As the tension escalated and Ash prepared for what looked like the end for him, a shuriken suddenly flew in and knocked the dagger out of Aya's hand.
"Ack!" Aya exclaimed, startled. She looked up and saw Janine jump down from a nearby tree and land between her and Ash, determined to intervene.
"That's enough!" she yelled.
"Janie?! What do you think you're doing?!" Aya angrily questioned her.
"I won't let you hurt May!" Janine, resolute, asserted. Aya, ready for a confrontation, grabbed some shurikens between her fingers.
"Don't make me hurt you, dear niece..." she warned the younger ninja.
"Bring it." Aya, quick as a flash, launches the metal stars towards Janine's head. Janine, undeterred, dodged Aya's shurikens and retaliated by picking Ash's staff up off the ground and thwacking Aya's leg with it.
"Ack!" Aya yelped as she stumbled but quickly regained her composure. Janine, glaring at her Aunt, refused to back down. After refinding her footing, Aya retaliated with a kick to Janine's back, but Janine fought back, kneeing Aya in the gut. "Ack!"
"Now Ariados!" Janine yelled. Seizing the opportunity, Ariados suddenly joined the fray, revealing himself from his hiding spot in the trees and shooting out a Spring Shot attack, wrapping Aya in strings.
"You foolish girl!" Aya growled, struggling within the bindings. "Your loyalty is to your Father and your village! No one else!"
"Not anymore! You've gone too far! To try and do this to May…I won't allow it!" she spat back. "I'm not going to let you erase my sister! I'm not going to lose the one person in this family that truly loves me!"
"You traitorous wretch!" Aya yelled.
"She's my sister. You should have known better." Janine stated. Aya struggled against the threads, showing her frustration as Janine turned away from her. She helped Ash to his feet as he continued to suffer from the effects of the poison in his body.
"Take me where they're taking her..." he demanded, expressing urgency.
"I will." Janine, wary but empathetic, nodded. "But we should still do something about the poison..."
"We have to do it in transit..." Ash insisted, determined to get to May before Koga could carry out his plan.
"Just don't hurt yourself. You're no good to May dead." Janine cautioned him.
"Show me the way. Please," he begged.
"I only know the general direction..." She explained as she handed Ash the staff.
"I should be able to track her once we get close," Ash said, clutching the staff. Janine nodded and with as much speed as they could muster, they set off further into the forest, determined to get to the clan before things got worse.
"Hang in there, May..." Ash said with determination in his eyes. The two moved as quickly as they could, knowing that the fate of May was hanging in the balance.
Under the shadow of the ancient trees surrounding Sabrina's village, Koga approached, the weight of May in his arms. The air crackled with tension as Sabrina materialized at the village gate, her gaze unwavering.
"Not another step, ninja," she warned, her voice carrying the authority of one who held the power of the mind.
"Fear not," Koga smirked, undeterred.
"You know the penalty for trespassing," Sabrina reminded him, her psychic energy palpable as she remained ready to strike at any moment.
"I have a gift for you," Koga replied, his smirk deepening. Suspicion flickered in Sabrina's eyes.
"What trickery is this?" she demanded.
"No trickery. I wish to form a new pact with you and betroth my prize heiress to your people." Koga explained.
"What use would my son have for a petty thief girl?" Sabrina countered.
"I hope you enjoy stories." Koga chuckled, a sound that danced on the edge of mystery. Sabrina raised an eyebrow, but eventually relented, granting him permission to enter her village.
"You have one hour," she informed him. Nodding, Koga began to weave a tale that unfolded May's history—the Princess of Hoenn, her unmatched training, and the revelation of her ability to control Kyurem. Sabrina listened, skepticism etched on her face.
"Unfortunately," Koga continued, "her lust for a Palace Aura Guardian has led to her nearly unveiling the truth of her birth."
"What does that have to do with my people?" Sabrina asked the obvious question.
"If she were to have her memories altered to forget him, and everything that she's learned, the outcome would be mutually beneficial to both our clans. We could claim the palace for ourselves and live in bounty for countless generations." Koga offered. Sabrina considered his words for a moment before speaking.
"Seems like quite a grandiose idea. And one that doesn't have much chance of success."
"All we need are the Dragons via her control, and it is as good as accomplished," Koga asserted.
"Even if it would work, altering the memories of someone is a complicated process," Sabrina countered.
"I know you can do it," Koga insisted.
"A complete wipe can take hours. Selective memory alterations can take days," Sabrina explained. Koga nodded, understanding the complexities. "And I'm still not convinced that this isn't some ninja trick to infiltrate my village."
"If I wished to do you harm, you would have already been dead," Koga assured her, a hint of arrogance in his tone. Sabrina rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to have sharp minds."
"Excuse me?"
"You would know if I planned to betray you," Koga countered.
"Are you so poor of a ninja that such a statement would be true?" Sabrina shot back.
"I don't need to be. Clearly, you're so poor a psychic that it isn't," Koga retorted. The exchange escalated, each word a careful dance between two formidable individuals.
"I would choose your next words carefully," Sabrina warned him, her glare intensifying.
"My point is, you and I are both skilled in our trades. They both compliment and clash with each other. If I was harboring ulterior motives, I would not have confronted a mind reader face to face. I would have taken a different, covert path." he offered. After a tense silence, Sabrina broke it by taking a deep breath.
"Very well." she conceded.
"Good decision." Koga nodded.
"It will still take days to make the alterations. Days that you'd better have a defense plan for," Sabrina warned.
"The only threat lays in my real daughter's disobedience," Koga revealed.
"What?" Sabrina questioned him, her curiosity piqued.
"Janine has been... difficult lately. She's following May's footsteps and acting foolish. I wouldn't put it out of the question for her to show up and attempt to stop this," Koga explained. Silence lingered, and Sabrina absorbed this revelation.
"Quite the control you seem to have on your own family," she commented. Koga huffed, and the conversation shifted as May stirred, struggling to open her eyes finally. Koga, with practiced ease, subdued her with more Sleep Powder tossed into her face.
"Back to sleep dear," he said with a mocking tone. "You can wake up when you're ready to behave." he stroked her cheek with a mocking kind of affection and May glared at him before she was overcome by the power of the Sleep Powder and passed out again "How soon can we get started?"
"I need the dates and times you want altered as precise as you can. As well as what exactly needs to be changed and how," Sabrina replied. "And I'll need the help of my other top psychics for such a project."
"Very well." he nodded in agreement. With that, Koga began to outline the intricate details of May's experiences. Sabrina listened attentively, knowing that this collaboration could alter the course of their fates. As she walked off to gather the assistance she needed, the weight of the impending task settled heavily on her shoulders. The alliance between the psychic and the ninja had been forged, and the destiny of two tribes, as well as May's and the Kingdom's hung in the balance.
Just outside the dimly lit village, Ash and Janine huddled, their eyes fixed on the hut where May was being held. Ash had been healed of his poisoning by some of the natural herbs Janine had in her pack and was almost back to full strength. Determination etched on his face, Ash took a step toward the gate, ready to confront the looming danger. Janine, however, grabbed his arm, her grip firm.
"You can't just waltz into a village of psychics!" she hissed under her breath.
"I don't have time to waste," Ash replied, his urgency palpable. Janine groaned, frustration evident.
"You're not going to accomplish anything wandering aimlessly into an ambush." she pointed out.
"Then what's your idea?" Ash questioned, a hint of impatience in his voice.
"Give me a minute to think, you doorknob," Janine asked, refocusing on the task at hand. "Where is she precisely?"
"Inside a hut near the center," Ash answered. Nodding, Janine took a minute to formulate a plan in her head as Ash watched. "Well?"
"Don't rush me!"
"Forgive me, but they are trying to force the woman I love into a lobotomy," Ash retorted, his concern evident.
"Got it. We'll just need to play it smart with our partners. If Pikachu can create an opening, we can restrain them with Glaceon and Ariados." Janine explained.
"Alright," Ash agreed, determination burning in his eyes.
"Please rescue her no matter what," Janine emphasized before jumping onto a nearby tree. As Ash looked up at her, Janine assessed the situation from a higher vantage point. "How many are around her?"
"Five," Ash replied, sensing the presence of May along with several others surrounding her inside the hut.
"Great," Janine muttered. As Janine prepared to execute her plan, she leaped onto the roof of the hut, her agile movements guiding her toward a strategic position.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded, and Pikachu, crackling with electricity, blasted open a window, shocking the nearest person. Ash seized the opportunity, launching a wave of Aura to follow up. Koga, the intended target, ducked at the last moment.
"Ack!" he gasped. With swift coordination, Ash fired an Aura Sphere into the ninja's chest, causing Koga to fall back as Janine burst in through the roof and battered several of the psychics before they even fully realized she was there. Glaceon ran in and encased Koga in an Ice Beam, restraining him further as Ariados started doing the same to the other psychics. However, Sabrina, sensing the threat, teleported away with her followers, leaving May lying on a bed in the hut.
"Damn!" Janine cursed, realizing the missed opportunity. Nearby, May lay unconscious on the bed, vulnerable to the schemes unfolding around her. In a rush, Ash ran to her side, concern etched on his face.
"May..." he whispered, his voice a plea for her to awaken from the forced slumber. He lifted her torso and cradled her body in his arms, the aftermath of the sleep powder still lingering in her dazed expression. Gently shaking her, he sought to rouse her from the groggy slumber as he called her softly again. "May?"
"Mm…" May groaned in response, slowly opening her eyes. "Ash...?"
"Careful," Ash cautioned, his worry palpable. With a hand to her forehead, May winced.
"My head is pounding..." she complained.
"You were intoxicated with heavy Sleep Powder," Ash explained, lifting her into his arms with careful tenderness.
"Twice, I think..." May mumbled, groaning a little at the movement.
"Easy now," Ash comforted, placing his hat on her head to shield her from the bright sunlight. May miserably buried her head in his hat as he carried her away from the village, heading deeper into the woods. There they met up with Janine and the rest of the team, who had all made their escape while Ash was tending to May.
"Janine...?" May's voice was faint, a thread of uncertainty.
"I'm here," she responded.
"I thought I heard your voice..." May sighed in relief. Janine's expression softened, her concern evident as her sister continued. "Thank you... for being the only real part of my family."
"May...?" Janine wondered as her question hung in the air, laden with unspoken emotions. May managed a tired smile, gratitude flickering in her eyes.
"I'll explain later…" she promised. As they walked, Ash quickened his pace, sensing May's discomfort. She groaned, expressing the toll the Sleep Powder drug had taken on her. "I never realized... how dizzy that stuff makes you,"
"Are you okay?" Ash inquired, a furrow forming on his brow.
"It depends... on how bad this urge to vomit gets," May admitted, pulling the brim of Ash's hat over her eyes to shield herself from the disorienting surroundings.
"You're okay," Ash reassured, his tone soothing. With May resting her head against his chest, Ash ventured deeper into the woods, carrying her away from the clutches of the psychic village. The sanctuary of the trees enveloped them, providing a temporary respite from the turmoil they had just escaped.
To be Continued...