I know, I know. I'm sorry for the long update. My only excuse is that I was busy and without internet for a while. I'm currently living in Costa Rica right now, teaching English, and there's only so much reliability one can have towards the wifi in a developing country. Either way, this chapter is quite dramatic actually. But we are oh so close to working our way to the heart of the denouement! Everything is coming together and it's all rather exciting :D I will try not to let the next update take so long. But thank you for your patience readers!

And thank you to all who reviewed. I'm very encouraged by your thoughts and comments.

Chapter 17

4 years ago…

"What is this?" Ash asked. Drifter had pulled, from a loose plank out of the wood flooring in Akoni's hut, a thin silver hilt void of a blade. It felt light in Ash's hands, almost fragile. The chrome made the weapon look futuristic, and Ash looked for some sort of button as if he figured to turn the sword "on" in some way. He searched for a minute or so, but found nothing but a circular crater at the bottom of the pommel.

"It's a sword," Drifter said and Ash looked puzzled, holding up the empty hilt with a degree of irony.

"It looks very effective,"

"Of course it doesn't," Drifter gave his apprentice a wry smile while pulling out—what looked like—a small marble, with shades of blue and purple and green disappearing in to each other behind a symbol resembling a strand of DNA.

"A key stone," Ash identified the spherical object just before Drifter tossed it to him. He caught it and rolled it around in his palm, watching the shades of color change with the light.

Putting two and two together, Ash turned the hilt over until the pommel was facing up and embedded the jewel within the open crater.

The sword came to life with startling power. A long white blade, glowing within the dark dust-light retreating from the windows.

Ash held the hilt with both hands, waving the sword back and forth slowly, half-expecting to hear it hum, but it was as silent as any regular sword he'd seen in movies or TV.

"That sword used to be a Warrior's weapon of choice," Drifter announced, his eyes lightening up at the sight of the color of the blade. Ash has not lost yet. "It's a key-blade. It will change color based on the pokemon you call upon to stand beside you."

"I…," Ash didn't know what to say. He was mesmerized.

After a while of watching the sword, and swinging it lightly in his hands, he lowered the weapon and looked at Drifter.

"Are you giving this to me?"

"Yes," Drifter nodded, his expression turning stern again.

Ash looked at the blade and then back at his mentor. "Why?"

Drifter pulled out his hilt, attaching the key stone to the pommel, and a yellow blade appeared. He then brought his sword up with the intent to slash down at Ash, who blocked the attack by sheer instinct and adrenaline. The boy's eyes were wide, the blades inches away from his face, struggling to hold his block. Just as it looked as though his arms were going to crumble in to themselves, Drifter released the contact and Ash fell to the floor, sweating.

A few moments of stillness ensued. Ash continued panting heavily, his face contorted in to disbelief.

"When Lunala attacks, he will not be moving at half-speed," Drifter unfastened the stone from his sword and the blade disappeared, "nor at half-strength."

xxxxx

present day…

Between his wings, Lunala began forming another dark ball of energy. He shot it out towards Drifter and Brock, both of who were distracted by the sudden appearance of their comrades. They they barely managed to block the attack, cutting through it with both of their blades, leaving the explosion ignite the ground behind them. An explosion of dirt erupted from the earth and fall on to the backs of the two soldiers, who'd lost their footing in the tremor. They rolled away and on to their feet before Gary could strike them with his blade.

Brock watched Drifter whistled over to his Dragonite, which responded with a powerful dragon pulse, distracting Lunala. The prophet turned to Clemont and the others, shouting furiously.

"Get out of here! Get everyone out of the city and go!"

Lunala hissed and with a huge wing, slapped the Dragonite in to a nearby building. He then turned back to Drifter, a shadow pulse forming at his mouth—black and beast like. When he released the attack, Brock quickly called for his Steelix to harden in front of Drifter, acting as a shield. Though the pulse was blocked, Steelix suffered a critical blow. It wobbled and then fainted in front of Gary's feet. Gary lifted his sword, as if to finish the pokemon, but Brock returned Steelix with haste and the blade hit the ground, creating another tremor. Brock then grew too frightened to risk the life of another pokemon.

He watched Drifter raise his sword and charged at Gary, meeting his blows head on in a rapid waves of fluidity. The swords—white clashing against black—rang beyond the fires and the flaling buildings. The colors of each blade followed the movements of both fighters, leaving trails of darkness and light, as though they could not keep up with the duel. Drifter spun, swinging his sword to strike Gary in the back, but the possessed young man dropped his own weapon behind his head and blocked the oncoming blow. He then countered with a spin to Drifter's legs, but the prophet jumped and the blade hissed through the air beneath him.

Dragonite rejoined the fighting, releasing another dragon pulse, which Gary absorbed with a hand and re-aimed at Drifter, who managed to bend backward and let the attack fly centimeters above his nose.

From the other side of the barren field, Meyer appeared in front of the gym. In his hand was a bright yellow stone, and it gleamed with reflected light all across the way to where it caught his son's eye.

Clemont looked and fell to his knees.

Meyer grinned and began running across the field, skirting towards the edges to avoid the attacks being thrown on both sides. Dragonite sped up the process, by grabbing Meyer's shirt with its talons and flying him safely over to the overs.

Father and son embraced.

Meyer grabbed on to Clemont's shoulders, shaking him as if to make sure his boy was real, "And your sister?"

Clemont, overwhelmed, grabbed his father by the neck and began to cry. "She's safe. She's safe."

"Incoming!" Akoni shouted, and everyone looked up in time to avoid a thick beam of dark matter lasering up and down the field. Buildings and earth crumbled and disappeared to ash. The edges of the grass glowed with trails of dark ember.

"Akoni!" Drifter screamed, knowing there was not much time. He could not keep this up, "Get everyone out!"

Brock joined the prophet in the next charge against Lunala, who seemed to block both of their blades with ease. He grinned and picked up speed, much to Brock's horror. However, everything soon became slow motion. Brock saw blades come at him, at all different angles, in slowed speeds, and he picked off each one, his determination fueling the veins in his arms and legs. His attacks grew powerful and sharp. The sinew in his muscles hardened in to steely tissue under the tension. He would not give up. He would not let his friends die.

Out from the corner of his eye, Brock saw Akoni moving everyone out of the area. Clemont looked back, hesitating.

xxxxx

The Indigo Plateau

Serena wasn't sure why she'd fallen. She wasn't sure why she couldn't get back up. She only knew that an intense throbbing in her abdomen, one pulsing its way through her body, rendered her incapable of moving any farther. Her breathing began jagged—staggering palpitations of air—hitting the forest floor and blowing the dead leaves up off the grass. She could still see the cabin. Fifty feet away, the door stayed shut beneath her heavy-laden gaze, which sunk farther and farther in to darkness as the pain continued to writhe through her body. She wanted to cry out, call his name while breath came through from her lips. Part of her knew she was dying. She wanted to kiss him one last time.

Before she succumbed to the pain, Serena felt a shadow move above her. With the last of her strength, she looked up to the sky and coming down from the canopy was a massive bird. On the pokemon, Serena spotted the blonde head of girl.

"Bonnie," Serena whispered, and lost consciousness.

xxxxx

With Pikachu on his shoulders, Ash noticed the stone in his key blade turn white. It began to illuminate the room and the light spread in to the pokeball at his belt. Drawing the sword from his hilt, he activated the blade and found that it had become auric in color—no longer blue or black. He knew immediately that his Charizard had been transformed too. He was truly free from the dark; reequipped with the light. Ash Ketchum stood up and burst through the cabin. He was not going to give up.

xxxxx

"You did this!" Bonnie shouted when she saw Ash run out of the cabin. He had frozen in shock at the sight of Serena, motionless on the forest floor; now in Bonnie's arms. "You did this to her!"

Kaleb moved in front of the two as if to protect them. He drew out a pokeball, holding it at his side, preparing himself for battle.

Bonnie began to cry in Serena's hair.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, jumping off of Ash's shoulders and running to Bonnie, "Pika, pi—Pikachu!"

Bonnie looked up. Her bright gaze moved from the pokemon to Ash, and back to Pikachu. She continued to cry, but grabbed on to Kaleb's arm as if to hold him back from engaging Ash aggressively.

"Where have you been?" Bonnie whimpered, biting her lip as Ash drew forward, cautiously, "why did you leave us?"

"Bonnie," Ash's voice broke. He knelt down beside the younger girl, aware of Kaleb watching him suspiciously. Ash then looked at Serena, and the colorless cheeks on her face. "Let me take her. Let me take her to the bed."

Bonnie shook her head fiercely, clinging to Serena as she sobbed. "Where were you?!"

"Bonnie, please," Ash pleaded, holding out his arms. His eyes were beginning to grow full, and soon tears were streaking down his face as well, causing both Kaleb and Bonnie to watch him with shock.

The younger girl let go of Serena, letting Ash move in front and lift the unconscious body in to his arms. He motioned for them both to follow him, and he led them in to the cabin, through the kitchen, in to the room were he laid Serena on the bed. Her body looked cold. Her red lips, now turning blue. Ash pressed his mouth to hers, one last time.

When he pulled away, Ash wiped his face of the tears and bore a fiery determination in his bright, amber eyes. He turned to Bonnie and Kaleb, who still seemed stunned by the kiss and the look on Ash's face. The younger girl, however, had seen and known that look before. She ran up to her old friend and wrapped him in a redemptive embrace.

Ash was back.

Ash hugged her back briefly and then held her out by the shoulders. He bent down to her level and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I need you to take care of Serena," he said, his gaze pure embers, "I need to destroy Lunala if I'm going to save her."

"What if," Bonnie trailed off, following Ash out the door as he began to leave the cabin, "what if she dies?"

"She won't," Ash said, calling upon his Charizard, now pure and restored to its original coloring. As he mounted the dragon, with Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash gritted his teeth and under his breath added, "she can't."

Charizard roared. The trees bent, and the grass shimmered, under the wings that beat the air and ignited the beast in to the sky.

xxxxx

Lumoise City, Kalos

Diantha and Meyer led the remaining soldiers to where the survivors had been hiding within the underground tunnels. There were about forty civilians left. Behind the surprised crowd, Clemont found the machine his father was attempting to use as a satellite transmission—one powerful enough to penetrate the darkness above the city—and began looking it over. He rearranged two of the fusion wires connected to the main circuit, and reorganized the coordinates of the potential signal. He called for his father to bring the stone, so that he could help hook up the conductor patches.

"Good thing you showed up," Meyer muttered, handing his son the lightning stone, "I was sort of guessing with most of this stuff."

"Well, you had most of it right, Dad," Clemont hooked up the stone and began powering the transmission, wearing the gears begin their mechanical turning, "but, there's still no way we'll be able to send out voice messages, seeing as we have no microphone or wave strength."

"Ah, but sending out vocal communications is not the point of the machine," Meyer smiled, revealing a computer mouse attached to the transmission box. He began to click out an old code language. His clicks varied in length and speed. Meyer filled the room with a rhythmic code. Clemont imagined dots and dashes. Meyer put one a set of headphones and continued his clicking. "Let's see if anyone finds us."

"We don't have much time," Akoni said, his collected demeanor faltering. He needed to get these people out of here before he could help Drifter.

"I know," Meyer said, "five minutes."

xxxxx

Pallet Town, Kanto

"Would you care for some tea, Samuel?"

Professor Oak nodded. He watched Delia disappear in to the kitchen, taking a seat in the living room where the TV blared with the latest news breaking around the regions. There were images of refugee camps being set up near the ports of Kanto and Unova, people from all over the world seeking refuge from the attacks, with finally the presence of a joint police and military force helping citizens maintain somewhat of an ordered structure within the chaos. Journalists and field reporters littered the scenes, conducting interviews with many refugees and authorities to gather information. Not much was being revealed that hadn't already been discovered.

Professor Oak turned off the news, but stayed tense on the couch. He wrung his hands together and wondered, not for the first time, if this was an attack that could be stopped.

Delia returned from the kitchen with a tea tray; on it a steaming kettle, two small cups and saucers, and some rice cakes. She set everything down on the low coffee table in front of the couch where Oak sat, and then left again to return with cream and sugar.

"It's been a rather frightening few months," Delia said, turning to the TV as though it were still on, "but I'm sure you know more than I do about what's going on."

Professor Oak stared hard at the steam blowing up from the tea as Delia poured the liquid in to the cups. She handed Samuel his drink, and he took it only to stare at the reflection of his silhouette.

"I think Ash is involved,"

Oak's eyes went wide and he stared at Delia with a mix of shock and fear. For a few moments, he could only move his mouth up and down before getting a word out. "What makes you say that?"

"I may be quiet, Samuel," Delia said, taking a seat across from the professor, "but I'm not stupid. My son has a habit of getting himself involved in world-shaping situations. I knew as soon as he disappeared, that something strong had taken him. I knew it would take something strong to bring him back."

She took a sip of her tea.

Professor Oak blinked, and began spooning in cream and sugar in to his tea—anything to make it go down more easily.

"I've actually come to talk about James," Samuel said.

Delia set her tea down on the table without looking up. "Oh?"

"Did you ever consider that something strong had taken him?"

The fair woman fixed her light gaze on the professor. Her bottom lip, for a moment, began to quiver, but she wiped her mouth with a napkin and her face returned to stone.

"Yes."

Professor Oak let out a long, pent up breath. He ran his fingers through his crisp gray hair and then placed both his hands to his mouth as though he were about to pray.

"You didn't tell me?"

"I couldn't save him, Samuel," Delia began to shutter, the chinaware in her hands, clattering, "I could save him."

Professor Oak did know whom she meant, but he reached out to still her. Delia placed head tea on the table and raised a hand to her forehead, looking as though she were about to faint.

"Delia, it's alright," Oak tried to soothe her, moving to her side and helping her lay back against her chair, "there was nothing you could have done. In either case, it was not your fight—it was their choice."

Without saying another word, the auburn-haired woman moved away from the professor to go upstairs. She returned, more composed yet with eyes growing red, with a yellowing note between her pale fingers. Delia handed the note to Oak and sat back down in the chair, silent and unmoving.

Samuel looked at her softly and unfolded the note. His eyes going back and forth from Delia and the words in his hands.

My love,

You must know that to leave has destroyed me. Part of my soul will always be with you and our boy, but I could not stay and grow to eventually hurt you. I was always going to hurt you. He is everywhere. I cannot escape him anymore. In my sleep, I only see nightmares. In my reality, I only see my dreams. I have been promised power beyond your wildest imagination. Power to keep you safe even if I must do so from afar. You may not understand now, but the world will not always be as it is. If I do not take this chance, I will never ascertain my dreams and I will never be able to keep you safe. Forgive me.

James

Before the professor could speak, his pokegear began to sound. He looked at Delia, who nodded in encouragement to answer.

"Yes?"

"Professor," Cynthia's voice came through as clear as a bell, and she sounded urgent, "we've picked up a signal from Kalos."

"What?"

"Sir," Cynthia paused to listen for more information that was being given to her by multiple voices Oak heard from the other side of the line, "sir, they say that the swarm is moving again. It's been confirmed. They'll be at the Indigo Plateau by nightfall."

xxxxx

Lumoise City, Kalos

Drifter knew Lunala was not fighting at full strength. This only meant one thing: the pokemon did not have full possession of Gary's soul. Yet. Not only that, but Gary was not Ash. Though Lunala's grip on Ash's soul was much less of a possession compared to Gary, the pokemon demonstrated more power through Ash, because of Ash's gifted abilities as a trainer. Drifter knew Gary had been caught up in a lie—one where Lunala most likely promised power that superseded that of the power given to Ash. Even Lunala knew that was impossible. Ash had been powerful on his own before Lunala captured his soul. This was the great irony of it all.

"We have to break Lunala's hold on Gary here, or else we'll never get him back," Drifter shouted to Brock over the beams of dark energy erupting from the tips of Lunala's wings.

"And how do we do that?" Brock asked, swinging towards a dark Aerodactyl—one of the many pokemon that had been called upon by the darkness. The fossil pokemon flew back, the gust under its wings sending Brock to his back. He rolled away before the beast could bite down on him.

Drifter continued his assault on Lunala, who only grinned.

"You can't."

xxxxx

Clemont knew that look in his father's eyes. It shimmered with pure success. Through his headset, Meyer's transmission was being returned—the dots and dashes being printed on a sheet of graph paper, churning out of the makeshift machine. Clemont ripped the message out of the printer, and handed it over to his father to read.

"Well?" Diantha prompted impatiently, looking over Meyer's shoulder.

"Message received," Meyer began, his eyes deciphering the code, "forces are being sent to the plateau. Allies have been met. Get out of Kalos."

The room went quiet.

The survivors all stirred uneasily, wondering if it was either possible or safe to begin an evacuation. No one said a word until Akoni stood up.

"Ladies and gents," the Alolan began, pointing to the printed sheet of code, "That's one message, I insist we all obey,"

No one objected.

Diantha and Meyer began urging the survivors to grab their essential belonging and to leave the rest. Akoni ordered his rangers to help. Within minutes, they were all leaving the tunnels, rushing to breach the surface and escape. The tunnels rumbled as building from above continued to break upon floor, shaking dust and pieces of cement from the ceiling.

When they reached the ladder, the survivors went first, led by Diantha. The rangers came up to the surface last. When Clemont came up, Akoni grabbed him by the arm and pulled him off to the side.

"You're coming with me," said the Alolan, "we need to help Drifter."

Clemont nodded. When he told his father, Meyer insisted that he come too, and the three ran back towards the center of town.

xxxxx

Brock never liked the idea of giving up. Perhaps it's something Ash taught him. Either way, he was not going to let Lunala take Gary from him too. He was not going to let this pokemon keep ruining souls that belonged to those he loved. Gary was still in there, somewhere. Brock knew that when/if Gary snapped back to his senses, he would be grieved by all the pain he was causing—he was never one to give himself grace—and Brock knew that Lunala could have chosen anyone. This could have happened to anyone. Brock could not be mad at Gary for something he himself could have fallen prey to. He knew that if he were in Gary's position, he would want someone to save him, and that's exactly what Brock intended to do.

"Hit the floor!" Drifted shouted, and the two fell to the ground just as an invisible pulse of sound erupted from Lunala's screech, the worst of it flying over their heads and shattering the remaining glass of the buildings.

Brock had covered his ears when he removed his hands, he saw blood, and felt a ringing in his head. He looked at Drifter, who was shouting something, but Brock couldn't hear a thing. Everything was moving silently, and slowly. He could see the debris flying all around him, but they fell like particles floating in the water—their movements were devastatingly slow. Brock reached up to touch one, and it spun out of place, hitting another and increasing in speed. Soon, everything came back in to its original motion. Brock lifted his sword in time to block Lunala's sword, which he stopped centimeters from his face.

In a moment of pure desperation, Brock shoved blades away and gathered every ounce of muscular strength to land a crushing kick on to Gary's chest. This only sent him back a few feet, but it was enough for Brock to run back over to Drifter, where the two stood together with soot covered faced, bloodied clothes, and their blades lifted in unison.

"I don't have time for this," Lunala smirked, but his eyes looked enraged and frustrated, "soon every soldier and pokemon under my control will be on Kanto territory, and once that region falls, I will be strong enough to devastate the world, but you know that don't you?"

Drifter panted, his blue eyes shining like vivid jewels behind the mask of dirt on his face, "You won't get that far. You were never meant to."

"Oh shut up, old man," Lunala spat, "how has your prophecy been working out for you so far? You were wrong about everything. Ash betrayed you. He belongs to me. And Serena will be dead within the hour. There is no chosen one. You have been lied to!"

"No!" Brock shouted, "You're wrong. Ash will save her."

Lunala looked at Brock, ripping in to huge fits of laughter.

"Brock, stop. Don't let him anger you." Drifter warned as the broad-shouldered trainer grew passionate and enraged beside him.

"Ash is the one who killed her," Lunala turned his back to them, his grin now growing wide and dark, "I had him take her, and bury his sword deep inside her heart. I wouldn't be surprised if he did it slowly."

"Stop it!" Brock couldn't hear anymore. He lurched forward, his sword high above his head, his dark eyes surging with fire.

Drifter, unable to form a coherent word at his throat, reacted with a guttural howl, his fingers just missing the sleeve of Brock's shirt. The prophet watched as Lunala, anticipating the attack, jumped backwards and flipped in mid-air and landed facing Brock's back. Lunala pulled its arm back and speared its black sword in to Brock's spine.

Brock fell to his knees.

I promise you every death is for a reason. I'm not one to kill random characters for dramatic effect. Every decision is deliberate. And all the "why"s will be answered.

R&R