My Pokémon Journey

by Pokebrawler09

In this world of Pokémon, there have lived two Guardians that had served under Arceus to protect the world and teach humans and Pokémon how to live side by side together. Now in present time, the Guardians have been reincarnated and begin to learn of their destiny. Come along with our heroes as they discover their powers and meet many Pokémon that thrive in this world!

19. Chapter 18: A Promise Fulfilled

Chapter 18: A Promise Fulfilled

Vermilion City Square

The sounds of shoppers and travelers filled the area on a warm, humid sunny afternoon. The sounds of people and Pokémon filled the area as they walked around; passing by shops, vendors, restaurants, and tour guides as they enjoyed their day. Walking through the crowd as they talked; Zuzu, Yuya, and the group were walking around the square with some of their Pokémon. They were exploring the area on their own and went shopping to get some personal items for themselves. "Man... these stores are insane..." said Zach. "Mhm. That's what happens here during Contest season." Zuzu replied. "You got that right. Though I wish the lines did go faster..." he replied. "I feel ya on that one. Lines like what we went through... it makes me wish that Tay was here with us and secretly use her abilities to push the line along." Yuya replied as he walked upto them.

"Mhm." Zach and Zuzu replied. "Speaking of Tay? Where did she go?" Yuya replied. "Oh. She went to the rehab center that helped her control her PTSD. She said that she wanted to go see the doctors that helped her and thank them for helping her and her family." Zuzu replied. "Really?" he replied. "Yep." Zach replied. "That's awesome! Plus knowing those doctors, they would want to see how much she has progressed." he replied. Zach and Zuzu nodded their heads in agreement to his response. After that, they caught up with the others, and walked out of the store. When they walked around, they saw a small group of people circled around someone in the square. "Hm? What's going on over there?" said Zuzu curiously. "I don't know..? Let's check it out." Celina replied. The group walked over to the spot, and saw someone having a small battle. Once they saw the person, they immediately recognized them.

"Ah! Celina! Look! It's Dennis and Mr. Mime!" said Sora surprised. "Yeah! It is!" she replied. Dennis and Mr. Mime stared down their opponent, an Ace Trainer and their Hitmonchan, silently, and watched their movements; waiting to see what they will do next. "Whoa... who's that Pokémon?" said Zach. "That's a Hitmonchan." Celina replied. "A Hitmonchan?" he replied curiously. He took out his Phone and activated his PokéDex. "Hitmonchan, the Punching Pokémon. A Fighting type, and one of the evolved forms of Tyrogue. Hitmonchan is said to possess the spirit of a boxer who had been working toward a world championship. This Pokémon has an indomitable spirit, punches that are faster than bullet trains, and will never give up in the face of adversity." said Zach's PokéDex. Hitmonchan got into one of his boxing poses, and began punching the air a bit; ready to fight. As this happened, Celina's Hitmonlee gently put down a couple shopping bags by his feet, and then crossed his arms; staring down Hitmonchan and Mr. Mime.

"Alright, Hitmonchan! Use Bullet Punch!" said Hitmonchan's Trainer. "Chan! Hit-mon-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-" Hitmonchan replied as he used the attack. But as his fists got close to Mr. Mime, he watched his opponent dodge all of his punches. "Chan!?" he said surprised. Dennis lightly laughed at Hitmonchan's shocked face, and then snapped his fingers. "Okay, Mr. Mime! Surround Hitmonchan with your Barrier attack!" he said. "Mime! Mime-Mime! Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime replied as it created the attack from its hands and fingers, and then surrounded Hitmonchan with four Barriers. "Chan!?" said Hitmonchan in shock. "What!? How is that possible!?" Hitmonchan's Trainer replied. Dennis lightly chuckled, and then both he and Mr. Mime did little showman poses. "I see that you are not familiar with Mr. Mime's performance skills. Thanks to its pantomime abilities, it can create Barriers from its hands and trap its foes into an invisible wall. Even when Hitmonchan breaks free from them, Mr. Mime will send it for a tailspin!" he said.

"Mime, Mime!" Mr. Mime replied. "Oh, yeah? Well that's not going to happen! Hitmonchan! Use Brick Break!" Hitmonchan's Trainer replied. "Hitmonchan! Hit-mon-chan!" Hitmonchan replied as he used the attack; breaking the barrier in front of him. "Mime!?" Mr. Mime replied surprised. "Don't get nervous, Mr. Mime! Use Psychic to stop him from getting close to you!" Dennis replied. "Mime! Mime- Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime replied as it used Psychic; grabbing Hitmonchan. As he squirmed around, Mr. Mime threw him a few feet behind his Trainer, hit a small stone wall, and then fainted. "Ah! Hitmonchan!" said Hitmonchan's Trainer as he ran over to him. He helped him stand up, watch him wake up his eyes, and then lightly smile at his Trainer. "Hitmonchan..? You okay?" his Trainer asked him. "Chan." Hitmonchan replied as he nodded his head; making him smile. After that, they saw Dennis and Mr. Mime walk upto them.

"Alito? That was a great battle. You and your Hitmonchan were in complete sync with each other." said Dennis. "Thank you, Dennis. You and your Mr. Mime were great as well. This battle will teach us on how to handle against Trainers like you." Alito replied as he shook Dennis's hand. "Mime-Mime." Mr. Mime replied as it shook Hitmonchan's hand. "Chan." Hitmonchan replied. The handshakes ended, and then they turned around and saw my group looking at them. "Ah ha! Celina! Sora! My friends! What are you two doing here?" said Dennis as he and Alito watched the group walk upto them. "Not much. Just traveling around the region with our friends here. How about you, Dennis? what are you doing around here?" Sora replied. "Oh... not much. I was just practicing for the Contest, and then our old classmate, Alito, saw me here and challenged me to a battle with his Hitmonchan. Hm? Oh. Sora? Who are these two next to Yuya and Zuzu?" he replied. "Oh? These two? They are Zach and Pat. They're friends of Celina, Yuya, and Zuzu." Sora replied. "Ah! So these are the ones I've seen in your pictures!" he replied with a smile. "Yep. That's us. Nice to finally meet you, Dennis. We've heard a lot about you." Pat replied as he shook Dennis's hand. "Nice to meet you as well." he replied.

They ended the handshake, and turned to Alito curiously, and then saw him stare at both Celina and Hitmonlee. "Celina Bellona." said Alito sternly. "Alito Marcellus." Celina replied sternly as she crossed her arms. "Huh..? What's going on here? Do they know each other?" Pat replied curiously. "Yeah... they know each other. They've been rivals ever since the school year started." Sora replied. "Ah... I see..." he replied. "So... what brings you around here, Celina? Looking for challengers that are weaker than you?" Alito replied. "No... I'm traveling the region with my friends, battling members of the Academy, catching Pokémon, and becoming stronger with them." Celina replied. "Hit-mon-lee." Hitmonlee replied. "Is that so? Heh. Judging by the friends you have here... I can tell that they're holding you back." Alito replied. "Say what?" Celina replied. Once she said that, Sora and Dennis's eyes widened in shock. "Oh no..." said Sora. "Now he's done it..." Dennis replied.

"You heard me. They're holding you back. Just look at them. They look like the kind of Trainers that will let you win battles in order to make yourself look good in front of others." he replied. "Hey! That's not true! You have no right to say that at all, Alito! Celina is a strong and confident Trainer. She knows how to win battles in her own way, and never asked us once to let us lose to her in order to make herself look strong in front of everyone. You have no idea on who she really is!" Pat replied sternly as he walked upto Alito and defended Celina. "Pat..." Celina replied in a soft, shocked tone. "Hey! Who are you supposed to be?" Alito replied. "Someone who's going to teach you a lesson about what happens when you mess with my friends." Pat replied. The group's and Dennis's eyes widened in shock to Pat's response; seeing him step up and ready to fight. Alito's eyes lightly widened in surprise, and then he smirked. "Heh. Are you challenging me to a battle?" he said. "Damn right I am. And if I win, you will no longer say anything bad about Celina." Pat replied. "Fine. If that's how you want it to be... then I accept your challenge. Just don't go crying back home to your Mom when I beat you." he replied.

"Oh... there will be no crying. Your threats don't scare me. Celina and our friend, Taylor, are the only girls who can scare me." Pat replied. "Ha! I like to see them try." he replied. Pat growled angrily, and then everyone went to an public outdoor battlefield. They walked onto the field, picked their sides, and took out a PokéBall each. "Alright, hot shot. You ready for a beating?" he said. "The only one who's getting beat is you, Alito! Once you lose... you'll be the one crying home to your Mama." Pat replied. As they said that to each other, they saw Dennis walk onto the field. "Alright! This battle will be a one-one battle! The winner of the battle will be decided after one Pokémon has fainted and cannot continue! Do you both accept these rules?" he said. "Yeah!" Pat and Alito replied. "Alright! Then send out your Pokémon!" he replied. "I'll go first! Go, Pidgeotto!" Pat replied as he threw the PokéBall up in the air, watched it open, and saw his Pidgeotto appear. "Geot-to!" said Pidgeotto. "A Pidgeotto, huh? Heh. This should be easy. Ready, Hitmonchan?" Alito replied. "Chan." Hitmonchan replied. He then walked up onto the field and got into his battle position; ready to fight.

"Pat! Make sure to watch Hitmonchan's feet and fists!" said Sora. "Got it! Alright, Pidgeotto! Let's show these two what we've learned from our friends!" Pat replied. "Geo!" Pidgeotto replied as she nodded her head. As they were getting ready, a group of small kids and Trainers stood in front of the chain fence; watching what was going on. "Huh? Looks like we got ourselves a crowd?" said Zach. "Yeah. But does Pat have what it takes to defeat Alito?" Yuya replied. "Of course he does. With us by his side and cheering him on... he knows he can do this!" Zuzu replied. "She's right! We know he can do it! As long as he has us, he'll win it all!" Sora replied. "Munch-Munchlax!" Munchlax replied. The group nodded their heads in agreement, and then looked at Celina; seeing a worried look in her eyes. "Come on, Pat... show that jerk what you're made of..." she said to herself. She clutched her hands into fists, and stared at Pat silently. As she did this... her Hitmonlee turned to her, saw the worried look on her face, and then put his hand on her shoulder.

"Huh? Hitmonlee?" she said as she turned to him. He stared at her silently, and then patted her shoulder. "Lee. Lee-Lee. Hitmonlee. Hitmon-Hitmon-Hitmonlee. Lee." he replied. She blinked her eyes twice, took his words to heart, smiled warmly, and nodded her head. "...You're right. He's got this. But we know that he can't do this alone. So let's cheer him and Pidgeotto on, and give them the confidence they need to win." she said. "Hitmonlee." he replied. They nodded to each other and then looked back at the battlefield. "Alright! Battle, begin!" said Dennis.

Battle! Pat vs. Alito!

"Okay, Hitmonchan! Use Ice Punch!" said Alito. "Chan! Hit-mon-chan!" Hitmonchan replied as he used the attack. "Geo!" Pidgeotto replied as she was hit. "Pidgeotto!" Pat replied worriedly. Pidgeotto blinked her eyes, shook off the cold pain, and then looked at Hitmonchan, and saw he was about to use Ice Punch again. "Do it again, Hitmonchan! Punch it until it freezes!" said Alito. "Chan! Hit-mon-chan!" Hitmonchan replied. "Pidgeotto! Block it with Steel Wing!" Pat replied. "Geo! Pid-geo-tto!" Pidgeotto replied as she used Steel Wing to protect herself from the attack. "Chan!?" said Hitmonchan surprised "What!?" Alito replied. "Ah! Alright! He used the same strategy that Tay and Electivire did against Electabuzz!" Sora replied happily. "Yes!" Celina replied happily. Pidgeotto pushed herself back from the attack, and saw Hitmonchan begin to sweat. "He's sweating already? Looks like he's about to hit his limit soon. We've gotta end this quick." said Pat to himself. "So that's how you're going play, huh? Well let's see if it can handle this! Thunder Punch!" Alito replied.

"Hitmon! Hit-mon-chan!" Hitmonchan replied as he used Thunder Punch. "Dodge it!" Pat replied. "Geo!" Pidgeotto replied as she dodged the attack. "Now spin and use Feather Dance!" Pat replied. "Geo! Pid-geo-tto!" Pidgeotto replied as she spun around Hitmonchan and used Feather Dance on him. "Yes! Way to go, Pat! Feather Dance made Hitmonchan drop his attack power!" Celina replied. "Yep! And it's all thanks to you, Celina!" Pat replied happily. Celina smiled happily at him, and then saw Pidgeotto stare down Hitmonchan as he looked up at her. Alito growled angrily and clutched his hands into fists. "You both really think that can stop us!? Well there is no way that you can! Hitmonchan! Bullet Punch, now!" he said. "Dodge it with Agility!" Pat replied. "Geo! Pid-geo-tto!" Pidgeotto replied.

"Chan! Hit-mon-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-" Hitmonchan replied as he used Bullet Punch. As the attack went on, Pidgeotto was dodging every single hit with Agility; increasing her speed power. After a couple minutes of this, Pidgeotto spun around in the air and moved away from Hitmonchan. She looked down at him, and saw him breathing heavily. "Hit... mon... chan... Hit... mon... chan..." said Hitmonchan exhaustively. "Huh!? What's going on!? Why is Hitmonchan exhausted!? It's only been three minutes!" Alito replied. "Three minutes, huh? Tell me Alito. Have you done your research about Hitmonchan?" Pat replied. "Huh? What are you talking about? What research?" Alito replied. "Heh. Well, according to PokéDex entries... Hitmonchan can only last upto three minutes in battles. Once the three minutes are up, Hitmonchan becomes exhausted and loses its strength." Pat replied.

"Chan!?" Hitmonchan replied in shock. "What!? That's not possible!" Alito replied in shock. "Oh yeah it is! And now with Hitmonchan all tired out... both Pidgeotto and I will end this right here, right now! Pidgeotto! Use Aerial Ace!" Pat replied. "Geo! Pid-geo-tto!" Pidgeotto replied as she used Aerial Ace, hit Hitmonchan in the chest/abdominal area, and then pushed him away. "Chan!" cried Hitmonchan. "No! Hitmonchan!" Alito replied worriedly. Hitmonchan took a few steps back, and then collapsed to the ground. Dennis then ran over to Hitmonchan, checked his condition, and then raised his hand to Pat's side of the field. "Hitmonchan is unable to battle! Pidgeotto is the winner! And the victor of the battle is Pat!" he said. "Alright!" the group cheered happily. They then ran over to them and hugged them in celebration. "Congratulations, Pat!" said Zach happily. "Thanks, Zach." Pat replied as his, Celina's, and Sora's Mankey's were hugging him happily.

Alito returned Hitmonchan to his PokéBall, and then looked at the group. "Hey, kid." he said. They turned to him, watched him walk over to them, and extend his hand to Pat. "Congrats on the win. You were the better fighter that I was. Well done." he said. Pat was surprised for a moment, and then shook Alito's hand. "Thanks, Alito." he said. "No problem. And as the victor of the battle, I will follow your condition. Celina? I apologize for all the things I have said about you. I truly never meant any harm to you. The truth is... I was very jealous of you. Seeing how you were skilled in battling and caring about your Pokémon... it made me blind to see and care about my Pokémon's feelings. I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I promise you now that the next time we meet, I will learn from my mistakes and challenge you properly." Alito replied as he turned to Celina. The group was honestly surprised at his words for a moment, and then Celina lightly smiled at him. "Thank you, Alito. That means a lot to me." she said. After that, Alito said his goodbyes to the group and left the field. Once he was out of sight, they went to the Pokémon Center.

Pokémon Center

"Here you go. I'm happy to let you know that your Pidgeotto is fully healed and ready to go." said Nurse Joy. "That's great! Thank you so much, Nurse Joy!" Pat replied happily. "You're very welcome. We hope to see you again soon." Nurse Joy replied. Pat smiled, and then walked back to the group at the door. "She's all set, guys. She's fully healed and ready to go." he told them. They smiled happily at him, and then they went to sit down at one of the resting areas. "So, Dennis? When did you sign up for the Contest?" Sora asked. "Me? Oh... I signed up a few days ago. Once I heard that Yuya, Zuzu, and Sylvio were going to be in this Contest... I knew that I had to be there and challenge them." Dennis replied. "I see... so you were inspired by them and Yuya's Dad to do Contests?" Zach replied. "That is correct. Their parents are Contest legends before we were born. Once I saw their videos, I knew that I had to be a Coordinator just like them." he replied. "But in your own way to wow the crowd." Celina replied.

Dennis nodded his head yes to her response, and then saw Sora looking at something on his Phone. "Oh? Is that the list of people who are participating the Contest?" he asked him. "Mhm. After I found you, Yuya, Zuzu, Sylvio, Gong, Aura, Reed, and Aaron on here... I found other people that are doing this too." Sora replied. "Really? Who else?" Zach replied. "The other people are: Téa Gardner, Mai Valentine, Alexis Rhodes, Akiza Izinski, and Kari Tsukumo." Sora replied. "Wow... that's a lot of people..." Pat replied. "Yep. But the list will shorten a bit after the preliminary round ends." Zuzu replied. "Yeah. Once we see which ones go to the next round, then we start getting serious." Yuya replied. Zuzu and Dennis nodded their heads in agreement to his response, and then the group turned to the TV and saw a commercial of the Contest air live for the first time.

"And there it is. The promotion for the Contest has begun." said Zuzu. "Yep. That's gotta get you guys pumped up for it now, huh?" Celina replied. "Mhm. It sure does." she replied. The girls smiled at each other, and then the group said their goodbyes to Dennis, and started heading back to my beach house.

Taylor's Beach House

"Huh? That's strange? I thought Tay was supposed to be here by now... where did she go?" said Zach as he and the group sat down in the living room; relaxing by the air conditioner. "Yeah... she told us that she was visiting her former doctors for an hour and then was going to wait here for us?" Pat replied. "Well... wherever she is... I know that she will come back. She might've went somewhere to eat, and trying to find shortcuts to come back here." Celina replied. The group nodded their heads in agreement, and had their cold snacks and drinks to cool down for a little while.

Near a Forest

"Okay! Aurasoul, use Bone Rush! Abra, use Psychic!" I said. "Abra! A-bra!" Abra replied as he use Psychic on Aurasoul's Bone Rush; making small holes on it. Aurasoul smiled and then began to play with it like an instrument. As he did this, Ekans slithered out of a clay vase and began to dance. My team cheered and applauded happily to the little performance. "Great work, guys! Now let's see if we can do this! Abra! Use Psychic on Ekans! Ekans! Use Poison Sting!" I said. "Bra! A-bra! Abra!" Abra replied as he used Psychic again on Ekans, helped him get out of the vase, and then lift him up in the air. Ekans let out a happy hiss and then used Poison Sting around him as Abra gently spun him around. "Now, Meowth! Use Pay Day on the Poison Sting!" I said. Meowth meowed happily, and then use Pay Day to hit the Poison Sting that fell from above; making small firework explosions in the sky.

My team looked at it in awe and smiled happily; liking the combination of moves that we were doing. I smiled happily too, and then looked at my Growlithe as he barked at me happily. I walked over to him, knelt down, and patted his head. "You ready, Bronx?" I asked him. He blinked his eyes, barked happily, nodded his head, and wagged his tail happily. I smiled happily at him, petted his head, stood up, and motioned him to follow me. He ran upto me and then stood in front of Aurasoul; seeing the bone still in his paws. "Okay, Bronx. See the ends of the bone Aurasoul is holding? I want you to use Ember on both ends until they are lit in flames. After that, watch him spin, throw, and do a little dance with it. After that, he will throw it up high, and then you will catch it in mid air, and then bite it down until it disappears. That sound good to you?" I said. He barked happily to my response, and then Aurasoul let him inspect the ends of the bone; making sure he focuses on them.

Once he stared at them and sniffed them, he barked and nodded his head; ready to go with the trick. After that, Aurasoul stepped a few feet away from him and began to slowly spin the bone around with his paws. Bronx watched the movement silently, and then got into his battle position. "Ready... aim... fire!" I said. Bronx barked loudly and then used Ember on both ends of the bone; setting them aflame. Once we saw the red flames connect with the bone's energy, it turned them to blue-green flames; wowing us in shock and surprise. Aurasoul smiled at this, and began to dance, throw, and spin the bone around him; making sure the embers are under control.

As we were focused, a little boy with light blue hair and gold-yellow eyes quietly walked from the bushes, saw me and my team for the first time, and smiled happily at us. "Hey! Riley! Over here! Come look at this!" he said. A moment later, Riley walked out of the bushes, and saw what her friend was seeing. She smiled happily, and then they sat down on the grass together. Aurasoul spun the bone around a few more times, and then threw the bone up high in the air. As he did this, Bronx got into his battle position, watched the bone fall from the sky, ran upto it, jumped, did a tuck roll in the air, grabbed the bone from the middle, gently landed on the ground, and bit the bone down. As he bit, the bone turned into into sparkles. My team cheered happily at the performance, and then watched him, Aurasoul, and I celebrate happily together. "That was amazing! The timing was perfect! Great job, you two! I'm so proud of you!" I said as I hugged them. They made happily sounds, and then I gave them some treats; making them even happier.

"Whoa... so that's the Trainer that you've been talking about? The one who defeated Lt. Surge?" said the boy. "Yep. That's her. Her name is Taylor. She's an awesome Trainer." Riley replied. "Really?" the boy replied. "Mhm. The ways she commands her Pokémon in battle is incredible. She might even be strong enough to defeat both Declan and Kite." she replied. "What!? No way! Kite would outsmart her in battle with his team!" the boy replied surprised. "You sure about that, Hart?" she replied. "Sure about what?" replied a voice. They jumped in shock, stood up, and saw me looking at them. Riley blinked her eyes, smiled happily at me, stood up, and ran over to me; giving me a hug. "Hi, Taylor." she said happily. "Hi, Riley." I replied happily as I hugged her back. "What are you doing here near this forest?" she replied. "Just some secret training." I replied. We ended the hug, and she saw Hart looking at us. "Oh? Who is this?" I asked curiously. "That's my best friend, Hart Tenjo. He's Kite's little brother." she replied. "Hi. I'm Hart. Nice to meet you." he replied as he walked over to us, and extended his hand to me. "Nice to meet you too, Hart. I'm Taylor. A friend of Riley's." I replied as I shook his hand.

We ended the handshake, and then turned to my team as they looked at us. "Wow... your team has gotten bigger..." she said. "Mhm. It sure has." I replied as I knelt down on my right knee; making sure I'm at her eye level. She smiled happily at my team, and then turned to Hart; seeing him looking at us. "Hart! Come over here! They won't hurt you." she said. Hart was honestly surprised to see her like this for a moment, but then he smiled happily at her and ran over to her side; seeing my team up close for the first time. "Wow... they look so cool up close..." he said. "Yeah they do." Riley replied happily. After she said that, Bronx walked over to them, sniffed them, and then barked happily at them while wagging his tail. "Aww~ He's so cute!" said Riley. "Yep. He sure is. This is Bronx. I caught him on Route 6 when I was on my way here a few days ago." I replied.

"Wow... can we pet him?" Hart replied. "Of course." I replied with a smile. The two kids smiled happily and began petting Bronx; making him happy. He gently jumped on them and gave them little licks on their faces; making them smile and laugh. I smiled happily to this, and then saw Aurasoul walk upto us, and kneel down on his right knee to them. Riley and Hart saw Aurasoul looking at them, and then Hart smiled with glee. "Whoa! You have a Lucario!" he said happily. Aurasoul made a happy sound, nodded his head, and then gently lifted up his paws. Once he and Riley saw this, they gently moved their hands to his paws and touched them. "Wow... this is awesome..." said Hart. "Hart? Is this your first time seeing a Lucario?" I replied. "Mhm! It sure is. I've always heard stories of them and how they fight using Aura. And it made me want to find a Lucario for myself when I become a Trainer, and become partners with one." he replied.

He and Riley moved their hands off of Aurasoul's paws, smiled happily, and then saw his paws were staying still. "Huh? What's he doing?" he asked. "I think he wants to give you both a high five." I replied. "Ah! Really?" he replied. Aurasoul and I nodded our heads yes to his question; making him happy. After that, he and Riley gave Aurasoul a high five on his paws, and then we smiled happily at each other. After that, Riley adjusted her bag on her back, and we saw a book fall out of it. "Ah! My book!" she said. Electivire saw the book on the ground, knelt down on his left knee, gently picked up the book with his right hand, and gently handed it back to Riley. "Thank you, Electivire." she said. "Electivire." he replied with a smile and nod of his head. She smiled at him, and then brushed a tiny bit of dirt off the book cover.

"Hm..? Hey, Riley? What book is that you got there?" I asked her. "Oh? This? My Mom bought the book in the library near the Gym. This book is a story about two heroes who saved a kingdom from an evil king. And they also have a rare form of Rapidash." she replied. "Huh? A rare form of Rapidash?" Hart replied curiously. "Mhm." she replied. We then sat down on the grass, and watched her open up the book and show us the pictures drawn in the story. We looked at the drawings in awe for a moment, and then I gently picked up the book. As I picked it up, all of my team gathered around the two children and looked at me. I looked at all of them and noticed the looks on their faces. "Huh... I guess you all want me to tell you the story?" I said. They all nodded their heads yes to my question, and then I read the story to them.

"A long time ago, during the medieval ages of the Kanto region, there was an enchanted forest. A forest filled with magic and wonder. Trees that reached up to the heavens, and plants and waters that glew bright under a starry night. And people and creatures that lived there had magical powers that no man nor royal could ever defeat. The Kings and Queens of the region would call this forest: the Cyfrin Forest. This forest was filled with mystic energy and magical creatures that no one in the kingdom could tame. When the King and his knights entered the forest, they met the powerful sorcerer, Magus, his daughter, Fae, and her chosen knight, Galdur. When they got to know of each other and their lands, the King learned that Galdur was a chosen warrior by the creator of the world, and is destined to defend it from anyone who wished to harm it. After seeing his skills on taming the Pokémon that live in forest and using them in battle, the King asked for his assistance on fighting off a cruel and evil king that had wanted his resources. They accept his request and helped him fight the evil king many months later. After their victory, Galdur returned home and thanked the King for his trust. As he left, the King watched them with a dark and sinister grin on his face. When he was out of sight, he ordered his knights to go and capture the Princess and the forest's Pokémon; revealing that he had lied to them behind their backs and wanted the power of the forest to himself in order to become an immortal king. When Galdur returned home, he saw his homeland set ablaze and nature being poisoned around him. With his loyal steed, a Rapidash that was white and had a mane that shined like a rainbow... they ran to Magus's Castle and found him fallen by the King, and the Princess held captive. He asked him why did he do this, and he told him that he has wanted the forest's magic powers and wants them to grant his wish to be an immortal king. He refuses and battles him with his steed and the forest Pokémon. After a long and fateful battle, Galdur had won and slained the King; destroying the darkness that had plagued their kingdom. He restored the forest to its former glory, and Fae became Queen of the Forest. He stayed as her loyal knight and protected her kingdom as they lived, and they protected the forest with all their love and might; keeping all royalty and darkness out of sight." I said.

I closed the book and saw most of everyone applaud me for reading the story to them. "Wow... what a story..." said Hart. "Yeah. You know... it made me remember something." I replied. "It did?" he replied. "Mhm. The way this book described the forest, it made me remember of being in one when I was younger." I replied. "Really? You were in a enchanted forest?" he replied. "Mhm. When I would come here to play with my three Pokémon after being stuck at my doctor's... I would see mist surround me, and a small Pokémon with a glowing mane that shined like a rainbow, would walk out of the mist, lead me into the forest, and then let me and my Pokémon with it and its friends." I replied. "Whoa..." he and Riley replied in awe. I smiled warmly at them and nodded my head yes to their response. "You got to see the rare form of Rapidash?" Riley asked me. "Mhm. Only a couple times though. I mostly saw a Pokémon that looked like a Ponyta, but with the glowing mane." I replied. "A form of Ponyta? Can your PokéDex describe what it is?" Hart replied. "Yeah. If I let it see the picture of the Rapidash with its children, then it will describe them for us." I replied.

They opened up the book for me as I took out my Phone, and my PokéDex scanned the picture of the Rapidash and its children. "Ponyta, Galarian Form. The Unique Horn Pokémon. A Psychic type. There's a healing power within its small horn. With a few rubs from this Pokémon's horn, any slight wound you have will be healed. This Pokémon will look into your eyes and read the contents of your heart. If it finds evil there, it promptly hides. Rapidash, Galarian Form. The Unique Horn Pokémon. A Psychic and Fairy type, and the evolved form of Galarian Ponyta. Fearless and proud, Rapidash uses Psychic powers stored in the flowing fur above its hooves to dash through the forest with ease. Little can stand up to its Psycho Cut. Unleashed from this Pokémon's horn, the move will punch a hole right through a thick metal sheet." said my PokéDex. "Wow... so that's why they look different... they came from the Galar region." Hart replied. "Galar region?" Riley replied curiously. "Yeah! It's a region far away from here that is well known for Trainers using Dynamax on their Pokémon in battle." he replied.

"Dynamax? What does it do?" she replied. "It makes them go big! Big like those kaiju Pokémon movies! And! Some of them even change form while they Dynamax!" he replied happily. "Wow... that sounds cool!" she replied happily. Hart nodded his head in agreement, and we heard the sound of a whistle nearby. "Hart! Riley! Where are you?" said a voice. "Riley! Hart! Where are you two?" replied a voice. Riley and Hart picked up the book we were looking at, stood up, and looked out towards the bushes behind them. "Oh no! It's my Dad!" said Hart. "And my Mom! They're looking for us!" Riley replied. "You think we should go back?" he replied. "Yeah. We should. I don't want to get grounded for leaving without them knowing." she replied. "Yeah. Me too." he replied. They nodded their heads in agreement, and then turned to me. "We're sorry, Tay. Our parents are calling out to us." said Riley. "It's okay. They just want to make sure that you're safe. That's what matters." I replied.

"Yeah." she and Hart replied. After that, they both gave me a hug. "Bye, Tay." said Riley. "Bye, Riley. Bye, Hart. And hey, the next time you two see me alone or with my friends... don't be afraid to approach us, okay? We'll help you out in whatever situation you guys are in and make sure that you both feel safe around us when your brothers are not around." I replied. "We will." they replied. We ended the hug, and we waved goodbye to each other. I watched them leave together silently, and then I layed down on the grass; letting some sunlight get on my face. As I relaxed with my team, we saw the area slowly become filled with mist. "Huh?" I said curiously. I sat up and looked around with my team; seeing most of them look nervous and confused. I stood up from the ground slowly, stood with my main 3 Pokémon, and then we saw a faint glow of multicolored lights. "Pika!" said Tetrax as he pointed to the lights. My eyes widened in shock to see the lights, and then watched them run deep into the mist. "Hey! Wait up!" I said. I returned most of the team to their respective PokéBalls, and then ran into the mist with Tetrax, Aurasoul, and Dragonfire. As we ran, a little gust of wind blew away some leaves that were in front of a tree, and revealed a sign that was put there. It said: Cyfrin Forest.

Cyfrin Forest

We ran through the mist for a few minutes, and let Aurasoul take the lead for us; using his sensing abilities to follow the faint light we saw. We ran for a couple more minutes, and then Aurasoul sensed a hill in front of him. He quickly stopped, turned around, made a sound at us to stop running, and then we accidentally fell onto him, rolled down the hill, and landed on the ground below. We slowly got up, shook our heads, and then looked at each other. "Pi-ka-chu." said Tetrax. I blinked my eyes, and saw them looking at me. "Sorry, guys. You all okay?" I asked them. They nodded their heads yes to my question, and then we heard neighing sound. We looked straight ahead from where I was standing, and then saw the mist disappear; revealing trees that reached the heavens, plants and mushrooms that glew in multiple colors, water that glew a very light blue as it flowed, and little glowing yellow lights that flew around us.

We looked at the sight in shock and awe for a moment, and then we heard the neighing sound again. After the sound rang in my ears, my mind instantly clicked and recognized who's voice it was. My eyes widened in shock after recognizing the voice, and I smiled happily to it. "...It's her..." I said. "Pi? Pika-Pi?" Tetrax replied curiously as he and his brothers looked at me. I quickly took my bag off my back, opened it up, and began searching for something. After digging through my bag, I took out the item I was searching for: an ocarina. "There it is." I said with a light smile. I closed my bag, put it back on my back, looked at the pathway of the forest, and then played a song with the ocarina. Once I played the song; Tetrax, Aurasoul, and Dragonfire's eyes widened in shock for a moment and then smiled happily at me. *(A/N: the song that she is playing is Epona's Song from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)*

As I played the song, many wild Pokémon that lived in the forest slowly appeared from the trees and bushes, and sat down around us; hearing the song play peacefully. After a couple minutes had passed... I ended the song and put away the ocarina. I looked out to the path of the forest again, and then heard a neighing sound and hooves running towards me. I took a couple steps forward, heard the neighing sound again, and then saw the Pokémon, a Galarian Ponyta, appear. I looked at the piece of clothing around its neck and noticed it was a blue scarf with a white star on it, smiled happily, knelt down on my right knee, and looked at the Ponyta as it looked at me. "Hi, Epona. Remember me?" I said. Epona blinked her eyes, looked at me and my team, and then neighed happily to me. She then ran over to me, and I hugged her. "I've missed you a lot, Epona. How have you been? Helping out the herd keeping the forest safe?" I said. She whinnied at us happily as she nuzzled us, and then jumped around us as she got out of the hug. I couldn't help but smile and laugh happily to her reaction. "Still as spunky as always, huh girl?" I said. She nodded her head yes to me, and then we took a walk with her through the forest.

While we walked, we saw more Galarian Ponyta appear in front of us, and Epona went over to them. She made sounds to tell them that me and my team are her friends and we are not enemies. She then lead them to us, watched them sense our energy, and then let me and my team interact with them. "Aww~ Hello." I said as I gently patted them and Epona. They made happy sounds to us, and then we began to play with them. As we played, I made a energy shield around the flame on Dragonfire's tail; making sure he doesn't burn anything by accident. Five minutes had passed as we played, and then all of a sudden... my Mark began to glow under my glove. I stopped playing, looked down at my right hand, took off my glove, and saw my Mark glowing. All of the Pokémon around me stopped playing and noticed this too; wondering what was going on. Before I even said a word, I heard a very loud neighing sound nearby. We looked out straight ahead from my line of sight, and then we all saw a herd of Galarian Rapidash appear.

We stared at them silently, and then saw the leader of the herd walk out of the group. The lead Rapidash had the biggest horn of its species, taller than all of them, and had different mane colors than the others. Epona and I looked at the leader as it walked down the hill and over to us. I slowly stood up and stared at the leader as it stared me down. My team was prepared to battle, but I quickly made them stand down; knowing conflict would make things worse. The Rapidash noticed what I did for a moment, blinked its eyes, and then saw Dragonfire's flame contained in the shield. Once it saw this, it then saw the green light glowing on my hand, and realized that I am a Guardian. It stepped back in shock and surprise, and made a few neighing sounds to all of the Pokémon in the area; telling them what it is seeing. After they heard its message, their eyes widened in shock, and then they knelt down to me; surprising me and my team for a moment.

I looked at my team and everyone all in confusion at first, and then I began to feel someone push me forward. "Huh?" I said curiously. I looked down to my right leg, and saw Epona gently pushing me forward. "What the? Epona? What are you doing?" I asked her. She made a little grunt and pushed me more and got me close to the lead Rapidash. We locked eyes again silently, and then it turned away from me, walked up the hill, turned back to me, and motioned me to follow it. I was surprised of this, and then Epona called out to her mother that was standing next to the leader, and watched her walk down to us. Once she saw my face, she whinnied happily at me, nuzzled my face, and then lowered herself to the ground; motioning me to gently sit on her back. I blinked my eyes, nodded my head yes to her, and gently sat down on her back. Epona then let Tetrax sit on her back, while Aurasoul gently sat on Dragonfire's back. After that, we all followed the lead Rapidash. As we left, a small group of people appeared through the bushes and watched us leave with the Pokémon.

"You guys saw what I just saw?" said a hunter. "Yeah... that kid didn't get attacked by those things... and they are leading her to their dens." another hunter replied. "Excellent. Come on. Follow the kid. Let's see what kinds of Pokémon are inside this forest for the Boss." said the lead hunter. "Yes, Matori, ma'am." the hunters replied. "Aw, man! Giovanni is going to be happy with us about this! Once we capture those Pokémon, the Boss will pay us big time!" said one of the hunters. "Agreed. But... there is also one more thing we need to catch... and that's the kid." Matori replied. "Huh? The kid? What about the kid?" another hunter replied. "That kid is the one that we experimented on five years ago in Celadon City. She can use all the moves of every single Pokémon in existence and control the Pokémon at will... just like Mew and Arceus. If we get her back to the Boss... not only will she be his ultimate weapon... but we will also find Mewtwo again, and make it return to us." she replied. "Ah... now I getcha." the hunter replied. "Perfect. Now. After them." she replied. "Yes, ma'am!" her group replied.

After that, they went after us silently; waiting to see what I can do.

Taylor's Beach House

Meanwhile, the group was sitting at the kitchen table, and looking around the room in silence. Zach was on his Phone and tried to call me; wondering where I was for the past couple hours. "Anything?" Zuzu asked him. He sighed, lowered his head, and put his Phone down on the table. "No." he said in a sad tone. The group looked at him sadly, and then they all looked out the window; hoping to see that I was outside. As they looked outside, my Mom walked into the room and saw the sad looks on their faces on the window's reflection. "Everything alright, kids?" she asked them. They turned to her and shook their heads no to her. "It's about Tay. We haven't seen her since she left to see her doctors early this morning. We don't know if she got kidnapped or anything. It's not like her to be gone for so long" Zuzu replied. "We've tried calling her, texting her... and she hasn't responded to any of them. We just want to know where she is and if she's okay." Zach replied.

My Mom nodded her head in understanding, and then began to think of where I would go here in the city that no one else knew. Once she thought of the place, she snapped her fingers and smiled. "Ah ha! I know where she is!" she said. "You do?" Celina replied curiously. "Mhm. Here. I'll show you on the map of the city." she replied as she took out a map from the drawer. She walked over to them, put the map down on the table, and rolled it out; showing off the map of the entire city. "Whoa..." the group said. "See that forest right there next to the library?" she replied. "Yeah?" Yuya replied curiously. "She would play in that area a bunch of times when we were there. At first, it was to enjoy some peace and quiet for her... but one day... we saw something that came out of that forest." she replied. "Really? Was it a Pokémon?" Pat replied curiously. "Yes. It was a Pokémon. It looked a lot like a Ponyta... but it was chalk-white, and had a purple and blue mane and fetlocks. We saw it collapse in front of us, and Taylor healed its wounds with her powers. Once it woke up and saw her healing it, it thanked her for helping her... and they became friends ever since." she replied.

"Wow... that Ponyta must've really liked her after she saved its life." Zuzu replied. "She sure did. Ever since that day, she would always go back to that forest and make sure that Epona was there waiting for her. And when she saw her, they would go and play with each other. On some days... she would be alone, or with her mother or her friends. They would go into the forest and play until sunset." she replied. "Epona?" Sora replied. "Yep. That's the name Taylor gave to the Ponyta." she replied. "Wow... they must have a very strong bond..." he replied. "They sure do. They even shared a promise that when she takes on her Gym Challenge that they will challenge it together." she replied. The group was honestly surprised to what my Mom said, and then they all smiled at each other. "Now... does that set your mind at ease to where she is?" she said. "Yeah. It sure does. Thank you very much." Zach replied. "No problem." she replied. After that, she left the room. "So... now that we know where she is... maybe we should go there and see the rare Ponyta that she found?" said Celina. "Yeah." the group replied.

After that, they left the kitchen, and then the house; beginning their journey to the forest. About five minutes later, they arrived at the entrance of the forest. "Whoa... check out the trees..." said Yuya. "Yeah... they look like they're touching the sky... just like the trees in Viridian Forest." Sora replied. "That's right, Sora. They are just like the trees in Viridian Forest. But this time... we don't know what it's like inside the forest." Celina replied. "Yeah. Who knows what kinds of Pokémon that live in there, besides the Ponyta that Tay befriended." Pat replied. The group nodded their heads in agreement, and then both Zach and Yuya made the leading walk into the forest. "Alright, guys? Ready?" said Zach. "Ready." the group replied. After that, they walked into the forest and into the light mist; ready to find out how far into the forest I'm in.

Cyfrin Forest- Cyfrin Castle

Me, my team, Epona, and Epona's mother walked through the forest silently, and then we saw some bright lights shine ahead of us. I covered my eyes for a moment, and then the bright lights stopped glowing. I uncovered my eyes, and then saw a beautiful area filled with flowers, ponds, waterfalls, rivers, and a castle that had been abandoned. Once I looked at the castle... my mind began to think of the story I read to Hart and Riley. "Wait a minute... that castle... it looks like the one that was drawn in the book... no way... could it be..? Could this be... Cyfrin Forest? The forest I saw in the storybook is real after all?" I said. "You are correct, dear child." replied a voice. I gently got down to the ground, and saw glowing spirit appear in front of me. "Pi-ka..." said Tetrax. After that, the spirit transformed into a man with brown hair, light blue eyes, and held a knight's helmet in his left arm; while dawning knight's armor. As I looked at him, my Mark began to glow. I turned to look at my Mark, and then Necrozma came out of the Guardian Ball; seeing what I was seeing.

"Looks like you've found a Guardian location." it said. I nodded my head yes to it as I looked up at it. "Ah... so you're the famous Necrozma that my ancestor has battled alongside with. I've heard many stories about you." said the spirit. "Huh? You heard of Necrozma?" I replied curiously. "Of course. Everyone who is part of Eve's bloodline has heard of the legend of Necrozma, and how it fought alongside the Guardian against the darkness of the world." the spirit replied. I was honestly surprised of the conversation, and then Necrozma slowly flew by my side. "And... you are?" it said. "Ah. My apologies. I am Galdur: Guardian of Magic. Eve's descendant." Galdur replied. "What!? You're Eve's descendant!?" I replied in a shocked and surprised tone. "Indeed. And... I remember you. You're Taylor, right?" he replied. My eyes widened in shock to this, and then I nodded my head yes to his question. "Ah ha! I knew it! I knew it was you! I've been sensing your Aura for years ever since you discovered this place a few years ago." he replied with a smile.

"Really...? So... you've heard of me all this time?" I replied. "Of course. Many of the Pokémon here have spoken high praises about you. Ever since you've healed the daughter of the herd leader, and showed a majority of the Pokémon here your special abilities... I knew that you were a Guardian... and Eve's descendant. Once I saw that Mark on your right hand... it relieved me to see a descendant of mine find this place and not get harmed by the Pokémon." he replied. "Yeah. It sure has." I replied. He lightly smiled after that, and then we turned to the castle. "Wow... I... I'm in shock... the story I just read to Hart and Riley really is real. I almost thought that this place was nothing more than a fairytale." I said. He lightly laughed to my response, walked over to me, and then put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Taylor. This place may seem like a fairytale to many others that have heard of my story... but this place is as real as it can be. Just like the Kantonian medieval times." he replied.

"So... that would mean that your story of fighting two evil kings was true, right?" I replied. "Correct. But... there is one thing that those authors forgot to put in the story... and that is my story." he replied. "They did?" I replied. He nodded his head yes to my question. "Huh. Well... judging by the looks of Ponyta and Rapidash... did you and all the Cyfrin's come from the Galar region?" I replied. "Yes. We did originally hail from the Galar region. We lived there for thousands of years in the Glimwood Tangle. Throughout or time there... our magic power was strong. We would help others who had gone astray from their kingdoms, and return them there safely after restoring their wounds and illness. But as my generation was born... the region didn't want anything to do with us anymore. They called us witches and monsters for how we restored the people without the permission of the kings and queens of the region. Because of their fear of us... some of us were kidnapped and slained by the knights of the kingdom. That was until one day... one of the queens had ran into the area... and died while giving birth to me." he replied.

My eyes widened in shock to hear this. He nodded his head yes to my look, and then we entered the castle. "After I was born, Magus, the last sorcerer of the village, took me in and gave me to my adoptive parents. As I grew up, I learned of where I came from and my lineage of royal blood and my knighthood. When I became an adult, I traveled with Fae to the kingdom of Hammerlocke, and met my birth father. At first... he took me in and welcomed me back home. He told the kingdom about me being the long lost prince of his land, and was ready to make me his heir... but then I met my step brother, who refused to give up his position, and challenged me to a duel. I refused to duel him, and then he told me that if I didn't duel him... Fae and her people will be slained by him and my father. When I heard him say that... I felt a powerful rage burn inside of me. So... I had no choice to accept his challenge and duel him. I dueled him by both sword and Pokémon, and won both challenges. After my victory, my rage had disappeared, and I left the kingdom with Fae." he replied as the two of us walked around the throne room.

We then walked back outside, and saw all the Pokémon outside looking at us. "And then what happened? Did your step brother invade Glimwood Tangle and try to end you?" I asked. "...He did... both him and my father did." he replied. I looked at him sadly, and noticed that he was a little upset I asked him this. "Galdur... I'm... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't asked you that question..." I said. "No... it's alright. You needed to know the truth." he replied. I blinked my eyes twice, and then we saw Necrozma approach us. "So after the invasion... did you and the Cyfrin's leave the Galar region and come here to this part of the Kanto region to rebuild and restore their powers alongside the Pokémon that lived with you?" it asked. Galdur nodded his head yes to the question. "Yes. We did. Though the trip from there to here was very long and dangerous... we all made it here safely, and took refuge in this forest." he replied. "And then they called it Cyfrin Forest. This was all before the story about you, Fae, and the two kings you fought that the author of that book wrote about you." it replied.

"Correct." he replied as he nodded his head. We looked at him silently for a moment, and then nodded our heads in understanding and respect to him. After that, we walked around the forest together and saw the kinds of Pokémon that live here. "Whoa... check it out... who's that Pokémon?" I asked. "That is a Zoroark." Galdur replied. "A Zoroark?" I replied as I took out my Phone and activated my PokéDex. "Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokémon. A Dark type, and the evolved form of Zorua. This Pokémon cares deeply about others of its kind, and it will conjure terrifying illusions to keep its den and pack safe." said my PokéDex. "Wow... that's cool." I replied. "Pi-kachu." Tetrax replied. The Zoroark looked up at me curiously and cautiously for a moment, and then saw Galdur and the lead Rapidash looking at it. "It's alright, Zoroark. She and her Pokémon mean no harm. They're on our side." said Galdur. Zoroark blinked its eyes, and then turned to me. As it looked at me, I showed it the Mark on my right hand and made it glow. It's eyes lightly widened in surprise to this, and then it stood up on its hind feet.

"Whoa... Zoroark is as tall as you there, Taylor." said Galdur. "Really?" I replied curiously. He nodded his head yes to my question, and then saw Zoroark walk around me slowly and curiously. I stayed calm and still as it did this, and then it extended its paw to me as it stared at me in the eyes. I shook its paw, and saw it lightly smile; making me do the same. After that, we began to see more of the Pokémon that lived here. The Pokémon that we saw while we walked around were: Zorua, Zoroark, Phantump, Trevenant, Igglybuff, Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, Foongus, Amoongus, Gothita, Gothorita, Gothitelle, Ralts, Kirlia, Gardevoir, Gallade, Noctowl, Hoothoot, Murkrow, Honchkrow, Misdreavus, Mismagius, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Venonat, Venomoth, Exeggcute, Exeggutor, Drowzee, Hypno, Paras, Parasect, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Finneon, Lumineon, Chinchou, Lanturn, Mime Jr., Mr. Mime, Pachirisu, Emolga, Dedenne, Volbeat, Illumise, Budew, Roselia, Roserade, Cottonee, Whimsicott, Swirlix, Slurpuff, Spritzee, Aromatisse, Inkay, Malamar, Morelull, Shiinotic, Passimian, Oranguru, Mimikyu, Stufful, Bewear, Nickit, Thievul, Hattena, Hattrem, Hatterene, Impidimp, Morgrem, Grimmsnarl, Indeedee, Dreepy, Drakloak, and Dragapult. As I interacted with them, Matori and her team looked out from the trees, and saw the wild Pokémon for the first time.

"Yo... check it out. Look at all those Pokémon down there." said one of the hunters quietly. "Yeah... and they all got the Boss's name right on them." another hunter replied. Matori stared at me quietly, and then quietly stood up. "Alright, everyone... listen up. Prepare the capture devices. It's show time." she said. "Yes, ma'am." her group replied. They all quietly jumped down the trees and went to their positions. As they went to their spots, they watched me and my team playing with all of the Pokémon in the area; dancing, singing, and jumping around with each other. After a few minutes, Matori gave them the signal, and then they fired the traps. While they did this, me and Galdur's eyes widened in shock as they and our Marks glew, and then we saw electric nets and energy prism cages trap some of the Pokémon. They cried in fear as they looked around; wondering who was here. "What the!? What's going on!? Who did this!?" said Galdur. Once I saw the electric nets and how they were hurting the Pokémon... I instantly knew who it was. "...Team Rocket..." I said in a scared tone.

We then heard sounds of evil laughter around us, and then we saw Matori and her group for the first time. My eyes widened in fear as I saw the red R on their uniforms, and I felt my body shake in fear. "Well, well, well... if it isn't the child that we experimented on five years ago..? My, my... look at how much you've grown... I'm sure that your abilities have grown even stronger as well." said Matori. I was completely frozen in fear to see her and her group here; remembering her and her group working for Archer as they kidnapped me five years ago. "What..? What do you mean by this!? What have you done to this child!?" Galdur yelled. "That's none of your concerns, old man. Now... step aside. The girl and all the Pokémon are all coming with us." Matori replied. "No she's not. If you want her so badly... you'll have to go through me..." he replied as he activated his Awakened state. "Whoa... check it out. He can do the same thing that she can, boss." one hunter replied. "I see... looks like we'll be getting two for the price of one! Capture them!" she replied.

"Yes, ma'am!" her group replied. They then threw up some PokéBalls and revealed their Pokémon: Toxicroak, Purugly, Skuntank, Arbok, Rhyperior, Muk, Magmar, Ursaring, Drapion, and Garbordor. They let out their battle cries, and then Galdur prepared his blade. His red eyes turned to me, and saw that I was immobilized by fear. "Zoroark. You and your friends get her out of here! Quickly! Me and the others will hold them off!" he said. Zoroark nodded its head in understanding, and then motioned me to run with it, alongside my team, Epona, her mother, and some of the other Pokémon. "Oh no you don't! Magmar! Rhyperior! After them!" Matori replied. They nodded and ran after me with their Trainers; hoping to corner me. A moment after they ran, Magmar's embers began to set the forest ablaze. As we ran and the flames grew, Galdur turned back to Matori and stared at her angrily. "You... you monsters... I will make you pay for your crimes!" he said angrily as his eyes and Mark glew crimson red. "Heh. I like to see you try." she replied. After that, he joined alongside the lead Rapidash and more strong Pokémon, and battled Matori and her group.

Near a Wooden Bridge

We stopped near the bridge, and I fell to the ground in fear. "Pika! Pi-ka! Pika-Pi-ka-Pi! Pikachu!" said Tetrax as he tried to help me. I stayed silent and shook in fear; wondering how did Team Rocket find me already. My hands were shaking very quickly, and then I felt my heart beating super fast. I looked down to the ground and felt my stomach begin to hurl. Once I felt my stomach doing this, I found a spot to throw up; knowing now that this is from my body shutting me down by my fears and anxiety. Aurasoul and Zoroark patted my back as I threw up for a few more minutes; hoping that this will make me come back to my senses. After that was done, I sat down and looked out to the area around us; seeing it begin to be covered in smoke and flames. All of the Pokémon around me looked around nervously, and then looked back at me.

As I saw their faces, I began to break down and cry. "Oh, God... why..? Why!? Why didn't I do something to save them!? Why did I let my fears of my past conquer me again!? I promised myself that I would never let my past and my fears conquer me! But once I saw those people and the devices they used... I just let myself completely shut down and not do a single thing to save them! Dammit! I feel so worthless! So much for being the Guardian my ancestors want me to be... all I do is let myself get caught into trouble and let myself be a coward when anyone of my past confronts me and torments me. God... who would want a Guardian like that to protect the world?" I cried. "Taylor..." Necrozma replied sadly. I punched the ground angrily a few times, and then covered my face; not wanting anyone to see me like this.

Necrozma floated over to me, and put its hands on my shoulders; giving them a few pats. Epona and my team then surrounded me and comforted me. "Taylor..? Please... do not ever say all those bad things about yourself." said Necrozma. I uncovered my face, wiped my face, and saw Necrozma's face looking down at me. "You are not a bad Guardian. You are not a bad one at all. You are a brave, strong, loyal, and heroic Guardian. Ever since I joined your team... I saw how fearless you were in battle. You put your own life on the line to protect your friends, Pokémon, and all of the innocent people that are under attack from anyone that wished to harm them. Your mind, heart, and spirit are the most powerful things that I have ever seen and felt in many centuries. When I first saw those qualities... they reminded me so much of Eve. She always would put herself in harm's way to protect the ones she cared for so dearly, and always put everyone else's feelings ahead of her own. And I know that you have done the same thing that she had done. You are so much stronger than you realize. And I know that one day that you will conquer all of your fears. It just takes time and patience. So... do not let them hinder you and put you down for good. You know deep inside yourself of how strong you are. You are much stronger than you really realize. Even your team can see the true potential that lies within you. All you have to do is to start believing in yourself, and then someday soon, all your worries and fears will disappear for good." it replied.

I wiped off some tears, and stared at Necrozma's face. "...Really? You really think so?" I asked. It nodded its head yes to my question, and then it made me turn to all the Pokémon around us and saw them nod their heads as well. I took the message to heart, wiped off the last of my tears, slowly stood back up, took a deep breath, and then got myself fully back to my senses. "Necrozma... everyone... thank you..." I said. Nearly everyone smiled at me, and then we began to cross the bridge. As we crossed, I saw the two Team Rocket Grunts with Rhyperior and Magmar coming near us. "There they are! Go get 'em Rhyperior!" said one of the grunts. I stared them down angrily and then saw Rhyperior try to attack me. I charged up a powerful Energy Ball and fired it at Rhyperior; sending it back to its Trainer. "What!? How in the world did she do that!?" said the grunt as Rhyperior stood back up. "It doesn't matter! Just get the kid! Magmar! Rhyperior! Attack her until she's out cold!" the second grunt replied. Both Pokémon nodded their heads in understanding, and then the three of us charged at each other; starting our battle.

All the Pokémon that crossed the bridge turned around and saw me battling the two Pokémon in shock and awe; happy to see me back to my old self. We took on every attack that we could do, and then they sent me flying top the bridge. I slowly stood back out, spat and coughed out some blood, and then saw Magmar begin to burn the bridge down. Epona whinnied to me worriedly and then she and her mother ran onto the bridge, jumped over me, and used Dazzling Gleam and Psycho Cut on my foes; protecting me from more harm. I looked at them in shock as they turned to me, and then saw the look in their eyes; knowing how much they care about me. I blinked my eyes, and patted Epona's mane. "Thank you, Epona. Rapidash." I said. They made a couple sounds, and then we saw our foes stand back up. As we looked at them, Epona used Psychic to hold them down, while Rapidash and I used Psycho Cut and Hydro Pump on them; knocking them out cold. The Grunts screamed in shock at the sight, and then looked at me as they saw my eyes glow green. "Tetrax! Thunderbolt! Dragonfire! Flamethrower! Aurasoul! Aura Sphere! Necrozma! Photon Geyser!" I said.

The four Pokémon nodded in understanding, and used the attacks I commanded them to do on the grunts and their fallen Pokémon, combined them together into a powerful energy ball of different elements, and then watched them hit our foes, and send them flying. The Pokémon we protected celebrated happily for a moment, and then we saw the bridge begin to collapse. We quickly ran to the other side and got everyone to safety. Before I stepped onto the other side, Matori appeared from the shadows and captured me in a electric net; shocking and injuring me. I screamed in pain, looked around, and saw her holding the net. "Gotcha. I told you that I would catch you." she said. I growled angrily at her, and she shocked me again. She then looked up at the sky, saw a helicopter appear from above, and throw down a hook. "Perfect. Now just stay there and be quiet. There's no one that can save you now." she said as she tied the net to the hook, and climbed up the rope; lifting us up in the air.

Epona whinnied to me a few times, broke out of the group, ran near us, and used Psychic on Matori; tossing her aside from the helicopter. "Ah! What!? What is this!?" she said. I looked down at her, and then saw her getting near the fallen bridge. "Epona!" I said worriedly. She made a loud neighing sound to me, and then her body began to glow light blue; staring her evolution. Our eyes widened in shock to see her evolve, and then a moment later she fully evolved into a Galarian Rapidash. She neighed loudly to me, charged up energy on her horn, and used Psycho Cut on the net; setting me free. "No! That's not fair!" yelled Matori. As I broke out, I quickly began to fall from the sky and nearly down to the ground of the fallen bridge. I closed my eyes and tried to use Psychic to save myself, but then something appeared from below and caught me in their arms. I opened my eyes, and then saw Yuya and his Charizard appear. "Yuya!" I said. "Tay!" he replied. We flew to where my team was, and then Yuya gently helped me get back on the grass.

"You alright?" he asked me. "Yeah. I'm alright. Thanks for the save." I replied. "No problem. Just like we promised... when you're in danger... we'll come and save you." he replied. After that, we saw the rest of the group appear and stand by us. "Guys..? What are you doing here? How did you find me?" I asked. "We found out where you were by your Mom, and then we saw the damage that Team Rocket did, and your new friend, Galdur, told us where you ran. So we followed you, and are here now." Celina replied. "Yeah. And this time we're here to protect you." Zuzu replied. My eyes lightly widened in awe, and I smiled at them warmly. "Thank you, guys..." I said. They smiled and nodded their heads to me, and then we looked at Matori.

Matori looked at us angrily, and then we saw Galdur appear behind her. "Stand down, Matori. Your quarrel ends here." he said. She let out an evil laugh, and then got back to the helicopter. "No... it isn't over yet. Once when Giovanni hears of this... he's going to want to have her back." she said. My group's eyes widened in shock to hear Giovanni's name be said, and then turned to me. "Well tell him this! If he wants me and the other Guardian so badly! Tell him to catch us himself!" I replied. I charged up a Hyper Beam, and fired it at the helicopter; pushing it far away from here and making it explode. After that, I fell down to my knee and coughed out a little more blood. "Tay!" said my group worriedly. Once they tried to get around me, Epona gently moved them away from me and made me look at her.

"Huh..? Epona?" I said curiously. She whinnied and used Heal Pulse on me; healing all of my wounds. "Whoa... check it out..." said Pat. "Yeah... its using Heal Pulse..." Celina replied. "Awesome..." Sora replied. After that, the move stopped and I was fully healed. We stood back up together, and then hugged each other. "Thank you, Epona... for saving my life." I said. She made a happy sound to me in thanks, and then we let each other go. After that, we helped the Pokémon get back across the fallen bridge and return to Cyfrin Castle. Once we returned there, we reunited all of the wild Pokémon that Team Rocket tried to capture, and both Galdur and I restored the forest together; turning it back to normal.

Cyfrin Castle

"Wow... this place is beautiful..." said Celina. "Yeah... it feels like I just stepped into a fairytale kingdom..." Zuzu replied. The two girls smiled happily at each other, and then saw the boys looking around. "Man... I never thought that I would see a forest like this..." said Zach. "Me either. But I will admit... it is very beautiful." Yuya replied. "Yeah." Zach replied as he nodded his head in agreement. As they all looked around, they saw me walk out of the castle with Galdur, and look out to them and all of the Pokémon. "The forest is all safe now. And it's all thanks to you, Galdur." I said. "No... it's all thanks to you as well, Taylor. You did a good job of protecting the Pokémon from those dastard villains that intruded on this sacred land. And it's because of them breaking through your fears and helping you get back to your old self and trusted your instincts as a Guardian." he replied.

I blinked my eyes, smiled warmly, and nodded my head in thanks to him; making him do the same. "Hey..? Where did Necrozma go?" he asked me. "I returned it to the Guardian Ball before my friends got the chance to see it." I replied. "Ah... I see you want to keep it a surprise for them, huh?" he replied. "Mhm." I replied as I nodded my head yes to his question. As we looked at each other, I saw that his body was beginning to transform back into his spirit form. Once he started to glow, everyone turned to see what was going on and walked over to us. "Heh... I guess that my duty is over..." he said. "A duty of a Guardian is never over. As long as we help our descendants and get them out the trouble their stuck in, we will always be here for them... no matter what." I replied. He lightly smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "Rapidash. Take care of everyone here in the forest for me, okay?" he said as he looked at the lead Rapidash. He nodded his head yes to his request, and then both Galdur and I showed our Marks on our right hands to each other, made them glow for a moment, and then we all watched him disappear.

My Mark stopped glowing after he left, and I put my glove back on; hiding it from sight. "Whoa... so he was Tay's ancestor..." said Pat. "Yeah. He sure is. And there is a lot more of story that I will tell you later." I replied. The group smiled and nodded their heads in understanding. I smiled warmly at them, and then looked up at the sky; seeing that it was nighttime. "Well... I think it's time that we head back, Tay. Your Mom has got to be worried sick about you." said Zach. "Yeah." I replied. Before we could say goodbye to all of the Pokémon; Epona, her mother, the lead Rapidash, and a few more of the Rapidash used Psychic on us and put us on their backs. "Whoa! Looks like we're getting a ride?" said Sora. "Mhm. Don't worry, guys. We know the way back. Right, Epona?" I replied. Epona whinnied happily, and then saw Zoroark join alongside us with a Grimmsnarl, Hatterene, Roserade, Dragapult, Noctowl, Mismagius, Honchkrow, Trevenant, and a few Galarian Ponyta. We said our goodbyes to the Pokémon of the forest, and then began our travel back to the forest entrance.

Cyfrin Forest Entrance

My Mom stood by the entrance nervously and paced around impatiently; wondering where we are in there. As she paced around, she heard the sound of hooves walking on the ground. "Hm?" she said curiously. She looked out to the entrance, and then saw us appear with Epona and the other Pokémon that brought us back. "Oh, thank Arceus! Taylor! Kids! Are you all alright?" she asked us. "Yep. We're fine. And Mom? I will explain everything that happened in there to you when we get back to the house. I promise." I replied as we gently got back down on the grass and I went to hug her. She was honestly surprised of what I said, and then smiled happily at me as she hugged me back. We ended the hug, and Mom saw Epona looking at her for the first time. "Taylor..? Is that who I think it is?" she asked me. "Hehe. Yep. It's her, Mom. Epona, look. You remember my Mom, right?" I replied. Epona whinnied happily to us, and then gave my Mom a hug. "Hello there, Epona. You look as beautiful as always. How have you and your family been?" she said.

Epona made happy sounds, ended the hug, and turned to her parents. As she looked at them, they sensed something in her eyes and heart. Their eyes lightly widened to this energy for a moment, and then they smiled at her. "Huh? What's going on?" said my Mom. "I don't know?" I replied curiously. Epona walked over to her parents, and then they shared a hug goodbye to her. After the hugs ended, the lead Rapidash told all of the Pokémon around us of Epona's decision; shocking and surprising them. "Pi-ka!" said Tetrax surprised. "Huh? What's going on, buddy? What did he say?" I replied. He then pointed at Epona,, me, and showed a demonstration of a Trainer catching a Pokémon. "Ah! I see it now! Epona wants Tay to catch her!" said Zuzu. Our eyes widened in shock to this, and then both Epona and I looked into each other's eyes.

My Mom smiled happily at us, and then put her hands on my shoulders. "Taylor..? Do you remember the promise that you had made with Epona a few years ago?" she asked me. A moment after she said that, my eyes lightly widened in shock and I began to remember the day that I made that promise."Epona... can I promise you something?" I said in a flashback. Epona nodded her head yes to my question. "When I begin my journey as a Trainer... would you like to come with me and be a part of my journey?" I asked her. Her eyes widened to my question, thought about for a few moments, smiled, nodded her head yes to my question, and then nuzzled me happily while making a happy sound. I laughed happily as she did this, and then hugged her. "Alright then. It's settled. When I come back here as a real Trainer... I will catch you. And we will never separated... ever again." I replied. She whinnied happily, and then we began to play again.

The flashback ended, and I began to tear up and cry again. Everyone's eyes widened in shock and surprise to see me cry, and then I wiped away my tears and looked at Epona's eyes. "...You remembered... you remembered the promise..." I said as a few more tears fell down my face. She nodded her head yes to my response, and then we shared a emotional embrace. Everyone smiled at us warmly, and then we ended the embrace. We then rested our foreheads together and looked into each other's eyes silently. "Wow... I've never seen her act like this with a horse Pokémon before." said Zach. "Yeah... but now after seeing this... they really do have a special connection." Zuzu replied. Zach nodded his head in agreement, and then everyone saw us step back from each other. I put my hand in my jacket pocket, and took out a Heal Ball. Once Epona saw it, she neighed and galloped around happily at me. Once I saw her reaction, I smiled happily at her.

"Alright, Epona? You ready?" I asked her. She neighed happily as she stood up on her hind hooves, and happily moved her front legs up in the air. "Pi-ka!" Tetrax replied happily. "Okay! Heal Ball, go!" I replied as I threw the Heal Ball at Epona and watched it do the capture process. It shook three times on the grass, and then made a dinging sound; confirming the capture. "Rapidash, Galarian Form, has been registered to your PokéDex." said my PokéDex. We all smiled happily at the sight, and then Tetrax ran over to the Heal Ball, picked it up with his tail, and tossed it to me. "Thanks, buddy. Alright! I just caught a Rapidash!" I replied as I raised it up in the air. "Pi-Pikachu!" Tetrax replied happily. Aurasoul and Dragonfire joined in on the celebration and we shared a group hug. "Congrats, Tay." said Zach. "Thank you, Zach." I replied happily. "Yeah! Congrats on the catch, buddy. With a rare Pokémon like Epona in our group... it will make it very special." Yuya replied. "You're right about that. Thanks, Yuya." I replied. We high-fived each other, and then looked down at the Heal Ball. "Well... aren't you going to say it?" said Pat.

I nodded my head yes to his question, and readied the Heal Ball in my hand. "Okay! Epona! I choose you!" I said as I threw the Heal Ball up in the air. It opened and Epona appeared in front of us; neighing at us happily. "Aww~ She looks so happy!" said Sora. "She sure does. She's been waiting for this for a long time." Celina replied with a warm smile. "Ni-do..." her Nidoran replied happily. Silence filled the air for a moment, and then Epona turned to her friends and family, walked over to them, and said her goodbyes to them. We watched this happen for a few minutes, and then I saw Epona's parents look at me with warm smiles. They nodded their heads to me, and I did the same to them; letting them know that I will keep her safe. After that, they all went back to the forest... except for Zoroark. "Huh? Zoroark? What's wrong, buddy?" I asked it. It blinked its eyes, and then turned to my Mom, walked over to her, and then warmed itself upto her; surprising us.

"Oh? And who is this sweetheart?" said my Mom curiously. "It's a Zoroark. They have the ability to make illusions." I replied. "Illusions, huh? Well that sounds amazing." she replied. Zoroark nuzzled her for a moment, and then sat down on all fours and looked up at her. "I guess you want to be with my Mom, eh Zoroark? You want to help her around and protect us?" I asked it. It blinked its eyes, and nodded its head yes to me; confirming my question. "Really? You want to come along with me?" she replied. Zoroark nodded its head yes again, and then hugged both her and I. "Alright, Mom. Looks like you caught yourself a Zoroark." I said happily. She giggled happily, and then hugged us. "I sure did. Welcome to the family, Zoroark." she said. Zoroark made happy sounds, and then we all went back to the house and slept for the night; ready for what tomorrow has in store.

Thank you so much for reading Chapter 18 of the story! Man... this one was fun to write. Especially with Pat and Alito's battle, the theming of the Guardian location, and Galdur's origin story. I've never done anything with a magic/mystical theme before, so this one had to put me to the test. I was heavily inspired by the Glimwood Tangle from the Galar region, and I gotta say that this was a very unique area to create as my own version of it in the Kanto region. I had to look up names that tied in with the magic and medieval theme. And that was really tough at first... but once I found the perfect names for this Chapter, I knew that I was satisfied. And... also deciding on which Pokémon to appear in the forest was tough. So I had to break down a list of Pokémon that would fit the area perfectly, and include some non Kanto ones that fitted perfectly besides the Galarian Ponyta line.

And! We also have a few Legacy Character debuts in this Chapter! First off is Alito from Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL! His character and personality was fun to write; especially as someone who is jealous of Celina at the Academy. By the way... I know that both Alito and Celina don't officially have last names in any media. So I gave them last names that would mean warrior and strength. Because of how they are portrayed in all Yu-Gi-Oh! media... I had to find last names that fit their personality and themes. I personally think that their surnames do fit them perfectly.

Next up is the full debut of Dennis and his Mr. Mime! These two are literally perfect for each other in battle and Contests! He has competed against Yuya and Zuzu in the past, and always came close to them. He doesn't see them as rivals as much as Sylvio does... but he isn't afraid to outsmart them on the stage if he wants too. Next up is the tiny debut cameos of Téa Gardner, Mai Valentine, Alexis Rhodes, Akiza Izinski, and Kari Tsukumo! Yep! It's time that you all get to know the remaining Contest opponents! As for their teams... they are based on their theme and personalities. I can't wait to show you what they can do soon!

Finally, we have Hart Tenjo, Kite's little brother from ZEXAL! He is childhood friends with Riley and they always do everything together. He first of Taylor from his brother after the Moltres situation and the battle with Lt. Surge, and has wanted to meet her. His dream is to become a Trainer and become as strong as his older brother. He will be seen again in future Chapters alongside Riley and their families.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading Chapter 18 of the story, and have yourself an awesome day!

Next time, Chapter 19: Taking Center Stage! The time has come! It is time for the Vermilion City Contest! Yuya, Zuzu, and "Aaron", are ready to perform and show the crowd what they and their Pokémon can do! Who will advance to the next round and try to win it all? Find out in Chapter 19!