Chapter 24 – The last Climb
Ash, Dawn, Serena and May were all paralyzed by the image they were seeing… a yellow and bright figure floating before them, it was large, had fangs and antennas that resembled a dragon. It was scary
"Ash…" said Dawn "What do you mean by Dragon ghost?"
"It is the Dragon spirit that takes care of the temple and its surroundings. It also guides the Dragon Master safely in and out of the temple"
"So… It is friendly" said May trying not to sound scared "Since you are a Dragon Master… we'll be just fine. Right?'
"I hope so" said Ash not seeming very confident of his answer
"Dragon Master" said the spirit
"Answer him Ash" said Serena "It's talking to you"
Ash looked back with a disapproval face, but understood that Serena, just like May and Dawn were scared of the ghost
"Dragon Master" the spirit repeated
"Yes?" Ash finally answered
"You try to enter the temple of Dragons for the first time since your nomination" said the spirit
"That's right" Ash answered "I need to arrive before Lance"
"You are running out of time, soon Lance will be arriving at the third cave" it said
"So I ask you to please let me keep going" Ash said
"You have doubts" said the spirit apparently not paying attention on Ash's request
"What?" he asked
"You may be called a Dragon Master, but you don't act like a Dragon Master"
"What are you talking about? I'm here to avoid the world to be taken over by the Lady" Ash said
"No! You are here to save Lance. You don't care about the temple or the Dragons" it said
Ash said nothing… maybe the spirit was right…
"You came here, bringing three other people to enter the temple which you know is forbidden" said the spirit
"It's not forbidden" said Ash "I myself entered the temple three years ago with Lance, much before I became a Dragon Master"
"Only Dragon Masters and apprentices can enter the Temple"
"The three of them are my apprentices" Ash said "I taught them everything I know"
"But you didn't teach them the Dragon Way of life" the spirit said "So they cannot be consider a Dragon Master apprentices"
"So… you are telling me they cannot enter the Temple?" Ash asked
"Exactly"
Ash couldn't believe it. The Spirit wouldn't allow Serena, Dawn and May within the Temple. Ash needed them. He wouldn't be enough to defeat Lance and Team Tenebris
"Please Dragon Spirit" said Ash "Listen carefully what I have to say"
The spirit remained in silence, giving Ash authorization to proceed
"You may be right. I may have doubts about being the Dragon Master, but not because I don't want to. Ever since Lance told me about being a Dragon Master, I wanted to become one… my doubts are if I am the most qualified to receive this honor" Ash said
"You are Ash" said Dawn
"Why wouldn't you be?" asked May
"Because… I've always felt like something was missing in my life. That's the main reason I accepted Lance's offer to both train with him and become a Dragon Master… to try to find what was missing. But…"
"But what Dragon Master?" asked the spirit
"But this feeling still remains. I've already completed my training and became a Dragon Master… but the feeling that something is missing in my life… still remains" Ash said
"But… what's the problem about it Ash?" asked Serena
"…If I accept being a Dragon Master for real and forever… I may never find out what is really missing in my life" he said
"What do you mean?" asked Serena
"The Dragon Master says that once he accepts the duties and responsibilities of being a Dragon Master… he will no longer have time to look and solve the mystery of his missing feeling" said the Spirit
"Exactly" said Ash "I would hate myself if that happened because I committed to be a Dragon Master"
"Ash… you shouldn't hate yourself for that" said Serena
"Why not?" asked Ash
"Everybody has doubts about life. Nobody is perfect, not even you. Fate changes every day and gives us new priorities all the time" Serena said
"She's right Ash" said Dawn "When you left Pallet Town you had one objective only… to become a Pokémon Master. And look at you now. Who would ever think that you would have to fight criminal organizations, save Pokémon in danger, risk your life to protect people that you didn't even know"
"And you did and do that because it's part of being a Pokémon Master, so maybe becoming a Dragon Master… is just another side quest of it" said May
Ash looked at his friends and smiled, his life surely took some very opposite way from what he imagined when he first left Pallet Town many years ago. To him, collecting Kanto Badges and winning the Indigo League were what he needed to become a Pokémon Master. But he would have missed so many good experience from his adventures, so many rare Pokémon he would have never met, wonderful battles he would have never entered, and most important… so many good friends he would have never had both human and Pokémon
"I would have never met you three" said Ash
"What?" asked Serena
"If everything had gone like I wanted… I would have never met you three" Ash said "And for that I would hate myself"
The three girls smiled at him not knowing what was about to happen
"And I love you three" Ash said making the girls surprised "I love you three in a way I'm still trying to find out… but I do"
Serena, May and Dawn didn't say a word, just smiled and hugged Ash. He felt so good feeling the touch of them, it was warm and soft, and although his attempt of always keep them safe, for the first time in a while... Ash felt safe around their arms
"Thank you" said Ash "For being here for me"
"Always" they said
Ash turned around to face the spirit once more
"So Dragon Master" it said "Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes, I have" Ash said "I do want to be a Dragon Master… but I have a major goal… to become a Pokémon Master. I will follow this dream until the end. But… I also promise to follow the Dragon way of life, to keep the world safe and never abandon our philosophy. You can count on me. I give my word"
The spirit remained motionless for a moment, but then it started to glow brighter, until it disappeared and reappeared in front of Ash but with a human form
"So you are the spirit" said Ash "You are the first Dragon Master that existed"
"Precisely" said the spirit "On my time I was called Kent. When I died the Dragons made my spirit immortal, and now I watch over Mount Silver to guide the Dragons Master safely in and out of the Temple"
"It's an honor to meet you" said Ash
"Not even Lance had this opportunity" said Kent "And I must say that you almost failed me Ash"
"I am sorry" said Ash
"You are very humble" said Kent "I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I had to test you, to know if you were ready to finally reach the temple"
"And what's your verdict?" asked Ash
"You are a Dragon Master Ash" said Kent "You finally understood what is to be a Dragon Master. It is much more than power; it's about never ever giving up on yourself… This is…"
"…The Dragon way of life" said Ash
"You may pass" Kent said "And your friends can go too"
"Really?" Ash asked
"Yes. You may not have noticed, but somehow these girls received from you the most important lesson that follows the lineage of the Dragons. Never give up on yourself, nor those you love"
Ash blushed while looked back to Dawn, May and Serena who were just blushing as much as him
Suddenly a new loud noise echoed the cave making even some small landslide within it
"What's that?" asked Dawn
"Oh no" said Ash looking to Kent
"Team Tenebris have entered the third cave" Kent said "They are ahead of you now"
"They are going to enter the temple before we do" said May
"Do we still have any chance to enter first?" asked Serena
"No!" said Kent "Now Team Tenebris will enter first, you still have to surf the waterfall until the third cave. There's no chance you will get there first"
"It's okay" said Ash turning to the girls again and smiling "It's okay"
"But Ash… what if the Lady uses the power of the temple to become stronger?" asked May
"Then we'll just have to become stronger than she" Ash said smiling "It's no big deal"
The three of them looked surprise at him. His assured that everything was going to be fine was comforting, but also worrying
"I couldn't feel safer Ash" said Kent "Now you four show me your Poke Balls"
"What? Why?" asked Ash
"You have already used your Pokémon while trying to reach the top of the mountain" said Kent "I will heal them"
They all took their Poke balls and put in front of Kent, who touched each Poke Ball, making it glows as he touched them
"Done. Now they are all ready to battle" said Kent "I know you'll do your best. Now go on and save the world"
"It is not nice to put this much pressure on someone, even a Dragon Master" said Ash
"I'm sorry" said Kent and then vanishing into the air "But I know we'll be just fine as long as you remember the Dragon way of life" said his voice
As Kent disappeared Ash turned once more to the girls
"Okay" he said "To the top now"
They walked a little bit more until they reach the waterfall, it was a long fall of water, even looking up it was impossible to see the end of it
"Wow" said Dawn "You can barely see the end of it"
"Well, it goes from here until the third cave" said Serena
"Yeah" said May "It's pretty high"
"Okay" said Ash "Each one of you take a water Pokémon and let's surf this waterfall up"
"Alright" said May "Blastoise, I choose you"
"Go! Empoleon" said Dawn
"Greninja, come out" said Ash
All three water Pokémon appeared in front of them, but one trainer remained motionless
"What's up Serena?' asked Dawn
"Well…" said Serena "I have no water Pokémon"
"No problem" said May "You can come with me on Blastoise"
"That's nice of you but…" said Serena looking at Ash "Maybe I could go with you Ash"
"Sure" said Ash "Of course you can come with me Serena"
Serena blushed and walked over Ash
"Why are you going with him?" asked May "Blastoise has much more space"
"She's right you know" said Dawn "If you wish… Empoleon also has much more space than Greninja"
"I traveled with both Ash and Greninja" said Serena "I trust Greninja"
"You are going to hurt him Serena. You're fat" said Dawn
"I'm what?" asked Serena angrily
"What she means…" said May "Maybe you shouldn't put too much weigh on him"
"Don't worry May" said Ash "Greninja is totally able to take me and Serena to the top"
"That's right you heard him" said Serena
May and Dawn looked at each other trying to find an answer to give, but they couldn't find any
"Fine" said May "So let's surf this damn waterfall quickly"
"Yes, as fast as we can" said Dawn
Serena and Ash placed themselves on Greninja's back just as May and Dawn did with their Pokémon. Serena who was behind Ash placed her arms around his waist and put her head on Ash's shoulder
"You know Serena… If you squeeze him like that, he may run out of air" said Dawn no happy with that scene
"Don't worry Dawn" said Serena "I know how to do mouth to mouth resuscitation"
"You what?" asked May "Ash… I think she should come with me"
"She's already placed here" Ash said "Please let's get going"
"Yes girls… Let's get going" said Serena winking at them
Greninja then started surfing up the waterfall, leaving May and Dawn behind
"We think she's quiet and naïve… but that girl is pretty smart" said May
"Yes" said Dawn "We have to admit and respect her"
"She wouldn't be that happy if she knows what happened between Ash and I…." started May but stopped when she saw Dawn looking at her angrily
"What happened between you two?" asked Dawn
"N…nothing" said May blushing
"Why are you getting red?" asked Dawn
"It's hot here" said May
"We're on cold water" Dawn said
"So… I must be sick" said May
"Well… maybe I do have something to hide too between Ash and I" said Dawn
May looked at Dawn trying to find if she was saying the truth or not
"You have nothing" said May "You're just trying to mess with me"
"It's wonderful that you think this way" said Dawn "Now, if you excuse me"
Dawn then started surfing the waterfall up as well, leaving May behind
"Wait Dawn" shouted May and then started surfing too
Although Greninja was the smallest of the group and was carrying two people, he was also the fastest of them. The waterfall "climbing" took 7 minutes to Greninja, Blastoise did in 14 and Empoleon 16 minutes. The waterfall leaded to a lake and at the end was possible to see the exit of the cave.
"How come your Greninja's so fast?" asked May
"Did you make it mega evolve?" asked Dawn
"No" said Ash "It is just happening him to be faster"
"Don't give that so much thought" said Serena "We're all here"
"Let's go" said Ash
They all walked to the cave exit, when they left, they realized it was snowing
"My God" said Dawn "It's freezing in here"
"We're on the top almost" said May
"If we keep following this path we'll find the third cave" said Ash
"What if we run into Team Tenebris?" asked Serena
"I don't think we will" said Ash "They must have reached the top of the third cave already"
They all walked around the mountain until they find the entering of the third cave. But when they reached it they saw a horrible scene
"Oh my God" said Serena hiding her face, probably to cry. There were many Pokémon on the ground, all hurt probably because of a battle. Blood was clearly seen due to the white of the snow
"What happened here?" asked Dawn
"Team Tenebris probably ran into these Pokémon" said May "And tried to eliminate them"
"Are they… dead?" asked Serena
"Not all of them" said Ash looking to the entering of the cave angrily "Damn you Team Tenebris"
They all kept walking but then Ash saw that Serena wasn't moving. She was still crying. Serena has always been very sensitive and seeing those Pokémon made her paralyze in shock
"Serena?" asked May
Serena didn't answer
"Serena?" asked Dawn
She still wasn't answering
"May, Dawn" said Ash "Keep going until the entering of the cave and see if it's safe. If you hear any voices just come back here"
"Okay… but what you gonna do?" asked Dawn
"I'm trying to bring Serena back to her sense" said Ash
May and Dawn did as Ash ordered. They were not mad that Serena was staying alone with Ash this time, they just wanted Serena to feel better
"Serena" said Ash
Serena didn't answer but looked at him this time
"I know how you feel" said Ash "It is unforgivable what they did"
Ash got closer to Serena and put his hands on her shoulders
"But I need you to be strong. We're almost there Serena" said Ash
"Can't we forget everything and go home?" asked Serena, speaking for the first time
"Unfortunately I can't do that" Ash said "If I leave… the world is doomed. If I leave… Team Tenebris wins"
Serena started to cry once more and hugged Ash
"Why they had to do that?" asked Serena looking once more to the Pokémon on the floor
"Because they're monsters" said Ash "They deserve to be punished. And we'll do it"
Still hugged, Ash started to caress her hair
"You've grown so much Serena" said Ash "I'm so proud of you. I know you can do it"
Serena then moved her head away from Ash's shoulders and looked into his eyes, it has always given her strength and a reason to keep moving forward. Still hugging him she started to get closer to his head until their lips met into a passionate and wet kiss. They kissed for almost ten seconds until Serena's arms that were around Ash's waist moved one to his neck and the other to his hair where Serena started to caress it just like he did seconds ago. They broke the kiss after thirty seconds and started to stare at one another
"Thank you for coming back for me" said Serena "I will keep going… for you"
Ash smiled and hugged her once more
"I know you can do it Ash" Serena said "I believe in you"
"Thank you for never giving up on me Serena" said Ash
"Well… That's the Dragon way of life" Serena said "Never give up on yourself, nor the one you love" she said looking serious to his eyes "Please get it" she thought
Ash smiled and gently took Serena's hand
"Come" Ash said "I'll guide you"
"Okay" said Serena
"Just try not to look down" he said so she wouldn't see the Pokémon on the floor again
Ash and Serena walked around the mountain until they found Dawn and May on the entering of the cave
"Do you feel better Serena?" asked Dawn
"We were worried about you" said May, both of them had concerned eyes and voices to her
"I'm fine" Serena said smiling "Thank you for also worrying about me"
Dawn and May also smiled and hugged Serena
"We would never leave you behind" said May "You know that right?"
"I do" Serena said "Thank you again"
The three girls broke the hug and looked at Ash
"So May" said Ash "Have you two looked inside?"
"Yes we did" said May "It's empty"
"That's right" said Dawn "Nobody there"
"Does that mean that…" Serena started talking
"They have already entered the Temple" Ash said
"For how long do you think they are inside it?" asked Dawn
"About an hour now I believe" said Ash
"What do we do?" asked May
"It's our time to enter" said Ash stepping forward and leading them inside the third cave
The third cave was a small one, there was just a stone staircase that accompanied roundly the cave till the very top of the Mt. Silver. Ash, May, Dawn and Serena walked up the stairs in silence until the last step
"It is time" said Ash "Are you ready?"
The girls nodded positively to Ash who then looked up and raised his arm up
"Oh Mighty Dragon of Time, open your gates to the world of the Dragons an allow me Ash Ketchum, the Dragon Master, and my apprentices May, Serena and Dawn to enter your humble sanctuary. Release the TEMPLE OF DRAGONS"
After Ash's words the girls felt that the ground started to shake and from the sky a light beam came down from heaven through the hole in the roof of the cave, involving all of them. They felt a warm felling and the sensation of moving fast up, like they were flying. When all calmed down Serena, Dawn and May opened their eyes and realized they were no longer on Mount Silver. They were at the Temple of Dragons.