Chapter 25 - Balance Of Life

"And in the end it must return to dust. There is no bargain. What is… is what must be..."Latias

[12:00PM] – 27th May 2011 – Route 2 – Mount Moon SECTION Base

The bandana wearing technician leaned back in her chair, frowning as her computer screen blinked. The power generators were fading again. May wondered idly if the electric Pokémon were going on strike or something.

Her hand moved towards the mouse when with a short splutter the screen fizzled and died. May stared, sighing in exasperation.

"Nyah?" her fox asked, curled up next to Glaceon, fire and ice wrapped up together. Ninetales' ears twitched curiously, but Glaceon remained sleeping.

"Nothing," She waved her fire type away, leaning back in her chair, allowing it to spin slightly. Maybe she should take a break – look for some of the others around the building. She missed her old office in Viridian – she was currently stationed in a large lounge, which she shared with the others – Dawn was currently sleeping in the corner, Gary and Leaf gallivanting off who knows where and Brock up to his usual gym leader business, probably with his brother.

Her gaze fell on a red and white sphere on her desk, and she reached out a hand towards it. It was her Skitty, she recognised the scratch marks from when the excited kitten had tried to play ball with the sphere. It was slightly dusty, from remaining forgotten in a bag or on a shelf for so long, unopened.

"I miss you guys." She breathed softly. "Ledian, Beautifly, Munchlax, Wartortle, Venusaur… Blaziken…" she closed her eyes, trying to picture her team, which she hadn't seen in so long. Her finger traced the white button to release her chosen Pokémon.

In a fit of nostalgia, she let her thumb press down on the button, expecting the ball to remain dim and unresponsive. She certainly didn't expect it to click open, red energy coalescing into a small pink and cream form.

"Kitty?" (Hello?)

She blinked in bewilderment at her hyper kitten. "Skitty?" she asked, in disbelief.

"TyTyTyTy!" the Pokémon bounced up and down in happiness at seeing her trainer again. (MayMayMayMay!)

May glanced dumbly at the Pokémon and then at the empty Pokéball in her hand. She blinked once more at the pink and cream cat, before the link between the two clicked in her mind.

The Pokémon were no longer under the time lock.

She leapt to her feet and raced out of the room, passing Dawn in a whirlwind and leaving a disgruntled Ninetales behind, the fox burying her head under her paws at the actions of her bizarre trainer.

"What?" Dawn blinked blearily. "What's going on? What's the crisis?" she frowned as she observed what looked like May, blue shirt and bandana racing down the corridor, followed by a pink and cream puff ball. Glaceon, being roused by May's hyper jog down the corridor, yawned and stretched, before deciding to follow after her trainer with a flick of her tail, albeit more sedately.

"YahNya Nine," (She's finally lost it.) The cream fox observed to Dawn. "Nyyy AhTaleNineTales." (Well either that or Lance is back.)

Further down the corridor May was still racing towards the elite's quarters. Will and Koga had to know about this… no… wait… wrong location. Ah well… Bruno and Karen would do just as well and she might bump into Brock or Gary on her way there.

"They've done it!" she squealed, pausing to jump happily around in little circles. A few passing rebels paused to stare at her in confusion as she raced away, followed by a hyper Skitty and a patient Glaceon.

One blue haired researcher ducked his head in embarrassment, not surprised at all. "She is so not my sister." He denied to the Ralts at his side, the small Pokémon just glancing at him in amusement.

Extract from a translation of runes found in ruins on New Moon Island, Sinnoh, and estimated date around εуλ1400

'He was of the night and the shadows. She was of the day and the light. He would whisper in your ears as you screamed and she would watch over your peaceful sleep.

He was the reaper, who would collect the souls, and his children would ferry the souls to the other side, and every living thing feared him. He was death and nightmares and pain, and all who met him would know him, for their souls would weep and tremble and he owned that which was theirs to give when their time came.'

Print-out of a Professor's notes on the ruins

'Appears to be a shrine of worship for Darkrai (Dark type – Legendary) – Polar opposite is Creselia

Nightmares Vs. Dreams – Living and Dead

Darkrai is meant to control death/ferry souls to the dead/controls who lives and dies

'And at his touch, the heart stops beating and the spirit and soul might leave the body for a higher plane…'

Reaps the souls of the dead – causes nightmares – link to Giratina?

Link to Eon dragons – soul guardian? Soul dew? – Lati's guard oceans? Ferry souls?

And mothers would tell their children – be a good child or Darkrai will get you, steal your soul and drag you into oblivion.

It's hard to decide where the stories originally came from, and what truth lay in the myths. Darkrai was a son of Arceus, the Prince of the Night. He was the keeper of souls, the worst fear of many living creatures on the planet. For what can one fear more than death?

There is a tale, which lies buried, about a deal which can be made with him.

One soul for another.

That is the price of life.

One soul for another – as one awakens so the other shall be doomed. It might be immediately. It might be in ten years, but his mark rests over you, forever more, until Death claims you.

[12:00PM] – 27th May 2011 – Indigo Plateau

Fresh air had never tasted so good before. It washed over them, like a breath of life as the whole world seemed to relax the long, eternal breath they didn't even know it had been holding. The elemental gear murals of fire, ice, water, air, bug… every single one of them was softly glowing, which as they watched, slowly died, along with the living element.

And the world shall turn to ash.

The dust of the intruders, those who had dared to disturb the peace, floated in the light breeze that sifted through the air, lifting their spirits. And as the glow from the gears faded, they became aware of, for the first time in four or five years, the sun, rising in the east.

The dawn had come.

And that was about the time Ash and Rai crumpled to the floor.

Misty spun around, and darted towards his crumpled form in a new burst of adrenaline. Lance and Erika remained where they stood, sadly staring at the electric elite.

"VUiVE!" (Rai!) Va threw herself over to Rai, limping heavily as she crouched down by the orange mouse. Her fur was plastered to her side, blood congealing over a wound on her flank, and her whiskers drooping as she nudged the electric type. The mouse was quivering with pain, breaths short and fast and already growing weaker and weaker. "Eee…" she whined, a pitiful mew, and Misty blinked, recognising the broken sound of a shattered heart.

"Ash!" she scrambled for a pulse, feeling the faint fluttering of life beneath her fingertips. "Ash – what is it? What's wrong?"

But his form was unresponsive, already unconscious to the world.

"Misty." Lance moved forwards, a hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her away but she shoved him away.

"Ash! Please. Don't do this to me."

"Misty." Lance tried again. "This is why he didn't come back to you. This is why he never found you. He knew this would happen."

"NO!" Misty screamed, and standing she spun to face him. "What do you mean 'this would happen?' What is it? What's happening?"

"The balance of life is taking its debt." Latias chirped, golden eyes sad. "Ash should be dead. He could remain, suspended in the frozen time period, but now that everything is back to normal… Misty he's dying. Ash is dead."

"NO!" Misty shook her head, denying, and dropping back to his side. "No he's not – not again! Don't leave me again!" She pulled herself closer to him, as if it might make everything better.

"Somebody has to die." Erika murmured. "He told me the balance had to be kept."

"Then we stop it!" Misty snapped, "We can stop time again… take out the gears…"

Mewtwo paced forwards, his giant spoon missing now, and his purple eyes emotionless. "Once started it cannot be stopped simply by disrupting this energy flow we created. Like the machine Giovanni used to control the Fusions, the badges of pure energy to amplify the elements power, the gears and temporal tower work in the same way to restart time. It cannot be undone."

Erika sank to the floor, knees giving way beneath her as tears welled up. "He's dead." She sobbed, her breath heaving. "Misty it's too late. He's gone."

"No!" Misty moved forward, grasping Ash's face, fingers on his neck, trying for a pulse that wasn't there.

Erika's head drops, fists clenching in her jacket. "You bloody coward." She whispered. "Always running away…" she swallowed down a lump in her throat.

Lance moved down beside Misty, reaching for a pulse, but she got there before him, fingers pressed to his neck. "No." she gasped, trying again. "No don't do this to me you bastard. Not now. Not after everything we've been through."

There was a mournful wail from Va who had sunk back onto her haunches, form shifting fluidly from Vaporeon to Jolteon to Flareon to Espeon. "You promised!" her mental voice screamed at Lance. The champion pulled Misty back, away from the body, as the Espeon's eyes flashed purple. "You said you'd keep them safe!" Va's voice dropped into a sob. "You promised..."

"I… I'm sorry…" Lance choked out. "I tried, I'm sorry; I don't know how…" he clenched his eyes closed. "Dammit Ash, why'd you have to play some stupid trick like this," He cursed, looking up weakly at Latias and Mewtwo. "Is there a way?" he asked the legendary pair. "Any way… anything… I'd do anything…" he swore.

Misty pushed him away, sinking into herself, like she had down so long ago.

Lance repeated his demand. "Latias… please…"

The red eon dragon shook her head, but not out of denial, but out of pure unwillingness.

A spark of hope gleamed in Lance's eyes, "Latias? Is there a way?"

"A balance," Mewtwo prompted, when the eon refused to speak up. "Lives are in balance and must remain so."

He didn't understand it at first. He couldn't see what Mewtwo was trying to say. A balance. One life enters the world as another dies. Time freezes and the scales had been knocked off kilter and Ash managed to find his own loophole to live. Now everything was back to normal. They'd been trying for it for so long, but not like this.

Everything was back to normal.

One life enters and another dies.

"A balance." He breathed, repeating the clone's words. "One life for another." He looked up, at the legendary pair, pushing himself to his feet. "You can do that? Arrange it?"

"What?" Misty's usual blue green eyes are red and tear stained. "What are you doing Lance." Her voice wavers slightly and he was see her forcing back the waves of sorrow threatening to crush her. She has always been so strong… "Don't you do anything stupid you idiot." She snaps.

Erika has slotted together the pieces, running the phrase over and over in her head. "Don't Lance…" she begs.

"Take me." Lance says, holding his arms out to the legendries. "You need a balance. Take me. Take me instead. I die and Ash lives… right? Will that work? Latias you know about souls? Will it work?"

"No!" Misty shakes her head. "No, no, nobody else!"

"A balance must be kept." Latias intones, as if it is something she recites regularly to people. "One death for another. But remember… there is no bargain. What is… is what must be."

"I'll do it then."

Lance turned to face Erika, wide eyed. "No!" he snapped. "Stop this! Nobody else is dying! This is my deal. I made that promise and I'll keep it!"

"And?" Erika scoffs, "Nobody will miss me! My gym is gone! My friends are dead. Let me do something useful for once instead of needing to be saved!" the grass leader spat, tears running down her face.

"Chikor?" (Erika?) the Chikorita squeaked, nuzzling her legs.

"You don't mean that." Lance snapped. "Don't tell me you mean that! You're our friend! Without you I reckon Ash would be slightly more insane and we'd have less gears. Don't make it out like you're worth less than us!"

"But I am – aren't I?" Erika cried, "I couldn't save anybody… Ash… Everybody died and I survived. But I'm pathetic and can't do anything – Ash… he can do so much more!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Zo cried, nuzzling Ash's hair from where she was curled up. Luca stood behind her, red eyes closed in grim acceptance.

"You can't…" Misty shook her head. "He'd kill you for throwing your life away like this!"

"I'll do it." Erika repeats.

"No you won't." Lance glares at her. "We're not discussing this!" Erika flinches slightly and looks down in submission. "No Misty." He said firmly; when the red head opens her mouth, as if to offer herself up instead. "What do you think Ash would do to me if he was alive and you died huh? He'd kill me."

There was an awkward silence which followed, and the purple Espeon limped forwards a single pace, her tail still touching the still body of her mate. Her form shuddered, and shrunk back into that of the pitiful Eevee. "Do it then." She challenged Lance, and she's still an Eevee, but it's her voice ringing through his head. "If you must, throw your life away and be damn about the consequences." He can see the longing in her eyes, coupled with the complete disgust of seeing one sell ones soul for another and the two are warring with the other. He's not sure which one is winning.

"PiChU!" the small little yellow mouse escaped Misty's bag to run to her adopted brother. "PiChU! PiChu…" she chirped, hiccupping slightly.

"You're an idiot!" Zo snarls at him. "If you think this is going to make this better? Have you ever considered he might actually prefer to be dead?"

Her words make them pause, but only for a second, before even Zo shivers and shakes her head. "Don't…" she whispers. "You don't have to… you shouldn't…"

"I must." Lance says, cutting out any arguments before they grow. "Fine." he nodded towards the two psychic legendries. "I agree to it."

Latias shook her head, unwilling. The Soul Dragon glanced at Mewtwo who just looked grave – but then again the clone looked like that most of the time.

"I offer up my life in return for theirs." He motioned to Ash and Rai. "Take it - my soul, now, for his."

The two psychics looked at each other, undecided.

"Now!" Lance snapped, stepping backwards, until he stood within what he knew to be the dark navy dragon type gear. This had to happen. He knew this had to happen. He'd seen it, after all, in the curls and swirls of his tattoo.

"Your future, laid out for all to see."

Latias drifted forwards, while Mewtwo motioned to the rest of the Pokémon to drag Misty away from the aura guardian. Erika sat nearby, coincidently within his grass circlet with her Chikorita, while Misty protested and struggled but eventually collapsed within her own, water gear, Golduck standing next to her.

The dragoness turned to Lance, whose limbs were beginning to shake from fatigue and a horrible, terrible knowledge of one's own death. "Blood must be paid at the altar. Blood must be paid for the cost." she intoned, gold eyes sad, apologetic even. He was not the first, Lance realised, to have offered up a soul for another, and this was not the first time she had done this.

Lance, his breathing ragged, lightheadedly drew a dagger from his sleeve, a short blade; more of a knife really, and with a swift, clean cut, brought it across his hand, until red ran down, crimson rust.

"Are you sure?" Latias asked. "You don't have to do this. The Eons have the power to see the soul, to preserve it, to guard it, to keep the balance. My brother's soul was encased within a soul dew until it shattered. Yours will move on, to whatever it is that awaits those departed, and I will guide it there, as is my duty. But once you agree you cannot turn back."

The red head let out a short slightly hysterical laugh. "I sort of knew that." He said shakily.

"No." Misty whispered, shaking her head. "No." yet even she couldn't deny the undeniable hope in her eyes that Ash might be okay. She would break, if Ash remained dead, and this time there would be no picking up of the pieces. And Erika already had lost that confidence, the self-assurance which had carried her so far. And Va, the poor Eevee that life had been so cruel to. For her to lose those the most precious to her – her mate and master…

But there was final thing Lance had to do.

He reached for the dragon around his neck, and lifted him down gently. "Look after May for me." He whispered to it.

"Dra." (No.) It shook its head, tail curling around his arm in an effort to prevent him from moving him.

"Dratini." (I'm not leaving.)

"He has made his choice." Mewtwo translated. "As you have made yours. And now you must die."

Lance's head snapped towards the psychic at the abrupt statement. He couldn't at least try to be nice about it?

He vaguely noticed that the gear mural he stood in, the navy blue dragon was glowing with elemental power again, along with the yellow lightning gear where Ash and Rai lay, bodies almost cold, the life gone.

He let Dratini curl up around his arm, scales smoothly sliding along his jacket.

It was time.

The last through before Lance's vision faded, was that he'd never get to ask May out on that date.

Then the world slid into black.

[12:09PM] – 27th May 2011 – Indigo Plateau

People like to say everything comes around in a circle. Erika was not there, that terrible morning at Indigo last time, on the cliff side as the rockets and team confronted the League and SECTION, announcing the war, announcing their ruling, announcing the end.

But now… four years – almost five – things seemed to have returned to their origins. A sacrifice, honourable and pure, made completely willingly, was allowing fate to change once more, to defy the laws of the Original One.

Erika choked slightly, on her tears, as she watched the blue and yellow glows glow brighter and brighter, until she could no longer look and then it was gone, and she blinked through blurry eyes, trying to see the outcome. Latias had lowered her head sadly, golden eyes closed, and even Mewtwo had inclined his head towards the place where Lance and his dragon had stood.

Had…

Past tense…

"Lance." She whispered, and scrambled clumsily to her feet, speeding up as she walked across to where the champion and his companion lay. "Oh no."

She heard, through muffled ears, Ash and Rai breath in a much needed, breath of life, and for the former, to immediately break into a fit of coughing.

"Am I still dead?" the aura guardian asked blearily, pushing himself up of the cold electric mural, "because I have this horrible sense of déjà vu. And last time I awoke on a cold snowy mountain with a god telling me he just brought me back to life for a little bit longer to save the world. Again…"

"Ash!" Misty was first across, beating Zo who was a close second. The initial pair clung together for a moment before the transforming Zorua gave up being patient and shifted to a human, throwing her arms around them both.

"Don't do that you idiot." The fox muttered, sounding as if she had a blocked nose.

"RaiAiAiChu?" (Zo are you crying?)

"No." she sobbed. "I have hay fever."

The stoic Lucario bowed his head in respect as the three separated, and Ash raised an eyebrow at the black jackal, before kneeling down and pulling the surprised aura Pokémon into a head lock. "I missed you to." He said, in response to the unspoken words, releasing the indignant Lucario.

The aura guardian paused, eyes straying past where Rai and Va were pressed together, to where Erika sat. "What… what happened? Because I pretty sure I was dead for good that time."

Erika swallowed down a lump in her throat. "Lance… he said the balance… he switched… him for you… he…"

"No."

The aura guardian must have teleported, to have reached her side so quickly, hands searching for a non-existent pulse, eerily similar to the position Misty had been in only a few minutes again. "No, no – you moron," He snarled, hands clenching, aura pulsing over them, blue, for the first time in years, with none of that black darkness from the past months. "Son of a… You idiot!" he shouted to the hall, to the dead champion who wasn't around to hear him, before slumping defeated. "My life isn't worth this."

"We thought it was." Erika said quietly. "If not for you… then me or Misty… but Lance wouldn't let us."

"VuiVuiVa Eev…" (This is my entire fault.) The Eevee stared, ears drooping, "EeEeVee Vaa." (I made him promise to save you two.)

"It's not your fault." Latias cooed in their heads. "This was his path. He chose it. It was written down for him, from the very start."

Ash shook his head in denial. "No. This can't be it. You can't just die!" he grabbed a wrist, searching for the faint pulse of blood. "You can't just go and die now all this is over. It doesn't work like that moron! And… you can't just switch the balance like that. You can't just sell your soul for me, just like that… Not when it should be me and not you there. Why… why does it always work for you huh? You complete jerk!"

"Don't, Ash." Erika pleased, "He's dead. He's gone." She curled back into herself, Misty limping over; her face broken and sorrowful. The grass leader shook her head… maybe if only she'd tried to… do something…

"He's not dead!" Ash snapped a denial, even though it was obviously pointless. But Lance couldn't be dead. He can't be. It wasn't meant to be Lance, it was him, he was dead, meant to die, and now he was here, alive, with a spark of life in his veins. Rai's electricity was indisputably yellow, and he knew his aura was back to the pure, general blue it always had been before he died. He was alive and Lance was dead.

He was relieved; he wasn't dead, then instantly annoyed and guilty. Why did Lance have to act the noble hero? Why did he do something this stupid? Ash was being a complete hypocrite here, but he didn't care, because his best friend was dying… dead…

Ash hadn't been allowed to die when time was still. It was the incentive to find the gears, find the gears and end the dreadful half-living of the world and his self. His body would revert back to the way it was, stuck in the single plane of time, fixed, unable to change or be altered. He was pretty sure Giovanni could have shot him again and he would have woken, as if nothing had happened a little while later.

Ash's death was fixed. He would die when time began to move. It would move on without him and he'd be left behind.

Instead Lance had died, taking his place. It wasn't meant to work like that, regardless of Lance's death he should have died as well. Then why had it worked? The stupid self-sacrificing jerk had sold his soul in exchange for Ash's life. It was a reckless sort of action he'd expect of himself and not the champion.

Words he had spoken earlier to Lance echoed back at him. There had to be a balance of life and of death. And if Lance had fallen, at the crucial turning point, and Ash had remained, then the balance was there. Lance had sacrificed himself for Ash and Rai, for the pair to live while he died.

Lance was dead.

He shook his head, as he arrived at the same conclusion as before. No! There had to be some way. Lance could not be dead. The champion was a fighter, he wouldn't just step forwards and die like that!

The champion could have died at any point in the past few years. No life was born but the deaths were infinite. Life would kill itself out, in the frozen time period, yet Ash would have remained, fixed and permanent. He wasn't now, he knew if he cut himself he would bleed and keep bleeding, until finding a bandage, healing naturally. Ash was no longer a fixed point in space and time.

Lance had replaced him there.

The dark haired man's head snapped up, staring at the form of the dragon master.

Lance could have died at any point. He had replaced Ash, as the fixed point that had to die. Yet it wasn't his fate to die, that was Ash's, yet Ash was alive and Lance wasn't. Somewhere, someone had taken a pen to the book of destiny and scribbled out Ash's death, the debt paid, yet not written any in place of it.

Maybe… just maybe… more than one of Ash's curses might have passed over to the champion when he had taken Ash's place.

The aura guardian glanced at the eon dragon who glanced up, golden eyes hopeful and sad, as if still waiting for everything to happen.

He sent her a message, "Will it work?" he asked, eyes burning gold with hope.

"I don't know." She answered honestly, truthfully, horribly painfully truthfully and Ash could only wait, heart beat thundering, as he grabbed the champion's wrist, feeling for the faint beat of blood, rhythm of life beneath the skin.

Lance didn't have to die.

There was an odd humming in the air, almost like a distant song.

Lance… wasn't dying.

"Oh thank Mew." Ash rocked back, tension seeping out of him. Latias raised her head, eyes hardly daring to hope that she had managed to curse the soul she had swapped… but yes… there… the wounds of the champion… the cuts and grazes and the cut along his palm… they were slowly and inexplicably, beginning to heal. The eon let out a delighted coo, eyes sinking closed in relief. Darkrai would have her head for this, but she could feign innocence and get away with it easily enough.

Mewtwo shot her a sideways glance, and for a moment he looked almost like he was smiling too.

"What?" Erika threw herself forwards, grabbing the hand Ash had dropped, and reaching for a pulse. She blinked. "He's alive?"

"He is." Ash insisted. "There's a pulse. He wasn't meant to die so it's reversing itself, like your poison and me in Saffron. He is alive Erika. He's alive."

"He's… not dead?" Erika seemed to have forgotten what the word 'alive' meant.

"He's alive." Ash confirmed. Using the term 'alive' didn't help Erika's confusion.

The air was humming with song, and Ash and Erika looked up curiously, before glancing off to where Misty had been sitting. The red head had vacated the area though and was standing among the shattered glass of the roof, near the entrance, staring at something as if entranced.

"Misty?" Ash called.

She turned around, face split into a brilliant smile. "It… it's going to be okay now – isn't it?"

"Lance is alive." Ash said, glancing at the champion.

"I know." Misty whispered. "Come and see."

Ash stood, simultaneously teleporting to her side. She flinched slightly, but her smile didn't fade. She gestured to the doorway. "She came back."

The aura guardian hadn't yet turned, but the song in the air rose in volume. Within the doorway, a white angel hovered, blue and red triangles covering the soft, creamy white feathers.

"It's a Togekiss." Erika felt tears coming to her eyes again. "It is said they come to times of great joy. Of peace…"

"Don't you recognise her?" Misty asked, staring up at Ash. "It's my Togepi. My little baby; she came back."

The Jubilee Pokémon let out a soft croon, as she drifted forwards towards the pair, electric and water trainer. "Toge."

She had stopped singing, staring in happiness at the two in front of her.

"Hey – Misty?" Ash asked, spinning her around gently. The red head in his arms looked up at him teary eyed.

"What is it?"

He reached up with his right hand, tipping up her chin and kissed her.

Erika looked at Lance who had opened his eyes, pushing himself up off the glass strewn floor. "Don't expect the same treatment." She warned him, glaring at him. The champion still looked a bit dazed, taking in the angel Togekiss, crooning happily. Raichu and Va raced over to say hi, avoiding their still lip locked trainers who were catching up after a few years apart. Erika was still glaring at him, with Pichu and Chikorita at her feet, Zo pulling a face and Lucario, the stoic sullen black Lucario who was as silent as the grave, smiling.

Nobody noticed when Latias and Mewtwo faded into invisibility, happy as they were.

"Well that's the sight every dead guy wants to see after being resurrected. His best friend getting some while he isn't." Lance complained, still trying to piece together what had just happened.

Ash and Misty broke apart, Ash narrowing his eyes and Misty blushing red.

"Say that again and I might feel tempted to play the big brother when you start dating May." Ash threatened, but it lacked any real threat to it. Not to mention Misty hit him on the arm for the comment.

Erika looked torn for a bit before sighing. "Oh screw this," she muttered, and threw herself at him, squealing. "You're alive!" she seemed to have remembered what the word meant. "Thank Mew…" she whispered, "Thank you."

Togekiss paused in her singing, crooning softly and happily, overjoyed to have found such a joyous scene. Misty who seemed to want to hug Lance, settled instead for flinging herself on her evolved Togepi. "Are you staying?" she whispered into the feathers.

"Pi." (Always). The Jubilee Pokémon chirped. "TogeTogeKiss." (I'm here to stay.)

"I missed you!" Misty half laughed, half sobbed into the white feathers.

"If it helps..." Ash laughed, "She just told you she's staying."

Lance seemed to have a little problem. "Uh… Erika… Can you let me breathe… a little… bit…"

She instantly let go. "Sorry." She blushed. "You had us worried for a minute there. We thought you were dead."

She helped his up, the champion looking a little light headed. "I think I was..." he frowned. "It wasn't that interesting. I wouldn't recommend it."

Ash chuckled. "It is pretty dull." he agreed, still grinning wildly at the irony of it all. He was talking about death with his best friend. "I mean - it's not the worst thing ever and I suppose when we eventually get there it will be okay. I always said I'd try anything once, but that, I think I'll wait a bit before trying again."

"I thought I was a goner." Lance admitted.

"You're definitely a moron." Ash added helpfully.

"What happened?" Misty queried, "I thought… someone had to die?"

The raven swallowed, "I'm not exactly sure." He admitted. "But I know that when you died instead of me, my super healing transferred onto you. Because it's so soon, and time is still getting set up, it allowed your death to reverse back to life. In other words you are just really, really lucky. Latias and I thought for a minute there that we'd lost you… but then death rejected you."

Misty let out a hysterical giggle. "Hear that? You just got dumped by death Lance."

Ash frowned, looking around for the missing clone and eon, but made no comment at their vanishing. Instead he let Rai leap into his arms, cuddling up like he used to as a Pikachu.

"RaiAiChu!" (We're alive!) he chirped brightly.

Ash laughed. "Yes. Yes we are; aren't we? Isn't life good?"

And there, in the ruins of Indigo Plateau, among the seventeen elemental circles, the gang gathered smiling, old friends and new, happy and alive and well.

Sometimes it was good to be alive.

AN: June 2013

I feel slightly cruel, playing with you all like that, but this was my plan since way back when Ash and Erika were still hanging around Saffron. I hope it meets expectations, and I'm sure there were better ways I could have potentially played this, but this was what I chose. In case it was confusing, Ash died when time moved on, so Lance traded his life for Ash's, but Latias managed to move Ash's curse onto Lance so he healed from death. The healing is not going to remain either, so he's not going to be the 'fixed point' Ash was.

Please don't ask for any more details about how it works. It just does, and me, as the author, barely managed to follow my own explanation when editing this. I probably need to work on that... Also the thing with trading life/soul with Darkrai was thrown in last minute, so if it feels random, its because it probably is.

There's a sort of epilogue next, and then the prequel. Updates will be odd, after all, I missed my Thursday update due to an exam yesterday. "Castiel, angel of Thursday. Just not your day is it?"

Hope you enjoyed reading!

~ Eclipse