Hey all, DarkSlash9 here with another chapter of Pokemon: The Fellowship of the Aura! Sorry this one took a little while to write, there's a lot of important reasons why. Aside from me kinda hitting a 2 week slump in mental health (nothing serious, I'm good now), this chapter took some time because it's got scenes in it that I planned very early into the creation of this story. I wanted to do it justice as best as I could, and sometimes that sentiment leads to a very slow, concise writing process.

This chapter basically picks up where the last one left off... and... y'know what? I'll save the rest of my blurb for the Author's Note at the end of the chapter. Be sure to read it!

Without further ado, enjoy chapter 18!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemonnnnnnnnnnnn

XVIII

[Johto Woods: Camp...]

Rosa was quite surprised to see May emerge from Ash's tent and briskly walk into the forest. She'd assumed the older brunette to be asleep, but apparently, that hadn't been the case upon Max, Serena, and Gary's return. May had gone in the very same direction Serena had gone, and judging by the 2 minute gap between their departures, it was only a matter of time until she'd catch up with the seemingly distraught honey blonde.

With a light, airy yawn, Rosa leaned to her side and laid down, positioning herself close to Nate. With everyone back at camp and, more or less, accounted for, she could finally go to sleep. Part of her wanted to get up and follow May and Serena, but she'd already decided she'd get all the answers to her questions in the morning. At the moment, sleep was the priority...

"Rosa, you got a minute?" called a voice, right as Nate was about to wrap his arms around her. "I... oh."

Nate and Rosa both looked at the owner of the voice: Max. He was just a few feet away, equidistant from his tent and the two elementals. It was obvious the events of his day were still affecting him, but even in his melancholia, the dread of accidentally interrupting an intimate moment could be seen in his visage.

"It's fine." dismissed Rosa, sitting back up. "What's up?"

"What happened to May?" asked Max, walking closer. He sat down before continuing. "I just sensed her Aura... it was nowhere near that potent when I left this morning. I figure you'd be the best person to ask."

"I don't fully know." stated Rosa, shaking her head. "I only know what Paul knows, and it is by no means the full story. You probably know a lot more about what happened to Serena than I do about May, so let's start with that instead. We'll talk about May after."

From behind Rosa, Nate could be seen looking at the stars above, visibly exasperated by her inability to wait until morning for the answers she desired. Meanwhile, Max's own gaze lowered to the ground, his shoulders slumping.

The azure glimmer of Aura instantly left May's eyes when she'd heard what Serena had said. It was nothing short of jarring, as all May had said was that she'd wanted to talk. But alas, mere milliseconds after May had finished speaking, Serena had turned around and spoken a single sentence so horrid that it completely blindsided the brunette, even though she'd already sensed the immense sadness in the honey blonde's Aura. In fact, it was that pure, heart-wrenching despair radiating from Serena that had shaken May out of her half-asleep daze in Ash's arms, prompting her to get up and give chase into the forest.

"What...?" inquired May, unable to believe what she'd heard.

"My mother starved herself to death." repeated Serena, her voice hollow. "...Because of me."

"Serena..." uttered May, the weight of the news rendering her body numb. "I... I'm-"

"I gave up on everything." interjected Serena, her tone making a turn towards the unhinged. "I gave up on my own hopes and dreams because I thought Ash Ketchum was dead. I gave up my Performing career, and I gave up on myself. Because of Ash Ketchum. And then, I learned he was probably alive. What did I do? I gave up on my own mother and left to wander the world for him. Everything I've ever fucking done in my life has been for him. Whether I knew it or not, everything. It's been that way ever since we met as 5 year-olds at Professor Oak's camp, where he gave me some standard advice that anyone with a brain, no matter how young, could give a scared little girl. Fast forward a whole 17 years later? I still don't know how to live for myself. In all this time, I never have known. My Mom knew that, and she wanted me to realize it. She never got the chance to give me that talk because I abandoned her before she could. I wanted to find the guy who'd 'changed my life', my 'soulmate', the boy who told me to never give up until the end. It's amazing; I only applied that motto when it was convenient for me. I traveled everywhere, and not once did I ever look back. I never gave up then, and only then. In all that time I spent running around, thinking I was on some righteous, love-sanctioned odyssey... my own mother rotted away, just wishing she could see her daughter again. She died alone. And now, I'm alone, wishing she were still here. I can't even think straight. The only thought that's clear is that I'm a fucking joke, a terrible joke better off never being told. I don't know who I really am anymore, or if I ever truly was someone to begin with. But I do know one thing: I'm giving up, one last time. But this time is different from the rest; It's what I need to do. I don't need to be here anymore, I can't stand to be here anymore. You can have him, May. Okay? You can ha-"

Serena was cut off by May slowly pulling her into a tight but gentle embrace, one that didn't show any signs of ending. As her monologue had progressed, Serena's composure had completely unraveled. She'd been pacing back and forth, her voice had gotten louder and louder, and her breathing and mannerisms had become completely erratic. But the warmth of May's hold on her had momentarily quelled the frenzy... enough for her to listen, at least.

May took a deep breath before issuing her response.

"Cry."

...As if she'd been waiting for permission all along, Serena broke down into complete, unrestrained sobs, burying her face in May's shoulder. As she let out her anguish, she subconsciously returned the hug and wrapped her arms around May, digging her fingers into the brunette's back as she did. It was certainly a bit painful for May, but in the moment, she barely felt it. All she could truly feel was sadness, but for once, it wasn't centered around herself.

"What am I supposed to do?!" bellowed Serena, her throat stinging. "Where am I *hiccup* supposed to go?! I'm alone! I'm all alone!"

"You're not..." cooed May, fighting back tears of her own. "You're not alone..."

"I am! I barely talk to anyone! You've treated me so kindly, and I've been a cold-hearted bitch to you from the start! The only person I've been genuinely kind to in YEARS has been Ash! You think I was actually nice to my mom before I left her?! I was a heartless cunt to her too! I don't *cough* deserve anything!"

"Serena..."

"My entire personality has just been 'I love Ash'! That's all there is to me! That's all there ever has been! I've pushed away so many people, people that wanted to get to know me, people that wanted to care for me! But what was there to really know?! I've just been some dumb f-follower with nothing underneath the surface! I don't have anything for anyone... I'm nothing!"

"..."

"I can't do it anymore..." cried the honey blonde, digging her face deeper into the crook of May's neck. "I feel like I've lost everything... and it feels deserved. I can't... I can't... I just can't be here anymore! I'm worthless-"

"No." snapped May, abruptly separating herself from Serena.

Shaken and teary cyan eyes met stern and teary sapphire eyes as Serena stared at May, who had ended the hug in favor of firmly grasping her shoulders. The look on May's face was a strong one, even though she too was crying a little.

"You are not worthless." continued May, slowly shaking her head. "Never say that. The despair that comes with that word is a slippery slope, and I won't let you fall down it. It's a painfully hard rut to get out of, and you don't belong in it, either. I-... *sigh* Serena, you are worth so much. You're beautiful, smart, and strong. The things you do amaze me, they amaze all of us. You may think you don't deserve anything, but I honestly, truly think you deserve everything."

"H-how can you possibly say that?" questioned Serena, still sobbing. "How can you p-possibly be the way you are towards me?! I've never understood! You love Ash too! You admitted it already! What is it about me that stops you from hating my *hiccup* guts?! What's wrong with you?!"

"I admire you." admitted May, with a small smile. "When I think of myself, and how I stack up to you... I lose every time. I've spent so many years of my past feeling sorry for myself and wallowing in my own self-pity and self-hatred until it boiled over and destroyed me from the inside. Even when I got a little better and started rebuilding myself, it felt like I never had the strength you did: the strength to keep going, on my own, 100% by my own volition. Whatever the reason was, and whatever it was rooted in, the point is, you found a way to keep going. I can't say the same. You don't know how many times in my life I've wanted to just... die. I refuse to let you sink to a place that dark. There's no reason for it. You're the one that went out, alone, to find Ash. And, against all odds... you actually succeeded. You brought him back, while I just lost control. Do you really think I deserve him more than you do? Do you really think your mother would want you to give up on being with him? After how far you went to see him again? Wouldn't that truly make everything that's happened, and all the sacrifices that were made entirely pointless? You can learn to live for yourself while being with the one you love. Both can be done. You want him; so have him, Serena. You don't have to punish yourself even more when you're already in so much pain."

Having said her piece, May pulled Serena back into the hug, resuming her role as the honey blonde's shoulder to cry on. For a very long time, they were silent, save for the sounds of Serena's sorrow. As the seconds evolved into minutes, and the minutes evolved into a half hour, Serena's sobs slowly regressed into soft cries, and then, to mere whimpers and sniffles. Her grip on May had softened considerably as well.

"I'm sorry..." she wept, weakly. "I'm so, so, so sorry..."

"There's no need to be." replied May. "There really isn't."

"I am *hiccup* anyway..." asserted Serena, pulling away so she could wipe the tears off her face. "I'm sorry for every time I haven't returned your kindness... I just... I can't justify it any longer. I-I'm going to be better. I want to be more like you - a good person. I want to be a good person, May. I do."

"I'm not that great." droned May, rolling her eyes. "Trust me, I'm still working on myself too. But you and I can strive to be better together. Serena... I care about you... a lot. I know you're not going to magically feel better overnight, it's impossible. If anything, I just want you to know that tonight doesn't have to be a one-time thing. I'm here for you, whenever you need me. We all are. Even Paul."

"Are you sure about that?" sighed Serena, wiping the last droplets of liquid from her reddened, puffy eyes. "Paul doesn't seem like the comforting type..."

"He acts all stoic and whatnot, but I assure you, he's a human being too." replied May. "In fact, he probably knows how you're feeling better than anyone. He doesn't show it, but he's still hurting inside. He just channels that hurt into a drive to take down the Dark Order. In the end, everything that's happened to us traces back to them. All of our adventures, our struggles, our pain... they all happened so that The Fellowship could come together and end it all. So we can help Ash destroy an evil no one person can defeat on their own."

"Yeah..." agreed Serena, having regained a fraction her composure. "We're all supposed to be here. I can't forget that..."

"Exactly." sighed May, turning back towards camp. "So... I'll see you in the morning...? You won't leave?"

"Yes." confirmed Serena. "I'm not going anywhere. I just need *sniffle* a little more time out here... But I'll definitely be back before sunrise."

"I'm glad." replied May, walking away. "I guess I'll be heading back, then-"

"Wait."

May turned back around, heeding Serena's order. She was met with the sight of the honey blonde reaching into the confines of her cloak, murmuring to herself between residual sniffles. Once she found what she was looking for, she pulled it out and tossed it to May, who caught it. It was a makeshift pouch, one that rattled with every slight movement. Recognizing the sound, May untied the navy blue and light pink floral patterned fabric, revealing pill bottles. There were a few of them, but one in particular caught her eye. The pills were a smaller milligram dosage, but it was the same compound and brand as her own medication, which she'd lost. When she'd made the connection, her eyes widened and looked into Serena's.

"I don't know if any of them are useful to you..." muttered Serena, lowly. "But I imagine you can figure that out on your own. Also, you could use the fabric as a new bandanna, if it fits."

"Serena... I don't know what to say-"

"Thank you."

"Well, uh, yeah, I definitely want to thank you-"

"No, I mean I'm thanking you." clarified Serena, awkwardly pulling May into their third hug of the night. "Thank you for coming here and talking to me. I know it must've been hard without your medication, it really means a lot to me that you-"

"How did you know?" asked May, pulling away. "That i'm not... y'know."

"There's a certain something in your eyes when you're at 100%." replied Serena, rather simply. "I didn't always know what it was, but I've always been able to tell when it is or isn't *sniffle* there. As far back as when we were at Ash's house, 5 years ago. Everything you've said to me tonight... it matters even more to me, knowing you said it all while... y'know."

"I know you know I know..." replied May, cracking a smile. A genuine smile. "Y'know?"

"I know..." added Serena, managing a half-smile of her own.

After that, Serena stared at May, waiting for her to say something next. However, she didn't. All May did was stare back at her, with her lips still in the form of a very small smile. Feeling slightly put off by the 8 seconds of sudden silence, Serena decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Goodnight." she added, snapping May out of her apparent daze.

"Goodnight, Serena." replied a perfectly responsive May, revealing there was no daze at all.

Still holding the fabric and medication, May turned around and walked off, heading back to camp. Serena watched her go, and could've sworn that in the last moment she'd been able to see May's figure in the shadowy distance... her walk switched to a run. The honey blonde raised an eyebrow at the sight, but only for as long as it took for her to realize that, without May, she was all alone in the forest. It was far easier to keep herself collected when someone was there with her.

As a new generation of tears involuntarily spawned on her eyelids, Serena let out a heavy sigh as she began her own trek back to camp. She'd take the long way, and, unlike May, she wasn't going to rush.

She still wanted some time to cry on her own... but not too long of a time.

The next morning...

...

Having slept like a rock, Ash opened his eyes with relative ease, feeling quite rested. His arms were wrapped around a warm body, one that seemed to be unconsciously holding his hands with their own, clutching them close to their heart. Their breaths were deep but shaky, as if they were crying in their sleep. As Ash's mind awakened enough for him to notice the head of honey blonde hair mere inches away from his face, his eyes widened to dramatic proportions.

It was Serena.

He had fallen asleep holding May, but had awoken holding Serena. Dismissing this fundamental inconsistency as the work of another nightmare, Ash began to look around the confines of his tent. With a fearful whimper, he waited for his surroundings to morph into amalgamations of hellscapes and torture chambers as Serena inevitably morphed back and forth between herself and May, only to evaporate into lemon juice vapor that would, without fail, find it's way into his eyes. Much to his shock, none of that happened.

"'Bitch got magic tricks." commented Pikachu, his voice coming from behind Ash.

Startled by his partner's sudden inclusion into the scene, Ash quickly looked over his shoulder, eyes still wide. Pikachu was sitting in the corner, looking most upset. Noticing Ash's intense stare, Pikachu narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"Do not talk about Serena that way." whispered the Chosen Guardian, serious.

"Bruh!" exclaimed Pikachu, outstretching both arms in clear incredulousness. "She literally Houdini'd your ass overnight! A switcheroo, dare I say! Hell yeah the bitch be doin' magic tric-"

"If you call Serena a 'bitch' again..." growled Ash, retreating to his thoughts to help eliminate the chances of Serena waking up to such a conversation. "I will, honest to Arceus, kick your little yellow face in."

Unfortunately, it seemed like Serena would be waking up at that time anyway. Mere moments after Ash had finished his warning, she began to stir, in a rather frantic and frazzled fashion. However, she quickly calmed down and became aware of her surroundings, recognizing that her troubling dreams had ended. Aware she was in Ash's arms, she fell silent for a few seconds. And then, she lightly cleared her throat.

"...Good morning." she murmured, her voice rendered raspy from the previous night's strain.

Sensing the nigh-bottomless sadness swirling within her Aura, Ash frowned and held her closer; a thoughtless action executed solely by impulse. He had never, in his life, sensed a primal sorrow running as deep as the one emanating from the young woman pressed against him. It was daunting, as if focusing on it for too long ran the risk of being devoured by it.

His chest suddenly feeling hollow, Ash let out a shallow breath.

"What happened...?"

Serena sighed and held Ash's hands a little tighter before letting go of them completely, her tearful eyes focusing on nothing in particular.

"It's a lot."

"So, if what Rosa told me last night is correct..." prefaced Max, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You accidentally sent May 10,000 years into the past?"

Paul, sitting in the corner of his own tent, glared at Max, visibly irritated by Max's visible irritation. Max had entered his tent with nothing more than an announcement that he was entering, and had immediately begun asking questions. Such an abrupt interrogation early in the morning was not the type of interaction Paul was a fan of. At least, not when he was on the receiving end of it.

"So what if I did?" retorted Paul. "I brought her back, so what's the issue?"

"The issue is that she came back ridiculously strong for no traceable reason." snapped Max. "C'mon Paul, I know you've only had about a week with the Chaos Badge and all, but you gotta be more careful. This is just... weird. Seeing as May can't remember any of what happened, we have no idea what happened to her."

"You can't read her Aura for any changes, or whatever? I thought sensory was one of your talents."

"I already tried, 10 minutes ago. All I can grasp is that she's got some sort of second reserve of power to pull from now, one that's unnaturally easy for her to manifest and manipulate."

Paul snorted.

"And this is a problem because?"

"There's no such thing as a second pool of Aura when it comes to the human - or pokemon - body." answered Max, his tone deepening. "It's not a thing. Or at least it wasn't, until now."

"Still not seeing how that's a problem."

Max glared at Paul. In return, Paul glared at Max. Unwilling to engage in what very well could've been the most grouchy staring contest in recorded history, Max closed his eyes and turned around, exiting the tent. However, before he was fully out, Paul had one last word for him.

"If your sister can't remember what happened to her own body, I suggest you have Rosa remember it for her." he said, closing his eyes.

The moment Paul's eyelids were completely shut, the black energy of the Chaos Badge began to materialize around him. He then began to sink into the ground at an ominously slow rate, his body completely still as the earth swallowed him into the void. Having never seen Paul perform such a spectacle, Max watched the phenomenon in a combination of awe and terror. He kept his eyes on the insanity, until Paul was, seemingly, completely underground.

"What the dickless dinosaur did I just witness-"

Max's thoughts fell silent as soon as his ears picked up on the sounds of someone standing behind him, exhaling. Startled, the younger Maple sibling turned around and out of the tent, where he was met with the sight of Paul, stoic scowl and all.

"Let's go." ordered Paul, slowly nodding his head in the direction of the fire pit.

Deciding to accept the fact that Paul had just gotten the jump on him, Max folded his arms and followed his purple-haired comrade. Moments later, they reached Nate and Rosa's sleeping bodies. Neither of them having an immediate plan on how to wake the pair up, Max and Paul just stared down at them, both young men sporting terribly serious facial expressions. Nate and Rosa were cuddled close together, lightly snoring, in what looked to be the absolute pinnacle of comfort. Having already interrupted such an equilibrium the previous night, Max was hesitant to do it again. They looked so peaceful, so snug... he felt like it'd have been a crime to jostle them out of their-

"Hey." barked Paul, nudging Rosa's body with the tip of his foot. "Get up."

In response, Rosa let out a deep sigh and wiggled even closer to Nate. Interpreting this as a clear act of defiance, Paul prodded her again.

"I said," he muttered, eyes narrow. "Get u-"

Once again, Max found himself startled by another new move being put on display by one of his comrades. This time, however, Paul was not the performer. In a shockingly quick maneuver, Rosa sat up and opened her eyes, a lavender glow overtaking them. Before Paul or Max could even register what was happening, she looked at the former and shot two magenta beams out of her pupils, each one connecting with Paul's own pupils. Like a tree collapsing after the elite axeplay of a seasoned lumberjack, Paul fell backward and collapsed, fast asleep.

Ready to fire another Hypnosis, Rosa glanced at Max, eyes narrowed.

"Yes?"

...

[10 minutes later...]

...

"So you want me to hold hands with you and sit perfectly still so you can fully invade my mind and try to unlock memories I can't access on my own?" asked May, sitting on the ground. "That's what we're doing?"

"Precisely." confirmed Rosa, seated directly in front of her.

May shrugged, a warm smile on her face.

"Simple enough."

Once Max had given her an explanation of the proposed experiment, Rosa, and by extenstion, Nate, had gotten up. However, no such operation could be undergone without the brunette that the whole mystery revolved around. And so, Max had gone to retrieve May. After a relatively short search, he'd found her not in their tent, but a few feet outside of Ash's, seeming to be listening in on whatever conversation was being held inside. Despite the obvious focus she'd been putting into eavesdropping, she was quick to comply and head to the fire pit.

"Fair warning, you'll probably feel a severe decrease in both cognitive and motor ability once I'm in." warned Rosa, grabbing May's hands. "Don't panic if you start feel something similar to sleep paralysis, too. It's just me doing my thing. However, if you do freak out and go on a mindlessly feral rampage, Max and Nate are here to help restrain you."

"I'm here too." added Gary, announcing his sudden inclusion into the scene.

"Spectacular." dismissed Rosa. "Ready, May?"

"Go for it." affirmed the brunette, closing her eyes.

In response, Rosa closed hers too, beginning the expedition. Once she had entered May's mind, a soft, lavender glow of pure psychic energy began to surround her body. Her breathing pattern slowed dramatically, with each and every breath becoming a deep one. May's breathing followed suit, and once both of their breaths were in total sync, Rosa's glow spread to May's body as well.

While Max and Nate silently watched the operation, Gary made his way over to Paul, who was still asleep. With a mischievous grin, Gary knelt down beside Paul, reaching into his lab coat as he did. From it, he pulled out a small bottle filled with a blue powder. After sprinkling some of it into his palm, he lined the same hand up with Paul's face, and then lined his own face up with said hand. And then, he blew. As expected, the periwinkle dust flew into Paul's nose as well as his opened mouth, invading his airways in the most abrupt of manners. Within the same second, Paul entered an extremely violent coughing fit, his eyes bursting open in full bloodshot duress.

Happy with his results, Gary smiled and put the bottle of powdered Awakening back into his coat.

"Good morning." he greeted, not at all bothered by Paul's agony. "Wouldn't want ya to miss the-"

"AaAAaAaaaaAhhh!" cried a voice both of them recognized to be Rosa's.

Gary quickly turned around and spotted Rosa leaned back and separated from May, with one hand gently touching her own neck, and the other on the ground, supporting her weight. There was a bewildered look in her eyes, as if she'd just been shaken to the very core of her being. Mortified, she stared at May and May only. May, who was still sedated by Rosa's operation, simply looked back at the younger brunette, her head slowwwwwly tilting to the left.

"Um, what just happened?" inquired Max.

"...Eyes." gasped Rosa, barely able to catch her breath. "...Rachel ...Lock."

"...You know damn well none of us understand what that means." spoke Gary, folding his arms. "Have you tried speaking in full sentences? Studies show it helps literally everyone understand what the fuck you're-"

"What's going on?!" hollered a new voice, cutting Gary off.

From out of his tent emerged Ash, with Serena right behind him. While Ash ran over to the Fellowship, Serena walked. She'd already discerned there was no immediate danger in sight, but had Ash made no such observation. As soon as he'd heard someone scream, his mind had switched to battle-mode, complete with the adrenaline rush. However, all of that energy would have nowhere to go when he made it to everyone else and saw that they were all okay, save for Paul and his hellishly persistent coughs.

"What's wrong with Paul?! Why did Rosa scream?" he shouted, still amped up.

He then looked around for a second and quickly spotted May looking up at him and Serena, with a lazy smile and half-closed eyes. She slowly raised a hand and waved at the two of them, wiggling her fingers as she did. Serena and Ash's reactions to May's greeting were quite different. Serena simply stared back, noticing that May was wearing the bandanna she'd given her. She managed to crack a small smile and wave back.

Meanwhile, Ash returned his attention to everyone else.

"And why is May high?!" he finished.

"Rosa fried her brain, Ashy-boy." announced Gary, without hesitation. "Saw it with my own eyes."

"I took a deep dive into May's mind to try to access her lost memories of yesterday." corrected Rosa, calming down. "As soon as I reached the area where the information should be held, everything around me went black, two enormous red eyes flashed in front of me for a split second, and then..."

"And then...?" repeated Max.

"Rachel appeared, grabbed me by the throat, and completely expelled me from May's head."

...

"...Rachel?" questioned Paul, his voice rendered raspy from his full minute of coughing.

"Rachel was May's persona while she traveled with Rosa a couple years back." explained Max, greatly perturbed by the name's resurfacing. "So, what you're saying is... you were strangled by a manifestation of May... with black hair and green eyes?"

"Yes." confirmed Rosa. "Whatever happened to May 10,000 years ago is purposely being omitted from her memory. It's being guarded by something powerful, and whatever that something is, it's taken the form of her past self."

There was a brief silence, for every person present found themselves trying to digest the information they'd just been given. Though their knowledges of May's past varied in volume, they all shared the same feeling: discomfort. The thought of what was essentially a dark version of one's self lurking in their psyche - and choking out those who came near its secrets - was quite chilling. The thought that such an entity existed inside their own companion was even more chilling, however.

It was during such a frigid silence that May returned to her senses. She quickly met Rosa's calm gaze, completely oblivious to the apprehensive stares she was receiving from everyone else.

"How'd it go?" she asked, bubbly as ever.

"We need to get to the bottom of this." droned Ash, before Rosa could answer. "I have a feeling Rosa's experience has a connection with the weird power boost she got yesterday. A bad connection."

"Obviously." murmured Max.

"Wait, what happened?" asked May, looking around. "Did something happen?"

"If we can't find answers through entering her mind or reading her Aura, what do we try next?" asked Gary.

"For something this serious... we need the guidance of my masters." said Ash, rather slowly. "Sirs Aaron, Riley, Tobias, Hylus, and Branford. In The Corridors of the Aura."

"Uh, that's not possible." objected Pikachu, still in Ash's tent.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure it is." thought Ash.

"Isn't it impossible to get to the Corridors without having to 'die'?" asked Max.

"No, I'm pretty sure it isn't." said Ash. "Yeah, an Aura Guardian dying is definitely the usual way to get there. But The Corridors aren't on some astral plane that's separate from the mortal one. They're in the Distortion World; a place we have a means of getting to."

As if on cue, everyone looked to Paul. Except May. She was still looking around.

"I feel like something happened." she uttered, frowning.

"You're seriously suggesting I take us there?" asked Paul, locking eyes with Ash. "You actually think I can do that after less than a week with this thing? You're joking."

"Not joking." denied Ash, glad to return Paul's gaze with a wolf-stare of his own. "You're gonna do it."

"You did send May hurtling across various locations throughout interdimensional time-space..." added Rosa. "Maybe you can do it."

"That was different." retorted Paul. "You people seem to enjoy talking as if you actually understand how the Chaos Badge works. It's like controlling an unimaginable power that always tries to release itself at 100%. Those dimensions I sent May through were far away from ours on the dimensional spectrum. It's 'easier' to send and pull back someone to and from a place that requires a long reach to access. The badge likes going all out. The Distortion World, on the other hand, is right next to our dimension. I don't have a fraction of the control or precision needed to transport myself to a dimension so close, let alone all 8 of us."

"I figured you'd say something along those lines." said Ash. "That's where Gary comes in."

Everyone then looked to Gary. Except May. She was still looking around.

"...It is?" asked Gary, blinking.

"Hey man, I'm just as confused as you." sighed May.

[Sinnoh Region: Celestic Town...]

"Grandma, I'm heading out to go get some coffee! Would you like some?" called a tall, blonde young woman wearing black clothing. "I'm feeling Starbucks today!"

"No, Cynthia, I have plenty of energy already." answered an old woman wearing a white lab coat. She was arranging some encyclopedias on a shelf. "Just bring me back a croissant!"

"You got it." confirmed Cynthia, leaving the building.

Once the door was closed, the old lady let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. It was a sigh of content. It was always wonderful whenever her beloved granddaughter could visit her at the Celestic Town Historical Research Center. Cynthia had been the Sinnoh Region's reigning Pokemon Champion for several consecutive years; she was a busy girl. Even though their times together were few in number, they were always extremely cherished and filled to the brim with love. Even in recent days, where spirits at the research center were unquestionably low... Cynthia's presence illuminated the room with much needed radiance.

A radiance different from the lavender one glowing through her elderly eyelids.

The old woman promptly opened her eyes, wondering what sort of light could shine so brightly that, even with shut eyes, she could still see it. However, by the time she focused her vision on what was in front of her, the light had died down. Instead, she was presented with the sight of 8 hooded figures in blue cloaks standing close together, with a gardevoir next to them.

As if she'd been waiting for such a confrontation, the old woman immediately turned to the nearest desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a pistol.

"Back off, you cretins! We've got nothing else for you here, got it?!" she shouted, pointing her firearm at the group.

"Eaaaaaasy there, Professor Carolina." cooed one of the figures as he removed his hood, revealing a head of unruly brown hair. "Very nice reaction time, but there's no need to shoot."

"...Professor Oak?" murmured Professor Carolina, slowly bringing her gun down. "What in the world are you doing here, dressed like that? And why couldn't you just come in through the door?!"

"'Professor Oak'... Heh, I like that." noted Gary, before continuing. "Anyway, we weren't nearby before coming here, so we just teleported. Sorry to spook ya. These are my... colleagues. A colorful bunch of knuckleheads, to say the least. You should recognize a certain somebody among them."

It was then that Ash removed his own hood, revealing his unmistakable z-shaped cheek birthmarks.

"Long time, no see, Professor Carolina." greeted Ash, while everyone else removed their own hoods as well. "Like Gary said, sorry to scare you. But uh... that was a pretty volatile reaction to something as minor as unexpected visitors. Is there something going on?"

"Oh, it's not important." dismissed Professor Carolina, barely giving Ash the chance to finish his question. "What's more important is how you're here right now! Word through the grapevine was that you passed away 5 years ago!"

"It's quite the tale, actually." chuckled Ash, scratching his head. "You see, I was actually whisked away by an Aura Guardian to go train for-"

"No no no - Stories are for later." interrupted Gary, putting a hand up. "Professor Carolina, if my memory serves me correctly, you're still in possession of the Lustrous and Adamant Orbs, yeah? I gave them to you after that big stink with Team Galactic all those years ago."

"That, you did..." confirmed Professor Carolina, under her breath. "Oh my, how do I put this..."

"The research center was robbed twice in the past month." stated Rosa. "Each set of robbers stole one of the orbs."

"How did you know that?" asked Professor Carolina, startled.

"I watch the news a lot." lied Rosa.

"But... if you already knew the orbs were stolen, why would you all still come here-"

"It seems the Adamant Orb was stolen by a revived Team Aqua, and the Lustrous Orb by an also revived Team Magma." continued Rosa, cutting Professor Carolina off. "The police investigation's been tracking both teams down. It seems like Team Aqua is headed for Sunyshore City, while Team Magma is headed for Snowpoint City."

"Team Aqua and Team Magma..." muttered Max. "Never thought I'd have to hear about those goons again... Especially in a region other than Hoenn."

"What do they even want with the Lustrous and Adamant Orbs?" questioned May.

"What do you all want with the orbs?" asked Professor Carolina, having never seen 6 of the 9 people in the room before in her entire life.

"I'm afraid that's confidential, Professor." answered Gary, before May could potentially tell Carolina everything. "Just know it's for a good cause. And, because of said cause, we'll go ahead and retrieve the orbs for ya. I promise we'll get it done faster than the cops can. No offense, Paul."

Paul said nothing.

"Well..." pondered Professor Carolina, folding her arms. "They do say Gary Motherfucking Oak always gets the job done..."

"Oh yes, they certainly do." confirmed Gary. "Just leave it to me and my posse here. I promise we'll bring the orbs back here, to the research center. While we're out doing that, you can maybe... oh, I dunno, hire some freaking security guards so this stops happening to you. Deal?"

"Deal." agreed Professor Carolina.

"We'll be back in 2 or 3 days." assured Gary, nodding his head at Max. "Expect us."

After receiving Gary's nod, Max sent a nod of his own towards Gardevoir. And, just like that, the Fellowship vanished in the same lavender light they'd arrived in, leaving Professor Carolina alone in her lab once again. For a second, she stared at where the group once stood, greatly perplexed by her encounter with them. No matter how mysterious, however, they had promised to return lost goods to her. Such a pact was more than enough to relax her dear old heart. And so, she shrugged her shoulders, put her gun back in the desk, and went back to arranging her encylopedias.

...

...

...

"If you asked me what type of people I'd go up against on my quest to save the world, I wouldn't have pegged Teams Aqua and Magma as potential foes." admitted Ash, mere seconds after Gardevoir teleported the gang to the outskirts of Celestic Town. "This just makes things even more complicated. We'll have to hunt both teams down, before they put whatever stupid plans they have into action. We need those orbs to boost Paul's strength."

"Ash... Aren't the Lustrous and Adamant Orbs tied to Palkia and Dialga? Space and time?" questioned Serena, quietly. "Isn't getting us to the Distortion World more of a dimensional task?"

"Yes, but there's more to my plan than the orbs. Don't worry." replied Ash, his tone dramatically softening when speaking to Serena. He then returned his attention to everyone else, his voice regaining its fortitude. "If we give Paul the Lustrous and Adamant Orbs, take him to Spear Pillar, tie a Focus Band to his head to help prevent him from fainting, amp him up with a couple of high-caffeine energy drinks, and have Max heal him while he uses the Chaos Badge in that elevated state... I think there's a chance he can do it. Regardless of the orbs' connections to time and space, power is power. Holding them should still boost his control over his dimensional abilities... somewhat... I think... yeah. So, we're going after those orbs."

"What a plan." said Paul, sarcastically. "I can't wait to have a heart attack but be unable to die as I violently convulse on the crest of Spear Pillar. But, in the event that that doesn't happen to me - If you want to get the orbs as soon as possible, splitting up is our best move. Sunyshore City and Snowpoint City are on opposite ends of the region. It's best we break into 2 teams and work to have the orbs in 24 hours' time."

"Sounds good to me." agreed Ash. "How do we decide the teams?"

"I wanna do it." volunteered Rosa, a hint of excitement in her tone. "It'll be fun."

"Okay...?"

"Ash, you should go with Gary, Paul, and Nate to Sunyshore City to stop Team Aqua." suggested Rosa, almost instantly. "May, Serena, and I will go with Max to Snowpoint City to deal with Team Magma."

"...Show your work." implored Ash, visibly opposed to Rosa's team-building. "Those teams aren't balanced at all!"

"Of course they are." sang Rosa, dismissively waving her hand. "Gary doesn't have powers, Serena doesn't have powers. As things currently are, May is a very powerful Aura user. You and her on the same team is dumb. But we do want Paul on the same team as you, Ash, because that keeps him the safest."

"But... but..." stammered Ash. "But you and Nate'll be separated! I know Nate doesn't like that, right Nate? Why don't we just swap him out with Serena and-"

"Nate needs to make friends." declared Rosa, putting her hand on Nate's shoulder. "I think a manly adventure with the boys will be good for him. Meanwhile, we'll have our own little girls' day... featuring Max. Great teams? Great teams. In conclusion, Max and Gardevoir will teleport us all to Sunyshore, and then those of us on Max's team will teleport to Snowpoint. Any questions?"

Gary raised his hand.

"I-"

"No? None at all?" asked Rosa, bringing her hands together for a single clap. "Alright, then. Let's do this."

...

[Sunyshore City...]

...

Soon after their conversation just outside of Celestic Town, our heroes appeared just outside of Sunyshore City. Upon their arrival, The Fellowship awkwardly split into their two teams, with both parties standing on opposite sides of the dirt road between them. Out of everyone, no one seemed as unsatisfied with the two groups as Ash. It hadn't been for a long time, but his demeanor had drastically changed since Rosa's choice. He wanted both May and Serena with him for a variety of reasons, almost all of which were rooted in his feelings for the two young ladies.

However, at the moment, it was Serena whose company was held paramount in the Chosen Guardian's psyche. He'd barely gotten any time to console or comfort her after hearing the news about her mother earlier. He wanted to keep her close and do everything in his power to help her through the pain, not send her off to the other side of the region with May, Max, and Rosa.

"Ash."

Startled, the raven-haired Aura Guardian looked at the source of the voice. He didn't really have to do much; his eyes had already been lingering on her.

"I'll be okay." continued Serena, returning Ash's gaze.

Ash nodded in acknowledgement of Serena's assurance, but his concern made no effort to leave his face. Serena's eyes looked tired and worn down, with the type of bags that only came from a night of restless sleep. He was sure she'd be "okay" physically, but emotionally... not so much.

"You guys should get going." recommended Paul, breaking the short silence that followed Serena's words. "The quicker we get the orbs, the better."

"Paul's right." agreed Max. "It's best we get them as soon as possible, before they can be used for something dumb."

Ash closed his eyes, only reopening them to look at the ground.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry... everything's gonna be alright." cooed May, ruffling Ash's hair. "It's not like we're dealing with Dark Guardians or anyone actually dangerous. We'll all be back together in no time, right?"

"Yeah..." agreed Ash, his tenseness involuntarily easing up at the brunette's touch. "Just be careful. All of you."

"We will." assured May, smiling. She then turned to her left. "Rosa! C'mon, we're ready!"

Everyone looked to May's left, spotting Nate and Rosa just a few yards away from everyone else. They were seeming to have quite the conversation, which was quite the feat for everyone to notice, considering only one of the participants could actually speak. Nate seemed to have a desperate, pleading expression on his face, while Rosa looked somewhat saddened but firm in her stance on whatever the matter was.

"I wonder what's up." snorted Gary, not interested at all.

Meanwhile...

"Of course I know Gary's a prick." sighed Rosa, grabbing Nate's hands. "Yes, but-... Okay yeah, Paul isn't too much fun either. What about Ash, though? Ash is a whole cornucopia of fun! Wha-... Yes, he most certainly is fun. Just watch him talk about girls, if you get the chance. Trust me, the comedy writes itself. ... Alright, now you're just being unreasonable. I hope you realize this isn't any easier for me than it is for you. ... What? No, I do not have an unfair advantage by having May on my team. So what if I've known her for a long time? Look, I'll tell you what: When we're all together again tomorrow... and you and I can get some alone time... I'll make it all worth it for you... if you know what I mea-"

"ROSA!"

"Coming!" chirped Rosa as she quickly turned around and regrouped with everyone else.

While a blushing Nate also made his way over, Paul took a step forward, towards Serena. For a second, he just stood there, casting his stoic gaze upon the emotionally deflated honey blonde. Then he put a hand forward, resting it on her shoulder.

"Keep your head up." he advised, a rare semblance of sympathy in his tone.

Serena simply nodded, well aware of the weight his words held. Once Paul removed his hand, she joined Max, May, and Rosa as the four of them gathered around Max's gardevoir, ready to teleport. After a quick command from Max, Gardevoir activated her signature move, enveloping half the Fellowship in the light they were all too familiar with by this stage of their quest. And then, they were gone.

As the last sparkles of psychic energy twinkled out of existence, Ash let out a heavy sigh and put up his hood, with Gary, Paul, and Nate following suit.

"Let's get this over with." he mumbled, turning towards Sunyshore City.

[Snowpoint City: Team Magma's Hidden Lair...]

"Gentlemen, today's gonna be a splendid day." announced a tall young man with red hair. "Today, Team Magma will finally accomplish its long-awaited goal to expand the Earth's landmass! With the help of Palkia, we shall, at long last, fulfill the dream my father had when he began the original Team Magma!"

A chorus of excited roars and cheers were heard from the 19 of the 20 grunts that formed the entirety of the new Team Magma.

"Maxie Jr., sir?" uttered the only grunt that didn't cheer. "I'm sorry to interrupt, I just joined the organization yesterday. How exactly do we plan to use Palkia to help us?"

"You fucking pea-brain, it should be obvious!" bellowed Maxie Jr., not afraid to curse when he saw fit. "We will use the Lustrous Orb to call upon the power of Palkia, and with that power, we will create spacial warps within the dormant super-volcanoes that lie deep under the ocean. Such disturbances will cause those volcanoes to erupt and spew molten rock into the ocean, and once the icy seas north of Snowpoint cool and solidify it, there will be more land!"

"More land!" cheered everyone else.

"MORE FUCKING LAND!" hollered Maxie Jr, flailing his arms about.

"But sir, I heard that the new Team Aqua got their hands on the Adamant Orb! Should we be concerned?" asked another grunt.

"Archie Jr., that water-loving motherfucker..." growled Maxie Jr., balling his fists. "I know how The Little Merman thinks. With that Adamant Orb, he and his gang of goofy goobers could pose a problem. Using Dialga's temporal powers, they could very well reverse time on solely the ocean, rewinding it back some 130,000 years to The Eemian Period; one of the few times in our planet's history where sea-level was higher than it is today. But we don't need more water. We need more...?"

"More land!" cried Team Magma.

"More fucking land." confirmed Maxie Jr., nodding his head. "I'm glad you told me about this, Humphrey. While we certainly must stop them at all costs, we cannot change our immediate plans when we're this close to success. We'll deal with Team Aqua afterwards, swiftly. But for now... let us make the proper preparations for our own goals! Today, we change the world! Humphrey, take Clarence over there and get us some drinks to celebrate. 10 bottles of wine should suffice."

"What kind?" asked Humphrey.

"Red, of course." replied Maxie Jr., tossing his bank card to Humphrey and Clarence. "Make sure it's top quality."

"Yes sir!" shouted the grunts, quickly exiting the room.

[Snowpoint City...]

"Y'know, 24 hours seemed like a lot of time to get an item back from some thugs, but now that we're actually here... How exactly do we do this?" muttered May, looking around. "Just look at this place."

Snowpoint City was as snowy as ever. The gentle flakes of frigid fluff generously decorated the cloaks of May, Max, Rosa, and Serena as they trudged through the mushy, blanketed pathways the locals considered to be sidewalks. Everywhere they looked, they saw white. May's question was a completely valid one; the party could barely see the next block. Finding Team Magma in such conditions was shaping up to be a formidable task.

"That's why I'm here." replied Rosa, pointing a finger at herself. "If a single person we walk past knows anything about Team Magma whatsoever, I'll know."

"You really thought that far ahead?" asked May, stunned. "You purposely put yourself in the Snowpoint City group because you knew it'd be harder for us to see here?"

"Of course I did."

Max rolled his eyes.

"It must be nice being able to know when others are lying, while you can just tell May one with no real way for us to disprove it." he muttered.

"It must be nice being a total stick in the mud just because you got stuck with us instead of the bro-squad." snapped May, coming to Rosa's defense.

"As a matter of fact, it is nice!" replied Max, glaring daggers at his older sister. "Almost as nice as having a face that isn't so horrendously ugly that Arceus above looked down upon it from the heavens, swallowed his pride, and admitted he made his first mistake in all of history. I guess you can't relate though."

"I will literally bop your face like a set of bongo drums if you don't take that bac-"

"Let's dial it back just a tiny bit guys..." sighed Rosa, before the sibling warfare could further escalate. "We have to focus, remember? We could find a lead to Team Magma at any moment."

"Over there." murmured Serena, fractions of a second after Rosa had finished speaking.

May, Rosa, and Max each looked at Serena, then at her hand, and then at where her finger was pointing to. Their honey blonde companion had broken her silence to bring everyone's attention to two men nearby, both of them dressed in standard Team Magma grunt gear. They seemed to be walking out of a wine store, both of them holding large paper bags in each hand.

"Be careful with the wine, Clarence." ordered Humphrey, right after the sound of bottles colliding rang from one of his partner's bags. "This wine run was a mission from Maxie Jr. himself; I refuse to let us fail him. He'll be so pleased with this stuff, it was the most expensive brand in the shop! I can't wait to see his reaction when we show him the bottles."

Having listened in on Humphrey's monologue, the 4 members of The Fellowship present all looked at each other, and then returned their gazes to the two grunts. The duo had already begun walking down the street, with excited grins on their faces.

"Well, someone's about to be disappointed." muttered Rosa, as her eyes took on a lavender glow.

...

...

[1 hour later...]

...

...

"Where's Clarence and Humphrey with that wine?!" roared Maxie Jr., checking his wristwatch. "Those buffoons have been gone for a full 90 minutes! Drunkleslurpskin's Wine & Spirits is only a couple blocks away, what on Groudon's green Earth is taking them so long?!"

Though the preparations for his big operation were complete, the leader of the new Team Magma simply refused to get started without everyone that helped along the way being in attendance. In fact, it was Humphrey that had held Professor Carolina at gunpoint when they'd robbed her research center; to Maxie Jr., it'd be nothing short of a crime to leave such a power player out of their organization's moment of truth.

"I hear footsteps, sir!" announced the grunt closest to the room's exit. "They're back!"

"It's about damn time!" replied Maxie Jr., as he and everyone else looked to the doorway. "I'm sure they have their hands full with all the wine bottles. Herbert, Leopold; open the door for them and help with the bags."

"Yes sir!" answered both grunts.

Herbert and Leopold did as they were told, but instead of meeting Clarence and Humphrey on the other side of the door, they met two blue-eyed brunettes wearing peculiar blue cloaks. Confused by the presence of such unexpected visitors, neither Herbert nor Leopold had an immediate response to seeing them. They just stared, trying to make sense of the strange turn of events unfolding before them. Meanwhile, the two girls stared right back at them, smiling.

"Hi!" greeted May.

"Cosplayers..." muttered Leopold, shaking his head. "Look, I don't know how you ladies found this place, but-"

Leopold's sentence would forever be left unfinished. Shortly after her greeting, May put both her hands forward, lightly pushing both the grunts out of her way. However, the apparent lightness of the shoves was nothing more than an illusion; she'd fueled the pushes with her inexplicably enhanced Aura. As a result, Leopold and Herbert were sent flying through the air like twin torpedoes, crashing into and through the wall all the way on the opposite side of the room.

While all the Team Magma members present stared at the holes in the wall in absolute terror, May stared downward at her own hands, eyes wide.

"Oh..." she uttered, frowning. "That was... more than I wanted to do."

"I'll say. I'm pretty certain they both died on impact." agreed Rosa, taking a step forward. "How about you let me take care of the rest, hm?"

"Who are you?!" cried Maxie Jr., eyes wide. "What do you want with us?! How did you know we were here?! This place is top secret, no one could've found us without our intel being leaked!"

"Humphrey and Clarence were very cooperative gentlemen." replied Rosa, her body beginning to glow.

The glow quickly reached full capacity, and when it did, it appeared on the bodies of every grunt in the room as well. Completely lost on what he was witnessing, Maxie Jr. watched as each of his subordinates paired up with one another, looked their partners in the eyes, and headbutted each other so hard that every single one of them instantly lost consciousness and collapsed.

"What have you done to my men?!" roared Maxie Jr. "Where are Humphrey and Clarence?! And the wine?! AND MY DEBIT CARD?!"

"I used Psychic." answered Rosa, as if it were no big deal.

"A super effective Psychic, at that. Nice." complimented May, hands on her hips. "And by the way, Maxie; I wouldn't worry about those other things/people. They're all safe and sound!"

Sitting together on the front steps of a large building were Max and Serena. In front of them rested Clarence and Humphrey's unconscious bodies. At their feet rested the 4 bags of wine Clarence and Humphrey had purchased. In Max's hand rested Maxie's bank card. Having grown tired of cleaning his nails with the plastic rectangle, Max let out a sigh.

"I can't believe May wants to keep the wine. And Maxie's card." he muttered, putting the item in his cloak.

"I can't believe Team Magma's secret hideout is just the Snowpoint City middle school's basement." replied Serena, quietly.

"It is summer. Schools are pretty empty during the summer." noted Max. "It's not a totally weird place to choose."

"Yeah... I guess..."

"Listen, you brown-headed biotches!" shouted Maxie Jr., refusing to let what seemed to be two demigodesses intimidate him. "I'm gonna-... I'm.. gonna..."

May raised an eyebrow.

"You're gonna...?"

"I'm gonna tell you where the Lustrous Orb is." finished Maxie Jr., his voice significantly calmer than before.

"...You are?" questioned a puzzled May.

"He is." confirmed Rosa, her eyes still glowing.

As Rosa spoke, May looked at her and noticed the glow. She then looked back to Maxie Jr., noticing the very same glow reflecting in his eyes as well, albeit far less luminescent than Rosa's.

"Tell us where the orb is, and then shoot yourself in the neck with that tranquilizer gun you're hiding in your back pocket." ordered the younger brunette.

"Plastic Hannah Montana lunchbox hidden behind bookshelf in corner of room." revealed Maxie Jr., reaching into his back pocket. "Padlock combination: 4-20-69-69."

"Thanks." said Rosa, watching as Maxie lined the tranq-gun up with his carotid artery.

He then pulled the trigger, swayed from side to side for a few seconds, and collapsed onto the ground, incapacitated. Her work done, Rosa's eyes returned to their natural blue color. Without a word, she made her way to the bookshelf Maxie Jr. spoke of. However, halfway there, her steps became sloppier and sloppier, until it was quite clear she'd be joining Team Magma on the floor if someone didn't intervene. Fortunately, May, in an astounding display of honed reflexes, almost instantly closed the gap between herself and Rosa, stopping her impending fall.

"Are you alright?" asked May, gently lowering Rosa so she could sit on the floor.

"I've used my powers a lot today... on a lot of people." stated Rosa, her head pounding. "I just need some rest, that's all. Can you help me get the orb?"

"Yes ma'am." replied May, retrieving the Hannah Montana lunchbox from behind the bookshelf. "So what do we do now? We found the Lustrous Orb in like, 3 hours. Should we regroup with the guys in Sunyshore? I wonder how their search is going..."

"I'm sure they've made some kind of progress."

"We're never gonna find this thing..." droned Ash, angrily wiping beads of sweat off his forehead.

The hot southern-Sinnoh Sun had been beating down on Sunyshore City all afternoon. Such high temperatures combined with the group's absolute lack of progress was a recipe for nothing short of pure frustration. The only member of the quartet that seemed completely fine with the blazing heat around them was Nate. In fact, he seemed to love the sunshine, as he - by far - had the most pep in his step.

"Hey!" shouted Gary, gaining the attention of a random citizen across the street. "You see any Team Aqua goons around here?!"

"Team Aqua?" inquired the pedestrian, tilting their head. "No sir. I don't even know what that is, really."

Gary's eyes narrowed.

"Fuck off!" he roared, flipping them the middle finger.

"Yeah, probably." agreed May, turning her back to Rosa and then lowering herself. "Maybe we should just leave them to it. We do have a big ol' 21 hours until we're supposed to meet back up with them. Why don't we just envelop ourselves in Snowpoint City's elaborate structure until then?"

"...Clever." giggled Rosa, catching the reference to a line she'd spoken 2 years prior. "Hopefully we don't get assaulted by Wade in a back alley this time around."

"On the off chance that happens again, I'll protect us this time, not Max." chuckled May, as Rosa climbed on for a piggyback ride.

Rosa's response was another giggle, followed by silence as May carried her out of the room and back up to the ground floor of the school. Neither of them said much on the short trek, but for two completely different reasons. Rosa was simply exhausted from her extensive use of her powers all morning and afternoon, using May's piggyback ride as a perfect opportunity to rest her head and enjoy the simplicity of doing absolutely nothing for a little bit.

Meanwhile, May thought about herself. Her own referencing of the time in her life when she'd gone by "Rachel" had set her mind on the path. Before departing for Celestic Town, Rosa and Max had filled her in on what the former had found inside her psyche earlier. Deep down, she wasn't surprised. At least, not fully. To her, Rachel was the embodiment of her past struggles, and though they were just that, past struggles... she, more than anyone else, knew that that part of her had never fully left. The only difference now was that Rachel's essence had proven to be more than just the personification of a healing soul's troubled memories; It was a legitimate, tangible darkness within, one that harmed the very same friend she currently held on her back.

However, no amount of deep thought or introspection could help May make sense of the sudden power spike she'd received. If it were solely the hands of Rachel, she mused, shouldn't she have had such immense power all along? No matter how the situation was examined, Rachel was still May Maple, in the end. Any power Rachel had should've been hers as well. But, as seamlessly as the power seemed to come out... it didn't feel like her own.

It felt borrowed.

[Dark Order: Main Headquarters...]

Though it was daytime, a dark-haired man found himself engulfed in shadow. Fortunately, his Aura bore no displeasure in regards to his surroundings' lack of luminescence. Alas, sitting alone in his quarters, with no light but the flickering flame of a lone candle, was entirely his choice. It was simply one of those days where darkness was all he sought. With his door locked and his curtains shut, he was in rare form: unmasked and unhooded.

All he'd done for the past several hours was sit at the head of his bed, his back resting on the headboard. On the other side of the room was a mirror. It was the mirror he'd begun staring at as early as before sunrise. Such an unorthodox method of meditation would have continued uninterrupted for an unknown amount of time, had an M-shaped unown not suddenly appeared before him.

For the first time all day, the man stopped staring at his reflection. His eyes followed the unown as it floated across the room and let out several distorted squeaks, communicating some sort of message to him. Once the unown had reached the end of the room, it quickly propelled itself directly towards the man's face, colliding with it. The force of the impact was enough to lean the man's head back.

"Well..." he sighed, lowering his head. "It was only a matter of time, I suppose..."

When his gaze returned to the mirror, a brick red mask with two slits for eye holes covered his face. After a quick cracking of his neck, he got out of his bed and stood up. As he did, his black double-breasted trench coat materialized around his body in a flame-like display of Dark Aura, with the hood perfectly containing his long, dark, unkempt hair.

After taking one last glance in the mirror, he exited his chambers and entered the hallway, where, unfortunately, an unsuspecting Dark Order grunt happened to be walking by.

"Oh! Commander Alexander!" beamed the grunt, eyes wide. "How's your day going, my lord?"

Instead of answering, Commander Alexander simply walked towards the grunt, vanishing from sight as he did. By the time he'd have reached the grunt, he seemed to have been completely gone. Puzzled, the grunt raised an eyebrow.

"Commander Alexan-"

Suddenly, the grunt's body split into two, the point of severance being a clean line straight across his abdomen. Bifurcated, the grunt crumbled to the tiled floors in a bloody pile of flesh and screams. Through the excruciating pain that ruled his last moments of life, the grunt was just barely able to hear the invisible Commander's final words to him. They echoed through the hall, in fact.

"You mind your own business, and I'll mind mine."

The rest of the day for the Snowpoint City crew had been one of relaxation. With their mission accomplished early, more wine than they'd ever need for a single day, and Maxie Jr.'s bank account at their disposal, May, Max, Rosa, and, by extension, Serena, treated themselves as much as they possibly could. Such treats included orders of freshly prepared gourmet food, seeing a movie, and, last but not least, entry to Snowpoint Salon & Sauna (SSS); a relatively new addition to the city.

Throughout the day, the only ones that'd actually taken some of wine were May and Rosa, though the latter was a solid 4 years under legal drinking age. But it seemed Rosa was just as comfortable with the effects of alcohol as May was, since neither of them seemed very different from their usual selves for the entirety of the day. Max, a lawful young man at heart, declined their offer to join on the grounds that he was only 19. Lastly, there was Serena, who neither asked for any alcohol nor was asked by anyone. She simply followed everyone along for the entire day, trapped in her own world.

By the time night had fallen and the group had taken up residence in the SSS's complimentary hotel rooms, Serena was finally ready to come out of her shell somewhat. She'd spent majority of the day allowing herself to feel her own pain and let it course through her soul; as much as she wouldn't have minded continuing, she knew that talking to someone was probably the best thing to do to end her night.

The group had rented out two rooms with two beds each, one for the Maple siblings and one for Rosa and Serena. Rosa had left the room about 30 minutes prior to go sit in the saunas. To Serena, that was completely fine. Rosa wasn't the conversational partner she had in mind, anyway.

...

*knock* *knock*

...

"Serena?" questioned Max, opening the door.

"Hi..." greeted Serena, awkwardly. "Is May...?"

"No, it's just me in here. May stepped out a little while ago." answered Max. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... I just wanted to talk to someone."

"You could talk to me, if you want."

"..."

"...(･_･)..."

"...(•́_•̀)..."

"May's down at the saunas drinking more wine with Rosa." revealed Max, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks." replied Serena, walking away.

...

It didn't take long for Serena to reach the general area that the saunas were located in. At first, she'd walked there with normal steps, but as she got closer, she'd switched to silent movement. From what she could hear, May and Rosa seemed to be having some sort of conversation. Even though Serena wasn't close enough to hear every single word from the pair of brunettes, it was more than clear to her that the alcohol was catching up with them. Their words had become slightly slurred, and their speech patterns were rather sloppy.

Her natural curiosity getting the better of her, Serena continued towards the saunas in complete silence. Once she was just a few steps away from the door, she stopped and listened in on the conversation being held.

"...we'll probably figure it all out at the Corridors of the Aura, so I wouldn't sweat it."

"Yeah, probably." sighed May. "It's just like- like... I don't wanna hurt people I don't have to, y'know?"

"No no no, darling! You don't have to explain yourself." replied Rosa, laughing quite loudly. "Dont forget; I can literally know everything on your mind when I choose to."

"Riiiiiiiiight..." sang May.

There was a pause before she continued.

"I guess you know what's on my mind right now then?"

"More wine?" asked Rosa.

"Yes and no. Just check my head while I refill the cups."

Serena waited for someone to say something. For a few seconds, no one did, with the only sound heard being what sounded like May pouring more wine into two cups. But then, right as the cup-filling noises ended, someone finally spoke up.

"Oh... I seeeeeeeeee..." drawled Rosa. "What a shocker! I surely couldn't have seen this one coming!"

"Wait, you knew?! ... Oh, you can read minds! Duh, you just did it again, haha! I'm silly. But still, I can't believe you aren't surprised at all!"

"May, I've known WAY before I was a psychic."

"Wait... really?" asked May, her voice instantly sounding 10 times more sober than before. "How, though?"

"Remember that time in Striaton City? When we sneaked into a college frat party by pretending we knew one of the brothers? It was to celebrate me winning the Trio Badge. I mopped the floor with Cress's punk ass, HAHAHA! Ohhhh, I miss Pokemon Training."

"I vaguely remember coming up with the idea to sneak into the party... but I don't remember much else."

"Of course you don't." chuckled Rosa. "You got pretty drunk."

"Dare I ask... how drunk?"

"Drunk enough to ditch me, a 15 year-old at the time, to go make out with some girl you'd been making eye contact with all night."

"..."

"Yup!"

"Okay, but that doesn't necessarily confirm anythin-"

"Oh, I've got more receipts, hun." cackled Rosa, bursting into another impromptu fit of buzzed laughter. "Aside from that night, there were about 3 or 4 other occasions where your apparent bisexuality briefly stepped out of the closet for some air."

Hearing the conversation perfectly, Serena's eyes widened, but quickly returned to normal. For some reason, May's hidden preferences didn't seem like the most shocking of news to the honey blonde. It almost felt like it made sense, in a way. However, she couldn't immediately pinpoint why.

With a slow shrug, Serena hushed her thoughts and continued listening.

"Alright, you got me." admitted May, laughing awkwardly. "This is... interesting. I've never really told anyone about it. It feels nice... Though, I don't feel like I was closeted or hiding it, per se. I just..."

"Didn't feel like telling anyone because their reactions might be exhausting to you and not worth the trouble to deal with?"

"Once again, yes and no." replied May. "For some people, that's the case. But for someone like Ash... Specifically Ash..."

"What? Scared he'll think you wouldn't be satisfied with just him?"

"Oh please, he's got nothing to worry about there." dismissed May, sipping more wine. "Believe me, hah, beliiiiiiieve me... I'd rock his world every night if I had the chance. ... Mmhhhmmmmm... But, uh, yeah, we all know Ash is a little... challenged when it comes to romance. I dunno how he'll process the news that I've been crushing on Serena ever since I met her. And given the amount of time that it's been like this, 'crush' is a teensy weensy bit of an understatement. Or a big one."

And just like that, Serena was suddenly able to pinpoint exactly why everything with May made complete and total sense. Her face grew uncharacteristically red as she backed away from the door and thought about almost every 1-on-1 interaction she'd ever had with her not-so-secret admirer. All the lingering smiles and prolonged stares, the persistent friendliness, the care May had spoken of in their conversation the night before... the pieces all came together to complete a puzzle whose rewarding image was somewhat obvious looking back. For a brief moment, Serena wondered if May's kindness was a product of her feelings all along, but she quickly abandoned the notion; May treated all her friends with kindness, not just her.

Seeing as this was the last thing Serena expected to hear that evening, she decided that taking a shower and going to bed was probably her best bet. That was, if sleep would be generous enough to come to her. There was already a lot on her mind, with this news serving as the confusing and unforeseen cherry on top. Simply put, romance with someone who wasn't Ash was something she'd never even thought about, let alone one involving another woman. It was one of the purest forms of uncharted territory, presented to a girl who'd already traveled the world.

By the time Serena had finished backing away from the door, she was already at the end of the hallway, her back against the wall. To her left was the stairwell. With her blush just barely dying down, she slowly walked up the stairs, staring at each step with unblinking eyes.

[Dark Order: Unova Base...]

"Captain Kurt!"

"Yes?"

Since Dr. Feinberg's departure earlier, it had been a busy day for Captain Kurt. As soon as his fellow Grand Disciple had left his base, he'd immediately begun backing up the talk he'd talked during their meeting the day before. He'd spent hours releasing memos, briefings, and orders to his subordinates in an effort to shift the base's gears to a more independent rhythm. He kept every message he sent out short and sweet, giving his followers very little context as to the reasons behind the changes he'd put into motion.

It seemed someone wanted that context.

"I was just wondering..." mumbled the grunt, his voice suddenly shrinking in conviction. "Aren't some of these changes going to get us in trouble with HQ? Do you really want us to report all our daily findings to you and you only? What about The Commander?"

"Yes, Huckleberry, I do." confirmed Captain Kurt, towering over the grunt. "Don't worry about such trivial things. As of today, we will act on our own, reporting our results to headquarters afterwards. And that's only if I deem the news worthy of reporting."

"But..."

"No buts." denied Captain Kurt, turning around. "There are no true consequences to my choices today. I am a Grand Disciple of Master Brecht, and I am the only person in the Dark Order capable of wielding the Chaos Badge. I am not expendable, and I ought to have taken measures like these from the get-go. We here at the Unova Base will locate the Chaos Badge ourselves. I will take us to the Distortion World, and even if my body does not serve as a perfect host for Master Brecht, I believe it could surely last long enough to carry his Aura back here to the physical world. In the end, we are still working in the best interest of our organization."

"I see..." replied Huckleberry, slowly nodding his head.

"Indeed, you do." agreed Captain Kurt. "Now, put together a team of qualified Dark Guardians and send them to secure Spear Pillar, and once they do, they will set up a small encampment there and await further orders. Seeing as the Chosen Guardian has disposed of Lord Kamerion, there's no leadership in Sinnoh to question such a move. Once we recover the Chaos Badge, I will bond with it at the top of Spear Pillar and shepherd a team of seasoned warriors into the Distortion World."

"Yes sir!"

With his orders received, Huckleberry ran off, intending to put them into action as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Captain Kurt resumed the walk he'd been on, with his personal quarters serving as the destination. However, right when he reached his door, he stopped in his tracks. For an extremely brief, fleeting moment, he sensed a presence behind him. A presence darker than shadow itself. But, after a quick turnaround, it was clear to Kurt that nobody but himself was there. Writing the strange sensation off as a product of severe sleepiness, The Captain quickly made moves to get some rest, unlocking his door and entering the room. After turning on the lights, he took a few steps inside before looking forward. As expected, no one was in the room.

No one, except for a single Y-shaped unown levitating in the room's center, its eye fixed on him.

Captain Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"What th-"

Before his words could reach completion, Kurt suddenly felt his entire body being pulled back towards the direction of the door by a completely invisible force. When his body had been dragged to a foot's length away from the room's entrance, it came to an abrupt halt, only for two black-sleeved arms to suddenly appear from behind him. Wasting no time, the owner of these arms tightly wrapped them around Captain Kurt's neck, putting him in a deadly choke-hold.

"Good evening..." sounded the familiar voice of the assailant, as they further tightened their grip. "A little late for nap time, don't you think?"

"Al... exander...?!" grunted Kurt, through hampered breathing.

As powerful as any Grand Disciple, Captain Kurt called forth his Dark Aura. The force of the eruption of power was enough to completely blow Commander Alexander off his person, freeing his airways. Rendered light-headed from the previous lack of oxygen, The Captain sloppily turned around and shot a Dark Aura Sphere where he'd assumed The Commander would be. As the sphere whizzed to its target, Kurt looked at where he'd sent it, only to spot Commander Alexander, in all his masked glory...

Standing, upside down, on the ceiling?

Right as the impossibility of the phenomenon sank in, Kurt found himself falling upwards, until his body landed flat onto the ceiling, which seemed to have traded places with the floor. Beyond speechless at what was happening, he raised his head and looked at the Commander. Dark Aura was emanating off his body, while 2 more unowns, D and G shaped, floated at each of his sides.

Finding amusement in Kurt's confusion, Commander Alexander chuckled.

"Leave it to Unova's big, burly, independent man to say my name without 'Commander' in front of it." he sighed, charging a Dark Aura Sphere of his own. "Big, burly, independent... and entirely expendable."

And that's that!

Well... I'm sure many of you have many things to say or ask, in regards to many things. I'll try to answer as much as I can ahead of time right here. Just in case anyone thinks so, I'd like to express that May liking Serena was always part of this story's plans. There are certainly plot points I've added as I've written the tale, but this one was always there. I really tried to make May's attraction to Serena somewhat subtle or inconspicuous if you didn't know she was bi, but very obvious if you look back on earlier chapters with knowledge of it. Somewhat true to life in my experiences...

The next chapter will pick up where this one left off, and will definitely focus more on Ash's group. I know our hero has taken a bit of a back seat in this chapter and the last, but it was all for good reason. He'll be back in the spotlight quite soon.

Speaking of things coming quite soon...

The next chapter will be the last one following this format of the group splitting up to do side-quests or missions, and the second to last chapter of the middle section of this story (or maybe the last, depending on how much I can fit into chapter 19). Either way, by the time we hit Chapter 20, we will be entering the final stretches of the story, which will likely extend to Chapter 25 at least. Realistically, I wouldn't be surprised if this story hovers close to 30 chapters, but if it gets that far, 30 would definitely be the end. But I really don't think it will. We'll see.

Lastly...

I'll be revealing the poll results next chapter ;).

I hope you enjoyed,

~DarkSlash9