-Chapter XXII: From The Ashes We Rise-

-Roy-

"Roy… How will you do that?"

"I don't know… I don't even know if it's possible, but I will try my best, and if it can be done, I will find a way to do it."

"Well… Thanks... So... your past. You don't remember it at all?" Dawn stared at him, and he shook his head. "I'd be lying if I said I remembered anything more than brief flashbacks... I remember glimpses of it here and there… I remember pain, and a flash of light followed by an ear-shattering noise… And a voice… but that's it."

"Oh… I'm sorry…"

"There's nothing to apologize for," Roy said. "After all, I was probably dead long before any of you were born."

"Oh…" She looked to the ground and seemed to be deep in thought. He observed her while she blinked heavily and shivered slightly. "It got cold really fast…"

"I guess it is wintertime, huh? I never really cared about the cold that much. I don't have much of a body to be affected by it." He smiled and floated upwards. "But it is something I can fix."

He used psychic to gather a pile of foliage and twigs into one stack, then used mystical fire, shooting the scarlet flames out of his mouth, igniting the debris almost instantaneously. The fire grew until it was about five feet tall, and he pulled small shrubs out of the forest floor and threw them into the flames. Dawn scooted closer to the fire and used psychic to form a chair out of the earth. She eased herself into it, and Roy floated in front of the flames. He wasn't sensitive to heat or cold, so he could live anywhere without much of a problem. Although, pokémon moves seemed to affect him no matter what.

"Roy…"

"Yes?"

She flinched and quickly said, "Nothing. Sorry…"

He looked down at her, and she was blushing a lot. And it wasn't a psychic hue. He immediately realized what was going on, and decided he had to put an end to this before she got hurt.

"Dawn… Listen… I… I can't-"

"What's this?" A new voice echoed throughout the woods as the trees began to darken, the sun disappearing behind a thickening cloud cover. "Star-crossed lovers? Hm-hm-hm-ha-ha-ha… Ha-ha-HA-HA-HA! Oh, how amusing!"

Dawn stood up and raised her arm. "Who's there?!"

"Oh… I didn't anticipate this… It looks like our little Roy has a guardian…" A flash of purple caught his eye, and he tackled Dawn to the side while a pillar of indigo flames shot past, melting the ground itself into a pool of spectral magma. "Leave her out of this, whoever you are!"

"Oh… You see… I can't. She's with you, so boo-hoo, she's caught in the crossfire! Instead of whining about it, tell me... where is this Dusknoir I've heard so much about?"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about."

The purple light flickered to his left, and the voice snickered. "Hee-hee-hee-hm-hm-ha! You might have been able to fool Widow and Flatline… But you're not fooling me. You're Roy, without a doubt. Your soul smells splendid… Much stronger and more unique than any other I've felt in a while."

"That's creepy. And… who are you?"

"Most call me Soulburner." the purple flame multiplied until there were four smaller ones surrounding a larger light in the center, followed by the shadows cast by the lights condensing into a Chandelure. "So you can call me that in the little time you have left to roam this world."

Dawn kept her eyes closed as she looked in the Chandelure's general direction. "Roy, what species is it?"

"A Chandelure…" Can she not sense him?

"Oh! You're the Ralts everyone's been talking about? I've heard much about you! You're strong, girl… You could easily be the Alpha. But sadly, I don't think you can see me, since you just asked what species I was… Only your friend can, which makes it even sweeter when you watch him burn in front of your very eyes! Hm-hee-hee-ha-ha-ha!"

The Chandelure floated closer, and Roy found himself entranced by the flickering lights. He floated closer and closer, and the Chandelure stared at him with an amused, crooked smile. "My, oh my… You're still just a baby, aren't you? Drawn in so easily… This is almost no fun!"

Roy couldn't talk, in spite of himself. Everything around him faded away. All he could see was the light from the flames, drawing him in like a vacuum. They seemed to glow brighter and brighter until it was blinding to look at. As soon as he turned away, his entire being began burning away. He screamed in pain as the purple flames swirled around him. "You're going to burn… Your soul is unfit to be roaming this world! You're nothing but a husk of your former self, driven by malice and hatred, fueled by revenge and fear! But don't worry… It'll all be over soon!"

Is this how it ends? Am I really going out like this?

Then a psychic blade of energy sliced through the air, blowing away the flames and slicing one of the Chandelure's limbs off. Roy fell to the ground, smoke spewing from his body. He groaned in pain while Dawn held his head in her arms. She stared into his eyes with her own, and he felt his vision fading in and out. He couldn't hear anything… Not even ringing in his ears.

Dawn looked behind him, and when he looked, he saw the Chandelure fly backwards after a blast of dark energy. A Sableye leapt over them and shimmied up a tree faster than he could follow. It leapt off of the branch towards Soulburner, and while the Chandelure was occupied with it, a Gardevoir blasted it with a moonblast attack, knocking it to the ground with hundreds of rays of pink light. It shot a fire blast at the Gardevoir, but an Alakazam teleported in front of her and caught the fireball with psychic and dissipated the flames. The Sableye leapt onto the Chandelure's face and used night slash, leaving a massive gash between its eyes. It shook the Sableye off and used fire spin, coating itself in flames, but before he could launch it, a Gengar leapt out of the shadow realm, dove through the flames and tackled the Chandelure out of midair. The shadows around the forest condensed around the Gengar's fist, and a giant shadowy hand smashed the Chandelure into the ground, then grabbed it by its head and held it at eye level with the Gardevoir.

Then his hearing returned just in time to hear the Gardevoir speak. "Samantha of Team Blackmist. Soulburner, you are under arrest for the murder of thirty-four pokémon, breaking out of a maximum security chamber in Magnezone's prison, and resisting arrest on seven different occasions. Once these charges are made official by the chief of police, you will be faced with execution by psychic warping."

Soulburner growled and erupted into flames, but the Alakazam formed a psychic bubble that contained the swirling fire. It resolidified into the Chandelure, and he scowled. "Awh… And to think I was just getting warmed up… Come on guys! Give me a twenty minute head-start! I wasn't ready to face any big teams yet! I need to eat breakfast!"

The Sableye appeared in front of Roy and held out its hand in a submissive gesture. "Spencer th' sableye, at yer service!"

Roy floated upwards and narrowed his eyes at the Sableye. "Um… Thank you… But… Who are you, exactly?"

"We're Team Blackmist," the Gengar walked out of the shadows with a wicked grin, enshrouded in a thick black fog that covered the ground up to Dawn's neck.

"Ah. What a fitting name." Roy used flash to lift the black cloud that washed over them, but it did nothing.

And I am Alex.

The fog parted slightly, and the Alakazam levitated in front of them. And who might you be?

"Well… Hi. I'm Roy, and this is-"

"Dawn… We've heard much about you..." the Gardevoir from earlier appeared, and the fog dissipated entirely. Her very aura filled the air with an atmosphere that made his spectral skin crackle with energy. This psychic-type was strong. Possibly as strong as Dawn.

Dawn clenched her fists and moved closer to him. "What do you want?"

"We are here to apprehend soulburner. He had recently escaped from Magnezone's prison, so we were sent to capture him."

"Oh." Dawn looked to the ground, and Spencer crouched lower, until he was at eye-level with her. "We cud al' fale de energy comin' aff av yer. nigh, oi don't necessarily nu 'oy strong yer are, but we cud alwus use another member loike yerself-" (AN: Spencer has a thick scottish accent)

"No." Dawn spoke with a renewed confidence. "I'm not leaving my team."

Roy tilted his head at her. "You can understand him?"

"You mean you're already on a team?" The Gardevoir seemed surprised. "I didn't know… Forgive us. We assumed that you were just another victim of this wretched pokémon's heinous crimes."

"It's alright."

"Just out of curiosity," the Gengar crossed his arms and stared at Roy. "Why are you with a ghost-type? Unless you two are a team?"

"We're-"

"They're with us." Connor dropped out of the sky, landing on the ground with a heavy thud, and the other team stepped back slightly. "You're-!"

"Yeah… I'm Connor, leader of Team Firestorm. And these two are a part of my team."

Then Vulcan dropped out of the sky next to him. "Who are you?"

"We're… We're team Blackmist. We have heard many great things about you," the Gardevoir began. "But… Why are you all the way out here? And not in a mystery dungeon?"

"That's classified information," Connor said. The Gardevoir's eyes flashed dimly for a moment before she tilted her head in confusion.

"Not reading minds is common courtesy," Dawn said. She looked in the Gardevoir's general direction. "No honorable psychic type should ever read minds on purpose without permission."

"Yes… Forgive me. I got ahead of myself. My curiosity often gets the best of me."

Connor shrugged and replied, "No problem. So what kind of team are you supposed to be? Bounty hunters? Explorers? Outlaw seekers?"

"We merely offer our assistance to the chief of police when he requires it," Samantha replied. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"So you're like Magnezone's go-to team?" Connor questioned.

"I thought we were his go-to team..." Vulcan shifted his gaze between the other team's pokémon. "Say, how come we've never heard of you guys?"

"We're a team that stays in the shadows, under the cover of darkness," the Gengar cackled. "Magnezone likes to keep it that way with us, since everybody else seems to get caught in the crossfire between your team and whatever has you guys running. Now, we like you guys. And if we could, we'd help you out in every way we can."

"But…" Samantha cut him off. "We have prior commitments. Now, if our paths cross again and our duties permit, of course we'll lend our assistance. But until then… Farewell, team Firestorm."

The Gengar and Sableye vanished into the shadows, and the Gardevoir and Alakazam vanished in a flash of light, along with the Chandelure.

"Roy…" Connor began, and he rolled his eyes slightly. "I know, I know…"

"Who were they?" Vulcan placed his hand on his chin, and Dawn shuddered. "That Gardevoir…"

Roy turned back to her briefly. "Don't tell me she's your mother. That's just horrible timing, and way to cliché."

"No. She's not… I've never met any of them in my life. But…" She shook her head and stood up. "Connor… Let's go home."

His eyes sparked with a strange energy, but he nodded in agreement. "Okay… But before we do, you need to promise me… that you'll apologize for the whole thing with Atlas. Even if you don't want to, the rest of the team is angry with you for it, so if you just apologize, it'll help."

"...I will. I promise."

"Good. Then let's go."

-Amber-

She examined the plan twice more. Briar had explained it several times, but Amber was just as skeptical as the Sceptile. If she was, in fact, being held captive in the same village as Vulcan was previously, they could expect the same amount of resistance. And that would be very bad, considering the amount of loss that was endured previously.

"Briar… I seriously don't think it's wise to do this."

Briar stared at the map wordlessly. Then everything around them slowed to a halt and turned a dull shade of grey. Briar looked into her eyes with her own, a light turquoise glow resonating from her irises. "Amber… I know she will be fine. I've given her the Lopunny stone. The one required for 'mega evolution'. With her newfound power, she will have the ability to overcome nearly any opposition long enough for us to get to her."

Amber looked around at everyone stopped mid-conversation, and shook her head slowly. "Briar… Can you please…?"

"Ah, yes. Of course." Her eyes dimmed, and time returned to normal. Amber sighed and looked at the map again.

"So… We're doing it anyways, aren't we?"

"It's our duty to protect them, is it not? That Machamp will attempt to go regardless of our orders, so we must prepare for the worst. I have already given Tyranitar and Galvantula full leave to do whatever they wish, aside from Tyranitar's outrage and earthquake."

Amber nodded as the realization set in. "Then we win… right?"

Briar shook her head slowly. "I don't believe it will be that easy…"

"Why not?" Amber asked. "Tyranitar has beaten other Alphas before. He might even be one of the strongest!"

"Basileus can beat him."

Amber nearly laughed. "Putting Basileus in the same category as any other fighter is an insult to him!"

Briar shrugged. "Until this point, Team Firestorm thought they were the strongest. They had an all-powerful human turned Swampert on their team. Even with help from two other teams, they lost. The same could happen to us. Just because you're the best for a brief period of time doesn't mean that there aren't others out there that are better. It is a constant fight to stay the best."

"That doesn't count. Vulcan was turned against them!"

"And what if one of our own suffer the same fate? Do you have what it takes to take them down?"

"Of… Of course."

"Even Tyranitar? Or Grovyle?"

Amber hesitated. She could take them in a fight, but if it really came down to it, could she finish the job?

Briar looked at Amber again. "That is where I differ from every other Temporal Guardian. I have a contingency plan for every one of you, should something happen."

"Even your son and mate?!" Amber nearly shouted.

"...Yes. You remember what happened in the future before we came here."

"Yes... I do."

They had been sworn to secrecy about the events of the restored future. They could refer to it amongst themselves, but no others were allowed to know.

"But still… Why? Who could possibly make one of our own turn against us? And Dialga has foreseen everything throughout all of time. He would never choose a pokémon that could turn so easily!"

"So you're saying it's impossible."

"Yes! None of us can be captured, and even if we were, we could escape without a problem!"

A short laugh was Briar's initial response. "Nothing is impossible, Amber. We are regular beings that were given power comparable to Mew, the mother of all pokémon. Two Sceptiles, a Tyranitar, Galvantula, Celebi, Lapras, a Wigglytuff… a human. We can all control the flow of time itself. On top of that, Connor, a human from Terra, the apprentice of the one responsible for the collapse of Temporal Tower, stopped the destruction of time by fighting the deity of time itself after having amnesia inflicted upon him by Darkrai, his previous master, then proceeded to defeat Darkrai, banishing him to Concordia, where this previously wicked pokémon proceeded to save an entire human town from the wrath of Palkia and Dialga in an entirely separate reality in the cosmic web. This team's leader alone has done the impossible more times than any other individual in Varius' history."

Amber's eyes widened as she tried to argue, but was at a loss for words. "But… We're-"

Briar pat her back with a gentle smile. "It's alright, child… Even Dialga can't foresee everything. Then there would be no mystery in the world. Without mystery, there would be no problems that weren't foreseen, and in turn, there would be no need for us to resolve them. It is because of the evil in the world that there is a need for us at all."

Amber pointed at the map again, trying to get back on topic. "So we break in there, get her out, come back?"

"...Yes. If you want to explain it to a two-year-old magikarp."

Amber sighed and looked around at the other pokémon talking around them. Atlas was lifting boulders over his head without breaking a sweat, while Jade was floating in the corner, appearing to be meditating. Caroline and Mirage were conversating about something else, and when Amber shifted her gaze over Grovyle and Celebi, they had vanished. Hm? Where…?

She dismissed the thought after a moment. They're fine. Nothing can hurt them.

"Hey everybody, we're back!" Celebi flew through the door, followed closely by Grovyle, walking side-by-side with Connor and Vulcan. Dawn and Roy were just behind them, and Amber smiled. "Grovyle, you didn't tell me that you went with them."

"Oh… We didn't. Celebi and I saw them on our way back."

"Back from where?"

"From the forest. We were scouting areas that were suitable for sitrus berries. They require a very specific soil." Grovyle replied without hesitation. Briar narrowed her eyes, but turned back to her map. "If you six are done loitering, come have a look at our plan."

They all moved closer, and Briar explained the plan again to them.

"...And that's the overall idea. Can you do it?"

"Yeah, of course," Connor replied.

-Alice-

"Hmph. So you're Alice…? I must say, you're much more impressive in person…"

A Honchkrow was standing in front of her as she was chained to the wall by the Banette. Apparently the Ariados she had fought was a Substitute clone, so when she rushed forward, she was ensnared by the explosion of webbing caused by the clone when it 'died'. And that quill had some late-acting venom on it that made her faint shortly afterwards.

She strained against the chains, but without her mega stone, she couldn't even think straight anymore. It was like that stone gave her a new perception of fighting that she only had while mega evolved. The Honchkrow laughed and moved closer to her. He smelled somewhat nice, in spite of his rough exterior appearance. "You're a lovely specimen, to say the least… I'll admit, you really gave me a scare when Widow opened the cocoon. I thought that they were trying to ambush me at first! But I knew better, of course."

"What do you want with me?" Alice was too scared to use Attract. The effectiveness of her emotional manipulation depended on how confident she was at the moment. Right now, she could die at any second. Mordred was right behind the Honchkrow, and he didn't look happy.

"Oh… Nothing much. Originally I wanted you all killed. But I've had to reconsider for you. You're much more valuable to me while you're alive."

Widow, the Ariados hissed, "Our payment is still valid, correct?"

"Of course," The Honchkrow replied. "Our agreement was that I needed them eliminated. This will suffice for now."

Alice was freaking out. What did he have to gain from her being alive? The Honchkrow waved the Ariados off. "Now, go… You may kill them if you wish. This is the one I wanted."

The Ariados nodded and left the chamber. The Honchkrow smirked and stared into her eyes. "Such lovely eyes… Yes, you'll sell for a high price."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"There are plenty of pokémon out there that are much worse than murderers… Now, those kinds of things aren't my taste. Otherwise I'd keep you for myself. But I prefer running things without all the perverseness. "

Mordred looked visibly disgusted, and Alice used that to get to him. She activated attract and smiled charmingly. "Mordred… What's wrong?"

He regained his stoic expression on a dime. "Shut up."

That response shocked her, and the Honchkrow smirked. "Yes, your charmed speaking doesn't work in this room. It's had several spells cast over it, negating most special moves, including that other Charizard's incantation-casting. Transforming, charmed speaking, flying with telekinesis… none of it works."

She pulled against the chains once more, but nothing happened. Mordred sighed and looked at the other pokémon. "Master-"

"Master Victor!" Nagini, that Seviper from team Virus, she remembered, slithered into the chamber.

Victor growled and used air slash on the snake, blasting it backwards with a blade of wind. "Nagini, please refrain from using my name in front of guests."

"Y-Yes, sir… I forgot-"

"Now why are you here?"

"I… I'm here for the prisoner."

"On whose authority?"

"Team Blackmist wishes to exchange Soulburner for her."

Victor seemed perplexed and angry at the same time. "Why are you even considering this offer? And without consulting me first?"

"...S-Sir, Soulburner is one of our most powerful-"

"If he was able to be captured, he must not have been trying. He cannot do that with Roy and Dusknoir. And as such, he has no value to us as a token of leverage. However, I believe that I gave you a direct order to find him, did I not?"

The Seviper bared its fangs and hissed quietly, but Mordred stepped between them, "Is there a problem, snake?"

"...No… Not at all. Apologies, master."

Then the entire room rumbled, and Nagini looked around nervously. "M-Master Victor… They're here."

"Team Firestorm?"

The Seviper nodded, and the Honchkrow looked at Mordred. "Take care of this, please. I'm tired of all these complications. And actually try this time. Goodness."

Nagini slowly slithered up to her as Mordred left the building, and Victor stared at him. "...What are you doing?"

Alice stared into his eyes, one of them glazed over, with a long, pale section of skin running diagonally down it. Then, they softened to a pair of familiar green eyes. She tilted her head, trying to make sure she saw them right. He winked and looked back at Victor, the cold, snake-like eyes returning. "Her beauty drew me in uncontrollably. Forgive me, master. It will not happen again."

"You're excused."

"Boss!"

Victor's eyes widened. "...Nagini?" Alice saw another Seviper snake into the chamber, and her confusion rose to a new all-time high. "Team Firestorm. But this time they brought several new allies."

Victor and Alice both looked back and forth between the two identical Sevipers. The second one noticed after several seconds, and the first one leaned in to Alice. "If you want to live… Follow my lead. We're helpless in this room."

He straightened his body out and smirked. "Ah… My impostor finally shows himself."

"What?!" The other Seviper stared at him in shock. "Master Victor, that isn't me! I mean- That's-"

"Change of plans, actually! Heh. Sorry Alice… I didn't expect him to show up." He smiled and puffed out his chest. "Vincent the Seviper, at your service! Now tell me, boys... How does it feel to get played like a bunch of chumps?"

The first Seviper sliced her bonds with his tail blade, and Alice smiled uncontrollably. She teared up, and Vincent, as a Seviper, handed her her mega stone, the band it was wrapped in dangling from his tail blade. "Here. We're gonna need this. My cover's kind of blown now."

Bam! That just happened! We've got a new team on the playing field, as well as a Chandelure! And Vincent's alive, apparently! Who would've guessed that? Alright guys, I hope your monday is going well, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to leave any questions, comments, concerns and theories about what might happen in the form of a Review or PM! Much Love!

-PL