hall in one hour. I believe its time to tell all of you exactly what we're up against.
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Meanwhile, back at Prof. Oak's laboratory in Pallet Town, Ash and Misty's wedding reception was in full swing. The backyard was full of people, all laughing and having fun. Misty and the others had changed out of their wedding clothes and were out amongst the guests, many of which kept badgering her about where she and Ash were planning on having their honeymoon.
Ash, however, was up in Prof. Oak's main research lab with Chellsy as the Prof. and his colleagues tried to make some sense of everything that had happened over the past few weeks. Professor's Rowan and Birch were studying all of the data that Chellsy's friend Cory had collected using his computer while Professor's Oak, Ivy and Elm were gathered around a small machine with a glass dome on top. Inside the dome was the strange gold bracelet that had appeared on Chellsy's wrist soon after Normela had been defeated. Attached to the bracelet was a charm that had an engraving of a Munchlax on it and that had once been the size of a small medal before shrinking down and affixing itself to one of the many chains that dangled from the odd trinket. The strangest part was that they had found the charm among their enemy's remains, making all of them wonder exactly what the GSC wanted with Chellsy. Just then, the door to the lab opened and Lucario walked in with Pikachu resting on his shoulder. They were accompanied by Tracey who had been patching the two of them up after that difficult battle.
Tracey: Here you go, Ash. Good as new.
Ash: Thanks for your help, Tracey. How are you two feeling?
Pikachu: Pi-ka-chu!
Lucario: He says he fine, and so am I. It was nothing we couldn't handle.
Ash: That's good. You guys just take it easy for now, ok.
Lucario: Yes sir.
Pikachu: Pi-ka!
Prof. Rowan: This is truly remarkable. Ash, I must ask you to thank Cory for us. The data he has collected is invaluable.
Ash: I'll be sure to let him know. So what have you found so far?
Prof. Birch: Here, take a look at a picture of that thing you guys saw in her chest. You said she called it a Crystal Heart?
Ash: I think so. She was screaming in agony when she said it.
Prof. Rowan: Yes, well, after looking at what happened to her once it was destroyed, we've come to believe that it's some sort of device made from a special gem that regulates the flow of her power and life force, much like a heart regulates the flow of blood in a person. It seems that when it was destroyed, her power began to fluctuate uncontrollably, causing her body to become unstable and disintegrate.
Prof. Birch: In other words, when the Crystal Heart was smashed, her power became too much for her to handle and destroyed her. And I'm willing to bet that every other member has one of these things as well.
Ash: But why was it in the place where a normal heart should have been?
Prof. Birch: That's another thing. We're starting to believe that these people aren't human.
Chellsy: Not human! What are they, monsters?
Prof. Rowan: Not exactly. We think that they may have been normal people at one point, but have sense been mutated into human-like creatures with strange powers. Of course, this is just a theory. Who knows if it's true?
Prof. Birch: In any case, we've contacted the authorities about this and they've got just about every Officer Jenny there is working on the case. Hopefully, they'll be able to pick up on the group's movements.
Prof. Rowan: In the meantime, let's see if we can figure out why they consider your daughter to be a threat. Samuel, how's the research on that bracelet coming along?
Prof. Oak: In short, not very well. We haven't been able to find a single clue as to what this thing is. By all accounts, it appears to be nothing more than a simple charm bracelet.
Ash: You can't find anything that can tell us more about that thing?
Prof. Ivy: Well, we did find an inscription on the inside of the band, but it's written in an ancient dialect that none of us can understand.
Prof. Elm: We looked thru the entire database of ancient languages and came up with absolutely nothing.
Ash: That bracelet can't be normal. We all saw it appear on Chellsy's wrist, and until we got in here to look at it, I wasn't sure the thing was even going to come off.
Prof. Oak: I know, Ash, but right now it just seems like an ordinary piece of jewelry, and our instruments aren't picking up any sort of reading from it.
Ash: Hmm. Wait, I have an idea. Lucario, try looking at the bracelet using your aura vision
Lucario: Okay.
Lucario shut his eyes and expand his senses, allowing him to see the life energy of everyone in the room. He then turned his attention to the bracelet and saw what he was looking for. He turned back to Ash as his vision returned to normal.
Ash: Did you see anything?
Lucario: Yes, and it appears that the bracelet is giving off the same kind of energy signature as your Aura Blade.
Ash: Really?
Prof Oak: Ash, try summoning your sword and bringing it close to the bracelet. Maybe if we put the two of them together, we'll get some sort of reaction.
Ash: Well, it's worth a shot. Everyone stand back.
Ash held out his hand and the Aura Blade magically appeared. He then moved to where the bracelet was and held the sword out in front of it. For a few seconds, nothing what so ever happened. Then suddenly, both the gem in the swords hilt and the bracelet itself began shining brightly. The light grew brighter and brighter until it became so intense that everyone was forced to shield their eyes to avoid going blind. When the light finally died down, Ash opened his eyes to find that he was no longer in the lab, but standing in some sort of spectral colored space. He also noticed that the mysterious bracelet was now floating right in front of him. He took it in his hand, and then looked around to find that he was not alone; Chellsy, Pikachu, and Lucario had all been transported to this strange place with him.
Lucario: What the… what's going on?
Chellsy: Dad, where are we? And where's everyone else?
Ash: I wish I knew. Something weird is going on here.
??: Do not worry, young warrior. Your questions will answered in time.
The sound of the mysterious voice made all four of them jump. Ash spun around to see a gigantic, four legged creature approaching them. The creature's appearance was a bit hard to describe, but its most notable feature was the golden wheel that encircled its abdominal region.
??: It is a great pleasure to meet you all. I am Arceus, the creation Pokemon.
Ash: Arceus?! You mean the original one from Sinnoh legend? The one who started time and space by creating Dialga and Palkia then went into a deep sleep?
Arceus: That is correct. Now, I assume you're all wondering as to why you have been brought to this place.
Lucario: That was tops on our list of questions.
Arceus: Well, it's actually a safety measure. I didn't want to communicate with you out in the open, so when you brought those two artifacts together, I channeled a bit of my power thru them and created a private space for us to talk.
Ash: Smart thinking. What you have to tell us must really be important if went thru all this trouble to do it in person.
Arceus: Indeed. Rest assured, I will tell you all that I can, but first I would to ask you a question, Ash. Have you ever wondered why you've always seemed to end up someplace that was in the middle of a crisis?
Ash: Sometimes, but I always thought it was just a coincidence.
Arceus: Believe me, Ash, I have been around long enough to know that there are no coincidences in this world. Everything happens for a reason, and you play a greater part in it all than you may realize.
Ash: What do you mean?
Arceus: Ash Ketchum, you are the Chosen One of Pokemon legend.
Ash: Chosen One? Are you referring to that legend from the Orange Island's?
Arceus: It's not limited to just that. Legends among our kind tell of a great human being who would someday help bring about peace and harmony between humans and Pokemon. You have been thrown into the middle of many disasters and disputes and have been crucial in helping end them on a happy note. And now have acquired the strength of the legendary Aura Knight, I must ask for your help in a matter of grave importance.
Ash: I would be glad to help, but first we need to know what we're dealing with.
Arceus: Of course. I can't tell you everything now, but what I can tell you is that those fiends that attacked you; the ones that call themselves the Grand Shadow Covenant, are planning to release an ancient and unspeakable evil that has the power to destroy the world as we know it and then reshape it in their own image.
Lucario: What?
Chellsy: That's horrible! But what can dad do to stop them?
Arceus: Actually, that's why I brought you here as well, young lady. I'm afraid to say that this is something that your father can not stop by himself. He is going to need your help.
Chellsy: My help? But, what could I possibly do to help him? I don't have the powers of ancient warrior.
Arceus: Ah, but you do have power. Surely you must have noticed that strange force within you during your father's battle with Normela, not to mention the bracelet that appeared on your wrist not long afterwards.
Ash: We all noticed that, but we don't have a clue what that was about. Wait, do you know?
Arceus: Yes, and it has more to do with you, Ash. Legends tell us that the chosen one and his true love would one day have a child who would be the key to stopping a great catastrophe. Your daughter is that very child; The Legendary Child of Destiny.
Ash and Chellsy stood there in shock, taking in everything that Arceus had just told them Pikachu and Lucario remained silent, waiting for one of them to break the tension. It was Chellsy who spoke up first.
Chellsy: Are you sure, Arceus?
Arceus: Absolutely.
Ash: This… this is crazy. I… I don't…
Arceus: Ash, I realize that this is a great shock, as well as a great burden. I know that you would not want to put your daughter in harms way, but I would not be asking for her help if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Please understand.
Ash: I… I do, Arceus. Of course, I doubt Misty is going to be happy about this, but I'll work that out later. Please, continue Arceus.
Arceus: Very well. First, let me tell you a bit about your daughter's abilities. As you've experience first hand, Ash, Chellsy has amazing healing powers. She also has the capability to enhance the strength and abilities of other beings, both human and Pokemon.
Ash: Now that you mention it, I did feel a strange energy flowing thru me back then.
Lucario: And could feel that same power coursing thru Ash's blade when I merged with it. It actually made our attacks even stronger.
Chellsy: Wow. Sounds like I'm walking power amplifier.
Arceus: Unfortunately, your power has only been able to manifest itself when you are under a large amount of stress, such as when you were about to watch your father die. You will have to learn how to control your power willingly, and luckily, that is where the trinket your father is holding comes in.
Ash stole a quick downward glance at the golden bracelet in his hand, the returned his attention to Arceus.
Arceus: The artifact you now possess is known as the Destiny Bracelet. It was created as a way of allowing you to access your power and control it at any time. Of course, the bracelet itself is not complete. As you may have noticed, it is actually a charm bracelet. There are 17 different charms that each represents one of the 17 different types of Pokemon. When a charm is attached to the bracelet, they will allow you to manipulate the element it represents on a base level. Once all 17 charms are combined with the Destiny Bracelet, you will be able to unlock your true potential.
Chellsy: Cool!
Pikachu: Pi-ka!
Ash: Hold on a sec. We found the first charm for this thing in what was left of Normela. Why would she have it?
Arceus: I'm afraid that's where the bad news comes in. It seems that the GSC's leader was one step ahead of us and stole the charms from their resting places. He then used his own powers to fuse them together with 17 of his most trusted servants, transforming them into the warriors you have been fighting.
Lucario: Are you saying that the charms for the bracelet are being used as those warriors's main power source?
Arceus: Yes I am, and the only way to get them back and restore the Destiny Bracelet's true power is to destroy all of them.
Ash: That's just great. It was hard enough to just get rid of one, now we have to eliminate the other 16; and their leader if it comes down to it.
Arceus: True, it will be difficult. That is why I have another task I would like you to perform. I know that you have captured just about every Pokemon there is, Ash, and you have several strong companions to help you, but I think its time to complete your collection.
Ash: Are you asking me to do what I think you are?
Arceus: Indeed I am. I would like to go and capture all of the legendary Pokemon so that you can have a strong battalion backing you up as you try to defeat the GSC.
Ash: Whoa! Time out! That's a lot to put on my plate here.
Arceus: Don't worry, Ash. It won't be as hard as you think. All of them are aware of what is going on and would be more than happy to help you. However, you can't expect them to just come along quietly. You will have to battle and capture them just like any other Pokemon in order to gain their respect. The same applies to me as well.
Ash: Okay. I'll do it.
Arceus: Very good. I've told you all that I can for now. I'll send you back to Prof Oak's lab.
Ash: Hold on just one second, Arceus.
Ash walked over to Chellsy and crouched down to talk to her at eye level.
Ash: You know I don't want to force you in to this, don't you? In fact, I'd rather you didn't have to do this at all.
Chellsy: I know, dad, but Arceus needs our help. The world needs our help. And if I'm supposed to help save it, then that's what I'm going to do.
Ash: Then I guess this belong to you now.
Ash took Chellsy's hand and placed the Destiny Bracelet in her palm. She smiled at him as she strapped it back onto her wrist.
Ash: We're ready, Arceus.
Arceus: Until we meet again, then. Good luck.
The four of them were once again forced to shield their eyes as they were enveloped by another surge of light. When they could finally see again, they found themselves standing right back in Prof. Oak's lab. They then noticed that there were a lot more people in the room than before, all of them looking extremely shocked by their sudden reappearance.
Brock: Thank god, you're alright.
Lucario: What's going on?
Prof. Oak: Well, after that first light surge pasted, we found that the four of you had disappeared.
May: We all came in to see what was going on and they told us what happened. You guys have been gone for almost a half an hour.
Misty: We all thought you had been incinerated or something. What happened to all of you?
Ash: Misty, we're fine, but I'm afraid we're going to have to put the honeymoon on hold. We just found out that we're in a lot more trouble than we thought.
TO BE CONTINUDED…