7. Love
Ash Ketchum screwed his eyes shut as the room was filled with a brilliant light centered on the girl he loved. The light pierced through his eyelids for a moment, and then began to fade. When he deemed it safe to open them again, Ash gasped.
Celia no longer floated in the middle of the machine. Instead, an immense white creature filled the circle. Its long white body bore a blue stripe and a pink stripe that intertwined with each other, and four wings that extended from the center of its back. A larger version of Celia's crystal protruded slightly from its forehead.
The room was silent for a moment.
"Finally," Bello breathed.
"What did you do to her? Where's Celia?" Ash yelled.
"She's right here," Bello answered, gesturing to what could only be a Pokémon. "This is Celia's true form: Concordia, the Legendary Peace Pokémon."
Ash shook his head. No, this couldn't be right. Celia was a girl, not a Pokémon.
Celia's words rang in his head: No matter what happens, no matter how crazy it seems…
Ash peered at the white Pokémon, which still hung motionless in the machine, supported only by the energy field that still crackled around it.
"Celia?"
The Pokémon's eyes flew open, and Ash caught a glimpse of beautiful blue irises before the crystal above them flashed and the Pokémon cried out as if in pain. It blinked and the irises were now as black as the pupils. Its wings were slowly flapping now, and the Pokémon held itself up as the machine powered down.
Those had been Celia's eyes.
Bello was telling the truth.
Concordia was Celia.
Bello tapped at a device in his hands. He glanced at Ash and then held up the device, which displayed Concordia's silhouette and various data. "This uses what I call the control frequency to let me, well, control Concordia. It's like a Trainer using a Poke Ball. This requires a lot less effort in my opinion, though."
Ash lunged at Bello, surprising his guards and knocking down the cloaked man. He had to free Concordia – Celia. If Concordia could summon Legendaries like Celia – hadn't Brock said something like that when they first arrived? – then there was no telling what kind of havoc Bello could wreak with that power.
Ash managed to knock away the device but the guards had recovered by then and heaved him away, gripping his arms tightly. Bello stood up and brushed some dust off his cloak before leaning down and picking up the device, fiddling with it a bit and then smiling.
"Nice try, Ash," Bello said. "But nothing can stop me now." He turned to the guards. "Lock him up. Make sure he doesn't set foot outside this ship. I'll deal with him later."
"No!" Ash yelled. "Celia! Concordia!"
But the Pokémon didn't respond and the last thing Ash saw was the guard's fist smashing into his face.
xxxxx
Bello fit the earpiece and attached microphone around his ear. "All right, Concordia. Look at me."
The Pokémon shifted her dark gaze from the wall to him.
"Good. I'm sure you want to stretch your wings a bit after being cooped up so long. Go ahead, and why don't you throw around a few attacks, destroy a few buildings, while you're out."
Concordia emitted a loud, sonorous cry and shot out through the circular opening behind it.
Bello walked to the windows and watched as the white Legendary flew down to the City of the Mountain. A beam of energy shot from Concordia's mouth every now and then, striking at some building. The faint sound of screaming drifted up to his airship.
"Descend to the city," Bello ordered. "Let's show them who's in charge now."
The airship's movement changed subtly as it began to sink, Monaltia's marble spires rising up to meet them.
Bello grinned maliciously. His reign had begun.
xxxxx
Ash moaned as he returned to consciousness. He had a massive headache and held a hand to his forehead as he slowly pushed himself up on one elbow.
He was in a bare, windowless room. A steel door with a small square window offered the only entrance and exit. After he had recovered enough that he could stand without getting dizzy, Ash tried the handle to find it locked.
What did you expect, Ash? he told himself. That they would just let you walk out?
He peered out the window to see a guard on either side of the door. He sighed and slid down the wall next to the door to a sitting position, resting his head in his hands. What was he going to do? Bello had taken his Pokémon, and Pikachu was with Dawn and Brock.
At that moment, Ash heard a commotion in the hall. He got to his feet again and looked out the door's window. He saw snippets of some Pokémon attacks, and the guards disappeared from his sight.
Suddenly, Dawn's face appeared on the other side of the glass. "Ash!" she shouted, her voice muted as it traveled through the thick door. "Stand back!"
Ash leapt back a second before the door glowed pink and burst open. Dawn, Brock, their Pokémon, and Reuniclus, still glowing with psychic power, stood on the other side.
"Pika!" Pikachu ran into Ash's arms and quickly reclaimed its spot on his shoulder.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in delight. He hugged his friends and asked, "How did you find me?"
"We didn't," Brock answered. "Reuniclus did."
The Multiplying Pokémon gave a proud gurgle.
"You didn't think we were seriously going to leave you alone in here?" Dawn said.
"Thanks, guys," Ash said. "Now how do we get out of here?"
Reuniclus warbled and waved with its arms, motioning for them to follow it as it drifted down the hall.
They encountered a few of Bello's grunts along the way but they didn't stand a chance against the combined forces of the three friends' Pokémon. A few minutes later Ash, Dawn, and Brock were running back into Monaltia.
A loud cry made them look up to see a white, blue, and pink streak zip through the sky above them, a Hyper Beam hitting a nearby building and destroying part of it. The trio shielded themselves and their exposed Pokémon as stone and other parts of the building rained down. Reuniclus also used Reflect to block some of the debris.
"What was that?" Dawn exclaimed when the dust cleared.
"It almost looks like…" Brock started.
"Concordia," Ash finished.
"Wait, so it's real?" Dawn asked.
Ash nodded. "Bello is controlling her. We have to stop him before she destroys the whole city, or calls another Legendary."
"She?" Brock repeated.
Ash took a deep breath. "Concordia is Celia. Celia is Concordia."
"What?!" Dawn and Brock looked at Ash incredulously.
"Don't ask me how it works. All I know is that I have to get Celia back." Ash looked up at the Peace Pokémon. "I'll go after Concordia herself. You guys go after Bello."
Ash took off toward Concordia before his friends could protest. He reached down to retrieve the Poke Ball containing Unfezant but grasped empty air. He let out a cry of exasperation as he remembered that Bello still had his Pokémon.
It looked like he was going to have to reach Concordia the hard way.
xxxxx
Something roused me the tiniest bit. A different kind of energy, one that was vaguely familiar.
I finally recognized it: I was summoning a Legendary.
I tried to cut off Bello's connection, but I was too deep within myself.
A crackle of electricity. A blue hue. Zekrom. The black dragon's roar echoed.
After a moment the electricity was replaced by the heat of flame. The blue turned orange. Reshiram. The white dragon's cry resonated in my cocoon of darkness.
No, I tried to tell them. Go back! Go back!
But my cries sounded faint even to my own ears.
This tiny bit of energy spent, darkness overwhelmed me once more.
xxxxx
Ash had just climbed the last fire escape ladder to reach the roof of the apartment building he had found when fierce roars boomed around him. He covered his ears as a black and then a white dragon flew over him and began circling the city, roaring at each other and apparently at Concordia.
Ash fumbled for his Pokedex, which Bello hadn't taken, and pointed it at the white dragon first.
"Reshiram, the Vast White Pokémon," the Pokedex stated accordingly. "This legendary Pokémon can scorch the world with fire. It helps those who want to build a world of truth."
When Ash swung around to the black dragon the Pokedex declared, "Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokémon. This legendary Pokémon can scorch the world with lightning. It assists those who want to build an ideal world."
"Great," Ash muttered as he put the Pokedex away. He hoped the two new arrivals wouldn't get in the way of his plan.
The three Legendaries hovered in a triangle. One of them growled every now and then as they appeared to communicate. Eventually Zekrom and Reshiram departed to opposite corners of the city, leaving trails of destruction in their wake.
"Okay, Pikachu," Ash said. "Use Thunderbolt on Concordia. Get her attention."
"Pika." Pikachu nodded and its cheeks sparked. A moment later a quick Thunderbolt zapped from its body to Concordia, who hovered nearby, watching Zekrom and Reshiram do their work.
Concordia gave a small cry and Ash cringed at the thought of Celia in pain. The Thunderbolt did the trick, though. Concordia swung around and flew low toward the building. Ash prepared himself, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
A Hyper Beam began to form in Concordia's mouth and Ash cursed. He leapt away from the center of the roof just as the Hyper Beam made contact. Ash sprung to his feet and ran toward the Peace Pokémon as she whizzed past, a few inches above the building's ruined roof. He jumped with arms outstretched and grabbed hold of Concordia's tail and the Pokémon carried him into the sky.
Ash managed to climb his way to where the Pokémon's wings sprouted from her spine before Concordia finally noticed him. She promptly began writhing around in the sky, trying to shake him off.
"Concordia! Celia! It's me, Ash!" he shouted as he held onto the base of one of her wings. Concordia's thrashing seemed to lessen for the smallest moment, and Ash seized the chance to sprint along her back and grab onto one of her slender ears.
Concordia zoomed straight up into the clouds, executing loops and corkscrews in an attempt to shake off her passenger. Ash's grip was reduced to one hand several times, but he still managed to hold on. He caught sight of the crystal and an idea popped into his head.
As he reached out with one hand, though, Concordia plummeted in a steep dive and Ash was forced to return to a two-hand grip. She leveled out just above a street and zoomed along it before returning to the air just above the city and performing more acrobatics.
Without warning a familiar electric shock struck them and Concordia seized up, convulsing slightly. The electricity faded and Concordia stayed still for a moment, twitching as sparks popped along its body. But Ash had endured many of Pikachu's Thunderbolts before and didn't waste any time crawling to the crystal embedded in Concordia's head.
Ash called to mind every single memory of Celia he possessed along with all of his love for her and touched the crystal.
xxxxx
His voice roused me again.
"Concordia! Celia! It's me, Ash!"
Ash! I tried to reply but I knew he couldn't hear my inaudible cries. I could sense him. He was holding on to me, but I – no, Bello – was trying to get him off. I fought back again, and I felt the movements lessen, but it didn't last long. The darkness was too thick.
I held on this time, though. I didn't let the darkness take me entirely again.
A minute later a sliver, a crack of light peeked through, and suddenly I was back at that berry festival. A band was playing and people were dancing. Ash looked at me out of the corner of his eye and then stretched out his hand and asked nervously, "Uh, would you like to dance with me, Celia?"
I stared at him for a moment and my heart fluttered a bit, a hint of what was to come. I smiled and put my hand in his. "Yes."
Then it was a week later and the two of us sat on the crown of a hill, gazing up at the stars. It was one of my favorite things to do. A crescent moon hung in the sky as well, providing just enough light for Ash and I to see each other but not so much that it blocked out the stars.
"It's beautiful tonight," I commented.
"Not as beautiful as you," Ash replied.
I looked over sharply but he had turned away and become very interested in the grass, plucking at a few blades.
I lay my hand on top of his. Ash looked back at me and then down at our hands. He moved his so that our fingers laced together.
I felt like my heart was about to burst. I leaned into him and he tentatively put his arm around me, taking hold of my hand with his other one. I felt him sigh and as I closed my eyes I felt content.
Then the moon grew full and started to shrink again and Ash and I were sitting together on a bench in a park. We couldn't see as many stars due to the brighter moon and the lamppost standing a few feet away, but I was happy just to be alone with Ash, his arm stretched around me and holding me close.
"Celia, I…" Ash trailed off.
I looked up at him. I couldn't read his expression. "What?
He gazed at me silently for a moment and then leaned down and pressed his lips against mine for the first time. I reached up with one hand and tangled my fingers in his eternally messy hair as I kissed him back. His other arm came around me and held me even closer.
Ash pulled away for a moment and whispered, "I love you."
I smiled. "I love you, too." I kissed him again.
We stayed like that for a long time.
Now it was raining, storming, and my mind shivered. I had seen this many times.
"Celia! Wait!"
I started to run but he had already caught up. He grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
"Why are you doing this?"
I didn't turn to look at him. If I did, I might lose my nerve. "You wouldn't understand."
"What about…what about us?"
I finally looked over my shoulder at him. I didn't want to leave. Every part of me said stay. But I whispered, "It's better this way. Trust me."
"How? Please, Celia."
"I'm sorry, Ash."
I tore away from his grip, my skin tingling from his touch, and ran away into the downpour, tears streaming down my face and mingling with the raindrops.
A wave of pain and love hit me and I realized it was Ash's emotions.
I didn't mean to hurt you, I said, uncertain if he could hear me. I was trying to protect you.
The crack of light grew bigger and more memories flashed before me. I could feel the darkness growing thinner. I began to fight back again, moving up toward the light.
Then the moment before I transformed appeared.
I was crying as I declared desperately, "Ash, no matter what happens, no matter how crazy it seems, I love you."
I never stopped, I added.
Then I heard Ash's voice break through. Neither did I.
The rest of the darkness fell away and I surged into the light.
xxxxx
Concordia had become as still as stone except for her wings moving instinctively to hold them steady in the air the moment Ash touched the crystal and opened up his memories and emotions. He figured that even though Celia always kept her guard up around him, Concordia might not. Concordia's stillness allowed him to set himself in a more secure position.
The dark crystal, swirling with orange and blue hues due to Zekrom and Reshiram, had lightened a little. Ash sent out his strongest memories in particular: when he finally got up the courage to show some of his feelings by asking Celia to dance; the night when Celia took his hand and he knew that she felt the same way about him; and their first kiss.
He sent out the painful ones, too. He poured out all his emotions with the memory of the night she left.
He faintly heard something, words that seemed to come from inside his own head.
…didn't mean…trying...protect you…
"Come on, Celia," Ash breathed. "I know you're in there."
He sent another round of memories. The crystal grew brighter and the blackness began to turn gray. Ash finally summoned the moment before Bello had forced Celia to transform into Concordia, when she had told him the one thing he wanted to hear since she had left.
He heard her loud and clear now: I never stopped.
Ash felt a single tear slide down his cheek. Neither did I, he sent back.
The tear dropped right onto the crystal. The crystal exploded with white light and Ash used his free hand to shield his eyes, refusing to release the crystal until he was sure that Bello was no longer in control.
When the light faded, Ash peeked at the crystal under his fingers. It was no longer dark. The only light that came from it was a soft glow alternating between orange for Reshiram and blue for Zekrom.
Concordia's head suddenly moved and Ash lost his balance and slid back down her neck and halfway off one side. He struggled to find some kind of handhold as he continued to slowly slip off, but couldn't get a grip on Concordia's sleek body.
He fell.
Ash's scream was cut off as something caught him and knocked the wind out of him. He coughed and looked down to see that a white paw was cradling him gently as it lifted him higher. He looked back up to see Concordia's head, a front-view instead of a top-view this time.
Light blue eyes peered out at him.
Celia's eyes.
"Celia!" Ash exclaimed.
Concordia smiled. Ash. Celia's voice sounded inside his head as she communicated telepathically. Are you all right? I didn't realize that you were right on top of my head.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay, Celia?"
I am now, thanks to you. You helped me break through Bello's control. Concordia brought her paw across her body to the base of her wings, allowing Ash to jump over and settle himself in front of the first set. Speaking of which, it's time for us to get a little revenge of our own. Both the blue and pink stripes painted Concordia's body close to Ash's position, and each of them raised themselves up a bit to form handholds.
Hold on. Concordia shot off toward the airship that hovered a few hundred feet over the edge of Monaltia, casting a shadow over part of the half-destroyed city.
Concordia slowed a moment when the sight of the ruined buildings registered. Did I do this?
"No, Celia," Ash protested. "Bello did this, not you."
Concordia glanced back at the Trainer and prepared to take off again when Ash suddenly cried out, "Wait! Pikachu!" Ash hadn't seen where his Pokémon companion had gone when the roof had been destroyed, but it had been the one to stop Concordia and allow Ash to reach the crystal.
Of course. Concordia's eyes closed for a moment, and then opened again and she turned around and headed back toward the center of the city. She circled a structure a block or two away from the half-destroyed apartment building where a small yellow creature was running back and forth excitedly. Concordia landed softly and with a happy cry Pikachu ran up her front leg to where Ash sat with his arms open.
I must thank you for your help as well, Pikachu, Concordia said.
"Pika pi!" the Mouse Pokémon responded, settling itself in Ash's lap.
Concordia launched herself into the air again, reaching the panoramic window of the airship in a few seconds. Inside, Bello and a few of his henchmen were battling Dawn, Brock, and Reuniclus. Attacks flew back and forth between the two sides as all of Dawn's and Brock's Pokémon, as well as Ash's Pokémon, which they must've found and released, took on Bello's Haxorus and Chandelure and the henchmen's Liepards and Scraftys.
Concordia roared, the pretty tone slightly distorted by anger. The battles paused as all the humans and Pokémon turned to look at the Legendary.
"Ash!" Dawn and Brock shouted. His Pokémon cheered at the sight of their Trainer.
"No!" Bello cursed as he hammered at his control device to no avail.
It's over, Bello. Concordia's voice echoed in everyone's minds. You don't control me anymore.
"No, I will be the most powerful person in the world! Chandelure, Shadow Ball!"
Chandelure obeyed, launching a massive sphere of darkness at Concordia. A ball of light formed in Concordia's mouth and flew at the Shadow Ball, meeting it halfway in a loud explosion. Smoke filled the airship and streamed around Concordia.
Reuniclus, Teleport our friends out of there! Concordia ordered.
When the smoke cleared, Reuniclus was just Teleporting the last group of Pokémon out of the airship to the roof of a nearby building. The Pokémon sank to the ground, exhausted from transporting so many bodies. Brock gave it a pat and a treat, which made Reuniclus perk up a little. Bello's henchmen had fled the airship, leaving their master and his Pokémon to fend for themselves.
Last chance, Bello, Concordia warned. If you give all of this up, if you leave me alone, I'll show mercy.
"You wouldn't kill me. You're the Peace Pokémon," Bello said.
I keep the peace, Bello. Sometimes that involves violent measures, especially when I'm defending myself.
Ash could feel the Hyper Beam's power gathering and without hesitation he shouted, "Stop, Celia!"
The power melted away as Concordia's head moved to look at him.
"This isn't you! You would never kill someone! I hate Bello just as much as you but this isn't the answer."
Concordia blinked a few times, looked back at Bello, then at Ash again. You're right.
Concordia lunged forward, breaking through the wide window. She grabbed Bello and his two Pokémon roughly and deposited them on a different roof than the others.
I can still destroy that machine and ship, though.
With that, she released a series of Hyper Beams that ripped through the airship. Explosions boomed over the entire ship and smoke billowed from the riddled metal. As it began to sink Concordia knocked it in the direction of the mountains, away from the city. The airship crashed into the side of a mountain that had once hid its existence from Monaltia, sliding along until it lodged itself somewhere on the rocks, where it sat spewing fire and smoke.
Bello let out a tiny whimper at the sight of the destruction.
"Feel better now?" Ash asked.
Much.
AN: Ahhhh this is probably my favorite chapter. Y'all finally get to see some AshxCelia background! I'm thinking after I finish publishing this fanfiction I might write a series of one-shots about Ash and Celia to show their relationship's progression. Would you like to see that?
Only a couple chapters left! Well, the last one is more like an epilogue. I'm so excited!
Please favorite, follow, comment, all that good stuff! Thanks readers! :)