Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Legends ❯ The Guardian ( Chapter 1 )

Legends
By Seabeast
1

A long time ago, back before humans had even thought to train and raise Pokémon, I was created. The great Gods of the Elements needed powerful Pokémon, Pokémon that could protect their limited world if trouble should ever arise.

They first created Ho-oh, also known as the Great Beast of the Air. They put him in Johto, for hardly any humans had thought to try and tame that wild territory.

Then they created the Three Legendary Dogs; Suicune with the Element of Water, Raikou with the Element of Electricity, and Entei of Fire. They were spread out to roam all Johto, and to protect it from anyone who might try to bring it harm.

But the Dogs were not enough for the giant landmass. So the Gods decided to split it in two. They formed a mountain in the center, connecting the two lands, and named the milder, tamer one Kanto.

The Gods then created Mew to rule Kanto. Closely following were the Three Legendary Birds; Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos. They were to protect Kanto if the need ever be.

But the Birds were not as tame as the Dogs. Kanto was much smaller than Johto, and each wanted more land to control. They began to quarrel, causing great storms that flooded homes and destroyed crops. They came together once, and fought the battle now known as The Separation.

They had gathered at the bottom most tip of Kanto to fight for the entire land. Their battle grew so intense that their Elements created an enormous explosion, separating Kanto from some of its land. The small landmass broke apart, thus forming the Orange Islands.

Each of the Birds chose an island located near the center of the Orange Islands and settled there.

The humans thought of this as the end of their quarrels, but the Gods foresaw a time in the future when an egotistical man would try to capture the Birds. The force this would create would be the end of the world. They used some of their strongest forces to create the Beast of the Sea; me.

I was to stay in the ocean until the Three Birds would be brought together. I did as I was told, but the Gods still were not satisfied.

They knew that in the future only one human could stop the Birds' quarrels. They needed someone to ensure this human's ancestors safety and right judgment. So they gave me the power to transform into a human and sent me to find a person to protect the ancestors of the Chosen One.

I searched for many days until I found someone suitable. The Gods were pleased with my decision, and they gave the Guardian a few powers to help them along their path. After a period of time they would be released from their duties and I would search for another suitable candidate.

The restrictions and rules for this phase were simple. The Guardian would protect the ancestors of the Chosen One, influencing their thoughts and actions for the best, but at all cost must not be seen. They would fight off all harm, but must make it look natural, like they had not interfered at all.

Every fifty years or so the Guardian would be relieved. The Gods would take away their powers and they would then begin to age, something they ceased to do as Guardian. I would search for the next candidate, each of my selections pleasing to the Gods.

This practice continued on for hundreds of years. The locals wrote a legend about what they knew, and a God ratified it.

Disturb not the Harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning
Lest these Titans wreak Destruction upon the World in which they clash
Though the Water's great Guardian shall arise to quell the Fighting
Alone its Song will fail, thus the Earth shall turn to Ash
Oh Chosen One, into thine Hands bring together all Three
Their Treasures combined tame the great Beast of the Sea
From the Trio of Islands ancient Spheres shall you take
For between Life and Death all the Difference you'll make
Climb to the Shrine to Right what is Wrong
And the World will be healed by the Guardian's Song.

Then, finally, the time came for me to choose the last Guardian. This Guardian would protect the Chosen One himself. The Gods gave me strict orders to find the best possible human to ensure the Chosen One complete safety.

I searched for months, but the human population had grown weak. It was indeed hard to find someone who might actually care for the future of their planet, knowing that they themselves would not be present to experience it. But I kept going, and I succeeded in finding one.

I was on my way to the Gods' Realm to tell them there were no more suitable humans. I had to pass through a densely forested land to get there, for I did not fly, hoping I would meet someone on my way back.

We met quite be accident, really. I was resting under a large tree when something large, furry, and black fell out of it. It twisted in midair to avoid landing on me, and broke one of its forepaws in the process of not landing correctly. A small silver Electric Pokémon, who landed in my lap, closely followed this thing.

Before I knew what was happening, we were surrounded by a swarm of enormous Beedrill. Despite the cat's injury, for that is what the animal resembled most, it fought them. It struggled to stay between the Beedrill and I, as if protecting me too. At first I thought it was protecting the small bundle in my arms, but it too leaped up and electrocuted the swarm for me.

This was too much for the insects, and they retreated. I arose to study my protector, but it knew the immediate danger was not yet over. It yelled at me to duck, which I did without much thought, and it leaped over me to tackle yet another Beedrill, the largest of the swarm.

However, it was very tired, and the Beedrill managed to poison it before it too retreated. Just then a very curious thing occurred. Both the cat and the Pokémon collapsed at the same precise time. When one would move, both seemed to feel it.

I was not afraid of the beast, for I was the most powerful Pokémon alive. I picked it up, along with the Pokémon, and brought them to a dense clump of trees that served as a shelter. I nursed them back to health, and they both grew stronger as the days passed.

While it lay there, sick, it told me the story of its life. The story was very intriguing, and I listened with great interest. It thought I needed convincing, and when I nodded it promptly transformed into a cross between a human and a cat, and then a human.

I brought the human back to the Gods, and fought the hardest battle of knowledge in my life trying to convince them that this was the only human left in the world that would be willing to be a Guardian. The truth was, I had become rather attached to the human and Pokémon, who were telepathically connected.

The Gods disliked them. They really did not like to follow orders, rather they did what they thought was best for them and the people around them. Eventually, however, F'lare, great God of Electricity, was persuaded enough to let them try. They passed all of the tests with flying colors, even though they did it their own way.

Over time I did convince them that they would be perfect, I think what changed their minds the most was their life and how they were so closely connected to the Chosen One. Also that they didn't have to give them any powers, which tired them greatly, except to cease their aging.

So the human and Pokémon became Guardian, and protected the Chosen One's immediate ancestors flawlessly. The time came when the Chosen One himself was born, and the Guardian couldn't have done a more perfect job of keeping him and his friends safe. This was a hard task, since the Chosen One had much the same personality as the Guardian. He was stubborn and courageous, yet forgiving and caring. He would charge headfirst into things to protect his friends and the Guardian would hardly have time to react.

But the skies then changed their color and the sea began to churn. The Guardians knew they couldn't stay and help, for they had to leave and stay on an island until the outcome was made. The Chosen One would act according to how well the Guardian had raised him.

But Ash couldn't have been better. He had his Pokémon, Pikachu, and his best friend, Misty, to help him through. And now it was time for me to retrieve what the Gods had given the Guardian, and I wanted Ash and the pair to meet.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ash lay in his bed that night, thinking, while the moonlight shone in on his face. Why couldn't he get to sleep? Well, that was easy. His day had only consisted of saving the world from certain destruction by the Legendary Birds, riding a Pokémon no one knew existed, nearly being killed multiple times, and oh, yeah-surviving the shock of seeing his mom their on a half-destroyed island with Professor Oak.

He sighed. Now what? Were they just supposed to go on with their lives and pretend nothing had ever happened? What else could they do?

"Pikapi? ~Ash?~"

Ash glanced down at the small Pikachu lying on his stomach. "Hmm?"

~What's wrong? You look depressed.~"

He sighed again. "Nothing. I'm just thinking."

She stood up, stretched, and padded over to look him in the eye. ~About what?~

"I dunno. There's a lot to think about." He put his hands behind his head and winced when a sharp stab of pain lashed through them. "I guess I'm a little sore from earlier."

Pikachu nestled down on the base of his neck and rested her head on her paws. ~Me too.~

"So what are we gonna do now? Just pretend it never happened?" He didn't know if he could do that. When Pikachu didn't answer he continued. "I know what I did today, but no one else does. Except for you guys and Melody, that is. But that still doesn't make it less important. I mean, I saved the world! Twice! How many people do you meet that can say that?"

He thought back to the first time, the one with Mewtwo. He still couldn't believe a Pokémon could have the power to make him just 'forget' about something that tremendous. Luckily, Lugia had had the power to restore their memory. Poor Brock, he thought. He hadn't been around, so he was still walking around, totally ignorant of what they had done.

~Well,~ Pikachu began after a few moments of silence. ~Do you still want to be a Pokémon Master?~

"Of course I do!"

~Then do it.~ Ash didn't respond. ~Now you know just how important you are to the world. You're a good leader, a good Trainer, and a good friend. I'm sure you can do it if you really try. Even Charizard listens to you now, and you were one of the few people to defeat the Orange Crew. You were in the Top Sixteen in the Indigo League, and that was your first League! A lot of the people there were over thirty, and had gone there every year since they started their Pokémon Journey. I think you'll do great, and I don't think you should take this 'saving the world' stuff to heart. Just continue to do what you do best and you'll be fine.~

Ash stared at her. She had just proven every theory about Pokémon being less intelligent than humans wrong. She was speaking with wisdom well beyond even his years, and she was making him feel better too.

"Bravo, bravo, nice speech Pikachu."

The pair jumped at the voice and looked around. Ash sat up in bed to see better, as did Pikachu, but it was too dark. Wait a second, hadn't there been light from the moon a few minutes ago?

He turned to the window and gasped when he saw someone sitting on the ledge. He tried to make out who it was, but the moon was behind him and there was no light shining on his face.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. If he were here to hurt him he had another thing coming, Pikachu would protect him. Luckily Misty and Tracey each had their own separate rooms. Not that he cared much about what happened to Tracey.

The figure chuckled softly. "I'm not here to hurt you Ash." That voice sounded awfully familiar. It also sounded old.

"How do you know my name?"

"Pika!"

The man nimbly stepped off of the ledge and into Ash's room. Ash instinctively leaped out of bed to face him, ignoring the aches of protest from his body, Pikachu on his shoulder with flaring cheeks.

But the man didn't come any closer. "Turn on the light Ash."

Ash didn't move. "How do you know my name?" he repeated.

"All right, I'll do it."

Ash watched as two blue pinpoints of light appeared where the man's eyes should be. Then the light turned on, flooding the room. Ash closed his eyes and slowly let them adjust. Then he looked back at the man.

His hair was a silvery white and slicked back into something that resembled a fat spike. On either side were black spikes, which gradually transformed into the white hair at the base. The black hair continued down over his face and rested just above his bright blue eyes. He had a silvery white mustache that dipped lower than the rest in the middle and on each of the two sides. The entire appearance looked strangely familiar...

He smiled and Ash was amazed to see all of his teeth in a healthy shade of white. "Remember me?"

Ash frowned. Pikachu's cheeks stopped flaring when she took a closer look at him.

"Pikapichu?"~Lugia?~

"That's right."

"Lugia?" Ash was stunned. "But...you're a Pokémon. How can you be human?"

"I am Psychic, am I not? I change my appearance at will." He walked over to the bed and sat down, motioning for Ash to do the same. Ash obeyed in a stunned stupor. Pikachu slid down his shoulder and into his lap.

"What are you doing here? I thought you went back into the ocean."

"Nah. F'lare said I could have a few weeks off. He let me come up to the surface for a while. Do you have any idea how lonely it gets just swimming around on the bottom of an ocean?"

Ash's brain slowly began to process what he had just said. "Did you just say F'lare? As in, God of Electricity F'lare?" Lugia nodded. "You met him!?"

"Many times," Lugia replied as if it didn't matter.

Ash and Pikachu stared at him in silence. No one had ever seen the Gods! Only old legends told of anything about them, but most of them centered around the Orange Islands and Johto. Kanto hadn't really told many, and the only one he knew about was how the Orange Islands came to be. He had also heard of how Pokémon were created, when the Gods combined their powers. He knew very little of the four Titans of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.

Misty had told him all she knew about Aqwa, Titan of Water, and O'shin, God of Water. Every tale she had told him he had listened to with great interest. His mother had told him a few stories about the Gods, and how F'lare was the youngest and the most adventurous, but she seemed to avoid mentioning them, especially F'lare. Although Pikachu seemed to have a never-ending supply of stories about him.

Lugia noted their silence and smiled. "F'lare is my favorite. If I had to choose my least favorite I would have to say it's N'ihte." He shuddered. "He gives me the creeps and he hates F'lare and F'lame, since they both create light."

Ash and Pikachu just stared.

~Why are you telling us this?~ Pikachu asked slowly.

Lugia turned his gaze to the small mouse. "Do you not want to meet your Guardian?"

"Guardian? What Guardian?"

Lugia frowned a little. "Do you remember the legend of the Separation?" Ash and Pikachu nodded. "Then do you not know about the Guardian of the Chosen One?"

Then the truth suddenly dawned on Ash. He was the Chosen One. The Guardian had been protecting his family. He had been with him since he was born and he had never even suspected anything! Up until earlier today he had passed all of the stories he had heard off as myths, that had never really happened, but they had been and he was one of them!

Lugia smiled at the expression on their faces as they realized that they made up a legend. "Well, do you want to meet them?"

"Who, the Gods?" Ash blurted.

Lugia chuckled. "No, your Guardians."

Now Ash was confused. "You mean there are more than one?"

"Yes, but the Gods only allowed it because they wanted to provide you with the utmost protection. And because they knew they could not just choose one of them."

Ash didn't know what to say. He had been talked about among the Gods! For centuries!

Then Lugia spoke again. "I did not mean to disrupt your sleep. To tell you the truth, I couldn't get to sleep myself. I don't think you could either, am I correct?" The pair nodded. "I just wanted to tell you and let you know where your Guardians are. You can visit them anytime you like, but you had better go with me or you might not see them."

~Why not?~ Pikachu asked.

"They are not going to stay cooped up on any island for very long. The only reason they're there now is because F'lare gave them strict orders not to move until I arrived there and the Incident was over." He smiled as if remembering something. "I will consider myself very lucky if I can get there before the entire island tries to run them off."

Ash frowned. Were they criminals? "Why would they want to run them off?"

"Oh, it's not because they steal or anything, if that's what you're thinking. They are just not as normal as you and I." He smiled at the thought of him being normal. "Local people do not seem to understand that." He stopped talking and looked out at the moon. "I had better go. Tell Misty and Tracey about what I said tomorrow, and I will pick up whoever wants to go around nightfall. The island is not very far off. Although," he paused, as if considering if he should continue. "I would prefer it if you did not tell Tracey. I don't like him much."

Ash smiled. "Me neither."

"Now Misty, she's a great friend." He smiled mischievously at Ash. "You are very lucky to have met her you know, the Guardians did the perfect job in picking her. She would make a great wife to the Chosen One-"

"I don't like her!" Ash hissed, blushing furiously. "Why does everyone think that? We're just friends!"

Lugia laughed along with Pikachu. He stood up and stretched before walking over to the window. "Be sure to tell her about the Guardian. Goodbye you two."

Then he was gone, leaving Ash and Pikachu alone with their thoughts.

The next day found Ash and Misty walking along a long stretch of beach. Tracey had decided to stay behind and draw some sketches of the locals in their Legend Festival costumes, and Pikachu wanted to stay with Togepi and participate in the second-day part of the Festivities. Ash, Tracey, Misty, and Pikachu were still the only ones that knew what had happened, aside from the two girls that had helped them a little. Togepi was still too young to understand, and Lugia didn't really count since no one had seen him. As for that egotistical idiot that had attempted to capture the Pokémon Titans of Ice, Fire, and Lightning, well, he was still stuck out on the rock with his precious Mew card-and a Promo card at that.

"So the legend really was about you?" Misty asked after Ash told her what Lugia had said.

Ash's face flushed a little. "Yeah. I just can't believe that people have been talking about me for centuries!"

Misty was silent for a few minutes. "And Lugia said he wanted you to meet your Guardian?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah. He's picking us up tonight."

"Us? You mean me and Tracey are going too?"

He reached up to fiddle with his hat and realized that he had left it with Pikachu so she could let Togepi take a nap in it. He ruffled his hand through his tousled black hair instead.

"Uh, not exactly..." She stared at him. "I uh, didn't really...tell Tracey. So if we went it'd just be me, you, Pikachu, and Togepi, if you want."

To Ash's surprise, Misty breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank the Gods! I hate Tracey!"

"You do?"

"He is just so annoying!" she continued. "He's always in our way, he's always drawing those annoying sketches, and he never even asked to join out little group! He just butted himself right in so he could meet Professor Oak!"

Ash was a little stunned. Had she wanted them to continue on by themselves? Ash had thought nothing could have been better after Brock had left, leaving just him and Misty alone together. But then they had run into Tracey, who just had to meet the Professor.

However, Misty wasn't finished. "He didn't do anything to help you out when you needed it, legend or no you couldn't have done that alone!"

Ash frowned "What do you mean? Aside form Pikachu, Lugia, and my Pokémon, and a little help from Team Rocket, I did do it alone."

Was she blushing? "No, I helped you out too!"

"How?"

"I swam you back to shore when you and Lugia passed out. While Tracey stood by on the safety of the Stone Shrine holding Togepi. Fat lot of help that was."

Ash stared at her. She had wrapped her arms around him and saved his life while he was unconscious? She had actually held him?

"Ash. Earth to Ash. Snap out of it!"

"Huh? What?" He had been too wrapped up in the thought that he had been unconscious during the only time she would ever hold him and didn't realize that she had been saying something.

"I said, snap out of it!"

"What?"

"That little cloud you're walking around in!"

Ash blushed, glad that it was too dark to for her to see. Then his face lit up.

"Hey! It's nightfall! Lugia should be here any minute now!"

However, Misty wasn't as enthused. "But won't he go to the house we're staying at? Then Tracey will see him!"

Ash hadn't thought of that. But suddenly they heard a voice in their heads that ceased their worrying.

Do not worry. I am Psychic, why does everyone forget that? I know where you are.

Ash and Misty breathed a sigh of relief as Lugia, in his natural form, settled down next to them. Ash smiled as he gracefully folded his wings like a bird's. That led his trail of thought to Pidgeot, his newly evolved Pokémon. He wondered when it would fly back to him, he had wanted a Pokémon to ride on for so long.

Lugia had chosen the perfect spot to land. Ash and Misty had wandered far away from the locals' prying eyes, and they were even standing next to a large outcropping of rock that would hide them from anyone out enjoying an evening ride on their Flying Pokémon.

Well? Lugia inquired. Are you two coming?

"What about Pikachu and Togepi?" Misty asked, glancing back in the direction they had come.

I have already asked if they would like to accompany you. They politely refused, knowing they would see them later.

"But you said-"

I know what I said. I promised Pikachu that I would take her to them if she wished.

Ash smiled. Looks like it would be just him and Misty. Alone. Riding a gracefully smooth Water Type Pokémon, Misty's favorite, through the sunset. Ash knew the first words out of her mouth would be 'Oh Ash, isn't this romantic?' He was right.

They climbed onto the base of Lugia's neck and watched as the dorsal spikes along his back snapped up to assist him in flight. He unfolded his wings and Ash smiled as Misty wrapped her arms around his waist at the sudden takeoff.

Lugia soared high above the clouds for a few minutes, until he was sure no one would be able to see them. The pair on his back gasped at the cool air of the high night sky, so different from the warm climate of the Orange Islands that they had accustomed themselves to.

"Oh Ash, isn't this romantic?" Misty breathed into his ear.

Ash had to admit that it was. As they dipped down from among the clouds only half of the brilliantly orange sun was visible above the peaceful blue of the ocean. The light reflected off of the water at just the right angles, while not blinding them it let them experience the warmth of its heat. The silhouettes of a few seagulls could be seen flying in the distance, and every now and then they were lucky enough to watch in awe as a whale or dolphin leapt from the sunlit waters.

Suddenly Misty's grip around Ash's waist tightened. "Ash look! It's a Dragonair!"

Ash turned his gaze to where her finger was pointing and stared at the thin blue Dragon Pokémon flying just above the rolling waves. The small white wings on its back beat rhythmically as it floated just out of reach of the water below it. Then Lugia's voice sounded in their heads once again.

Yes, it is a Dragonair. There are many this far out to see, but they keep well hidden. There should be a Dragonite around here too.

Misty gasped. "A Dragonite? Oh, I love Dragonite! Too bad we can't go down and capture one..." her voice trailed off.

You would not be able to. They are far too cunning for humans.

"But Lance had one-" Misty began to protest.

Lance had saved his Dragonite's life. Dragonite chose to stay with him after that.

Misty didn't respond.

Soon a small island was visible on the horizon. Lugia headed toward it, and Ash knew that that was where his Guardian was.

Questions zipped through his head as they approached it. What would he be like? What kind of Pokémon was he connected to? Lugia had said it was Electric, was it a Pikachu? How powerful was it?

Then Lugia's laughter was heard.

"What?" Ash asked. "What's so funny?"

Leave it to Chase to pick the island nearest the action. Ash looked around and saw a few tiny dots that must have been Shamuti and the Birds' Territories. Lugia continued. They were not allowed to be on Shamuti, so they chose the next best thing, Trovita.

"Trovita!?" Ash exclaimed. He had hated Trovita! Rudy had completely ignored Ash and Tracey, pretending they didn't exist, and spent all of his time flirting outrageously with Misty. Okay, Ash liked the thought of Tracey not existing, but him? Was that all that their four-year friendship meant to her? Then there was that corny dance music that had almost driven him mad. And the way he tousled his red hair like that? So that the tiny sparkles flew out? That just unnerved him. Actually, the sparkles were probably dandruff. He snorted at that thought.

"What's with you?" Misty asked, jerking him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh um, nothing." He really didn't need her to ask about what he was feeling right now. Instead, he stared straight ahead at the vastly approaching island.

Lugia kept almost level with the ocean as he flew. Ash and Misty each knew that it was to keep out of sight of anyone that lived there. He flew on for a few more minutes before making a sharp curve toward the land, almost throwing Ash off, with Misty still clinging to him. He regained his balance quickly and yelled over the rushing wind:

"Lugia! What was that for? Couldn't you have given us a little bit of a warning?"

I am sorry. I have sensed a large amount of excitement in a small town on the coast of the island. Your Guardians are there.

Ash and Misty were silent as he glided around an enormous cliff of rock and settled down on the far side. Ash slid off of his back and assisted Misty. Then they turned to study their surroundings.

On one side of them was the rock formation, with a few small holes that looked like they could be the entrances to caves. The rock abruptly transformed into soft, white sand, which in turn flowed into the water of the ocean. Ringing the peaceful beach was a long stretch of trees, mostly palms from Ash's limited knowledge of the many species. The tops of the trees looked like they gradually sloped upward until they stopped in front of a few shining lights at the top of a large hill. Ash thought it was probably the town Lugia had mentioned.

He turned back around and was surprised to see a man standing behind them. Lugia's huge form was nowhere in sight. Then he remembered of Lugia's abilities. However, he had forgotten to mention a few things to Misty-

"Who are you? How long have you been there?" she demanded in a harsh tone that Ash recognized as the one she used when she was scared.

He put a hand on her shoulder, noting the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her shirt. He was glad he had ditched his gloves for a while. "Misty calm down. That's Lugia." He said soothingly.

Lugia smiled as she studied him. "It is I," he confirmed. Suddenly her eyebrows shot up.

"I've seen you before! I know I have!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Huh? Where?" Ash asked, confused.

Lugia laughed quietly. "Indeed you did young lady." Ash stared at him. "Although I am quite surprised that you remembered." He then turned to Ash. "You were not there. It was many years ago, before she met you."

Ash decided to let that matter alone. He turned back to the sloping hill of trees. "Are they up there?" he asked quietly.

He heard Lugia step up beside him. "Yes." Ash turned to look at him. Suddenly his brow furrowed and he twitched his mustache. "They are afraid." He said slowly, as if not quite believing it himself. "They should not be afraid. They are too powerful to be afraid. We must get up there to figure out what is wrong immediately."

He set off up the small stretch of sand before the trees, Ash and Misty close behind. Ash went deep into thought as he followed the trail of moved branches and leaves that Lugia made with his powers as they crashed through the forest. He could hear them snapping back into place after Misty passed though.

Why in the Realm would the Guardians be afraid? What of? The Gods? He knew he would be if he were faced with them. But what about what Lugia had said the night before? Were they in trouble with the townspeople? Ash knew that some people could be very close-minded. He sighed, remembering the time that an entire group had been willing to sacrifice Pikachu so they could get food and supplies for their Pokémon from Team Rocket. That thought disturbed him slightly. He would never give up any Pokémon just for the sake of Team Rocket.

His attention perked back up when he realized that the trees ahead of him were thinning. Before long, they broke through completely and stared in awe at the large town that lay before them.

It had looked like it would be a small, quiet community from the beach, but up close the trio could see that is was much larger. They were standing at the edge of a paved street. Ash thought this rather odd. The street just...ended...right where they stood. He could see that it continued farther into the city, but why would they just stop it here?

Once their eyes had adjusted to the immense light of the tall buildings, they were amazed to see that they had stepped into what looked like a festival, with people just a few meters away from them. But it was deadly quiet. Nothing stirred, nothing made a sound. That's why they hadn't been warned of a group of people from the forest. But what were they doing?

Ash looked a little more closely at the crowd and saw that they were all looking in the same direction, and all with scared looks on their faces. He glanced at Misty, but she looked just as confused as he felt. Lugia, however, had his hand on his chin and was smiling softly.

"Well, well," he mumbled more to himself than to anyone else. "how in the world did they manage to get themselves into this one?"

Ash opened his mouth to ask him what he meant, but before any sound came out there was an uproar from the crowd around him. He looked up and saw that they were pointing at something in the center of the group.

"Kill it now!" someone shouted from among the people.

"Yeah! Do it now before it can do anything to us!" another added.

Then Ash saw a shuffle among the people in the middle. A small wave went through the crowd, people screaming in terror as whatever it was passed beneath them.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion. Ash instinctively ducked, but straightened when he realized that it had been a gunshot. And that it had been aimed at whatever was running through the crowd.

He looked up to see a large break just in front of them. He, Misty, and Lugia rushed over to an opening to see what was there.

On the ground in front of them was an enormous black...cat? Some type of tiger? Ash couldn't tell, but it was balled up in pain.

Suddenly he felt anger surge through him. He hadn't seen very much of what had happened here, but he just felt that this was wrong. He somehow knew that the creature lying in front of him was innocent. It hadn't done anything wrong. It had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Hey! Move it! Get outta here, all of you!" a ruff voice shouted abruptly. Ash started to turn around but was shoved to the side before he could see who it was. He quickly picked himself up off of the ground. Ignoring the warnings of caution that Misty was throwing at him, he grabbed the man that had shoved him by the shoulder and spun him around.

"Hey! What was that...for..." he trailed off as he saw the rifle the man was holding.

The man glared at him. "You was saying?"

Ash gathered his courage and glared back. "You shot it, didn't you!?"

He nodded, bringing up his gun to point at Ash. "What're you gonna do about it boy?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Before Ash could answer, he heard a low growl coming from behind the man. He glanced over the man's shoulder to see that the creature on the ground had gotten to its four feet. Ash was taken aback by how large it was. The man spun around to see what it was, but Ash knocked the gun out of his hands before he could shoot. The gun went skidding across the street and into the grass towards the woods, out of reach of anyone.

The man looked fearfully at the animal before him, baring its sharp white teeth. But somehow, Ash wasn't afraid. The cat's head was up to his chest, but he knew it wouldn't hurt them. All was silent for a few minutes, until the cat wavered on its feet.

The man was too scared to break his eye contact with the monster in front of him, but Ash felt strangely...calm. His eyes slowly lowered to look at its leg and he realized with shock that that bullet had connected with it. It was trying to lean all of its weight on its forepaws, while its left hind leg was lifted from the ground. Blood was seeping out of a large wound and mixing with the midnight black fur of its leg. Ash watched as it gingerly tried to lower the leg, only to snap it back up in pain.

But the cat wasn't showing any other signs that it was hurt. It suddenly growled a deep, menacing growl while never taking its angry brown eyes off of the man's beady black ones. Then, before anyone could react, it leaped past Ash and dashed into the nearby trees, disappearing from sight as Ash first felt the wind from its momentum.

Everyone stared in shock at the rustling trees. Then the man decided to take charge.

"Everyone! Get into yer houses now and don't come out!" he barked. "Men, I'll need you to get yer guns! We're goin' hunting!"

Ash folded his arms across his chest as the men cheered and the women grabbed their children's hands and dragged them away. Why was everyone so afraid? It certainly hadn't hurt anyone. Judging by its size, it could have killed the man that shot it easily. But it didn't and now the man wanted to kill it.

He turned to find Misty and Lugia still staring into the trees. Misty didn't look frightened either, and Lugia just looked confused. That struck Ash as odd. Lugia? Confused? Over what?

He took the few steps toward them, struggling to get through the swirling crowd. "Lugia, what was that?" he asked, standing between the old man and the trees.

Lugia focused his sea blue eyes on Ash's golden brown ones and sighed. "What on earth did they do?" he asked quietly.

Ash frowned as Misty stepped up beside him. "What do you mean, Lugia?" she asked. "Who's they?"

Lugia remained silent for a few minutes, his eyes unfocused. Then his eyes brightened suddenly. "They've gone to their cave. Come on." Without waiting for a reply, he rushed into the forest in a speed that deceived his looks. Ash and Misty, although extremely confused, followed.

"Misty, did you feel...calm around that thing?" Ash asked as they struggled to keep up with the legend in front of them. He was using his powers to make a path again, and if they didn't hurry the branches would strike them as they swung back into place.

Misty glanced at him with a curious gleam in her green-blue eyes. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"I felt the same way," he answered as he dodged another branch. "Like it hadn't done anything wrong."

"Like it was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?" she asked.

Ash narrowed his eyes at her, but quickly looked away as he saw the threatening shadow of a branch swing his way. "Something's up," he said quietly. "And somehow Lugia has an idea of what it is. Lugia!" he suddenly called. "Wait up! These branches have thorns!" Even as he said this he felt a small something tear into his arm.

Lugia didn't look back at them, but he did slow down a little. Before they knew it they had broken through the trees and were standing on the softly sanded beach. Ash looked around himself in amazement. The sun had completely set by now, but the brilliantly full moon and large white stars made the landscape look almost as bright as day.

Lugia strode over to the cliff with the cave entrances and stopped to stare at it, as if studying it. Ash and Misty broke out of the trance they had been in over the landscape and rushed over to him.

Suddenly his body began to glow a bright blue. Ash and Misty stepped back in surprise, but Lugia didn't move. He raised his right arm and pointed it at each of the cave entrances, shooting a streak of blue light into each before moving to the next.

The blue light dulled until it was no longer visible and Lugia smiled. Turning to Ash and Misty he said, "They went into the upper entrance. Come along." He walked over and began to climb the rough rocky wall, but stopped when he realized that Ash and Misty hadn't moved. "Well? Are you two coming or not?"

"Um, where exactly are we going?" Ash asked nervously.

"Why, to meet your Guardians of course!" Lugia replied, stepping down from the wall. "I would have thought that was apparent."

"His Guardians are up there?" Misty asked.

"Yes, yes, of course." Lugia said impatiently. "And they are not his Guardians dear, they have been protecting you too."

"Me? Why me?"

Lugia smiled. "You will see soon enough. Right now though, we need to get to their den. I believe Chase is hurt."

"Who's Chase?" Ash asked as he and Misty joined him in climbing the wall.

"The human. I believe the Pokémon's name is Chuka, but I'm not sure."

The trio stepped up onto a small ledge. Ash and Misty reached up to begin climbing again, but Lugia stopped them. "The entrance is here," he murmured, pointing out a small hole they hadn't seen before.

Ash stared at it in disbelief. How could anyone fit in there? The top of it only reached up to his knees, and it was only about three feet wide.

"But it's too small for someone to get into Lugia," Misty pointed out. "Are you sure it's not a different one?"

"I am sure," Lugia said quietly. "that this is the one. Either that or they did a damn good job of covering their tracks, which they were probably too fidgety to take the time to do." He crouched down and peered into it, his eyes glowing a faint blue. "Yes, this is the one," he said at last. "Now come along. We can get through if we crawl. Although unless I am mistaken, I believe it will widen up a bit once we are inside."

Without looking up to see if they were coming he crouched as low to the ground as he could go, betraying his old aged figure yet again. It was hardly more than a few seconds before he was out of sight.

Misty glanced at Ash nervously. She looked like she didn't want to go down that hole any more than he did. Trying to show her he was confident, he took a deep breath and kneeled by the opening. He couldn't see anything, but he could hear Lugia as he crawled through.

He crawled forward, feeling the rough surface of the wall brush against his back when he raised himself higher than he should have. He heard Misty start in behind him, which gave him a little more courage.

Suddenly they heard a soft thud, followed by a small flash of bright blue light and a few incoherent words. Ash and Misty froze, blinking away the spots from the flash of light. Ash's heart raced. What was back there? Was that Lugia?

"Come along you two!" they heard Lugia shout. "I'm quite all right. The ceiling curves up a bit a little further on, but not so high as to stand up. At least not for me," he added quietly.

Ash grinned at his foolishness. He had been afraid of nothing. He continued crawling, feeling small aches in his body from the day before, and new ones from this form of moving that he wasn't used to. His hands slid slightly on something wet on the ground. Ash passed it off as water and continued.

Finally, when his arms told him they couldn't take anymore, his back stopped scraping against the rock. He carefully reached a hand up, but felt only air. He kneeled and brought his hand up higher. He felt rock, but it was pointing up.

He slowly stood, but the low ceiling made him crouch a little. Then the roof sloped upward again and he could stand fully. He took a few steps further in, and froze when he heard movement beside him.

"Lugia?" he asked softly.

"No, it's me," a soft voice replied. Misty. Okay, then where was Lugia?

He ignored that thought for a minute. He couldn't feel any more walls around him, and he didn't want to lose Misty. He slowly reached out an arm and felt soft skin. He lowered his hand and grabbed Misty's. "Come on, I don't want to get separated," he murmured.

"Okay," she said quietly. "But where's Lugia?"

"I'm over here." Ash jumped, feeling Misty do the same. The voice had come from in front of them. Ash tried to see through the darkness of the cave, but it was no use.

"Lugia? Where are we?"

"I don't know, but there is blood on the ground."

Ash's grip on Misty's hand tightened, as did hers. Blood? They had been crawling in blood? He rubbed the fingers of his free hand together. His stomach tightened when he realized that is was still sticky.

"Um, Lugia? Who's blood?" he heard Misty ask shakily.

Lugia must have heard the worry in her voice because his was soothing. "Do not fret. It is not the blood of a dying something. It is the blood of the cat we saw in the crowd a small while ago. It was shot in the hind leg, remember?"

"What? That's what we're after?" Ash blurted. He had felt fine around it earlier, but they hadn't entered its cave while it was still inside of it. Wounded or not it could still kill them easily. And they wouldn't be able to get away in time.

"I told you two to stop worrying," Lugia said abruptly. "It will not hurt you, or me, or anyone else for that matter." He was quiet for a moment. "Actually, I'm surprised we haven't met Chuka by now-"

He was cut off when they heard small padding noises coming from Ash's right side. He spun around, Misty stepping up beside him, but his eyes still couldn't penetrate the surrounding dark. Then he saw a small flash of yellow. The flash quickly grew larger as whatever it was approached them, the light outlining a large passageway. Ash held Misty's hand tightly, feeling goosebumps on his arms.

Whatever it was, it was coming straight toward them.

When it was about a foot tall, it stopped. The flash went out and the padding stopped too. Ash heard small panting.

"CHUUUUUUU!"

Ash reacted instantly. He had heard that sound dozens of times before. But as he had built up quite an affective immunity towards electricity, Misty had not.

He pulled her to the ground, laying a protecting arm across her back. Even with his eyes screwed shut he could see bright lights flashing just above them. A crackling sound filled their ears, but was abruptly cut off by a flash of blue.

Ash raised his head a little, opening his eyes. He could feel Misty doing the same, but he didn't move. He saw Lugia floating above the ground beside one wall, his eyes and body surrounded in blue light. Ash looked to the other side, the side that the flash had come from, and saw what looked amazingly like a Pikachu.

He stared at it. It was looking angrily at Lugia, its small body also surrounded in blue. Lugia was using Disable, Ash realized with a start. The Pikachu couldn't use Electric Attacks anymore.

But what caught his eye the most was the Pikachu's fur. While a normal Pikachu would be yellow, this one looked silver. Its ear tips, tail base, and back stripes were a dark midnight black. Its eyes glowed a dark shade of brown, but with a twinge of gold in them. The Electric sacs on its cheeks were also black.

Suddenly its eyes flared in recognition at Lugia. Lugia smiled and the blue light disappeared, leaving the room lightless once again. But it again flared blue. Ash blinked away spots for what he hoped was the last time and looked over to see Lugia holding a blue fireball in the palm of his hand.

"Pikapichu!" the Pikachu screamed, bounding over to Lugia. Ash noticed it use Pikachu's name for Lugia, but in a voice a little deeper than his Pikachu's. Was it a male?

Lugia scooped it up with his free hand and hugged it. Ash, sensing that the danger of electrocution had passed, stood up. He helped Misty to her feet and the pair stared at the sight before them.

Then Lugia looked up at them. Smiling, he gestured for them to come over to him. Ash glanced at Misty, but she didn't look anymore sure of herself than he did. He grabbed her hand again and started towards him, Misty not far behind.

They stopped a few feet in front of him. Ash still wasn't sure he should approach the rodent in his arms, which looked a little rougher than his Pikachu, but he once again felt that calm feeling, like it wasn't going to hurt him. But it had tried once already, and he wasn't going to fall for any tricks.

Suddenly the Pikachu's firm grip on Lugia lessened. Its head jerked up as it sniffed the air. Slowly, it turned its head around and saw Ash and Misty. It jumped in surprise, its eyes widening. It sat there in Lugia's arms for a few minutes, just staring. Then it turned back to Lugia.

"Pikachu" pi? ~You brought them?~ it asked in a deeper Pikachu voice than Ash was used to.

Lugia smiled at the astonished look on its face. "Of course. I think the Chosen One has the right to meet his Guardians. You two are the last ones, after all."

"Pika pi Pikachupi?" ~What about Misty?~

"What about her? She has a right to see you also. After all, they are-" he stopped when he noticed Ash and Misty listening to him. "Never mind," he finished quickly.

Ash was extremely confused. What were he and Misty? And what was this Pikachu doing here? Then something dawned on him. This must be the Pokemon attached to his Guardian! He was right, it was a Pikachu. An odd Pikachu, but a Pikachu none the less.

The Pikachu stared at him carefully, then leaped from Lugia's arms as if it suddenly remembered something.

" Chukapi! Pika ka chu! Pikachu!" ~Chase! She's still hurt! Follow me!~

Before anyone could answer it bounded out of Lugia's blue light. Then a spark flared up from the darkness. Ash realized that the Pikachu was using its electricity to light up a path. At least the Disable had worn off.

Lugia looked Ash in the eye. "After you, Chosen One," he said, smiling softly. Ash glanced at Misty. She gave his hand a squeeze of encouragement and smiled. Ash ignored the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach and smiled back.

Then he turned to look at the Pikachu. he noticed that it was favoring its left hind paw, as if it hurt some. It was waiting impatiently at what looked like the entrance to another passageway. It was on the wall opposite the one it had come out of though, and Ash wondered just how many paths there were in this cave. Probably enough to get him lost forever if he didn't stick close to it.

He walked over to it, but when he saw it tap its foot in impatience he started jogging. When he was only a few feet away it suddenly turned and dashed off into the darkness, then stopped. Ash ran after it, his echoing footsteps mingling with Misty and Lugia's. He reached it and it dashed off again. Ash realized that it had stopped when there was a curve. Okay, so it was merely going to show them where to turn. He was okay with that.

The stopping-at-curves thing lasted for a few minutes, making Ash wonder if it was leading them around in circles. But then again, Lugia had known it, at least Ash thought he did, so it must be at least a little trustworthy.

Finally, the Pikachu stopped. When Ash caught up with it it didn't run off. It looked up at him, then pointed beyond it with a small silver paw.

~She's over there,~ it told him quietly. Then its electricity went out.

Ash heard footsteps approaching him, but before he could move something crashed into him from behind, sending them both crashing painfully to the floor with the mysterious something on top of him. Then he felt a jolt and heard another thud, closely followed by an "Oof!"

A sickening feeling came over him when he realized he was lying in something wet. The word blood flashed through his head and he couldn't help but shudder. Then the something on top of him moved.

"Who's on me?" he asked. He desperately wanted to get out of whatever he was lying in.

"Me."

Tingles rushed through his body when he realized that Misty was lying on top of him. He felt her scrabble to get off. He didn't waste anytime in getting up himself. He felt his jacket and groaned when he felt something sticky and wet.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked.

"Oh, I was lying in something wet and my jacket is covered in it. At least I had it closed." Then he remembered something. "Lugia? You with us?"

He heard a soft moan, followed by a few cracks and pops. "I think so," Lugia said, his voice coming up to them from the ground. "This body was not made for this," he moaned as Ash heard a scuffle that meant he too was getting to his feet. "I too am wet."

"Blood?" Ash asked nervously.

There was a small pause. "I believe so."

"Pikachu! Chukapi pika!" ~Hurry up! Chase is still hurt!~ the Pikachu suddenly shouted.

Ash looked up and saw the dim outline of Misty beside him. "Hey! There's some light in here!" he exclaimed excitedly. He glanced up at the distant roof of the cave and saw a small hole with moonlight filtering through.

"Pika, chu pi Chukapi kachu. Pi ka chuka." ~Yeah, but there's more where Chase is. She's over there.~ Ash looked down at it and saw its paw pointing straight ahead. But before he could move Lugia stopped him.

"Hold on Ash. Let me heal her first."

Ash watched the outline of him walk ahead of them. It paused briefly, then turned a corner and was gone.

Ash glanced at Misty and realized with a start that she had been looking at him. "Who's she?" she asked quietly. Ash shrugged.

The trio stood there for a while, no one saying much of anything. Ash thought about sitting down to rest his tired muscles, but immediately thought better of it when he remembered what was waiting for him on the stone floor.

Finally they heard footsteps. Everyone looked up to see Lugia's outline standing where they had seen it last. "It's all right. Come and meet her you two."

Ash and Misty watched as the Pikachu bolted to Lugia, quickly disappearing as it rounded the curve. The pair slowly made their way over, Ash's stomach tingling more and more as they got closer. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you Guardian's really nice," Misty reassured him. Friendliness hadn't really crossed his mind, but her touch did make him feel a little better.

She released his shoulder when they reached Lugia. Ash took a deep breath and turned. He walked forward a bit, then realized that he had to turn again. He could see light shining on the wall opposite him. He walked a little faster and turned, and then once more. He stopped, the light blinding him.

As he opened his eyes he realized that there was a large hole in the roof, positioned exactly where the moon was. His gaze fell down, and he froze. There, on the wall opposite him, was a person hugging the strangely colored Pikachu tightly. They were sitting on the ground, leaning against the far wall. His eyes widened when he saw the bright shiny liquid on the floor that could only be fresh blood. He looked down, then behind him, seeing a trail of blood leading out.

He gave a small jump when he saw that Lugia and Misty had followed him and were standing right behind him. Then he heard something moving. He turned around to see the person looking him directly in the eyes. He was suddenly overwhelmed by that strange sense of calmness that had overtaken him when he had seen the cat. He stood there for a minute, staring into the person's golden brown eyes. With a small start he realized that they were exactly the same color as his own.

Then the gaze was broken as he looked over Ash's shoulder at Lugia. Then at Misty. He thought he felt that he was surprised, but the feeling was quickly gone.

He slowly stood up, the Pikachu scrabbling up to sit on his shoulder, exactly where Ash's Pikachu perched. Ash could see the moonlight reflecting off of long, black hair reaching his shoulders. But the reflection was silver. In fact, it looked to be the same color as the Pikachu's fur. Ash thought he looked kind of small for a protector.

"Lugia," he said quietly. Ash was surprised at the sound of his voice; light and almost like a girl's. "I didn't know you were bringing Ash and Misty with you or I might have chosen a better spot to meet them." His hand swept across the room as he spoke, indicating the blood on the floor and a small something in the corner. Ash squinted through the light, peering closely at the thing. It looked like a...GameBoy?

"This is quite all right Chase," Lugia replied, stepping up to Ash. "Ash, this is Chase and Chuka, your Guardians. As you can see, Chase has received a small wound, but I healed her. Does your leg feel all right?"

"Her?" Misty suddenly asked from Ash's other side. Ash had to keep from jumping in surprise. He hadn't known she'd been there.

"Why, yes of course." Lugia said quizzically. Then his face brightened in a smile of understanding. "Oh, you thought she was a boy? Oh no, but it was an honest mistake. Most people think that Guardians are all boys. And they are, in fact. Chase is the first and last female Guardian!" he said proudly. "And the youngest," he added thoughtfully.

Ash looked at Chase in surprise. He studied her a little more closely and realized that she did look like a girl. Her black hair had long bangs that were constantly in her eyes and around her face, framing it. Her skin was tanned, probably from keeping outside as she watched him and his friends. She actually looked...pretty. Not as pretty as Misty of course, but she certainly wasn't bad looking.

"Where's Pikachu, Togepi, and Tracey?" she asked, snapping him out of his trance.

"They said they didn't want to come, rather they meet you later," Lugia replied for Ash. "Except Tracey. We never told him of you."

She smiled faintly. "I never liked him much. I wish Brock had never left." Ash felt weird hearing a stranger talk about Brock like she knew him personally. But she did, sort of. If she had been watching them since he was born than she must know as much about him as he did, maybe more.

Then a thought struck him. Did she know how he felt about Misty? He hadn't really said anything out loud, except for a few conversations with Pikachu. But wait...would she know how Misty felt about him? He stored this thought in the back of his mind to ask her later.

Then Lugia stepped forward. "Come here Chase," he commanded. Chase hesitatingly obeyed, stopping a few feet in front of him. Ash noted how graceful she looked. Lugia looked at the Pikachu perched on her shoulder. "Why don't you let Ash hold you for a minute. This may make you a little woozy for a while."

It looked at him for a minute, then at Ash. Its eyes met Chase's and Ash realized that their color matched exactly. The two stared at each other for a minute before Chuka slid down into her arms. She leaned over and set it down on the ground. It rushed over to Ash and was in his arms before he knew it. He was surprised at the Pikachu's fur. It was a lot softer than his Pikachu's, and a little shaggier too.

Suddenly Lugia laughed. "You two will need to get back into the habit of speaking aloud. Everyone will think it very odd if you do things together, simple things like that. I'm willing to bet you had a small conversation right then, didn't you?" Chase nodded slowly. "I thought so. Think about it. Then again, that seems to be precisely the problem."

Then he held out his hand, indicating Chase was to take it in her own. She only hesitated slightly before complying. Instantly they were both surrounded by an intense blue light. Chase stepped back in surprise, and the Pikachu in his arms shuddered. Ash looked down to see that it too was blue. Suddenly the calming feeling left him.

Lugia released her hand and she stepped back again, shaking on her feet. She stumbled back a bit, reaching a hand out to the wall to catch her. Then she slid to the ground.

Lugia dusted himself off as if nothing had happened. "Now, you will feel weak and wobbly for a while. You-"

"How long?" Chase interrupted.

"One to two weeks. Three at most."

"A week? I can't be out for a week!"

"And why not?" Lugia inquired. "You don't need to protect Ash and Misty anymore, and I sense no immediate danger."

"What about Giovanni?" she insisted. "He's been after me for years, following his father's footsteps. What if I run into a Rocket? I don't feel up to changing-"

"I should think not!" Everyone stared at him. "During this period, you will not be able to change."

"What!?"

"Pika!?"

Chuka squirmed around in Ash's arms. ~What if Giovanni himself comes?~ it demanded. ~He knows the Legend! He knows more than we do, so he probably knows how weak we'll be! And are!~

"Um, isn't Giovanni the Viridian City Gym Leader?" Misty asked softly.

Chase glanced at her. "He is also the leader of Team Rocket."

Ash's stomach churned. There was no way! Then he slowly submitted to reason. He had never actually met Giovanni, but had battled Team Rocket in his place. That would make sense. That's why Team Rocket had been appointed as Gym Leaders, because they worked for him.

"Will I still have my Attacks?" Chase asked softly, staring at the ground.

"I can't see why not," Lugia replied. "Now, as I was saying. You are now aging, hence the woozy feeling. You are also allowed to Train once again. If you want, you can participate in a League. I suggest you join Ash and Misty, that is, if they allow it."

He looked over at Ash, who was holding a trembling Pikachu. "Oh, um, yeah sure," he said nervously. "But...what about Tracey?"

"You can work that out later." Lugia then turned back to Chase who was fiddling with something on the ground. She picked it up and studied it for a moment, mumbling something to herself. "What is that?" Lugia asked, curious.

"The bullet that almost killed me," she answered quietly. "It's homemade. The men from town will be here soon, if I'm not mistaken. They have dogs and a few Growlithe. The leader of the group will have an Arcanine."

"How can you tell?" Misty asked.

"Smell it. Sense it." She continued when she saw the look Misty was giving her. "He reeked of dog. I'm surprised even you didn't smell it Ash, you stood right next to him." She tried standing, but had to reach a supporting hand out to the wall to catch her balance.

"Come on," she said briskly. "They'll be here any minute now. I've lost enough blood to lead anything here."

Chuka struggled to get out of Ash's arms, and Ash reluctantly set it on the ground. It stood on all fours, trying to stand, then sprinted to Chase. It scampered up her leg and body to sit once more on her shoulder.

She started over to a far corner enveloped in blackness. Her walking improved as she went. "Come on, it's another way out. There's a few inches of water a little further in so the dogs won't be able to track us."

She waited until Ash, Misty, and Lugia had reached her, then continued. The moonlight stopped at the entrance of the tunnel, but they could still see. Ash looked up and was startled to see Chase and Chuka glowing a bright yellow. Chase wasn't even flinching at the electric currents that must have been flowing through her body.

"Chase, doesn't that hurt? I mean, you know, your Pikachu using Electricity over both of you?" Ash asked softly as he approached her.

"No. I'm immune."

Ash was taken aback. "What? How come I'm not? Pikachu shocks me all the time."

"You're getting there," she answered, not even glancing back. "Haven't you noticed the more power Pikachu is putting into each Attack? And it feels the same every time. Unless she uses an especially powerful one."

The rest of the trip was made in silence. After a few minutes of walking they came to water, as Chase had told them they would. But it wasn't enough to reach over their shoes, so they didn't worry about it.

Chase led them down numerous corridors of inky blackness until Ash was sure he would never be able to find his way back. Finally though, she stopped.

Ash looked up from his staring at the ground and saw moonlight. He glanced at Chase and saw her looking over his shoulder at Lugia. He turned around too to look at him too.

"What?" Lugia asked. "I can't fly us out now, if that's what you're thinking. I need plenty of space to change."

"I know that," Chase said impatiently. "But can't you sense it? Even without changing I can scent something strange on the breeze, and there's hardly any of that in here!"

Lugia narrowed his eyes at her. "No, I can't say that I do. Maybe you're mistaken, but I know from experience that that's probably not the case." He sighed as he stared out of the opening. "Well, we'll figure it out later. Let's just get out of here, being a bird I hate closed spaces."

Ash stepped aside to allow him to pass, then followed him to the opening. The space was wide enough to accommodate Ash, Misty, Lugia, and Chase with room to spare.

Ash stared out at the world around him. The ledge they were on was about Lugia's body length from the ground, but the wall was rocky enough to climb down. There didn't seem to be any clouds in the sky, making the stars appear even brighter than they were. Below them was the forest they had come from. Ash figured that the town was behind him, on the other side of the rocks.

Then he remembered Chase's weakness. He glanced up at her and saw that Lugia and Misty were also looking at her. She, however, was staring out over the ocean to their side. When she seemed to realize everyone was staring at her she turned around.

"What? I can make it down. Come on."

Chuka bounded off of her shoulder and stood on the edge as she climbed over it. When she was a little further down, it hopped from ledge to ledge until it reached her.

Then Lugia set off, followed by Misty. Ash was about to go when the wind picked up and he heard something. He strained his ears to hear it, but it didn't come back. Then the air was filled with barking and a few howls. He looked around, but even this high up he couldn't see anything unusual.

He glanced over the edge at Chase, who was about two jumps from the bottom. She was peering intently into the trees. The Pikachu on the boulder above her had its ears pricked forward and was also staring into the trees.

He decided he'd better get down. He carefully climbed over the edge and lowered himself down. The going was slow, but he ignored the pains creeping over his back and continued his decent. When he reached the bottom Chase and her Pikachu were no where to be seen. Upon further inspection, Lugia wasn't there either.

"Where'd Chase and Lugia go?" he asked Misty. He sat down beside her at the base of the cliff and rested his head on a rock. He really needed to get his muscles accustomed to harder work; riding around on Lapras's back hadn't helped any.

Without looking up she pointed into the woods.

"Why?"

"They heard something," she mumbled. "We really need to get back into shape, Ash. Back in the Indigo League this would have been easy."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed, stretching his legs out in front of him. So, he wasn't the only one experiencing soreness. That made him feel a little better.

Suddenly the air was split by a loud bark. Ash and Misty bolted up, but they didn't see anything.

"What was that?" Misty asked nervously.

"I dunno," he said as he stood up. Misty quickly followed his example. "Do you think Chase and Lugia are okay?"

"I hope so."

Suddenly the barking started up again, a lot closer than it was before. Ash and Misty jumped simultaneously, then looked at each other.

"It's heading this way!" Misty said, panicking. "What do we do?"

"I don't know! Where are Chase and Lugia? Should we leave without them?"

"How should I know!" Misty yelled in panic. The barking was steadily getting closer. "Let's just go! I'm sure they can take care of themselves. Chase has got her Pikachu as a Pokémon and Lugia...well...he is a Pokémon!"

"All right, come on." He grabbed her hand and bolted to the side. They ran along the cliff wall for a few minutes, but were soon cut off by the ocean.

"A dead end! Now what?"

Ash looked at her. "I don't know! Let's try doubling around and then we'll go on the other side."

"But what if the dogs are there!?"

Ash thought for a minute. The ocean was too rough for them to swim, and the dogs might be there if they went back. He desperately wished he hadn't left his Pokémon with Nurse Joy to rest. He needed them now more than ever.

"Going back's our only chance. Besides, they might not even be after us. Let's just go."

Misty looked at him in fear and he felt a huge swarm of butterflies welling up in his stomach. She was counting on him to get them out of there, and he wouldn't let her down.

"All right," she said quietly.

They started running back in the direction they had come. When the trees were in sight Ash suddenly felt something tugging on his free hand. Before he knew it he had been yanked into a large nook in the wall. He flew to the ground, Misty on top of him. She scrambled off and they stood up to see who had grabbed them, but it was too dark. The moon was on the other side of the rocks, of all the places...

"Who are-"

Ash was cut off by a hand over his mouth. He struggled to turn around and yelped in surprise.

"Lugia!" he tried to say, but it came out all muffled.

"Shh! The dogs might hear you! Sit down." he whispered harshly. He released Ash's mouth and he sat down beside Misty. He saw the dim outline of Chase with Chuka once more on her shoulder at the opening, peering in the direction of the forest.

Then she turned to him. "They've surrounded the cliff," she said quietly, but they heard her perfectly. "They knew I would try to escape. They'll come around here any minute now. Now listen up, I want you two," she indicated Ash and Misty "to stay here. Me, Lugia, and Chuka should be more than enough for them."

"But-"

"No buts." She turned to Lugia. "Ready?" He nodded. Then she turned to Chuka.

"Pika!"

"Then let's go."

Ash and Misty watched as they slid silently out of the entrance. While they were talking the barking had been steadily gaining momentum, and now it was a dull roar in their ears. Every now and then they would hear a man shout, but it was rarely heard over the dogs.

Suddenly the dull roar became a painful one. The pair covered their ears, their panic welling up inside. What if one got past them? Would it hurt them?

Ash pulled together his courage and crawled over to the opening. What he saw made him wish he hadn't.

In the large clearing between the cliff and the trees a battle was raging. Large, black dogs covered the area like a swarming anthill, but most of the men were in the shadow of the trees. Every once in a while he would see a flash of yellow light as Chuka unleashed an Electric Attack. But where were Lugia and Chase?

He scanned the battle area, finally spotting Lugia. He was near the water's edge, apparently concentrating hard. His body was surrounded in blue light, and his eyes were glowing. He held out his arms and blue light shot out of his outstretched hands at the dogs. A few fell, but more only took their place. The blue barrier Lugia had put around him was faltering under the tearing claws and teeth of the animals.

Suddenly he saw a large group of men come out into the clearing. Ash spotted Chase in the middle, fighting for her life. She was ducking in and out of their arms, grabbing their guns before they could shoot at Lugia or her and throwing them into the ocean waters.

When most of the guns were gone he heard them shout in anger. They closed in on her, and for a minute Ash panicked. Where'd she go?

"Oh, Gods."

Ash jumped at the sound beside him.

"Misty! What are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing!?" she retorted before falling silent at the scene in front of them. "Where's Chase?"

Ash gulped. "In that clump of men."

"Ash, we have to help them!"

"How?"

"I don't know! We just do!"

"I know that but until you can tell me what good we'll do we need to stay here!" She didn't reply, but he could tell she was really worried.

Suddenly a shape burst out of the group of men and shot across the clearing. It stopped at the base of the cliff and crouched as it caught its breath. "Chase!" Ash said excitedly. "She's okay!"

But upon further inspection Ash could see small cuts on her bare arms. She was panting heavily, swaying slightly. But she stood when one of the men started toward her. Ash realized with a start that it was the same man that had shot the cat, the leader of the group.

As he approached, the other men ran out into the swarm of dogs gathering around the Pikachu and Lugia, his barrier barely standing. One by one they called off their dogs. Chase went out to meet the leader in the center of the clearing, the other men and their dogs forming a wide circle around them. Now Ash could see a few Growlithe among them, but he didn't see an Arcanine.

He watched Lugia pick up Chuka and head over to the group, finding a spot in the circle. The dogs around him growled a little, baring their teeth, but didn't attack.

Then Ash turned to Misty. "Come on, something's up. I don't think they'll attack, so let's go see what's happening." She nodded as they stood, and together they ran down the sloping ground to join the circle beside Lugia.

Chase and the leader were staring intently at each other, circling around the ring. Chase seemed to be regaining her breath, but she was still gasping. The man looked twice her size, his muscles bulging from under his tight shirt. Then they stopped and the man spoke.

"I've heard of you, beast," he growled menacingly. Chase didn't respond. "The other islands have talked about an animal walking among the people, changing back into its beastly form by night to make off with the local children. Well that's not happening here!"

They started circling again. "I am Gage of Urban on the island of Trovita, and I hereby challenge you to a Martial Circle!"

Ash and Misty gasped, but the others cheered them on. Chase couldn't fight in a Martial Circle! She would be killed!

"I take it you do not understand the rules of the Circle," Gage said, when Chase didn't reply. "They are simple. It is a combat circle of skill. The first to be knocked unconscious or leave the Circle is defeated. What is your decision?"

For a minute Chase didn't say anything and they only circled one another. "I accept," she said finally. Gage grinned. "But only on certain terms. First, you are allowed to use any and all strengths you have."

"Very well. What else?"

"Only that you don't hold back. I haven't had a worthy opponent in over thirty years."

Gage and the men guffawed at this statement, but Chase only narrowed her eyes. "As you wish," Gage said, wiping tears from his eyes. Then he turned to his men. "All right you cowards, gather us some stones and make us a Martial Circle!"

As the men complied with his orders, Chase walked over to where Ash, Misty, and Lugia were standing. The Pikachu in Lugia's arms jumped over to Chase, licking her face. Chase hugged it close, burying her head in its silvery fur. Finally Ash found his voice.

"Chase, you can't combat in a Martial Circle! He's gonna kill you! I've never seen one Circle without one of the Artists dying and that's usually the smaller one!"

Chase looked up at him and he was surprised to see her smiling. "Do I look dead to you?" He stared at her. "I have competed in more Circles than I care to count, always being the smaller, and I'm not dead." Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way- "Don't look at me like I'm crazy," she said, cutting off his thoughts. "I've seen way too many people lose their fortunes on me. The Power of One, remember?."

Before he could say anything she started walking over to the now ready Circle. Ash, Misty, and Lugia followed, all of them silent.

Before stepping inside of the ring, she set Chuka down. It leaped to Ash's shoulder when he stopped beside it, but he didn't pay it any attention. He felt rather than saw Lugia take his place on one side of him and Misty on the other.

He couldn't believe it. His Guardian was about to throw her life away in some stupid Circle. She could have just run away, or even waited for Lugia to change and he could have taken them off of the island. But no. She had to battle.

Then he felt a warm breath on his ear. ~Don't worry,~ the Pikachu whispered. ~She'll be okay.~

Ash nodded, but he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right...

He was kicked from his thoughts by the other men gathering around a few feet behind the stones, giving Chase and Gage room if one of them was to be thrown out. Ash gulped at the thought of Chase being hurled out of the Circle by the larger, older Gage. He could hear their dogs growling from the trees.

The leader grinned as Chase stepped inside, the men filling the hole she had made when she walked through. "Let the games begin," he snarled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~

Chase clenched her fists as the man stared at her, yellowing teeth glowing in the light of the moon. "Let the games begin," he said nastily. She didn't respond.

Suddenly he charged forward, trying to catch her off guard. Knowing she would never stand against his weight, she ducked out of the way. He skidded to a stop beside the stones, then turned around and charged again. Chase leapt nimbly out of the way.

He faced her, growling in anger. He brought his fists up in front of him to intimidate her and ran forward.

She knew this could go on for a while, so she decided to end it. This time she didn't dodge. He grinned when he saw her unmoving in his path, and increased his speed. Chase ducked at the last minute and Gage tripped over her. She ignored the pain from the jolt and jumped to her feet. She landed hard on his back and grabbed his arms from his sides, yanking them harshly behind him.

Gage groaned in pain, struggling beneath her. Chase struggled to maintain her grip, powering up her Attacks as she did so, but eventually the stronger man won. He managed to throw her off of him, watching as she flew through the air.

She tried twisting to her feet, but it was no use. She landed hard, skipping along the dirt clearing in her momentum and feeling sharp stabs where small rocks pierced her skin. Pain shot through her back as she lay there. She tried crawling to her knees, pain filling every niche in her body. But she somehow managed.

Though she was still a little woozy, she stood.

Gage, also on his feet, looked surprised at her determination. She stood there for a minute, and the two studied each other. Chase thought hard, shoving her aches to the side. What could she do to win this?

She knew now that she would never overpower him, she was much too small. But he wasn't very fast. Maybe she could-

"Give up?" Gage inquired, interrupting her strategy. But she didn't say anything. Let him talk, she thought. So much more wind for me. "Well come on," he taunted. "Aren't you gonna say something? Your last wishes, maybe?" he laughed at this, but Chase still didn't say anything. She thought it completely pointless to waste breath taunting when it could be used for strength.

His brow knitted in confusion at her silence. She used this opportunity to power up once again. She could feel the electricity building up, but she needed the perfect amount. Not so much as to kill him, but definitely knock him out.

Suddenly he lurched forward, his right fist aimed at her head. She scooted over to the side, losing her concentration. He tried tripping her, but she jumped over his foot. But in the action she didn't see the hand snaking its way to her. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach as she jumped, sending her crashing once more to the ground.

She lay there for a minute, gasping for breath as she clutched her middle. The rolling pain in her stomach was cutting off her air, but she needed to get up!

She felt the vibrations in the ground as Gage stomped over to her. He grabbed her on each side and lifted her high above his head, ready to throw her out. She desperately latched onto his arm, and when he threw her she was jerked back in. He lost concentration at the confusion when she didn't leave, and she seized this opportunity to punch him in the face.

He staggered back, holding his head in his hands. Chase leaped off of his shoulders and crouched on the ground, watching him. He wasn't smart, and that was good. He had a particularly slow reaction time, much to her speedy advantage. She could still do this, but she had to do it now.

She waited until he took his hands away from his bleeding nose, then rushed over to him. He didn't know what hit him. She kicked him in the ribs, sending him back to the edge of the circle. He sort of staggered back in, and she rushed him again.

She punched him hard on the back of the head, but when he turned to hit her she was already behind him, kicking him in the spine. He lurched to his knees, howling in pain, and she snaked her way around to kick him in the stomach.

But when she brought her foot up she was yanked off her feet. She hit the ground on her back, and her vision blurred for a minute. She was suddenly jerked forward by her foot and lifted off the ground. She hung there, feeling the blood rush into her head, but her vision was returning to normal.

The blurry form in front of her slowly changed into an upside down grinning Gage with a bloody nose. "So," he growled, his voice slurred with his past pain. "After all of your hard work I'm still gonna win." She was suddenly lurched forward as he chucked her out of the ring.

But she wasn't finished yet. She twisted around in the air, quickly bringing her feet beneath her. She sailed to the ground, absorbing the shock with her legs. She skidded to the stones, but managed to stop a mere inch away from the nearest one.

She couldn't help but grin at the man's foolishness. He knew she was a cat, and yet he had thrown her high into the air. Stupid, really.

She struggled to her feet, her legs trying to give way beneath her. She somehow managed to keep them steady as she arose, her eyes never leaving Gage's.

Then she leaped forward, surprising him with what strength she had left. She crouched in front of him for a split second before leaping into the air. Her hands hit hard on his shoulder blades, and he staggered under their pressure. She catapulted herself over him, flipping over in the air to land just behind him. She thrust her foot out at his knees, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Now she had her energy. She felt the current surge through her body, but she kept it in. She stood over him and gathered her reserve strength into her arms. She pointed them forward and let the electricity spill out of them, sailing through the short distance between her and Gage.

She unleashed her strength, not caring how much she lost. If she didn't finish him now he would kill her. She watched as his body lurched on the ground, his voice filling the night with screams.

When she knew she had given him enough, she cut her power off. She let her arms fall to her sides and stood there, looking at her unconscious opponent. But she didn't have the strength to stay up. She dropped to her hands and knees and gasped for breath. Then she rolled over on her side, no longer able to support her own body.

She lay there for what seemed only a few moments before she heard the men roar in rage. But they didn't come to her. She watched through half closed eyes as they rushed to assist their master, but they couldn't wake him. For a fleeting moment she thought she'd killed him, but she sighed in relief when he moaned from the ground.

She managed to pull herself into a sitting position when suddenly something furry hit her hard in the face, tiny paws gripping her tightly. She knew who it was without thinking. She quickly buried her head in his ruffled silver fur, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his jolted tail around her head, joining them. Suddenly she felt stronger.

With a start she jerked away from Chuka, bringing him forward to look him in the eyes. "Don't," she whispered, surprised at how scratchy her own voice sounded. "You need your own strength. Save it." Even this small fragment of words caused her to resume her heavy breathing.

He frowned at her, his golden brown eyes filled with concern, but he didn't try it again. She looked at her arms deep in Chuka's thick fur, arms covered in blood. When had she received those wounds?

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and was surprised to see Ash. "Are-are you okay?" he asked softly. She thought she heard concern in his voice, but knew that couldn't be it. No human cared for her.

She nodded slowly, hugging Chuka once again. She could feel his happiness gathering inside of him, making her happy as well. Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching her. She opened one eye to see Misty and Lugia running toward her.

They stopped beside her, kneeling next to Ash. Misty tried to touch her other shoulder and Lugia reached out to ruffle her hair, but she scampered back, not used to so much attention.

"I'm okay," she said in an extremely scratchy voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I'm okay. Really. Let's just go."

She tried to climb to her feet, Chuka grappling for a spot on her head, but she was too weak. That aging thing had taken way more out of her than she had thought.

Her legs wobbled beneath her, knees threatening to give way, but before she fell she felt two strong arms wrap around each of her shoulders, supporting her. She glanced up and saw Ash on one side and Misty on the other, smiling. They draped her arms over their shoulders to help her. Then she looked up and saw Lugia.

"Yes, let us go," he said quietly.

Ash walked down the street the next day, deep in thought. They had managed to get Chase onto Lugia's back before she passed out, but he was surprised she had even made it that far. She had been bleeding freely since she fell the first time, in his opinion those rocks had been placed there on purpose. Not to mention how much blood she lost from her bullet wound, and then she was supposed to be weak from her powers suddenly being taken away.

He thought about how fast she had moved. At some points she had only been a blur, Gage hadn't really stood a chance, even with his weight. Chase had the speed, the cunning, and according to her the experience.

At least Tracey had still been at the Festival. He didn't know how they would have explained her and Chuka to him if he'd seen them. But he did comment on Ash's bloodstained jacket, which had been totally forgotten in the action. He had told him they had found a hurt Pokémon, and he didn't press them.

Now what was he going to tell her when she woke up? He had a million questions buzzing through his mind, but he knew the best thing to do would be to let her rest. He still felt sore from yesterday and the day before, and he hadn't participated in a Martial Circle.

And what of Tracey? He was bound to see her sometime, she couldn't stay in his rented room forever. What were they going to tell him? He sighed at that thought. His main goals in life had changed from becoming a Pokémon Master to saving a life, keeping a deadly-okay, not deadly-secret, protecting someone else, still trying to become a Master, and dealing with his new feelings for Misty in a matter of two days. Why was life always so complicated?

He glanced up when a chilling wind hit him. It wasn't supposed to be cold here, it was summer. And the wind had smell faintly of ice. Oh well, he thought. Must be the aftershock of the Incident.

He headed back to Melody's house, the house they were staying in. They hadn't told Melody of Chase, but she was bound to find out sooner or later. He marched up the stone steps and through the front door, locking it behind him. He didn't hear anyone, so he decided to go up to his room and check on Chase.

He slowly opened the door, wincing when it squeaked. He stepped inside and quickly shut it behind him, locking it against any sudden intruders. He then turned toward the bed and gasped.

It was empty.

Now where did she go? She was way too weak to get up by herself, had someone taken her? He glanced around the room nervously. No one else was there, not even her beloved Pikachu.

He strode over to the window and leaned on the open ledge, peering over the trees of the nearby forest. Suddenly he saw something flash from beneath the trees. He frowned at it. It had almost looked like electricity.

Suddenly he saw it again. Now his interest was piqued. He turned around and made his way back downstairs. He was about to open the front door when something yellow burst off of the couch and onto his shoulder.

He smiled. "Hi Pikachu. Where'd everybody go? Where's Chase?" She had been in his room when they had returned. He would never forget the look on her face as she watched them carry in a wounded and unconscious Chase, bleeding freely.

~Out to breakfast,~ she replied.

"Even Chase?"

~No, she went out to Train Chuka.~

"What!?" he yelled. Pikachu stared at him. "She's way to weak to be Training! How could you let her out?"

~She looked fine to me! Lugia healed her wounds while you were sleeping, and said she would be okay.~

Ash glanced at the small mouse sitting on his shoulder and sighed. "I'm sorry I yelled at you Pikachu, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just that there's been a lot of stuff on my mind lately."

~Is Misty one of them?~

He opened the door and stepped outside, immediately heading toward the forest. "No, actually, but now that you mention it she is."

~Where are we going?~

"I thought I saw some flashes of electricity in the forest. If you said Chase is out Training then its probably her."

~You mean Chuka?~

"No, I mean her. You wouldn't believe it Pikachu! She was in a Martial Circle with someone twice her size and she was unbelievable! She finished the guy off with a really powerful Electric Attack, and it came from her!"

He entered the trees and slowed down a little. "Uh, I think it's this way," he said. He wished he had paid more attention to where they were. He had expected there to be tracks in the snow, but there were none.

~She really used an Electric Attack?~ Pikachu asked excitedly.

"Yeah, and I think she was using Agility too! She said something about keeping Attacks when Lugia took away her powers, maybe she meant Pokémon Powers! Maybe she can-"

He was cut off when he heard voices ahead of them and a little to the side. He crept forward slowly, trying not to make any noise. Was it her? What else could it be?

He crouched low to the ground and separated a large patch of thick meadow grass, staring at the scene before him.

Chase and Chuka were on a large, flat rock kicking the air. As he watched, they spun around and simultaneously kicked the air behind them. Then they leaped at least three feet off the ground and did a backflip in the air, landed on their hands/forepaws, only springing up again to do a spinning kickflip and land nimbly on their feet/hindpaws with their arms raised in a defensive position.

They let their arms down and smiled at each other.

"Perfect," Ash heard Chase say. "Okay, that's five. How about we try a new Attack today?"

"Pika!"

"All right," she crouched down near Chuka and patted its head. "I got one, but only you can do it. Ready?"

"Pi!"

"Okay, stand up straight." It did as it was told. "Good. Now point your tail out behind you. Show me what your Tail Whip looks like. Perfect! Okay, now concentrate. I want you to put some electricity into your tail only. I don't want any other part of your body to glow. That way, when you use Tail Whip you'll lower your Opponents Defense and hurt it, without using another Attack!"

The Pikachu smiled up at her, grinning mischievously. Suddenly it spun around and whipped her with its tail, electricity filling it. Ash held back a gasp at this backstab, but surprisingly Chase didn't cry out in pain. Instead, she was laughing.

"Great job Chuka! I guess you won't need any practice there, that almost hurt."

"Pi pika?" ~What now?~

Chase lay down on her back on the rock, stretching her feet out in front of her. Chuka hopped onto its master's chest and lay down. They were in much the same position Ash and Pikachu had been in the night Lugia had visited them for the first time.

"Oh, I dunno," she sighed. "I'm still kinda sore from yesterday, but I'm still up to a good battle. Too bad there aren't any challengers on a Festival day. How long is that thing anyway?"

~I dunno.~

"Hey, I know! Remember that Mankey we met when we brought Ash and Misty here? The one that took us to Primeape? You think it will battle us?"

~Let's go see!~

The duo got to their feet. They were about to head off into the trees opposite Ash when something fell out of them.

"Primeape?" Chase asked the large brown spiked ball.

"Brishack!"

"Really? All of them?"

"Shack!"

"All right! We'll stay here while you get them."

The Primeape leaped into the tree it had come from and Ash stared at Chase. She could understand it? Ash could only understand Pikachu perfectly, and he knew a little of Togepi's language, but he only knew bits and pieces of any of the others. Did Chase know all of them?

Before he knew it the trees around him were filled with Mankey and Primeape alike. Each of the scrambled to land on the rock, but there was hardly enough room. Chase tried quieting them down, but it took a while to do it. When the mass was quiet enough to speak and be heard, a cry split the air.

"Shack! Brishack!"

"What? Where?"

Ash froze when the Primeape that had spoken up pointed straight at him. Chase stared intently at his hiding spot, then her face split into a grin.

"Ash? Pikachu? How long have you been there?"

Well, she didn't seem to be angry that they had been spying on them. "Did the Primeape tell you?" he asked as he stood up.

"No, actually. He said he saw a wild yellow mouse watching us. I guess there are no Pikachu on this island. Anyway, I would be able to spot you anywhere."

She saw him looking over the many Pokémon gathered on the rock. ~Are you really going to battle all of them?~ Pikachu asked.

"Yeah, but not here. We'll take it down to the beach."

Upon hearing this, the group scrambled to reach the treetops, sloping off to the beach. Chase looked over at Ash. "Coming?"

"Aren't you a little weak for a Pokémon battle?"

"I can handle it." She led him over an edge of the rock that Ash couldn't see over and he saw that it was another cliff. Below him was the white sand of the beach, but below him was at least a hundred feet. The battling Pokémon were gathering at the bottom.

"Oh, not another rock wall!" he groaned. "I still have cuts from the last two walls I climbed!"

Chase grinned. "I know a shortcut."

"How?"

"This is where Chuka and I stayed before the Incident. That is, before F'lare kicked us off."

"F'lare? "

"Yeah. I like him, but sometimes he really grinds your nerves, you know?" she laughed at the expression on his face. "I'm kidding. Although F'lare did kick us off Shamuti. And to Trovita, of all places."

"You mean, you didn't like Trovita either?"

"Hated it. Although the jungles there where excellent. Lots of different Pokémon." She turned around and Ash followed her back into the trees.

"What do you mean 'lots of different Pokémon?" Ash asked. "I didn't see any."

"That's because you only went on the river and the edge. Sure there are lots in the river, but they hide when they see that Rudy's doing one of his battles again."

She turned sharply and Ash realized they were going downhill. They walked for a few minutes, batting branches out of their way, until the grass suddenly stopped. Chase led him past a few more palms before he felt the earth give away under his feet. He looked down to see sand instead of dirt. They had reached the beach.

"How do you know where everything is?" he asked as they picked their way over the rocks and over to the clearing where the Pokémon were waiting for them.

"I remember from last time." she replied calmly. "F'lare led us down this same path before making sure we left the island."

Ash was stunned. He was walking where a God had walked! And Chase was talking about F'lare like he was a normal person! Had she really met him? Lugia said he had. Where was Lugia anyway? Had he gone to breakfast with Tracey, Melody, and Misty?

As they entered the clearing Ash's trail of thought was cut short by the sight awaiting them. There were hundreds of Mankey and Primeape gathered on the sandy beach. Ash watched in shock as Chase calmly made her way down to them and stopped next to the water. She flung her shoes over to him, letting the water lap over her bare feet.

"All right everyone, I'm only looking for the best of you!" she called. The group stopped their chattering to listen to her. "We're gonna go stretch while you pick out the best. I don't want us to injure anyone, so don't cheat!"

She then walked over to Ash. Chuka leaped from her shoulder and the two started a stretching routine. "You're not battling them, are you?" Ash asked her.

"Of course I am."

"What? "

"PiKa?"

"But Chase, you're way too weak from the Martial Circle! You can't battle a swarm of Primeape!"

She stopped her stretching to look up at him. "I admit I don't feel as up to it as I should, but I can manage."

"But Chase you've lost way too much blood. You should be back at the house resting!"

"And what? Wait for Tracey or Melody to come in? Maybe even Chorus? I'll pass on that. I don't have any more cuts, thanks to Lugia. And I need to get used to my limited powers now, before something else comes up."

~What do you mean 'limited powers'?~ Pikachu asked, hopping down from Ash's shoulder. ~I thought Lugia took them away.~

"No, Lugia took away my natural power to change form, not my Attack power."

"Change form? Attack power? What do you mean?"

Chase stood up, followed by Chuka, and looked over at the group awaiting her. "I'll explain later. I gotta go now." Without a backward glance she jogged over to them, Chuka right on her heels.

Ash sighed and sat down. After the Martial Circle, he knew she would be able to take care of herself. Even if the chosen Primeape were as tall as she was and with bulging muscles.

He watched her separate them into two groups, two for Chuka and around five for her. Ash would have thought that a bit many, but he wasn't about to say so. She told Chuka not to use any Electric Attacks, and then led her group a little away from it.

Suddenly the Primeape attacked, each aiming a punch at Chuka's small head. It leaped nimbly out of the way, landed on an attacker's back, and scratched its head. The Primeape howled in pain as blood seeped from the small wound. Ash was surprised at the Pikachu's sharp claws.

The other tried to kick Chuka, but it leaped out of the way and the kick landed squarely on the Primeape's head. It was out cold.

"Chuka, why don't you try your Thunder Whip?" Chase called from her watching perch on a rock.

"Pika!" It spun around to face the Primeape, waited for it to charge, and leaped over its head. The Primeape continued running, then stopped. It looked around in confusion, but it didn't see the small silver blur creeping up behind it. The Pikachu whipped it over the head with a brightly glowing tail, blurred by the speed of the attack. The Primeape leaped away, but not before its Defense was severely lowered and a few Hit Points knocked off.

It spun around to face the Pikachu, but it wasn't there. It was above it, coming down with an outstretched foot to land hard on the Primeape's head. The Primeape was down before it knew what hit it.

"My turn," Chase called. Chuka bounded over to where Ash and Pikachu were sitting on their rock. It had hardly broken a sweat.

But before Ash could talk to it Chase had taken to the clearing with her five Primeape. They formed a circle around her, closing her in. The one behind suddenly rushed forward, but Chase ducked and it went sprawling over her crouched body.

She used it to spring her up, did a flip in the air, and came down hard on one of the Primeape in the circle. She hopped from the fallen Primeape's back and stood with her feet spread and her arms raised, waiting for another attack.

A Primeape helped the first fallen one up and the two charged toward her, arms punching the air, waiting to come in contact with her body. But instead of dodging as Ash had expected, she brought her arms up to block their punches. They tried swinging their other arms around, but she ducked between them and they ended up punching each other. Ash couldn't help but smile at the comic scene as they fell on either side of her.

But there were still three left to deal with. They ran forward as one, apparently thinking that she couldn't deal with three at once. She crouched low, then sprang herself off of the ground, but not too high. Ash suddenly realized she had curled herself into a ball and was using her momentum to bowl them over with her feet in front. It worked, but Chase ended up landing hard on what Ash thought was her back.

Before he knew it she was on her feet again, although she didn't look as steady as she once was. The Primeape had picked themselves up and were glaring at her. She didn't move. She's defensive, Ash realized with a start. Unless she was sure to do some damage she wouldn't move.

Then one rushed forward. As it ran it started shining, getting faster as it went. Ash recognized the maneuver as Focus Energy, but could Chase dodge it? As it approached she crouched lower to the ground. When it was only a few feet away she sprang into the air, but the Primeape had been ready for that. One of its arms shot up, catching Chase in the side. She flattened out in the air, hitting the ground on her shoulder and sliding a few feet with her momentum.

She crawled to another crouching position, gasping for breath. But the other two Primeape were creeping up behind her. Ash was about to call for her to look out, but he wasn't fast enough. One jumped into the air and lowered its foot while the other swiped in her direction with its front paws.

Ash was sure she would get hurt this time, she didn't move as they got nearer. But when the Attacks looked as if they were going to hit she rolled out of the way. The first Primeape ended up falling to the ground, not able to land with one foot curled. The second Primeape tried to stop, but it was no use. It crashed into the first and the two went rolling over the sand. When they stopped they didn't move.

Now she had one more opponent. She got into her defensive position, but immediately dropped to her knees when the Primeape used Screech. Ash and the two Pikachu beside him also covered their ears at the agonizing sound, but they knew it was ten times worse for Chase.

While she sat there with her eyes screwed shut the Primeape attacked. It rushed over to her and lifted her from the ground. It jumped into the air and slammed her down in a powerful Seismic Toss. But she somehow managed to twist around and landed on her feet, absorbing the shock with the loose sand. The Primeape landed beside her, surprised that its powerful Attack hadn't worked.

Before it could move Chase was up and kicking it over the head, leaping out of the way when it tried a Counter Attack. The Primeape tried Thrash, and it looked like a few of its blows were connecting with her, but Chase's Agility was too fast for it. Gradually it sunk to the ground. Chase let up on her Attacks, watching it fall. She stood over its unconscious form, then looked up at Ash, breathing heavily.

Ash jumped to his feet and rushed over to her. He was shocked. He stopped in front of her and watched in silence as she rubbed a scratched arm. Apparently a few of the Primeape's Attacks had hit.

"That-that was incredible!" he stuttered, something he rarely did. She looked up at him in surprise. "That Primeape had to be at least at Level sixty-three to know Thrash, and you still won!"

"I was pathetic," she muttered as she sat down on the soft sand. Ash sat beside her and Chuka hopped into her lap. "I shouldn't have gotten hit even one of those times. Look at my arm!"

Ash looked to see that it was scratched up pretty good. Blood was seeping out, but not too much. "You're crazy," he told her. "You're a human, not a Pokémon. And you beat one! And you think you were bad because you got hit a few times? I'm surprised you weren't killed!"

Pikachu agreed, but Chase didn't respond for a few minutes. "You don't understand," she said quietly. "Before I went to Trovita that would have been easy. I never would have gotten hit, last night either. I should have been able to beat Gage with my hands tied behind my back, and look what happened. I passed out. I haven't done that since your little bout with Mewtwo."

She sighed, but before Ash could question her about Mewtwo she continued. "I need to get back into shape. Chuka here seems fine, but I'm really weak. And I know something's going to happen soon. I can sense it, Chuka can sense it, and I'm pretty sure your Pikachu can sense it too." Ash looked over at her and she nodded.

"I don't know what it is, but I need to be ready. I just don't feel the same anymore, like I'm forgetting something."

She stopped talking and Ash looked at her. "I think you're doing fine, but I think what you need most right now is rest. You'll get your strength back soon, maybe even this week. Come on, let's go back to the house."

She sighed once again before standing. Ash noticed her wince at the pains she must be feeling, but decided not to comment. "Were the others back from breakfast when you left?" she asked him.

"No. I'm surprised Lugia let you out to Train, actually."

"He didn't," she said, leading him back up the rock outcropping they had gone down. "He's going to be so mad."

~Why?~ Pikachu asked, this time from atop his head.

"He takes it upon himself to act as my parent. Not that my parents acted in the least like him, but you get the picture. I know F'lare told him to, but he doesn't know I know. He wants me to think he's going out of his way for my protection, not that I need it."

"How were you're parents different?" Ash asked. He had suddenly realized that he knew nothing of her history, while she knew everything there was to know about his.

"Parent. I don't know who my father is."

Ash hesitated before asking his next question. "Do you-do you know mine?"

She stopped walking and looked at him. "Do you really want to know?" she asked quietly. Ash stared at her. Was he that bad? What, was he a criminal or something? He had asked his mom once, but she had hastily changed the subject. He had decided not to ask again.

Before he could answer he heard something crashing through the snow-covered bushes towards them. They froze, staring in the direction of the noise. Suddenly the bushes in front of them parted and Lugia stepped through, but he looked completely different than usual.

He was panting, but whether from fury or lack of air Ash didn't know. His face was red, and he was glaring at Chase.

"What are you doing out here!?" he demanded in an angry voice. Ash was silent, surprised by his tone. "You are supposed to be at the house sleeping! You lost way too much blood to be up and about, and that's not including the energy I took along with your powers!"

Then he turned to Chuka. "What were you doing, letting her out? You of all living beings know how sick she is! And what's with you trying to conceal it from Ash and Pikachu here?" he asked Chase. "I know what you're feeling, girl, so stop hiding it! Challenging a swarm of Primeape, of all the things to do when you're sick! Not get back in that bed right now! I should summon K'mbat, he'll give you a good fight!"

"I'm not sick Lugia!" Chase retorted, apparently not affected by the threat of going one on one with the Fighting God of Pokémon. "I may be weak, but I need to get in shape! I know you feel something isn't right, so why are you hiding that? "

"I know what it is now because I think before I rush out headfirst into things! If you studied the Complete Legend, like I told you to, you would know too!"

"You know how boring that thing is! And besides, I know the Legend by heart and it says nothing of what I'm feeling! Chuka too!"

"Are you really as dense as N'ihte has predicted!? Have you not interpreted it by now?"

"Interpreted what!?" Chase cried. Ash had to keep from smiling. They were arguing as a father and daughter. While one looked out for the safety of the other, the other wanted to do whatever she thought was best.

"I've a mind not to tell you! And I won't, not until I've seen you rest for what I see as long enough!"

The two glared at each other. Ash and Pikachu were startled to see Lugia's eyes suddenly glow blue while Chase's transformed into a golden yellow, sparks of electricity flying out. The staring went on for a few minutes. Ash glanced at Chuka, but it didn't seem to think anything was wrong. In fact, it looked a little bored.

They leaned away from each other, Chase crossing her arms. Lugia's eyes stopped glowing and Chase's returned to their normal golden brown, but Ash thought they looked a little darker than before.

"I want you back in that bed without another word or I will summon K'mbat. Understood?" Chase didn't move. "And F'lare."

"Fine." Chase said finally. She stomped off through the bushes in the direction Lugia had come, Chuka on her shoulder.

Lugia stared after her, then sighed. Turning to Ash, he said, "Now do you see what I meant when I said they didn't like to listen to rules? I hate arguing with her, you know. Only the threat of F'lare ever gets her to comply with anything I say."

"Why?" Ash asked, following him in Chase's direction.

"He's assigned me duty of watching over her. He knows of her other parents, and he also knows how stubborn she is. Why he asked me, of all creatures, to handle her not even the Gods know. I'd be surprised if the Titans knew."

"Who are her parents?"

"According to her she doesn't have any."

"Huh?"

Lugia sighed, then stopped walking to turn and face him. "It's a long and complicated story, but when she was little her mother died. Although not before she married a drunken slob and had a son born to him. She never knew who her father was, and her stepfather was constantly beating her, while favoring her half-brother. She grew up in her younger brother's shadow, never receiving love from anyone. Hence her attitude." He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "Please don't tell her I told you this, okay? She'll never listen to me then and she hates people feeling sorry for her."

"But why is F'lare so concerned about her?" Ash asked.

"That's between her and F'lare, I'm afraid. Even I can't answer that." He turned around and led Ash out onto a street. The duo walked over to the house and went inside.

"Where is everyone?" Ash asked as he plopped down on the sofa.

"They went down to the beach when I went to search for Chase."

~Did you tell Melody who you were then?~

"No. I told her I was an old friend of Misty's on the island for vacation." he said, resting on the chair across from Ash. "What am I going to do with her?" he said more to himself than to anyone. "F'lare merely said watch her until she was recovered. What then? Leave?"

"We could watch her," Ash volunteered. "She can join us on our Pokémon Journey. Her Pikachu is really powerful."

"Yes, yes, I know." Lugia muttered. "And so is she. That Attack she used on Gage last night was only a fraction of what she is capable of."

~So she really can use Pokémon Attacks?~ Pikachu asked hopefully.

"Only what Chuka can use. They're combined."

"Yeah, I felt it shudder when she used it." Ash said thoughtfully. "But how can she just teach it an Attack out of the blue? We watched her teach it something called Thunder Whip earlier, and Chuka's got it down perfectly."

"Chuka's at a high enough Level to learn new Attacks. No doubt Chase will want to try it when she can change again."

"Was she really that cat we saw?" Lugia nodded. "Wow, I can't believe it. But why did I feel so calm around her? The feeling went away when you took her powers."

"That was one of the powers I took. Whenever you saw either of them you would know they were harmless. This was a precaution so that if they were spotted you wouldn't go screaming your head off and alert people."

"But Misty said she felt it too. And you said we were something, but then you stopped. What did you mean?"

Lugia opened his eyes and smiled at him. "Nothing. She felt it because she was with you."

"Does that mean Brock felt it?"

"No, only you, Misty, and Pikachu."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why?"

"F'lare forbade me."

"Why?"

"You're not to know your own future."

"Why?"

"That's not going to work."

"Why?"

Lugia sighed, but he was smiling. "I'm going to check on Chase. Wait here."

Ash watched as he got to his feet and trudged up the stairs. When he didn't hear any shouting he knew she was at least in bed. Lugia came down a few minutes later to sit back down on the chair.

"Well?"

"She complained that the bed was too soft, but at least she's in it."

~Too soft?~

"She's used to sleeping on the ground or on tree limbs."

"Oh." Ash was silent for a few minutes. "When will the others be back?"

"Any time now. I'd better go."

"Where?"

"I don't know. In town, at least. Maybe I'll go back to the cave and get her stuff so she'll be occupied." He stood up and turned to Ash. "Can I trust you to notify me if she gets out of bed? I know she looks fine, but that's only from years of hiding her feelings and taking pain silently. She'll want to leave, but you can't let her. Will you?"

Ash nodded. ~And I'll help,~ Pikachu offered.

Lugia smiled. "Good. Just go down to the beach if she tries getting up and I'll find you. Warn her that if you have to come and get me I will summon F'lare. That's all that keeps her in line right now."

"How come?"

"He's more of a father to her than her own ever was. If you think her arguments with me are bad, you should watch them. Anyway, I'll be leaving now. I'll see you again tomorrow, all right?"

"Okay."

"Pika."

Ash settled back down on the couch after Lugia left. Suddenly his stomach rumbled and he remembered that he hadn't eaten since dinner the day before. He arose from his comfortable position and made his way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he realized why they had gone out to breakfast. It was practically empty.

"Looks like we're stuck with PB&J's," he told the Pikachu on the counter, watching him. He grabbed the stuff he'd need and began preparing it when Chuka plodded into the room.

Ash and Pikachu watched in silence as it opened the fridge door, with some difficulty due to its small size, and opened a bottom shelf. Its head disappeared for a few minutes as it rummaged around with whatever was in there. Suddenly it let out a joyful "Pika!" and shut the drawer, two shiny green apples in hand. In shoved the door back into place and marched out of the kitchen.

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other and shrugged. Ash finished preparing them a couple sandwiches, cleaned up, and the pair trudged up the stairs to see what Chuka was up to.

His door squeaked as he opened it, but this time it didn't bother him. There was no one else in the house to hear it. He stepped inside and almost dropped his sandwich at the sight.

Chase was on the bed all right, lying on her stomach with her feet absentmindedly kicking the air behind her. She was munching on the apple Chuka had apparently given her, while it was sitting on her back eating its own.

But what really caught his attention was what was in front of them. A large roll of parchment was magically floating in the air before Chase. She was peering intently at it, and as Ash and Pikachu watched she raised her arm and pointed to it, mumbling something. Ash's eyes widened when it unrolled itself, re-rolling the top portion as it did so. But Chase seemed not to think this was odd.

Suddenly she looked up. She didn't look surprised to see them there, but smiled at the look on their faces. Then she turned back to study the scroll.

~Chase is studying the Complete Legend,~ Chuka told them before taking another bite. ~She's trying to find what Lugia told her she should interpret.~

"...and the Great Guardian shall return to the Depths from whence he came," Chase muttered. "thereby verifying the Worthiness of his Chosen Follower, but not given Warning to the Inevitable. The Guardian shall rise to all Demands, serving the Oppressors, resisting all else through Eyes unkeen and Minds unseeing. The Reason shall cross, bringing back what once was forgotten into the Eyes of the High. Lies scarring Truths shall thus be unraveled. Wars shall end, Bridges be made, and the...Forest tamed...by...by..." She frowned suddenly, snapping her fingers to bring the parchment closer. She reread what she had said carefully, mouthing the words as she did so. Ash only stared.

"Um, what is that?" he asked nervously. She held up a hand to silence him, then motioned for him to sit beside her on the bed. Ash did so, Pikachu landing in his lap. The two stared at the writing of the scroll. It wasn't in written in any language Ash recognized, but as he stared harder he realized with a start that he could read it.

"Maybe you can help us interpret this," Chase said, turning to them.

"I can read that!" Ash exclaimed, Pikachu voicing her astonishment as well.

~Of course you can,~ Chuka muttered with its mouth full. ~Anyone Chosen can.~

"Here, look at this," Chase said, pointing to a lower line.

"And the...Forest? Tamed by...a fire? A blaze, maybe? Once...Once...something destroy all. Am I right?" He turned to her, but she merely shrugged.

"No clue. That's the only line of print that's illegible in the entire document too. There has to be a reason. But then the Reason in the Scripture could have something to do with it. This part has been forgotten, but who are the Most High? What will it cross? What lies? What bridges?"

She sighed in exasperation. "This is impossible! No one speaks like that anymore! If they want to say Lugia will go back to the sea why can't they just say it? 'Lugia will return to the sea' is much shorter than 'the Great Guardian shall return to the depths from whence he came.' It's meant to remain undeciphered!"

"Then why would anyone bother writing it?" Ash asked her. She stared at him.

"I dunno," she admitted. Then she turned back to the Legend. "I can sense that something's going to happen soon, but I don't know what. Lugia mentioned something about the Complete Legend, but I can't find it anywhere!"

She sat up suddenly, sighing once again. The parchment continued to float in the air at the foot of the bed, unmoving. But she grabbed it suddenly, rolling it up in her hands. When it was once more a tube, she squeezed it. But to Ash and Pikachu's astonishment it didn't crinkle up. Instead, it minimized itself and disappeared.

Ash and Pikachu stared at her. She stared back. "What? Oh, the Scroll. A simple way of storing it given to any Guardian by the Gods." She continued eating her apple as if nothing unusual had happened.

Okay, Ash thought. If she can act like making a scroll disappear into midair is nothing special I can too.

"So how do you feel?" he asked.

"Fine. A little sore, tired maybe, but otherwise fine."

~Why don't you go to sleep if you're tired?~ Pikachu asked.

Chase sighed. "I can't sleep here. Not now, anyway. I'm used to sleeping in trees, with hard bark beneath me. And at night. I just can't sleep when it's light outside. My internal clock has clicked that way for fifty years, I can't change it just because Lugia's got his neck all twisted over me."

Ash fell silent, not knowing what to say. He had so many things he wanted to ask her, but he couldn't find the courage to do it.

~How did you capture Chuka?~ Pikachu asked suddenly.

~She didn't,~ Chuka said shortly. ~I came to her.~

~How?~

"Long story, Chase said, rubbing Chuka's head.

"Well, we have a while," Ash said. "Why don't you tell us?"

"It's not that exciting, really. Ever since I can remember I've been drawn to Pokémon. I lived in a tiny town next to the woods, and when I was really little I went out and built a small lean-to out of sticks and stuff. I'd go around, searching for hurt Pokémon. Then I'd take them back to the lean-to and nurse them back to health. Later I was able to build a shelter out of logs, but that wasn't until I was around eleven.

"Well, when I was thirteen I was going on a hike in the woods when I found Chuka. He was really weak, lying half-covered under some leaves. I took him back, and afterward he just stayed with me. No one liked him much, but we didn't care." She smiled as Chuka scurried up her shoulder.

"What happened to him before you found him?" Ash asked. Chase and Chuka stopped smiling and Ash immediately regretted what he'd said. He didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with her. "Did I say something wrong?" he said quickly.

"No, it's just...we don't really talk about it much."

She looked up at him and they stared at each other for a minute. Ash guessed that they were talking, and he felt rather awkward.

Suddenly Chuka looked over at him and Pikachu. ~It's okay,~ he said softly. ~I don't really remember much anyway. A scientist named Nathaniel was keeping me for his experiments, and I escaped.~

~Was it bad?~ Pikachu asked.

~I don't know.~

There was an awkward pause.

"So, when is the group coming back?" Chase asked.

Ash shrugged. "Any time now, I think. Misty's probably trying to keep the others out for as long as possible."

"Where'd Lugia go?"

"He said he was going back to the cave to get some of your things," Ash said.

"Good. I need to get my Lure Ball from Kurt before tomorrow or I'll be behind."

"What?"

She smiled. "Pokémon Silver. I'm trying to capture the Red Gyarados early, and I need about a hundred Lure Balls. You can only get one a day, and I haven't played yet."

~So that was a GameBoy in the cave?~ Pikachu asked. Chuka nodded. ~How do you pay for batteries?~

Chase grinned. "Don't need batteries. I'm my own walking power plant."

Just then a door downstairs opened. Ash looked at Chase, wondering what he was going to tell Melody, Tracey, and Chorus if they came in. They listened to the sound of happy voices and the thumps of feet as the group downstairs filed into the living room.

"You'd better go downstairs," Chase said quietly. "Otherwise they might come up here looking for you."

Ash nodded, standing up. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder and they left the room, feeling puzzled at what they had seen.

"Any sign of them?" Giovanni demanded of the shriveling Rocket before him.

"N-n-no Sir," he said, shivering at the cold tone in his Master's voice. "We're still searching."

"Well get on it!" Giovanni yelled. The control room went deathly quiet. He stared around at the numerous men sitting in front of electronic devices. "What are you doing!? The Incident happened two days ago and we still don't have a clue where she is! What the hell am I paying you for!?"

Immediately, everyone turned back to their stations and began working. Giovanni stormed out of the control room and into his office, his Persian hot on his heels. He swung himself into his armchair and stared hard at the picture of his father hanging on the wall before him. He would be disgusted.

The Persian mewed cautiously. He turned to it and stroked its head. "It's all right, my sweet. We will have them back soon. My father taught me the Legend through and through. They will be weak, and they will be vulnerable. As long as the blundering idiots outside track down which island they are on, we will get them."

The Persian purred pleasingly. Giovanni smiled as he looked at the portrait. "Soon Father, we will complete what you have begun."

Well, that's it for the first part. What do you think? E-mail me all of your comments at forezt_2001@yahoo.com I'm planning to make this story really long, and I'm working on the Complete Legend right now. I'll stick it in there somewhere, depending on when I finish it. I know there will be a lot of confusion, as this is the only part so far, so let me clear up a few things.

There are seventeen Gods, one for each Type of Pokémon. Chase and Chuka are Guardians, while Lugia is the Great Guardian. The Guardian's Song that the Legend refers to is Lugia, not Chase. There are four Titans; one each for Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. The Titans of Pokémon, however, are not the same. They are Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Mew, Ho-oh, and Lugia are Great Guardians of the lands Johto, Kanto, and the Orange Islands.

If you have any more questions just e-mail them to me. I'll answer some, but most will be answered later in the story. And, oh yes, this will be an AAMRN, I just have to write a lot more. The language and violence is going to get worse, so be prepared.

I don't own Pokémon. There. You sue me and all you'll get is a demented cat that just loves to sit on keyboards.47 44