Hello there everyone! It's been a long time, yes, but I finally updated on time! You can say I have a bit of spring fever, but who wouldn't when you've been inside a window office for six months. Well, at least I'm getting back into classes now and the weather has been fluctuating so much for me as of late. But to celebrate and hopefully bring everyone's mood up, here a new chapter of TPTI. It seems fitting as we're entering a new arc now.

I've got a basic idea of how the series will end, but I need to fit in all of those scenes in between. It's a fun process even if I haven't been writing lately. So I'll stop rambling so you can get on to the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Pokemon, the song, nor anything I refer to. I only own my OCs.

Colors weave into a spire of flame

Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed

Bear this torch against the cold of the night

Light will guide you, on your way to the ultimate fight

Chapter Fifteen

Ashley's POV

The rush of the wind disappeared, and I felt myself floating in the air. With Espeon and Umbreon still clutched close to me, I dared myself to open my eyes. I found myself floating in the middle of space. Stars and numerous Unown occupied the space.

"Wait, we're not dead?" Espeon's voice echoed through the space.

"But where are we?" Umbreon asked as I let go of them. The two of them slowly falot4e around me.

"I don't know," I said quietly. The cold from the mountain was slowly leaving my skin, but I could feel another kind of cold creeping up my back. It was oppressive and it was only growing. It pricked my skin like tiny needles, almost suffocating me, making me choke under its weight.

After a few quiet seconds, the Unown in the space suddenly begun to cluster together in front of us. As more and more gathered, a bright white light emerged from the center of the group. It grew brighter and brighter until I had to shield my eyes. When I opened them again, I was left speechless.

There, surrounded by hundreds of Unown and 18 plates, was the creator of the world. It was Arceus himself. He was still shining with that white light, but a gold sheen accompanied him.

My mouth was left wide open while Espeon and Umbreon went to hide behind me. I flinched when his eyes found themselves on me. Compared to the god, I was tiny. Nothing more than another bug he can crush. Perhaps this was my final judgement.

A smaller, dimmer pink light appeared next to Arceus. It flew around before stopping in front of me. The light dimmed to show a small pink feline.

"So you decided to bring her here?" a high pitched voice said. Espeon and Umbreon moved to my arms as the Mew circled around us.

A slightly larger purple light shined next to us. A white and purple feline stood next to us, making me flinch and float back a little bit.

"Aw! You scared her!" the Mew cried, flying up to the Mewtwo. Wait, did I just say that?

This has got to mean that I'm dead! I mean, how else would I see the god of the world and the two pokémon I used to look for here.

"Enough." A loud voice boomed through the space. I flinched again to look up at Arceus.

"I agree." Another voice said. The Mewtwo floated up to the Arceus. "It's time for her judgement."

I could feel my heart sink down to my stomach. In fact, the thought of that even brought it down farther.

"If this is my judgement, then does that mean?" I muttered.

"I think he used the wrong choice of words here!" Mew flew up to my face. "Listen, you're not dead!"

"We're not?" Espeon asked.

"Apologizes for the sudden summon," Arceus said. "I've been following your choices in life ever since Mew here brought you to my attention."

"You're a curious one." Mew remarked as she circled around me again. "The choices you made in life were interesting. I had to see more."

"I had doubts about you in the beginning," Mewtwo spoke up. "Especially when you accepted that task."

"However, as time went on and I saw what you've done." I could feel Arceus' glare on me. I didn't dare to look up at him. "My own perspective changed."

"Even when Mew stepped in." Mewtwo glared at Mew.

In another pink flash, Mew was gone but Lilo was standing there.

"Sorry about that! But I had to see what you can yourself!" Mew's voice came out from Lilo's mouth.

"I knew that girl was strange." Espeon deadpanned.

"But you were in Team Rocket!" I pointed out.

"Oh please!" Mew, Lilo, I don't even know at this point! "It was just for a bit of fun. I was there often enough for them to actually think I was human!"

"Enough with your games." Mewtwo scolded Mew. That's all I'm calling her for now. Just Mew.

"Fine." Mew pouted before transforming back.

"May I get on with this judgement?" Arceus asked.

"Go ahead. I just wanted to explain some things to her." Mew said as she flew back up to Arceus.

"As you can see, I always had an eye on you during your time with Team Rocket," Arceus growled. "I admit, you were at your worst during that time. You made despicable decisions, none of which can you ever take back."

With every word, I could see the anger building up and I flinched at each one. I felt like a small child being scolded by their parent. But this time, I was being reprimanded by the creator of the world.

"However," with that one word, the pressure dissipated. "You may have shown yourself redeemable."

"What?" I asked, daring myself to look up. That deadly glare has softened up to pity. As if that's better from your creator.

"Ever since the downfall, Mew has still been following you, albeit in disguise this time. You have proven yourself to be redeemable, but does that mean you have?" Arceus asked. "There was one last test for you to prove yourself and for that, Mewtwo here has taken it upon himself to test both you and your pokémon."

"If I took some things too far, please don't take it personally. Since you were part of a syndicate who was actively looking for me, I had to make sure that your ideals were true." As Mewtwo continued on, a flashback to the battle with Gary appeared in my mind. There was a flash of purple right before the cliff collapsed. It flashed to the never-ending snowstorm then. There was a faint silhouette of Mewtwo in the distance now that I see it. And when I was taking my final fall at the peak, There was a flash of purple right before I braced myself for the impact.

I gasped for a breath once the flashbacks stopped. The feelings from those flashbacks came washing back over me, but once the flashback stopped, so did the sheer terror I felt in each of those moments.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Umbreon asked me.

"What did you do to her?!" Espeon shouted.

"Girls, it's okay," I told them. "He had his reasons." I glanced up at Mewtwo.

"Interesting." He pondered. "Anyways, after all I've seen today, I have to say that your motives were true and the bond you have with your pokémon are unmoving."

"My pokémon? My pokémon!" I exclaimed. Pikachu, Absol, Lucario, Gallade, and my starters! What's going to happen to them? They were left to face Gary, but what then? Where would they go?

"Worry not." Mewtwo said. "I know that they are not truly evil as well. They were only following on orders of a corrupt organization. They should not be punished as you will not be as harshly. They will be safe. They are safe. No harm will come to them."

"Thank goodness." I was able to breathe again.

"Now that you have heard testaments from both Mew and Mewtwo, I will now give you the judgement you deserve." Arceus boomed. Espeon and Umbreon retreated back behind me. I could feel myself shaking under the sudden power surge coming from him.

"The start of your life was very uneventful, but because of one choice, you have thrown your destiny into chaos. For years, your life has been nothing but pain for others, but hidden in that life was something pure. It may have been stained slightly, but the light was still there. That light was able to break through because of another growing inside of you. Was that the turn around you needed? Perhaps so."

"In the end, you pushed through the trauma you faced during your time misguided and proven yourself of being able to break free of all chains and be true to yourself. Although this is not the end of your life, I am offering you a chance to begin a new life in a far-off land where no one will be able to look for you."

"A new life?" I asked. I already took a second chance only to be offered a third one by Arceus himself? Is it possible to take this offer?

"Of course, for the sins you did do, there will be some conditions you must fulfill in order to rectify your wrongdoings." Arceus looked down at me. "To prove yourself to be pure and not truly evil, you must look after the legendaries and mythicals when they come for rest."

"Look after them?" I asked. That's an odd thing, especially coming from an legendary himself.

"See, we all have duties to do in the universe, but from time to time, we do get tired," Mew explained. "We go to Arceus' special spot where we can rest. However, with so many powerful pokémon in one place, it can get chaotic. So, you will help with whatever we need!"

"Additionally, you must assist them in their duties as well," Arceus added.

"Their duties?" I asked again. "How?"

"You'll be momentarily gifted with some of our powers. Nothing too much, but enough to satisfy your daily tasks." Mewtwo explained.

"Are you fine with these conditions?" Arceus asked me.

I have to take care of legendaries? That's a new one on me, but I think it's manageable. I was able to face tougher situations in my past so this shouldn't be too bad. Although, I'm not sure who will be more of a handful, the pokémon or my baby.

"Yes." I nodded. "I'll take up the task."

"Very well." Arceus nodded. "Additionally, there is one more punishment for your crimes. Once every month, on the night of no moon, you will be forced to relive the pain and suffering of those you killed."

I let the words sink in. I'll be honest with myself, it seems like a fitting punishment for myself. I took away the lives of people who haven't wrong me in any way so it must be fair for me to suffer through the same. At least it's not every night. It's only once a month. It's fitting for me.

"I accept those conditions," I said.

"What?!"

"You can't be serious." Espeon and Umbreon said.

"Girls, it's time for me to pay my dues. I can't run from my past forever. My sins are bound to catch up to me at some point." I explained. They looked at each other before nodding.

"Very well then." Arceus nodded. From him, a shining white light filled the space again, engulfing everything. I had to close my eyes, but when I opened them again, I felt my feet on solid ground.

Espeon and Umbreon were around my feet, looking just as confused as I was. I looked down at myself. Instead of the ruined uniform, I was wearing an ash gray kimono with small silver flowers dotting the fabric with a silver obi wrapped around my waist.

I looked around at my surroundings. Lush green fields filled with colorful flowers and crystal-clear water filled every area in sight. It was breathtaking. It's such a drastic difference from the city and desert I've gone used to.

"Welcome to Ransei." I looked up to see a man standing there. He was wearing a white kimono as well, but where mines was simple, his was elaborately decorated with shimmering, twisting vines that seemed to change color which way the sunlight hits it. A gold obi wrapped around his waist. His eyes were a mixture of red and green and they seemed to pierce through anything. His white hair was tied in a ponytail and draped over his shoulder. However, his voice was like Arceus', but the echo was gone.

"Oh, I'm sure you're surprised." I looked over to my side to see Lilo, I mean Mew, standing there. Her tan was gone, replaced with a pale skin tone with a rosy pink tint, but the blue eyes stayed. Her purple hair has changed to pink. She was wearing a pink and white furisode that ended just above her knees as well as holding a lacy pink parasol. "You see, I'm not the only one who has a human form!"

"Indeed." I looked over to my other side to see another man in white and purple samurai armor. His white hair was combed back with a purple streak running through. "Arceus was humble enough to grant us all these forms."

This all sounded so familiar, but I didn't know why. Then I thought back to the mission with Lilo, I mean Mew! "Then that book," I started as I pointed to Mew.

"It was true!" she laughed. "See, I told you there was a point as to why I gave it to you!"

"Yes, this is how the legendaries and mythicals will appear to you for you to care for." Arceus nodded. "However, you will know when they arrive."

"Where will they arrive to?" I asked.

"That is for the lords of this kingdom to determine." He said.

"Lord?" I asked.

"Ransei is divided into seventeen kingdoms," Mewtwo explained. "Each one ruled by a different type."

"But there are eighteen types." I pointed out.

"The Fairy type still has not reached Ransei yet, but word will come, I'm sure a kingdom will be split to fit the theme." Mewtwo sighed. "Currently, the region is at war with each other. Only one warlord can unite all of the kingdoms in order to bring back the creator of the region."

"Honestly, I'm surprised how these humans make up their stories." Arceus laughed. "But I will obey their wish. I want to see how far these humans will go and what path they will take. Fortunately, I already have some pokémon keeping an eye on some of the warlords for me."

I'm not sure if I should be glad to see Arceus this carefree. I always expected the god of all pokémon and humans to be, more strict perhaps? Not some guy who seems like he just got off a movie studio set.

"We are currently in the Aurora kingdom." Arceus pointed off to the distance. I followed his hand to see a small, but peaceful castle. Farmlands surround the castle and its walls. I was able to spot a few stalls and shops near the farmland. "I must take my leave now, but I'm sure Mew and Mewtwo will be able to guide you to the warlords here. They are new, but they will welcome you." With another nod, Arceus disappeared in a flash of white light.

"He's always afraid of one of the people here accidentally seeing him even in his disguise," Mew explained to me. "So he never sticks around for long."

"All of the legendaries never do," Mewtwo added. "But I have to admit, this region is far more peaceful and quieter than the mainland."

"Even with the war?" I asked.

Mewtwo sighed. "War is unavoidable in any region. Even before your time, there was a great war between Kanto and Johto. There were still some people who remember those times. You're lucky enough to be living in an era of peace, but with violence on the rise, another war will bound to happen."

"But look at it this way. If there is war, then there is peace. Everyone is able to get along with each other and settle their differences. All it takes is one person to unite them all!" Mew chimed in.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to accept this offer?" Umbreon asked.

"They all seem weird," Espeon said.

"What do we do first?" I asked Mew and Mewtwo, choosing to ignore my pokémon. I don't want to get on the bad side of the most powerful pokémon in the universe. I want to get them to like me first a little.

"We'll talk to the warlords here," Mewtwo answered. "Usually, each kingdom would have one, but Aurora is still a small kingdom. The last warlord recently died so his twin children took over."

"I see." I nodded as Mew started on her way to the castle.

"Unfortunately, I have some other business to deal with so I must get going." Mewtwo said. "Mew, don't mess with the kingdom."

"I won't!" she huffed. "I know better than to mess with a war like this." With that, Mewtwo teleported away in a flash of purple light.

"So can you explain to me more about these kingdoms?" I asked Mew as I followed her.

"Well, like Mewtwo said, there are seventeen, soon to be eighteen, kingdoms! Each ruled by a warlord according to their type. Aurora here is the Normal kingdom. The warlords here are new so they don't' know much. They're just getting starting. Aurora was always the smallest kingdom with a small population, but I'm sure it can grow!" she answered.

"And what about this war?" I continued as we got closer to the farmland.

"It started with an old legend that was passed down to even today," Mew explained. "If all the kingdoms are united under one, then Arceus will come back to the land! That's why there's this war. Each warlord is trying to take over the other kingdoms. They're gathering both human warriors and their pokémon partners to help fight for their kingdom."

"Fighting? Warriors?" I asked. Somehow, I got a grim thought from that description.

"For years, lives have been lost because of this war." Mew looked up at the sky. "Arceus hated that these people are killing each other and pokémon for this legend, so he sent a few legendaries to partner with worthy warlords to keep an eye on the war. Lately, there haven't been as many deaths, but they still happen."

"Such a deadly region," Umbreon remarked.

"It just makes you think more about the world. We haven't been outside the regions much." Espeon nodded.

"The world is large." Mew agreed. "Arceus has created more than a human can see in their lifetime without any interference by us legendaries and mythicals. Not to mention the possible timelines and different dimensions out there. I wish I can see them, but only the Creation Trio can manage them all at once."

"To think, every person is just a speck in everything." I laughed.

"But that's the beauty in it." Mew smiled as she turned around to face me. "Things have changed so much For both the bad and the good. Even when you don't think about it, a single being can change so much in the world. Any being."

"And I thought I wouldn't have an existential crisis about my existence today," Espeon complained.

"Sorry about that!" Mew laughed. "I don't have many chances to talk to humans and regular pokémon as myself so these talks amuse me."

"And here I thought you were just goofy." Umbreon rolled her eyes.

"Hey! I also have duties to perform too so I can be serious!" she pouted. I could only stifle a laughter. "Anyways, this is as far as I can take you."

We stopped right outside of a farm. There wasn't any nearby, but the castle walls seem so close.

"Here." Mew placed a scroll in my hands. "Give this to the warlords. They'll give you a place to stay. Once you're done, I'll come by to prep the place for the others!" She suddenly clapped her hands. "I nearly forgot! People in Ransei speak a different language than the mainland. Here!"

She saved her hand and a small glowing orb appeared. It flew out of her hand and right into my head. "There, you'll be able to understand the language. Since the language here is close enough to Kantonese, you'll be able to talk back. However, they won't understand completely so you need to study as well."

I nodded and walked on. I looked back for a bit to see Mew wave before teleporting away. I took a deep breath before moving forward. I don't know how to describe the feelings in my chest now. I was relieved that I can finally live in peace, but I was terrified when I came face-to-face with Arceus and two other powerful pokémon. How am I supposed to act when I have to take care of all of them?

I placed a hand on my stomach. My greatest joy in my life is the fact that everyone is safe. My pokémon are safe. I am safe. My child is safe. I want peace and being able to control my own life. After years of what I thought I wanted to do, I finally feel free. I want to push all of those memories in the past, but unlike the last time, I'm willing to embrace them when the time comes.

The farmland around the castle walls looked so pretty and peaceful. The further I walked, I was able to see more people working on the farms. They all looked at me when I walked past. Was it that strange to see a new person in the kingdom?

I made it to the market portion. I passed stalls and merchants. Even they gave me strange looks when I first walked passed but proceeded to try and sell things to me.

"If you haven't noticed, you're the only person around here with white hair," Espeon told me.

"And silver eyes," Umbreon added.

"Silver eyes?" I asked. I stopped by a merchant selling silverware and looked at my reflection. They were right. My hair was still white and flowing loosely around me, but my eyes were silver. Could this be because of Arceus? Perhaps it's a symbol of our deal. Whatever it could be, I actually like it. It' refreshing.

"Well, that's new." I sighed. I turned away from the merchant and continued walking. However, I didn't even take another step when I bumped into someone else.

"Ouch!" I was knocked to the ground. Luckily, the streets were mainly free of people so I didn't hit someone else, but that just made the person who ran into me more of a mystery.

"Oh sorry there!" I looked up to see a young brunet man stand there. He wore black armor over his white clothing with a red scarf wrapped around his neck. He wore a golden headpiece, keeping his ruffled hair in place. His blue eyes looked down at me as he stuck out his hand for me to grab. "I didn't see you there. I didn't mean to run into you."

I accepted his hand and he pulled me up. "No, it's fine. I'm new to this place so it's partially my fault as well."

"You are?" he asked.

"Yes." I nodded. "I'm actually on my way to the castle."

"You are? Perhaps I can escort you there. I'm on my way there too." The man said.

"Very well." I nodded.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Umbreon asked. I looked down to see Umbreon near my feet, but Espeon was staring intensely at an Eevee around the man's feet.

"Shh! I'm trying to get a read about this guy." Espeon hissed.

"Stop it. It's rude." I picked Espeon up. Umbreon climbed on to my other shoulder.

"Oh, I see you have a few eeveelutions." The guy remarked.

"Yes, they've been with me for years," I nodded. "I can't get rid of them even if I tried."

"And you tired." Umbreon nodded.

"I can sense that you have a really strong bond with them." The man remarked. "I think that's great. Nothing is better than a bond between a person and their pokémon partners!"

"Yeah," I said, not sure where to take this conversation.

"So where are you from?" the guy asked me. "I see you have an accent."

Right, Mew told me about this. "Well, it's a land far away from here," I said.

"I see." He nodded. And like that, the conversation was cut short.

Awkward again. "So which way is the castle?" I asked.

"This way." The man gestured me to follow him. His Eevee jumped on his shoulder as he led the way. I trailed behind. When we got to the castle walls, there were no signs of any guards.

"Not again." I hear him sigh. He pushed open the gates and closed it behind me. He proceeded to walk up to the castle and open the doors.

"I got it!" Espeon exclaimed.

"Brother!" a girl with brown hair and a golden hairpiece jumped out as the guy opened the door. Like him, she had blue eyes and was wearing black armor over white clothing, but she had a red caplet on instead with a pink obi wrapped around her waist. An Eevee bounced in after her. "Finally! I was about to get Oichi to go find you!"

"Sorry about that, but I ran into a new villager." The guy explained.

"Oh?" she looked past him and at me. "Hello there and welcome to Aurora!"

"I haven't properly introduced myself." The guy said. "My name is Hiro and this is my sister Azai. We are the warlords of the Aurora kingdom here."

"Well, I saw that coming," Umbreon said.

"It's my honor." I bowed slightly.

"Oh!" Azai exclaimed. "I'm still not used to that."

"See, we just became warlords recently, so everything is new to us," Hiro explained.

"I see." I nodded. I suddenly remembered about the scroll Mew gave me. "I was instructed to give you this."

Hiro accepted the scroll and opened it for him and Azai to read. "You want to run a bathhouse?"

I had to do a double-take when he said that. Mew put that I want to run a bathhouse?!

"We don't have one of those!" Azai commented. "I think it's a great idea! And I think I know the perfect building for it too."

"Do you mean that old temple near the edge of the kingdom?" Hiro asked. His sister only nodded. "But that's a bit far from the castle. And about invasions,"

"That side of the kingdom never gets invaded." Azai retorted. "And it's the only building big enough."

"Fine then." Hiro sighed. "There's a small building attached to the temple that you can live in as well. I hope that'll be sufficient."

My eye was still twitching from what Mew wrote, but I hid it. "Your generosity is more than enough."

"Hiro! Azai!" another girl came running in. Her red hair was tied in a ponytail and was wearing a white and pink kimono that ended above her knees. "The scouts just came back from the Ignis kingdom! Lord Hideyoshi is planning an invasion!"

"An invasion?!" Hiro asked. "So soon?"

"It was probably because we defeated a few of his soldiers before," Azai remarked. "Hey, do you have any combat experience, um what's your name?"

"I'm sorry." I apologized. I could say my real name, but even that seems foreign to me now. Perhaps a new name is in order. "But please call me Ayana."

"Ayana." Azai nodded. "Do you know how to battle?"

"Battle?" I asked. I thought back to what Mew was saying about the war. It seemed so grim, but these warlords looked so young. It can't help to hurt, right? "I know a few things and I can handle myself."

"Azai! You can't be serious!" Hiro chastised her. "She just moved here and know you want her in the army?"

"It's no problem, really," I told Hiro. "If you give me a place to live, then the least I can do is to help you fend for your kingdom."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I insisted. I have to pay my dues somehow."

"Very well then." He sighed. "We can discuss this later. For now, I'll let you get settled." He gave me directions to the temple. He made me promised to come back later that day to discuss things about the invasion.

I left the castle and made my way through the market again. I took another deep breath. It seemed like so much has changed in one day. It's hard to process so many things at once. Everything is so new to me.

I made it back to the farmlands where I could see a temple in the distance. The kingdom so far looked so beautiful, I'm glad that Arceus chose this as a starting spot.

"What are your thoughts about those warlords?" Espeon asked.

"They seem nice so far," I answered. "They're inexperience, so I'll be happy to help them."

"But are you really ready to go into battle? This isn't like the mainland." Umbreon pointed out.

I sighed. "I understand, but these two are young. I doubt they are as bloodthirsty as the past warlords. To be a better person, it's best for me to face my past and any fears I have. I can't run away forever."

For some reason, I've gone used to the stares I get from the villagers in the kingdom, even if it's been a few hours. I'm excited to start a life here. Somewhere safe for me and my soon-to-be family. I just wish that I can see my other pokémon once again.

I made it to the temple. At a closer look, it seemed to be standing but still deserted. It was run down and isolated from the rest of the kingdom. I couldn't see another house or farm nearby. A river divided the temple from the rest of the kingdom and people would need to cross a long bridge in order to enter. Maybe this is the perfect spot for a bunch of all-powerful pokémon to gather. But a bathhouse? Seriously, what was she thinking?

"So this is the place?" Espeon asked.

"I actually like it. Of course, it's a fixer-upper." Umbreon noted.

"Mew did say that she would come back," I added. Right then, a pink flash appeared and Mew was there in front of me.

"Hello!" she greeted me. She looked towards the temple. "Wow! This place is nice! It's perfect."
"And you expect me to run a bathhouse?" I asked her, a bit ticked off.

"What?" she looked at me. "A bathhouse was the best thing I could think of! It's a big place and has everything to take care of us! Of course, I need to spruce this place up." Mew turned towards the temple and her eyes begun to glow blue.

Her hair floated up as she used her psychic powers. In a blink of an eye, the temple looked like it was being restored to its original state. Wooden pieces flew around, mending any broken beams and floors as paint grew back on the walls. The overgrown vegetation was trimmed and ripped to shreds before moving to the back of the temple.

If this was the power a legendary can have, then it's more frightening then I could ever think of. No wonder people were constantly hunting these pokémon down for their power. If humans could ever harness it, then disaster and chaos will follow.

Eventually, Mew's hair flew back down, and her eyes lost that glow. She turned back to me with a smile. "Done!" she sang. "I even fixed up that little house next to the bathhouse for you! You have to furnish it though, but I think you can find some of the other legendaries to help with that. As for the bathhouse itself, I added everything a bathhouse should have, but I need to personally go in to add the spaces."

"Spaces?" I asked. And on the other hand, if I'm going to be living with and taking care of legendaries, I have to get used to these new concepts too.

"But first, I'll give you a tour of the bathhouse. The house you can explore on your own." Mew gestured towards the entrance. I walked with her to the entrance. The inside was so elaborate looked right out of a movie. Mew even installed some elevators inside so we took one up to the top floor where the legendaries will be staying.

The hallway was plain, but still had views of the kingdom. From up here, it was gorgeous. I looked out and saw that behind the bathhouse were hot springs. There was a divider between the two pools.

"For any guest who wants to stay, there are more rooms in the lower floors, but this top one is reserve just for us." Mew explained. "But for this next part, I need to call a friend over." She pulled out a quartz necklace out of her yukata. She handed it to me.

"What is that?" I asked as I picked it up from her hand.

"You can use that quartz to summon any of the legendaries or mythicals. It even has a piece of all of our powers for you to use for your other duties. Arceus meant to give it to you but forgot. To summon any of us, just say our name while touching it. As for the powers, I'll explain more when the time comes." She explained. "For now, we need Hoopa here."

"Hoopa?" I asked. Once I said that name, a purple and gold glow appeared from the necklace. In front of me and next to Mew, a boy appeared. He was wearing lavender baggy pants with a dark pink open vest. He wasn't wearing a shirt so his tanned skin was exposed under the vest. Gold accessories went along with his outfits and his dark pink hair.

"Whoa? I'm in this form?" the boy exclaimed as he looked down at himself. He then turned towards Mew. "Oh hey Mew."

"Hi there Hoopa!" she smiled. "I see you changed your outfit."

"Yeah. I tried the shirt thing for a while but it didn't seem right for me." Hoopa nodded. He then noticed me. "Oh, is this that girl Arceus was talking about."

"Yep." Mew nodded. "Oh, did you choose a name? Seeing how often you change it. It's no shame though."

"I'll go by Ayana now." I nodded. It's a simple name, but I still like it.

"Nice to meet you." Hoopa held his hand out. I shook it. "So this is the place Arceus have you take care of? This is a sweet place."

"Mew said a bathhouse," I told him. A bit spiteful, but I have every right to be.

"Bathhouse?" he asked. "Even I would be mad at that, but don't worry. A few of us will always be here so we can help you out if needed. We even have some special pokémon to help us out if needed."

"But they need a place to stay first." Mew pointed out.

"Oh right. That's why I'm here." Hoopa laughed. "Seems like there are enough rooms here. Enough for everyone. Let's get to work then!" the gold cuffs around his wrist multiplied and turned into large golden rings. Each of them flew over to a door and stuck themselves inside. Eventually, each door turned a different color and pattern with writing appearing on the door.

I took a closer look at one of them. This one was pink and had 'Mew' written in curly handwriting in white near the top.

"Done!" Hoopa announced as he put his arms down. "Now plenty of room for everyone!"

Mew opened up her room. I peeked into and saw a swirling portal inside. Mew grabbed my wrist and dragged me inside.

Once we were inside, I was immediately blinded by an incredible pink room. The walls and floor were pink, but most of the furniture inside was white. Stuffed plushies filled an entire corner of the room.

"Just what I dreamed of!" Mew squealed as she jumped into the pile of plushies.

"You see, I can create portals to anywhere so for this, I made a space for whatever each legendary feel most comfortable with. It varies, but they can rest here as much as they can." Hoopa explained.

"Oh right!" Mew popped her head back out. "So Hoop did say that some of us will be here for an extended amount of time, but for me, I'll be here 24/7."

"Oh great." Espeon sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"I heard that!"

"You were supposed to!"

"Can we please not make enemies with these pokémon right now," Umbreon complained. "I do want to live!"

"Don't worry too much about it." Hoopa nudged me. "I know it seems overwhelming to be thrown into this situation, surrounded by all-powerful pokémon, but we're not all that special. So what if we have different powers and can potentially destroy the world and all living things in it? We still act the same."

"I'm more worried if Mew was in charge of this place," I admitted. Truly, I only know her for a few hours, but she's no the most mature.

"Don't worry too much. The others will be here. Even me." Hoopa said. "And there will be Mewtwo to babysit her too. Seeing how much he hides."

We exited Mew's room and checked out the rest of the bathhouse. Everything looked so complex before, but I was able to break things down. I even went over to check out the house. It was small, but perfect for me and my family. Espeon and Umbreon had fun running through the halls. I could see where each room can be. There was even a little deck overlooking a garden and pond in the back. It was all beautiful.

This day was full of surprises, but I'm thankful for all of it. For once in my life, I truly feel free. I don't have anything holding me down. I just have to be myself. And I'm looking forward to the future.

It seems like not much happened, but I wrote a decent, now didn't I?

Now for the Hero and Heroine, they have no official name, but they were based on Azai Nagamasa of history. I wanted to name one of them Azai as a namesake, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to name the Hero 'Hiro'. I won't go over the entire conquest of Ransei, mainly because I have not played the game and I only know the basic plot, but I will keep it going until West Ransei is united. The next few chapters will be fun, but info-packed so I hope you don't mind that.

This is all new to me and I'm excited to keep writing about it. I'll try my best to keep parts of it rooted in history, but I'm not an expert on Japanese history. So please forgive me if I take some creative liberty.

Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter anyways!

-AKCC, signing out!