Chapter 41: I'll Be There
A bright light burst between Iris, Cilan, Auro, Victini, and the Lake Guardians, the sudden event provoking Cilan to lose focus and yell, "What's going on?!"
"What's that bright light?!" Iris also lost her concentration and covered her eyes.
Auro and the Lake Guardians watched calmly while Victini, Pansage, and Axew remained unsure of what to expect. However, once the white light faded everyone was able to take a good look at who appeared before them.
There standing with confused expressions, were Ash, May, Pikachu, Blaziken, and the other Pokémon. Standing next to them were Nate and Rosa, who were now back in their regular attire and had the same friendly gazes they were usually spotted with.
Ash analyzed the area and realized that Cilan, Auro, Iris, Victini, and the others were now with them. May also noticed the same and asked while scratching the back of her head in confusion, "What happened?"
Ash and May turned to the left and quickly noticed Nate and Rosa chuckling. The couple shook their heads to make sure they weren't seeing things, but when the sight proved to be true they both smiled in relief, "Nate!" Ash cheered.
"Rosa!" May shouted with him.
"You guys are back to normal!" the pair said simultaneously.
"And you two successfully passed your first training session, not bad," Auro crossed his arms and smirked at them.
"We passed?" May pointed at herself with disbelief.
"Well yeah, you guys got all the stones, even our own," Rosa said with a sheepish grin.
"Wow, we did it…" Ash said with a surprised tone.
"We did it!" the pair yelled at each other happily and May tossed herself into Ash's arms, embracing each other tenderly.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu made a victory sign with two of its fingers.
"Blaz," Blaziken smirked out of joy while the couple's other Pokémon also jumped up and down joyfully, proud of the effort they all had put to overcome the first training trial.
"They did Cilan," Iris smiled as she looked down at Axew with a satisfied gaze.
"I knew they could, it's Ash and May," Cilan said with a smirk.
"Victini tini v!" Victini flew past them and tackled Ash and May, trying to grab as much of them as it could in its arms.
Ash and May's eyes widened with joy and without saying a word, they welcomed Victini into their hug as the three laughed, enjoying the sweet and cheery moment.
The Lake Guardians came beside Auro and the blue-haired shared a smile with them and his two human friends. Eventually though the oldest of the trio knew the joy had to stop, Auro let out a sigh and spoke, "You guys passed, we underestimated you and that was in error of ours. Nonetheless, your performance may not have been bad, yet it wasn't good either. There are still things you two must learn."
The smiles and laughs from the gang stopped and Ash and May turned to Auro with clueless looks. "What did we do wrong?" May tilted her head a bit in puzzlement.
"We did get all the stones didn't we?" Ash crossed his arms.
"You did, if you hadn't you wouldn't have been teleported back here from the illusion the Lake Guardians created and we're all proud of you for it…but…you passed and that's all that counts on the moment, congrats to the two of you for a job well done," Auro let his critical attitude go for the time being and just accepted his friends' victory.
"You two were awesome, there's no doubt we're going to get somewhere real fast," Nate smiled happily.
"We never expected you to outsmart us and come up with such clever tactics, so yeah, congrats lovebirds!" Rosa giggled.
Ash and May smiled and nodded in return. "Thanks, you guys were also incredibly strong. I really thought you had us cornered both times, nonetheless, going up against you two was an amazing experience."
"It felt like we were going up against the real thing, so it made things all the more challenging and I can feel myself getting stronger already!" May grinned confidently.
"Good," Auro smiled and turned his eyes to Iris and Cilan. "Unfortunately Cilan and Iris, I can't say the same for you two. You were doing perfect until the moment that bright light popped up between us, your Pokémon also failed to do the same, so the result is equal for all four of you."
"Darn!" Iris frowned and stomped on the floor.
"Can't get it right all the time I guess," Cilan sighed.
Axew and Pansage also lowered their heads in disappointment as Auro continued to speak, "You let the incident make you lose focus and the goal was to concentrate regardless of what went on in your surroundings."
"Is there still hope for us?" Iris hung her head low.
Auro chuckled and spoke, "Of course, when we first did this we had an extraordinarily hard time staying still. For beginners, you four did much better than Nate, Rosa, or I could do during the first month."
"Really?" Cilan and Iris said with shocked tones while Ash and May also raised their eyebrows in shock as well.
"You bet, it wasn't easy for us," Rosa giggled.
"For some reason I always had the urge to go to the bathroom when we started meditating," Nate chuckled nervously, recalling his embarrassing story.
"So don't be disappointed about this result, it was only your first time and I'm sure you'll improve over the course of our time together," Auro encouraged his two Unova friends.
"Right," the two Unova trainers nodded and grinned confidently, along with their Pokémon.
"Looks like everyone did awesome on their first day, that's awesome!" May jumped into the air, pumping her fist.
"I feel your excitement May, I'm more eager than ever to keep training, I can barely contain the impatience!" Ash followed May and jumped into the air with his fist, the pair receiving admiration for their high spirits from the others.
"Vi!" Victini mimicked its parents and joined them as well while Pikachu and Blaziken admired the little one.
Auro, Nate, and Rosa took a look at the sun behind them and noticed the change in the sky's color; it was clearly starting to get dark. Auro turned to the gang and suggested, "We should return to the cabin before the sun goes down, we'll start getting dinner prepared once we get there."
"Awesome!" Ash and May shouted cheerfully.
"Great, then I'll get cooking as soon as we are there," Cilan smiled at the fact of doing his hobby.
"And I'll help with preparing it," Iris volunteered, smiling at the green-haired connoisseur.
"Perfect, then you'll be cooking with Nate and Rosa, they're our specialists on that field whenever we are out traveling," Auro informed them, making Cilan and Iris excited about working with the two teens.
"Super, I always liked Cilan's cooking more than my sister's!" Nate smiled and made a fist, but all of a sudden he received a hard punch from Rosa on the shoulder. The force from the punch caused Nate to squeal in pain, "Ouch, what was that for?!"
"I never cooked for you guys before…" Cilan stated, trying to recall such a moment.
Iris, May, and Ash also couldn't understand how Nate could know what Cilan's cooking was like since they've never eaten together. Nate rubbed his shoulder and quickly realized his error and chuckled nervously, "Sorry sis, I meant Cilan probably cooks as well as you do."
Auro shook his head sideways and sighed while the gang accepted Nate's comment and laughed at his clownish attitude. "Moron," Rosa muttered to him while Nate just chuckled with an awkward laugh.
"May, Ash, while Iris, Cilan, Nate, and Rosa are doing the cooking, won't you guys help me with getting firewood?" Auro asked of the couple.
"Sure, but what for? Aren't we sleeping inside the cabin?" Ash raised an eyebrow out of bafflement.
"Obviously, I just want to use the fireplace we have in our cabin tonight," Auro informed the raven-haired teen.
"Alright, we're on it then," May eagerly accepted to assist with a sweet tone.
"Count me in as well," Ash said with a friendly voice.
"Good," Auro smiled at them as the entire group prepared to mobilize.
"There we go," Ash threw the last of the pieces of wood into the fireplace, wiping away some sweat off his forehead and grinning contently.
"Victini, will you please light it up," May looked at Victini with a sweet gaze.
"Tini v," Victini happily obeyed and spewed out an Ember, lighting the wood and creating warmth.
"Great, thank you to all four of you," Auro smiled as he thanked Ash, May, Victini, and Pikachu for their work.
"What for?" Ash replied with a friendly voice.
May stepped up a bit past Ash and began to speak about something else, "So Auro, I was wondering what you guys were doing the whole time Ash and I were training."
Auro smiled, "Why don't we sit here on the rug near the fire while the others are still preparing the food."
"Sure," May nodded and they all sat comfortably near the fireplace.
"I was actually curious about the same thing," Ash commented, also wishing to know what had gone on during their absence.
"Well, I was training with Cilan and Iris along with their Pokémon as well as Victini and the Lake Guardians," Auro told them.
"What kind of training?" May asked with curiosity.
Auro looked at the ceiling and recollected today's events, "We were out meditating in the forest and the objective of that trial was to teach Iris and Cilan how to maintain their focus. The Lake Guardians would infiltrate Iris, Cilan, and the Pokémon's minds in order to keep them calm and give good vibes. A part of the training was to see how they would handle your sudden appearance, unfortunately though as soon as the bright light popped up in front of them, they lost all focus and the Lake Guardians were able to sense the amount of stress building up among them. Keep in mind, the Lake Guardians were also teaching Victini how to give off a soothing aura in order to calm those around it and try to use its psychic powers to sense others' emotions. Victini did his part of the job, but Iris and Cilan failed at theirs."
"That bites," Ash said in disappointment, sympathizing Iris and Cilan.
"It sure does, it must not be easy. At least now we know that they didn't have an easy task either," May pointed out.
Auro nodded, "That's right, trying to keep your cool and being able to think in calm or stressing situation is just as important as being resourceful and skillful in battle."
The raven-haired teen and the sapphire-eyed girl shook their heads in agreement, understanding what Auro meant as he talked. "They'll improve though; all four of you will better along with your Pokémon."
"What other training will we have to go through these next few weeks?" Ash decided to ask since that was a thought going on in his head since they passed the first one.
"Will it be any harder than the one we did today?" May questioned.
Auro chuckled and responded, "Well, you two still have a long way to go even if you showed the intelligence and strength necessary to defeat Nate and Rosa. You see, despite the skills that you demonstrated, such as being able to react with valid solutions in urgent problems or improvising or looking out for one another, there were still many errors that you made."
"Like what?" May raised an eyebrow, listening as intently as Ash, Pikachu, and Victini.
"To begin with, the two of you continued to rely on your strongest Pokémon, Pikachu and Blaziken. However, we made an exception for that since your other Pokémon still aren't experienced enough for our trials. In the next weeks we'll focus on improving their abilities as well," Auro explained to them, causing both Ash and May to think about their other Pokémon and agreed with Auro. As hard as their other Pokémon fought, they were nowhere near as strong as Blaziken or Pikachu.
"There was also the rash decision you made May when you jumped into river without thinking once about the dangers that might have been lurking in the water. It was that reckless action that got the two of you into trouble with the Carvanha," Auro stated.
May sighed and responded with a disappointed tone, "Yeah…I'm sorry," the girl thought of herself as stupid for not taking precautions.
"Ash, when you were in charge of the rope as May tried to get the Fire Stone, you foolishly left you and the Pokémon wide open for an attack. When Nate and Rosa showed up, this weakness became evident since they cut May's rope and none of you had even noticed that they had arrived. You let your guard down and disregarded your surroundings, knowing that enemies were wandering the area and it was those errors that left you vulnerable. Like the issue with the dependence on Blaziken and Pikachu though, we'll have practice dealing with the two of you dropping your reckless attitude as well as learning to become more alert," Auro informed them about what kind of training sessions awaited the pair.
"Wow…" Ash wasn't sure if he should feel excited for the exciting tasks they had ahead or feel incompetent for not seeing the errors in his actions.
"I agree," May's eyes displayed the certainty inside her about how to react.
Auro smirked and continued talking, "If you were wondering the exact training you would have, you should know that they all diverse missions dealing with stealth, sessions like the one today, battling of course, focus on strategies and developing new techniques, and even training involved with Victini to make it more powerful."
"Train with Victini?" Ash looked at the little Fire-type sitting on his shoulder, who returned his gaze with a puzzled one.
"But Victini is a Legendary Pokémon," May pointed out, not understanding how you could make a formidable power force like Victini even stronger.
Auro closed his eyes, "Victini may be Legendary Pokémon, but it can still become more powerful like any other Pokémon. Legendary doesn't mean invincibility and Victini doesn't have access to even half of its true power and is far behind more experienced Legendary Pokémon like the Lake Guardians."
"Tini vi," Victini lowered its head in sadness, feeling itself pale in comparison to its Psychic-type brethren.
"Hey!" May became defensive of the little one.
"Victini has great potential and I know after excessive training, it can surpass even the Lake Guardians," Auro complimented the Fire-type to make up for his critical judgment.
"That's right Victini; you'll become the strongest Legendary Pokémon out there. Pikachu, May, and I will be there to encourage you every step of the way. We all know you can do it!" Ash encouraged the small Fire-type.
"Papa and mama believe in you Victini, don't let anything get you down and keep fighting because that's how you'll get stronger. All of us will stick with the whole time, so there's a lot to look forward too," May said with a gentle tone as placed her hand on top of the Psychic-type, giving it a warm stare.
"Tini vi victini!" Victini hugged them happily and smiled as Ash and May returned the embrace.
Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder to let the three have their moment and the mouse looked up at Auro, "Pikachu pi pika," the Electric-type said with its usual cheery voice.
"I can see why you love them…and why the world used to love them," Auro whispered the last par, a hint of sadness as he said it.
"Dinner is ready!" Rosa's voice and words grabbed the attention of everyone and they say her coming into the living room with some plates.
"Awesome!" Ash cheered and ran over to the table with May, the pair's mouths began to water the moment they saw all the fried delicacies and desserts just waiting to be eaten.
"Make sure not to eat too much, this training will also focus a bit on getting the four of you physically fit," Auro said as he walked over.
"Oh give them a break Auro, it's been a long day," Rosa placed her hands on her hips and spoke to him with a sassy tone.
Auro sighed and smirked, "Alright."
"Why don't we also get a chance to sit down and celebrate for a job well done," Cilan came into the living with Iris, the two of them holding trays with glasses of soda on top.
"Yeah, let's all get together, it's been…a long day," Nate also let his tongue slip once again, but the brunette was able to stop his error.
"Let's eat!" Ash and May sat down and without a moment's waste; they began shoving in as much food as possible, from the chunks of meat to the sausage to the fries to the fried shrimp.
"This is like a Munchlax's fantasy huh?" Auro chuckled as he slowly ate his steak.
"We'll never get use to that," Iris chuckled nervously as she ate from sushi.
"Who can blame them though, they worked really hard and what better witnesses than us?" Rosa told them, referring to Nate and herself.
Cilan nodded in agreement and spoke, "As a matter of fact, let's make a toast for Ash and May's first successful training session?"
"Why not?" Nate smiled and held his glass of soda up.
As they munched on their food Ash and May stared at their friends with pig faces. "What for guys? It's only Day 1," Ash said while eating.
Iris sighed and murmured, "Such a kid."
"Is it really necessary to praise us like that?" May munched on her food a bit and grinned sheepishly.
"Of course, we'll be brief about it if you want," Cilan smiled as he showed them his glass of orange soda.
"Ok, I guess," Ash said with a hesitant tone, not feeling very accomplished despite the praise he and May received.
They all raised their glasses of soda while Pikachu, Victini, Axew, and the Lake Guardians lifted their rice balls up high. "To Ash and May, hoping they have repeated success and become the best we've ever known," Cilan stated with a content grin.
"Cheers," Auro smiled and they all bumped their glasses together, the sounds of glass combining with the munching sounds coming from Pikachu, Axew, and the Psychic Pokémon who were also happy.
"Thanks you guys, it means a lot to have people like you being so supportive," May thanked them for their kindness.
"It really is, I don't know what May and I would do without having such amazing friends," Ash added to what the brunette said.
"Az azelf," Azelf flew around Ash.
"Mesprit prit," Mesprit flew up to Ash's face with a smile.
"Ux uxie," Uxie hovered over Ash, looking down happily.
"Tini victini," Victini gave Ash and May a hug.
"Pika pikapi!" Pikachu smiled at Ash and May happily.
"And when I say friends, we include you guys also," Ash chuckled when he told the Lake Guardians, Victini, and Pikachu.
"That's sweet you guys," Rosa smiled as she drank a bit of her soda.
"It's just amazing how you two are able to attract even Legendary Pokémon so easily with your tender nature, it's admirable to be honest," Nate complimented Ash and May as he watched them play a bit with the four hovering Psychic-type Pokémon.
"I guess it's just about how big your heart is," May giggled as Victini and Pikachu rubbed their cheeks against hers.
Iris ate another piece of sushi and spoke, "Speaking of Legendary Pokémon, you said the Lake Guardians home in Unova is the Cave of Being right?"
Auro turned to Iris and nodded, "That's right; it's usually where they take residence when in the Unova region."
"Well, what's in there?" May had become curious once Iris brought up the topic.
"The cave itself is pretty big and rocky, but the only interesting characteristic about it is the three ponds lying in the middle with one obelisk in each one," Rosa informed the sapphire-eyed coordinator.
"The cave has three ponds?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"With obelisks?" Cilan also raised an eyebrow.
"That's right, and each obelisk has some writing on it regarding willpower, emotions, and knowledge, which are representations of the Lake Guardians," Nate added.
"Wow," Iris said with a fascinated voice.
"Yep, and getting to know these three is probably one of the coolest experiences I've had while traveling. Sometimes I think that if there weren't bad guys out in the world trying to harm good people and Pokémon, I don't think I'd have as many friends as I have now. If the Lake Guardians weren't in danger of failing under evil clutches, I don't think we would ever have befriended them," Auro expressed himself.
"That actually makes sense, I've never thought of it that way…until now," May scratched Victini behind its ear and looked down at it, wondering if had there not been a Majestic 12, would she and Ash have met the Fire-type.
Nate, Rosa, and Auro smiled at May, they could obviously tell they had given May something to think about, but their smiles vanished disappeared when Ash asked something else. "You know Nate, Rosa, and Auro, there's a question I've had for a really long time that I haven't been able to get off my chest for good and I was hoping you guys would answer it."
"What's that Ash?" Rosa raised an eyebrow.
"For a while now, May, Cilan, Iris, and I have been wondering how the Majestic 12 formed, why they formed, and what they want. Where did members like Omega, Genesis, Silver, and Cloud come from and how did they get so strong, how did they even manage to make old foes like Phantom and Zero so formidable? What ties them together and where did you guys come from? Why are you guys so incredibly strong also and I'm not just referring to Pokémon battle," Ash confessed the curiosity that had built up inside him and once he finished speaking, Cilan, Iris, May, Pikachu, Victini, and even Axew focused on listening to what the trio had to say.
"That was sudden," Nate raised his eyebrows, but he could tell their guests were dying for an answer.
"Actual-," Auro began to speak. However, his attention was cut by the troubled gaze he received from Rosa.
Auro looked into her eyes and could tell the uncertainty she had in them. Auro sighed and nodded his head sideways, causing Rosa's eyes to widen. "He can't be serious," Rosa said under her breath.
"And I thought I would be the one who would spill the beans," Nate whispered to his sister.
Ash and the others ignored their exchange and prepare to hear Auro. The blue-haired trainer took a deep breath and spoke, "Well, you've probably already realized that we just about the same age as you guys and Nate and Rosa are siblings that go way back to when we were all kids along with Roxas."
"What do you mean?" May tilted her head in confusion, not knowing where he was going with this and neither did the others.
"The four of us all come from a very distant land that we called home and what our families called the perfect utopia," Auro smiled as he said "utopia".
"Utopia?" Cilan raised an eyebrow.
"That's right," Auro nodded and looked at his glass of soda as he spoke. "Unfortunately, we never got to see the paradise many of the older folks from our land talked about."
"What happened?" Iris questioned.
"We don't exactly know, but we were born into a very dark world different from the one the adults always talked about. They told us stories of a man who came from an unknown part filled with revenge and a lust for power. According to the records, he arrived with the quest to destroy life on earth and make any remaining life submit to his authority," Auro explained as he clenched his fist.
"Do any of you want to guess who this man was?" Nate asked them as he shifted his eyes left and right, but there was no need, everyone, especially Ash and May knew who Auro referred to.
"We weren't born yet when this man showed up, but our parents were and they became part of three generations dedicated to fighting off this menace. The moment he revealed his face to the land, everyone instantly identified him as a threat and the man quickly declared war, promising to bring everyone to their knees. Omega somehow managed to recruit a large amount of soldiers for their army; I'm assuming most sought power or resented society like him. The basis of this army got founded on hatred and revenge. They all mobilized to recruit more people or capture as many Pokémon as possible. Eventually they became so powerful, rich, and unified it threatened the very existence of our nation. The danger posed led to the formation of an opposition force called Guardians of Michaelis," Auro just looked at his drink blankly as he spoke.
"That's an odd name," May raised her eyebrow.
"Michaelis is a word from an ancient language, when translated into English it means Michael," Rosa explained.
"Why Guardians of Michaelis?" Ash asked with a stern tone.
"According to history, inspiration for that name came from the oldest legendary conflict recorded by ancient civilizations. Thousands of years ago humans and Pokémon became divided amongst each other over a conflict between Giratina and Arceus. It's said this took place when the Mew population was just entering into decline and the original Pokémon types came into existence, Water, Fire, Ground, Grass, Normal, Flying, Fighting, Rock, Bug, Dragon, Electric," Nate explained.
Iris tilted her head in confusion, "But how does that tie with the story?"
"Just let me finish," Nate said with a sheepish face, obviously noticing her impatience. He sighed and continued speaking, "Well when civil war broke out between the Pokémon and the humans, Arceus damned the humans and Pokémon that sided with Giratina. The Alpha Pokémon transformed many of the original types into new sinister types; these types would become the Dark, Ghost, Poison, and Ice-types. Normal-type Pokémon like Ursaring became Beartic, Beautifly became Dustox; Persian became Liepard, and so on. Humans didn't experience the same curse, but they began killing each other ruthlessly and became greedy out of the desire to survive. At some point in the war between these divisions, Arceus and the people and humans siding with him began to lose against Giratina and the ones siding with it. The god-like Pokémon took extreme measures and used a significant amount of power to create other Psychic-types outside of Mew and another type none of us can ever really recall, but it started with a letter F."
"That's actually pretty interesting," Ash became interested in the mythological story.
"And a frightening, I just can't imagine humans and Pokémon hurting each other like that," May held onto Victini tightly as Nate spoke.
"It is a disturbing legend, but as Nate said more Pokémon types came out of it. Nevertheless, the war became a standstill and it wasn't until one human with great character came into scene, his name was Michaelis, in modern times he is just called Michael. Michaelis was considered an angel among humans and Pokémon because of his great heart, he was brave, loving, and showed the right leadership to get the universe out of a war that threatened is existence because the war had spread across the universe with Arceus leading Palkia and Dialga in a war against the renegade Giratina. On Earth, Michaelis organized Arceus's army and encouraged them to fight with love and courage in their hearts because that was the only way they could drive out the hate and darkness terrorizing the land," Auro took over the storytelling position.
Cilan's eyes widened and cut Auro before he could talk, "I think I know where this is heading.
Auro nodded when he understood what Cilan was thinking, "Michaelis was a great leader and the encouragement he gave finally brought victory to Arceus and those who sided with it, ending the war. Steel-type Pokémon were a result of the war and got welcomed into the Earth while the types Arceus had damned accepted defeat and surrendered, redeeming themselves to the creator Pokémon and being brought back into society. The Dragon-type Pokémon had dropped drastically and is supposedly the reason why they are so rare; the Mew population had also almost completely vanished except for few that died out anyway. Ghost, Dark, and Psychic-types also took heavy losses and became almost as rare as dragons. Some humans who had sided with Giratina refused to return to the world and went into self-exile, continuing to praise Giratina as their ruler, while Giratina himself got sent into the world that would become known as the Distortion World. However, our friends the Lake Guardians have told us the last time Giratina got sensed on Earth it had turned over a new leaf and saved a civilization from Arceus's wrath."
Auro's eyes turned to Ash and the Lake Guardians who hovered around him, "Yeah that's true, Giratina was actually a good Pokémon when I last saw it and never harmed anyone. It was Arceus causing the trouble that time."
"Oh the irony," Auro chuckled, but as fast as he chuckled, the blue-haired teen became serious again. "As for Michaelis, he continued to help unify humanity and bring the planet into a state of harmony and he succeeded. Michaelis eventually passed away from old age, but no one ever forgot him and they passed down all his teachings to their children and their children's children. Many believed once Michaelis died, Arceus took his body and took it to his home where he'd become an angel among the stars, in a way Michaelis became immortal through his teachings and many of the values our world has established come from the teachings Michaelis gave about peace, love, unity, and respect. Where we came from Michaelis and his teachings were held highly especially during the war against Omega. We sought comfort in his teachings because when hope was being lost, we resorted to seeking hope in what some would call a 'fairytale'."
"What exactly do you mean?" Iris became confused.
"Michaelis was just a figure in mythology, but when Omega brought our land to ruins we sought light and hope in Michaelis. The archangel became a symbol of our fight against Omega because it represented all the good things our people stood for and since we were losing the fight, Michaelis also symbolized the fact that there is still light even the deepest darkness. As the war the progressed, the years went by and Michaelis was still significant to us. Eventually Rosa, Nate, Roxas, I, and other children were born. We got taught from a young age about the mythological war that they called the War in Paradise and of the values Michaelis once talked about. Around the time we were born, the people also noticed a figure that mirrored Michaelis in ways that were unbelievable. No one had ever expected a Pokémon Master could be so loving, caring, gentle, modest, confident, and determined."
"Pokémon Master, you mean?!" Ash exclaimed when he heard the Pokémon Master comment.
"That's right, a phoenix rose from the ashes in the form of a Pokémon Master. Everyone loved him, to some he was such a lovable human being they considered him the Michaelis of our time and some went as far as calling him Michaelis, but he was always modest and never did like to be compared to such a significant hero from legend. In time, the four of us met this Pokémon Master because our parents had enlisted in the opposition this trainer began to lead. He was a very powerful Pokémon trainer and every time when we visited him, he'd be really nice to us and we watched him train hard with our parents. We didn't exactly understand why we had to live in so many military bases and why our parents always met with this person. Whenever we'd visit a military station and found people crying or dying, we would ask our parents why we were here and what was wrong with these people," Auro told them.
"And, what…did they tell you?" May bit her lip as she tried not to get the sadness of the story get to her.
"They said people around our home were sad and they needed our help, sometimes I felt like there was more to it though, but our parents always seemed to make us forget about with promises of ice cream and toys," Auro chuckled.
"Were you guys able to go out and play or was it too dangerous?" Cilan said with a serious gaze.
"It was too dangerous and we were only allowed to play in the parks built inside the military stations. When we looked outside the window and wondered why we couldn't go out and play, there were always these dark clouds covering the sky, the color of the leaves were a sad green and it seemed like the life outside of the military bases always seemed depressing. The people who always made us happy being at the military bases, despite the sadness were the Pokémon Master and his family, Roxas was the most of him and his family. The Pokémon Master had a daughter and wife of his own who were also incredibly strong and beautiful people. They were always happy, childlike, and bright people, even our parents admired them. When I turned 8 I began to understand why people held the Pokémon Master and his family so dearly, they were just humble and down to earth people," Auro continued telling the story.
Pokémon Master, Ash thought in his mind every time Auro mentioned him. Every time he thought about the title though, his stomach felt uneasy.
"And what happened to your parents and the Pokémon Master?" May asked, thinking of Ash every time she heard Pokémon Master.
Auro's face became pale when May asked the question and couldn't find the will. Instead, a tear dropped from Auro's cheek. Rosa reached for Auro's hand before he could say anything and squeezed it; the brunette girl was also trying to fight back tears. Nate sighed and clenched his fist, "Sometime after we were all past 8 years old, our parents had told us that the Pokémon Master and his wife had died. They wouldn't tell us why or how, we were only told they went with the angels. We were all devastated, but no one was more wrecked than Roxas, not even the Pokémon Master's daughter. The death of the Pokémon Master and his death caused an outpour of grief and despair. Eventually our parents took over their positions as the heads of the Guardians of Michaelis. Sadly, the despair wouldn't stop because more of us became fatherless, motherless, or orphaned children. Only a few of us were lucky to one parent and even luckier to have two. Everyone loved each other so much in the circle of friends and family we got raised in, whenever the parent of one of our friend's died, we were also affected."
A tear from Nate's face slid down his cheek as he entered a flashback.
"Please leave with Auro and Rosa, Nate, that's an order. Remember all the training we did with your dad, well now it's time for you to put that training to the test," a man said with a calm tone as he smiled at the little brunette boy.
"But uncle, Auro and Rosa are sad that you're not coming with us, you can't just stay," Little Nate said with a very kidlike voice as tears formed in the corner of his eyes.
"I'm as strong as an Electivire, none of you have to worry about me," the man chuckled and flashed him a confident smile while messing up his hair a bit.
"But uncle," Little Nate continued to fight back the tears, sensing something awful was about to him.
"Please tell all our loved ones to take care of each other," the man smiled as a tears formed in his eyes.
Suddenly, the pair heard a zapping sound and a beam of electricity shot through the man's chest. The beam retreated as fast as it shot while the man had held bloody spot where he had been hit, "Go be strong little one," the man chuckled as he turned around, holding on to the little life he had.
Little Nate was in shock as he watched the beloved friend of his parents die. "Come and get it me, I'm…not afraid…of death…" Nate's uncle chuckled as he coughed blood and another electric beam shot through him.
Little Nate felt someone grab his shoulder and pull him away, not moving one muscle because he was too shocked by the events unfolding him in front of him. Another beam shot through his uncle, but this last one zapped his entire body and the sounds of his screams echoed through the building until his body dropped.
Nate felt his heartbeat incredibly fast as he recalled the horrifying experience. The recollection quickly reminded the brunette as to why they were here, his pink eyes turned to Ash and May, whose faces were in disbelief. It was them that could heal the hurting.
Auro fought back the tears as he and Hilda shared the same flashback.
They got cornered out in the forest by a man in black suit and soldiers in black armor. None of the two knew what to do, but the friend of Auro's dad was there to protect them.
"Samurott, use Water Pulse!" the brunette adult shouted.
"It's impossible to win, Tyranitar use Thunder," the man who hid behind his hood ordered.
Rosa, Auro, and the adult became alarmed the command and Thunder instantly vaporized Water Pulse. Tyranitar roared fiercely as the Thunder charged forward, and Samurott's trainer rushed quickly to get in front of the Water-type.
"Samurott, move out of the way!" the man ordered.
"Saaaaaaa!" Samurott roared at his master and bashed him with a Razor Shell in an attempt to save himself.
Unfortunately, Samurott was too slow and only had time to provide cover. Thunder violently electrocuted both of them as they cried in pain; Samurott's squeal became uncontrollable as the children cried out of horror.
"More!" the man in the black suit ordered.
Tyranitar enhanced Thunder and electrified the pair even more. The color in Samurott's eye faded completely as soon as Thunder became more powerful and with that, the Pokémon dropped dead while steam emitted from his trainer. "I can't feel my entire left arm," the trainer said weakly as he fainted and dropped on his dead Samurott, getting himself dirty in the blood spilling from the fallen Water-type.
As soon as he saw Samurott die and his father's friend drop, Auro felt something inside him snapped. All sense of hope had faded inside him as soon as a brunette woman came to save them who looked a lot like the little girl next to him.
As May saw the three members cry she held onto Victini even tighter and shook her head repeatedly to fight back tears. Iris clenched her fists to fight back any sadness while Cilan stared at the three with sympathy. Ash's eyes were wide and his mouth was open as he tried not to look at Auro, Nate, or Rosa.
Pokémon Master, trained with…died…killed…savior? These words repeated themselves the more Ash thought of it. Ash had always thought of Pokémon Masters as unbeatable and anyone ever trained by one would be just as unstoppable, but after what Auro said, he questioned his belief on that once more.
By working so hard with my Pokémon, doing what I love, and doing something good, I feel like I have achieved the goal of becoming a Pokémon Master, Ash recalled Wes's words and remembered everything Wes told him about what being a Pokémon Master truly was. Work hard…love…doing something good, Ash thought in his mind, the question that been troubling him had taken over a great deal of his mind. Hearing the story of the fallen Pokémon Master and those who trained with him caused Ash to focus on the question he had not thought of since the incident with the Herdier and Pierce. What is a Pokémon Master?
The fact that a Pokémon Master got involved in an apocalyptic war with a terrorist brought even more concern to his mind. Suddenly, he felt as though the Majestic 12 was now tied to his dream of becoming a Pokémon master.
"I'm so sorry," May hung her head low.
Nate rubbed his eyes and chuckled weakly, "It is ok, you didn't know."
"We're sorry you had to hear our story," Rosa smiled sheepishly with her eyes still watery.
"We really are," Auro said with saddened tone.
All of a sudden, the clock hit 12 am and a plastic Pidove shot out of the clock making a cooing sound to alert everyone. "It's getting late, we should all go to sleep," Rosa stood up along with Auro and Rosa.
"I agree, the day has been long and exhausting," Cilan replied with a sad voice.
Auro rubbed his eyes and responded, "Your room is upstairs. We decided to just let the four of you share the same room since we can relate with each other, after all we're all just teens traveling together and want to be with our friends. We also didn't want to have anyone argue over getting the best room," Auro chuckled a little at his last remark.
"Thanks, that's nice of you guys," May answered with a weak smile.
"Rest well, we'll see you tomorrow in the morning," Nate smiled at them.
The gang nodded and walked upstairs together with exhausted faces. The Lake Guardians could easily sense the unease they felt and sighed at three teens that stayed downstairs.
"You really shouldn't have told them anything," Rosa murmured to Auro.
"They should have known at least some part," Auro sighed.
"At least he covered up the story pretty well Rosa, they wouldn't be able to guess who the Pokémon Master was or who are parents are if the clue was as obvious as the sky is blue," Nate chuckled, trying to ease up the others' moods.
Auro and Rosa chuckled a bit and smiled. "I guess we can forget about it, but that's all we can tell them about us for now," Rosa told them, receiving a nod from her brother and friend.
"May…" an injured Ash said when he lifted his Ash.
"Ash!" May's eyes formed tears when she saw the cut marks on his cheeks and bloodshot eyes.
"Take care of them," Ash smiled weakly and his body was no longer able to maintain itself sitting up, instead dropping dead on the wooden floor.
May's eyes widened in horror when she woke up and found herself beneath the upper bunk bed, she sighed and sat up, "It was only a dream."
She looked around the area and saw that it was still dark, Pikachu and Victini were snoozing near her feet, but the thing that alarmed her was that Ash was not next her. "Where did he go?" May wondered if he had moved up to the upper bunk bed, but Ash knew she never liked it when he left her. She left her bed and saw Iris and Cilan sleeping on the bunk bed in front her, with Cilan on top and Iris on the bottom. Axew was sleeping right next to her also and they were all quietly asleep, however there was no sign of Ash.
"Pika?" May heard and turned around.
There she saw Pikachu sitting up and rubbing its eye. "Don't worry Pikachu, I'm not going anywhere, but have you seen Ash?" the brunette said in a low voice.
"Pi…" Pikachu pointed at the glass balcony doors and quickly fell on his back, falling asleep once again.
May giggled softly, "Thanks you saved me from searching this monster of a room," the girl whispered. When Auro said they had received the best room in the house he wasn't kidding, it was the size of a living and bedroom combined. It had three couches, a flat screen TV, its own fridge, sink, and two bathrooms on opposite ends. The most beautiful thing about the room though, was the majestic view it gave of the mountains from the balcony, which was where May walked to.
She silently tip-toed to the sliding glass doors and admired the gorgeous night scenery for a few seconds, this view is so amazing I could watch it all night, May thought as she grabbed the handle of the glass door. She carefully began to slide it so she could go outside on the balcony. She slowly stuck her foot and hoped Ash was actually here. When she was out, she slowly closed the balcony and noticed how dark the room was from the outside, she could barely see a thing.
"There we go," May whispered when she successfully closed it quietly.
"May what are you doing out here?" Ash's voice startled her.
The brunette abstained herself from yelling and only jumped in fright when she saw Ash sitting on those large lounge chairs you usually found in pool areas. "Ash, you scared, what the heck are you doing up at this hour," May whispered angrily at him with her hands on her hips.
Ash ignored her and noticed that she only had her long yellow shirt on and he could assume the only things she had on underneath were her undergarments. "Aren't you cold, you don't even have shorts on," Ash told her with the same goofy look he had on whenever he asked a question.
All of a sudden, a cool breeze passed through that sent chills up May's legs. May closed herself for warmth and chuckled shyly, "Well, now that you mention it."
"Come sit here, our bodies should radiate enough heat to keep you warm," Ash suggested with a friendly voice.
"Thanks," May said with a soft tone and walked over to his chair. The brunette placed herself gently beside him, placing her head on his chest and rubbing one of her legs against his for warmth.
Ash held May close to him with one arm to heat her up and held onto her hands with his other in order to heat them up. "So how come you aren't sleeping?" May said once she made herself comfortable.
"I couldn't," Ash responded with a plain tone as he just admired the view.
"Is something on your mind?" May asked him.
"Some things," Ash stated.
"Well be more specific, I'd like to know," May wrapped her arms around him as he spoke.
"Well it was the story Nate, Rosa, and Auro told us. All that stuff they said was nothing like anything I've heard of before and what worried me the most was when they talked about that Pokémon Master," Ash explained to her about her thoughts.
"Yeah…I wasn't able to sleep immediately because that was on my mind the whole time," May sighed as she felt incredibly sadness for their three friends.
"Lately, I find my mind being troubled by what a Pokémon Master truly is. It's been creeping in my mind since I met Wes and it hasn't left my head. Every day for almost a month I've been wondering what it means to be a Pokémon Master. It was already confusing after everything Wes told me and now it's even worse with what Auro said to us. When they told us that this Pokémon Master had died trying to fight Omega, I felt like my original idea of a Pokémon Master was now completely breaking," Ash went into further depth about his problem.
"Oh Ash," May sighed out of sympathy towards the boy, she could understand why he felt so confused about his goal.
"The only Pokémon Master I knew before Wes was my dad and he was the one that helped me build my thoughts on what being a Pokémon Master meant. My dad was super strong and everyone always called him the Pokémon Master from Pallet Town or the Master from Kanto. Many of his fans even wanted to battle him and whenever I saw one of them I was always amazed by how much ability my dad showed. After he passed away, I determined my destiny and aimed to become a Pokémon Master just like him. Now though, that whole idea is changing. It's leaving me uncertain and wondering about what a Pokémon Master is. Plus, the fact that there's this looming threat over the horizon makes me feel like I can't focus and these days I feel myself more concentrated on stopping evil people like Omega and helping as many unfortunate people and Pokémon as I can," Ash told the brunette.
"But Ash, you always helped as many people and Pokémon as you could before," the sapphire-eyed girl didn't seem to understand him too well.
"I know, but it feels like I'm really much more dedicated to that than trying to collect gym badges and challenging the Unova League. Before, my dream was my top priority, but now I have you and I'm starting to realize just how many people out there need help, love, and care. I feel like it could become duty to try and spread that feeling of peace, love, unity, and respect among others," the raven-haired teen found himself having a change of perspective.
May raised an eyebrow, "Does that mean you're not going to collect anymore badges?"
"No, I'm still determined to be the very best, but right now I'm more determined about doing this training and helping out all those people waiting for us outside of this house, outside of Unova," Ash felt a boost in confidence as he spoke. Abruptly, his face turned from a confident one to a surprised one, "It's more complicated than that though. Becoming a Pokémon Master won't be as incredible as I use to believe and it seems more like a title for a Pokémon trainer who does humanitarian activities rather than just a skillful Pokémon trainer," the auburn-eyed teen realized and had come to this conclusion based on the two humans that had done good for the world, which were Wes and the man from Auro, Nate, and Rosa's story.
The girl in his arms smiled and spoke, "You know Ash, I think whatever you do, it will still make you the very best. You are already the best thing for me and I know that anything you set your mind to will come true, so no matter what your final goal is, I'm sure you'll accomplish it."
"That's really sweet May, thank you, those were the words I needed at the moment," Ash felt like some stress had left his chest when May gave him a piece of encouraging words.
"I know there's a lot going on that we're struggling to take in, and it's been troubling me as much as you. Right now I'm torn apart about what's more important, but I think every answer will come in time and the most important thing about the present is being alive and being happy about who we are," May said as she stared at the shining white moon. The girl giggled and continued speaking, "Sometimes I find myself wanting to just be a mother than a Top Coordinator and I'm sure it has to do with me mothering Victini so much."
Ash smiled as he gazed at the moon too, "Hopefully, we'll find out our purposes and dreams one day. I know you'll be able to be whatever you want to be May. I'm positive you could be a mother and a Top Coordinator at the same time and there's no doubt you'll be good at both."
May blushed a little about being a superstar mother and wondered if she would really want that, however she just shook the thought away and stared at the moon. As she enjoyed the feeling of Ash being so close to her and the moon shining so brightly on them, she came up with something that could easily get them to forget their troubles away for the time being.
She looked at Ash and grinned when she saw him staring at the moon too, "Ash, dance with me," the coordinator said with a cute voice.
Ash's day dreaming came to an end and the boy asked, "What?"
May released herself from Ash's arms and stood up, "Let's dance. The night is young, it's beautiful, and we have some privacy. Besides, we'll both have fun and get our minds off all things that have been going on."
"I'm sure May, are you sure you even want to dance in the cold like that?" Ash questioned her.
May rolled her eyes and smiled at him playfully while pulling him up from the chair. "Of course I'm sure, if we dance I'll heat up a bit and with your body close I'll still be able to keep myself warm. Don't ruin the fun, please Ashy, for me…" May put on her adorable sapphire eyes for him.
Ash sighed and knew that was a battle he could never win, "Alright May, we'll dance," the boy grinned.
"Perfect," May smiled happily.
May pulled him close to her and the boy uneasily asked, "So how do we start and what are we dancing exactly?"
"We're going to slow dance," May answered him with an eager tone.
"I'm not exactly sure how you dance that," Ash said with a shy voice.
May giggled, replying with, "Don't worry, you'll be dancing like a pro after tonight once I teach you."
"Ok," Ash grinned timidly.
"Alright, get closer and place your right hand on my waist," May instructed him.
Ash stepped closer until the space between them was adequate enough for a slow dance. The auburn-eyed teen slowly raised his hand and reached out for May's waist, but seemed hesitant about touching the brunette.
May sighed and quickly placed Ash's hand on her waist. The sapphire-eyed girl laughed and teased him, "Come on Ash, you're acting like this is the first time you're touching me."
"I'm just tired," Ash lied.
"If you say so," May giggled.
"What next?" the black-haired boy inquired.
May reached for Ash's left hand with her right and gently held it. She raised their hands until they were at Ash's shoulder height so that they were bent upward from the elbow. "That was step two," May smiled. She then placed her left hand on Ash's shoulder
Ash watched curiously as May gazed up at him with her beautiful blue eyes, wondering what she'd do next. "Make enough space between your feet so it's comfortable to move and I'll do the same," May instructed the coordinator.
"Ok," Ash carefully made enough space so that he didn't want to mess up and May did the same with her bare feet.
"Alright, just follow my lead as we dance, don't worry if you mess up ok? It's not the easiest of dances," May assured Ash that she wouldn't mind if he did mess up.
"Sure, but what about music?" Ash inquired her.
May smiled and responded, "Don't worry about that, I've got it covered."
Ash raised an eyebrow, "If you say so."
"Ok, just relax Ash, and here…we…go," the girl cued and began to slide to the left slowly.
Like magic, Ash found himself easily following May as they slid smoothly across the balcony. "You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back. Where there is love, I'll be there," May sang softly as Ash followed her slowly across the room.
Ash became surprised with how beautiful and soft May sung, she had heard the girl sing lullabies to Max before, but never had he heard actually heard her sing. The rhythm she produced gave him a sense of relief and the boy found himself becoming calm.
"'I'll reach out my hand to you; I'll have faith in all you do. Just call my name and I'll be there," May sang with her sweet and soft voice.
Ash could feel his heart slowly falling in love with her all over again, "Whenever you need me, I'll be there, I'll be there to protect you, with an unselfish love I respect you, Just call my name and I'll be there."
The brunette became amazed by how Ash seemed to know what he was doing and danced smoothly with her all over the balcony. Her heart was at peace in this moment and she didn't want to speak because she felt like it would ruin the moment. She continued to sing the gentle song as she got closer to Ash and placed her head on his shoulder as they moved gracefully.
"Just call my name, I'll be there," May sang gently as she realized that Ash had taken over control and now led her throughout the dance.
It was perfect for them, May couldn't ask for anything better than this at the moment and neither could Ash. All the problems and thoughts they had were forgotten with every step, the story about Auro, Nate, and Rosa's home, the thoughts about being a Pokémon Master, and much more vanished.
"Just call my name, I'll be there..." May sang the truth to Ash under the blissful moon.
Sorry for the long wait, had some stuff to take care of but that was Chapter 41, I hope it wasn't too romantic or too confusing or had too much bad grammar. For the those of you who might have gotten confused with the story part about Auro, Nate, and Rosa, remember that the whole background info about being from a "distant land" and the "Pokémon Master being friends with Roxas" was just to confuse Ash and May, not you. Plus, at the end it is confirmed by Nate that a lot of the major details were a masquerade, like where they are from, or what happened to Omega after the "whole nation fell apart and recovered power while hiding in the regions". The details gave about the myth regarding Arceus and Giratina, Michaelis, and who dies are all true though, sadly. Well I hope you guys enjoyed it and didn't have too much of a hard time getting through it. I'll catch you guys next weekend!