Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Pseudo Shigeru ❯ It's Another World ( Chapter 13 )

Note: Anyone who recognized those unnamed Pokémon gets a Wailmer plushie to sleep on. This chapter ran long, about six pages more than usual. But we're getting to end, slowly and surely.

Chapter 12: It's Another World

It was like being in a crowded room and only half-listening to all the various conversations. The big difference was that, contrary to what he usually liked to think, everyone really WAS talking about him this time.

"Why does he not wake?"

"Humans can only heal so fast."

"The injury is gone, but the memory of it remains."

"Can we not erase it?"

"No, he must not forget."

Gary's eyes fluttered open, and the voices in his head fell silent at once. He was fully prepared to disregard them as nothing but temporary madness, but something in the way Sally was staring at him told him otherwise. He reached up and placed his hand on her bulb-like head, smiling as she leaned into his palm.

"How do you feel?" a soft voice asked, and he turned his head to see Misty leaning over him.

"Better than I should," Gary murmured slowly. "But you'll have to forgive me if I don't leap to my feet and break into song."

"I'd do it, but it doesn't seem appropriate now," Duplica admitted from across the room. "Aside from that, I doubt you're in a hurry to see anyone that looks like you too soon."

Gary swallowed noisily and tried not to think about Shigeru. It was impossible, though, especially when he noticed that Copycat was covering the mirror with what looked like masking tape. She sensed his gaze and glanced over her shoulder, shooting him a guilty look as she quickly finished the task and moved to stand by her twin.

"How's…my team?" Gary asked hoarsely.

"Still in bad shape," Duplica sighed, "but not as bad as last night. In fact, there's someone that wants to see you."

Copycat bent down for a moment, then stood up, carefully cradling a small mass of brown fur. She walked to Gary's bedside and gently placed his first Pokémon in his arms.

"Eve," he said softly, stroking her head softly. "This'll sound crazy, girl, but you've never looked more beautiful to me."

To his mild dismay, Eve didn't even open her eyes. But hearing her trainer's voice was enough, and she tucked her head beneath his chin, her bushy tail twitching slightly as she continued to sleep.

Gary's eyes squeezed shut tightly. He could feel tears trying to break free, but he held them back. The feeling behind them was still there, though. "I can't do this," he whispered. "I can't make them fight him again. Not after last night."

"You don't have much of a choice," Misty said sadly. "Right now, Shigeru is probably the most powerful Pokémon trainer in the world. My offer still stands, if you don't want to risk hurting your own team any further."

"No. I'm not using ANY Pokémon against him," Gary said firmly. "There's no point. He's too strong. I'll fight him with my own two hands if I have to, but I won't let him hurt my Pokémon anymore."

"Gary, you forget that Shigeru doesn't HAVE to give you a chance," Misty pointed out. "He could've stripped you of your memories at any time. Be glad that he's even giving you a chance to fight for them!"

"What's the point if it'll always be a fight I can't win?!" Gary shouted at her.

"I can't believe you're giving up! How I could have ever thought YOU were Shigeru, I'll never know!" Misty cried in disgust.

Gary's eyes narrowed. "It's all your fault he's even got Lugia to threaten me with in the first place!"

"Maybe you were too busy getting your butt kicked last night to notice, but Shigeru didn't NEED Lugia to beat you!"

Before either of them could get another word in, there was a loud, angry squawk, and Copycat's Dodrio suddenly charged, thrusting two of its three sharp beaks at Gary and Misty's necks threateningly.

"You two shouting isn't going to help anyone here get better," Duplica pointed out. "So if you have to fight, do it outside."

"Sorry," Misty murmured, sitting down and not saying another word. She made a point not to look at Gary, though.

Duplica sighed, shaking her head as she continued to watch over Gary's recovering Pokémon. "Quite a mess we've gotten ourselves into this time, Cat. Are you sure we shouldn't just…?"

Copycat shook her head vigorously, pointing insistently at Gary's Pokémon.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. It was just an idea."

"Put him down there, Blitz," Shigeru instructed.

The Ursaring instantly moved to obey his trainer, hauling the unconscious Entei across the now darkened Lab 2 and dumping it once again inside the containment field.

Shigeru frowned thoughtfully as he raised the glass prison again. "You were on my side last time, Entei. So what changed your mind? What is it about this Gary that I'm missing? What is it that you see in him?"

"Why even bother to ask?" Satoshi said from behind him. "You'll probably possess whatever it is in a matter of days."

Smirking, Shigeru turned around. "I'm getting all this resentment, but everyone's conveniently ignoring the fact that he was impersonating me up until a few hours ago. Is what I'm trying to do really so much a stretch from what he's already done?"

"He only sought to replace you temporarily. He never wanted to become you forever."

Shigeru glared at him. "You're just like them now. It's like you've all gone back in time on me. In that case, you probably deserve whatever she does to you."

Satoshi's face twisted in confusion, but before he could reply, his eyes rolled up into his head, and he dropped to the floor.

Shigeru stared impassively at Sabrina, who lowered her hands as she stared down at Satoshi. Then she raised her eyes to him, asking a silent question.

"No thanks, babe. I've got my own key to the past, and his name is Gary Oak." He turned on his heel and strode past Entei's prison, his cloak streaming behind him.

Sabrina stared after him, keenly aware that Shigeru's mind was closed to her. Even if the Unown hadn't been blocking her psychic probes, she doubted she would like seeing what lay in the mind of Shigeru.

"You shouldn't play so rough with your toys, sis," Sylvie admonished as she peered around Sabrina's legs. "I think you broke him."

"He will be fine, in time," Sabrina said confidently. "Which will hopefully apply to the rest of us, as well. Come, Sylvie. There is much work to be done." She turned and exited the lab.

Sylvie started to follow, but paused and knelt down by Satoshi. "Sorry about that," she whispered loudly, "but sis says it's for the best. I'll give you a little flashback of me, so you won't feel so bad when you wake up." She tapped his head lightly, and then teleported away.

Dragon's Den had welcomed more than a few strange guests in its lifetime, a decent majority of which were not even dragons. There was something about the cool, damp caverns that seemed to attract strong trainers and their Pokémon. Presumably, it was the same thing that repelled any weaker Pokémon. Just who or what judged the cut-off point between the two, no one could really say. But it had been generally accepted among Giovanni's Elite that anyone who couldn't enter the caverns, at any given time, was immediately up for executive review (and most likely termination).

In all the recent excitement, though, Dragon's Den had been all but forgotten. So it was perhaps one of the best places to hide, if one wished not to be found.

Lance's Dragonite had been there ever since his defeat. He had done nothing more than reflect since then. In all honesty, there had been no shame involved. How could there be? To lose was one thing. To lose to such a powerful opponent was quite another. But after having not lost in so long--years, even--it was still a rude shock to know that he COULD lose.

Where did the fault lie? Had Lance gone wrong somewhere, gotten too proud? No, of course not, came the automatic reply in his brain, and he scolded himself for even thinking that. The fault was his own, then. He had not sensed the opponent, had not been able to turn back its assault, had barely even gotten in a single, solid hit.

He was weak, in body and spirit.

So he had retreated to the place he knew as home, to recover his strength, but also to retrain his mind. Having power was not enough, it was important to know when to use it, how to use it, and how much of it to use. Perhaps he had forgotten that, and this was fate's little reminder.

He would stay there until it was ready. Until the shock of defeat was gone. Until Lance found him worthy again, and called him back to his rightful place at the Dragon Master's side.

The other dragons sensed his foul mood and kept their distance. Even if he had lost face, none of them were fool enough to think that they could defeat him. Dragonite may have been uncertain of his battle prowess, but they were not.

So when Dragonite was interrupted by loud, clumsy footfalls, he became very annoyed. Until the scent hit his nose.

The scent of greatness. The scent of true power. The scent of mastery.

The scent of a Champion.

It was not Lance, of course. Dragonite was not so depressed that it could not identify it's own trainer's scent. But there was undeniable excitement in its heart. It felt like ages since it had encountered a Champion. No trainers had made it to Lance since Satoshi had realized his great skill, and Dragonite missed the days when it had soared gracefully into battle.

Oddly enough, he did not recognize the Champion on sight. Dragonite made a point to memorize every single challenger (not that there had been an overwhelming number), and he did not remember this one. Still, there was no mistaking that scent, especially not when there were hints of dragon mixed into it.

Fittingly enough, the Champion did not recognize Dragonite, either. But mutual respect passed between them in a drawn-out stare, until Dragonite finally allowed her to pass.

She did not, however.

Instead, she curled up on the cool, damp ground, right beside Dragonite, and went to sleep.

Even more surprising was when nearly all of her Pokémon sprang from their pokéballs and crowded around her to provide warmth. Dragonite had never encountered such an odd Champion. But he sensed that the Pokémon did so not out of lack of training, but out of devotion to her. Although there was a certain lack of obedience, Dragonite decided when a small, pink one took a great interest in pouncing on his tail.

Satoshi dreamed.

He was happy. He was with Kasumi. He was sending Charizard into battle with Lance's Dragonite for what had to be the millionth time. He was snickering as Gengar made faces behind Clair's back. He was sleeping peacefully as Meganium's calming scent surrounded his body like a warm blanket.

But then he wasn't.

He was with another girl, but for what seemed to be the same reason...a destroyed bike? He was sending Torkoal into battle... (but what WAS a Torkoal?) and the opponent was Brock's Swampert (but what was THAT?). He was laughing as the girl attempted to teach her Groudon (...) how to execute a Solarbeam gracefully for the next Pokémon Contest...and laughing even harder when Brock managed, through tears of mirth, to explain to her that Groudon wouldn't fit in the building. And then she was hitting Ash and demanding that he stop laughing at her, but he couldn't, it was too funny, he was having too much fun...

But then he wasn't.

He was with Misty. He was battling Misty. Pikachu vs. Gyarados (when had she caught a Magikarp?). He smiled as Pikachu just barely dodged a Hydro Pump and came in high with a Thunderbolt. Gyarados went down, and Misty's face fell, but she congratulated Ash all the same. She always had been a good sport when it came to losing a good battle. She shook Ash's hand, but he pulled her closer, and then they were kissing, the battle forgotten. Her lips were warm, soft, and sweet against his, and he knew would never be happier than he was at that moment.

But then he wasn't.

It all shattered and went to pieces. It had been fake. All of it. He had never been with Misty, or the other girl, or ANY other girl, save Sabrina, and she was about as receptive as a Jigglypuff in front of a booing crowd most days, even after Sylvie had been born.

Sylvie. He remembered her as a toddler, chubby but with the same icy beauty that Sabrina possessed. And also prone to looks that made her instantly seem twenty years older, just like Sabrina was. He could see himself, absently bouncing her on his knee while he and Morty argued over which ghost was better--Ash was for Gengar, Morty for anything else--and Morty was starting to come around to his way of thinking. Without warning, Sylvie's eyes flared red, and Morty's Haunter screamed and fled from the room in pain. Both trainers stared at Sylvie, who apparently had no idea what it meant when a human learned Confusion.

But even that was gone, and he knew why.

Lugia loomed over him, encased in shadow, and laughing cruelly. And behind him where Shigeru and Giovanni, laughing just as cruelly. And even farther behind them was Misty, but she was crying, because she couldn't find him...

And alone, facedown on the floor of Lab 2, Ash Ketchum leaked tears of sadness and joy. For the first time in years, he knew himself, all that he had done, and that he would never be the same again.

He wasn't sure whether he should've been impressed or annoyed that she'd found her way to Dragon's Den, but they were together and mostly out of sight, so that was good enough for now.

He'd wanted to plan a little more though, and she had thoughtlessly settled down for a nap. She was always doing things like that, and he wondered again how it was they hadn't kicked her out of Team Magma yet. Either Maxie really was as brainless as Archie had always claimed, or she was a better actress than he'd realized. Probably the former, he decided after a moment.

He sat down beside her sleeping form, watching her hyperactive Skitty play with Dragonite's tail before that started to make him drowsy. It had been a long day, and a rough trip. He barely had the presence of mind to put his most recently acquired Pokémon on guard duty. With that done, the young man fell asleep, his head filled with memories of victory after victory, his adventures as a League Champion, as well as the girl lying next to him.

Both Champions slept on into the night, watched over by a humbled Dragonite, and their silent, invisible protectors.

"You must wake."

"He calls you."

"Come with us."

Gary's eyes flew open, and he was entirely unsurprised to find several Unown floating over his bed. What got to him was that each had sounded like someone in his life: his grandfather, his sister, and Frieda. It had to be a trick, something the Unown had done solely to get his attention, and he decided not to hold it against them, this time.

"Come," one of them insisted, floating closer.

"Can't," Gary muttered. "Too weak."

The Unown seemed to look at each other for a second, before all of them dove into the bed.

Gary felt an odd tug, and watched as his arms raised, each surrounded by a ring of Unown. Soon he was getting out of bed and crossing the room, but he wasn't. He couldn't really feel anything, and he knew that he wasn't really doing the walking himself. Perhaps he should've been fighting them, but the hushed voices of the Unown were soothing to his ears. He would've liked them, he suspected, had they not been taking him to Shigeru.

And then he heard Shigeru's voice in his head.

"Relax, bro. I've decided to move our battle up a little. Something about the air isn't right, y'know. But I'll help you out. We'll make it three-on-one. I'll completely restore any three Pokémon you want, and I'll only use Lugia. Plus I'll let you boost them with Unown. We'll battle in…say, an hour?"

"Would it matter if I said no?"

There was a long pause.

"I could give you two hours, if that works better."

Gary closed his eyes. "Fine. An hour. Assuming your Unown don't get lost easily."

He could almost see Shigeru grinning. "The world is theirs. They can't get lost in it." His grin widened. "And those are your Unown, not mine. Welcome to the Dark Side, Luke Skywalker. Well, the astral plane, anyway. You are now officially half psychic."

"Which means what, exactly?"

"Mostly, that you can hear and speak without your mouth and ears. Also, that you can understand most Pokémon speech, whether they're yours or not. Believe me, that's going to come in handy very soon."

Sabrina and Sylvie appeared before the assembled might of the Pokémon Police and the rebels in a flash of light.

"Satoshi is no more," they said as one.

Captain Jenny frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Exactly what we said," Sylvie replied. "Satoshi no longer exists."

"You…killed him?" Whitney asked in horror.

"Did we say that?" Sylvie sighed, rolling her eyes. "We fixed him. He's a good guy now. Ash is back."

"Well, that's one less problem to worry about," Brock murmured. "But Shigeru still has Dark Lugia and the Unown. And I fear none of us has the power to stop them, even if we all attacked at once."

"What are you suggesting we do, then, Brock?" Captain Jenny asked.

"Flee with what remains of our lives, I suppose. Dark Lugia is an unstoppable force, and with the Unown altering reality itself to suit Shigeru's wants, no trainer or Pokémon I know of stands a chance. We should just be thankful that Ash and Misty have been restored."

"Wait," Morty said. "I remember an old legend. Something about how Lugia was meant to soothe the three legendary birds with a song and the aid of a certain chosen one. I know Moltres being gone is my fault, so I feel personal responsibility to try one last thing."

"You want to remind Lugia of his original purpose," Sabrina murmured. "I might know a way to manage it, but once he realizes that you killed Moltres, he might become even more convinced of man's evil. It is a very great risk."

"You're both being silly," Sylvie said suddenly, shaking her head. "Why are you talking like Moltres is gone forever? He's a phoenix. He'll be back soon enough."

"But can we take the chance that he might arrive a little too late?" Chigusa asked. "We need to have a plan, in case his schedule differs from our own."

"I say we take Shigeru out of the picture," Shiro suggested. "Can't you shut down his mind, Sabrina?"

Sabrina shot him a very cold look. "Even if I could slip past the Unown and manipulate Shigeru that way, it would only make things worse. You see what they're like now. Do you really want to find out what Dark Lugia and the Unown might do if no one was controlling them?"

"I have a suggestion," said a lone voice.

Everyone turned to stare in surprise at James, Jessie included.

"Speak," Brock said simply.

"Well…it's just a rumor, really, but…I once heard Cassidy brag that Giovanni was working on creating a new Mewtwo. One that obeyed only his commands and could tear a man to shreds with a mere thought. No one ever saw it, but it was supposed to be hidden somewhere around here. I just thought that…maybe if we could convince it to help us…"

"Would that be before or after it took your head off?" Shiro snapped.

Chigusa elbowed him roughly. "It's better than your plan!"

"Even if such a creature did exist, I doubt I'd be able to find it with all the interference the Unown are causing," Sabrina sighed. "Unless you can find out exactly where it is hidden, I fear we've run out of options."

"Well, why don't we use that really bad kitty that hurt Gary?" Sylvie suggested. "I could tell he reeeally didn't like psychics. I bet he could sniff this new kitty out easy."

"It's time to get up, Master Satoshi."

"Sentry?" Ash stood and turned to the nearest console, where a holographic display of the psychic Pokémon appeared before him.

"Not really, no. I've downloaded a sample of my brain waves into this station. Since the program has been activated, it means my physical body is dead."

"Dead?" Ash asked in surprise. "How?"

The holographic Sentry shook his head. "It doesn't matter, Satoshi. But it's Ash now, isn't it? Your own brain waves are no longer altered. You are free from Lugia's control, then?"

"You know?" Ash whispered.

Sentry lowered his head. "I am sorry, Ash. But for all my power, Lugia was stronger. Even if I wanted to tell you, he kept an even tighter grip on me than he did you. I suspect he only allowed me certain freedoms in order to keep you alive. You were the only Elite that truly mattered to him."

"Why? What's so different about me?"

"You can communicate with the legendaries. Pokémon respond to you in a way they do no other trainer. Surely you've wondered why?"

Ash frowned. "I just…thought I was lucky."

"I am sorry to tell you this, Ash, but you must know the truth. You were placed upon this earth for a purpose, just like I was. You were meant for certain things, just like I was. You were created…just like I was."

His eyes widened. "You're lying!"

"I would never lie to you, Ash. In truth, I never could. Not without you knowing. You are Lugia's human counterpart. You are the key to his restoration…and his destruction. Everything that has happened to Lugia, happened because it also happened to you. Giovanni used his psychics to cloud all of your minds. He convinced your mother that he was her husband, that you were his son. Even as he made you stronger, he weakened you. And so Lugia was weakened, to the point where he could be captured. But just as he is linked to you, he is linked to the legendary birds. When they fell, his strength waned even more. It was only a matter of time before Giovanni took him as well."

Ash was shaking his head. "This can't be true! I…I'm a person!"

Sentry nodded. "Of course you are. But you are a person whose heart beats as one with Lugia's. In essence, you are the same being in two different bodies. If one perishes, the other will not be far behind. Lugia needs you, just as you need him."

"I don't understand how this can be possible. Who created Lugia? Who created both of us? And why?"

"I do not know," Sentry replied. "I only know that your creator was kinder than mine. You have been given an incredible opportunity, Ash. You must gain control of Lugia, before Shigeru makes a terrible mistake. If Shigeru attempts to take Gary's mind, our world is doomed."

"But Shigeru controls Lugia. How do I get him back?"

"Lugia must first be defeated in battle. When he is weak, call his name, and say that you two are one. He should then recognize you as his human half and ignore any other's commands."

"What will happen if I fail?" Ash asked.

"The Celebi that travels with Gary is from another world. Already she has developed a deep attachment to him. If Shigeru orders Lugia to take Shigeru's mind, she will defend Gary. But psychic attacks would prove useless against him now. Celebi would be destroyed, and the resulting psychic backlash would drive every Pokémon in this world mad with bloodlust. They would kill everything in their way, and then they would turn on each other. In short, everything in this world would die a violent death."

"Then I have to stop Shigeru from battling Gary."

"He will not listen, Ash. He does not realize what will happen if he wins. You must betray Shigeru in order to save him and this world."

"Hey, wake up!" a familiar voice snapped.

Misty slowly opened her eyes to see Duplica staring down at her. "What…?"

"Did you see what happened?" Duplica demanded, shaking her.

"No. What are you talking about? What was I supposed to see?"

"Where Gary and his Pokémon went, for starters!" Duplica cried. "They're in no condition to be walking around this place!"

Misty's gaze went to the bed, and there was indeed no Gary lying in it. "I…I was sitting here, watching his Pokémon like you asked me to, and the next thing I know, you were waking me up."

Duplica scowled. "I'll bet it was those Unown. They're really starting to get on my nerves. They must've put you to sleep and snuck Gary out of here. I bet they're taking him straight to Shigeru, too."

She turned to her twin, who was inspecting the bed. "Cat, we better move."

Misty went to the window and released her Golduck. "I want you to follow Gary and tell me where he goes, Golduck."

Golduck shook his head.

She frowned. "The Unown must be hiding Gary's mind, too. My Golduck can't track him."

"Try tracking Eve, then," Duplica suggested. "There's no way Gary would take her with him, since she was hurt the worst. Not after that speech he gave us. She must have followed him on her own."

Golduck closed his eyes briefly, then flashed his trainer a thumbs up as he leaped out of the window and into a nearby tree. Sure enough, he found Eve's psychic imprint was strong there. But little else was, he decided, noticing a small puddle of blood on one of the branches.

Gary knew that he should probably be in agony with every step. He was grateful to the Unown for either keeping his mind from registering the pain, or erasing it completely.

His thankfulness came to an abrupt end, however, when he finally caught sight of Shigeru standing in the midst of a grassy field. Strangely enough, Satoshi and the legendary beasts weren't present, but there was a girl there that Gary didn't know. In her arms, however, was someone Gary did know.

Eve's tail waved in greeting as Gary walked up, and she leaped into his arms when he got close enough, licking his face happily.

"You should be resting," Gary scolded gently.

"I had to come," Eve insisted, her expression becoming serious. "Gary, please don't battle. There's nothing you can do to win."

"I know that, Eve. But what do you expect me to do? Just stand here and let him take my memories? I can't do that. I'd forget everything that mattered to me…even you. And Frieda…"

"I know it's hard to do nothing," Eve murmured. "But this isn't your fight. And even if it was, you couldn't win. He's too powerful for us. You know I will always fight for you, but it's beyond my being afraid now. We'll die if we fight him again, Gary. And the thought of you being without me, without your Pokémon and your memories, scares me more than death. So please, don't fight. There has to be another way for us to walk away from this intact."

Gary sighed and bit his lip. His gaze fell on the girl next to Shigeru. "Thanks for looking after her." Then he realized that he recognized her. "Hey, wait. You're that girl that was with the rebels!"

"It's Casey," she muttered, obviously annoyed about not leaving more of an impression on him. "And I only did it because I could tell she was hurt bad when I found her. I still don't like you."

"Well, I'm not crazy about me right now, either," Gary replied, glancing at Shigeru. "I suppose you're wondering why I look like him?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "No. He explained it to me. Honestly, neither of you are very good bad guys. One cries in front of girls, and the other just goes around telling all his plans."

"And you're here because…?" Gary asked, starting to wish she wasn't.

"I'm waiting for Ash," Casey replied. "I need to talk to him."

"Kinda reminds you of Misty, huh?" Shigeru chuckled. "Stubborn as a Rhyhorn, and twice as dangerous when she's mad."

"Glad you're in a good mood," Gary sighed.

"Just feel lucky today," Shigeru replied with a grin, holding up Lugia's blue and white pokéball. "Shall we get started? Casey here can be our judge."

"Gary, please don't!" Eve whined, pawing at his chest. "I'm begging you, don't battle!"

"I wish I didn't have to, girl," Gary whispered. "But it's not just you or the memory of you I'm fighting for. It's for a whole world. Mine and this one. I can't just let him win by default." He put her down and reached for Sally's forest green pokéball, which pulsed in his hand as his fingers closed around it.

It was then that two voices rang out above them.

"Prepare for the forces of red and blue!"

"Make that times two!"

Shigeru blinked at looked at Gary. "Ever feel like you've heard something a million times before, and the next time, it was new and refreshing?"

Gary shot him a blank look. "No."

Shigeru smirked. "Hmm. Me neither."

Without warning, two people simply appeared in the sky, dropping down gracefully to land in stylish poses.

"To protect all worlds from devastation!" the girl in red proclaimed.

"To safeguard peoples in every nation!" the boy in blue added.

"To uphold the beauty of truth and love!"

"To rain down justice from the sky above!"

"Team Magma!"

"And Aqua!"

"We are the grand guardians of water and earth!"

"Surrender, evildoers, or regret your birth!"

Two Pokémon that looked like smaller, more colorful versions of Pikachu popped up on their shoulders.

"Plus!" said the one with red ears and paws.

"Mi!" chimed in the one with blue ears and paws.

"I have to give you good marks for sticking the landing and the original costumes," Shigeru commented after a long moment, "but I have to mark you down for being not nearly as annoying as Jessie and James. Now, maybe if you did it ten more times and tried to steal my Natu…"

The girl glared at him. "We're not here to steal Pokémon! We're here to stop you from making a big mistake! You should be thanking us!"

"I'll thank you to leave," Shigeru said dryly. "You and your painted Pikachu."

"That's IT!" the girl shouted angrily, while the boy sighed and shook his head in shame. "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

"I'm kinda booked as it is," Shigeru pointed out.

"I don't mind waiting," Gary said at once. "Ladies first and all."

Shigeru rolled his eyes, but the girl flashed him a grateful smile.

"Well, it's nice to see SOME people in this world have manners," she remarked. "So how about it, buster? Just the two of us and one Pokémon each."

Shigeru gave her a patient look. "I think you might need more than one. Like, I don't know, six?"

"I only need one to beat you!" she snapped. "In fact, I'll even let YOU choose which one!"

"May, no!" the boy cried at once, but she elbowed him.

"Quiet, Brendan! I can handle this!" With that, she pulled out five pokéballs of various colors and tossed them into the air. "Everyone, come on out!"

The immediate reactions were fairly easy to gauge. Gary would've stared no matter what, since what this strange girl did next could very well determine the fate of two worlds, not to mention Gary himself. Shigeru, however, had an excellent poker face, and judging by his expression, he was not impressed. On the other hand, Casey was under no obligation to fool anyone, and she alone watched May's five Pokémon take shape in pure, undisguised wonder.

Ash lowered his head and urged Zapdos to fly faster, knowing he was already out of time. He could still hear Sentry's last words in his ears.

"I fear there is one last thing that has been hidden from you, Ash. Giovanni fooled you into thinking you were his son. But this was not the case for Shigeru. I am afraid that precious little psychic conditioning was needed to groom him into a ruthless Elite. The potential was already in his blood. I cannot be sure how it is possible, since I can find no record of his mother, but there is no doubt in my mind that Shigeru is Giovanni's biological son. Only a person in Giovanni's bloodline could only unlock Lugia's cell. This also means that anything Giovanni was capable of, Shigeru is just as likely to do. When he realizes that you are out to stop him, he may think nothing of killing you to reach his goal. You must strike first, and you must strike harder."

"It's not fair, Pikachu," Ash muttered to the electric mouse on his shoulder. "I have to kill my best friend."

"Pikapi," Pikachu replied sympathetically, patting his trainer's cheek with a paw.

Ash reached up and removed the Thunderstone from Pikachu's neck. "No more of this. If we have to do this, we're going to do it on our own."

Just below them, Suicune and Raikou led the group, being the only ones without a burden. Entei brought up the rear, still recovering from his last battle.

Ash looked up as what seemed to be an unusually thick cloud moved in underneath them. He whistled sharply, and there was an immediate reply in the form of Zapdos' shriek, followed at length by a kind of melodic warble.

Zapdos broke through the clouds a few seconds later, now accompanied by the legendary bird of ice, Articuno. The second bird swooped lower, until it was soaring just a few feet away from them.

Ash could now see Misty riding just behind the ice bird's neck, with Duplica and Copycat hanging on behind her.

"Ash!" Misty shouted. "We need to find Shigeru!"

Ash shook his head. "He's already challenged Gary again!"

Misty threw a worried glance at Duplica, before realizing that he had answered to his old name. "Ash…?"

He nodded grimly, a ghost of his old smile passing over his face briefly. "Yes, Misty. I'm back, and here to stay."

Shigeru said nothing as he examined May's team. She had already refused to tell him their types or names, saying that a hotshot like him shouldn't need any of that info to win. And while he was forced to agree with her, it still annoyed him just the tiniest bit, which was of course what she had been going for all along. Little did May know, Shigeru's analytical mind was already working overtime to process the little he did know about her team just based on sight alone.

The first Pokémon he really noticed, of course, was the one easily taller than most buildings he'd seen. Most of its body was covered in thick, segmented red plates, and large spikes protruded from its neck, sides, and heavy tail. Everything about the way it simply stood like a statue, not wasting any energy at all, showed that its battle power had to be incredibly high. If it wasn't a legendary, Shigeru would've eaten an Unown. He had to assume it was at least half fire type, and the only possible weak spot seemed to be the chest, which at least didn't have the plates protecting it.

The next Pokémon that got Shigeru's attention was the one that stood closest to May, almost protectively. It stood about two or three heads taller than her, and looked a great deal like a cross between a human and an eagle. A thick mane of tan feathers coated its upper body, while red and pale yellow decorated the rest. It had no wings, but slim, deceptively powerful arms ending in long talons. The best feature had to be the long legs, hidden beneath the thick covering of feathers. More than likely it was also half fire, maybe even fighting. But Lugia had little to fear from fire, so that was two strikes against May already.

Next in line was obviously a fighting plant type. It greatly resembled a mushroom that had sprouted limbs and a tail. It also seemed to be in a very restless state, unable to stay still for more than three seconds. Every now and then, it would bob its head suddenly, hop to one side with startling speed, and take a few lightning-quick jabs at nothing in particular. It moved with a natural grace than any boxer would envy.

Probably the least powerful (and the one Shigeru would most likely choose to fight) was a small, pink kitten with a yellow face, underbelly, and legs. It possessed a strange tail that looked very much like a pin cushion. The only type it could possibly be was normal. The kitten itself was an excitable little thing, chasing anything around it that moved, often including its own tail. Several times it made itself dizzy and collapsed in a heap, but it would soon jump back up once something else caught its attention. Out of sheer embarrassment, May finally picked up the kitten and put it near the fighting plant, where it happily chased after the plant's tail.

The Pikachu wanna-be with red ears stayed on May's shoulder the entire time, and Shigeru got the impression that it always stayed there, preferring to sit on the sidelines than actually enter a battle. The only thing of interest he noted was its strangely cheerful nature. Whenever it got near another of May's Pokémon, it would begin an odd little chant of "Plus! Plus! Plus!" And no matter what the Pokémon, it seemed to stand taller, or at least be even more ready to battle. And, more often than not, Brendan's blue-eared mouse would immediately join in with "Mi! Mi! Mi!", timing it so that together, they created a peppy little melody of "Plus! Mi! Plus! Mi!" If nothing else, it showed that these two (and by extension, May and Brendan) had been partners for quite some time.

Shigeru had almost decided on battling the kitten when he realized that he'd only counted five Pokémon. He searched the field for the last one, and finally found something bone-white trembling behind May's foot. It looked almost exactly like one would expect a turtle's skeleton to look, except with a single bony protrusion in the center of its shell. It had bright blue eyes, but often these were shut as it sneezed, coughed, and shuddered as if cold. Shigeru had no idea what type it was, and truthfully, he didn't care.

He had found his next opponent.

"That one," he said, pointing at May's feet. "I'll fight that one."

May blinked and followed his finger, a look of both understanding and horror dawning on her at the same time. "Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, I'm extremely sure," Shigeru confirmed. "He's yours, isn't he? You said I could battle any of your Pokémon. So unless you're hiding another one somewhere, let's go."

"You really want to battle my little Aron?" May asked, kneeling to stroke the Pokémon's skull gently.

"Yes already. Are you backing down?"

"Of course not!" she snapped, but looked a bit unsure of herself.

"Then I'm ready when you are."

May nodded and patted Aron's back. "Okay, little Aron. I want you to go out there and do your best. And remember, no matter what happens, I'll always love you." As if to prove this, she leaned down and placed an affectionate kiss on the top of skull.

Aron's reply, if it could even be considered that, was to sneeze, shudder once more, and slowly waddle forward.

Brendan grabbed May's arm. "I'm begging you to reconsider," he hissed. "Just back off and let me fight him. Aron doesn't stand a chance!"

May yanked her arm away and recalled all her other Pokémon (save the one on her shoulder). "Little Aron, I choose you!" she said loudly.

"Your fate is sealed," Shigeru whispered, a wicked smile on his lips. He lifted the blue and white pokéball almost reverently from his belt. "Now you will fall before the might of Dark Lugia!"

Next Chapter: The Darkest Heart

Lugia's overwhelming battle power is unleashed, but May's little Aron turns out to have a few tricks of his own. The rebels find Giovanni's hidden lab, but no one is ready for the terror that awaits within. Can Ash gain control of Lugia in time to face this new threat?