Hi, guys. Decided to break this out a couple days early. Things are starting to ramp up, so let's get right to it.
The sight before him was magnificent. Ash had never seen something more mystifying than the creature he saw floating in the sky before him. It was like seeing a whale, an elephant, or even a mythical creature in the flesh for the very first time. Something so magnificent and awe-inspiring that it was hard to even fathom the words to describe exactly what you were looking at.
Ash saw a large creature that resembled a dragon, but also had the characteristics of a bird too, hover over him and the others like it was a mother bird protecting its nest from the three birds threatening to do it harm. Its whole body was colored silver-white with a dark blue underside. The creature's head jutted out to a point at the back like a dragon, but its mouth was pointed like a beak. Spikes in a similar shade of blue to its underbelly covered its eyes, looking almost like war paint. The creature's wide, massive wings stretched out approximately ten-and-a-half meters with the ends almost resembling hands, allowing the Pokémon to catch the air effortlessly as it floated. Dark blue plate-like protrusions ran down the length of its back, with two smaller, pointed ones on the end of its tail.
The Pokémon was the most amazing creature Ash had ever seen in his young life.
"The great guardian, Lugia," he heard Slowking say with an awed tremble in its voice.
Ash's eyes remained fixed on Lugia, even as he felt himself be pulled up from the ground. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Troy stood beside him, also transfixed by the Pokémon hovering above them. That confirmed his feeling that the former Kanto champion was the one who tackled him. No words would do this scene justice, even if he managed to find the right ones to say.
Lugia then let out a deep, melodic sound that sounded familiar. Then Ash realized, it was the same sound that had come from the water column when it carried the boat back to Shamouti Island. Lugia had indeed been the source of the sound. Its cry struck Ash somewhere deep inside of his very being, sending shivers throughout his whole body. That was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard in his life.
The moment of sheer majesty quickly ended as Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno unleashed their attacks on Lugia. A force field covered the legendary Pokémon, keeping the attacks at bay until they fizzled out. Lugia's wings adjusted slightly and it swept across the sky. The legendary Pokémon danced gracefully across the sky as it dodged the attacks that came its way. Ash was amazed at how fast it moved despite being so big.
The four legendary birds swept across the sky in their deadly dance. Lugia dodged attacks left and right, but it was clearly having trouble with the three-pronged assault coming its way. At one point, it dove through the ice and into the sea to become the column of water once again. Articuno froze it, but Lugia managed to burst through and continue dodging. It would not be long before it would inevitably make a mistake and get caught by one of the attacks. Ash grew more and more concerned for Lugia's safety with each passing second.
"Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail," he heard Melody say. "Thus, the earth shall turn to ash."
The next part of the legend was coming to pass. Despite Lugia doing whatever it could to calm things down, it wasn't making any difference in bringing harmony between the three warring titans of fire, ice and lightning. That did not spell well for the world or Lugia. Ash didn't know if Lawrence would come back to claim all four legendary Pokémon in one swoop, so he hoped things worked out. They had to.
He spoke too soon as the battle once again got way too close to the group. Lugia hovered over them protectively, absorbing each individual attack with its force field. However, once it let its defenses down, the three birds hit Lugia at once. An explosion happened and, to Ash's horror, Lugia fell limply through the air and through the ice. To add insult to injury, the three birds combined their attacks to seal up the hole Lugia fell into.
"No!" he cried as he ran forward on instinct.
"Ash!"
He felt Troy grab the back of his shirt to hold him back. Ash fought against it with every bit of strength he had, but Troy's grip held tight. The older male then hooked his arms around his shoulders. Ash continued thrashing in his arms, but Troy was too strong to break out of.
"Let me go!" he shouted.
"Ash, take a deep breath," Troy replied. "We'll figure this out."
"No, Troy! You don't get it! It needs to-!"
"This is no time to be reckless! Calm down!"
The sound of Slowking's voice caused the two to stop their squabble.
"There is only one hope: only the Chosen One can bring together the treasures to help the water's great guardian," said the Pokémon.
"But the legend says that its song will fail," replied Melody. She then pointed out to the sea. "Like what just happened a second ago."
Slowking ignored her as it set its big eyes on Ash. The raven-haired trainer felt Troy let him go, which he was thankful for. Something about the Pokémon's stare told him that he was missing something obvious here. For the life of him, he did not know what it could possibly see.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Slowking?" he asked.
The Pokémon did not answer. Now, the girls were looking at him in the same manner. Great, now things were getting even more confusing.
"Does it mean…Ash?" Misty said.
Ash froze. What did that mean? Was Misty really saying that the legend was talking about him in particular? That made no sense. The way he understood that segment, it meant the world would be completely destroyed once Lugia's song failed to settle the three birds down. The only part relating to someone doing something was the plea for the one who was chosen to bring the three treasures together to tame the beast of the sea, which was Lugia in this case.
"Care to explain that a little more?" said Troy, seemingly sharing his incredulity. "I don't think that it was talking about Ash in particular."
"Why not? He's the one who matches the legend perfectly," said Tracey. "I think it is talking about him."
"Carol?"
Melody's elder sister nodded her head slowly before setting her green eyes on the young trainer. Ash paid close attention to what she had to say. Ultimately she knew the legend better than any of them could and would hopefully be able to clear up this confusion.
"Indeed, the legend says that the one who is chosen will bring together all three treasures to help Lugia's song tame the titans of fire, ice and lightning," she explained. "I always interpreted that to mean any Pokémon trainer that was named the Chosen One for the festival would have that power. Since it was just for show before, I never truly thought about it until today when the danger was real."
Carol took a step closer to him.
"Ash, since you have brought two of the three treasures back to the shrine here at Shamouti Island, you are the one that must finish the job in order to fulfill the legend. You are the festival's Chosen One this year and so you must do your part."
Ash wanted to say that made sense, but he couldn't bring himself to. He backed away from everyone, trying hard to wrap his head around this whole thing. He only agreed to be the festival's Chosen One because he was more or less forced into it. Now that he actually read the fine print that came with it, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be the Chosen One anymore. Training Pokémon was hard enough – Charizard was still a work in progress, despite the breakthrough they had – but bearing the weight of the entire world on his shoulders was something he never imagined he'd have to face.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on," he said. "I never agreed to any of this when I said I'd be your Chosen One. I thought it was just a ceremonial thing. Saving the world? Are you crazy?"
Melody bowed her head. The look on her face made it clear she was regretting something.
"I'm sorry, Ash," she said. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this. I'm the one who picked you for it, so I bear the responsibility as the festival maiden. I hope you can forgive me."
He nodded. "I definitely have to go along with you on that, Melody."
Troy chuckled. "Don't beat yourself up, Mel. Ash is always running off getting into mischief."
"Nothing like this though," said Ash. "How am I supposed to do what Lugia couldn't?"
The mention of the legendary Pokémon visibly perked Melody up. She reached into her pack and pulled out the festival maiden's flute, commenting that the sound it made was like the song from the legend. She then started to play the song that she performed during the banquet earlier. The song had transfixed Ash when he first heard it, but now it was almost like he was hearing it for the first time once again. Something about it seemed familiar.
As Melody played each note effortlessly, one particular section of the song stuck out to him. It sounded just like the noise that Lugia made. Maybe Lugia's sound served as the inspiration for the song all those years ago. It was smooth like butter on the ear.
After another few notes, Melody stopped playing. Ash would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed that she stopped. He wanted to hear more of it. It was honestly doing wonders for his morale right now. Looking at Misty, Tracey and Troy, the song seemed to help pick them up too. The only thing left was to figure out what to do next.
A loud cracking sound came from his right. A swirling water column like before came surging out of the ice. This time it was covered in a majestic light. The water split apart to reveal Lugia surrounded by the same bright light that coated the water that encased it. The sight was so incredible that Ash could not tear his eyes away.
"The song," a warm, husky voice said. "The song has restored my strength."
Ash's eyes widened. Was that…Lugia speaking? It could talk? Even so, he felt incredibly soothed and relaxed hearing the voice. It made him feel like everything was going to be okay.
"But it alone cannot bring harmony to the three warring ones," the creature continued. "When the treasures of fire, ice and lightning are aligned, my song shall harmonize with their powers and tame the beast both above and below the sea. This can come to pass only with the help of the Chosen One."
Ash bit his lip and asked, "But what can I do that someone else can't?"
"Only in the hands of the true Chosen One will the ice sphere glow like the others, its power awakened," Lugia replied.
The raven-haired trainer looked out towards Ice Island. He had already gotten two of the treasures, but this would be the hardest one to get. The three birds continued their unrelenting battle, ensuring injury or death to anyone foolish enough to wander into their path of destruction. That nervous feeling he felt in his stomach a second ago was now back with a vengeance.
"I have to go…there?" he said, sounding more and more unsure of himself by the second. It was a suicide mission at this point practically.
Lugia's eyes softened as it looked deep into his soul.
"The choice is yours. You must go only where your heart leads you. If you go, I will go as well to ensure your safety, O Chosen One."
The legendary Pokémon disappeared beneath the ledge, leaving Ash alone with only his thoughts. Part of him was not sure if he could really do this. He was still barely treading water as a Pokémon trainer, even after finishing in the Top 16 at the Indigo League. It all seemed impossible at this stage. He was completely in over his head.
Ash felt a tugging on his pant leg. He looked down and saw Pikachu looking up at him. Its eyes shined with encouragement.
"You…think I can do it?" he asked the electric mouse.
Pikachu nodded.
Before Ash could say anything else, his other Pokémon materialized before him. They too looked at him with the same encouragement that their team captain showed him, letting out sounds that matched that. He honestly did not know what to say. To know that everyone around him believed in him enough to lay their lives in his hands overwhelmed him.
Ash bowed his head to hide his face as he struggled to keep his tears at bay. His throat tightened as a lump dug its way in there and threatened to keep him from speaking. He had the best friends that a guy could ask for.
"I'll do whatever it takes to get that third treasure," he sobbed. Doubt then crept back into his mind. "But what if I mess up? What if…I…"
"You can do it, Ash," said Misty. "We all believe in you."
Tracey and Troy nodded. Carol gave him a smile.
Boosted by his friends' belief in him, Ash turned his famous Pokémon League hat backwards. Fire shined in his chocolate brown eyes. It didn't matter how he got this job done, he was going to do it.
"You're right," he said. "I'm the Chosen One."
'Me and my big mouth.'
Ash fell face first into the snow as he tried to trudge a path to Ice Island. Why did he have to sound like such a big shot a moment ago? It was as if the fates were waiting for him to make a stupid comment like that in order to knock him flat on his back.
He looked along the horizon. Ice Island loomed over him like some imposing obelisk. It was the one place he had to get to, but it was also the one place that seemed impossible to reach.
Pikachu let out a cry as it pointed to their right. Ash looked over and saw the wreckage of Carol's boat. He wondered what Pikachu could possibly see that would help them.
Then he noticed some rope and a large piece of debris that looked like it could pass for a sled.
That gave him an idea.
Troy sucked in a nervous breath as he watched Ash ride out on a makeshift sled that was pulled by Charizard, Bulbasaur and Squirtle. Lugia soared above him almost protectively. He prayed with every fiber of his being that his young friend made it there safely. He believed in him, but would belief be enough?
The former Kanto champion reached out and grabbed Carol's hand. Their fingers gracefully interlocked before he gave it a squeeze. Already the three warring birds seemed to take notice of their unexpected guest. Lugia was doing its best to protect Ash, but it would not be enough. He had to do something. Legend or not, Ash could not do this by himself.
There was only one option.
"I have to go help him," he said, letting go of Carol's hand.
The girl looked at him like he had just lost his mind. "What? No, Troy!" she exclaimed. "Stay here. It's too dangerous."
He shook his head. "You don't understand, Carol. Ash is going to get killed out there if no one helps him," he explained. "He can't do this by himself, and the only person that I'm willing to take a risk on sending out to help him is me. You all stay here."
Troy turned toward Tracey and Misty, who also looked at him like he had gone completely crazy. He understood their feelings perfectly, but he believed in what he was doing. If something were to happen to him, he knew he could trust them to carry out any final wishes. He took off his belt. Lucario and Gengar's Poké Balls were on either side of his belt buckle. He then handed it to the green-haired watcher.
"If something should happen to me, Tracey, make sure that they're taken care of until you guys get back to Kanto," he instructed.
Tracey stood completely frozen, clearly at a loss for words. He might have had something to say, but Troy knew that it would have been a fait accompli in the end. Tracey seemed to slowly begin to understand that as well because he nodded his head and took the belt in his hand.
Troy locked eyes with Misty. She didn't say anything, but her expression showed she was just as worried about him as Tracey. He gave her an assuring smile as they exchanged nods. The two of them had shared a lot together and he had grown to love her like she was his own sister.
Then came the hardest goodbye of all. Carol was clearly not budging on her refusal to let him go out there to help Ash. It didn't matter what she said to him – he was going anyway – but it hurt him to see her like this. She rushed forward and grabbed his arm. He winced. Man, she sure had a tight grip for a girl.
"I won't let you go, Troy," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You could get killed."
"Let me go, Carol," he said sternly. "I know what I'm doing."
SMACK!
"Would you stop being stubborn for one second and listen to me?"
Troy raised his hand to touch the cheek she just slapped. It burned like he had just endured a Flamethrower attack from a fire-type Pokémon. That was completely unexpected. The tears were now streaming down her face and she was biting down hard on her lower lip. He decided to shut his mouth and listen to what she had to say.
Carol sniffled. "I can't lose you," she said softly before falling against him. Troy held her in place as she cried into his chest. He gently stroked her hair. "I know we've only known each other for a day, Troy, but I already know in my deepest heart how I feel. I –" she looked up at him, "I want to be with you."
The words didn't register in Troy's mind for what felt like an eternity. Once they did, his jaw slackened from the shock. Had she really just said the words that he was hoping to hear from her? This was his first true love confession from someone that he reciprocated a crush for. He was used to hearing his adoring fans screaming that they loved him, but they only loved what they believed him to be. They didn't say that they loved the real him. Carol's confession was meant for the real him.
His hand reached up and touched her cheek, their eyes glued to each other. It felt like the two of them were the only people in the world right now. He heard Lucario snickering and making suggestive comments, but the Pokémon was irrelevant right now. Troy was going to savor this moment for as long as he could.
"I appreciate that, Carol," he said with a smile. "I feel the same way."
He took a deep breath. It was unfortunate he had to break her heart like this, but it had to be done. His hand fell from her cheek.
"But I'm sorry. I'm going to help Ash and you can't stop me."
Rather than fight him this time, she bowed her head and let out a sigh. It seemed she wanted to get the confession off her chest more than anything in addition to trying to stop him. She seemed to finally accept he was not changing his mind. He smiled, wanting to give her one last thing before he went off to help his friend.
"In case something does happen to me, I want you to know this."
The second their lips met was like magic. Troy never felt as emotionally high as he did right now. He could feel the love she had for him in her kiss as she met him halfway. His heart soared high inside of his chest at the speed of a Pidgeot. Troy did not want this moment to end, but time was running out. He pulled away, keeping his lips close enough to hers that it wasn't too drastic.
"I'll see you soon," he whispered, caressing her cheek one more time. His face still felt hot, but he didn't care. This was the happiest moment of his life, and he was going to savor it as long as he could.
Troy took a step back, but he didn't get far. He looked down and saw Carol still clinging to his hand. He bit down his lip and jerked his hand, but she didn't let go. Her grip tightened. He looked into her light green eyes, which were begging for him not to go. His own forest green ones were soft, but asking for her to release her grip on his wrist.
The two stayed like this for a few moments before he saw her glance down, followed by a small nod. She was giving in. Reluctantly, but giving in. Her grip eased and he moved his hand away.
Troy then locked eyes with Lucario. The Pokémon looked at him sadly, almost pleading for him not to go. Troy gave a small smile. He hated that he was putting his most trusted friend in this kind of position, but it was for its sake as well as the sake of everyone else.
"Make sure she and the others stay safe, Lucario," he said, laying a hand on the bi-pedal jackal's shoulder. "I'm counting on you, my friend."
Lucario stood still for a second and then nodded with resignation. It raised its paw to rest on top of Troy's wrist. Their bond coursed through the shared connection, giving the former Kanto champion the last bit of courage he needed to go through with this.
Troy turned and ran down the staircase he saw Ash go down earlier. Soon, he reached what would normally be the shoreline in ideal conditions and saw what remained of Carol's boat. In the back, he saw an orange tarp hanging over something. He rushed over and pulled it off. A popping sound went off before a small, orange raft appeared. That wasn't all; it had a motor at the back.
He looked back toward Ice Island.
'I'm coming, Ash.'
What awaits them next? Find out next time.
Hope you guys liked it and are anxious to see what happens next. Let me know what you think.
See you all next time.
Tootles.