PARAGON

  Hisui Incursion Arc [34]

  Chapter 86 : Back to the Future

  Hisui Region - Temple of Sinnoh

  “Would you please tell me your name?” Sir Aaron asked, his electric blue eyes boring into Ash.

  Ash stared, half in disbelief, half in relief. “Yeah… My name is A…”

  His eyes rolled back into his head, but Sir Aaron surged forward to catch him before he fell. He frowned. “He’s exhausted. And he has wounds all across his body.”

  Riley cursed under his breath. “He was supposed to have a plan for that,” he muttered, hurrying forward, the shock of seeing Sir Aaron in the flesh momentarily suspended.

  “Thank you for your assistance,” Guardian,” Sir Aaron intoned, kneeling beside Ash.

  “O-Of course,” Riley said.

  Both Guardians held their hands over Ash and he was soon enveloped by a roiling cloak of Aura.

  Sabrina squinted from the sidelines, but their combined fount of power made it difficult to see what was actually happening. She’d thought Ash’s ‘Lightstorm Purge’ was supposed to heal himself and others, but perhaps he’d allocated more of his energy to the others? Because Sabrina herself didn’t feel fatigued at all. It was like her battle with Palkia hadn’t even happened. She suspected it was the same for Riley. Mentally, she kicked Ash.

  Behind the Guardians, Kamado draped a cloth over the fallen Volo’s face and whispered a few words.

  As the glow of Aura died down, Sir Aaron stood and let his hands fall to his sides. “This is only a temporary fix. Even with my power, the wounds inflicted by the Platebearer will not be so easily healed. His body will need to recover like that of a normal human. Is he a man of fortitude?”

  “Yes!” Sabrina blurted out. As all eyes turned toward her, she shrunk back, blushing. “Yes, he is.”

  Sir Aaron cracked a grin. “Good. Perhaps I have an eye for people after all. I look forward to meeting the man I met.”

  As if on cue, Ash’s eyes snapped open and he bolted up.

  “Ash?” Riley said, wary of his swift awakening.

  As much as Sabrina wanted to run over and embrace him, she bit her lip and stayed back. The last thing she wanted was to make a scene, especially in front of Sir Aaron.

  In front of them, the Dark Plate crackled, shadowy embers drifting from its cragged surface like snow.

  Sir Aaron looked back at it, then warily turned back to Ash. “Yes… The Plate is yours, young one. Take it within you, before it disappears.”

  Ash glanced at Sir Aaron, then over at the Dark Plate.

  Sir Aaron stood with his back to the Plate, his head hanging low, almost as if he was trying to ignore it. Is he…tempted by its power? Sabrina wondered.

  At the thought, Sabrina stared at the Plate herself, but no such similar inclination welled up within her. She glanced over at Ash, who still hadn’t moved.

  “No,” Ash said. “That’s what Giratina wants.”

  “It doesn’t matter what the Paragon wants,” Sir Aaron said curtly. “The Plate is before you. Hurry and claim it before it slips away!”

  Ash stood, wincing at his still-open injuries, but he did not take a step forward. “There has to be another way. Sir Aaron, surely you can—“

  The Guardian King shook his head. “I have tampered with the will of the Plates already. Dragging you all into the past was quite enough. I do not dare tempt fate further with my schemes.”

  The Plate hissed, spewing ethereal smoke. The sunlight behind it refracted through its mottled surface, pouring pools of crimson light onto the ground around it. It looked like blood.

  Suddenly, Ash grabbed his wrist. “Argggghhh!”

  “Ash!” Sabrina cried.

  A pitch-black vortex spiraled into being within his palm, and pulled him toward the Plate. Ash gritted his teeth, trying to yank his arm back.

  Simultaneously, the energy swirling around the Plate began to bleed across the temple, filtering into Ash’s hand.

  “No!” Ash shouted, trying in vain to close his fist.

  The formerly stark crystalline shape of the Dark Plate began to disintegrate into particles of red and black, whirling into Ash’s hand like a malevolent storm. Demonic roars filled the air, racing overhead like the souls of the damned escaping their pit of eternal punishment. Slowly, the screams quieted, and the last remains of the Dark Plate slipped into Ash’s hand. Only then did the vortex in his palm slow.

  Eyes wide and dripping with sweat, Ash turned around.

  A wave of horror lanced through Sabrina and she was jumping backward before she knew it, her power awakening in her eyes, and she landed defensively.

  Beside her, both Riley and Sir Aaron had done the same, Aura blazing in their eyes as they glared at Ash.

  “Whoa!” Ash recoiled, holding his hands out. “It’s still me! It’s Ash! What’re you doing?” He followed their gaze to the inside of his palm where the vortex still spun. “No, that’s not—! C’mon!” Shaking his hand, he clenched and unclenched his fist trying to get it to go away. “Go—away!” Yet it remained.

  Closing his eyes, Ash inhaled deeply and held his palms out for all to see. Slowly, the vortex on his hand began to still, before gradually fading away into nothingness. He opened his eyes and exhaled, meeting their gazes with an assured one of his own.

  Riley started forward but Sir Aaron’s arm shot out in front of him.

  “It’s a rare blessing you’ve received, O Platebearer,” he said, his tone laced with caution and concern. “Ordinarily, Platebearers cannot take Plates from their contemporaries. But with this dark votive from Giratina, now you can. I’ve never seen it before, but the archives speak of the Paragons’ unfathomable abilities. In your palm rests the power to rip souls from the living… Humans, pokémon, and indeed, Platebearers. With a single touch, you can collect lives as if they were mere pebbles. An evil power…”

  Ash scowled and stared at his empty palm. He turned away. “I’ll never use it,” he said in a low voice.

  Sir Aaron nodded slowly, satisfied…for the time being.

  Agony of all kinds but physical coursed through Sabrina’s entire body. She shuddered in abject horror at her own actions. No! How could I? To treat him like that!

  Like a monster!

  Like they treated me!

  Sabrina tore across the temple and her arms were around Ash before she even realized it. Jade energy sparkled across her body. Had she just used her power? Who cares?! She grabbed his hand, the one that’d held the vortex, and enlaced her fingers through it.

  “S-Sabrina,” Ash said breathlessly.

  She felt him stiffen, but she only squeezed his hand tighter. Eventually, she felt his other arm drape around her, pulling her closer. Her heart thundered in her chest.

  After a spell of silence, Sir Aaron spoke. “Ahem, well, I propose moving to a less dreary setting.”

  Sabrina felt her face and body heat up and she released Ash involuntarily, averting her eyes from his.

  Maybe that was a bit too far…

  Sir Aaron plucked a pokéball from his belt and hurled it skyward. “I can take us off this mountain. Please, everyone, don’t be shy.”

  The smell of the sea enraptured all gathered as Kyogre emptied into the open air beside the mountain’s summit. It released a deep, rumbling coo as it flapped its massive wings to stay aloft.

  Rei and Akari’s jaws hit the floor, their eyes as double as wide as Kamado’s.

  Platinum Settlement, the next day

  “Ahhh, ow, ow, ow!” Ash cried, his arm stiff in the air beside him.

  Sabrina scowled as she stood behind him. He sat on the patio of Cogita’s abode and Sabrina held a roll of bandages, wrapping up the holes in Ash’s shoulder.

  “You—promised—you—wouldn’t—do—something—like—this—again!” Sabrina said coldly, tightening his bandages with each word.

  “Ow, ow, ow! It’s not my fault! I didn’t realize Lightstorm Purge would reopen my wounds! I thought they’d get healed either way—ahhh, ow, ow, please stop!”

  Sabrina sighed and finally let go. “You promised…,” she murmured.

  A childish smirk flitted across Ash’s face. “I mean, if you guys had gotten back sooner…”

  Riley, who’d been leaning against the wall, whipped around, disgusted. “What?!” He sent a soft kick into Ash’s leg where Sabrina had already patched him up, and Ash howled, collapsing onto his side dramatically. “I know you’re very proud you were able to hide your true power level from Volo, but not all of us are so seasoned with the Plates.”

  Ash wagged his finger at Riley, grimacing as he tried to straighten. “Explain that again. Somehow you were able to use the power of a Plate without you being a Platebearer or even touching a real Plate?”

  Riley sighed like he’d been through this ten times over already. “As I said, I was able to create a sort of simulacrum, essentially, of the Plate, and using—“

  “Simulacrum! What does that even mean?” Ash groaned. “I passed out for a month after touching the Electric Plate, you know?”

  “I don’t know what to say. I suppose we’re just built different,” Riley shrugged. “Anyway, I figured Dialga would try to defeat me by withdrawing traumas from my past…it is the dragon of time, after all. And since—“ He glanced behind him and lowered his head closer to Ash and Sabrina, his voice softer. “Since King Aaron’s death and the destruction of Rota is the most traumatic thing that’s happened to me, I figured there’d be a Plate within the memory for me to use, either AZ’s or yours. After defeating Dialga with it, it was comparably easy to use it to tear a hole in the Realm of Time and then the Realm of Space to extract me and Sabrina. Then, as Volo said, any who tried to cross spacetime with the rift open would invariably get sucked into it. And so, we made our grand return.”

  Ash stared at him, eyes narrowed skeptically. “That sounds like you made a lot of assumptions. You really planned to defeat Dialga and get back to the right dimension based on just that?”

  “I will not hear this from Ash Ketchum, the King of Recklessness. I will not.”

  Ash scowled and leaned back on his back. “You both fell out of that rift like rocks,” he grumbled. “If Kamado hadn’t been there…”

  The leader of Jubilife Sanctuary, who’d been sitting on a nearby rock, sharpening his blade, put up a hand and didn’t even bother turning toward them. The message was clear: Don’t get me involved.

  At that, Sabrina and Riley both turned a nice shade of pink, and the accusations of recklessness died down soon after.

  “Perhaps we all have a bit of room for improvement,” Cogita offered, as she peeled a peach for Yura.

  Pikachu nodded in agreement, his nose twitching furiously at Cogita’s fruit, but unfortunately, she didn’t seem to notice him even as she handed it off to Yura.

  A figure strode toward them, narrowly escaping another hour of endless laudations from Adaman and Irida.

  “Sorry, Ash Ketchum, I offered to treat your injuries, but your friends were adamant that you…ah, what was it?”

  “Learn his lesson," Riley bit out as Sir Aaron walked up beside him.

  Ash groaned, exasperated. “We won, didn’t we?”

  “Oh, I’d call this far more than a mere win,” Sir Aaron commented, seating himself beside Ash on the patio. “That you’ve obtained the Dark Plate alongside the one you already possess was entirely outside of my calculations.”

  Ash flexed his fingers, frowning. He didn’t feel any different, but within him now rested two Plates of Arceus. And something extra.

  “So what was supposed to happen?” Ash asked. “With the Time Flower?”

  Sir Aaron smiled, his lips laced with embarrassment. “Right. I created that flower shortly before the start of the war. I could feel something about to happen, but I had no idea what it would become. I wanted to keep them safe.”

  His eyes crinkled with grief and Ash looked away respectfully.

  “So I created that Time Flower intending to pull whoever my future self found worthy into the past to take my Plates from me. The meeting was to last an hour at most, and after receiving my Plates, you would have been returned to your time. But when I activated it, nothing happened.”

  Ash glanced at his friends. Sabrina and Riley were both listening with rapt attention.

  “At the time, I just assumed it was a failure. That what I was trying to do was impossible. But, nearly five hundred years later, I found out about the rift over Hisui, and I realized what had gone wrong. So I came here as fast as I could, but there was a barrier around the entire region. Erected by Giratina, likely to repulse any who’d interfere in its schemes. It took me days to break it. I’m sure you didn’t even realize I was there, just outside.”

  Riley shook his head.

  Sir Aaron crossed his arms. “But, you repelled Giratina and repaired Hisui. And now, even though the war has already come and gone, I can finish what I started five hundred years ago.” He pursed his lips. “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to do this as soon as possible. I think it would be…unwise, for us to casually converse for much longer.”

  Ash opened his mouth to speak, but held his tongue. The other residents of Hisui were one thing, but Sir Aaron was a man he would “meet” again in the future. Best to keep their interactions now to a minimum.

  “That’s fine with me,” Ash said, starting to get up. Sabrina and Riley both offered support, which he accepted. “And thank you, by the way. You saved us back there.”

  Sir Aaron shook his head. “I suspect I have far more to thank you for, Ash Ketchum. And it was my fault you were faced with such a foe to begin with.”

  Sir Aaron asked Cogita to point him somewhere discreet and she offered a nearby cave. Ash, Sabrina, and Riley hiked up the grassy knoll behind Sir Aaron, but no others came with. Yura, Rei, and Akari tried to, but Laventon and Kamado both held them back, understanding the nature of the situation as something that was not for their eyes.

  Sir Aaron cast an orb of Aura into the air above them, illuminating the rocky surface of the cave’s interior. It was small, shaped more like an alcove, but there was just enough room for them to fill the space comfortably.

  “The Grass Plate…the Fire Plate…and the Water Plate. Those are the Plates in my possession.”

  Sir Aaron paced in front of them and turned around. Holding out his hand, he closed his eyes. A strange white light curled around him and he grunted as three blinding forms shot out of his hand and impaled themselves in the stone before him. He opened his eyes.

  Ash sucked in an anxious breath. The three Plates looked just like the Electric and Dark versions he’d already seen, but this was his first time beholding more than one at once. One glowed a harsh emerald, the other, a smoldering orange, and the last, a gleaming cerulean.

  “Three things,” Sir Aaron said, looking up at Ash. “First, this.”

  He held out his palm, and Aura flashed within. A soft azure glow illuminated his gloved hand.

  “A Time Flower,” Ash breathed.

  “To take you home. No mishaps this time, I promise you.”

  He held it out and Ash moved to take it, but Sir Aaron shifted his arm and offered it to Sabrina instead.

  “Will you hold this for him?” he asked.

  Sabrina nodded, and took it carefully. Its petals curled as it transferred hands, as if alive.

  “Second,” Sir Aaron continued. “You will have to erase my memories.”

  “What?” Ash blurted.

  “You will have to erase my memories,” Sir Aaron repeated, nonchalant. “I wasn’t sure before, but it’s clear that when we meet in the future, I have no knowledge of your name or face. ‘Tis not a self-fulfilling prophecy, after all. I must find you again on my own.”

  “But…” Ash sputtered.

  “Are you sure, my King?” Riley said, stepping forward, his brows knit tightly. “Perhaps the certainty of your decision in the future comes from knowing the name of the man—“

  “No.” Sir Aaron smiled. “I’m sure the certainty of my decision came from learning about who this Ash Ketchum really is organically. Although, we’ve known each other less than a day, and already I sense a bit more than an inkling of the faith my future self sees in you, Ash Ketchum.”

  “How is he supposed to do that, though?” Sabrina asked. “If…If it really needs to happen, then I…”

  “Your newly acquired Dark Plate should be capable of this, should it not?”

  Ash’s eyes flashed with horror. “Volo…”

  “Hurry now,” Sir Aaron said in a low voice. “There’s no telling how long the Plates will stay here now that I’ve removed them from my body.”

  Ash blinked, raising his hand, but nothing came out.

  “These are your memories,” he said. “What if I mess up? I don’t even know how to single out—“

  “Ash Ketchum. You’re a seasoned Platebearer by now, as I understand. You know the Plates respond to their bearer’s wish. I trust you. Assert your will, and the Plate will obey.”

  Ash swallowed, holding his arm out more confidently. He studied Sir Aaron’s appearance. The Great War was five centuries ago, and still, the man before him looked just how he remembered when he’d first met him in the Tree of Beginning. Eyes kind, expression soft. How many times had they met, and yet, Ash had never ever been able to form a proper friendship with the man. And now he was saying goodbye again.

  He closed his eyes. Then, his voice barely above a whisper:

  “Voidestria.”

  Darkness bloomed from Ash’s outstretched hand and embraced the King of the Guardians.

  As it rolled up his body, Sir Aaron spoke. “Third. If this means nothing to you, please disregard me, but… Azett… King Azett… Will…” He faltered, but his brows tightened. “Will we speak again?”

  He stared at Ash, pleading in his eyes.

  Slowly, Ash nodded.

  A smile broke across Aaron’s face, radiant within the darkness. For a moment, Ash thought he saw a young boy.

  “I see… Then there’s…still…a chance…I…can…save…”

  As the darkness smothered his face, his words were cut off.

  Ash closed his eyes and lowered his hand.

  Sir Aaron lost consciousness after his memories were purged, and before he woke again, Kamado offered to take him back to the Sanctuary. The cover story they settled on was that Sir Aaron had come to Hisui simply to meet its denizens. He would not learn of the rift, or of Giratina, or of Volo. When Riley raised the concern that someone at the Sanctuary could speak of them in his presence, Kamado assured them it wouldn’t be a problem (“The Sanctuary is my domain. If Sir Aaron cannot learn of what transpired here, then he will not. I will guarantee that.”).

  With Sir Aaron’s body tied safely to Braviary’s back like a traveling bundle, Kamado faced Ash and his friends.

  “It doesn’t seem likely we’ll see each other again,” he said. “I cannot thank you enough on behalf of Hisui.”

  “Just because the threats of Volo and Giratina are gone doesn’t mean Hisui is safe,” Riley warned. “Please stay vigilant, Kamado.”

  Kamado grunted. “No need to tell me, Guardian. I’ll be fertilizing flowers before I trust this accursed land with a description of safety.”

  “I’m sure that day is a long way off,” Ash grinned. “You can’t hand over the Sanctuary to Cyllene yet.”

  Kamado grunted again. “I don’t suppose you could illuminate our Sanctuary’s future before I leave.”

  The towering skyscrapers of Jubilife City, laden with neon signs and lights, flashed in Ash’s mind. “I don’t think you’d believe us even if we told you.”

  Kamado sighed and crossed his arms. “I’ll elect to take that positively.” As he turned, he gave Sabrina a courteous nod.

  “Make sure King Aaron doesn’t fall off!” Riley called, as Kamado mounted Braviary.

  Kamado waved him off and kicked Braviary into the air.

  Stolen story; please report.

  One week later, after bidding farewell to Cogita, the members of the Galaxy Expedition found themselves trekking somewhat aimlessly through eastern Hisui.

  Cogita accepted her cousin’s body, and though Rei protested, decided to bury him in an unmarked grave with the rest of her family. She stoically refused help, and was the only attendant at his funeral, if it could be called that. When she emerged from the modest cemetery, Ash saw her eyes were red from crying, yet her expression appeared peaceful, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was then that she declared she would continue the Volo Company’s work, shuttling goods to Hisui and across the world, to help those in need. His men, after all, were not privy to his darkness, and did not deserve to have their trades collapse because of Volo.

  Adaman and Irida stayed behind—for a few days longer, they said—and pledged the resources of their respective clans to help Cogita rebuild the Platinum Settlement. For the first time in years, the Diamond and Pearl Clans were collaborating. With the maw of darkness looming over them, and the identity of the monster beyond revealed, perhaps their longstanding argument had been put to rest.

  Though based on the shouting ringing out as the group departed, Ash doubted so. Either way, it seemed Cogita was glad for the company, regardless of its incessant bickering.

  “I bet they’re secretly married,” Akari said, walking in stride along the wind-whipped grass of the east.

  “Married? Those two? Why in the world would you think that?” Rei said, incredulous.

  “Hmm. Just a feeling.”

  “A woman’s intuition, hm?” Laventon smiled.

  “Speaking of,” Riley said, sauntering behind Rei and Akari, “when did this happen?” He twiddled his fingers at them.

  Rei and Akari walked hand and hand, but both stiffened and blushed at the Guardian’s question. They glanced at each other.

  “Yesterday,” Akari said.

  “Two weeks ago,” Rei said.

  “Huh?!” they both demanded.

  “You just asked me out yesterday!”

  “You kissed me two weeks ago!”

  “On the cheek!”

  “So?!”

  Ash began to whistle nervously, his gaze drifting toward Sabrina. The girl’s face was scarlet-red and flat as a rock, seemingly more embarrassed than the two young lovebirds in question at the current topic at hand. Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully that meant she wasn’t expecting him to match their adolescent gusto.

  They hiked for another hour or so at a leisurely pace. Arcanine and Sneasler trotted beside them, staring daggers at each other, but Cranidos and Shellos mumbled quietly between themselves. Staravia cut through the skies above, fluffy clouds blossoming like roses across the cerulean expanse, and Grotle lumbered forward in earnest, Pikachu hitching a ride on his back. As always, Shieldon stayed glued to Yura.

  “I see it up ahead!” Laventon called. “Let’s stop for lunch.”

  Sitting beside the glassy water of a large lake, they ate.

  “Before I forget to ask, Professor,” Ash started, “can I ask you something about Samurott?”

  Laventon swallowed and nodded. “Of course! But why Samurott? Seems a bit random.”

  “You remember how I said Volo had a Samurott? Well, his seemed to be a Hisuian variant. I haven’t seen any like that from our time…except my own Samurott.”

  “Here he goes again, pretending he has every single pokémon,” Rei muttered.

  “Do you know what causes it to evolve? Do all Dewott evolve into Samurott like that?”

  Laventon stroked his chin. “Hmmm. I haven’t encountered very many Samurott… Mostly just Oshawott and Dewott around the Sanctuary. But I think someone in the Survey Corps has a Samurott, and maybe someone at the Pearl Settlement too. Let’s see…from what I recall, Samurott’s evolution is triggered by immense and continuous torment. Perhaps from living a life in violent waters, or endlessly staving off predators.”

  Ash frowned. “My Oshawott, and then my Dewott didn’t go through anything like that though. What could it…?”

  His eyes lit up and he glanced at Sabrina. But it seemed she’d already had the same idea because her lips were pursed, stifling a grin.

  “No way,” Ash snorted.

  “It has to be!” Sabrina giggled.

  Laventon cracked a smile. “What happened? What’s going on?”

  “So remember how I said I had a Gengar?”

  At that, a snort escaped Ash’s nostril and he could no longer stop himself from roaring with laughter. Sabrina joined, but Riley, Laventon, and the others could only stare at them in confusion.

  Eventually, as the sun reached its apex, Akari turned to Yura near the end of the meal.

  “What’s wrong, Yura? You’ve been quiet all day.”

  Shieldon ignored Akari’s concern as Yura petted him absentmindedly, nibbling at a mound of berries set out for him.

  “Hmmm,” Yura mumbled. “I have to…I have to say something.”

  Everyone frowned as Yura stood up. Her fists were closed and she did look any of them in the eyes. As she appeared to gather her courage, she glanced at Sabrina, and Sabrina offered her a hand, which she eagerly held.

  “I’m gonna go on a journey,” she said, her voice quiet but unwavering.

  “A journey…?” Rei said, tilting his head.

  “Yeah… I don’t want this adventure to end. I want to keep seeing the world!” She clutched the hem of her coat, but her eyes shined with passion.

  “What brought this on?” Akari questioned.

  “I was talking to old miss…after you guys left. She was talking to me about Volo, and the Volo Company, and how they wanted to help people around the world in trouble! I want to help old miss, and I want to see the rest of the world, together with Shieldon!”

  Laventon beamed. “That sounds like a wonderful dream, Yura! Once you’re older, I’m sure you—“

  “No!” Yura said. “Not when I’m older! Right now!”

  Laventon hesitated. “Eh? Right now…? But…you don’t actually—“

  “I’m serious! I’m not going back to the Sanctuary, or to old miss! S-Sorry, but I’m saying goodbye to you guys today too!”

  The Professor’s brows curled. “Yura, if you think I’ll allow you to go off on your own, then you—“

  “You can’t stop me!” She glared at Laventon. “I’m sorry, Professor, and…thank you for everything… But you’re not my dad or mom… I’ve been thinking about this…and I decided to do it, so…”

  Laventon’s eyes darted between Akari and Rei, then the others, searching for backup. But he found none. “This…This is madness! I won’t allow it! Parent or not, I’m still responsible for you! And there isn’t a chance I’m letting a nine-year-old girl go off into the wild by herself! And before you even say it, no, Rei and Akari, you aren’t going with her!”

  “Relax, Professor, we’re not going anywhere,” Rei grinned. “We have to stick around and take care of you.”

  “So, where’re you going first?” Ash asked.

  “Ash!” Laventon barked.

  Yura’s shoulders slumped. “I…don’t know yet. But I’ll figure it out! Anywhere outside of Hisui! Wherever people need help!”

  The trees around them shuddered as a gust of wind hurled across the lake, a ripple cruising across its crystalline surface.

  “Perhaps I can be of assistance.”

  A storm of leaves and grass blew around them as a massive Altaria descended toward them. Pikachu’s cheeks crackled and he jumped around to face the new arrival, and Shieldon trudged in front of Yura protectively.

  Altaria landed on the banks of the lake some distance from them, and lowered its head to allow its rider to dismount.

  Raphael slid off and started walking toward them.

  “Raphael,” Ash said.

  “I apologize for eavesdropping, but this area is quite peaceful. Your voices carried over the wind.”

  Behind him, Altaria leaned forward to sip from the lake.

  “So, did I hear you right, young lady?” he asked. “Traveling beyond Hisui?”

  Yura stared at him cautiously, but her eyes began to glimmer.

  “If you are, I’m heading out of Hisui now and wouldn’t mind letting you catch a ride.”

  As he approached Yura, a flurry of bright mahogany leaves fell from the sky. Altaria’s head bolted up, and immediately, it blitzed in front of its master, just as another massive body swooped down from on high.

  “Oh, goodness,” Raphael drawled.

  Decidueye stood before Raphael and Altaria, holding his hand in front of Yura.

  “Decidueye!” Yura exclaimed excitedly.

  “About time,” Sabrina muttered.

  “Is he…protecting Yura?” Riley said, leaning forward.

  Raphael put his gloved hands in the air. “I understand. Not another step. Stand down, Altaria.”

  Altaria cooed, sizing Decidueye up. But after a few tense moments, it broke eye contact and lumbered away. Soon after, Decidueye relaxed and turned, its eyes brimming with scorn beneath its hat.

  “Good thing he’s nice or that Altaria would’ve beaten you,” Sabrina said offhandedly.

  Decidueye sneered at his trainer, and behind him, Ash saw Raphael’s lips curl in a slight smile.

  Decidueye stomped around the group, Yura seemingly forgotten, and stopped in front of Sabrina. The psychic herself looked bored and didn’t deign him with a glance, even as he leaned down to glare at her.

  “Alright, enough making a scene,” Sabrina said, getting up. “Excuse us, we’ll be right back.” She tugged at Decidueye’s feathers as she walked, and surprisingly, Decidueye followed, tromping deeper into the forest after her.

  Once they were gone, Raphael cleared his throat. “As I was saying, I’m heading over to Kalos now. You said you wanted to go where people need your help the most? Well, that’d be it. Even now, five hundred years after the Great War, Kalos is still in ruin. The descendants of the survivors barely have enough to eke out a living, and in the absence of humanity, the wild pokémon have returned in full force.”

  Yura nodded slowly. “Yeah…that’s it! I’ll go to Kalos, then! Thank you, old mister!”

  “Old mister…” Raphael repeated.

  “Now, wait just a second!” Laventon demanded, getting up. “She’s not going anywhere, especially not with a stranger! We appreciate the offer, sir, but we hardly even know you! There’s no way we can entrust Yura to—“

  “Professor, please!” Yura pleaded.

  Laventon’s eyes crinkled in frustration. “Ash, Riley, please, talk some sense into her! This is insane!”

  “Sorry, Professor,” Ash said, putting his hands up. “I set out when I was ten. I have no room to talk.”

  “I’d advise against it,” Riley said. “But Yura is right. Her life is her own. If you don’t have the authority to stop her, then we have even less.”

  Laventon groaned, slumping in place.

  “Professor,” Akari said, straightening. “I think you’re forgetting something. Yura and Shieldon already crossed Hisui together. And they’ve gained a lot of experience on our journey together too. You know they’re strong. If Yura wants to help others, why not let her share that strength?”

  Yura nodded in agreement, a soft blush across her cheeks.

  “But I will say, I don’t want her to go for a different reason!” Akari yanked Yura toward her and buried her in a hug. “It’s because I’ll miss her too much!”

  Yura grinned in embarrassment, giggling in Akari’s arms. However, her eyes betrayed a certain sadness.

  Raphael cleared his throat. “Also, let me remind you that Hisui is the most dangerous of the regions. Perhaps you’ve grown accustomed to the wildness of the pokémon who call this continent home, but to outsiders, it is Hisui which is the land of danger. The land where the blood of the Age of Carnage still flows in its pokémon.”

  Laventon scowled. “Why are you so eager to get her to go with you? What do you gain from this?”

  Raphael shrugged. “I gain nothing beyond a bit of company for the journey east. When we arrive, young Yura is free to go wherever she wishes. I don’t plan to stay by her side. But if you’re asking why I’m doing this, then unfortunately, I have to blame him.”

  Raphael leveled a finger at Ash.

  “Me?” Ash said.

  “Indeed. I watched your battle with Volo from afar. Truly, magnificent. If you want a reason for why I’m doing this, then I suppose its to repay you for showing me such a legendary scene up close. Of course, you went ahead and sealed that rift, thereby closing off the most interesting thing about this place, but…I guess that was for the best.”

  Ash frowned at Raphael’s frankness. Seems like he really doesn’t care all that much about other people. All he wants is a front row seat to history playing out or whatever. Though that gave him pause when it came to Yura.

  And Raphael seemed to notice the gleam of caution in his eyes. “Of course, I will assure the girl’s safety for as long as we’re together. She is a precious friend of yours, after all. If anything were to happen to her…I suspect there’d be hell and more to pay.”

  Rei and Akari both nodded firmly.

  Ash narrowed his eyes, searching for sincerity. He may not care about people, but he also can’t be bothered to lie. If he says he’ll do something, he will… I guess that’s honorable in its own way. Given his line of work, or no, his dream, he doesn’t seem like the type to go out of his way to make enemies either… Well, I guess I can leave him with just this.

  Ash held up his hand. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”

  Not that I’ll be around to enforce it.

  Raphael stared at Ash’s hand. “Of course… If there’s anyone whose wrath I would be foolish to incur, it would be yours.”

  Laventon sighed loudly and sat back down, his head hanging limply over his lap.

  Yura walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for being concerned about me, Professor. I promise I’ll stay safe.”

  “I’m worried, Yura,” Laventon said without looking up. “But I also don’t want to tie you down. Even before you joined the Survey Corps, I had a feeling you wouldn’t be satisfied staying confined to the Sanctuary forever.” He looked up, his arms trembling. “Please, do come back and visit, though.”

  “Yeah!” Rei demanded.

  Yura put her other arm on Laventon’s other shoulder and wrapped him in a hug. “I will. I promise!”

  Laventon peeked around her. “And you’d better keep her safe too!” He pointed at Shieldon.

  Shieldon grunted.

  They stood on a lance of granite that jutted out over the lake. Sabrina paced forward, her back to Decidueye, and peered down at the lake just below. She was close enough that she could see her dark, warbling reflection in it.

  After a moment, another silhouette loomed over hers.

  She turned, and Decidueye stepped back.

  “I was waiting for you to show up on the mountain. Did you get scared?”

  Decidueye sneered and hissed.

  “I’ll make this simple. Very shortly, I’m going to be leaving this place. I’m going to a place you can never reach no matter how long or how far you fly. If you stay here, I’m sure you’ll eventually become the strongest pokémon in Hisui, if you aren’t already.”

  At that, Decidueye chortled, and his eyes narrowed with pride.

  “But that’s all you’ll ever be.”

  Decidueye scowled, his attention snagged.

  “Come with me, and I’ll take you to a world where you’re not the strongest. But if you stay by my side, you can become one of the strongest pokémon ever. It’s your choice. I won’t force you.”

  Decidueye paced in front of her, stealing glances at her in between staring at the ground as if to say, you really think I’d lower myself just because of some pompous words like that?

  “Or did you want to stay and protect Yura?”

  The leaves on Decidueye’s body ruffled as he suddenly jerked around and glared at Sabrina.

  “That is what you were doing, wasn’t it? You weren’t about to let her go with a strange man like Raphael, right?”

  Decidueye stalked forward, hunching over so his head was at Sabrina’s eye level.

  My interest in that whelp extends only as far as yours. Or did you forget I almost killed her the night we met?

  Sabrina’s eyes flashed dangerously, but her rage quickly faded, replaced by wonder.

  “You’re speaking to me.”

  This is a prerequisite if I’m to go with you, no? Abnormal creature that you are.

  Decidueye’s verbal barbs felt like cotton as they hit her, and a smile wormed itself onto her face. “You’re pretty weird yourself. Decidueye aren’t supposed to be that big, you know?”

  No, I suppose not,” Decidueye snarled. Just as humans are not supposed to be able to unleash devastation from the mind.

  Again, the barb bounced off.

  He’s talking to me… Sabrina was practically on cloud nine.

  Decidueye recoiled, disgusted by her elation. It’s not just you. That bastard too, who twisted me into this.

  “Volo.”

  Not just my body, but my appetite. My hunger for power is now insatiable. And not just any power… He turned back toward Sabrina, murderous intent gleaming in his eyes.

  “You still want the Plates, huh?”

  I do not desire them. I require them, as I require air and sustenance. Take me with you, and I will pursue that boy again.

  Sabrina sighed, rubbing her eyes. “You can’t. I mean, you literally can’t. I’m not saying this to be mean, I’m saying this for your sake. You can’t beat him, and never will. Especially now that he has five.”

  Five… Decidueye repeated, his voice gravelly with hunger. Is that so…?

  “Yes. It is. So just give up. I’ll…” Sabrina hesitated. “I’ll try and help you when we get back. To quench that hunger somehow.”

  Decidueye snorted. Still your meddling hand. I’ll kill who I want, and attempt to kill who I want.”

  “Do you no longer want to kill me?” Sabrina blurted.

  My feelings toward you are not so easily summarized. You asked before if I was scared. No, I was not scared. But I knew you were facing an enemy I could not hope to challenge. From the depths of my heart I despise you, and yet you are the only one who can show me a world beyond this cold rock. Is that comprehensible to you?

  Sabrina clapped her hands over her mouth, her cheeks brimming scarlet. “Oh my. Was that a love confession?”

  Decidueye gagged and spun away. This is why you’re so hated.

  Sabrina jogged after him, swooning. “Wait! This is so much fun! I should catch more pokémon!”

  Decidueye wheeled around and lunged toward Sabrina.

  Yikes, am I dead?

  Decidueye’s claw shot out and tapped the button on the pokéball hanging from Sabrina’s belt. The ball snapped open and sucked Decidueye inside, then closed with a hiss of steam.

  Guess not.

  Sabrina smiled and unhooked Decidueye’s pokéball, brushing its crushed surface with her thumb.

  I need to get back to the others! And if Yura decides to go with Raphael, then…

  Sabrina’s heart began to beat faster in her chest as she raced back toward her friends, a tingling pain snaking through her veins…

  When she got back, Riley briefed her as she passed.

  “She’s going with him,” he said, leaning toward her.

  Sabrina’s eyes didn’t leave Yura and she marched straight up to the girl, then knelt down.

  “Miss…” Yura started.

  “Are you sure about this?” Sabrina asked immediately.

  Yura nodded. “I am… I thought about it a lot… Sorry for not telling you sooner.”

  Sabrina’s heart felt weightless in her chest. Ah, I need to hold it together a bit longer. We haven’t even gotten to the main event yet. Taking a deep breath, she grasped Yura by her shoulders. “Please be careful. We won’t be there to protect you.”

  Yura’s lip quivered and her eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded once.

  Sabrina jolted up and turned away, refusing to look at her. Please not yet. She looked over at Raphael instead.

  “No more threats needed, I’ll keep her safe,” he said before she could even say anything.

  Threats? Sabrina glanced at Ash and saw a small smile on his face. I see…

  Laventon sighed and rubbed his head. “Well…I think this might be it then.”

  The wind whistled somberly through the trees and recalled what Cogita had told them a week ago. “No, you can’t have your big goodbye in a ruin like this! Ah, I know! There’s a hidden spring in eastern Hisui, only about a week’s hike from here. Why don’t you do it there? That’s a far more fitting place for the heroes’ farewell! Here, I have a map…”

  “Right…” Riley said, scratching his neck. “Obviously this was always the plan, but now that it’s come…”

  Ash stepped forward. “Raphael. Do you think you could give us a bit of time?” His voice was quiet and fragile.

  Raphael’s gaze flitted between the gathered, and based on everyone’s expressions, he seemed to understand. He nodded and began walking back toward Altaria. “I will return in an hour.”

  Once he was gone, Laventon ambled into the middle of their group. “Our time was short, but…as ever…it is the quality of the time spent that carves the deepest friendships. And we weathered much together.” He turned to Ash, Riley, and Sabrina. “Though not everything. Hisui owes you three a debt we can never repay.”

  Ash shook his head. “There’s no debt. We were just…cleaning up the mess we made as we passed through.”

  It felt like there were hot needles behind Sabrina’s eyes but she tried to keep her breathing as steady as possible. Can at least one of the kids start crying before me?

  “Passed through…” Laventon murmured. “Right… Normally, I’d invite you to come back and visit, but I don’t suppose that’s possible in this case.”

  Sabrina bit her lip. She could feel Yura staring up at her, but she could not bring herself to lower her gaze.

  “It was fun!” Rei cheered, his arm slung tightly around Akari. “I’ll never forget you guys!”

  “Yes, in spite of everything, it was fun…” A hollow smile graced Laventon’s face.

  “If you ever feel so inclined, please do visit Rota,” Riley said. “The Guardians would be honored by your company.”

  “I…I will!” Yura croaked.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  Akari unburied her face from the crook of Rei’s neck. Her eyes were red and tears streamed down her cheeks. Rei grimaced upon seeing her and bit his lip.

  Upon seeing that, bulbous tears dribbled from Yura’s eyes. “C-Can’t you stay a bit longer?”

  Sabrina saw Riley cover his eyes and a tear slipped down her own cheek.

  “Oh, Yura.” Laventon took to a knee and reached for her.

  But Sabrina got to her first.

  She grabbed her and pulled her into a crushing hug, quietly sobbing into her tiny shoulder. “Thank you…for everything, Yura,” she whispered.

  “I-I didn’t even d-do anything! I j-just caused problems t-the whole time!”

  No… You gave me someone to protect. You let me help you. Without you, I’d never have… Countless times Sabrina had forgotten she’d destroyed one of her limiters, but the only reason, or the primary reason, her mind was still intact despite that had to be… This girl.

  “I-I’ll miss you, Miss.”

  Her words were like an iron fist around Sabrina’s heart.

  “Yura,” Ash said softly. “Why don’t you call her by her name?”

  Yura pulled away from Sabrina, exposing her snotty, crying face to the others. But Yura’s face surely couldn’t have looked much worse. Her hair was damp and a tangled mess across her face.

  “I’ll miss you…S…Sab…”

  An ugly smile curled onto Sabrina’s lips, and Yura blushed.

  “I’ll miss you, Miss Sabrina.”

  “I’ll miss you too, Miss Yura.”

  “See ya, Pikachu,” Rei said, offering a fist bump, which Pikachu gleefully accepted.

  “Please watch over them, Professor,” Riley said, shaking Laventon’s hand, and Laventon gave a quick nod.

  “I hope things go well for you two,” Akari said, eying Sabrina.

  Sabrina pursed her lips as she stood. “You too.”

  “And thank you for everything, Master!” Rei said, bowing his head.

  “O-Oh yeah, thanks!” Akari said hurriedly.

  “Of course,” Sabrina said, blushing. “Good luck in the future… I know you two will get a lot stronger.”

  Rei grinned and pumped his fist, while Akari looked away, embarrassed.

  “Sabrina,” Ash said. He nodded over to a clear area beside the lake.

  Wiping her eyes, Sabrina nodded and reached into her coat. Feeling its crystalline petals, Sabrina withdrew Sir Aaron’s Time Flower and placed it on the ground, then joined Ash and Riley around it.

  “Have fun on your journey, Yura!” Ash grinned.

  “I will!” Yura smiled, sniffling.

  “And you three, please stay safe too!” Laventon said. “And good luck on your…quest!”

  Ash pumped his fist and nodded. “Thanks, we will!”

  “Are we ready?” Riley said flatly.

  Sabrina swallowed and nodded.

  “Yeah,” Ash said. “No mistakes this time.”

  “Henceforth, we’ll call this the Sendoff Spring!” Laventon declared, his eyes red.

  “Yeah!” Rei agreed.

  Sabrina felt the Time Flower open beneath her, and when she looked over, she saw Riley’s hands and eyes glowing with Aura. Azure light flooded into existence around them.

  Akari and Rei gaped, but Yura only looked more heartbroken.

  “I’ll find you again, Miss Sabrina!” she called. “Somehow! I’ll…I’ll leave a message for you…or something! Then you can find it in the future!”

  Sabrina smiled, clearing her throat to make sure it wouldn’t crack. “I’ll be looking for it!”

  Beyond the veil of swirling Aura, she saw Laventon, Rei, Akari, and Yura all waving at them, but as the Aura thickened, their smiling visages faded to mere silhouettes, then vanished entirely.

  As the ground disappeared out from under them, Sabrina felt her body jerk as they rocketed back toward the present.

  Hisui Incursion Arc — [END]

  Ahhh, another arc over, so time for another retrospective!

  I was a bit surprised at how Laventon’s character turned out. Initially, he was supposed to be the jovial guy he was in the game, but he ended up becoming quite stern in a lot of scenes. I guess that would be inevitable in a dangerous place like Hisui, especially when he has so many rambunctious kids to look after, so I’m not mad at it :D

  The idea for this Hisui arc was that it’d be a sort of “pseudo-journey” arc, and I’m happy to say I was able to successfully include at least one scene in every region of Hisui…albeit barely. That being said, I actually wanted to have the group get exiled from the Sanctuary for some reason like in the game, and I wanted to get them to Kitakami somehow (as I sort of alluded to in Chapter 56), but I couldn’t work those in and it would’ve added needless length to the arc so those ideas got scrapped. Nonetheless, I’m pretty pleased with how things turned out in the end; Ash and co got to flex their power and experience, but also encountered some challenges along the way. At the end of the day, as I’ve said before, this entire fic is just me having fun and writing what I want to write/what I’d want to read— Remnants was kind of a miscellaneous arc that revolved around Sir Aaron vs AZ, the two ancient badasses, this was the journey arc, and in the future, I want to write a political intrigue arc and a massive war arc, so stay tuned for that!

  A couple points I forgot to mention in the chapters themselves, but the Alpha Unown was loosely based on the giant Shades from Nier Replicant, so if you’ve played that, that’s the vibe I was trying to evoke. And a bit of silly foreshadowing: in my head, the Gallade and Garchomp it created that briefly fought against Sabrina and Riley kind of parallel the final fights with Palkia and Dialga since they are purple (psychic-type) and blue… Additionally, the name of Volo’s memory-erasing attack “Voidestria” comes from a fakemon I came up with as a kid called “Voidestier.”

  Also, the appearance of AZ’s Dragalge from the previous arc was loosely inspired by the Pilgrim Butterflies from Dark Souls 3.

  Now, I have to reflect on what could have been better about this arc, and to me, the Diamond/Pearl Clan section of the story stands out. In my plans (my head), that section was actually going to last a lot longer than it did, but when I actually got there, I realized I didn’t really have all that much for the characters to do, so those scenes probably felt pretty slow. I’d thought reducing the number of characters “on-screen” would make things easier, but surprisingly, I found the scenes where they were all together far easier to write (hopefully this is subtle foreshadowing that the upcoming arc will be easy to write ^.^). Like I was going to include a scene of Ash training with his Plate while at the Diamond Settlement, but the idea of it completely bored me so I just cut it. I think that was the right decision, but going forward, probably a good idea to actually make the story interesting at all times. I know, crazy.

  Unfortunately, because I try to put out a chapter a week, I don’t have time to read any other pokémon fics, which is a shame because I’m curious about the “meta.” How do other writers write battles? How do they describe pokéballs opening? What words do they favor? Micro and macro things like that I’m curious about and want to look into. Although to that end, I actually did start and finish Elegy by to_be_or_not_to_be on AO3 and I enjoyed it immensely :)

  While writing the previous two arcs, my minimum word count goal for each chapter was 3,000 words but I bumped it up to 4,000 for this arc in an effort to move the story along a bit faster, and I’m pleased to report that I met that goal on almost every chapter of the arc. Gonna keep it at 4,000 for now and maybe see where we are at the end of the next arc.

  And speaking of the next arc, I’m still not 100% sure if it was the right decision to leave half the cast out of this arc, but I’m extremely excited to be getting back to them! Gonna have to give them lots of shine to make up for lost time. If you recall, we left off on a pretty big cliffhanger at the end of last arc, but it’s finally time to pick that thread up again. See you in a week or two for the start of the Unknown Enemy Arc! Thank you to everyone who’s kept up with the story to this point, and thank you even more to those who leave comments and reviews— it’s greatly appreciated!

  I almost definitely shouldn’t be saying this, but the next arc is the one I have the fewest concrete ideas for so I guess we’ll see how it goes :P Doesn’t help that Silksong drops in a few days.