Chapter 24: Luna Nova Academy, Under Siege, Part 1

Leaving the House of Cavendish, it was discovered that Oboneron had emerged from his grave, and Chariot, Croix, Akko, Diana, Ash and Pikachu flew back to Luna Nova Academy. In a greedy move, Daryl sold material meant to understand the conflict between Oboneron and Sir Aaron. The black clouds spewing fire was an omen of the crisis. "Should we be surprised that Luna Nova Academy's the first target!?" questioned Croix.

"If anything!" voiced Diana. "Headmistress Holbrooke is alerting the students and staff!" Akko, riding with Ash and Pikachu on Shooting Star, looked back to Chariot. Before leaving the House, Chariot admitted her true identity as she was only known as Ursula.

"Chariot…" she hushed. Other students and staff raced out of Luna Nova Academy, ready to protect their school. The worst was about to come at them. From the clouds was a heavily built being in armor with wings made of hellfire. The legs were webbed, but with midnight red skin. It wore scaled shoulder guards and emerald green anklets. Its face was a skeletal monstrosity as it had crooked and curved devilish horns with hellfire billowing from the base of the horns and down the back.

"So, he's arrived," Sucy sneered.

"That's… Oboneron?" gulped Hannah.

"That's a monster!" shrieked Lotte. The monster looked at the school ahead.

"Much has changed in the thousand years!" he noted. "Alas, I smell the blood of a Cavendish!" Those on brooms came closer to the monster. Inside and looking out the window of a classroom, Meowth gasped to the monster's voice.

"Dat's Oboneron!?" he realized. Also looking with Meowth was Wangari.

"That's not good…" she gulped. "He's about as tall as the school!" Chariot had an idea as she flew close to Akko, Ash and Pikachu.

"Miss Chariot!?" noticed Akko.

"Ash, you and the students cover me while I get it!" ordered Chariot. Ash and Pikachu blinked to what "it" was. Akko heard Chariot and knew what "it" was that she needed.

"Okay!" agreed Akko. Chariot acknowledged Akko's acceptance and flew for the tower. Croix flew in front of Chariot, sensing the item in question. Other students saw Chariot going for her tower. Oboneron turned, finding Diana flying among the rest.

"There she is," he grumbled. "A Cavendish… So, the bloodline is alive." Diana gasped to the discovery.

"So, Oboneron knows that I'm part of the family," she growled. "I guess it saves time with introductions…"

"True, and I think your cousins had the right feeling about him!" alerted Croix. Oboneron launched a rain of embers. The witches moved out of the way, allowing the embers to hit the ground.

"We gotta protect those on the ground!" alerted Akko. Amanda aimed her wand while on one knee.

"Constanze, I need your gun!" she called out. Constanze flew on a broom that had an engine attached to it. She wore a witch's hat that draped over her eyes but her eyes were still seen through goggles she wore.

"Hop on!" she called out. Worried more about Oboneron than Constanze speaking, Amanda jumped onto the broom.

"You shoot, I'll steer!" she planned. Constanze leaned down to give Amanda vision to steer. Constanze made a gun appear out of nowhere and mounted it to the front of the broom. She pulled the trigger, causing the gun to shoot like a machine gun. The bullets shot out bounced off Oboneron. "Great… It does nothing?" Oboneron swiped at the broom, but Amanda steered around the attack. Other students were on brooms and flying around. Nelson flew to help the students.

"Formation V!" she ordered as six students flanked both of Nelson's sides. Miranda and Samantha flanked the formation on their brooms.

"If that monster destroys the Academy, it'll leave me bankrupt," Samantha complained.

"We need to live before we assess monetary losses," Miranda urged. The formation flew at Oboneron, but a backhand swipe broke the formation as the students and teachers brought out their wands. "Maybe this can get you to pay attention!" She wove her wand and out came a blast of wintry winds. Oboneron wasn't phased.

"Please…" he scoffed before shooting out a fireball from his palm. Miranda gasped before getting another spell ready.

"Shield!" she shouted as a bubble formed quickly. It formed before the fireball struck her, destroying the barrier and hurdling her toward the ground.

"Headmistress!" some of the students gasped. Flying in on another broom was Chariot who had her witch's hat one. She caught Miranda as she was almost hitting the ground. Looking, Miranda saw a rod with Chariot.

"Sorry, Miranda," Chariot apologized. "But, it's not like I have a choice." Miranda recovered and mounted Chariot's broom.

"I will accept your apology if Oboneron conquers," she advised. Chariot nodded as she help a golden rod with blue jewels embedded into it.

"If this thing wants to bring darkness," she started. "It's time to shine the light." In a flash, Chariot was consumed in light. When the light dimmed, her witch's garb became white and she wore blue trousers with white boots. Her hair changed from blue to red. Akko gawked to Chariot's new look, then shrieking.

"It's Shiny Chariot!" he wailed. Pikachu gawked and awed Chariot's look. Alcor flew out in which he grew in a veil of light. Chariot had one more item to give.

"Ash!" she called out. Ash finally turned to Chariot and Miranda. "Trade ya! Pikachu for your tome!" She held Ash's tome and Ash nodded.

"Deal!" he agreed. Pikachu leaped onto Chariot's broom with Miranda as she tossed the tome to him. This was the point of attack. Ash, Akko and Diana broke away from Chariot, Miranda and Pikachu. Ash opened the tome, pages flapping in the harsh winds. "Time to see what a wiccan can do." Oboneron saw Ash and Akko approaching before seeing the tome. In his eyes, the tome was glowing blue.

"Aaron is alive?" he wondered. Looking to Ash, he was glowing blue as well. "That explains a lot: Aaron's aura is with that boy." He shot another fireball at Ash and Akko, but the tome stopped to give Ash a command.

"Blades of the sky, come to me!" he chanted. "Razor Wind!" With a swipe, winds shot from Ash's arm. Invisible blades struck the fireball, snuffing it from the sky. Oboneron seemed rather bemused.

"No question," he grumbled. "That power… It's Aaron's." As the students and teachers flew, Oboneron eyed Diana. "And the heir of Cavendish legacy flies by, just like Easter and Aaron before." Ash and Diana blinked to the notice.

"Ash, do you know anything about the claim?" she asked.

"Yeah, Easter was in love with Sir Aaron," Ash informed. "But Sir Aaron left for the Pokémon World." Diana realized the legacy.

"It figures that you're the descendant, and that I've fallen for you," she teased.

"Hey, save some for me and save the love for after the battle," Akko reminded. Ellen finally emerged after some time. She held a large staff with cyan crystals about to crisscross each other, making an "X" with one more crystal on the tip.

"Council, I love you," she grinned. "This can help in battle." Chariot flew to the sky where she held the rod up.

"Let's see you take this!" she roared as she waived the rod before balls of light rained on Oboneron. He shot fire beams from his eyes, blasting the balls out of the sky. Chariot bailed and swooped to avoid getting burned by the fire. Ash had an idea.

"Meowth said that his boss bonded with Oboneron," he recalled. "And I still remember what happened before the Maelstrom took all of us here." He came to Oboneron, ready to talk.

"What are you thinking?" asked Akko.

"Maybe the Reveal Glass he used has to have worn off, and that Oboneron is holding him hostage," Ash assumed. They reached Oboneron, though Ash had someone else in mind.

"A brave, but foolish boy," he taunted. "Throwing away yourself?" Ash wasn't fooled by Oboneron's taunt.

"Show me Giovanni!" he ordered. Akko blinked to the name.

"He's the boss?" she guessed. Oboneron sneered through his skeletal face.

'Fascinating…' pondered Giovanni. 'Let's see what the insolent boy has to offer.' Oboneron heard the voice.

"If you wish to see him," he muttered. "I can grant your wish." Suddenly, a face from liquid formed. It swirled around before it made a face, that of Giovanni. Ash didn't react, unlike Akko who gagged and heaved.

"Okay, most… disgusting… transformation… ever," she winced.

"Hello, boy," he greeted. "Hopefully, my new visage is quite to your liking." Ash remained still. "Besides, it's quite hilarious to see you as a witch… though, I do not believe that's what it's called, right?"

"It doesn't matter what I am, right now," Ash replied. "I'm still that same Pokémon Trainer that foils your organization's plans. Then again, after what happened back at the temple… you weren't yourself after the Reveal Glass blasted your face and you craved for destruction, something Jessie, James and Meowth didn't want."

"That may be, if your Pikachu didn't dive-bomb that Electro Ball onto the platform!"

"I came to that temple to save Meloetta. I know you let us off after what happened on Mount Quena with Mewtwo." 'It's a lie, but he doesn't remember it, thanks to Mewtwo's power.' Giovanni wasn't convinced to the claim.

"Are you trying to prove something?"

"That Oboneron used your corrupted body to gain the power needed to free himself. We can get you out of there and bring Oboneron back to rest. If anything, I would want to take you on in a Pokémon Battle." It took a moment as other witches watched on. Then, a snicker… It followed with a full-blown laugh. The cackle made everyone worry.

"You believe that Oboneron took my body while I was under the influence of the Reveal Glass's side effect? No, you fool… because I desired destruction… and so does Oboneron. You were nothing more than a nuisance of my real intentions. Jessie, James, Butch, Cassidy, Annie, Oakley… They never knew what I was truly after: suffering, desolation… DESTRUCTION!" His cackling made Ash nervous.

"Yes, that was real convincing," Diana mocked. Giovanni's face melted back, Oboneron's back on the front.

"Now, I can do what I failed a thousand years ago: destroy you!" he shouted as he breathed a stream of flames. Chariot flew in front of Ash and Akko.

"Shield!" she shouted. Another bubble emerged, the flames going around it. Akko's eyes glistened.

"Shiny Chariot!" she cheered. "She's even got the Shiny Rod!" Ash awed the Shiny Rod as Chariot pointed it at Oboneron.

"Ash, we may need to combine our magic," she suggested.

"We may not, Shiny Chariot," Ash denied… somewhat. "We will combine." He closed the tome as he and Chariot's items came together.

"UNITE!" they shouted as they became coated in gold and blue, the lights swirling. Once applied, Ash opened his tome.

"USELESS!" shouted Oboneron before another stream of hellfire came out of his mouth. Ash wove his hand as Chariot swung her rod.

"Phalanx of the Wind!" they shouted as a torrent of air blades slashed through the hellfire and struck Oboneron. There was so much force, Jessie and James were blasted from him. They hit the ground before rolling a couple of times. Jasminka and Constanze flew over to check on the two. As if only grazed, Oboneron shot fireballs back, striking Chariot and knocking her to the ground.

"CHARIOT!" shouted Ash and Akko. They flew to Chariot as she struggled to stand. Ash looked back and knew what to do.

"Akko, make sure Chariot's okay," he ordered. With tome in hand, Ash turned to and walked towards Oboneron, much to Akko's worry.

"Don't do it!" she cried out.

"I have to!" he shouted back. "Let's get this done," he nodded. Oboneron staggered to rise before he faced Ash.

"The past has come to the present, Aaron of the Aura!" he bellowed as black flames surrounded himself and Ash. Amanda raced after Ash.

"Get out of there!" she called out. As she closed in, she felt intense heat from the barrier forming. Backing off, Amanda realized the flames were not a good omen. "Black fire? What is Ash facing!?" Ash and Oboneron now faced each other as one seeks to protect his friends and Luna Nova Academy while the other seeks destruction of everything.

TO BE CONTINUED...