Author's note: My Finals are FINALLY done! I now have more free time and can start updating this story weekly once again! I apologize for the wait, and I thank you for being patient! Now, let's get this party started!

Chapter 18: The Boy's Mission

Aeon kept his head down the entire time he walked with Arven.

"Ugh," Arven said. "My feet hurt, but I'm not going to bring out Koraidon. Don't want two things to have a headache about…" He mumbled quietly to himself, but Aeon could still hear him.

Aeon sighed and frowned.

They had been walking for a while, and Aeon would have liked it if his brother gave himself a rest. They've walked for so long that the grassy lands below their feet was replaced with sand. They were slowly approaching a large mountain that looked to be a dead end.

Suddenly, Arven stopped walking. He pulled his phone out, and eyed it for a bit.

"It should be here," Arven mumbled to himself. "Why isn't it here?

"Arven-" Aeon said, "You should reconside-"

"Quiet, you," Arven said, turning his head. "Anyway… The cave leading to the herbs I need should be here. Where is-"

The earth started to tremble. Aeon waited for his sensors to go crazy with warnings, but he remembered he turned off his warning mechanisms earlier. If he turned them on now, then he'd hear 'Erase Arven's memory' over and over again. It troubled the android that he was as clueless as Arven was as they both looked about, watching the earth shake and searching for the source. Soon, a massive dirt trail began to circle them like Sharpedos would circling their prey. Suddenly, a gigantic Orthworm rose from the ground, staring at the two boys with black beady eyes. It then bellowed a roar loud enough to emit a small shockwave.

"So you're gonna be the one in my way, huh?!" Arven cried. Arven quickly activated his invoker armor and pulled his Pokéball. "Come on out, Skwovet!" He tossed his Pokéball, and Skwovet bellowed a cry as soon as it appeared. Then, the tiny squirrel-like Pokemon looked up at the gigantic creature. Its eyes widened in pure terror and sweat immediately came falling down its face. Aeon didn't need sensors to know that this Orthworm was far too powerful for Arven to fight at his current level.

"A-Arven..!" Aeon cried. "You can't beat it as you ar-"

"Shut up!" Arven said. "Just shut up,and watch me!"

Arven raised his arm, and the gloves of his invoker armor folded took the shape of an arm-cannon. "Skwovet, you and me, Bullet Seed!" Both Arven and Skwovet fired a barrage of seeds at the gigantic Steel type. All of the seeds just bounced off the large worm Pokémon like it was nothing. Orthworm looked down at its two attackers like it was a minor nuisance, raised its head as it shone brightly, and then dove straight at his enemies.

"It's using Iron head, dodge it, everyone!" Arven, Skwovet and Aeon all leapt out of the way at the same time as the massive worm Pokémon dove straight into the ground and dug into it.

The three boys landed and felt the earth tremble once again.

"Arven.." Aeon turned to Arven. "We should really go, now! If we run, it'll stop attacking us!"

"How about you shut up, and let me fight?"

"You're making a terrible mistake! You should train first, become stronger before challenging-"

"Shut up! Stop talking! If you talk one more time, I'm going to leave you forever, understand?!"

What happened next was nearly instantaneous. Orthworm rose from the ground below Skwovet and Arven's feet- and Aeon watched as the two of them were sent flying into the air. Orthworm then opened its mouth as it began to charge a Hyper Beam aimed at the two.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Aeon cried. The robot's eyes began to shine as he grit his teeth. He leapt into the air with incredible speed before he sent an uppercut to the Orthworm's mouth, sealing it shut and sending it spiraling into the air.

As soon as Aeon landed, he felt the sensation he felt before when he punched Klawf with the same level of strength. The hand he used to punch Orthworm began to twitch and bend abnormally as it sparked wildly. The android yelled out in pain as the Orthworm's body fell to the ground and crashed to the ground with enough force to nearly have the boy bounce from the ground.

Arven and Skwovet came over to Aeon as Aeon fell to his knees and clutched his hand, trying desperately to hold in his pained screams. Arven's eyes darted back and forth, between the Orthworm, and Aeon. Finally, Arven sighed as though something in his mind forced him to say the words, "Aeon, are you okay?"

"I-.. I'm fine.. I… My hand… I can't punch it away like I did before…" Aeon said. "We should run.. N-Now!"

Arven grit his teeth, he looked up at the massive Orthworm that was starting to rise from the ground, and then back at Aeon. He clenched his fists.

"Fine! Let's go!" Arven reached for Aeon's shoulder, and helped him up before grabbing his hand that wasn't sparking and running away along with Skwovet. Arven disengaged his armor, and returned Skwovet into his Pokeball. As they ran, Orthworm bellowed a cry and started charging after them.

"I thought you said it'd leave us alone if we ran!?" Arven cried.

"I hurt it enough for it to get angry…! Let me go, I'll distract him...!"

"Shut up! I'm not doing that!"

The sound of a Hyper beam started to hum in both boys' ears. The two of them turned to see Orthworm firing a Hyper beam straight at them.

Instinctively, Aeon let go of Arven's hand, and spun around, and spread his arms out in an attempt to protect his brother.

"NO!" Arven cried, sprinting over to Aeon, and pushing him out of the way.

"ARVEN!" Aeon shouted. Aeon could only watch as the Hyper Beam that struck Arven swallow him whole. The android covered his eyes with his arm as an explosion rang out. As soon as the explosion faded, and the smoke cleared, Aeon could see Arven still standing, but covered in dirt and smoke.

"Heh… See that?!" Arven cried out. "I can take anything you can-...Oh jeez–" Arven slowly fell to his knees. "Yup, nope… I-... Can't feel my-...everything."

Arven then fell to the ground.

"ARVEN!" Aeon cried, immediately running to the downed Arven. "Why…!? WHY!?"

"I dunno…" Arven said. "I just… moved."

"Why would you do that for me?! I- I thought you hated me..! I-..."

"Hate's… a strong word. I never said I hated you. Listen. You were right. I was angry, in over my head. I shouldn't have come here without a strategy."

"You're not answering my question! This is illogical- why did you step in front of the attack!? I should have taken the blow instead… I'm made for battle, Arven!"

"You… You remind me too much of myself… That's why I did it."

"What?!"

"I… Ever since I was younger… I never got any attention from my parents. The only…one that I could count on…could be dying. But that's beside the point. The point… is… that you were alone. Mom and Dad… just threw you my way. I didn't want anyone to go through the same thing I did… to live without someone taking care of them. That's why I took you in."

Aeon started to cry before he knew it, and so did Arven.

"I'm sorry, Aeon...I'm so sorry for being a jerk," Arven's body trembled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéball. "Listen. This Pokéball.. it's…My Mabostiff's Pokéball. He's my best friend. He was there for me when no one else was. I want you… to find the rest of the herbs… and save his life."

"What?!" Aeon cried. "Stop talking like you're going to die! Arven! ARVEN!"

"Just…take it.." Arven said. Aeon looked at Arven, then back at the ball. Aeon then quickly took the Pokéball and put it in his winter jacket pocket.

"Thank… you…" Arven groaned. Slowly, Arven began to close his eyes.

"ARVEN!" Aeon cried. "ARVEN! NOOOO!" Aeon started to shake Arven's body again and again. "Wake up, WAKE UP! ARVE-"

Orthworm began to roar all over again, ready to fight after resting from its previous Hyper beam. Slowly, Aeon stood up. His blue left eye and red right eye began to shine brightly as rage overwhelmed him. "Now activating combat mode. Level 2."

An intense electric aura exploded from the boy's body the moment he uttered those words. He slowly turned around to Orthworm. If his warning sensors were on, it'd tell him that he could risk destroying his body if he went to level 2 or higher.

But that didn't matter.

If his body was destroyed, it would be something he deserved. A robot who couldn't protect the one he loved was worthless in his eyes. With tears rising into the air because of the intensity of his aura, Aeon clenched his fists.

The Android moved so quickly that his body disappeared. Within an instant, Aeon appeared beside the Orthworm's head and landed a devastating kick that sent it flying toward the dirt. Then, as Orthworm's body dragged across the sandy earth, Aeon appeared in front of it and kicked the Titan Pokémon high into the sky. As it flew into the air, Aeon leapt into the sky, clasped his hands together, and slammed the Orthworm down into the dirt with a hammering blow. Aeon landed on the ground as dirt and sand leapt into the sky the moment Orthworm hit the ground. Suddenly, a sparking light came from the smoke in front of Aeon and a Hyper beam started flying his way.

Aeon didn't move. He just kept glaring and started to walk toward the beam. As the beam pushed against Aeon's body, Aeon continued walking, ignoring the blast like it was nothing.

It was supposed to be this way, he thought. This is what should have happened- Aeon taking the brunt of this Hyper beam, and Arven being fine. All Aeon could do now was blame himself for what had happened.

Orthworm's eyes widened in sheer terror as Aeon kept walking toward him despite using its strongest attack against him, and soon, the beam it fired began to disappear. As it breathed heavily, Aeon stared at it with an emotionless look upon coming face-to-face with it.

"That attack was pathetic," Aeon said with a sharp, angry tone. "Let me show you a real attack."

Aeon's hand that wasn't sparking folded and rotated as it went into his arm, and transformed into an arm cannon. The android then aimed the charging cannon directly at Orthworm's face- and then soon, fired a cannon large enough to rival the Titan Pokémon's size. The Orthworm was sent flying into the sky so far that the sky twinkled.

Aeon's arm cannon slowly morphed back into his hand. The electricity from Aeon's body faded, and soon… the android fell to his knees. He was about to shut down, and he knew it.

"No…" Aeon said. "Not now… Not yet…" Aeon slowly reached for his head, and pressed the buttons that would activate his warning sensors.
His mind nearly was overloaded with warnings, most of them saying that a temporary shutdown was required. Others were warning Aeon to erase Arven's memory. Aeon slowly used the rest of his remaining strength to stand up, and then inch closer to Arven.

"Ar…ven…" Aeon's body was trembling with every step. His voice became autotuned due to the amount of strain on his body, and the light of his eyes were beginning to dim. "Ar…ven…" He said again. He kept chanting Arven's name with his weakened and autotuned voice, like it was a mantra to calm himself down from the warnings that rang in his mind.

WARNING! SHUT DOWN IMMINENT! The alarms blared in his mind, but he knew if he didn't get Arven to a doctor soon, Aeon would wake up next to Arven's dead body.

WARNING- IF SHUTDOWN DOES NOT HAPPEN SOON, PERMANENT DESTRUCTION IS IMMINENT!

Aeon finally managed to reach Arven. His eyes were dimming even more now, almost to the point that his eyes were as black as the void. He slowly reached for Arven's hand, held it, and placed his thumb over Arven's wrist. The robot did this so he could check Arven's pulse- which was gone.

Not good. Not good…

PERMANENT DESTRUCTION MAY BE IMMINENT! SHUTDOWN REQUIRED!

Aeon raised his only usable hand, and static began to pulse around it. Aeon then thrust it onto Arven's chest, and his body bounced with the volts being injected into his body.

Aeon could feel Arven's pulse again.

PERMANENT DESTRUCTION MAY BE…

Arven was alive. That's all that mattered.. Slowly, Aeon's eyes began to close as his eyes began to completely go black.

SHUTTING…DOWN…

Arven's eyes opened. He gasped and rose up, then turned to Aeon, who was lying right beside him and holding his hand.

"Aeon?!" Arven cried. "Aeon-!?" Arven started shaking Aeon's body. "I-. Wake up..! WAKE UP!"

Aeon didn't move.

"Not again..!" He cried. "No… No! This is all my fault..!" Arven sprang up, pulling out Koraidon's Pokéball and tossing it. Koraidon roared, took one look at Aeon, and widened his eyes in shock.

"We need to go to the nearest Pokecenter.. Now!" Arven said, quickly picking up Aeon bridal-style and running toward Koraidon.