A Guardian's Purpose...

Chapter 26 - A Guardian's Purpose...

"What an amazing match! I can't believe how strong your boy has become!" commented a man with grey hair who was wearing a researcher's coat.

"That's my Ash. He always surprises everyone and always gives it his all doesn't he Samuel?" said a dark red haired woman.

"I agree Delia. Good thing we were able to get back home on time after feeding the pokémon to watch the match. By the way, thanks for the help," finished Oak as he reached over and grabbed a few crackers from the coffee table and tossed them into his mouth.

"Not a problem and thanks for inviting me to watch with you. Oh look!" Delia pointed at the TV when the announcer spoke.

"INCREDIBLE! ASH HAS BEATEN LEAF WITH NO POKEMON LOST ONCE AGAIN! HE IS ON A ROLL! THAT WAS SOME MATCH!"

The people in the stands cheered and roared, shouting out praises to the raven haired trainer. Nobody had ever seen such a match like the one they just witnessed in front of them. Leaf and Ash barely returned their pokémon when BOOM! A sudden loud explosion was heard that shook the stadium, scaring everyone, causing people to scream in fright.

"What the hell?" Ash said as he looked around. Lucario and Gardevoir readied themselves in case they were to be attacked and Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder to get a better look and to protect his best friend if needed. Everyone in the stadium had fear on their face, silent and unmoving after screaming. Leaf and Ash's group of friends looked around, trying to stay calm as they did so.

Suddenly, all the entrances and exits to the stadium had their large steel doors close while many of the same pokémon appeared in front of the doors when they closed. They were humanoid pokémon, colored red, black and silver and had many sharp blades growing out all over their bodies. They had weird, darkened red spots on them. All the Bisharp hungrily looked at the frightened people in the stands. The ones closest to them started to panic and moved away from the Bisharp, but the newly arrived pokémon didn't shift from their guarding positions in front of the steel doors.

"EVERYONE RELAX AS THERE IS ONLY A GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM FOR THE DOORS AND THE LEAGUE OFFICIALS ARE ON IT. WE WILL SOON WORK IT OUT AND YOU WILL BE ON YOUR WAY. DO NOT APPROACH THE BISHARP AS THEY ARE NOT PART OF THE POKEMON LEAGUE'S-AAH!"

The announcer's words were cut off unexpectedly with a shout of pain and that did nothing to calm the scared people in the stands. Ash glanced at his pokémon who nodded at him, signaling that they were ready for anything and that they were ready to face whatever was coming. But before he could do anything, he sensed something with an evil intent coming from the other side of the stadium.

"LEAF! LOOKOUT BEHIND YOU!" shouted Ash, his words carried out over the speaker system since he still had the microphone attached to his shirt, causing everyone in the stadium to look in the brunette's direction. Leaf turned her head to look behind her and saw a man with a devil's mask, who was dressed entirely in black, running towards her, holding a sword in a readied position to strike.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Leaf let out a high pitched scream before dashing forward but tripped in her haste and fell to the floor, scraping her arms as she held them in front of her to brace for impact. She looked behind her again and saw the man raise his sword as he drew near. Leaf covered her head with her slightly bleeding arms and screamed again since that was all she could do.

"LEEAAAFFFF!" cried out their friends in fright as they leaned over the rails, unable to do anything but watch the horrible event unfold.

CLANG! A loud metal on metal sound echoed throughout the shocked and silent stadium. Leaf looked up from beneath her hands after a couple seconds and saw Lucario standing in front of her, using his Metal Claw to cover his paw in a metallic sheen to catch the sword in mid strike, stopping the otherwise fatal blow. Gardevoir appeared next to her and then teleported both of them next to Ash, who helped her up immediately. She looked into his caring brown eyes, which were blazing with fire as he looked into her frightened green ones. She saw the concern written all over his eyes and it made her heart beat madly both at seeing him worry about her and because she was almost killed. Her eyes began to overfill with water before she immediately burst into tears after she buried her face into his chest, sobbing loudly as her life had flashed before her eyes. Ash hugged her tightly, drawing her in close to him to comfort her. He kept one hand on the back of her head while the other was slowly rubbing her back gingerly as he tried to calm her nerves.

"It's alright Leaf. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Ash's words were heard throughout the stadium and in the VIP room thanks to his microphone. Everyone was touched at his calm and caring words, keeping his cool in the face of danger. But they weren't able to see that inside him, his rage was building over what he was thinking. He had almost bared witness to losing his childhood friend after so long of not seeing each other and finally crossing paths once more. He couldn't have that, not on his watch. He continued rubbing her back while Leaf continued to sob, shivering tremendously as fear completely over took her. Ash looked up at Lucario, cold fury in his eyes now as a thought ran through his head; he will pay for threatening her!

"Drop him Lucario!" shot Ash. Lucario growled before he punched the masked man but the man barely took a few steps back. Lucario and Ash's eyes went wide, unable to comprehend what just happened.

"That guy just took a punch from Lucario and barely moved!" yelped Sarah, utterly shocked and frightened. The others didn't respond, unable to speak as they were too stunned that Lucario's hit hardly affected the attacker.

The masked man returned the punch with a kick to Lucario's chest that pushed him back several feet but soon stopped as the aura canine dug his feet into the ground. Lucario snarled while Ash let go of Leaf and motioned for her to get behind him when they saw several more masked men dressed in black enter the field, all holding swords. Leaf cried out shrilly, becoming even more scared. But as she stood behind her childhood friend, seeing him not back down, she understood something; he would protect her at all costs. Realizing that, she felt such emotion that she buried her head into his back this time as she hugged him, feeling his warm and strong body as she sobbed, trying to gain some comfort from it.

Oh my Mew! What's going on? I was almost killed! But he saved me! He saved me again! But who's going to save us?! Ash, what are you going to do?! You can't fight them all! Not by yourself! I can't lose you now after all this time. Especially not now that I've started to realize what I'm feeling for you!

Ash didn't do anything to comfort Leaf this time, even though he knew she was frigthtened but he had bigger things to worry about. A total of ten masked men lined up next to each other and moved towards them, their swords held in front of them. Lucario vanished from his spot and reappeared next to Ash.

"Are you okay Lucario?"

"Yes Master. I barely used any power and I was merely surprised. Their strength is formidable."

"That's not good. Gardevoir take Leaf and Pikachu to the others and you two protect them."

Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue in response as she, Pikachu and Leaf teleported to their friends and the girls went to Leaf, who was still sobbing, trying to comfort her. Pikachu jumped onto Misty's shoulders, sparks shooting out of his cheeks. Gardevoir faced the field as Ash and Lucario took up battle stances as the ten men still moved forward, taking their time while twirling their swords around to show off their skill. The people in the stands stared on in horror, their faces twisted in fright as they were unable to escape, the exits blocked and guarded.

"I can feel some incredibly evil vibes coming off of these invaders. This is not good," stated Cilan with a frown, fear and worry filling him.

"What is he thinking?! They have swords!" shouted Iris, biting her finger nails in worry.

"Ash, get out of there!" yelled Max, not wanting his idol and friend to get hurt.

"Has he gone crazy?" asked Joy, while Richie yelled for his friend to run.

Leaf looked up as she heard her friends' cries and stared in horror with teary eyes at Ash and Lucario, outnumbered by the advancing armed men. He was just standing there with Lucario in fighting stances while waiting for the ten men to reach them. She couldn't speak at all, unable to form words, still paralyzed with fear.

"Ash, you don't have to do this!" pleaded May and Serena.

Misty and Dawn caught each other's eye but said nothing, knowing he would continue even if they screamed at him as well. He had promised them he would do whatever he could to protect them all during their dates and nobody else was around as far as they could tell that was able to do what he could. They only hoped that he would be able to pull it off and be alright in the end.

"I don't think it matters right now guys," said Brock and the others glanced at him. "All the entrances are closed and guarded. There's no escape. Do any of you have pokémon with you? And do any of you know how to actually fight?" asked Brock.

The group of friends mumbled about meaning to take self-defense classes and that only Cilan, Misty, Serena, Lucy, Brock and Gary had any able pokémon with them. Leaf only had her pokémon from her match with her, who were obviously knocked out so she was unable to help.

"Well, be ready to call out your pokémon if needed but right now, if we jump in there, we'll cause more trouble for Ash. We got to keep a clear head. We've seen him sparring with Lucario before and right now the people in the stands will probably need us more so be on your guard," finished Brock.

The sounds of breaking glass from the VIP room were heard throughout the stadium after Brock spoke. A Dragonite, Metagross and Garchomp flew out of the VIP room with their trainers riding on top of them. The three pairs landed next to Ash and Lucario who had their pokémon take up battle positions as well. Lucario glanced at the three pokémon and gave each a curt nod, appreciating the help, who received one in kind. Ash glanced at the new arrivals with a smile on his face.

"Can't let you hog all the fun Ash," commented the tall and well built Lance as he crossed his arms, his red and black cape floating from the gentle wind.

"People would think we don't do anything anymore," mused Steven, the silver haired, elegantly dressed fossil collector. He stood up straight, his hands clenched into fists.

"I haven't forgotten our time working together Ash back in Sinnoh and it will be a pleasure battling alongside you once again Ash," said Cynthia with a smile, her yellow hair covering half her face and her long black coat trailing behind her, one hand on her hip.

"Thanks guys but let's leave small talk for later," replied Ash with a small smile but it turned into a frown when the ten masked man stopped advancing and lowered their swords.

"Huh. Maybe they're too scared to fight against three Champions!" hoped Lucy.

"I don't think that's the reason Lucy. Look!"

Gary pointed at the vile men who started moving again. They put away their swords but then reached around their back and each of the masked men took out a pistol and cocked it back, aiming at the four trainers and their pokémon.

"NO!"

"Please stop!"

"Don't do it!"

"ASH!"

The cries of the girls made Ash's hair stand on end as he quickly sent out rapid mental commands.

Lucario bring up an Aura Shield. Also, I need you here Mewtwo but don't be seen. Stay up above in the stadium and hide in the clouds. You're on defense for now and plan B if needed.

"You must die. Everyone must die. Now say goodbye," said the first masked man in a distorted voice and pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot was louder than the sounds of the girls' screams as it echoed in the silent stadium. Yet the bullet didn't strike its intended target. Instead it struck a blue shield and dropped down to the floor. The shield had completely absorbed the bullet's energy so it wouldn't bounce off and hit somebody else.

"Everyone fire at once!" commanded the leader after seeing how his initial shot was stopped. The ten masked men opened fire on them. Lucario struggled to keep the shied up as screams and shouts were heard from the people in the stands. Gardevoir had a look of fear make its way onto her face as she saw Lucario struggling to keep it up as she could see him gritting his teeth as he held it up.

"How much more can Lucario withstand?" whimpered May as she started to become teary eyed.

"He can take it! He's Ash's pokémon!" answered Max loudly as he gripped the railing hard.

"I don't know about you but I'm not staying here any longer!" snapped Misty as she made to jump down into the field, clutching a poke ball. She barely grasped the railing and lifted one of her legs onto it when she was grabbed and held back by Brock and Lucy. "Let me go!"

"No Misty. You have to stay," replied Brock sadly though with force but Misty kept struggling to get loose from their grip.

"But Brock I have to! He needs me! I can't let him fight alone! Please! I CAN'T LOSE HIM!"

"I know and I'm sorry Misty but you'll cause more harm than good right now. Plus he'll be fine and he's not alone. Lance, Steven and Cynthia are with him. Don't worry."

Misty stopped struggling after a moment and nodded, her eyes watering. She prayed that he'd come out of it alright and so did the other girls. Silence followed that made them look at the field again. The masked men had stopped firing and were putting away their guns as Lucario stumbled back a back from being tired out from holding up the shield against the bullets. He was panting heavily and Gardevoir's eyes went wide and wanted to be by his side to help him fight but knew her place was by the others. She whimpered slightly but remained where she was.

"Good job Lucario. We'll take it from here," said Lance as he, Steven and Cynthia moved forward with their pokémon.

The masked men laughed and brought out their swords again but also tossed out numerous poke balls into the air that brought out many pokémon in front of them. All the pokémon looked weird, as if mutated. They were slightly larger than normal with their usual coloring off as they had many dark red spots on them. There were several of each of Mightyena, Bisharp, Heatmor, Luxray, Drapion, Crawdaunt, Houndoom, Ariados, Weavile and Scoliopede. There was also one of each of Azumarill, Electivire, Empoleon, Exeggutor, Roserade and Flygon. Something about those pokémon brought a feeling of déjà vu to Ash. There were about sixty pokémon facing them, not counting the Bisharp in the stands. The large group of invaders were advancing slowly towards Ash, the Champions and their pokémon.

"How are they going to fight against so many at once?! This isn't fair!" cried Serena but before anyone could answer her, the first masked man spoke again in his distorted voice.

"You will die. And so will the people in the stands." The lead masked man signaled the Bisharp in the stands to attack and the dozen Bisharp around the stands moved towards the people near them. The people started running away from the deadly pokémon but all that did was cause them to trip and stumble over each other as they attempted to run away. They had failed to notice that they had nowhere to run to as they couldn't escape the stadium with all the passages out of there were blocked.

"NOW BRUNO!" shouted Lance.

A tall, large and muscular man in a karate uniform jumped out of the VIP room and tossed out several poke balls into the air. Machamp, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Hitmontop, Mienshao and Hariyama appeared. The seven fighters moved to intercept the attacking Bisharp and Ash's friends sent out their pokémon to fight the five nearby them.

"Starmie go!" snapped Misty.

"Umbreon!" shouted Gary.

"Simisage, evaluation time!" yelled Cilan.

"Delphox I need you!" screamed Serena.

"Seviper come on out!" added Lucy.

"Golem, protect everyone!" finished Brock.

Pikachu, Gardevoir and Ash's friends' pokémon fought against the Bisharp near them to protect themselves and the other people around them while Bruno and his fighting pokémon fought with the other Bisharp. Ash was momentarily distracted, watching the chaos around his friends, trying to see if they would be okay. He noticed that Pikachu was having a hard time, unable to unleash his full strength since he was around so many people and could hurt them. He made a mental note to help his friend on that in the future; if that is, they survived this. He was so observed in his friends' safety that he wasn't watching the fiasco in the field until Lucario's yell snapped his attention back at what's in front of him.

"MASTER! LOOK OUT!" Lucario pushed Ash out of the way of an incoming Dark Pulse attack from one of the Houndooms. Ash got back up and thanked Lucario who had fired a Flash Cannon in return that sent the Houndoom flying back. Ash got back up into a battle stance, ready to defend himself.

"What do you think of the odds?" asked Lance as his Dragonite plowed into several pokémon, sending them flying while he dodged a Thunderbolt that was fired at him from a Luxray.

"Could be worse," answered Steven as his Metagross did the same, sending several pokémon flying as well. Steven dropped to the ground to evade a Flamethrower shot from a Heatmor at him. When he got up, he noticed the pokémon his Metagross hit got back up without a problem, barely scratched and slightly bruised. He shook his head and sighed. This is going to be tough, he thought.

"It's worse. We need to use more power but there are too many of them and we'll lose if this keeps up," deduced Cynthia, whose Garchomp hurled several boulders that appeared out of thin air at their adversaries, striking a few. She ducked as a Water Pulse was launched at her from a Crawdaunt.

"You guys don't have any more pokémon with you?" asked Ash as he rolled out of the way of a Poison Sting fired by one of the Ariados. When he got back up he saw the Champion's three pokémon knock out a couple pokémon at once and Lucario dropped one as well. The three shook their heads before responding back while the four of them grouped together to watch each other's backs.

"Diantha and Alder went to check on the explosion we heard before this all happened," said Steven. His Metagross knocked out an Ariados with a Zen Headbutt that sent it crashing against the stadium wall unconscious.

"We weren't expecting something like this, not when we were finally enjoying a period of calm and peace for so long," added Lance, angry at himself for becoming soft and not staying vigilant. His Dragonite fired a Thunderbolt at a Mightyena who writhed about in pain a bit before falling down.

"And we only have our lead pokémon with us since we weren't planning on battling or anything of the sort anytime soon," explained Cynthia, with obvious worry etched on her face. Her Garchomp bit a Heatmor on the head before sending it flying back, plowing into a few other of their opponents but they all got back up except for Heatmor.

"It's alright Cynthia," said Ash as he grasped her shoulder, attempting to calm her down. She felt a jolt go through her body and some comfort from his touch but didn't show it. "I'm here and so are you three. We didn't give up a few years ago and we won't give up now." Cynthia smiled at him in response, making Lance look at the two before Ash tossed out many poke balls into the air.

His Zoroark, Ninetales, Pidgeot, Flygon, Tyrantrum, Espeon, Lopunny, Froslass, Vaporeon, Flareon and Jolteon appeared and quickly joined the chaotic battle, helping out Lucario, Dragonite, Garchomp and Metagross. Now the fighting seemed to become more balanced as Ash's pokémon began to take control, even though they were greatly outnumbered. The pokémon they faced were insanely strong, but it seemed they lacked the skills and experience to use their strength and abilities properly. Ash's pokémon, however, were trained to great levels and strengths. They also practiced battling together so they knew how each of their allies fought. The masked men were watching the battle, not moving, swords held in front of them to defend from any close range attackers that drew near them.

"Now we're getting somewhere," smiled Steven as the odds tipped slightly into their favor.

"You're pokémon are powerful Ash and they seem to be working together with ease," remarked Cynthia with an impressed gaze at the raven haired trainer. She witnessed his Pidgeot fire an Air Slash at a group consisting of Mightyena, Luxray, Weavile and Crawdaunt, who flinched, only to have Zoroark fire Focus Blasts at them in their moment of weakness. The raven haired trainer glanced at Cynthia and nodded with a smile, acknowledging the compliment, making the blonde Champion smile too. Then, Ash's smile vanished instantly before he shouted.

"LOOK OUT CYNTHIA!" Ash tackled the Sinnoh native to the ground in order to save her from being attacked by a Mightyena that had slipped through their pokémon and had tried to pounce on her from behind with its jaws open to clamp down on her neck. Garchomp whirled around and with a loud feral roar sped towards the now targeted pokémon who dared attack her trainer and friend.

"Thank you Ash," said Cynthia quietly, blushing since he was on top of her on the ground. Ash nodded and got off of her before helping her up. They saw Garchomp grab the Mightyena and throw it high into the air before launching a Dragon Pulse at it, who yelped loudly in pain before crashing down.

The cameras were still rolling and were transmitting the entire chaos to the whole world. The invaders had taken care of the communications office and the announcer since he wasn't talking anymore. All across the regions, many people were screaming and crying out in fright over what they were seeing. Many people who got to know Ash when he journeyed across the world were shocked at was happening at the tournament and were also scared of what could happen to Ash and their other friends. If they were scared, it was nothing to what a certain raven haired trainer's mother was feeling at that moment. Delia Ketchum and Samuel Oak had their eyes wide in fear and hugging each other. Ash's mom was crying as Gary's grandpa just stayed quiet until Delia spoke in between her sobs.

"ASH! My…baby …please…be careful…" she cried as Oak massaged her back, half-hugging her as the two watched in fear.

"I'm sure he will be alright Delia. Ash is no pushover." Oak tried to reassure her that everything will be fine as the two continued watching.

In another location, far away in a different region, a ten year old girl was watching the match with her older brother who wore large round glasses and a few friends. When the horrible people appeared and the fighting began to get intense, the girl screamed and yelled out for Ash to run, making her brother jump, startled.

"Bonnie! You know he can't hear you!" chastised her brother, making their friends glance at them before snapping their attention back to the intense battle shown on the TV.

"I know Clemont but I don't know what else to do!" snapped Bonnie. She started crying and hugged one of the couch's pillows.

"I don't know either but I'm sure he'll be okay. It's Ash for Arceus's sake!" Clemont hugged his little sister as he spoke; he hoped his words would calm her down and that Ash pulls off a miracle again like he did when they had fought against Team Flare together.

"They should be okay. I mean the Champions are there too," said one of their friends, a pretty brunette girl while her eyes remained glued to the TV.

"You're right Shauna. We shouldn't lose hope. Isn't that right Trevor?" said the largest of the group, a tall and round young man.

"You're right Tierno," responded the smallest of the group, a short young man with orange hair.

In a far away land, a beautiful kingdom was next to a large forest and near the world's last Tree of Beginning. It is a kingdom of peace and prosperity that made many who visited want to come back or stay there, enjoying the calm land. However, in the throne room, it was the exact opposite.

Queen Ilene trembled in fear and panic as her most trusted knight, who was also an Aura Guardian himself, Master Riley, stood beside her with a grave look on his face. He wasn't an Aura Guardian by lineage as he wasn't from any particular bloodline chosen by Arceus so many years ago when Aura Guardians first appeared but he trained on using his aura, just like Psychics did to use their senses and abilities. He developed his aura to the point where he could use it to fight, protect, heal and had taken the Guardian's Oath in order to serve the Queen of Rota, giving him the title of Aura Guardian. They were both watching the tournament, pleased with Ash's performance so far but when the terrible things began to happen, the queen had screamed out in fright.

"NO! Why is this happening Riley?" whispered Ilene, shaking.

"I don't know my Queen. Hopefully Ash can do what needs to be done," replied Riley. "He is doing a good job and the Champions are with him. They should be alright."

"I hope you are right. Please, Lady Mew, grant them luck and strength!" prayed Ilene with her eyes closed before a horrible sound made her snap her eyes open to look at the TV again.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

A girl's scream caught Ash's attention and he snapped his neck to where his friends were fighting. He saw Gardevoir and Pikachu crash to the ground and saw Misty's Starmie get knocked out, slamming into the red head, making the two fall down onto the stands' hard concrete floor. Serena's Delphox was fighting another Bisharp behind them but was losing ground. Leaf, Dawn and May were cowering between Misty and Serena as they hugged each other. The others were still standing and fighting but they weren't nearby and they were having some issues as well. The Bisharp was advancing on the downed red head. Ash's heart beat madly in his chest at the sight as if trying to escape.

"MISTY!" yelled Ash, making the three Champions glance at him right before he disappeared in a blue glow, causing the three to raise their eyebrows and widen their eyes in surprise.

Misty was on the floor, pinned down by her own pokémon and Gardevoir was barely moving and Pikachu was gasping for breath as he stood shakily back up, growling. The yellow mouse and the green fairy had taken powerful attacks for Misty's Starmie while it charged up an attack but the star pokémon wasn't fast enough to launch its strike before getting knocked out. The Bisharp advanced to the red head and raised its arm that had attached curved blades.

Misty let out a high pitched scream again but before the attacking pokémon could swing its bladed arm down, a large Aura Sphere smashed into its face, sending it flying backwards. Misty glanced behind her and was relieved to see Ash there, who had a furious expression on his face. He hurled another one at the Bisharp that had just knocked out Delphox, sending it flying backwards as well. He fired two more spheres at the Bisharp Sarah was fighting a bit away and the other one that Brock and Lucy were fighting against. Gary, Richie, Iris, Cilan and Joy were together as they kept the other Bisharp at bay. Sarah, Brock and Lucy whirled around to see who launched the attacks and were glad to see that it was Ash. The unknown people in the stands near them had their eyes widen in shock at what the raven haired trainer just did but did not react, frozen by what they saw. Ash turned around to help Misty get up and she saw his eyes change back from blue to brown.

"Are you alright Mist?" asked Ash, obvious worry coating his words.

"Yes, thank you!" Misty gave him a hug but quickly withdrew as she felt something sticky and warm. She raised her hands to see what it was and saw blood, instantly knowing the cause. "Ash your stitches!" she cried out.

"Not important right now. Serena!" Ash called out as he turned to Serena to help her up and Misty saw the back of his shirt get darker with every passing second where the cut was. Oh no…

"Yes I'm fine, thanks Ash." Serena gave him a hug and she too felt the blood. Before she could say anything, Ash knelt besides Gardevoir and Pikachu.

"C'mon Gardevoir, Pikachu, get up. I need you." Gardevoir and Pikachu were panting heavily but when Ash pulsed some healing aura onto them, they recovered and stood up. They weren't at full strength but it was better than nothing.

"Thank you."

"Pika!"

"No problem. Watch over them for now. I may need you." Ash then moved towards Leaf, May and Dawn to check on them.

"You three okay?" asked Ash. Leaf, May and Dawn had tears going down their faces but just nodded their heads. Ash smiled and hugged the three. He then wiped each of their tears away gently as he looked into their eyes, making them feel great comfort from his gentle and caring touch. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Nothing will happen to you. I swear it."

When they separated, Leaf, May and Dawn noticed the blood on their hands, their eyes widening as they gasped at the red stains and then gazed at him. He stood up, ignoring their questioning looks and healed Delphox and Starmie, who immediately got back up as well. Ash then faced the five girls before looking to the side when someone shouted his name.

"ASH!" It was Sarah. She had run to him and tackled him to give him a hug. This time though he didn't fall down. "Thank you for helping me," she said softly as she sobbed slightly into his chest. Ash returned the hug and patted her back before pulling away.

"Anytime Sarah." He then faced them all as Sarah stood next to Misty. "I promise you'll all be safe." Before any of the six could say anything, Ash vanished and reappeared in the field in between Cynthia and Steven.

"Where'd you go?" asked Lance.

"Yea what happened?" questioned Steven.

"Ash?" Cynthia gave him a confused and worried look.

"Later. Recall your pokémon now," replied Ash.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" shouted Lance while Steven merely stared and Cynthia cocked an eyebrow.

"You're pokémon are tired and unable to fight anymore. They knocked out many but they are ineffective now. Besides I have a plan. Recall your pokémon," repeated Ash as his eyes began glowing a light blue. Lance, Cynthia and Steven had their eyes widened in understanding as they raised their hands holding poke balls.

"Dragonite, return!"

"Metagross, return!"

"Garchomp, return!"

The three pokémon who were exhausted but still battling, were hit with red beams of light and vanished inside their poke balls at the same time. Before Ash could tell his pokémon to withdraw, he saw Lopunny, Zoroark and Ninetales get struck hard and were sent flying back, smashing into the stadium walls and creating large craters in them before they slid down unconscious. They were chased by the mutated pokémon who were preparing to attack them while unconscious to end their lives.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" roared Ash as he fired multiple Aura Spheres at the pokémon who went after them. Seeing him do that made the Champions and many from the stands gasp since they had never seen someone do something like that before. They hit their marks, pushing back several while knocking out a couple in the process. They shook their heads as they got back up and advanced towards Ash, their new target. The three Champions stepped back but Ash remained at his position, standing tall, his rage filling him.

"Oh no, they're after him!" cried May as Gardevoir shot a Thunderbolt and Delphox launched Mystical Fire at the Bisharp they were fighting against, knocking the pokémon down.

"Damn it! Wait, what is he doing?!" shouted Dawn as Pikachu and Starmie slammed into the Bisharp near them. Ash had a faint blue glowing outline appear around him, causing many to gasp in the stadium.

"Is he really going to use it in front of all these people?" asked a stupefied Max.

"What is he trying to do Brock?" asked Lucy with wonder as she noticed the blue glow.

"Ash is revealing his true strength," answered Brock.

Ash recalled all of his pokémon as they were getting tired and ineffective as well, except for Lucario, who was fighting like a pokémon possessed, dodging and evading all attacks and landing several of his own. Lucario knocked out another pokémon before getting hit by a Thunder Punch by Electivire. He was sent flying back towards Ash who caught his friend, stopping him before he lowered him to the ground.

"Thank you Master."

"No problem. It's time Lucario," said Ash while healing him. Lucario nodded in agreement and Ash glanced up into the sky. "TRAP THEM IN THE FIELD!" shouted Ash.

A large purple shield appeared over the field and the Bisharp in the stands were thrown by an invisible force, one by one, into the shield, saving many people; Bruno was rescued as he was on the floor in pain from a cut and about to get slashed again. A couple of his fighting pokémon was out for the count as well but were still getting hit and several of Ash's friends and their pokémon were saved at the last second. The masked men and their pokémon were all under the shield and used many attacks to attempt to break through but were unable to do so. Ash's friends, the Champions and everyone else in the stands fixed their gazes on the attackers. Pikachu and Gardevoir were panting heavily though they were still ready and willing to fight on, staying by the group.

"That won't work," growled Ash. He and Lucario were in the shield as well. The three Champions were pulled back by something so they wouldn't get caught in it but when they turned around they saw nothing there.

"Doesn't matter. You are a fool for taking us on alone. Looks like you will be the first to die then and when you fall, killing the rest will be a piece of cake." The masked men moved forward with their swords raised, their remaining pokémon following them. A good chunk of their pokémon was knocked out by Ash's and the Champion's pokémon but they still had around forty with them.

"Ash get out of there!" shouted Lucy.

"Stop it Ash! You can't do this on your own!" added Sarah, afraid he was going to get hurt.

"Ash! I believe in you!" screamed Misty, making the others look at her. She turned to face them. "Support him and his aura will get stronger!"

"Shit! How could we have forgotten?" muttered Gary as he face palmed.

"Doesn't matter right now. Ash, you can do it!" screamed Dawn.

"You're the best Ash! Show them whose boss!" yelled Leaf suddenly, standing up, finally overcoming her fear so she can support the raven haired trainer.

The others began to cheer for Ash, encouraging him, lending him their support. The people in the stands and the Champions thought that they had gone nuts. He and his pokémon are strong sure, but how could one man and one pokémon fight against so many?

"You're friends are brainless fools in believing you can stop us. They think you can protect them and save them all. Instead they will watch you die in front of their eyes," commented the lead masked man as they continued forward towards the awaiting Ash and Lucario.

"That's where you're wrong," said Ash. "And you will pay for endangering my friends. It's time for you and the rest of the world to see what I am truly capable of."

Ash spread his feet and brought his arms up at a right angle with his hands in fists. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated. His eyes glowed a bright blue and the blue outline around him glowed brighter. Strong winds picked up from nowhere and began whirling around Ash before the very ground began to shake, causing everyone to stumble a bit. Streaks of blue light began bursting out from Ash's body before suddenly blue flame like energy flared out from him. He stood up straight suddenly and a bright blue light flashed over the stadium. The howling winds and earthquake died down and the many people in the stands gasped and murmured as to what they thought he was. The three Champions took in sharp breathes, knowing what he was but never before seeing a true Aura Guardian in person, let alone his power. Cynthia was beyond amazed and her mind and heart raced as she took in the sight of him. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Ash…is an Aura Guardian," commented Cynthia under her breath to herself.

Cynthia watched as Ash had many small blue spheres emerge from his flame like blue aura, that turned into poke balls and each one opened to reveal a new battle ready pokémon; Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Primape, Gengar, Snorlax, Tyranitar, Sceptile, Blaziken, Greninja, Garchomp, Infernape, Gallade and Serperior. They let out a collective roar together once they all appeared, showing their readiness to battle and to intimidate their enemies. Ash then had three more blue spheres appear that also turned into three Premier Balls. The rare balls opened up to reveal their pokémon who were Entei, Raikou and Suicune. The three legendary pokémon let out loud roars as they too stood tall behind the Aura Guardian, looking majestic in their own right. The last three pokémon completely surprised everyone as they were rare and powerful legendary pokémon. Many people had their jaws drop at the site of them, including the Champions.

"No way! Look at all those powerful pokémon!" remarked Richie, holding Joy close to him who was scared beyond measure but not able to tear her gaze away from the field.

"As if his other pokémon weren't enough, he has these as well?" asked a stunned Iris.

"He's got an army with him!" exaggerated Max.

"Not only that but he has the Legendary Beasts of Johto with him?!" asked a shocked Gary.

"Incredible. He never stops surprising me," whispered Misty. Dawn, Serena, May, Leaf and Sarah nodded silently in agreement.

"Are those three really…" started Steven but stopped, unable to continue as he looked at the three legendary beasts with awe.

"Yes. Yes they are," answered Cynthia with a whisper while Lance kept staring with his mouth slightly open, still not believing it.

Before anyone else could comment, Ash let out an Aura Pulse, which was a thin blue wall-like wave of aura energy, towards the masked men and their pokémon. It pushed them all back as his pokémon stood tall behind the Aura Guardian, growling, waiting for Ash's command.

"Did he just do that by himself?" asked Sarah, astonished and everyone else marveled at his display of power.

"That's the power of an Aura Guardian," answered May, smiling a little for the first time since the horrible event started.

Lance, Cynthia and Steven were wide eyed, unable to fully realize what they just witnessed. Ash sent out another Aura Pulse, pushing them back yet again but this time it was strong enough to cause the masks on the men to fly off, revealing their faces. Ash froze dead in his tracks.

"YOU?!" shouted Ash, stunned.

Lucario and Charizard narrowed their eyes and snarled. Gardevoir squeaked and cowered. Misty instantly hugged the frightened psychic and fairy pokémon, understanding why she got scared.

"Is that…"

"No way…"

"Are you kidding me?"

"What the fuck?"

Four of the masked men were Tracey, Kenny, Drew and Rudy. The other six were random people that nobody recognized who looked to be several years older than them.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Ash.

"It is required of us and so we must do it." Tracey spoke with no emotion, like a robot as he and the others stepped forward, swords in hand.

"What do you mean? You don't have to do anything! You don't have to listen to someone who makes you do stuff like this!" pleaded Ash.

"We do what we must. We are to obey without question. Our mission is to kill everyone who is at this tournament. It is our job, our purpose. And we will not fail."

With that response, Tracey and the nine others ran forward, getting their swords ready to attack. Ash raised his hands up and brought out an Aura Shield in front of him and his pokémon. The ten intruder's swords smashed against the Aura Shield but the shield held, even though Ash was pushed back a bit. Ash spoke as he struggled a little to keep holding up the shield against their relentless attacks and everyone heard him through the speakers.

"I'm sorry Tracey that you and the others chose such a path. You used to be my friend but you and the others betrayed me, betrayed our friends and betrayed the girls. You tried to take Misty, Dawn and May for your own evil reasons. You attacked my pokémon without mercy, trying to end their lives. And now you are trying to hurt many others who wanted to enjoy the tournament. I won't let you. I made a promise to protect my friends from anything and everything. As long as I draw breath, I will never let you or anybody else hurt them!"

With his speech finished, his aura flared out powerfully and he sent out another pulse that pushed the ten men back many feet. Ash stood up straight and concentrated his power into manifesting a sword and shield in the air made out of aura energy that he reached up and grabbed, making many in the stadium murmur over what he just did. He then looked up into the sky, shouting out his next command.

"PLAN B!" shouted Ash.

Not even a second later, hundreds of small bullet sized purple energy balls rained down from the sky on top of the attackers, like mini guns spewing out bullets from many helicopters. Countless small explosions occurred when the purple bullets made contact with their targets, drawing up clouds of dust around the attackers yet the attack continued for several more seconds, traveling through the clouds. Everyone was astounded at the powerful attack and wondered who or what could do such a thing.

When the attack finally finished and the smoke cleared, they saw the evil men and mutated pokémon had taken up defensive positions against the attack but they looked like they still took a good deal of damage. Even though some of them weren't affected by the attack directly, the explosions the psychic bullets made still hurt them. Ash glanced back at his pokémon, a furious expression on his face.

"TAKE THEM DOWN!" commanded Ash.

Lucario raised his head up and let out a bone chilling howl into the sky, sending shivers down everyone's spine before sprinting forward and as he did so, he brought out a thick blue bone club made of aura energy out of the air, twirling it in his paws. Charizard, Infernape and Blaziken covered themselves in red flames and shot forward. Sceptile sprinted forward, his arm's sharp appendages glowing green and Serperior dug into the ground, her tail glowing green. Gallade sprinted forward a bit as his sharp appendages glowed purple, readying Psycho Cuts before vanishing from sight. Primape growled as he jumped high into the air, his leg glowing white as he readied a Mega Kick. Greninja and Gengar vanished from sight, readying Shadow Balls in their hands before disappearing. Garchomp flew into the air as he charged up a Dragon Pulse. Venusaur launched dozens of incredibly sharp and accurate Razor Leafs. Blastoise dug into the ground with his feet and his cannons extended forward a bit as he shot powerful Hydro Pumps. Snorlax curled into a ball and used Rollout to steamroll over the mutated pokémon and Tyranitar roared as large boulders appeared in the air and he tossed them. Entei, Raikou and Suicune jumped up and launched a Flamethrower, Thunderbolt and Bubble Beam respectively from the sky. Ash charged forwards with his shield raised and smashed into Kenny, sending him stumbling back before engaging the ten men in battle.

Even though they had numbers on their side, the mutated pokémon and men were weakened by Mewtwo's Psystrike and Ash's pokémon were holding their own against the forty or so pokémon while Ash was fighting the ten men single handedly, evading strike after strike and landing a few hits here and there. He was able to disarm a few of them from their swords in the process and tossed them outside of the shield. The battle raged on as everyone looked on with shock and fear on their faces.

"I can't believe this," whispered Sarah. She was beyond scared as she watched Ash and his pokémon fighting against overwhelming odds as they fought to protect them all.

"Is this what he's been training for?" asked Iris, glancing at her boyfriend. Cilan was too occupied absorbing what he was seeing to reply back. It was one of the few times he was shocked into silence.

"Ash…why must you always be the hero?" asked a concerned Misty to no one in particular as she watched the love of her life fighting with everything he's got.

"Please be careful Ash," whimpered Serena as tears fell down her face, unable to look away from the carnage below.

"You've always been so brave. Please don't die on us now!" cried May as she hugged her little brother Max who was crying, worried about his idol and friend.

"He can't die! He has to win! He's never lost something like this before!" exclaimed Dawn while shivering with fear.

"LADE!" Gallade cried as a Thunderbolt and Water Pulse hit him after he knocked out an Ariados with a Psycho Cut. The reaction from the two attacks caused an explosion that sent the fighting psychic pokémon flying out of the shield and crashed against the stadium wall before sliding down unconscious.

"Oh no, Gallade!" cried out Joy but then another shout was heard that drew their attention.

"PRIME!" Primape was struck by two Dark Pulses at the same time after knocking out a Bisharp and was sent flying out of the shield, landing on the floor unconscious near the Champions, who glanced at the pokémon. They saw the bruised spots where the attacks made contact and the three grimaced, knowing how much that would've hurt before snapping their attention back to the horrible fight. A green snake was quickly sent after him after slithering around launching Energy Balls at the enemies, knocking out a few before Serperior was knocked out by a double hit from a powerful Fire Blast sent by a Houndoom and a Sludge Bomb from a Drapion.

"He's losing ground!" yelled Lucy.

"C'mon Ash you can do it!" shouted Brock.

Leaf had pulled herself together when she saw Ash charge in fearlessly but was getting scared again, looking at her childhood friend fighting the now revealed men. He had knocked out two of them but was getting tired. They could see him slowing down and not dodging attacks as quickly as before. His aura was still around him but not as bright either.

He hasn't changed at all, always fighting to protect others. Just like he did for me. But he's getting hurt! Please Ash, you can do it! You can beat them! I know you can! Please don't leave me!

"ASH! Please don't give up! You can do it! I believe in you!" cried out Leaf, trying to encourage him, while leaning over the railings.

Gary quickly grabbed her and moved her away so she wouldn't fall over as the stadium trembled. They looked around to see the cause of it and soon found out. Snorlax had body slammed three pokémon at once and when he got up, he fired a point blank Hyper Beam at the three, knocking them out.

"Talk about a horrible way to go," said Cynthia, smiling but it quickly turned into a frown.

"SNOR!" cried out the large pokémon as Heatmor, Luxray, Crawdaunt and Scoliopede launched several attacks at once at him, knocking him out. He dropped to the floor with a loud thud, shaking the whole stadium. The four pokémon attacked him while he was unconscious, actually cutting into his thick skin and fat, drawing blood.

"NOOO! Leave him alone!" cried out Max, tears going down his face.

"STOP IT!" screamed May.

A large red sphere of flames collided into the group, sending Heatmor and Crawdaunt flying back. Charizard growled as he slashed at Luxray with Dragon Claw, knocking him out and then fired a point blank Flamethrower into Scoliopede's face, roasting the large bug pokémon alive, knocking him out for the count too. The flame on his tail had increased in size and he was in rage mode again. Charizard let out an ear splitting roar, causing all in the stadium to cover their ears before letting out a Fire Blast that shot through several mutated pokémon, damaging each of them some. Infernape had the flame on his head glow white as his rage peaked; he was launching Flamethrowers at all around him, keeping his enemies at bay from him and his allies. Blaziken's forearms were coated in flames as his fury had grown as well, sending several of the mutated pokémon high into the air with his Sky Uppercuts and intercepting many physical attacks from making contact with Ash's pokémon. The three fire pokémon were launching attacks nonstop, fighting many of the mutated pokémon at once, not feeling the pain of multiple attacks hitting them as their adrenaline and rage fueled them.

"Incredible. Look at them go!" breathed out Cynthia, never before seeing such a sight.

"I for one do not want to get on their bad side," remarked Steven as he witnessed the extraordinary power of the three fire starters.

"They have the fighting spirit of true warriors. Their fiery hearts will not be extinguished easily," said Lance with respect.

Greninja, Sceptile and Garchomp were dashing around while launching speedy attacks against the many pokémon, preventing them from using attacks of their own, giving their comrades time to launch their own attacks at their distracted opponents. This worked for a bit before a Drapion and a Weavile teamed up against Sceptile, tripping him up, causing him to stumble into an Ice Punch from a Crawdaunt and a full power Fire Punch from Heatmor that sent Sceptile out of the shield, out cold.

Greninja and Garchomp tried to save their ally but were hit with multiple attacks from several Bisharp, after being slowed down by Ariados and Luxray when they became distracted. The two pokémon crashed to the floor unconscious. They were immediately hounded on by their aggressors until Gengar appeared out of nowhere between them holding up a protective shield as Blastoise and Tyranitar fired Hyper Beams at the ghost's attackers, knocking them out.

Entei, Raikou and Suicune were fighting several of the mutated pokémon at once back to back, damaging them greatly as they stood their ground. While preoccupied with fighting the pokémon in front of them, none of the legendary beasts noticed that their enemies were slowly separating them until it was too late. Entei was the first victim as two Mightyena and two Houndoom pounced on top of him and snapped their jaws with sharp teeth on his back and began shaking their heads, cutting into his flesh, making the large fire beast roar out in pain. He began jumping around while howling in agony as he attempted to get them off his back. He even smashed against the shield wall with his back to get them off but it was no good.

"ENTEI!" cried out Joy, seeing the poor pokémon being ripped to shreds in front of them.

Entei's comrades heard his cries and wanted to help him but couldn't as each of them had their hands full. Finally, Suicune was able to break free from her opponents and launched multiple Signal Beams at the four on Entei's back, knocking them off of him. Entei breathed out in relief but soon his face paled as Suicune left herself open to attack and was soon punished for it. A couple Luxray hit the aurora pokémon with a double Thunderbolt who shrieked out in pain before she was silenced from a Drapion's Cross Poison and a Solar Beam from a Houndoom. Suicune dropped to the floor unconscious from the attacks, causing many in the stands to gasp that the legendary pokémon fell.

"Oh my Mew. Not even a legendary pokémon can survive long against them," whispered Misty.

Entei was shocked that his sister was taken down so easily and his eyes narrowed with rage. He roared as he was outlined in a red glow. He covered himself in flames before rushing towards Suicune's attackers and slammed into them, sending them flying back until they crashed into shield wall. He was about to finish them off with a powerful Fire Blast but was then struck by a Dark Pulse from a Houndoom and two Water Pulses from two Crawdaunts. Entei fell to the ground and struggled to get back up but was then struck by Flygon's Dragon Pulse sending him back down to the ground. He didn't get back up again.

During Entei and Suicune's ordeal, Raikou was busy trying to fend off Heatmor, Scoliopede, Mightyena, Roserade and two Weaviles. He was too quick for them to land a hit on them but they kept him too busy to counter attack. From the corners of his eyes, Raikou saw his brother and sister get taken out and it enraged him. With a mighty roar, Raikou charged towards his attackers and slammed into Mightyena, sending the dark canine flying back before he used Crunch on the Heatmor who cried out. While still biting down on the fire type, Raikou was mercilessly attacked from Scoliopede, Roserade and the two Weaviles. With a feral snarl, Raikou let go of the now weakened Heatmor and let off a powerful last ditch Discharge attack with all of his remaining strength that struck all the mutated pokémon near him, taking out several before he too dropped to the ground, out for the count.

"I can't believe it…" gasped Sarah, her eyes filling up with water.

"The Legendary Beasts of Johto have fallen!" shouted Gary.

"This is really bad," commented Dawn as she and May began crying. Serena was letting out tears before them and Misty was all cried out. Leaf was watching everything with wide eyes, not making a single sound.

The carnage kept going, not slowing down at all even as the amount of players slowly decreased. If anything, as the number of pokémon fighting dwindled, the more brutal the fighting became. And Ash had sustained a few blows and cuts but none too serious. He was able to knock out another man so it was now seven against one but he was losing energy fast, barely dodging attacks by the skin of his teeth. His pokémon were losing ground as well.

The mutated pokémon, even though not having much skill or experience, were strong and their endurance was high. Ash's Venusaur had been knocked out after firing Energy Balls for a while and launched a final attack, a Solar Beam, knocking out a couple pokémon before Heatmor and Houndoom stopped him by using Fire Blasts on him. Blastoise was shocked to a crisp by several Luxrays after taking out the Heatmor and Houndoom with a Hydro Cannon. Gengar knocked out the several Luxray with rapid Shadow Balls before being silenced by Scoliopede and Weavile with a Megahorn and Dark Pulse, sending him flying out of the shield and slamming into the wall, becoming stuck in it with narrow veins spreading out from the force of the impact.

Tyranitar was fighting four Bisharp at once, holding them at bay until he knocked out one with a Brick Break before they overpowered him with Metal Claws. As he dropped to the ground, they continued slashing at his rock hard armored body, trying to kill him. Right as they slashed through to his softer innards, Infernape quickly intervened and launched devastating punches and kicks at the now three Bisharp, pushing them back.

Charizard, Blaziken and Infernape were three of the four of Ash's pokémon left, fighting against the horde of mutated pokémon alone. It was three against many and they were fighting back to back, surrounded, their limitless rage keeping them on their feet as they fired scorching hot flames at their attackers while Lucario was engaged in a fight a bit away from the three fire types.

Lucario was giving it everything he had and then some against Azumarill, Electivire, Empoleon, Exeggutor, Roserade, Flygon and a couple Bisharp. He snarled at them as he remembered them to be the ones who hurt Gardevoir. He had taken up the same promise as his Master had, that they would protect her from all the horrible stuff in the world. They may have not been able to keep that promise, but they weren't going to stop trying their best to do so. Since coming into his life, his affection for her had steadily grown and he cared for her greatly, even more so than his other comrades. His rage was keeping him on his feet even after sustaining multiple hard strikes.

"You shall pay for all you have done!" roared Lucario as he knocked out Roserade with a Blaze Kick before continuing his relentless counter attacks and attempting to evade their strikes.

"He's going to lose! We have to help!" shouted Cynthia but Lance and Steven didn't respond. The blonde Champion of Sinnoh turned to glare at them. "Why aren't you doing anything?!"

"And how do you propose we help him?" asked Steven quietly as Lance eyed his two fellow Champions. "We have no able pokémon and the shield prevents us from entering."

Cynthia turned away from them and continued watching the massacre that was happening right in front of her. She couldn't believe she was just a bystander to such a terrible event. Never before was she not a part of the fight. Never before was she not ready to take care of business. What's worse is that the person who was fighting for them all was someone she held in high regards and had thought about for a long time, hiding her feelings for him. She hated not being able to help him. She hoped that he would succeed and that he would come out of it alive. If he fell, she wouldn't know what she would do.

"This is really terrible," whimpered May as she held her little brother Max.

"What the hell are we doing just standing here?! We have to help him!" cried out Misty.

"With what Misty?! You know damn well that we don't have anything to lend aid with! Our pokémon couldn't handle one. Hell, three legendary pokémon didn't last long and there is still around twenty down there!" shouted Gary.

"I hate to say it but Gary's right Misty. If we try to help, it may make things worse by giving the attackers something to use against Ash. Right now, he and his pokémon are the only ones capable of ending this," sighed Leaf, glancing at Misty and the others before turning and locking her gaze on Ash.

Please Ash, you and your pokémon can do it. Don't leave me now as we just ran into each other again. Especially when I'm just starting to understand my feelings for you. Life just can't be that cruel. Please come back to us...to me, thought Leaf, praying that he would be alright and that this horrible nightmare would end soon.

Sarah was listening on them while keeping her attention on Ash. She couldn't believe how courageous he was, how he had thrown himself into the fire to protect them all. What astounded her most was the fact that he was still standing after fighting for so long and sustaining multiple injuries.

Please win this Ash. I don't want you to lose or…die. I've lost too many people I cared about in my life already to lose someone else, especially one who I have feelings for...

Misty didn't argue back, knowing that Gary and Leaf were right but quickly turned her attention to the chaotic battle in front of them. Pikachu and Gardevoir where whimpering as they wanted to help but knew that Ash wanted them to stay by his friends' side in case they were needed. If anything happened to them, they would never forgive themselves. They then saw something that made them all panic and shout out in response.

"ASH!"

Ash was over powered when the seven remaining men had all attacked him at once, striking his shield, after he dodged one of their attacks. He fell to the ground but quickly rolled away to dodge a strike from Tracey's sword, narrowly missing his chest. The raven haired trainer moved back, holding his aura sword and shield, panting heavily.

The corrupted Tracey, Kenny, Drew and Rudy sprinted forward holding their swords up and Ash channeled his aura to his shield to block their combined attack. The four swords hit the shield and pushed Ash backwards, his feet digging into the ground but he was able to hold his position. He kept his shield up and attempted to strike back with his sword but a black metal object was raised to point at him with Tracey's free hand.

BANG! A loud gunshot was heard throughout the stadium when Tracey pulled the trigger. Everyone, including the fighting pokémon, both mutated and Ash's own, stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the sound.

Ash stumbled back a bit, his aura, sword and shield disappearing into thin air before he dropped to one knee. He looked down at himself and saw another hole in his already tattered and torn shirt. He was shot in the stomach and it began oozing out blood badly, feeling his energy slowly dwindling. He pressed his hand against his wound, crying out in pain as he attempted to stop the blood from escaping, making his friends cry out for him as the vile men and mutated pokémon laughed sadistically.

"ASH!" cried out Misty, Dawn, Serena, May, Leaf and Sarah together.

"ASH!" screamed Cynthia.

His friends called out to him, sobbing and the girls tried to jump down onto the field to him but were held back by the others. Cynthia made to move to him, to attack the shield herself but was held back by Steven. Lucario was stunned still for a second, disbelief on his face. He then narrowed his eyes and focused a great amount of his energy before he punched the ground hard. A massive Earthquake occurred, making all in the stadium stumble about before using Extreme Speed to get to Ash's side.

"MASTER!" Lucario knelt by his side after putting up an Aura Shield around them as the seven men soon found their balance and knew they would try to attack them.

"Lu…cario…" whizzed Ash, unable to continue.

Charizard, Infernape and Blaziken were exhausted but when they saw that Ash got hurt, they were frozen in shock and fear. They saw Lucario move to him and a moment later, their eyes narrowed with rage and they roared in fury, their flames growing larger and glowing brighter. Each of the fire starters were thinking one thing and one thing only at that moment; their enemies would soon be bathed in a hell storm of fiery wrath.

"CHAR!"

"BLAZE!"

"INFER!"

The three fire types had glowing red outlines appear around them, their eyes glowing red as well while they charged up three balls of fire in front of them, the spheres growing larger and larger. Their Blaze ability had activated and they used its boost along with their rage to make their next attack stronger than ever before. The mutated pokémon saw this and every single one of them attempted to attack the three fire starters while they charged up their attacks. But the intense heat kept them from drawing close so they launched attacks from afar at the fire pokémon, hitting them but they didn't stop.

"Look at those three!" shouted Iris.

"They're so consumed with rage, that they're ignoring the pain they're no doubt receiving," remarked Cilan, finally snapping out of his silent trance, amazed at their willpower and resilience.

"Dear Mew…" gasped Cynthia as she witnessed the three fire pokémon withstand the terrible onslaught against them, holding their positions. Lance and Steven were dumbfounded at the sheer strength and resilience of the three pokémon.

"Contain it!" croaked Ash, making his friends wince at hearing his hoarse voice over the speakers but gave each other confused looks thinking the same thing; who was Ash talking to?

His three powerful fire pokémon launched the Blaze and rage enhanced full powered Blast Burns in front of them, hitting the mutated pokémon and engulfing them all up in a vortex of beautiful yet deadly red, orange and yellow flames, spinning high up into the air. The three fire pokémon stayed on the ground in the middle of it all, still spewing out fire from their mouths. The purple shield went away as a purple barrier appeared around the large flaming tornado, containing the fire and all the mutated pokémon from spreading out over the stadium.

The attack was deadly but also strangely enchanting, catching the attention of all in the stadium as the flames whirled around with deadly speed. An incredibly loud explosion was heard as the flames erupted, making the vortex glow white before causing shockwaves to generate from the sheer power of the explosion inside the contained area. The mutated pokémon crashed back and forth against the walls of the barrier before the fire was replaced with swirling dark smoke clouds. The smoke stopped moving and went away before all the mutated pokémon fell to the floor, unconscious. Seeing their enemies out for the count, the three fire pokémon let out loud victory roars before dropping to the ground themselves, unconscious from their many wounds finally overwhelming their incredible wills.

"They did it….THEY DID IT!" cheered Dawn, jumping up and down, pumping her fist into the air.

"It's not over yet, Dawn!"

Dawn stopped jumping up and down and glanced at Serena, who was pointing at Ash and Lucario. Dawn's smile quickly faded away.

"ASH!" screamed Dawn, becoming pale.

"PIKAPI!" shouted Pikachu on top of Misty's shoulder, Gardevoir in the red head's arms, whimpering.

Ash's friends jumped down into the arena and ran towards Ash, Lucario and the vile men, passing the many fainted pokémon on the ground. The three Champions followed them, right at their heels. The seven men twirled their swords, smiling evilly, welcoming the new victims. Ash was still kneeling, holding up his body with his other hand, Lucario holding up the shield. Drew, Tracey and two of the unknown men took out their pistols again and aimed at Ash's friends.

"PROTECT THEM!" shouted Ash, before falling onto the ground, face first, gasping for air.

A purple barrier appeared in front of Ash's friends, Pikachu, Gardevoir and the Champions, preventing them from getting closer and protecting them from the gunshots. Seeing the bullets hit the shield, they aimed at the bystanders in the stadium and fired at them but purple shields blocked the bullets as well. They couldn't shoot at anyone, as they were all protected.

"You can't keep this up forever. We will end all of your lives." Tracey said as he aimed at Lucario's shield and fired. The others fired as well and when they ran out of bullets they struck the shield over and over with their swords and Lucario struggled as he kept holding up the shield, hoping his Master would get back up and wondering what Mewtwo was planning and when he would strike.

All of Ash's friends were pounding on the purple barrier, trying to get through, with many of them crying as they feared for him. They were also angry that they couldn't get to him, that he had kept them away from harm as he fought on alone again and soaked up all the damage himself.

Misty, May, Dawn and Serena were yelling out his name, as they continued striking the barrier while crying hysterically. Max, Cilan, Iris and Joy had stopped, exhausted, but had tears flowing down their cheeks as they watched. Pikachu and Gardevoir fired attack after attack at the shield to get through but were unable to. Leaf, Sarah and Cynthia had their hands pressed up against the shield staring in horror. Brock, Lucy, Richie and Gary were holding back tears as they watched, not doing anything, knowing that they couldn't do anything at all. Lance and Steven were just standing there taking in what they were seeing with their mouths slightly open and their eyes wide.

Ash's vision went black when he hit the ground and his hearing went away. A flash of white light and he suddenly found himself in a grey room, alone. He felt that he'd been there before but before he could do anything, a creature appeared in front of him out of thin air and he immediately remembered why. The darkened red humanoid creature that was disfigured and devoid of any good, stood in front of him again. The horrifying creature grinned maliciously as its black eyes glinted with sadistic pride.

"How did you like getting a taste of my powers?"

"What?" cried out Ash, confused and scared, taking a step back.

"The pokémon and humans who you were fighting against have been strengthened using my powers, my darkness."

"How?"

"Don't know, don't care. But I am glad. I was able to do the things I love sooner than expected. Well, indirectly though, as it was through them, but I felt everything. And this is only a fraction of what I am capable of. Oh how I am enjoying this. Soon I will be released. Soon I will come for you. And through the eyes of the ones you fought against, I have seen the love you have for your friends, your pokémon and those girls. I knew about them but seeing them in person….ha ha ha ha ha ha! I can't wait to feast on your friends and their emotions and I will make the girls my own and make you watch!"

Ash grew angry. He was scared of this monster but the mere thought of his friends getting hurt, the girls getting hurt, made him furious. His eyes glowed blue and his aura flared out. The evil creature cackled in amusement.

"Do you not remember the last time?" The creature shot forward and blocked Ash's strike before grabbing his throat and lifting him up. "You cannot defeat me. I will end you now, and your friends will be next. I will spare the girls so I can take them for myself when I am free."

A large Aura Sphere slammed into the creature's face, sending him backwards as he dropped Ash. When the creature and Ash looked for the source, they found a purple bipedal feline nearby. Mewtwo had joined the battle.

"How did you know?" choked out Ash barely, trying to get air into his lungs with deep breathes.

"I sensed your mind get invaded and entered it as well to help you. You must return Ash. You have the strength needed to overcome them and I am still here, standing by your side."

"Nice try abomination. You will be stuck here as well then. Two for the price of one. Then I will have some fun with the others," laughed the creature evilly.

Mewtwo growled at the creature and took up a battle stance. Ash was slowly getting back to his feet. Images of his friends, his pokémon, his allies and of the girls flashed across his mind's eye. He couldn't let anything happen to them. Ash gathered strength from thinking about everyone he cares about and his rage grew at how this dark being wanted to hurt them.

"You won't get near them!" roared Ash as he fired an Aura Sphere to the creature's face, hitting it and making him let out a cry of agony.

"How dare you! I will end your pathetic life now!" shot the creature as it lunged at Ash but the Aura Guardian dodged as Mewtwo sent out another Aura Sphere at the creature to hold it at bay as Ash's aura flared out again while he powered up an Aura Beam in his hands.

"It's not my time to go yet," replied Ash simply as the glowing blue sphere of energy powered up in his hands before he fired the beam of aura energy that raced towards the creature, hitting it and sending it flying into the distance.

"I will awaken and when I do, say goodbye to all you know and love!" The creature's words faded into the distance as Ash looked on with his aura dying down.

"Well done Ash. Though we have one more thing to do."

"You're right Mewtwo. I have to get back."

As if waiting for his words, the grey room glowed white and then nothing. Ash felt the cold hard ground of the stadium ground suddenly and the smell of burnt air around him. He could hear people screaming his name and he wanted to call back out to them but he couldn't. He felt exhausted, broken, bruised and in extreme pain. He knew he was bleeding profusely. Yet he knew it was not his time to die or to give up and he couldn't let the ones he loved above all else down. He felt his aura inside him flicker a bit before it gained strength and started burning brightly inside him once more, growing stronger as his extraordinary willpower gave him energy.

Lucario had held up the shield for a long time but couldn't anymore. He was out of energy and dropped to his hands and knees, panting heavily for air. The Aura Shield faded away and the seven men started to laugh maniacally. Gardevoir trembled seeing Lucario so weakened. She had never seen him so vulnerable. Tracey moved forward while holding out his sword.

"And the first to die will be this annoying pokémon and then its master." He raised his sword.

"LUCARIO!" screamed Gardevoir, falling to her knees, bawling loudly.

"PIKA!" squeaked Pikachu, terrified of what was coming.

"STOP!" yelled several of Ash's friends at once, but they're pleas were ignored.

Tracey swung the sword down hard and fast with both hands, intending to cut off Lucario's head with a single swipe. A sudden flash of bright blue light erupted near the two that blinded everyone in the stadium. When they were able to see again, they looked to see what caused it. The people in the stands, the Champions and even Ash's friends had expressions of disbelief all over their faces.

Ash was on his feet again and had stopped the attack by catching the sword in mid strike with both hands, between his palms. His eyes were narrowed with fury and he was snarling.

"Holy mother of Mew…" muttered Gary.

"ASH!" shouted the four girls together, beyond thrilled seeing him on his feet again.

"Amazing." Sarah was staring at Ash with wide eyes, her heart beating madly for him.

"Ash, you're something else." whispered Leaf, gazing at her raven haired childhood friend, feeling something incredibly strong inside her as she gazed at him.

"Remind me to never get on his bad side," remarked Lucy quietly, seeing Ash furious.

The three Champions had their jaws drop at what they saw. They couldn't believe it. Even with everything that they witnessed, this was the last straw. Cynthia's heart fluttered when she saw him standing again and she was beyond happy to see him alive.

"If you cannot wait for you death then I will kill you first!" shouted Tracey, as he pushed harder, trying to connect the blow.

Ash ignored Tracey and concentrated on his aura. His eyes glowed blue again and his aura shot out more tremendously than ever before. The blue flames surrounding him reached twice his height as powerful winds blew around him. Tracey had a hard time staying on his feet but wouldn't budge. Ash used his aura to enhance his strength significantly and applied pressure to the blade before breaking it in half.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" burst out a very surprised Brock, unable to control himself after seeing Ash do that, with everyone else dumbstruck at what he just did.

Ash dropped the broken half onto the floor next to Lucario who was slowly regaining energy. The guardian walked calmly forward with a furious expression on his face, his aura dancing around him violently and sent out Aura Pulses continuously towards the seven evil men, pushing them back. Tracey charged forward after the last pulse of aura and tried to punch Ash but he caught the strike with his left hand before kicking Tracey in the chest. Tracey cried out in pain but tried to counter with a kick but the Aura Guardian caught his leg in mid air before throwing him into the stadium wall followed by a large Aura Sphere that smashed into him, knocking him out. He continued towards the six remaining men, his aura still burning brightly around him.

"YOU GOT THIS ASH!" cheered the four girls. They were ecstatic that he was kicking ass and taking names.

The six men charged at him, two of them still with swords. A mad fight ensued that looked like a choreographed action scene. Ash dodged and evaded each strike thrown at him with ease, his aura senses helping him evade the strikes and land hits of his own with grace. Lucario shakily raised himself on one knee, leaning against it, his breathing still ragged.

That's it Master. Keep it up.

The Aura Guardian knocked out Kenny with a full power punch to the face, causing some teeth to fly out before he slammed face first into the ground. Rudy and Drew threw punches at Ash who caught them both but one of the others slashed at Ash's chest with his sword, drawing blood.

"NOOOOOOOO!" shouted many of Ash's friends, fearing the worst.

Ash looked down at the cut on his chest. Luckily for him, the blade didn't cut too deep into him but it still drew blood and angered him even more. He growled as he broke Rudy and Drew's wrists when he pushed up on their caught fists. The two dropped to their knees as Ash kicked the one with the sword hard, sending him flying back. He then used Rudy's and Drew's arms to pick the two up and slam them together in the air, knocking them out before he dropped them to the ground. He raised his hands to his sides, palms open. Two large Aura Spheres appeared instantly in his palms before he chucked them, one after the other to the two men in front of him. Both of them were hit in the face and sent crashing to the ground, unconscious. He then pulsed out his aura at the last man, who frantically attempted to hit him with his sword but was pushed back. Ash brought his hands together to his side as a ball of swirling blue energy appeared. Right when the last man charged at him, Ash fired his attack and the beam of blue aura energy escaped from his hands, racing towards the last man, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying through the air before crashing into the stadium wall, getting stuck in it from the sheer force of the attack, out cold.

Ash kept his position for a second before lowering his arms and standing tall once more. He released a couple Aura Pulses that expanded in all directions, past the outer stadium walls, calming and warming everyone when it passed over them as well as checking for other threats.

"Why do I feel so good all of a sudden?" asked Lucy, feeling warm and relaxed.

"As an Aura Guardian, Ash can use his powers to calm and comfort nearby people if he so wishes," explained Brock.

"Oh." Lucy understood, as did Sarah, Leaf, Joy and Cynthia. They were wondering the same thing as well. Not sensing anything, Ash relaxed a bit and sent out a mental message.

Thank you buddy. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you.

You're welcome. But why didn't you want me to get more involved?

Because nobody truly knows about you and I would like to keep it that way for now. And I wasn't out of the fight yet.

Alright, I understand. You did well, I'm proud of you. Should I teleport the others back home? I will make sure they get treated back to full strength.

Yes and I know you will. And thank you Mewtwo.

You're welcome and it was my pleasure Ash.

Ash's pokémon, except for Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu, disappeared in a blue glow.

"Where did Ash's pokémon go?!" questioned Leaf with worry.

"They went home. My friend teleported them back home and will treat them," answered Ash as he slowly faced his friends who all smiled at him "I hope you all are okay." They nodded as they moved towards him, the purple shields finally gone. The people in the stands roared and cheered, seeing the horrible event finally pass and their savior alright. "Good. That's…all that...matters..." said Ash, before he lost consciousness and he fell over backwards onto the ground as his aura faded away.

"ASH!" screamed out his friends as they all ran to him.

Ash Ketchum was on his back, lying on the ground, his eyes closed and barely breathing. The battered, bruised, cut and shot Aura Guardian was in so much pain, bleeding from so many injuries that his body shut down, no longer feeding off his adrenaline and rage. His friends gathered around him as Misty, Dawn, Serena, May, Sarah and Leaf dropped to the ground to get closer to him, sobbing. Cynthia wanted to go to him as well but didn't know if she should and if she was ready if somebody asked something. The people in the stands went eerily silent over witnessing the raven haired savior fall to the ground. She felt someone grasp her shoulder but she didn't pay it any attention until that person spoke.

"Go to him Cynthia," encouraged Steven.

Lance glared at Steven but the Hoenn Champion didn't notice it. Cynthia glanced at Steven, who nodded at her with a smile. Cynthia gave a small smile before dashing forward to the fallen raven haired trainer. She knelt down beside Dawn who barely glanced at her but the others did nothing as they were too focused on Ash.

"Is he alright? Will he be okay?" asked Cynthia in a hushed tone.

"I don't know. He has too many wounds and injuries for me to even know where to start treating him," cried out Joy.

"We need to take him to a hospital quickly. Gardevoir, can you teleport us there?" asked Brock, taking control, as his 'stay calm under pressure' side kicked in. Gardevoir, even though exhausted herself, nodded and her eyes glowed blue.

Ash, Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Brock, Lucy, Leaf, Gary, Iris, Cilan, Joy, Richie, Max, Cynthia, Lucario, Pikachu and Gardevoir disappeared in a flash of blue. The people gasped at that and began to murmur where they went and what would happen to them now.

"I can't believe you told her to go to him," said Lance as he made Steven look at him. Steven frowned before replying back.

"She needed to. And you need to let it go." Lance sighed and shook his head. "C'mon, we got other things to take care of since it looks like we're left with clean up," remarked Steven.

Steven looked around at the mutated pokémon and evil men who were knocked out, scattered all over the field. He moved towards one of the Bisharp nearby and when he touched it, it disintegrated into dust.

"What the hell…" muttered Lance, taking a step back, appalled at what he just saw.

The two Champions went around to a few other mutated pokémon and when they touched them or got near them, they all turned to dust as well. Suddenly, all the mutated pokémon burst into dust clouds. They moved towards the men and when they touched them, they were surprised that they stayed intact though they did seem to burn them when they were touched.

"Good. At least we can get some answers now," said Lance, standing up while calling someone on his phone. "Yes, it's me. I need you to get my pokémon from the valley and get here as quickly as you can. I don't care what it takes, just do it and do it quickly," said Lance and hung up.

Steven nodded in agreement as the steel doors to the stadium exits and entrances finally opened. The people in the stands hurried out with their voices loud, talking about what they had just witnessed as they were herded out of the stadium by Diantha, Alder and many emergency personnel who had arrived at the scene of the tragic event. They were finally able to open the doors and let everyone out. As they watched the people being escorted out, the two Champions waited near the unconscious ten men for the police to come, handcuff them and take them to jail for the time being until they could question them. Steven looked at the ten vile men on the ground. He sighed as he had a feeling that things were going to become a lot more difficult in the coming days.