"So, where are we going?" Gary asked, now properly dressed and ready for the day.
"We don't actually know," Cobalion admitted. "We are aware Mewtwo lives in Johto, but not more than that."
Gary frowned. "Hmmm... Ash will know. Dee?"
Yes?
"Can you call Ash for us?"
Dialing.
Dee emitted a cheerful ringing noise.
"That's new," Gary mused. "Where'd that come from?"
The internet.
The ringing was replaced by a click. Hello? Dee?
Dexter? Dee asked. Good. Can you get Ash?
He's... kind of busy right now.
"That's a pity," Keldeo said.
Wait, is that Keldeo? Dexter's digital voice held some surprise. What's he doing in Kanto?
"They want to speak to Mewtwo," Gary supplied. "We hoped Ash knew where he was."
...well, I didn't expect that, Mewtwo said, looking down at the Pokédex. Really?
That's what they said, Dexter confirmed. Do you mind if I-
Go ahead.
He's actually standing about four feet from me right now, Dexter explained. It should be fine for you to come over – it's Mount Quena.
"Mount Quena?" Gary frowned. "Alakazam, you remember the nearest place to that?"
Alakazam shrugged.
"It's about twenty miles from Ecruteak," Gary clarified. "Take us there, and I'll supply corrections."
He looked around, and returned Umbreon. "Who else wants to come?"
Furfrou shrugged. "I may as well see what this region has to offer. I hope it's sufficiently glamorous."
"You're in a room with four Legendary Pokémon and about to go visit another one," Professor Oak pointed out.
"Well, Legendary is as Legendary does." Furfrou tossed her hair. "As I say, I'll come along."
Anyone else? Alakazam asked. Right, here goes.
He raised his spoons, and an outline of light enveloped Gary, Furfrou, Cobalion, Virizion, Terrakion and Keldeo.
Teleport!
Ash swung his staff, knocking an Absol skeleton into the distance. It fell apart on the journey, but immediately began to reform.
"At least they're fragile," he said, winding up for another swing at what looked like an Empoleon.
"Yes, but there's a dashed lot of them." Noctowl replied. "They're sneaking up on your left, Pidgeot. Be a dear."
Pidgeot flared her wing, sending two Houndour and a Mightyena flying. "This is taking too long."
"Agreed," Kingler said. "Surf!"
Water gushed from both his pincers, knocking a few skeletal Fire-types backwards. The rate of flow was astonishing, and before long it had started to pool in the lower areas of the inner world.
Bayleef's vines whipped out and pulled a neck-bone out of a Tyranitar skeleton. It fell to pieces, and she used the bone to hit a Crobat out of the sky. "How many of them are there?"
"Lots," Noctowl said tersely. "I'm projecting an illusion, but none of them are responding. Deuced unfair."
He frowned. "Totodile! Over here, there's a good lad."
Totodile jumped up, used Bayleef's back as a stepping stone, and Noctowl caught him mid-air. "Let's take to the sky, shall we?"
"Sure!" Totodile agreed.
"Whoa!" Ash ducked, and a bone nearly took his head off.
Heracross leaped forwards, and smashed the next one to pieces with his horn. "Are these coming from the same place as the Rock Throw which nearly knocked you out of the sky, Pidgeot?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "It looks like there's only one more valley to cross... oh."
They reached the top of a small rise, revealing a sea of skeletons covering the whole valley.
Atop the hill in the distance, a shape could be seen – cloaked in darkness.
"I'll venture a guess that that's it," Noctowl said. Then Totodile unleashed a Hydro Pump from overhead, and all Noctowl's attention went into preventing the recoil.
"I think I can clear it," Pidgeot said, and began to inhale.
Several skeletal Pokémon rushed at her from both sides. Ash hit one of them with his staff, sweeping it into the others with the aid of Aura-enhanced grip from his boots, and Heracross and Bayleef covered her other side.
Inrushing air focused in a tiny point, just in front of her beak. The temperature and pressure went higher and higher, and then flashed over to plasma.
Then Pidgeot used Aeroblast.
She raked along the skeleton-filled valley, producing a trail of explosions as her potent attack smashed bone constructs aside by the dozens, and bones fountained out in all directions.
When the smoke cleared, their path was clear.
"Nice work, Pidgeot!" Ash said. "Okay, guys, let's hurry before more of them show up!"
bink
"Ecruteak," Gary confirmed, looking around. "Man, this place... remember, Umbreon?"
No reply.
"Oops." He released her, and she gave him a look.
Gary shook his head. "Don't give me that. You have to be in the 'ball, or Alakazam can't take you."
Umbreon glanced at Furfrou, and shrugged. "See what I have to deal with?"
Furfrou giggled, hiding her mouth behind one elegant paw.
"What did you do?" Keldeo asked.
Umbreon flicked her tail at the gym. "I swept Morty, that's what. Four for nothing."
"That's impressive," Virizion complimented her. "Gym leaders are often strong."
"Her having a type advantage doesn't hurt, though," Gary added. "Anyway, Alakazam?"
Yes?
"That's Mount Quena, there. Can you take us up to the rim?"
Alakazam stared in that direction for a little longer. Not in one jump – my coordinates aren't precise enough. I'll close in slowly.
"Sounds good." Gary returned Umbreon again.
bink
A shady hillock, a few miles outside Ecruteak proper.
bink
A crumbling cliffside, though thankfully some metres back from the edge.
bink
Halfway up a mountainside.
bink
Ash ran up the hillside, legs pumping.
Behind him, there was a loud splash as Kingler landed in the flooding valley. That was followed by a hollow boom as he fired an underwater Crabhammer, producing a supercavitating explosion and sending bones everywhere.
"Everything seems to be going just tickety-boo at the moment," Noctowl commented, swooping down with his reptilian passenger to fly alongside Ash, Pidgeot, Heracross and Bayleef. "Which probably means we're in for some chop."
He dodged around a thrown bone, and again as it boomeranged smoothly around and nearly hit him on the return.
"So, tell me. How does this usually work?"
Ash frowned. "In all honesty, all three times so far we've had to hit something very hard indeed."
"Good, I worried it might be something difficult."
With that, they finally reached the top of the hill. A line of Fossil Pokémon barred their way, standing shoulder to shoulder (or other body part).
"Right." Ash skidded to a halt, catching his breath for a moment. The fossils didn't seem to be moving, so he had time to strategize. "Bayleef, Totodile, this is mostly going to be you. Ready for this?"
Nods.
"Okay..." Ash thought for a moment. The explosions of water from behind him were a comforting reminder that Kingler was covering their back... and a reminder he might not be able to for long. "Bayleef... you're our best choice against the Omastar, Kabutops and Carracosta."
"Got it." She nodded, and took a deep breath. "I've got just the thing for them."
"Right. Noctowl? Keep Totodile safe. Totodile, you get the Aerodactyl, Armaldo and Archeops. Think you can manage it?"
"Yep yep yeah!" Totodile nodded enthusiastically, making Noctowl bob up and down in the air.
"I'm quite sure we'll handle it – so long as the young imp here doesn't make me drop him, of course..." Noctowl mused. "What about the Cradily, Rampardos and Bastiodon?"
"Heracross – and me," Ash said firmly. "Pidgeot, can you manage another Aeroblast?"
"At least one more, yes," she confirmed. "I might be able to stretch it past that."
"That should do." Ash took another deep breath, and Aura began to build in his palms. "Now!"
Bayleef moved first. She shook her head around in a complete circle, making her head-leaf spin, and a shower of petals began to drift out from it – circling faster and faster, until they formed a high-speed curtain of pink and white petals.
Then they stormed forwards.
"Petal dance!" she announced, and the Omastar went flying in a tornado of sweet-smelling petals.
The Carracosta and Kabutops promptly charged at her, and she switched the Petal Dance to a kind of defensive ring around herself.
Carracosta charged through it, heavily battered by the petals as it did so, and raised a flipper to strike-
And Bayleef body-checked it back into the torrent of petals. It struggled for a moment, then fell over.
Bayleef shook her head, already starting to feel the strain from sustaining her Petal Dance, and watched the Kabutops as it circled – occasionally swiping at her protective wall of petals.
A grinding sound alerted her to the Carracosta slowly starting to stand up again.
This could get tricky.
"Whoops!" Noctowl slipped sideways in the air, away from the reaching claws of the Archeops, and flipped Totodile around in his grip so the Water-type was facing backwards. "Open fire!"
Totodile obliged, firing out a powerful Hydro Pump. The Archeops was hit full in the face, and checked slightly in the air.
Almost as important, however, was that the recoil sent the two relatively light Pokémon forwards at quite a spectacular speed.
Noctowl strained with his wings to steer their jet-propelled flight, making sure to give Totodile as many opportunities to blast the two Flying fossils as possible, and spared enough time to be grateful that they'd managed to knock the Armaldo out right at the start.
Totodile coughed, and stopped using Hydro Pump.
"You still top hole, Totodile?" Noctowl asked, concerned, as their speed dropped.
"I'm not used to using that much Hydro Pump," Totodile admitted. "Sorry!"
"No, perfectly understandable," Noctowl told him promptly. "No blame on your front whatsoever. By the way, use Aqua Jet in three, two..."
Noctowl turned up into a wingover, and slung Totodile directly at Archeops.
There was a loud splash-thud.
Diving, the owl Pokémon managed to catch Totodile short of his hitting the ground.
About four seconds later, there was a very loud crash as Archeops landed. On top of the reviving Armaldo.
"Ah, my cunning plan worked!" Noctowl said, quite self-satisfied.
"What cunning plan was that?" Totodile asked, shaking his head. "And why is there two of everything?"
A caw came from behind them.
"Well, two down, one to go." Noctowl turned again, flying towards the Aerodactyl. "Tally-ho!"
Ash focussed Aura into his right hand, producing a blue-glowing sphere of Aura. He then closed his hand in a quick motion, crushing the single sphere into a shower of smaller ones which went everywhere before homing in again on the Rampardos.
It charged through them, small blue explosions pocking its hide, and came stampeding forward to smash him with its head.
Ash pulsed Aura through his boots, and jumped – astonishingly high, as his weight briefly went down to about five pounds.
The Rampardos went straight past him, skidding to a halt as it did so, and turned to watch as he landed.
Then a Bastiodon skidded into its side, and knocked it over.
Ash took the chance with both hands. He ran forwards, charging his staff as he did so, and brought it down with a two-handed blow on the Head Butt Pokémon.
At about the same time, Heracross delivered a Focus Punch.
"That should do it," Ash said. "What about the Cradily?"
"Already dealt with it," Heracross replied. "Megahorn."
"Nice." Ash looked back and forth – Bayleef was still Petal Dancing and occupying the Fossils to his left, and to his right Noctowl and Totodil between them were flying rings around the Aerodactyl. "Let's hurry!"
Pidgeot took off, flying low, and skimmed alongside.
Ash squinted through the darkness – it was darker than he was expecting, with the overcast clouds overhead seeming to be almost black around the centre of the inner world.
"There!" he said, pointing. It was almost blending in with the dark grass, but he could see a stationary form – standing among a dense field of bones.
Pidgeot began charging an Aeroblast.
"What is it?" Heracross asked, looking forwards as they ran. It seems almost like-"
A bone hit him at eye-blurring speeds, sending him tumbling backwards.
"Heracross!" Ash called, then interposed his staff between the dark shape and Pidgeot. Something pinged off, knocking Ash backwards with the force of the impact despite Aura steadying him.
The second one bounced off a green Protect shield, and then Ash dropped the shield just as Pidgeot fired.
Mewtwo looked up. Ah, Gary Oak.
"Hey, he remembers me." Gary nodded. "That's me, alright. And here's the Swords of Justice."
Dexter told me you were coming, Mewtwo said, nodding. Welcome.
"What's going on there?" Cobalion asked, nodding to the motionless half-dozen Pokémon and the human lying on the floor amongst them.
That is Ash Ketchum, an Aura adept. He is helping Jessie's Cubone through the use of Aura Purge.
"That's a difficult technique," Virizion observed.
"Hey, I couldn't begin to tell you how to do it." Terrakion shrugged his big shoulders. "I'm more of a wham-bam-slam guy."
Cobalion smiled slightly. "In any case. We heard of your recent creation, and how you managed to overcome the circumstances of your creation – you and your fellow clones – and... we wished to learn from you how you did so."
Mewtwo blinked. That brought you across oceans and continents?
"I will be honest," Terrakion said, "It seemed like a better idea at the time."
Well, now you are here – and the answer is in two parts. Mewtwo shrugged. As for the first, the answer itself, it is that life is precious and that living is sufficient. If we are clones – so what? It does not make us who we are. Any more than being born as one Pokémon instead of another limits us.
"Wise words," Cobalion agreed. "But what is the other part?"
The aura adept, there, Mewtwo explained. He opened my eyes, by sacrificing his life to knock some sense into me.
"Wait, what?" Terrakion blurted. His two teammates also seemed a little startled. "How'd he manage that?"
I don't entirely understand myself, Mewtwo admitted. But he did, and yet here he is.
They looked over to Ash as they spoke – and then blinked.
"It sucks, being out here waiting," Pikachu said. "It happened last time as well, for me."
"I don't think I've ever gone in," Lucario admitted. "I stood watch the first time, and since then either it's been a bad idea or I've been too unconscious."
"Yeah," Pikachu agreed. "I know he's safe, it's just..."
The sound of hooves made him look up. "Hi, Stantl-wait, what!?"
Pikachu gaped. "Keldeo? What the heck are you doing in Johto?"
"Do I know you?" Keldeo asked. "I've only ever met a few Pikachu before..."
"No – I'm... oh, this is just great."
Keldeo frowned at him, confused, and then looked over at Ash. "Is he alright?"
"It is Aura Purge," Lucario commented. "It's fine."
Keldeo looked closer. "It's strange... like he's asleep, but-"
The Colt Pokémon abruptly fell over.
Pikachu jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding being landed on, and then noticed Keldeo's hoof had come into contact with one of Pidgeot's feathers.
"What happened to Keldeo?" Cobalion said, cantering over.
"Stop!" Lucario said, raising a palm. "Or this is going to get very complicated very quickly. He touched one of the Pokémon in Aura Purge, and got pulled in."
"Is that... bad?" Jessie asked. "Will it be a problem? Is Cubone okay?"
"I believe it will be fine," Lucario said. "There have been late additions to Aura Purge before."
-Aeroblast lashed out, a blaze of red surrounded by a curtain of intense wind... and did absolutely nothing at all.
The attack, delivered with all the fury and power one might expect from a Pokémon personally tutored by a legendary Pokémon, hit and passed through the black shadow that was her target.
It barely even rippled.
Pidgeot ended the Aeroblast, and gaped. "What? How did that-"
"Look out!"
A blue bone cracked out, leaving a sonic boom behind it, and struck Pidgeot on the breast. She staggered back a step, wincing, and the follow-up blow was a rock the size of her head which knocked her head-over-tail to land on her back.
"Pidgeot!" Ash cried. He stepped forwards, to protect her as best he could.
Heracross joined him, hands working to form an Aura Sphere.
The black shadow seemed to distort, blowing around like smoke, and then whatever it was hiding advanced – slowly and implacably.
When it was about ten feet away, it stopped – then blurred forwards, a bone club emerging from the shadowy darkness.
One blow smashed Ash aside, his staff dropping from nerveless fingers. The second hit Heracross, making him tumble over onto his back several feet away.
And a gigantic, earth-shaking blow went straight into the back of Pidgeot's neck.
Ash pushed himself up, and watched with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as his beautiful, graceful Flying-type tumbled through the air... and out of sight.
Everyone blinked as Ash's staff started to glow.
"That's unusual," Brock said. "I thought he was only in an inner world. Shouldn't he not be affecting the outside?"
"That's how it's supposed to work," Misty agreed.
"Is the staff some kind of aura conduit?" Cobalion asked, and got nods in return. "Strange it would glow without prompting."
Gary looked closer. "That's not the only thing that's glowing. Look at his bag!"
Light was streaming out of the opening, a curious mix of iridescent gold and clear silver. The silvery light component alternately vanished and outshone the other, flickering back and forth between the two.
As they watched, the light sources merged into one strong opalescent fire. They pulsed in rhythm with the glowing staff, like a heartbeat.
A flash of blue caught Ash's eye.
He turned to see his staff pulsing on the floor, just as it had in Greenfield, and then there was an answering orange flash that lit up the base of the overcast clouds.
Pidgeot came back over the lip of the hill.
She was... very different.
Her red-yellow crest had gained a long and vibrant streamer, which lashed in the wind, and a small feathered plume which stuck out over one eye. Her wings were clearly larger, with blue accents on the outermost primary flight feathers, and a similar blue band striped her tail feathers' tips.
She was also much bigger.
"Another mega evolution? How-" Ash asked, then shook his head grinned. "All right, Pidgeot!"
Pidgeot's wings hammered, and she gathered speed before flying off into the distance. A bonemerang curved after her, and she rolled flawlessly away from it – Ash caught the little flash of green which meant she'd just used Detect.
From her distant form, a blade of wind curved in from an Air Slash. It spun unerringly through the air and made contact with the dark, shadowy form of their foe.
And there was a plume of shadow, as though whatever the darkness was formed of was being blown in a high wind. For a moment, Ash saw through it – seeing a Marowak, with brown and black tarnish on her bone armour and eyes which were pits of blackness – and then the attack ended, and the darkness returned.
"Pidgeot!" Ash called, up into the sky. "I think you're able to hurt it! Stay safe up there, okay?"
Pidgeot dipped her wings in answer, and accelerated. There was a boom as she hit the sound barrier, and kept accelerating – until she was circling the whole battle at a truly astonishing speed.
Keldeo looked around.
"What-" he said, blinking. "I... what just happened?"
He saw a dark, windswept landscape, with a field of grass under a stormy sky.
The occasional explosion could be heard in the distance.
"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there?"
A whimpering answered him.
"Who's that?" He turned his head, listening carefully. "Aha!"
Another whimper, which turned into a squeak as he trotted over to a patch of grass.
"Hey, come on now," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm training to be a Sword of Justice!"
"...what's a Sword of Justice?" asked the voice.
"Swords of Justice are heroes," Keldeo said firmly. "They travel around, saving Pokémon wherever they go! They're amazing!"
As he explained, the owner of the voice emerged from her tuft of grass. It was a young Cubone, looking worriedly up at him.
"I'm scared," she said.
"Who are you scared of?" Keldeo asked.
"Me," Cubone told him. She pointed into the distance – and Cubone noticed that there was clearly some kind of battle going on over there.
Keldeo blinked. "You're scared... of yourself?"
"The other me," Cubone clarified. "She's scary, and I don't know what to do..."
"What's this other me you mean?" Keldeo asked.
"She's kind of... the scary bit," Cubone tried to explain. "She's powerful, and... and she frightens me."
"That's okay," Keldeo said. "The Swords of Justice are supposed to help people!"
As he said that, he thought about it. Really thought about it, in full detail.
Was that what he wanted to do? Well... yes.
But he didn't always think that way. He wanted to be a Sword of Justice... because Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion were. Because they were strong, and powerful, and amazing.
But... they didn't think of themselves as powerful, or amazing. They tirelessly helped Pokémon – and humans – wherever they went.
When they trained, it wasn't to show off – it was to get better at helping people. At saving people.
At helping the helpless.
Keldeo came to a decision, and knelt down. "Climb on," he said. "Can you show me where this other self is?"
Cubone looked torn.
"Don't worry – I'll protect you. I promise," Keldeo said firmly, and after a moments' thought Cubone climbed up onto his back.
As soon as she was on firmly, Keldeo came back to his feet and began trotting forwards.
Suddenly, there was a flash of... images, with sound but without any kind of additional context.
Keldeo saw himself, badly injured and with a broken horn, and hands reaching past his viewpoint to help steady... him?
It was only for a moment, but he wondered what it meant.
A bone whirled out at Pidgeot.
At her speed – faster than she'd ever gone before, faster than she thought just about any Pokémon had ever gone before – she was faced with the unpleasant reality that she almost couldn't dodge.
Simply to remain within a mile or so of Ash and the others, she was turning in hard continually – orbiting at mach three – and had relatively little manoeuvre leeway.
She rolled as the bone came in, batting it away with her wings, and her path kinked out a little – increasing her distance from Ash, and putting her dangerously close to the limit of the mindscape.
This was going to be tricky.
Pidgeot curved back in slightly, returning to her supersonic circling, and with care spun off a layer of air.
It dropped behind her, and she continued to build it up gradually – making it encircle the whole of the rolling, bone-encrusted hills. Then, when the loop closed, she started to make it contract and intensify.
Another bone came in, and Pidgeot accepted the hit – she couldn't afford to dodge.
Ash ducked as a bone cracked by overhead, and fired an Aura Sphere back.
It passed through the dark, ghostly Marowak with barely a ripple, and he winced. "Noctowl!"
"Tally-ho!" Noctowl said. "Foresight!"
His eyes flashed red, beams emanating from them and playing over the enemy Pokémon.
There was a long pause.
"What's-" Ash blocked another incoming bonemerang. "Whoa!"
"I... dashed if I can do it," Noctowl said, sounding puzzled. "I'm certainly using Foresight, but the bally thing doesn't want to be identified!"
The Marowak turned to him. "Smack down," it said, in a voice like crunching gravel.
A rock hit Noctowl square in the face, and he slumped to the floor.
"Noctowl?" Ash asked. "Are you okay?"
Noctowl muttered something about Queensbury rules, and stopped moving.
"Is he..." Heracross asked, worried.
"No, you can't be permanently hurt in Aura Purge," Ash said. "Worst that can happen is being knocked out – and I think that means you end up back in your own mind until the purge ends."
Noctowl blinked, stirring. "Well, that bally well hit me for six, didn't it..."
He stood up, and looked around.
It was some kind of forest, by night, with the quiet buzzing of insects. Strange...
He turned, and stopped.
"What the deuce is Big Ben doing here?"
Kingler swung his claw at yet another skeleton, smashing it to pieces, and fired a Crabhammer underwater to blow several more apart.
He was starting to tire, and he knew it.
But – he was keeping Ash and his friends safe. So he kept fighting.
Then a light impact on his shell drew his attention.
It was... a raindrop.
Where was that coming from?
"So... where are we?" Keldeo asked, as he trotted towards the sound of the battle.
"I... I think it's my mind," Cubone said, holding on tightly to the back of his mane. "I don't really understand it..."
"Oh, right!" Keldeo nodded, now understanding what he must have done when he approached the group of Pokémon. "Must be some kind of aura technique. I-"
Another flash of images. Again, it was him – this time, eating from some kind of Darmuakka lunchbox.
The image disappeared in a moment.
"Are you okay?" Cubone asked.
"I'm fine," Keldeo informed her, shaking his head to try and clear it a bit. "I just saw -never mind."
He looked up. "Hey, it's raining. I – whoa!"
Cubone looked up, and they both gaped as a huge tornado formed out of nowhere. It drew in the blackening clouds overhead, shaking rain from them in showers which became a rainstorm, and the funnel cloud snaked down to hit something a half-mile or so ahead.
"Come on!" Keldeo said, breaking into a canter. "We should get up there!"
"Okay," Cubone replied, a little nervously. "If you think that's best..."
"Yeah!" Keldeo looked back at her, smiling, and trying to sound reassuring. "But if you want to get off, just say."
Cubone thought for a bit, then clung on tighter. "I trust you," she said.
Ash covered his face against the howling tornado winds tearing into the ground in front of him. "Wow, Pidgeot!" he called into the storm. "This is amazing!"
Chunks of ground were being torn up by the wind, drawn inwards, and kept smashing against the shadowy Marowak – and clearly hitting, doing damage as nothing else had.
Ash decided to try an experiment, and formed an Aura Sphere. He spun it up as fast as possible, until he could barely hold it, and fired.
This time, squinting through the funnel cloud, he saw it hit. It didn't do much damage, but it clearly made contact.
"Yes!" he said, then barely ducked a high-speed rock thrown directly at his face.
Heracross charged forwards into the wind, keeping his footing with difficulty, and got smashed away by a bone-blow from the Marowak. Another bone then came out, curving and looping towards Bayleef (standing panting in a sea of petals) – and was intercepted, with a blurring crack.
Marowak turned, eyes flashing in the gloom and visible even through the tornado wall. "You dare?"
"I do," replied a voice.
Ash glanced back to look – and saw Cubone.
She stood with a bone in each hand, and carried herself with an easy confidence.
"They're here to help," Cubone went on. "So let them."
"No!" Marowak insisted. "They are responsible!"
"And they got permission to help," Cubone replied. She stepped forwards, past Ash and into the cloud. "If you want to fight them, fight me first."
Marowak accepted, driving a blurringly fast two-handed strike with her club, and Cubone scissored her two lighter implements to block.
19
Keldeo ducked, as a rock soared towards him. "Whoa! What the heck was that?"
"It's a Pokémon skeleton!" Cubone told him. "It's a Machamp!"
He blinked at the four-armed Pokémon skeleton, now visible striding towards him. "Oh. Hold on!"
Keldeo braced himself, and crouched. Then he used Hydro Pump.
Cubone squeaked in surprise, and clung onto his mane as they went rocketing into the air.
The Colt Pokémon wasn't great at flying. His legs waved wildly as he tried to control his path, resulting in the two of them pitching back and forth and wobbling as they crossed the sky – though they certainly cleared the Machamp skeleton, which seemed to be as nonplussed as a reanimated Pokémon skeleton could be.
As they flew, Keldeo saw another momentary flash of – something else.
It was – him, his horn broken as before, seen from nearby and almost from the side. He and the viewpoint were watching as a young human climbed into a train cart.
"I'll distract the Cryogonal," the human boy said. "Save the Swords of Justice, Keldeo!"
Keldeo blinked, as the image faded. "That's what's important..." he said to himself.
"What?" Cubone asked, voice raised to be heard over the ongoing cacophany of the battle some way off. "Can we land now?"
Keldeo nodded. "Sorry – sure!"
He spotted a pool of water, and aimed for that as he powered down his water jets.
Their landing nearly led to their being hit by the claws of a large Kingler.
"Wait!" Keldeo said, as he landed in a plume of side-splash. "I'm not a skeleton thing!"
"Oh." The Kingler's claws drove into the water instead of hitting Keldeo. "Sorry."
Keldeo nodded. "Where do we go now, Cubone?"
"Up that hill," Cubone said, pointing. "There's a lot of them in the way, though!"
Kingler clicked his claws. "I can help a bit – I've been trying to draw them in."
"No," Keldeo said, shaking his head. "I think I can do this."
He smiled. "The important thing – the most important thing – is to help others. To help those who need it. And I think that's what I've been missing all this time. Being a Sword of Justice isn't about being an awesome fighter – it's about saving people, and helping people. Cobalion, Virizion, Terrakion... I'm sorry it took me so long to realize what you were trying to tell me."
The Water-type took a breath. "And that's what I'm going to do now. Take a rest, Kingler, you look like you need it. I can do this."
Aura crackled around his form.
Cubone blinked. "What are you-"
Keldeo concentrated, hardly daring to hope. If this was...
Slowly but inexorably, a blue energy formed around his horn, extending upwards into a long azure blade about two feet long.
"Sacred Sword," Keldeo said, with an air of triumph to his voice.
Then he charged up the hill, Sacred Sword leading the way.
The swirling tornado broke up and dissipated, as the energy Pidgeot had poured into it finally ran out.
As it did, the dark energy began to gather around Marowak again. Cubone jumped back, skidding to a halt next to Ash, and gave him a glance.
"Can Pidgeot do that again?"
Ash shook his head. "I don't know – sorry. What was that? Why does it matter?"
"I.. actually don't know," Cubone admitted. She nodded towards Marowak. "She's normally invulnerable, but for some reason not only can your Pidgeot hurt her but she's breaking the invulnerability when her attacks hit."
Cubone blocked an incoming Bonemerang, and then parried another. "I think that's our best chance."
"Got it." Ash nodded. "Pidgeot!"
Pidgeot slowed considerably, ending the continuous thunder of sonic booms which had been resounding – albeit muted – across the mindscape this whole time.
Now she was moving at a lower speed, she could afford to dodge, and she rolled gracefully away from several attacks as she swooped down to land next to Ash.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Pidgeot, can you manage another attack like that? Cubone says it's our best chance," Ash elaborated.
"I can do one better," Pidgeot said. "Ash – you know Protect, right?"
Ash nodded.
"Good. I'm going to need some defence, but I can manage another Aeroblast. Any preference for where from?"
Cubone thought, blocking more incoming attacks with a casual ease. "Straight overhead, if you can swing it."
Pidgeot cooed. "I certainly can."
Ash climbed onto her back, avoiding the long red plume which continued out past her tail, and twined his fingers into her feathers for grip. "Okay, I'm on. Let's go!"
Pidgeot nodded firmly, turned, and took off in a storm of wingbeats.
Almost immediately, Ash had to block an incoming rock. It bounced off a Protect shield, and the next one went barely astern of Pidgeot, and then she was climbing through the cloud layer and out of sight of the ground.
Ash closed his eyes to see if he could get anything from aura sight, and winced. Still the chaotic mess.
"Can you tell where Marowak is?" he called.
Pidgeot's reply was to waggle her wings slightly. "Yes!"
A bone came flying up at them, unerringly aimed despite the obscuring cloud layer, and Ash barely blocked it in time. "Let's do this quick!"
"Agreed!" Pidgeot then began to inhale, air streaming towards her mouth as she prepared an Aeroblast.
The moment the red beam of light broke the clouds, Cubone lunged forwards.
Her Bone Rush struck almost simultaneously with the Aeroblast – Marowak raised her club to ward off the Flying-type attack, and kicked the Bone Rush attack away with one foot.
Cubone's teeth bared under the skull. She formed another bone to replace the one which had been kicked away, and scissored in two attacks at once. Marowak was forced to block with her thick club, but managed to drive one of Cubone's attacks into the other and avoid being hit.
"Just listen for once!" Cubone called into the maelstrom. "Of course you miss our parents! So do I! But that's not the only important thing in the world!"
"GO AWAY!" Marowak shouted, voice like a rockslide. "LEAVE ME TO MY GRIEF!"
Cubone pushed, trying to force Marowak back into the red beam of the attack itself. She was vulnerable, but not actually-
"Sacred Sword!"
A blade which shimmered like tropical seawater knifed through Marowak, and then there was a soundless explosion of light.
The young Cubone sat in a featureless white plane. "Where... am I?"
"I don't know," said an older voice.
She looked up and saw... herself, but older and surer of carriage, and with a lithe grace that spoke of constant training.
Herself held out a hand, and after a moment she took it.
"What happened?" the younger Cubone asked, after a moment.
"I don't know that either," the older one said. "I... think this happened after something defeated Marowak?"
"Is that the scary one of... us?" the younger one said. "I... I was scared of her. I don't want to be scared."
The older Cubone nodded. "I don't get scared, but... perhaps I need to be a bit-"
A sob interrupted them both. They turned, the older one forming two bones from thin air.
Marowak sat, cross-legged, a few yards behind them. Her head was in her hands, and she was crying.
The older Cubone frowned. "You..."
She blinked. "Wait, what are you-"
The younger one tapped Marowak on the shoulder. "Uh, excuse me?"
"What?" Marowak asked, bitterly. "Do you want to gloat?"
"No!" Cubone said, shaking her head firmly. "I just don't want to forget my family. If we're all part of the same... me... then we're all important."
Marowak blinked. "But..."
The older Cubone hesitated, and then dropped her bones – which dissolved into blue light – and walked forwards. "I think she's right," she said. "For the last couple of years we've been... consumed by pain and loss. But we can be less so without forgetting."
Marowak rubbed at her eyes, and stood. "Really?"
"Yes!" the young one said.
"I agree."
Then there was another bright flash of light.
The moment Keldeo's attack hit home, the Cubone on his back vanished. So did the Cubone and the Marowak duelling in the centre of the blazing storm of light.
The clouds overhead vanished, and a moment later so did the Aeroblast. A huge Flying-type, like a Pidgeot but much larger, spiralled down to land a few dozen feet away from the surprised Colt Pokémon.
"What just happened?" he asked, looking over at the human swinging off the back of the unusual Pidgeot. As the boy dismounted, the Pidgeot flashed orange and reverted to a normal appearance.
"What the-?" was his first reply, the boy sounding utterly astonished. "Keldeo? What are you doing here?"
"Should I know you?" Keldeo asked. He glanced upwards, and realized Sacred Sword was still active – with a moment of thought, he sheathed it.
"I... I guess maybe not," the boy said, approaching. "But... how did you get here?"
"I think I got too close to an Aura technique or something," Keldeo said. "I – wait, I do recognize you. You're the human who was lying on the ground next to that Lucario and Pikachu and the other Pokémon."
"I'm Ash, by the way," Ash said. "And... how come you're in Johto, then?"
He shook his head. "Anyway. That doesn't matter, I guess... oh, hey! My Aura Sight is working again!"
Ash then turned to Keldeo, and blinked. "That means... okay, Keldeo, this is going to sound a bit strange. I met you in the future."
Keldeo didn't know quite how to take that.
"And... well, I helped you. Your horn got broken fighting Kyurem, and my friends and I-"
"I think I saw that," Keldeo interrupted. "I saw... myself, from the outside, with my horn broken. And someone distracted some Cryogonal?"
"That's Iris or Cilan," Ash agreed. "We helped to free the other Swords of Justice, and then you fought Kyurem – you didn't win, but you gave him a good fight. Anyway, there was time travel, and... I think I can restore your memories of what happened."
"It's a good deal," Pidgeot smiled. "It's like experiencing both lives."
"Well..." Keldeo frowned for a moment, then nodded. "Sure!"
After all, if they'd helped the Swords of Justice, and for that matter helped this Cubone, then they couldn't be bad at all.
Ash reached out, and Keldeo held out a hoof to touch his hand-
and blinked. "Okay, whoa!"
Two lives. One where he'd stayed in Unova, learning from the other Swords, and then challenged Kyurem recklessly – and nearly ruined everything. And where helpful humans and helpful Pokémon had made sure the Swords of Justice were freed and that he was alright, because it was the right thing to do. And he'd realized that the Swords of Justice had never thought less of him for not being able to fight alongside them, and learned Secret Sword with that realization.
And one where the four of them had journeyed across half the world, seeking a Pokémon who was the youngest of all Legendaries and yet had inner peace to match only a very few. Where he had realized what it meant to be a Sword of Justice. And learned Sacred Sword.
"...that feels very strange," he said, after a moment. "Thanks, Ash. For... well, for both times you've helped me, I guess."
Ash grinned. "I'm glad to have helped, Keldeo!"
The ground shook.
"What's that?" Bayleef asked, walking over a little unsteadily. "Does that mean more trouble?"
As they watched, the ground shook and changed. It turned from a series of rolling hills into a shallow valley, with the occasional stone marker around it. The fossils and skeletons crumbled to dust, which flowed together around the markers and vanished underground.
The centrepiece of the valley was a large obelisk, formed of black stone, with golden letters written on it.
They shall not grow old, but remain forever young
In the memories of those who loved them.
A moment later, the whole inner-world collapsed completely, as Aura Purge ran its course and ended.
"Ow," Ash said, sitting up. "That was... different."
Pikachu jumped over, and Ash caught him with a quick grin. "Yeah, missed you too..."
He looked around for Noctowl, and smiled with relief. "Good to see everyone's alright."
"Rather," Noctowl said, shaking his head. "That was most dreadfully confusing, I'd say."
Pidgeot stood, inspecting her feathers. "Well, it wore off... Misty? Did I change out here too?"
"What?" Misty asked. "Change? No."
"Oh, yeah..." Ash frowned. Then did a double take. "Gary? When did you get here? And – are those Cobalion, Virizion and... what the heck?"
"They arrived shortly after you went into Cubone's mindscape," Misty told him. "Gary's Alakazam has Teleport now. He had these Pokémon with him for some reason."
"They said they wanted to speak to Mewtwo," Gary said, and shrugged. "Fine by me."
"...right," Ash said, visibly deciding to deal with that later. "Oh, I've never seen that Pokémon before."
Furfrou posed. "I am a Furfrou. One of the best kinds of Pokémon."
Umbreon rolled her eyes. "From what I've seen so far, yes, she is always like this."
Ash snapped his fingers. "Oh, that reminds me... Gary? You know that mega-evolution thing? It happened again, in the mindscape. Pidgeot turned into... Mega Pidgeot, I guess?"
Gary nodded. "That might explain it. Your staff was certainly lit up again, but it wasn't the only thing... what's in your bag?"
"My bag?" Ash touched it. "Uh... almost everything. It's got an Aura trick on it which means it's bigger on the inside."
Gary frowned. "Okay, that makes it more difficult."
He turned to Alakazam. "Tower of Mastery, please. I've got a plan."
A blur, and they vanished.
"...okay..." Ash said, slowly. "I'm sure we'll find out what that was about at some point."
"Cubone?" Jessie asked, anxious. "How are you?"
"I am... better," Cubone said, after several seconds of thought. "I feel at peace."
She held out a hand, and concentrated. A bone formed, though slower than before. "Hmmm."
"Is dat gonna be a problem?" Meowth asked. "Dat ain't as fast as normal..."
"No, it shouldn't be a problem. I'm slower, but..." Cubone shrugged. "Before, it was all instinct. Automatic. Now, though, I suspect I will have to work for my skill."
"Keldeo?" Virizion asked, looking worried. "Are you alright?"
Keldeo nodded. "I'm fine, Virizion. Better than fine."
"How so?" Cobalion asked.
Keldeo looked between the three Pokémon who had trained and raised him for the last few years. "I... I learned something, in there. From the Cubone whose mind it was, and from Ash – the trainer."
"Okay, spill the beans!" Terrakion told him. "What's this something you learned?"
"Two important lessons," Keldeo elaborated. "Firstly – that the important thing in being a Sword of Justice is to be just – to fight for those who cannot fight themselves."
"Well done, Keldeo!" Virizion congratulated. "That's an important lesson."
"Yeah, I guessed," Keldeo agreed. He took a breath, and concentrated.
"Wait, is that-" Terrakion gaped.
The azure blade formed, slowly but surely, atop Keldeo's horn.
"Sacred Sword!" Cobalion pronounced. "Very well done, Keldeo. You have done us proud indeed, to learn that move so young."
"Thanks," Keldeo said, smiling, and then dismissed it. "But from Ash, I learned something just as important."
He looked each of the Swords in the eye, one by one. "I learned that – none of you mind that I wasn't ready. You trained me because that's what I wanted, not because you thought I had to be strong to be worth anything."
"If you ever got that impression-" Virizion began.
Keldeo shook his head. "I did, but that was me being foolish. I know now I was wrong – what matters is me, and what I do with myself."
He grinned. "And that means – this."
Keldeo closed his eyes.
There was a flash of blue light.
"What the-" Cobalion said, shocked, as the light died. "Your form changed?"
Keldeo smirked. His horn was longer, and... different, with three coloured feathers next to it in his mane. "That's right! It's Resolute Form."
Rather confusingly, Keldeo was if anything more comfortable fighting in this form than in his normal one – having spent several months training with the other Swords of Justice in his Resolute Form back in the other timeline.
"Does that mean you know Secret Sword?" Virizion asked. "None of us ever managed to learn it, but we heard you-"
Keldeo put action to words, forming a gigantic orange-brown blade of energy from his horn. "I do."
"...well," Terrakion managed, after a moment. "You certainly learned a lot in a hurry, lad!"
He turned to Cobalion. "Come on, Cobalion! Congratulate him!"
"...just like your father," Cobalion whispered.
Keldeo blinked. "What?"
Cobalion shook his head, seeming to recover somewhat. "Sorry, Keldeo. I was startled."
"What do you mean, like my father?" Keldeo pressed.
"You remember how you came to live with us?" Virizion asked. "We adopted you as an apprentice, after your parents died."
"Yeah... Keldeo nodded, wincing. "I remember."
"I saw your father at the last," Cobalion informed him. "I'd almost thought I was imagining it, but – for just a moment – he changed."
"All of us heard him using Secret Sword," Terrakion said, shrugging. "It echoed off the mountains! But only Cobalion saw, I think."
Virizion concurred. "Terrakion and I were too busy getting you to safety, Keldeo."
"So... that's why you knew I could learn Secret Sword," Keldeo said slowly. He sniffed, and a tear dropped from his eye to splash on the floor. "Sorry, guys, I-"
"It's okay to cry, Keldeo," Virizion assured him.
And, for the next few minutes, Keldeo did.
"Got it!" Gary announced, as he appeared again with Alakazam. "I managed to convince the guy in Kalos that we wouldn't be keeping it. Hey, Lucario! Catch!"
Lucario, somewhat bemused, caught the armband Gary threw him and inspected it – specifically, the glowing sphere embedded into it.
"This is genuine Lucarionite," Gary informed everyone. "It's a mega stone. Now, Ashy-boy has some kind of key stone deal going on, but I don't know what it is. The best thing to do is find out by experiment."
Ash blinked. "What does that mean?"
Gary looked around, and his eyes lit on an open patch of ground. "Empty your bag out over there, and we'll see what glows when you and Lucario use that Lucarionite."
"This seems unscientific," Brock observed.
Gary shrugged. "Hey, I'm only a student. Scientific rigour is next on the syllabus."
"Ha!"
Cobalion jumped back, Keldeo's blade just about scoring along his flank. "Impressive, Keldeo!"
Keldeo panted, wobbling a little on unsteady legs. He may have had several months' experience with Secret Sword, and several years of general training, but his body was still the same as it had been that morning – still young – and had less stamina than he could have hoped.
"Time!" Virizion called. "Keldeo scored two hits, Cobalion three. Close match, you two!"
"I'd hoped I'd do better," Keldeo admitted. He then shrugged. "But – I'm glad I'm able to score on you at all, Cobalion!"
"You've come a long way, Keldeo," Cobalion agreed.
He looked significantly at Terrakion and Virizion. "What say you?"
"Aye," Virizion said at once, just ahead of Terrakion's equally sure "Aye!"
"Then it is unanimous," Cobalion stated. "Keldeo – welcome to our company. Your blade with ours, our strength with yours."
Keldeo blinked, realizing what they meant. "Really?"
"You've earned it," Terrakion nodded. "Hell, you've earned it twice over!"
"Shall we?" Virizion invited, igniting her blade. "Greater than one is two."
"Greater than two is three," Terrakion continued.
Keldeo stepped up, placing his own Sacred Sword together with the others. "Greater than three is four!"
"When the strength of friends is combined into one," Cobalion said, his silver-blue Sword completing the set. He paused, and then all four spoke together.
"Then true power and courage are created!"
For a long moment, they held their horns in place. Then, one by one, they sheathed their Swords and returned them to an inert state.
"I..." Keldeo blinked away dampness from his eyes. "Thank you, all of you."
"Like I said, you earned it!" Terrakion punched his shoulder – lightly, so Keldeo didn't go skidding across the grass.
"Indeed you did, Keldeo," Cobalion said.
An orange light drew their attention. "What-"
"Okay, here goes," Ash said, standing in the middle of piles and piles of his stuff.
It was going to take hours to get all this back into the bag...
Since they were fairly sure the staff was part of it, he had it in his hands. The question was what else would react.
"I am ready," Lucario announced, touching the armband now on his right arm. "What do we need to do?"
Gary frowned, parsing the translation from Dee in his ear. "Well, from what Gurrkin told me... think about what Ash means to you. How important he is to you. And Ash – same thing on your end."
"Gotcha." Ash closed his eyes, concentrating.
That time in Sinnoh, so long ago, when he had helped save a young Riolu from Hunter J.
Then, that shining moment a little over a year ago when he had been chosen for the honour of raising a Riolu – and it had been the same one.
Riolu standing before him, protecting him against Sir Aaron's Lucario – quietly willing to defend his trainer and friend, even against so superior an enemy.
Fighting Hunter J, when she came to Kanto.
Their gym battles together. Cerulean, Vermillion, Fuchsia... the Pokémon League, the first time Ash had ever won one, and with not a little help from the young Fighting-type.
Training together – in a more literal interpretation than usual.
The Orange Islands. Riolu evolving to Lucario, after making the decision to take a hit meant for Ash, and Lucario's first battles in his evolved form – including the one which had closed out their Orange League challenge.
These last months travelling through Johto.
That heart-wrenching moment when Entei had defeated Lucario, and Ash had worried and wondered.
They'd had fun together, fought together... they were friends.
Ash's eyes snapped open.
"Whoa," he said, on seeing Lucario.
Or, to be more precise, Mega Lucario. Shaggier fur, more spikes on wrists, feet and shoulders, black markings on the blue fur... crimson paws instead of black, and much larger aura-sensing appendages on the back of his neck.
Lucario opened his own eyes, and Ash knew – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that he had been thinking of the very same moments.
"Well," he said, inspecting the changes that had swept over him. "This is unusual."
"Aha!"
They turned to Gary, who was holding something up in triumph.
"Look!" the itinerant trainer said, holding up two luminous feathers. "They're glowing as well – they must be what I saw in your bag. What are they?"
Ash peered closer. "Those are... wait, those are the silver wing and rainbow wing. They're feathers from Lugia and Ho-Oh."
"Strange," Lucario agreed. "Perhaps it's because they're powerful Legendaries who have a bond with you, Ash."
"Maybe," Ash agreed. "So, are they my... key stone, is it?"
"Apparently." Gary shrugged. "Maybe I'll ask Gurrkin what it takes to make a Key Stone, see if we can make it a bit less unwieldy. Anyway, there we have it."
He frowned. "Seems a bit of a waste to just undo the mega-evolution now, though."
"Hmmm..." Furfrou walked around the trainer-Pokémon pair, inspecting them. "I volunteer for a demonstration."
"Really?" Ash asked.
"What did she say?" Gary pressed a finger into his ear. "Oh, right. Thanks Dee... you volunteer? Really?"
"Why is this so surprising?" she asked. "I'd like to see how he fights."
"No comment," Gary said sensibly. "Okay, if you want to."
"I most certainly do." Furfrou paced around until she was on the other side of Lucario to Ash, and turned to face her opponent. "On the count of three."
Gary cleared his throat. "One, two, three!"
Lucario exploded forwards. His paws flashed blue with Aura, and he volleyed in a Force Palm at point-blank range directly into Furfrou's side.
She unaccountably failed to be knocked flying.
"What just happened?" Ash asked, blinking. "Shouldn't that have-"
Furfrou spun on one forepaw, and kicked out hard at Lucario – producing a loud clang, and sending him back a step.
"It's the fur," she said, shaking it out. "I know, it looks silly – but it's so thick attacks get lost in it."
She stepped back a pace, and then dove underground in a sudden shower of earth.
Lucario looked down, closing his eyes to see with Aura Sight. He easily identified the subterranean Pokémon, and jumped clear before skidding to a halt.
The ground crumbled away in a small area, and Furfrou's paws could be seen working away in the hole. Then she stopped.
Curious, Lucario looked again with Aura Sight, and watched with some confusion as she went back down the tunnel again – several feet back, then stopping.
Lucario paced over to the hole. "What's that in aid of?" he asked, looking down it.
"Surf!"
Lucario didn't quite dodge the water jet in time.
"I didn't know she could do that," Gary admitted. "You can surf?"
Furfrou burst from the ground. "But, of course."
"Shouldn't you be a bit dirty?" Lucario asked, shaking his head to get some of the water off. "You were underground..."
"Please! Mud?" Furfrou shrugged. "That is so barbaric."
"...that doesn't actually answer how you did it." Lucario shrugged, then burst into motion again. He went so fast that the spectators lost track of him for a moment, and when he slowed enough to be seen again he was winding up for a blow with a Bone Rush staff.
Furfrou gave him an unimpressed look, and once again the blow slammed home without actually affecting her to any significant degree.
"Lucario!" Ash called. "Try using Aura Sphere or something! Stick to ranged attacks!"
"Got it!" Lucario turned to open the distance, and Furfrou sprang forwards – sinking her teeth into his ankle for a moment, until he kicked out and she released him again.
"That looked painful," Ash said.
"More startling than anything," Lucario told him, skidding to a halt some way further from Furfrou. "It's a good thing she doesn't seem to have Fire Fang, though, that could have been pretty bad."
He shook his head. "Right, we've seen mêlée... let's see what happens to my aura throughput."
Putting his crimson paws together, he began to form a shimmering Aura Sphere between them. It swelled with startling speed, until it was almost three feet across and a flickering violet-blue.
Then Lucario fired.
Furfrou dove back underground as the Sphere came thundering in.
Fortunately for her, she went deep.
The Sphere hit the ground, spun in for about half its length, and then destabilized and exploded. The considerable momentum it had transferred itself to the explosion, which blew a teardrop-shaped crater in the ground with the tapering end facing directly away from Lucario.
It was at least fifteen feet across at the widest point, and over thirty long.
"Whoa!" several humans and Pokémon breathed, startled by the sheer scale of the result.
"That... last time I made a hole that big, it took nearly half a minute to charge," Lucario said, remembering Pumello. "That was five seconds!"
"I guess that's Mega Evolution," Ash replied soberly. "Okay, just use really quick ones, I guess... can you do seeker spheres?"
Lucario jumped into the air as Furfrou burst from the ground, barely avoiding her Dig. He formed two small spheres, spending less than a second on charging them, and rammed them together to produce a cloud of seeker spheres.
Furfrou watched them come in, and didn't dodge. Instead, she frowned momentarily and her fur poofed out to an almost comical thickness.
"What's that?" Gary asked, as the explosions of the Aura Spheres hid her for a moment.
Once the barrage ended, and the clouds of lustrous black fur had subsided, Furfrou walked casually out of the smoke. "It is cotton guard, of course. Though a much more stylish version."
Lucario tilted his head, considering.
He drew one leg back, resting his weight on the ball of the foot, and curled in the toes of the other for better grip. Then, once more, burst into motion.
Furfrou rolled her eyes as he wound up for another blow. "This again?"
Then she noticed his fist was crackling with electricity.
The Thunderpunch hit home on Furfrou's side. Like the previous attacks, it didn't hurt much at all... but, unlike the previous ones, it charged all her fur with static.
All her fur.
Her thick, layered coat of fur suddenly became a cloud of electrically repelling strands, coming out of their layering and instead offering relatively little protection.
Lucario capitalized on his advantage, taking fistfuls of the fur and using them as levers – to throw Furfrou into the air, and send her sailing off into the lake with a loud splash.
"Sorry!" he called after her. "Didn't have much choice!"
Furfrou sputtered something unprintable as she emerged from underwater.
20
"Sorry," Gary said, helping Umbreon to towel Furfrou off. "But – well, you did volunteer."
"That is right, I did," Furfrou agreed, looking marginally less bedraggled as her fur dried. "But it does not mean I have to like the decision."
She sneezed. "Ugh... well, it is time to remedy the situation. How long is it before I can be learning the elemental Fang attacks?"
Gary blinked. "Can you learn those?"
Umbreon chuckled. "Like that's ever stopped any of Ash's Pokémon."
"Fair point," Gary agreed. "Okay, I'll see what we can do."
He raised a hand. "Are you okay to keep this up for a bit, Umbreon?"
Umbreon nodded.
"Good." Gary went over to Lucario – now untransformed – and retrieved the Lucarionite. "Okay, Alakazam!"
There was a blur, and he vanished.
"Well, you can take it," Umbreon mused. "But you still have a little problem dishing it out. Perhaps you should learn Giga Impact, as well?"
"Worth a try," Furfrou agreed. "Ugh. I demand a proper fur restyle as soon as possible..."
Are you done?
Furfrou looked up. "Who was that?"
"Who was what?" Umbreon asked, puzzled.
Miracle Eye. Sorry, I was asking if you were done.
"Oh, Mewtwo," Umbreon said, now much clearer on what was meant. "I think we're pretty close to being done."
Good. Lunch is about ready, and fortunately we prepared enough for everyone.
It was a very nice lunch.
Over the bamboo shoots and dumplings, Mewtwo elected to broach a topic he had been wondering about.
Excuse me – Cobalion, is it?
"Yes?" Cobalion asked, swallowing. "What is it?"
I was wondering. While I am aware you travelled across half the world to speak to me – and to the clones under my care – I find myself at a loss as to why. I do not believe we ever got onto the topic.
"I see." Cobalion glanced over at Keldeo, who was discussing something with Riolutwo, Pikachu and Lucario. "Well... our reasons for travelling were twofold. Firstly, there was to see whether you had any ongoing problems with which we could help – we have often saved Pokémon from humans, and vice versa, as well as Pokémon from one another. Since you are the youngest of the Legendaries, we thought you might still have outstanding issues."
Not really, Mewtwo said with a shrug. Things have gone remarkably well, actually – humans do not notice us here, and even if they did I have some small fame. I am, to put it simply, known to humans... and not as an antagonist.
"One of the best defences a Legendary can have," Cobalion agreed. "Very well, then. The second reason is the obverse – we sought to understand how you and yours had such impressive serenity, given your beginnings."
Cobalion coughed. "Specifically, to see whether it could aid our young charge Keldeo in attaining his own inner peace."
Which all seems rather unnecessary now, Mewtwo observed with a small smile.
He had, of course, recognized Keldeo's sudden shift in confidence and ability and realized that that meant Keldeo had been 'reminded' - much like himself.
The genetically-engineered Pokémon then shrugged. But – well, ask away. Discuss what you will. If I or mine can help, we will be sure to offer.
"Man," Ash said, sitting back with a sigh. "I couldn't eat another bite."
"I'm sure you could if you really tried," Pikachu teased. "Mind you, I kind of feel that full too..."
"I think we all do," Lucario muttered.
"Is everyone else finished?"
"Sure," Pikachu said. He then blinked. "Wait, who said that?"
Ash glanced round, and did a double take.
"This really is very nice," Entei said, chewing through one of the mostly-intact curries. "Who cooked it?"
"Eh?" Meowthtwo loped over, and gave Entei an interested look. "Glad you like it! That's one of mine."
"Marvellous. Now..." Entei turned, and faced Ash squarely. "My sister has given you your first chance at her... now, I do the same. Catch me if you can, Chosen."
"Wait," Ash said, raising a hand. "Sorry, but... can you give us a few minutes?"
Entei's head tilted.
"We just finished lunch..." Ash explained, somewhat embarrassed. "We're all a bit full, and no-one is in their Pokéballs... sorry."
"...oh. I see." Entei pursed his lips. "I must admit I did not consider that. Very well, take time to prepare as you require."
"Thanks." Ash nodded to him, then turned to his Pokémon. "Okay, who's coming?"
He looked over at Totodile and Kingler. "A Water type would be ideal, but you two both seem pretty tired."
"I could come!" Totodile said. "No problem!"
"Thanks, Totodile," Ash said. "That's one... Pikachu, you're fresh, right?"
Pikachu nodded.
"Lucario... sorry, but you're weak to fire. It might be a bad idea. Pidgeot, are you-?"
"You need someone fast," Pidgeot chuckled. "I'm alright for a while."
"Thanks," Ash said. He looked over at Bayleef and Ivysaur, and winced.
They winced too. "Yeah, leave us out of it," Ivysaur said. "Suicune was bad enough!"
"What's going on?" Houndour asked. "That's... Entei. Why is that Entei?"
"Oh, right. Uh... Suicune told me that the Legendary Beasts were going to give me the chance to catch them – though I've got to catch them, they're not making it easy." He shrugged. "That's about it."
"I... see." Houndour blinked. "I should really be surprised, I should... but I'm within eyesight of no less than seven Legendary Pokémon, so..."
He shrugged. "Oh, whatever. Bring me along, I've got Flash Fire."
"That's right, isn't it..." Ash nodded. "Most of Entei's attacks are Fire type. Good idea."
Trace activated. Copying Flash Fire.
Dexter materialized, with his regular highlights replaced by bright orange-red. Most convenient. Very well, who else is coming?
Quilava raised a paw. "I may not be completely immune to Fire attacks, but I'm fast..."
Ash winced. "I don't think you have anything that can really hurt him, though."
She thought for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. "I should really learn Rollout... but yes, you're right."
"Right." Ash returned Totodile, picked up Houndour and Pikachu, and jumped aboard Pidgeot. "Let's go!"
Entei looked around, then broke into a loping, bounding sprint. He reached the shore in seconds, and kept going – moving fast enough with his Extremespeed that he had no time to sink into the water.
Pidgeot spread her wings, took two steps forwards, and sprang into the air. She accelerated hard, Dexter floating alongside in a low air resistance configuration, and quickly started closing the gap.
Virizion jumped, and looked out into the lake in the direction of a loud explosion. "What was that!?"
That was Ash's Pidgeot, Mewtwo informed the Swords of Justice. It appears that Entei has taken his turn to give Ash a race.
"Pardon?" Keldeo asked, frowning. "What do you mean?"
I was informed of this by Ho-Oh, a while ago, Mewtwo stated. Ash already carries the Pokéballs of a few Legendary Pokémon – as expression of trust and of approval in one – but the three Beasts of Johto offered him the chance to catch them. For good, and as official Pokémon, if he can but catch them.
"That's... quite remarkable," Cobalion said.
Indeed. Mewtwo smiled. He is a remarkable individual, after all.
"Wait," Keldeo said, raising a hoof. "By official Pokémon, you mean... as much his as Pikachu is? Or his Pidgeot?"
Essentially, Mewtwo agreed. Of course, he's precisely the kind of person to not abuse that trust... which is the point.
Keldeo absorbed that, looking contemplative.
Pidgeot flapped her wings, coming down low enough to produce a rippling wake on the water. "Okay, matching speeds in three, two-"
Entei jinked to the right, cutting across her path with a huge spray-fan of water going out from the point of his turn.
Pikachu reacted nearly instantly, flinging a Thunderbolt out to intersect Entei's new path. It produced a bang which was barely audible in the rolling sonic boom of Pidgeot's passage, and Entei flinched slightly before continuing on his new path.
Ash clung on as Pidgeot turned – at the speed they were going, it involved considerable force, and she heeled over so her wings were almost vertical for a moment before settling down to follow Entei again.
"Don't press him too closely," the trainer called, as Pidgeot began making up ground again – kissing the sound barrier once more. "You're faster, but he's more agile at these kinds of speeds – he can use the water to kick off to turn."
Pidgeot nodded. "Got it."
"Dexter?" Ash went on. "Can you manage some Tri Attacks at this speed?"
Yes. Dexter reformed to an attack configuration, and started to spin up.
Entei growled as the three beams of a Tri Attack hit the water just ahead of him. His momentum carried him forwards into the attack before he could dodge, and it scored across his fur.
A Thunderbolt came next, which he dodged (if barely) and a Shock Wave curved into his flank while he was recovering from that.
The conclusion was obvious – staying on the water was making it too hard to carry on. He was effectively unprotected on the open expanse, and had to keep moving to avoid sinking to boot.
Making his decision, Entei ran for the shore.
"Okay, I'm not sure if that makes it easier or harder," Ash admitted. "Let's go!"
Pidgeot nodded, and turned to her right – away from Entei's new path. Her wings hammered the air, great air-control wings stretching out ten metres and more from them, and the sound barrier burst once more with a thunderous slam.
She completed a nearly three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, peaked at half a kilometre up, and stooped on the flashing orange-brown shape which was Entei flitting through the trees.
As she dove, air built in front of her beak.
"Aeroblast!"
"Whoa!" James said, as the line of red energy blasted a scar in the forests inside the crater rim.
"...this is why we never managed to capture Pikachu, isn't it..." Jessie muttered.
"Eh, dis is better," Meowth said. "Dey're awful people to have as enemies, but they ain't half bad friends."
"Agreed," Cubone nodded.
Entei skidded to a halt as the instant wall of rock blocked his path.
Aeroblast...
No mistaking it. The Pidgeot clearly used it well, too – trying to hit him would have been easy, but to use it to create a barricade was much more creative.
Entei fought down a smirk. Suicune was right.
He turned, and launched out a Fire Blast.
Pidgeot didn't bother to dodge as the Fire attack roared forwards.
Got it! Dexter reported, speeding forwards and shifting to a planar format. His Traced ability absorbed the incoming fire, and Pidgeot went unmolested.
Dismissing her wings of air, the big Flying-type landed on the opposite side of the clearing.
"Impressive," Entei conceded. "What now?"
Ash and Pikachu jumped off, and Pidgeot took to the sky again. She left with another teeth-rattling BANG, and started to build a Razor Wind overhead.
Dexter fired down a Hyper Beam from overhead.
Entei dodged it with a blurring movement, taking a Thunder from Pikachu in response, and leaped skywards with Extremespeed to attack Dexter.
Just as he got there, the Razor Wind arrived and knocked him off course. It got Dexter as well, Pidgeot being unable to aim precisely enough to prevent the Porygon being hit, and both Pokémon hit the ground hard.
Entei recovered first, launching another Fire Blast up at Pidgeot even as he rolled to his feet. She swerved, but the attack detonated close enough to singe her feathers and she wobbled slightly as she made another circuit to attack again.
The big Fire-type rounded on Pikachu, and Flamethrowered him.
"Not when I'm around!" Houndour barked, leaping over Pikachu and absorbing the attack in his own Flash-fire.
Entei let the attack end, and snorted. "A little small, aren't you?"
Houndour nodded. He glanced back at Pikachu, who was already building another attack, and then loped forwards.
Halfway there, a Hydro Pump went overhead, and flashed into steam as Entei launched a Heat Wave right back down it. Then a second Thunder from Pikachu, which Entei dodged with a grace which belied his size, and after that Houndour reached him.
The young Dark-type grinned, and pounced on Entei's tail as it whipped towards him – not deliberately, just from Entei's constant need to dodge other attacks. Clinging on with both forepaws, he bit down hard.
As he'd hoped, that enraged Entei. The Fire-type abandoned his barrage of Fire attacks at Pikachu and Totodile to try and kick off this irritating little canine, and lashed out with his paw.
Houndour wasn't there anymore.
He darted out from between Entei's hind legs, kicking out at his back right knee as he did so, and the Legendary unceremoniously fell over.
"Foul Play," Houndour announced.
Pikachu capitalized on the stationary target with another Thunder. Totodile, for his part, panted and then launched into another Hydro Pump.
At about the same time, Pidgeot's next Razor Wind arrived.
"Did that-" Houndour began.
"Eruption!"
There was a very big bang.
Ash shook his head, trying to regain his hearing. "What just..."
Blinking away the flash-blindness, he tried to see into the roiling column of smoke where Entei had been.
"Houndour!" he called. "Are you okay?"
A black-and-white shape paced out of the smoke cloud, heading for him. "Here, Ash."
"Good," Ash breathed. "Dexter?"
Same as usual. My projection was smashed and my projector is buried.
The smoke suddenly whipped as if in a high wind. A torrent of fire lashed out and slammed into Pidgeot, who wobbled in the air and began to glide downwards.
Ash returned her. "I guess we didn't get you, Entei?"
"Correct," Entei's voice rumbled through the plume of lava. "But a very close match, nevertheless. My sister was right about you, Ash Ketchum – I will certainly try my luck again."
With that, the attack ended. As the smoke cleared, Entei was nowhere to be seen.
About twenty minutes later, Ash finally stepped back onto the island's beach.
"Why did none of you send a Pokémon to get me?" he grumbled, good-naturedly.
"Oops," Misty said, wincing. "Sorry, should have realized..."
"Nah, it's fine." Ash sat down, brushing at his clothes. Only a little ash came off – most of it had already been removed during the walk back over the lake – but it made him feel better. "Hey, Mewtwo?"
Yes? Mewtwo replied politely.
"Can we use the lake? If I'm tired, I can't imagine how my Pokémon feel..."
By all means. I take it you know where it is.
"Yeah, thanks." Ash stood again, and started trudging for Lake Clarity.
"Well..." Cobalion said, looking between the other Swords. "I believe we have what we came here for."
He nodded to Keldeo. "Yourself, especially."
Keldeo nodded, a little distracted. "Yeah, I guess."
"Keldeo?" Virizion said. "You seem a little distracted."
"I-" Keldeo stopped, and then nodded. "Yeah. Uh... Cobalion?"
The Steel-type turned to him. "What is it?"
"I... I kind of feel like I owe Ash a debt." Keldeo swallowed. "I... I want to travel with him for a bit."
Three pairs of eyes blinked.
"Not for ever!" Keldeo hastened to add. "Just... well, for about a year I guess? I like him, and I want to pay him back, and-"
"Keldeo!" Cobalion said sharply, cutting off the Colt Pokémon as he started to babble.
"Cobalion-" Virizion began, concerned, and stopped at a look from Cobalion.
Terrakion was not so easily silenced. "Seriously, Cobalion, lighten the heck up! The kid's done much better than we were expecting – hey, he's not a kid any more – and it's his choice! Way I see it-"
"Silence!" Cobalion thundered. He then turned back to Keldeo, and – to the surprise of all three other Swords – smiled.
"Clearly my reputation is doing me no favours," he said. "If you're all so ready to assume what I'm going to say. Do so with my blessing, Keldeo – you will always be a Sword of Justice, no matter where you go, and you will certainly be righting wrongs with this trainer!"
Keldeo gaped for a moment, then shut his mouth and nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you, Cobalion!"
Cobalion nodded to his – former – charge. "Do us proud, Keldeo."
"I will. Cobalion – Virizion, Terrakion – I'll always remember you, and I'll be back." He managed a chuckle. "So don't sell any of my stuff, okay?"
Virizion and Terrakion chuckled in return, and even Cobalion had to put a hoof over his mouth.
With that, Keldeo spun on his rear hooves and cantered off. "See you later!" he called back.
Cobalion's smile broadened. "Well, he's going to enjoy himself. Now – where's that trainer with the Alakazam? He promised us a lift, if I recall?"
Ash sighed, towelling off his hair. "That spring is the best cure ever."
"No argument here," Pikachu said from his shoulder. He blinked. "Wait – look, Keldeo's on the way."
His trainer looked up. "Oh, hi, Keldeo. What is it?"
Keldeo skidded to a halt. "Ash," he said. "I want to come with you!"
Ash blinked. "Za?"
"Mewtwo told me what the three Beasts were doing – why you were fighting Entei. Well, I owe you."Keldeo looked Ash in the eye. "I owe you twice over. And – I want to travel with you. I want to repay that debt, and... I want to see what it's like, I guess. Working with a trainer."
Keldeo shrugged, suddenly nervous. "And there's no-one I'd rather work with than you."
"Sure!" Ash said, having gotten over his surprise. "I'd love to have you."
"Besides," he continued with a grin,"I've been trying to get Sacred Sword to work for over a year, now, and no luck. Since you do know, maybe you could help Lucario and I?"
The Water-type Legendary nodded. "I'd be honoured."
Ash rummaged in his bag. "Oh – any preferences for what kind of Pokéball you'd prefer?"
"I didn't even know there were different types," Keldeo admitted.
"We can discuss it on the way," Ash decided. "Oh – yeah, that reminds me. I've been preparing this speech for a while... kind of expected to give it to one of the Beasts first."
He fidgeted a bit, and took a deep breath. "Keldeo – I understand Legendaries have responsibilities. And that – you're not like other Pokémon... so if you need to leave in a hurry, go. Don't ask for permission if it wastes too much time. I'd obviously prefer to know, but I won't mind if you let me know after the fact."
Keldeo nodded his understanding. It was almost more like a bow of fealty. "Got it, Ash. Thank you for being so clear."
He straightened up. "Right! So, where are we going first?"
"Back down Mount Quena," Ash told him. There was a flash in the distance as Gary and his Alakazam teleported the Swords back to Unova. "Actually, that could be a problem, Pidgeot can only easily take one person at a time – two in a pinch..."
"And I've not got a Pokéball yet, right." Keldeo grinned. "Not a problem, Ash! Remember my Hydro Pump?"
"...actually, that would be pretty cool," Ash agreed.
Gary materialized again in another flash of light. "Hey, Ash?"
"Yeah?" Ash replied, turning to Gary.
"I'm off back to Kalos now," he explained. "Just thought I'd let you know – I'm going to help research mega stones and key stones and stuff. Can I borrow that staff and those feathers of yours?"
Seeing Ash's less than enthusiastic reaction, Gary shook his head. "Not for long! Just so I can see if we can turn it into a proper Key Stone."
"Actually, I prefer it how it is, kind of," Ash decided. "I'll put the feathers in a bag on the staff or something."
"Okay, 's your choice." Gary clapped Ash on the shoulder. "Stupid though it is."
"Hey!" Ash laughed.
"Anyway, I'm going to keep an eye out for more mega stones," Gary resumed. "I'll let you know if I pick up a useful one."
"Cool." Ash held out his hand, and Gary shook it. "Don't be a stranger, Gary."
"Fat chance of that, Ashy-boy," Gary said. "Smell you later!"
bink
"Sorry about that, Keldeo," Ash said, turning back to him.
"No, it's fine." Keldeo shrugged. "Right, let's go!"