Lugia vs. Shadow Lugia 2: Requiem of a Dream

By shadowlugia249

Author's Note: After brewing over my Pokémon pictures and movies, I suddenly had an idea for my next big story. The characters aren't original, nor are the idea, but I need to get this out before I lose it. Plus, this is not meant to conflict with the movie "Requiem of a Dream", despite the title. I hope you enjoy this!

We all know how Pokémon the Movie 2000 ended up. Ash Ketchum acquired all three treasures and using Lugia's Song, he calmed the Titans of Fire, Ice and Lightning. After a flight on the back of the Beast of the Sea, Ash waved good-bye to Lugia before he dove back into the ocean. Meanwhile, on nearby Lightning Island, Lawrence III stands over his first collectable – the super-rare Ancient Mew card – and says to himself, "How it all began... and how it will begin... again."

You have no idea how right he was. Despite everything having been calmed, there was still chaos in the Orange Islands. Lugia has sensed the approach of something much worse than the Titans clashing. But unknown to the island inhabitants, this great evil has already taken a spiritual form and has begun its plans to awaken and destroy the planet.

This evil is unlike any other. No one knows it yet, but it has already chosen its target. Soon, it will awaken and take out all those in its path, stopping at nothing to cover the entire world in darkness.

(Author's Note: Since Pokémon the Movie 2000 took place with the second-generation Pokémon, I will only be using Pokémon up to that time. I do NOT want to hear anything that I left anything out!)

The Guardian of the Temple, a Slowking, stood in the alcove he usually hid in in bad weather. With his arms crossed behind him, he looked out to sea in concern. Something wasn't right here. The Titans had been calmed and the Great Guardian was back in the underwater Beast of the Sea. But even though the skies had been clear last night, tonight there were heavy stormclouds that seemed to be collecting around Shamouti.

It didn't make any sense, which is why Slowking had taken refuge in his alcove. These clouds weren't being caused by the elements; they were... there was no other word for it – evil. A great evil was gathering in the world and it seemed to be starting its destruction here in Shamouti. But despite the impending doom, there was no proof that it was even true. It might have been leftover from when the Titans clashed, but not everything was as it seemed at the moment. Slowking could only hope that somewhere deep under the ocean, Lugia was paying attention to the going-ons of the world. He may be the Guardian of the Sea, but at the moment, he was in charge of the well-being of the planet. He was the most capable and powerful Pokémon on the planet and if anyone could do anything about this evil, he could.

Slowking went into the cave and lied down for the night. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep since before the Titans had clashed and he could use some shut-eye right now. All the while, he made a prayer to the gods of the planet that this foreboding would not go unnoticed.

But little did he know that Lugia was contemplating this very subject deep under the ocean in a cave hidden somewhere in the underwater current. He, too, was asleep, having used most of his energy during the Battle of the Titans, but his mind was on high alert. The voices of the planet were speaking to him in his sleep and his subconscious mind was listening very closely to them.

The approaching evil was on the top of his concern list. Deep within the Dream World, he was floating through the infinite expanse of his mind, trying to find the cause of the unseen menace.

Lugia was unlike most Pokémon in the Dream World. Even though his subconscious was just as sensitive as most Psychic-Type Pokémon, over time, he had trained his subconscious to think for itself and relay information back to his conscious mind as if he was actually there.

In the Dream World, Lugia had a different form that he had constructed using his psychic powers. This enabled him to walk through the Dream World without breaking anything. His size was cause for concern in the Real World, but in this form, he was much more compatible walking though the Dream World. In fact, he looked very close to his original form, but in here, he had grown a pair of normal human arms and his wings had shifted to his shoulders like a Dragonite. This form was more anthro-like than anything else. He had grown so used to this form that he had started training his conscious form to learn a version of a Ditto's Transform ability and shift between this form and his true form when he was awake, but even with HIS skills, he hadn't quite gotten the move down.

As Anthro Lugia walked through the Dream World, listening to all the voices of the world, he suddenly stopped and looked at something that had caught his eye. An impressive-looking glass wall stood in one corner of his dream that had been there for as long as he could remember. He had normally felt confident enough to ignore it, but there was something strange going on over there now.

Walking up to the wall, he looked it up and down, taking in the details of it. It seemed harmless enough and he was about to continue on his way when he saw it. A large, black shadow fluttered into sight and stared at him with piercing-red eyes. Lugia flinched when he saw the figure.

Who... what are you? I've never seen you here before and I've been through here many times before.

The shadowy figure chuckled darkly and leaned against the glass. You should know by now not to leave any part of the Dream World unchecked. I've been here this whole time and you've just passed me by like I was a simple Caterpie.

Lugia realized that he had never kept tabs on this figure and knew that if it wasn't kept in check, it could break out and cause harm to those who were currently asleep.

I don't know who you are, but it is my job to purge the Dream World of entities like you.

The figure gave an evil grin. Now, you wouldn't want to do that to your own flesh and blood, would you?

Lugia froze. He had been in the process of charging a Psychic attack to eradicate this dark menace. What do you mean?

Where do you think you got your true power? I've been here this whole time, lending you mine. You've just never paid attention to what I could really do for you.

The dark power this entity was radiating was starting to affect Lugia. He stared longingly at the figure before shaking his head and glaring at him. You are a nuisance. You must be destroyed before you can escape. Allow me to relieve you of your powers. He spread his wings and prepared an Aeroblast in his open beak.

The figure knew that he was done for, but for some reason, his confidence alarmed Lugia. You may destroy me, but you can't escape me. I will return even more powerful than before and soon, this world will fall under my power. I guarantee it.

Lugia hesitated for a second before shaking his head and unloading the Aeroblast into the figure through the glass. The figure took the force of the blast and exploded into wisps of black energy.

From the looks of things, Lugia had destroyed it, but something about its last words seemed to haunt him. There was something wrong here, but at the moment, he could not do anything about it. But just to be sure...

Up in the main city of Shamouti Island, Ash Ketchum woke with a start, breathing heavily. He had just had the strangest of all dreams involving a dark figure and the Beast of the Sea, Lugia. He wasn't a Psychic Pokémon, but there was something about the message coming from the dream that bothered him. The dream had given out before he could understand it, but some other force seemed to be telling him not to leave the island... at least not yet.

This alarmed Ash. He, Misty, Tracy and Pikachu had been in the process of leaving Shamouti Island to continue his Pokémon quest in the Orange Islands. But the message of telling him to stay on the island was something that he could not ignore. True, he had never given much thought into the meaning of dreams, but one that involved Lugia and a clear message of not to leave the island was something that could not be cast aside.

This last thought also bothered him. He had only seen Lugia for the first time the two days ago. How could he already be communicating to him through his dreams. He was sure that he had saved the world when he had watched the three Titans fly back to their islands, but there were too many conflicts with this dream that spoke to him and wrestled with his Common Sense.

As he thought about this, he looked around at his traveling companions. Misty was sleeping in another room, but Tracy and Pikachu were sleeping in a bunk right below him. Huh. Pikachu must have been sleepwalking again. He wondered if he should tell them about his dream and the message it carried. But he had never given much faith into dreams before, so he was wrestling with his self-respect on this one.

To clear his mind, he limbed out of bed and put on his hat and jacket to go for a walk on the beach. The clock said 5:06, but there was a sense of need flooding through him that he just had to get off his chest. Creeping through the hotel, he left the building and made his way to the nearest beach. Most of the citizens of the island were still asleep, so he had some time to himself.

The streets were still littered with debris from his congratulatory celebration. Confetti and old food plastered the sidewalks and streets from the number of people that had visited the island for this occasion. But to his immense relief, no one was awake and he made it to the beach unnoticed.

The sun was not up yet, but Ash wasn't interested in the sunrise. For reasons unknown, he waded into the shallows of the ocean and stood there with the water up to his waist. Some unknown force was keeping him oblivious to everything around him and he stared off into the night for what seemed like forever. A few curious Horsea had come to investigate and were swimming around him, trying to get him to play with them. But Ash wasn't thinking straight at the moment and ignored them. The Horsea, bored, swam away with disappointment.

Just then, Ash came to his senses and realized that he was partially submerged in the freezing ocean. He looked around at what he was doing and tried to understand what was happening.

"What am I doing out here?" he said to himself. "This water's gotta be 40 degrees and I'm out here at 5:30 in the morning!"

"Pika-pi! Pikachu!"

"Pikachu...?" Ash turned around and saw his most loyal Pokémon standing on the beach 20 feet away and waving to him. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Pika. Pika-Pika!" This translated to Ash as, "You looked concerned. I wanted to see what you were up to!"

Ash realized that he could freeze to death if he stayed in the water for much longer, so he started making his way back to shore.

But suddenly, something clamped down on his leg and he stopped moving. Looking around, he felt the thing release him, but he couldn't see anything in this darkness. He was about to continue when something caught his eye.

Even in the near-complete darkness, Ash could make out the tip of a pointed head poking out of the water a few feet in front of him. Just to make sure he wasn't seeing things, he waded forward to check it out. The head then emerged from the water and Ash nearly had a heart attack from the face that was staring at him.

"Lugia?!"

The head of Lugia was poking out of the water and was staring at him with narrow navy-blue irises. If that didn't freak him out, the sound of Lugia's voice in his head certainly did.

Ash... my Chosen One. I see that you are awake.

"Yeah... I am." Words failed him for a minute. Even in the short time he had seen him, Lugia had never addressed him directly by name. (Author's Note: Don't believe me? Watch the movie and check it!) But he finally got his head on straight and asked him an innocent question. "What are you doing here?"

For some reason, Lugia seemed to be offended by this statement, because he snorted and splashed Ash by flicking his one of his underwater wings.

"What was that for?!" Ash yelled, trying to recover from the miniature tidal wave.

Lugia stood up fully and loomed over Ash, causing him to quaver under his gaze. A simple "Hi, Lugia. I'm surprised to see you." would have sufficed. Sometimes, I wonder how you humans get along with each other when the first thing you say is, "What are you doing here?

Ash hung his head and backed up a little. "Sorry, Lugia."

Lugia looked at him for a moment before his beak twitched into a grin and he put a wing around Ash's shoulder. That's okay. No harm, no foul.

Ash was relieved that Lugia was not offended by his statement. In fact, he could have sworn that the Pokémon was JOKING with him! This was strange since Lugia had been all business just a few days ago.

Ash smiled and put his hand on the god's wing, marveling at the smoothness of his taut, rubbery flesh. "So, is it safe to ask what you're doing here now?"

Lugia folded his wing back at his side and nodded. My dreams have been dark as of late. I need your advice on a particular one, but... He looked at Ash's shivering form half-submerged in the icy water. I think this is an awkward place to discuss it. Would you like to come with me to someplace more... appropriate?

The cold was starting to get to Ash and he accepted Lugia's offer without hesitation. But before he could react, the Legendary had seized him by the shirt with his beak and had dropped him onto his back. His heart now racing a mile a minute, Ash held onto Lugia's neck in disbelief.

Just as Lugia was about to take off, Pikachu shouted from the shore, "Pika! Pikachu Pika-Pi!"

Lugia stopped in the middle of spreading his wings and looked at the yellow Pokémon. Of course. How could I forget the famous Pikachu? Of course you can come with.

"Pi?" Pikachu didn't realize that he was as popular as Ash was with this one. But he was taken off-guard when Lugia's eyes glowed a bright blue and he was suddenly lifted off the ground in a Psychic aura before he was plopped right on Ash's lap. "Pika..."

"It's okay, Pikachu. He knows what he's doing." Ash did his best to reassure the confused Pokémon.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu still sounded concerned.

You should already know how it feels to ride on my back, Pikachu, said Lugia, looking at the Electric-Type out of the corner of his eye. This will be just like last time, but a much shorter ride. Hold on... He spread his wings, unfolded his back plates and sprung out of the water and into the air.

Ash marveled at how Lugia could understand Pikachu's speech so perfectly. Then again, he was a Pokémon after all – it only made sense that he could understand him. Ash held on as Lugia gained some slight altitude and carried him to the ruins that housed the three treasures, which had yet to be returned to their proper islands.

"Why do you need my advice, Lugia?" said Ash once he had dismounted from Lugia and sat on the steps leading up to the ruins. It was still too dark to see him clearly, but he could never forget what he looked like after his remarkable flight only a few days ago. "I thought you were all-knowing as a Legendary."

Lugia sighed and looked up at the sky, which was covered in unusually dark clouds. I may be the very essence of a god, but even I do not know everything in the world. The reason I am asking for your advice is that the legend said that you were my Chosen One.

Ash blinked. "But... I thought I was just supposed to bring harmony to the Titans. I never thought you'd be asking me for help." He paused. "What do you need help with, anyway?"

Lugia closed his eyes for a moment, opened them again and looked directly at Ash. Ash, while you were asleep this night, did you by chance witness a confrontation between myself and a dark presence?

Ash had to think for a second. "Yeah. I thought it was just a dream."

Lugia shook his head and turned to face the main part of the island. It was no dream. Deep inside the Dream World, a great darkness has been growing inside of me. I never paid much attention to it until now. Now I fear that I have waited too long to fight against it.

Ash was still confused. "I don't understand."

Lugia turned back to face him and came unusually close to Ash. Think of it like this: inside every creature, Pokémon or human, there is an ever-fighting clash between our Light side and our Dark side. To most, the good side is in control a majority of their life. But to some, there is a great darkness and evil brewing inside of them that is always waiting for your weakest moment to overpower you. Believe it or not, but even we Legendaries have dark powers growing inside of us. And now I believe that because of my weakened state during the Titans' clash, my dark side has been awakened.

Ash couldn't believe what he was saying. "Are you saying that you, Lugia, could turn..." He gulped. "...evil?!"

Lugia sighed and sat down on his tail, shaking his head. Ash had never seen him do this before, so it startled his slightly when the ground quaked underneath him from the impact.

I am not sure, but I know that the time is drawing near where my true powers will be put to the test.

"So, what does this have to do with me?"

Ash Ketchum... there will come a time soon that I will not be able to think for myself. That time will be the darkest hour of the planet. Even all the Pokémon in the world will be powerless to stop me. But until then, I need you to stay on the island until I give you the all-clear. There may come a time where the powers of the true Chosen One will be put to the test.

Ash could barely imagine an evil Lugia wreaking havoc on the world he was born to protect. This certainly went against everything he knew about the Legendaries. He hoped that it wouldn't have to come to it, but if he had to fight Lugia – the most powerful Psychic Pokémon on the planet – head-on, then so be it.

Lugia seemed to be reading his thoughts, because he reached out with a wing and put one of his feathers under Ash's chin, holding his head up so that he could look him square in the eyes.

I believe in you, Ash. I may not turn evil in the end, but I know that if it comes to that, you can save the world again. It may or may not be as difficult as securing the three treasures, but I know you can do this. The legend spoke true when it said that we were destined to meet.

This didn't help Ash's self-esteem very much and Lugia didn't have to be psychic to see that. If it helps you at all, I have something that will help protect you in the worst-case scenario.

Ash suddenly looked hopeful. "What's that?"

Lugia reached forward with his beak and seized one of his feathers on his wing. Giving it a swift tug, he managed to pry one of his silver feathers loose and drop it in Ash's lap. The missing feather grew back instantly but the one he had plucked shined brightly even in the darkness that was starting to lift.

As examined the feather in awe. It was unlike any mortal feather he had ever seen. It was completely smooth and glossy from years of perfect preening and looked like a large Skarmory feather except that it was smooth and silver instead of sharp and red.

Lugia grinned at Ash's expression. You should consider yourself lucky. I have only given out three feathers in all my life, this one included. One was found by a collector, one became the famous Silver Wing and you have this third one.

Remember that as long as you have this feather, evil cannot touch you –- even if it is me.

"Lugia..." Ash was beyond words. "Thank you."

Lugia nodded and looked up at the slowly rising sun. I must be getting back to the ocean. I will contact you at a later time. Until then, please remain on the island. I now bid you good day.

He spread his wings and made to take off but froze for a second. You have something more to ask me. It wasn't a question.

Ash flinched at his sudden statement. He did have a question. "What about my friends? What should I tell them?"

Lugia grinned as he started to unfold his back plates. Tell them anything you want. They should be kept up to date of their friend's adventures. But just don't tell them about why I gave you one of my feathers. They shouldn't need to panic about the possible evil that might befall them. He let out a musical cry that always made Ash's heart soften and his bad spirits lift. Until we meet again, Ash the Chosen One.

He took off and dove off the cliff into the ocean with minimal waves or ripples. Pikachu, who had remained quiet this whole time, continued his silence and climbed onto Ash's hat like he always did. Ash, meanwhile, simply stared at the spot where the Legendary had disappeared for a while before nodding and heading back to the town to speak to his friends. He had so much to tell them and he certainly wasn't going to do it here by himself.

Meanwhile, a very soggy-looking Lawrence III lied on the dark beach after an hour of swimming back from Lightning Island. He was a pretty good swimmer, but the distance had surprised him. Clearly overestimating the distance, he lied on his back, catching his breath. He had left his shoes and his lord's robe on the island to reduce his weight and drag in the water, but he would go back and get them once he could rent a boat and ride back there to pick up his Ancient Mew Card and salvage whatever collectables he could. He may have been shot down in flames by those kids and Lugia's Aeroblast, but he was still the determined collector he ever was. He didn't care how long it took, he would rebuild his legendary collection, but this time, he would leave the Titans and Lugia out of this. He had seen firsthand what had happened just by taking Moltres and Zapdos from their homes and was determined not to repeat the same mistake.

He thought about the brief moment he had thought he had captured Lugia but realized that getting his backside handed to him again was not worth the trouble. Besides, he finally realized that he had something that belonged to...

Huh?!

Lawrence looked up at the ruins on the cliff overlooking the beach he was on. From the looks of things, something big was up there that looked like... no... He couldn't be here already! He had seen him leave just days ago!

But once he managed to focus properly in this darkness, he was sure that his mind was not playing tricks on him. The Beast of the Sea, Lugia himself, was standing up by the ruins and appeared to be talking to someone nearby. He couldn't see who it was from this odd angle, but he was certain that it was Lugia and that the Guardian was standing at the ruins.

Several thoughts were running through his head. He wanted to get up there as fast as he could to see Lugia firsthand and free, but then he realized that he might still be sore at him from trying to capture him two days ago. Certainly, a Legendary of his status would not have forgotten something like that anytime soon.

But even as he lied there, he could hear Lugia speaking telepathically to whoever was up there. "You should consider yourself lucky. I have only given out three feathers in all my life, this one included. One was found by a collector, one became the famous Silver Wing and you have this third one." He was talking about a feather he had just given the person in front of him.

Lawrence suddenly remembered what had sparked his interest to capture Lugia in the first place. He had paid a lot of money to acquire a Silver Feather that had belonged to Lugia. (Author's Note: Remember, only one feather became the Silver Wing!) If memory served him well, the feather was still on the remains of his airship. He could hardly believe that it was the Sliver Feather that had gave him the idea to capture Lugia.

(Author's Note: Maybe or maybe not, but this is fan fiction, so anything goes!)

Still, he wanted to get close enough to Lugia to see him firsthand instead of looking at him through a telescope or in a book. But just as he was getting up, Lugia had already taken off and was in the ocean within seconds.

Damn. He had been so close. He wasn't sure when Lugia would be back, but he assumed that it would not be anytime soon. The Legendary had slipped through his fingers once again.

But that didn't stop him from wading out into the water to the spot where Lugia had dived. He could not explain it, but there was something about Lugia's presence that drew him into the water.

Within a minute, he was unable to touch his feet onto the sand below. Lawrence soon realized what he was doing and got a grip on himself. What was he doing out here? He was exhausted and he knew that Lugia was long gone. There should have been no reason that he was even back in the water.

He started to swim back to shore when he suddenly felt something grab his foot and pull him under. Forgetting to take a breath, he panicked and started thrashing in the water, finally managing to break free of his attacker's grip. Once again at the surface, he coughed and tried to see where he was in the water. But before he could get his bearings, something grabbed both of his legs and yanked him under a few feet before releasing him again.

Now fearing that he would drown from whatever was pulling him under, he swam for his life at a diagonal back to the surface and the shore. But he did not make it back because something had just grabbed him around the waist and pulled him deeper under.

Now Lawrence feared that the creature would not let him go no matter how hard he tried. He let out a stream of air bubbles as he felt the creature pin his body firmly enough for him not to move but gentle enough not to harm him. Looking into his attacker's face, whatever air was left in his lungs left them.

It was Lugia! The Guardian had him pinned in-between his jaws and was now diving towards the bottom of the ocean. His mind was torn between the fear of drowning and the shock of Lugia dragging him under. What was he doing?! Lugia was supposed to protect people, not drown them! Well, it looked like everything he knew about him amounted to nothing now.

Just when he thought he would drown for sure, he suddenly felt fresh, clean air enter his lungs. What was going on?! He was 50 feet under the water by now and there was no air under here that he could breathe. Getting the sense to look around, he saw that Lugia had surrounded himself with a clear Barrier that gave him all the air he could breathe.

"Lugia?!" he managed to say, although all that came out was a chain of bubbles. "What are you going to do to me?!"

Lugia had him pinned in his jaws, but that didn't prevent him from speaking directly into Lawrence's mind. You have a debt to pay. You will accompany me to the Beast of the Sea where we will discuss repayment for your actions.

He said nothing more, no matter how much Lawrence pleaded and begged for him to explain. Lawrence was shocked that Lugia was kidnapping him because of what had happened to him three days ago. He knew that Lugia could read his mind, but he refused to answer when he thought that this might be revenge for his actions or that he was going to leave him underwater as repayment for trying to capture him. It looked pretty grim for Lawrence III.

But up at the beach where Lawrence had been kidnapped, three shady-looking figures were in shock at what they had just witnessed. Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket had watched both Ash's confrontation with Lugia and Lawrence III's abduction from the alcove where they were staying with Slowking until they could get back on their feet. They had watched both events as clear as day, even though it was barely daybreak out. The alcove was in perfect position to watch both events from across the beach.

James, a blue-haired man, was trying to comprehend what he had just seen. "If you ask me, this can go either way."

Meowth, one of the few Pokémon capable of human speech glared at James. "Yeah? How d'you figure dat?!"

Jessie, a woman with a long, red ponytail, looked at her companion in disbelief. "For once, I agree with Meowth. How can you possibly think that this isn't bad?"

James sighed and pointed to the ruins where Lugia had talked to Ash. "On one hand, the twerp is in league with Lugia and they may be planning something big." He then pointed to where Lawrence had been kidnapped. "On the other hand, Lugia just drowned that Lawrence guy because of him trying to capture him."

Team Rocket was unaware that Lawrence was still alive. Jessie sighed and leaned against the cavern wall. "This isn't like Lugia. He was so determined to help the twerp save the world just a few days ago."

Meowth finished for her. "But now, he's gone off da deep end and drowned dat Lawrence guy because he tried ta capture him. He's actin' like da boss." He was obviously referring to their boss, Giovanni, who still had no idea what they were up to in this region. "One guy makes 'im mad, and he kills 'im for it!"

But James was unsure that this was true. He and Lawrence III may be on the same side – misunderstood and mischievous – but even he knew that Lawrence didn't deserve to die from trying to capture Lugia. But something didn't make sense. Why would Lugia be so calm and reassuring to Ash while so angry and outraged at Lawrence just seconds later?

"You know what I think?" he said, thinking out loud.

"Do we have a choice?" groaned Meowth.

James ignored him. "I think we should see what the twerp is up to. He seemed to know what Lugia was doing before he left. Maybe he can shine some light on Lawrence's death."

Meowth frowned at him. "Since when did you start carin' 'bout that guy? He's da one who started all this! I say we let 'im go!"

Jessie, however, was on James' side. "If the locals find out about Lawrence, this could seriously damage Lugia's reputation. We may be bad, but even the good guys deserve to have a second chance."

After some more deliberation, they agreed to spy on Ash and find out what Lugia was up to. They caught a few more hours' sleep and then left the alcove to do their dirty work.

Ash, meanwhile, couldn't go back to sleep even if he had wanted to. The moment he had gotten back to the hotel, he had woken up Misty and Tracy about what Lugia had told him. He carefully made sure not to tell them about his or Lugia's dreams. He was determined to keep his word to Lugia and tell them when the time came.

Misty and Tracy were on the edges of their beds throughout the whole story. "Why would Lugia be so concerned about the planet this soon?" said Misty, not keeping an eye on Togepi, who was keeping Pikachu's hands full babysitting. "You just saved the world not that long ago. Why would the world be in peril already?"

Ash knew better than to break his word to Lugia, but he found that he couldn't tell them about their dreams even if he wanted to. It was like once you gave your word to the Guardian, you were bound to it or you would go insane if you broke it. Instead, he pulled out the Silver Feather he had given him and watched his friends' eyes go wide.

"Ash..." said Tracy, taking the feather to feel it. "It's beautiful! Did Lugia give you this?"

Ash nodded, but his jaw was tired from explaining everything already. Misty and Tracy took turns holding the feather and taking in the awe of the pure power that radiated it.

"How do you luck out?" said Misty jealously. She would have given anything to have a relic from a Water Pokémon as graceful as Lugia, being a Water Trainer herself.

"He said that it would protect me from the evil that is supposed to be spreading throughout the world." Ash's tongue had loosened up again. "There's only been two other Silver Feathers in history."

"Ash, you have to tell Professor Oak about this," suggested Tracy, handing the feather back to him. "He's gonna want to see this."

He hadn't thought about that. Professor Oak had just arrived after Lugia had left him three days ago. It was Oak that had informed the news media around the planet about what had happened when Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos were clashed and what the underwater Beast of the Sea could have done if it wasn't for Ash and Melody coming to the rescue.

Not only that, but his mom and Professor Ivy had arrived with him. Mom had given him such a stern talking to after the whole ordeal about how her "whole world" (meaning Ash – who else?) could have died at any point during the saving of the world. That was Mom for you. Every day, she was super-concerned about him and would not think twice about locking him in the house just to keep him safe. But she knew that he was old enough to be on his own, but that didn't stop her from worrying about him.

Ash took the feather back and got up to go see Professor Oak. Maybe he would know something about Lugia that even the Guardian hadn't told him. Misty and Tracy looked at each other before following close behind him.

Over a mile underneath the ocean, Lawrence III had stopped struggling against Lugia's jaws holding him in place. He knew that if Lugia wanted revenge on him, he would have let him die ages ago. But whatever he had planned, he was obviously going to wait until he got to his home before he said anything.

Through Lugia's Barrier, he could see the underwater current approaching fast. This must be Lugia's home during the times of peace he had carelessly shattered when he started his collecting. Lawrence braced himself against the inevitable rush of the current, but Lugia's Barrier held when he entered it, so he felt nothing.

But that was not all he heard. Once they were in the current, Lawrence could hear a strange melody playing throughout the ocean. It didn't sound like Lugia's song, but he could not describe the feelings it made him feel. There was a sense of harmony echoing throughout the current that Lawrence could not quite place.

For the first time in over an hour, Lugia spoke. You can hear it, can't you? This is the sound and melody of the elements in perfect harmony. Right now, they are undisturbed, but you can only imagine the cacophony that I heard when you first captured Moltres.

"I never knew that the elements could be disturbed so easily," said Lawrence, using his thoughts to speak, knowing that Lugia could hear him. "I didn't know what you had to go through to keep this balance in check."

You have no idea what you did to the planet, Lawrence. And to set an example of what I have to do on a constant basis, I am going to let you experience this firsthand.

"Huh?"

Lugia opened his jaws and let him float freely in his Barrier. I have some business to attend to. Until then, I am putting you in charge of keeping the planet in check. If you should see my Chosen One, you may tell him about this. He will understand.

Lawrence was about to ask what he meant when Lugia dropped his Barrier, leaving him completely unprotected by the immense pressure. He took in a gasp and clutched his throat in shock. Without explaining anything, Lugia swam off, leaving him to die here thousands of feet under the ocean.

For a few fleeting moments, Lawrence tried to comprehend what Lugia had just done to him. He was taking his revenge on him for trying to capture him. This was his sick idea of getting back at him for the pain his net rings caused him. It was all over.

But even though he knew he was doomed, he took in a breath of water... and felt slightly lightheaded. He gasped for breath... and survived? What was going on? He should have been dead by now, but he could see, think and breathe just fine right now. Something about his state of mind wasn't quite right, either. The water wasn't as cold as it should have been and something about his body didn't feel... normal.

Realizing that he needed to find a place to think, he started swimming for a spot where he "knew" that he could think properly. He didn't know how he knew it, he just... knew

When Lawrence resurfaced in one of the caves dotted throughout the underwater current, he found a pocket of fresh air that he could breathe much easier. But something still wasn't right. He normally swam by bringing his arms over his head, but he now swam with more of a breast-stroke than anything else. Also, the position of his head didn't fit right. He was mostly submerged in the water, but his head was higher out of the water than normal.

But when he put his arm on the edge of the rocky cliff, he knew that something wasn't right. His arm was not normally this smooth, rubbery or as strong as the one that he saw in front of him. Lawrence also knew for a fact that he did not have such smooth, silvery skin in all his wildest dreams.

And when he let out an inhuman wail instead of a gasp, it was confirmed – he was a Lugia. The Guardian had turned into a Lugia just like him.

Climbing out of the water, Lawrence looked at his new form. This was odd. He hadn't felt anything when Lugia had transformed him into one of his own. But this must have been one of his powers.

Lawrence felt... powerful... but free. The infinite strength of a Lugia had been passed onto him and he knew that he could do just as much as the one he had tried to capture. Craning his head behind him at a degree that would normally been impossible in his human form, he saw ten rectangular navy-blue plates lining his back... and since when did he have a tail? It was certainly thick and strong enough to be classified as Legendary. And holding his arms out at his sides, he was surprised that he didn't tip over from their weight. He had been bestowed with incredible strength and flexibility that only a Lugia could handle.

Taking his first steps as a Lugia proved a little challenging. Lawrence was unused to this form and he wobbled slightly when he walked. He ended up tripping over himself and landed on his face.

Getting up, he tried to understand what had happened to him. Why had Lugia transformed him in the first place? Was there a point he was trying to make? And why had he just left him like this? What was this "business" that he had to attend to? And was this all part of his revenge?

None of the answers to these questions came to Lawrence. Even with the knowledge Lugia had given him, nothing could answer the burning questions that he wanted to ask.

Even though it was barely midday, Lawrence decided to sleep on it. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep since coming to Shamouti and he was dead-tired. After some well-deserved rest, he would make his way back to the surface and begin his temporary life as a Lugia.

Lugia, on the other hand, was far from tired. He had some burning questions he wanted answered himself. He had a feeling that the dark presence he had purged last night was still dwelling somewhere in the Dream World, waiting for him. He was unsure about this, but he had to confirm that it was destroyed.

Taking roost in an island cave far from Shamouti, Lugia closed his eyes and entered a meditation-like trance that allowed him to separate from his body and enter the Dream World. This was not something he normally did, but he was desperate to get some answers to his questions.

Almost immediately, he felt his body lock up and go limp. He was a spirit, but he was already locked out of his body. This was not normal whatsoever. Whatever had the power to lock him out of his body had the potential to do some serious damage.

The Dream World was a realm that few people or Pokémon have ever seen firsthand. It was normally a shining, futuristic utopia, but at the moment, it was anything but. It looked like a kind of rundown, shady slum that told Lugia that all was not well.

Once again in his anthro form, he walked down the streets of the Dream World and entered the door marked with his signature symbol – a five-point star with its points broken off so that it looked like a pentagon with five triangles surrounding it. This was the universal symbol for Lugia and he knew from experience that this particular symbol was his very own. Opening the door, he entered his Dream Room.

Almost immediately, the door slammed shut behind him and vanished into nothingness. This was not good. Walking through the black void, Lugia knew that the evil he had Purged was back and stronger than ever.

I know you're here, he said, determined not to show his fear. You have already broken out after I Purged you and I can sense your presence.

He felt a sense of pleasure coming from somewhere in the room. You can't beat me, Lugia. I am part of you and the only way for me to die is for you to die. You cannot escape your true potential or your destiny.

Lugia, though, was not intimidated. You do not frighten me. As long as you are locked away, you will never see the light of day.

But the presence merely laughed at him. It's too late for you, Lugia! I've already locked you out of your body and soon, I will take your place and spread my darkness throughout the world. Humans and Pokémon alike will fall at my infinite power!

Lugia knew that this entity had grown very powerful in just a short time. You do not intimidate me! I will be victorious and you will never touch the world of Pokémon!

But what happened next changed all that. A large concentration of evil energy appeared in front of Lugia and stared at him with piercing-red eyes. You are mine, Lugia. Accept this and your death will be that much more bearable.

The figure then took a form that both alarmed Lugia and did something he thought was impossible. For the first time in his life, Lugia felt pure, cold fear flowing through his spirit. His own power was nothing compared to the might of this figure. His eyes went wide and he screamed, even though no one could hear him.

It entered him.

Pure, concentrated evil rushed at Lugia and destroyed his spirit like it was a powerless Pidgey. The Good that once flowed through his heart was reduced to nothingness. The shadowy figure that had plagued his dreams had destroyed him without getting its hands dirty.

Back in the Real World, the power of the dark presence hit Lugia's body like a ton of bricks. He clutched at his heart as if he had been shot. Gasping for breath, he stumbled back against the cavern wall. Sliding down a few inches, he held his wings to his head and screamed. To hear Lugia scream like how he did now meant that pure evil had taken over his body and mind. The Good left in his body was trying to fight the Shadow, but without its spirit, it was losing terribly.

Lugia hit the ground and lied spread-eagled as the Shadow took over his body bit by bit. He shrieked and screamed loud enough for lightning to fluctuate and tear though the cloud-ridden sky. This was the beginning of the end of the Beast of the Sea.

Finally, Lugia gasped as the Shadow reached his brain. He had been fully consumed and the Good that had once flowed through his mind was gone.

As he lied there, his skin tone seemed to darken and become tainted. It flowed from where his heart was all over his body like a miniature wave, changing his natural coloring from silver-white and navy-blue to shadowy-violet and pale lavender.

When he finally opened his eyes, such evil pupils could not belong to any other living creature. The corners of his beak twitched into a sinister grin and a dark chuckle escaped his throat.

Getting up, the evil Lugia walked to the edge of the cave where he could see a violent storm gathering in the sky. Soon, the Shadow that radiated in this storm would leech itself into all the corners of the world, corrupting and transforming the minds and bodies of all creatures – human and Pokémon – into his shadowy slaves.

He reared back his head, spread his wings and let out a demonic shriek that could be heard all over the world. Lugia the Guardian was no more. In his place, Shadow Lugia the God had awakened!

While all this was going on, Team Rocket had been in the process of spying on Ash and his friends through a window that no one was looking through. Or at least Jessie and Meowth were. James was currently missing in action and had gone exploring to see what had happened to Lawrence III.

Jessie and Meowth were watching Ash and his friends talk with Professor Oak about a silvery feather that Ash had acquired.

"Dat's no ordinary featha'," said Meowth trying to see while shoving Jessie aside. "Dat's from da wing of Lugia! Dat ting's worth more than our salaries times ten!"

Jessie shoved Meowth aside and looked at the feather as best she could. "Imagine what we could do with money like that! I'd be richer than the boss and all the other Rockets!"

"What d'you mean, you'd be richa?! Wit dat much money, I could open up my own pet shop! I'd have more Persians than you'd see in da whole world!"

Meowth pictured himself sitting on a throne on a trove of treasure with hundreds of Persians bowing down to him and tending to his every whim.

Jessie popped this thought with a wallop to his skull. "I don't care what you think! I'm getting that feather first!"

Meowth retaliated by Scratching Jessie across the face yelling, "Dat's my money! You ain't gettin' it before me!"

Neither of them noticed that their eyes had clouded over with unusual purple mist. The two of them broke out fighting and ended up falling from the tree they were in. Ignoring their bruises, they continued fighting all the way down the beach in an anime fighting cloud, scratching and biting over the thought of getting all that money.

"Cheap Charm!" argued Jessie.

"Rip-off Artist!" yelled Meowth.

"What are you two doing?"

The two of them stopped fighting long enough to see James standing further down the beach with a slivery feather in his hands.

"Is dat...?!"

"It is!"

"IT'S A SILVER FEATHER!!!"

Both of them took off after James, who turned on his heel and ran.

"Why are you looking at me like that! Aah! Stay away from me! You two are out of your mind!"

James didn't know it yet, but while he was at the beach, he had found Lawrence's Silver Feather after it had washed ashore. He did not know of its powers, but at the moment, he just wanted to get away from his berserk teammates.

Ash, meanwhile, had just finished showing Professor Oak his Silver Feather and was awaiting his analysis. He was unaware of Team Rocket's snooping, but he was more concerned about what the professor had to say.

"Lugia gave you this, correct?" he said, confirming his suspicions that Ash had started.

Ash nodded and Oak ran his fingers up the glossy surface once again. "I may not be a Pokémon, but I don't have to be psychic to say that this feather has some unusual characteristics."

Professor Ivy took the feather and rolled the stiff tip in her fingers. It was roughly 18 inches in length and was as wide as Lugia's flight feathers at the tip. It then slowly shrunk until it was only about two inches at the base. The feathery material that was normally part of a Flying-Type's feather was replaced by a thin, silky, flesh-like material that was completely waterproof and supposedly unbreakable.

"In all my years of studying Pokémon, I have never seen a feather as unusual as this one," she said, feeling the bizarre material of the Silver Feather.

"What can you tell us about it, Professors?" said Misty anxiously.

Oak took the feather again and ran it over a cut he had sustained when his helicopter had crashed three days ago. They watched as the feather seemed to "erase" the cut as it flowed over him, leaving completely unbroken skin in its wake.

"This feather seems to contain some of Lugia's regenerative abilities, allowing whatever it touches to borrow the power to heal itself. Also..."

He made a swiping motion at a clock that was sitting on a dresser nearby. The feather did not create enough wind to affect it, but it did cause the clock to fly off the dresser and hit the wall, remaining completely intact.

But he wasn't quite done. Making a prodding motion at the same clock, he slowly raised the feather in the air and the clock was raised along with it. After setting it back on the dresser, he gave his opinion.

"This also possesses some of Lugia's psychic powers that are infused inside of it. It's not as strong as Lugia, but it's enough to influence small objects that it's pointed at."

Ash took the feather back and rolled it in his own fingers. He was amazed at the power this single feather contained.

"How come the Silver wing wasn't able to do this kind of stuff?"

Professor Ivy provided the answer to this. "The Silver Wing has been processed and converted into a metallic form. Most of its powers were lost during its conversion and now only contains the power to summon Lugia. This feather is straight from Lugia's wing and is therefore a purer version of his powers."

Oak nodded and then did something completely unexpected. "Professor Ivy... I think you've had that long enough."

Ash blinked as Ivy held the feather to one side and retaliated like she had just been insulted. "It's mine, Samuel! You won't take it away from me!"

Ash, Misty and Tracy were unsure of what to make of this situation, but they were spared confusion when Oak launched himself at Ivy, tackling her to the ground and trying to wrestle the feather from her.

"Professors! What are you doing?!" Misty couldn't believe that Oak would do such a thing!

But they were oblivious to their surroundings and were doing whatever it took to get Lugia's feather. If they kept going like this, they were going to hurt each other!

"Pika!" Pikachu came to the rescue by diving into the fray and letting fly a Thunderbolt, stunning the two professors. Then with reasons know only to itself, It snatched the Silver Feather from Ivy's stunned hand and ran out of the room.

The three friends could not determine what was more stunning: Oak and Ivy's sudden attack or Pikachu's strange behavior. But they were saved the hassle of figuring it out when Oak glared at Ash and said, "He's got our feather! Get him!"

Ash, out of pure instinct, ran for his life and gave chase to Pikachu. Misty and Tracy, however, were tackled by the pair and were left behind.

Out of all of them, only Ash had any idea what was going on. This was being caused by the evil Lugia had said would be unleashed on the world. He didn't know it, but the whole island was starting to fall under Shadow Lugia's power (although he didn't know that Shadow Lugia was the culprit at the moment). His only hope was to find Pikachu and get that Silver Feather back. If he, Lugia's Chosen One, fell under this darkness, the world would be destroyed for sure this time.

Ash encountered several other people who had been affected by the Shadow on his way out of the hotel. They did not notice him, but they were arguing about their "master" and the "good ones" that had escaped his wrath. He had a bad feeling that HE was the one they were looking for and didn't want to be anywhere near this place when they found him.

He was so busy on escaping the hotel that he did not see where he was going until...

BAM!!!

Both Ash and James had collided with each other and were temporarily stunned. When they recovered enough, they were shocked to see each other.

"What are you doing here?!" they said at the same time.

"Pikachu...!"

"Jessie...!"

They were getting nowhere fast and they were obviously both in a hurry.

"Forget about it!" said James, jumping to his feet.

"Let's get outta here!"

The fact that they were both enemies was forgotten as Ash and James ran next to each other out of the building, trampling Jessie and Meowth – who were about to surprise them – in the process.

As they ran, Ash noticed that James had a silvery object in his hand that seemed familiar. "Why do you have the Silver Feather?! What did you do with Pikachu?!"

James continued to run as he shot back at his rival. "I haven't seen your electric rodent, twerp! I'm trying to keep this one from Jessie and Meowth!"

Ash dropped the subject as they streaked down the beach. If James was telling the truth, then this had to be the other Silver Feather that Lugia had said belonged to a collector. But he found it hard to believe that this coincidence was true. But he kept running as a massive Kingler had spotted the two of them and was now scuttling down the beach at high speed towards them.

They finally managed to lose all of their pursuers when they reached the ruins that housed the Three Treasures of the Orange Islands. They didn't know it yet, but as long as they were within the stone circle, any of Shadow Lugia's servants would be unable to touch them. Ash also found Pikachu gasping for breath here as well, the second Silver Feather in his mouth.

"Pikachu! You're safe!" cried Ash, reuniting with his Pokémon.

"Pika-Pi! Pika-Pika!" Pikachu squealed as he spat the feather out in Ash's hand and hugged him.

For a moment, the trio simply sat there, recovering after their flight. They said nothing and looked back at the main part of the island where their former friends and companions had been corrupted by Lugia's evil.

Finally, James got up and confronted Ash. "Alright, twerp, spill it! Why are you running and accusing me of having your Silver Feather?!"

Ash was offended that James was speaking to him like that after escaping with his life. "My friends turned on me! What could I do?! I had to get my Silver Feather so that Lugia could protect me!"

James blinked. "You have a Silver Feather, too?"

Ash held up the feather that Pikachu had escaped with. "This is mine. Lugia gave it to me after he told me that evil is loose in the world." He spotted James' feather. "How'd you get that one? There's only one other Pure Feather left in existence!"

James shrugged and pointed at the beach below the cliff they were on. "I found it floating on the shore down there. I thought it was neat, so I picked it up. But then Jessie and Meowth tried to attack me because it's supposed to be worth millions!"

Ash could hardly believe that James was even thinking about selling it! But on a hunch, he looked back at Lightning Island, where the remains of Lawrence III's ship were still visible. "It probably belongs to Lawrence. Maybe it fell in the water and floated over here."

James raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of that Lawrence guy, did you know that Lugia dragged him down to his death this morning?"

Ash was outraged. "He would never! Lugia is better than that! Just because Lawrence tried to capture him, that doesn't mean that Lugia would kill him over it!"

James shook his head. "I know what I saw. Right after we saw Lugia leave after talking to you, he lured Lawrence into the ocean and pulled him under. He never came back up."

But Ash wasn't going to believe it. "There was probably another reason that Lugia took him. He's not capable of murder!"

Ash and James argued some more before a powerful psychic voice boomed out, STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!!! They stopped arguing and stared up at the impressive figure of...

While Lawrence was asleep in his new Lugian form under the sea, he was having the strangest of dreams. He was in his Lugia form and was standing in a violet mist that seemed to go on forever. He didn't move, but he knew that a great evil was radiating all around him. But despite his situation, he was doing his best not to be afraid. He knew that showing your fear only provoked the evil that was trying to scare you.

As he stood there, a second figure materialized out of nowhere right in front of him. Looking down, he saw his human form looking up at him, fully robed and looking noble.

"Lawrence?" he said, knowing that he was Lawrence III.

But the human Lawrence started to hover up to his eye level and stared at him. He wasn't sure what to make of this, but what happened changed all that.

Lawrence III the human started to age at an incredible speed. He went from 30 to 70 to 90 in just seconds, but then he started to rot and decay as he grew older. The skin on his face sunk in and soon, he was nothing more than a skeleton. Even his skeleton became so old that it was reduced to dust.

Lawrence the Lugia stared at this sequence, pure fear tearing at his heart. He was having trouble breathing and he had broken out in a cold sweat. No words were spoken, but he understood the message loud and clear:

You will never see your human self ever again!

He gasped and spun around. That time, he had heard a voice. What he saw all but killed his subconscious. A Lugia that looked similar to the one that had transformed him but much more... evil. The key differences were in his coloring. He was a deep-violet shade and had pale-lavender coloring where Lawrence was navy-or-sky-blue. This was the Lugia that had done this to him; there was no other explanation for it. But he had become infused with pure evil, turning him into the malevolent Shadow Lugia.

The pure, cold fear that flowed through Lawrence's veins was indescribable. He had never been more scared of anything in his entire life. He thought he was going to be slain on the spot from the shock his heart was experiencing. He was so shocked that he did not see Shadow Lugia surround itself with a shadowy aura for a moment and then unleash it all into him until it was too late.

"NOOOO!!!"

He woke up screaming. The force of his fear was enough to make the ground all around him quake violently from his psychic influence. Up at the surface, a thunderous boom!!! ripped through the skies.

For a minute, Lawrence thought that he had really died. He had never known such true fear and Shadow. But then he got his breathing under control and realized that he was very much alive, despite still being a Lugia.

He thought about the message he had just encountered and it all started to make sense. Lugia, who had transformed him into one, had become infused with Shadow, turning him into the dark Shadow Lugia. The image of his human form rotting in front of him told volumes. Since Lugia was now evil, all hopes of turning Lawrence back into a human were destroyed. He was stuck this way and like Shadow Lugia had said, he would never see his human form ever again.

But then Lugia's plan started to make sense. He hadn't intended for his transformation to be part of his "revenge" – Lawrence could no longer understand what "revenge" meant – he had known that he would become evil and had passed on his powers to Lawrence. This was all part of a plan to defeat Shadow Lugia that had been in motion for longer than he realized.

There was just one problem: he didn't understand how he knew it, but Lawrence was not powerful enough to fight Shadow Lugia on his own. His powers were insufficient and too inexperienced to overthrow the Shadow in Lugia's heart. He needed help.

But who could help him? As far as he knew, the whole world would be falling under Shadow Lugia's power and his choice of allies was becoming extremely depleted. He was unsure about where to go. Since he was still good, he was a wanted Legendary and he knew it.

Suddenly, he got an idea. He had seen Lugia giving the Chosen One a Silver Feather just this morning. And from what he knew of the one he used to own, it contained enough power to repel evil and keep him good. He just had to find him.

Now mostly recovered from his dream, Lawrence spread his wings and folded his back plates before diving back into the water. If his instincts were correct, the Chosen One should still be on the island. He just hoped he wasn't too late...

...but just getting to the surfaced proved a challenge in its own. Shadow Lugia's power had corrupted the Water Pokémon in the ocean, turning them against him. He had to out-maneuver a string of aggressive Gyarados, avoid a pod of static-charged Chinchou and Lanturn and brave his way through a couple of rouge Kingdra. The Chinchou and Lanturn proved the most difficult. Since they could use electrical attacks underwater without hurting themselves and they had gathered in such high numbers, Lawrence had to use his Reflect move – a more potent version of his clear Barrier – to reduce the damage he sustained as he swam through the electrified water. Not only that, but the Kingdra were just as fast as he was without using his Whirlpool move. It took some serious swimming to give them the slip and continue towards the surface.

It was just by pure Lugian instinct that kept Lawrence alive. If he was human, he would have succumbed to the damage he was taking, he would have died back at the Gyarados. Also, if he had known what he was getting into as a Lugia, he would have thought twice about using his Net Rings to try and capture Lugia. He was sure that this was not part of Lugia's original plan, but he couldn't go back now.

But just as he was about to break the surface, one of the Kingdra that had caught up to him sneak-attacked him by firing a Bubblebeam at his exposed back, causing him to launch out of the water and land on the shore of an island in a painful heap.

Once Lawrence had Recovered enough from the sneak attack, he looked up at his surroundings to see that James and Ash were arguing about the Silver Feathers that they had acquired. He could see the feathers glinting in the light from all the way over here, telling him that James had somehow located the one that he had had as a human. But Lawrence did not need it at the moment. As far as he knew, he had ten of those feathers at his disposal. What was one to him now?

Still, the feathers that the two were holding seemed to be calling out to him. He felt a need to answer their call and accompany Ash and James in their quest to defeat Shadow Lugia. But he was sure that they did not yet know of Lugia's demise. He might as well get them on the right track since they were doing nothing more than arguing at each other at the moment.

Getting up, he took to the air for the first time since becoming a Lugia and soared to the ruins where Ash and James were hiding. He was too preoccupied at the moment to take in the splendor that was flying. But even if he could, the Shadow that was slowly covering the planet killed any good feeling that he had right now.

As he reached the ruins, James and Ash were unaware of his presence as they continued arguing.

"I know what I saw," said James, recalling Lawrence's "demise". "Right after we saw Lugia leave after talking to you, he lured Lawrence into the ocean and pulled him under. He never came back up."

But Ash wouldn't believe it. "There was probably another reason that Lugia took him. He's not capable of murder!"

This annoyed Lawrence to the point that he stepped within sight of them both and yelled mentally, STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!!! They finally stopped bickering and looked up at the impressive figure of...

"Lugia?!"

It seemed that James was more shocked to see the Guardian than Ash was. After all, the last time he had seen him, he was plummeting over 2000 feet with Jessie and Meowth after letting go of Lugia's leg to give Ash a chance to save the world. Ash, however, still seemed surprised at Lawrence's appearance.

I could hear your arguing all the way on the other side of the beach, complained Lawrence. Don't you two ever agree on anything?

James flinched under Lawrence's gaze and scooted away. He certainly did not want to get a Legendary mad. Ash, however, merely moved forward and looked up at him.

"Are you okay, Lugia? You sound a little different."

Lawrence blinked. He had no idea that his psychic voice was any different than Lugia's, but he hadn't had to talk with anyone who could compare the two of them. He was also unsure about whether to tell Ash about his transformation or Shadow Lugia, but an unspoken note in his mind said that it wouldn't hurt.

I may not look it, Ash, but I am not the Lugia you once knew.

Ash looked confused. "What does that mean?"

Lawrence frowned. It means that my name is not Lugia –- it's Lawrence.

At first, Ash looked shocked, but then he was unsure whether or not to believe him. He apparently did not know that Lugia are incapable of deception, although the original Lugia was rumored to be able to work around this setback.

"I don't believe that. You don't look like Lawrence and Lugia would never lie about that."

"Pika-Pi! Pika-Chu-Pika! Pikachu!" The yellow Pokémon that never left Ash's side stepped into argue its point. Normally, Lawrence would have been unable to understand it, but he could read its speech completely normally now. It had said, "Ash! That's not Lugia! It's that collector guy that captured us!"

To prove its point, it ran to Lawrence's side and sat on his foot. Lawrence was confused as to its actions, but Ash appeared to get the picture.

"If you're not Lugia... how can you be Lawrence? You don't look like him."

Lawrence would normally have argued his point, but as a Lugia, he realized that there were easier ways to get your point across. He lowered his head to Ash's level and locked eyes with him. Then he focused his power into informing him of everything that had happened to him in an instant. Ash's mind suddenly went into overdrive as it entered all of the information Lawrence was sending him within a few seconds. Suddenly, Ash knew everything.

"Oh... so that's what happened. I had no idea that Lugia could do that to regular humans."

Lawrence chuckled as he raised his head and Pikachu hopped off his foot. You have no idea what Lugia is capable of... or was...

Ash blinked but then remembered what Lawrence had "told" him about Shadow Lugia. His spirits fell as he realized that the once-gentle giant that he had known was no more. The only Lugia left in existence was the one standing right in front of him.

"I never thought Lugia would be destroyed by evil. I hope that it wasn't painful for him to endure."

James, who had been listening on the whole conversation, came back to the group and voiced his opinion. "Mr. Lawrence, sir... If Lugia didn't kill you, why did he try and drown you?"

Lawrence was about to answer when Ash suddenly froze up. His body looked as if it had been Paralyzed and his muscles failed to respond. He started to go into a fit of seizures and his breathing was becoming labored and shallow.

"Pika-Pi?!" Pikachu was alarmed to see its friend acting up the way he was and ran to his side. It didn't want to use its electrical attacks for fear of making it worse.

Ash! What's going on?! Lawrence managed to catch Ash with his wing before he hit the ground. Talk to me!

But Ash's eyes were not telling much. They had rolled up in his head so that only the whites were showing. Lawrence tried to lend him some of his regenerative powers, but suddenly, Ash spoke like he was being possessed.

"Don't let him find me! His anger... his power... hide me! He won't stop until he takes me with him into the Shadow."

A demonic kind of voice had accompanied his own and everyone, including James, was worried about him. Lawrence was about to ask him what he meant when he heard it.

A piercing, inhuman, demonic shriek tore through the clouds like the Devil himself had been unleashed. Lawrence and James looked off into the distance and saw a shocking sight heading towards them. Shadow Lugia, the polar opposite of Lawrence, was flying towards them, his wings spread and a violet aura trailing behind him.

Ash, meanwhile, continued to spaz out. "Please... hide me...! He can't... find me...! Help!"

Lawrence's Lugian instincts kicked in. Taking Ash gently in his beak, he looked at James and Pikachu and said point-blank, Get on.

They needed no second bidding. They climbed on Lawrence's back and Lawrence unfolded his back plates before taking to the air. James held on for dear life as Lawrence made an arch in the air and dove underwater in less than ten seconds. His first instinct was to hold his breath, but the psychic powers radiating from Lawrence somehow reassured him and Pikachu that they were in no danger. Lawrence had summoned a clear Barrier to cancel out the increasing pressure and provide them all with fresh, clean oxygen.

Meanwhile, Shadow Lugia had arrived on the island and scowled that his target had gotten away. He reared back his head and roared with outrage. But he did not give up hope. Sooner or later, Lawrence would return to face him and his target would be unprotected. There was almost nowhere for them to go. His Shadow had already covered the whole planet. It was just a matter of time before his storm built to destroy this world and everything in it.

Yes... it was just a matter of time...

While Shadow Lugia planned his further conquest of the planet, Lawrence, Ash, Pikachu and James had resurfaced in the cave that Lawrence had spent his first few hours as a Lugia in. Ash had calmed down, but his temperature had dropped several degrees and he had passed out. Lawrence set him on a rocky shelf and did his best to attend to Ash. James, meanwhile, was sitting in a corner with Pikachu held firmly in his arms. Neither of them, despite being enemies, were opposed to this position. James had finally gotten Pikachu in his arms without getting electrocuted for once.

Lawrence was running his beak up and down Ash's body in an attempt to feel where he was ill. It was only when he reached his left leg that he felt something that should not have been there. Despite traveling through the ocean, Ash was completely dry except for a large patch on his jeans that was stained a silver color.

Seizing his jeans in his beak, Lawrence reduced them to shreds and gasped. There was a large open wound in Ash's left leg that was oozing an unusual silver substance that he figured was blood. He had never seen silver blood in a human before, but that was the least of his worries. Sniffing the wound, Lawrence detected something that was still in the wound. Using his Psychic ability, he managed to extract a large, white, pointed object that looked suspiciously like...

"Is that... a Lugia fang?" Lawrence looked startled when he realized that James was watching the whole operation.

Yes... It seems that Lugia bit him and left something behind in his wound. But this is too unusual for a Lugia bite.

"Chu? Pi-Pika-Pika?" Pikachu was translated to have said, "Huh? What does that mean?"

It means that this was intentional. Lugia bit him on purpose and now his fang is leeching its power into Ash. I don't know how long he has, but Ash doesn't have much time left... as a human.

"Pika?!" translated as "What?!"

Lawrence sighed. I'm sorry, Pikachu. By tomorrow night, Ash will become a Lugia in both body and mind. I have a feeling that Lugia did this intentionally when he bit him this morning. He knew that he would become evil, so he has passed on his legacy to make sure his line survives. It's the true fate of the Chosen One.

"Pika-Pi..." Pikachu's ears dropped as it realized that it would never be able to see its human friend ever again.

"If the twerp's becoming a Lugia for good..." said James, letting Pikachu run to its trainer's side. "What about you? Aren't you a Lugia now?"

Lawrence sighed and shook his head. Unfortunately, I will only be a Lugia for a few more hours. But before then, I have to make sure that Ash is protected from Shadow Lugia until his transformation is complete.

James was full of mixed emotions when he heard this. On one hand, he was glad that Ash was becoming a Pokémon. That would allow him to capture Pikachu with one less twerp to deal with. It was almost always Ash and Pikachu that defeated Team Rocket and always left them as just a speck on the horizon.

(Author's Note: If you've seen the Pokémon series, you'd be hard-pressed to find a time when Team Rocket doesn't "blast off" into the distance and end up as a star on the horizon. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they've "blasted off" 19 out of 20 times on average. That's a record but truly embarrassing!)

But another part of James seemed... disappointed that Ash would no longer be able to thwart Team Rocket's plans. He could not describe it, but he had sort of grown used to getting Thunderbolted by Pikachu and then sent skyward in some kind of explosion that always ended with them "blasting off again". Over and over, he had endured theses defeats, but he had kind of grown used to it. He now felt that it was a good day when another one of their plans, along with them, went up in smoke. It made him feel – not disappointed – but satisfied to be defeated over and over by Ash, Misty, Tracy and that little yellow headache, Pikachu. If Ash was to become a Lugia, he was certainly going to miss the good old days.

James was considering leaving Team Rocket to spend time in the Orange Islands with Ash the Lugia, but then he got his head on straight. That was the craziest idea he had ever had! He was starting to grow on this event without even thinking about his teammates. But then he remembered that if Shadow Lugia wasn't stopped, he wouldn't be able to return to Team Rocket and steal more Pokémon. It was hard for him to understand, but he figured that Shadow Lugia was the reason his teammates had gone mad.

It was then that he made a personal promise. Lugia or not, he was going to help Ash and Lawrence defeat Shadow Lugia and save the world once again. He felt confident that this time, he would not be hindered by a simple legend. Come to think of it, the islanders didn't seem to have a legend for this, did they?

James was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a splash and looked over to catch the tip of Lawrence's tail reentering the water. It seemed that Lawrence was going back to the surface to confront Shadow Lugia alone, leaving him, Pikachu and Ash in the cave more than two miles under the ocean's surface.

Lawrence, meanwhile, had heard every last one of James' thoughts while he had been tending to Ash. He was surprised that Ash had already been through so much to make James feel that way about him. He guessed he should have thought about who he was putting in danger when he had launched those Ring Nets to capture Lugia. Ash seemed more than capable of finding ways to triumph. He had proven that by destroying the nets that had held Moltres and Zapdos that he had thought were foolproof. The resulting events had grounded his airship and had severely damaged his weapons. It was only by some quirk that he managed to get the traps working again to make a last-ditch effort to capture Lugia before he was shut down for good by that wild Aeroblast.

Thinking about Ash brought him back to the extent of the Chosen One's injuries. He had been able to extract the Lugia fang that had broken off in his shin and was even able to close the wound, but the "toxins" introduced into his system were already out of his hands. Ash was going to become a Lugia whether he wanted to or not. But that still bothered him that Lugia had planned this from the start. Still, he was surprised that Ash had managed to get around on that leg after Lugia had bitten him. The amount of damage to his leg should have crippled him or caused him to limp, but he seemed just fine until just recently.

Lawrence tried to put it to the back of his mind as he took the same path to the surface that he had taken on his trip down here. This route was seldom traveled by Water Pokémon, so he was almost guaranteed safe travel to the surface and back. From the psychic power flowing through his body, he only had a few hours to stop Shadow Lugia, return to the cave and bring the trio back to the surface before he transformed back into a human. He had to finish the job before he changed back or he would be unable to keep his end of the bargain to Lugia.

As he neared the surface, he felt the makings of a storm brewing. The water was much choppier and the temperature had dropped substantially. The currents at the surface were acting up and for some reason, the Water Pokémon he had seen here before were missing in action.

Once he broke the surface, he was nearly blown out of the air by the speeds of the winds that were blowing in the area. If you could throw a Lugia off-course in the air with just the wind, you knew it was bad. He collected his bearings and flew back to Shamouti Island to find Shadow Lugia.

But after circling the island twice, he managed to confirm that Shadow Lugia was not here. Something didn't quite add up. He was sure that Shadow Lugia had seen him retreat into the ocean with Ash, James and Pikachu. He was sure that he was waiting for him to return to the surface so that he could fight him, but something didn't seem quite right.

As Lawrence waited atop the hills that overlooked the island, he grew impatient and made a rather stupid move. Raising his wings high over his head, he reared back his head and shouted like the thunder that was striking all around him.

I know you're here, Shadow Lugia! You can't hide from me and you will not get the Chosen One! I have hidden him from you and he will destroy you should I fail! Your reign of Shadow will not prevail over that which is good!

This seemed to have antagonized Shadow Lugia enough to come out of hiding. Up in the clouds, a swirl of dark violet energy descended from them and formed a very solid-looking figure that resembled Shadow Lugia.

The evil Lugia hovered in the air just a few dozen yards from where he stood. And for the first time, Lawrence's dream made sense. Shadow Lugia had been trying to scare him into thinking that he would never be human again, but after he had had some time to think, he knew that his fear would have kept him as a Lugia for all time. The very essence of Fear was staring at him with piercing-red eyes. He would not allow himself to be defeated by Fear and to prove it, he was determined to use whatever time he had left as a Lugia to destroy this evil spirit, no matter what it took.

Shadow Lugia and Lawrence stared at each other for the longest time, daring each other to make the first move. They seemed to be in a stalemate until Lawrence's impatience finally got the better of him.

He reared back his head and let fly a quickly-charged Aeroblast. Shadow Lugia saw this coming and dodged it easily. In response, he surrounded himself with a dark, shadowy aura and fired a wave of violet energy in a move known as a Shadow Rush. Lawrence was too worked up to see it coming and took the impact full in the chest, knocking him from his roost a good 100 yards. But before he hit the ground, he quickly Recovered and took flight.

Thus began the Battle of the Guardians.

Lawrence charged at Shadow Lugia with his Light Screen fully charged. He would be able to take more damage this way before his opponent broke through. He held his wings at his side and flew at Shadow Lugia like an air torpedo. But once again, Shadow Lugia's agility enabled him to easily dodge the charging Lugia. In response, he sent another Shadow Rush at Lawrence, hitting him in the back.

His Light Screen was holding up, but just barely. He turned and focused his powers into using a Psychic move. This time, the special attack hit its mark, but Shadow Lugia was only slightly fazed. He shook his head to clear his mind of the sudden attack and tried to focus again. This was all the time Lawrence needed. He charged another Aeroblast and sent Shadow Lugia flying down towards the city streets.

The force of the impact was not unlike that of a small meteor hitting the ground, leaving a crater in the paved streets. Lawrence descended on his foe but did not lower his guard. Shadow Lugia was stunned, but he recovered enough to lock eyes with Lawrence and hit him with a rare move – Shadow Half.

Lawrence suddenly felt himself severely weakened as a shadowy aura surrounded him, draining his energy. He stumbled in the air and landed rather undignified on his tail. He wasn't greatly hurt because he had only been a few yards above the ground, but the street still cracked under the force of his weight.

Whatever Shadow Lugia had used on him, he was also feeling the effects. He looked slightly light-headed and the shadowy aura surrounding him diminished a little. He had obviously used a move that affected everyone in the battle, draining their HP by about half of what they had left.

(Author's Note: Players of Pokémon XD will remember this move as a kind of Shadow Hyper Beam. It drains the HP of every active Pokémon by half of their remaining stamina, but they lose a turn because it's such a powerful and effective move. If you check Shadow Lugia's moves, you'll find that it IS on the list.)

Since Lawrence had already taken more damage than his opponent, he was left considerably weaker than Shadow Lugia was. His HP must have been in the red while Shadow Lugia's was only in the yellow. Realizing that he would not last much longer, he took a moment to Recover, but his hesitation enabled his opponent to get airborne again. Thankfully, Lawrence managed to get back in the air before he was hit by another Shadow Rush.

Now it was a game of who would last the longest. As far as Lawrence knew, Shadow Lugia did not have the benefit of normal Psychic moves, but his Shadow moves were extremely devastating against Lawrence's non-Shadow Type. He also had the ability to Recover himself on the go without wasting a move, so Lawrence had to finish him off soon or he would be at a serious disadvantage.

He improvised by firing another Psychic attack at Shadow Lugia. Once again, it did not do much, but it did stun him enough to Tackle him and send him careening into the hillside. But that attack had taken a lot out of Lawrence and for reasons unknown, he had drained his HP by just touching Shadow Lugia.

He was taking a moment to Recover when he saw that Shadow Lugia was back in the air. Silently cursing himself, he fired an unusual move called a Psywave towards his opponent. It wasn't intentional, but the attack Confused Shadow Lugia and his flight pattern had become a little funky.

Taking advantage of Lugia's confused state, he charged up another Aeroblast and let it fly at his opponent. But just as it was about to connect, Shadow Lugia, either intentionally or from his confusion, ducked under it, causing it to fly at Fire Island and hit the mountain. If Moltres was at home, he obviously ignored the attack on his mountain or didn't care because nothing happened from that island.

For some reason, Lawrence felt his energy drain again like he had just gotten hit by a bus. He became extremely weak and his recovery wasn't as effective as it once was. He could not explain it, but his moment of weakness was all that Shadow Lugia needed.

The Shadow Pokémon had gotten over his Confusion and was now facing his Good side with a new hatred on his face. Growling as it watched his opponent stumble, he realized that it was time to stop playing around. Flaring up his shadowy aura again, he spread his wings and reared back his head to let out a demonic shriek. The energy he was collecting was unnatural and only a Pokémon turned evil could have harnessed it. Then he opened his maw and charged up an orb of black energy.

Lawrence could only watch as the energy in Lugia's beak reached a critical state and unloaded into his body with one solid Shadowblast.

(Author's Note: XD Players may think I spelled this wrong and should be "Shadow Blast", but I spelled it like this because it is supposed to be a Shadow Aeroblast. Hence, "Shadowblast". Remember, this is not a move that Shadow Lugia can learn, but it makes for an effective move in the world of fan fiction.)

Instantly, Lawrence felt the last of his energy fade and his Light Screen finally shattered. He had been defeated and he knew it. He had failed Lugia by trying to defeat his Shadow form and he would have to live with this for the rest of his life. He did not feel it, but the Shadowblast had removed any leftover energy that was keeping him in a Lugian form, turning him back into a human. His human heart was overcome by the Shadow that was now overcoming him. He knew that he had now been corrupted by Shadow Lugia's power, but he managed a few last sane thoughts.

He hoped that Ash, in his inevitable Lugian form, would be able to defeat Shadow Lugia where he had failed. He would become a Lugia in body and mind, so he hoped that his knowledge would be able to find a way to defeat his Shadow opponent. All that remained for Lawrence to do was close his eyes and surrender his human consciousness to Shadow Lugia. Without a Silver Feather in his possession, he was completely at Lugia's mercy. He closed his eyes as his naked human body dropped from the air and landed in the ocean with a splash! He would awaken soon, but he would not be the same person he was when this all started. The last thing he managed to think before he blacked out was a quiet prayer to Ash that he would be able to stop Shadow Lugia. The rest was up to Fate...

Inside the underwater cave in the Beast of the Sea, James and Pikachu had fallen asleep. Ash was still alive, but he had remained in a seduced coma that the "toxins" in Lugia's fang had introduced into his system. He was becoming a Lugia slowly but surely, but he did not know it as he slept.

Deep inside the Dream World, Ash was walking inside a white void, listening for anything unusual. He had last been here when Lugia had told him about his true destiny, but there was something... different about this particular occasion. Ash couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a presence here that did not feel human or Pokémon. It was as if it was an inhuman force that was visiting him in his sleep and granting him a good night's sleep.

Ash tried calling out to the presence, but his voice went unheard. Whatever was watching him didn't want to reveal itself just yet. It was like it was waiting for the perfect opportunity to show Ash its true self.

Suddenly, Ash stopped dead. He had felt it. Whatever was watching him was directly behind him. He tried to turn around, but his body was suddenly not responding to his brain.

"H-H-Hello...? Is anyone there?"

The presence did not answer but instead put its hand on his back like some kind of unknown spirit. It ran its hand up and down his back, taking in the detail of his body. But it obviously didn't like what it was feeling because it spoke for the first time.

"These will be unnecessary."

Ash was wondering what it meant when he suddenly felt cold and vulnerable. Looking down at his body, he gasped as he realized that he was naked! The presence had removed all traces of his clothes! But the true shock of what he was seeing finally hit home.

His skin was now colored a shining silver-white color that could only belong to one creature.

"Lugia?! What's going on?!"

The figure suddenly put its hands on Ash's shoulders. The feel of them on his bare skin immediately told him that this was not Lugia. It felt like it was wearing a pair of leathery gauntlets with one... two... three digits? This was unusual. This was obviously not a Pokémon that he could recognize.

He held his breath as the leathery paws (he supposed he could call them paws now) began caressing his naked body. He shuddered as the smooth leather ran over his bare skin. It felt strangely soothing for some reason. He felt that he could trust this creature, despite he had never seen it before.

Ash decided to lower his guard a little as he felt the creature's gentle breath on the back of his neck. He felt a soft, pointed muzzle nuzzle him and he suddenly heard its voice in his ear.

"Are you content, Ash?"

This confirmed that this was not a Pokémon. The voice had been vocal and every Legendary Pokémon he had met spoke mentally.

"I... I guess."

Ash felt a strange wet sensation on his cheek as whatever was behind him gave him a soft lick with a thick tongue. He also felt the leathery paws wrap themselves around his front and pull him close to its chest. He instantly felt a strange, soft, furry sensation including a warm feeling and a low rumble of it breathing deeply.

"You do not need to fear me, Ash. I am here to help you through your conversion."

The deep, powerful, male voice made Ash's heart soften slightly. But then he got his head on straight.

"Who are you? What do you mean by "conversion"?"

He felt the creature move him away from its chest and turn him around gently but irresistibly. Now that Ash was facing it directly, he could see for the first time what was doing this to him.

The figure looked like a Pokémon... but not quite. It reminded Ash of a cross between Lugia and Ho-oh. It had a massive, white-furred body, but its wings were almost dragon-like and were feathered instead of webbed. At the base of its wings near its shoulders was a pair of golden rings with a gold-rimmed sapphire under each one. Its body looked draconic in a way. Its legs were thick, lean and muscular with three sharp, pointed, blue talons poking out of its footpaws. Its arms were similar in build, but what was on its paws confirmed what Ash had originally suspected. A pair of three-digit brown-leather gauntlets covered its paws with a pair of golden bracelets with a large round sapphire embedded in each one.

The dragon had a long, thick tail extending behind it with a jagged blue strip running from its tip, up its back and all the way up its neck to the top of its forehead. The stripe was interrupted by a mane of untidy golden hair on the top of its head. On top of that was a leather helm with two ear flaps and a pair of circular goggles on the top. And on top of that were a pair of wing-like blue "ears" that were poking out of holes cut into the top of the helm. And the creature's head confirmed that it had to be a dragon. It had a pointed white muzzle with a mouth line that was slightly jagged. He could also see several pointed fangs poking out of his gumline that looked somewhat like Lugia's bottom fangs but were far more numerous. Ash figured that he stood about 20 feet from the tip of his tail to the tip of his muzzle – about the same size as Lugia himself.

And those eyes... The narrow, deep-blue eyes that stared back at Ash radiated a sense of power and curiosity that he had never seen before, even in Lugia's narrow pupils.

"Wow..." said Ash, unsure of what to say. "You're amazing! What's your name?"

The corners of the dragon's muzzle twitched into a smile. "My name is Shiron the Windragon. And if you think I am a Pokémon, I'm afraid you are mistaken. I am a Legendz."

""Legendz"?" Ash was confused. "What's that?"

Shiron scooped Ash up in his paw and brought him up to his eye level. "To put it bluntly, I am a friend of Lugia's that has been locked away from the world for years. If I explained what I really was, you would be confused to no end."

"Oh..." Ash dropped it. "But what are you doing in my dream?"

Like Lugia had done back at on Shamouti, all Shiron had to do was lock eyes with Ash and he instantly knew everything. For the first time, he realized the extent of the damage that Lugia had done when he had bitten him. He was alarmed that he was going to become a Lugia in body and mind, but a part of him seemed to accept the change and he knew that it was his destiny.

Since he could do nothing about it, Ash looked back up at Shiron. "Why are you in my dream?" he asked again.

Shiron put a claw under Ash's chin to get him to look at him. "You and I will meet before the end. I'm just here to help you through your conversion since Lugia could not be here."

Ash's head was still reeling with questions, but before he could ask any of them, Shiron folded his wings around him like a shield and leaned his head down close to his ear.

"It is time. Be at ease, Ash Ketchum. Your life is about to change forever." His voice had dropped to a low whisper, almost like a gentle hiss.

Before Ash could question him, he suddenly felt his body seize up and his muscles stiffen. The feeling in his nerves went out and he felt numb all over. He knew that the "poison" in his system had reached his brain and Lugia's chemicals was about to change him forever. But that still didn't stop him from being scared. He knew Shiron was here for him, but the experience would be something he would never forget.

The first thing Ash felt was a distinct crunch in his chest as his ribs snapped and began rearranging themselves. For some reason, he felt no pain, but he knew that his real body was undergoing similar changes. As his ribs grew out, he felt his torso start to inflate and increase in mass. His skin tone and texture were already changed, but it still alarmed him how it seemed to stretch and tighten so that he now had a bulky torso that matched Lugia's to a "T". His internal organs gave a sickening squelch as some of them vanished while completely new ones took their places. The organs that were still his seemed to grow out and change positions in his gut. He could not breathe at the moment, but something was keeping him alive like a divine life-support system. Finally, a sky-blue mark appeared on his belly like he had been jabbed with a pen. It slowly oozed over his torso like it was growing tendrils and shaped itself into the trademark round V-shaped mark that Lugia had on his own belly.

Shiron still concealed Ash under his wings as Ash's legs began to change. The bones in his legs broke in several places, but the bones remained. They then started to fold over each other so that they were becoming layered making them stronger and denser. The size of them also scaled up to match a Lugia's perfectly. But the bones in his feet took a rather different path. They did not break, but they seemed to vanish from his feet completely, leaving just the muscle and skin inside them. During this stage, his feet started to inflate and gain mass while his toenails, unable to take the expansion, chipped off and fell to the ground in pieces. But he did not need them now. His fleshy toes seemed to fuse together, turning the number of digits from five to three. These three toes grew out so that they now looked like Lugia's in size and shape. Finally, the bones in his feet seemed to magically return completely recalibrated to their new form and strength.

The next thing to change was more of an add-on than a physical change. With a sickening slurp, Ash's privates were sucked into themselves, vanishing completely. Then his spine started making a sick grinding sound as his tailbone began to grow. If he had had pants on, they would have been reduced to tatters if his torso hadn't already destroyed them. A large, thick, pointed growth pushed out from his backside and combined with the bones of his growing tailbone, he was now able to call a thick, Lugian tail as his very own. But as one last additive, two pointed, ivory spikes poked out of his tail and dyed themselves a beautiful navy-blue.

The next thing to change was something that Ash had expected earlier. It felt like his spine was pushing out of his skin. Ten flat folds of skin grew out of his back and curved slightly inward. After they colored themselves a similar navy-blue, they solidified into Ash's brand-new rectangular back plates. These would come in handy when he went on his first flight above the ocean's surface.

Right on cue, the bones in Ash's arms broke in half and began to thicken and increase in density. But unlike his legs, they elongated and the gaps in-between them filled out with brand new bone matter. Right now, it looked like Ash had arms like a Tentacool, but that was easily remedied. They began to fill out and blow up like he was being filled with air. The bones in his fingers all but vanished. In their place were ten flat, broad feathers. Also, his thumbs shifted from the sides of his new wings to the undersides so it looked like he had a pair of massive, blubbery flippers.

At long last, Ash's neck started to elongate and become slightly serpentine. The bones in his skull broke into tiny pieces that were somehow kept from embedding themselves in his brain. The bones formed a point at the back of his head and the cartilage in his nose cave a dull crunch and broke. His nose and top lip pushed out to fuse together into – not a muzzle, like Shiron – but a curved, hooked beak. It grew to a point like a fish hook and his nostrils all but vanished into his skin. Ash's bottom jaw pushed out but did not break. It felt like it was stretching out and met the top half of his beak at a point. During this phase, all but four of Ash's teeth fell out. The remaining canines seemed to thicken and sharpen while the muscles in his jaw strengthened to an amazing limit. Ash no longer needed his most of his teeth. The two on his upper and lower jawbones were all he needed to catch his prey. After all, he was now at the size where he could swallow his meals whole. If he wanted to, he could have crushed one of the many coconuts growing in the Orange Islands with one quick snap. Killing his prey would present no problems at all.

The final physical change involved Ash's hair and eyes. First, two pointed, bony flashes formed around his eyes and grew to a pair of points just above his hair. Soon after, they were dyed the same navy-blue color as the other parts of his body. His eyeballs themselves seemed to fluctuate and turn from round green irises to narrow, navy-blue pupils. To signify the end of the transformation, every one of Ash's jet-black hairs fell off, leaving him 100 hairless, but that wouldn't be a problem with the thick muscles and blubber over a majority of his body to keep him warm.

While his brain recalibrated his new nervous system, Ash felt his mind unlock to something he had originally thought impossible. Lugian teachings as old as time itself filled his head and he began to have an understanding of life as he had never considered before. His puny human mind was labeled "insignificant" to the sheer knowledge that now filled his head. He knew things that would have taken even the most respected scholars a lifetime to understand.

During this, every one of his human accomplishments amounted to nothing. His dream to become a Pokémon Master – worthless. He now had a whole world to protect and learn the ways of Pokémon that he had never understood before. His rivalry against Gary – pitiful. There was no creature alive that could rival him in strength and knowledge. He was on top of the evolutionary ladder despite being unable to "evolve" physically. And his fear of drowning – meaningless. He was a god of the water now. Swimming would come second-nature to flying to him now. He was the lord of the oceans and the skies and they would be at his complete control. With just a flick of his tail, Ash could control the tides if he wanted to. There was no limit to his power now. Even his former human life – pathetic. He was an Immortal now. He would never age again and only the darkest of evils could do any harm to him now.

During all of this, Ash's personality was all but destroyed. He had a new way of life and his persona would change with it. In fact, the only thing that remained of his former human life was what made Ash... Ash.

Finally, it was all over. Ash the human had become Ashura the Lugia.

(Author's Note: I know that Lugia's brother in the DCT series was named "Altair" while Hyozanryu's brother was named "Ashura". But in this instance, "Ashura" for a Lugia makes the most sense.)

Ashura opened his eyes for the first time and realized that he was still inside the Dream World. Shiron had uncovered him and they were now at each other's eye level. Ash stumbled a little as he got up, recovering from his conversion.

"How do you feel, Ashura?" said Shiron, smiling at his new partner.

I... Ashura was a little shaken from the whole ordeal. I feel... good. That was all he could say. The pure emotion he truly felt was beyond words.

Ash realized that he now had a powerful, confident psychic voice that came with his new form. But it was familiar enough that he still recognized it as his own.

Shiron nodded and turned to go. "And with that, I take my leave. I hope to see you sometime soon."

But Ashura was still unused to his form to give chase. Wait! When am I going to see you again?!

Shiron turned his head to look at Ashura out of the corner of his eye. "Don't you worry about that. We will meet again before long."

And with that, Shiron the Windragon vanished into the white mist all around him. Ashura had a few moments to understand what was happening before his subconscious mind shorted out and he found the Real World gripping at his consciousness.

Back in the Real World, James and Pikachu had watched Ash's conversion with their very eyes. They were both amazed and shocked at the mutation of their former friend (or in James' case, his enemy) that had been in such detail and such a graphic degree. But that would soon be irrelevant when Ashura finally woke up. They were not sure if he would recognize them or if he would be like Shadow Lugia and attack them. They hoped it wasn't the latter.

Pikachu had never left Ashura's during the whole process. It had fought back every urge to wake him up and/or stop the conversion process. It knew that its human trainer and friend were all but gone now. It knew that somewhere deep down, the Ash it once knew was still there, but it had to accept the fact that Ash might never be the same again.

When Ashura started to stir, Pikachu's ears perked up. "Pika-Pi?" It climbed on Ashura's belly and looked anxiously at the Lugia's face.

Ashura groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw in his new life was none other than his very first Pokémon, Pikachu. He raised his neck to look at it and smiled.

Pikachu... I knew you'd be here for me.

Pikachu was a little shocked to hear a more powerful but similar psychic voice speaking to it. It recognized it as Ash's but there was something more... confident about it.

Ashura groaned again and rolled onto his side before getting to his feet in the cavern. Pikachu hopped off Ashura's belly and watched its former trainer wobble slightly as he tried to get used to his new form.

Once Ashura had gotten used to standing on his toes instead of his heels, he folded his wings against his sides and looked around the cavern. The cave was pretty basic in terms of size and depth. He felt that Lugia only came here when he needed to sleep. Having a Lugia, a Pikachu and a human in the cave made it a little cramped. He also looked at James for the first time.

The Team Rocket member was unsure on how to address someone he had always known as an enemy. He knew that Ash was now far more powerful than him now and he figured he now deserved the respect of a Legendary. Against his better judgment, James walked over to Ashura and sank to one knee. Words failed him entirely as he paid his respect to the new Lugia. He normally did this whenever Team Rocket had messed up and had had to face their boss, Giovanni, but to directly face a Lugia made his past mistakes seem like nothing to the honor he felt towards him.

Ashura blinked as James did this but chuckled and shook his head. You don't need to kneel to me. I'm still the determined person I once was.

James quickly got to his feet and voiced his opinion. "Don't think that this is the end between us. When this is all over, I'll still try to beat you and get your Pikachu!"

"Chu?! Pika-Pi-Pika, Pikachu? Pika Pi Pikachu!" Ashura was now able to translate this as: "What?! You still don't know when to quit, do you? You're talking to a god now!"

Ashura smiled and looked at his Pokémon. It's okay, Pikachu. He doesn't know what he's talking about.

James flinched when he realized that Ashura had called his bluff. He was at a loss for words when he looked at him in his narrow navy-blue pupils.

Let's take this one day at a time, shall we, James? said the new Legendary, smiling. Let's just get back to the surface and find Lawrence before Shadow Lugia gets to him first.

James could think of nothing better to do, so he did not object when Ashura picked him up by his collar in his beak and plopped him down on his back between his top two back plates. Pikachu climbed up Ashura's wing and sat in front of James as it went for its first ride on its new master.

Ashura, despite having never done it before, knew exactly what to do as he folded his plates into his back and jumped into the water. Instantly he surrounded himself with a clear Barrier and started swimming towards the surface to confront Shadow Lugia.

The weather had taken a turn for the worse when the trio resurfaced on the shore of Shamouti Island. The winds were blowing like a small typhoon and the sky was almost black with storm clouds. Several miniature tornadoes were forming in the space between the sky and the ocean's surface just like they had done when the Titans had all but destroyed each other. The waves pounding the shore had destroyed or beached all of the boats tied up at the docks along with any houses that were built near the beach. The water level had also risen substantially, partially submerging the island under the ocean. And the rain that was coming down was relentless. The sheets of water raining down on the world were like flipping the ocean upside down to flood the world.

In all the chaos, the inhabitants of the islands who had been warped by Shadow Lugia's powers had shown some sense to get to higher ground to save themselves. The Pokémon were also showing some concern. The land-bound ones had gathered at the highest points they could while the Flying-Types had been grounded to avoid being destroyed by the winds. The oceans were also clogged with Water Pokémon that had gone under to avoid the extremely violent waters. It certainly seemed that they had the conscious minds to save themselves in the planet's darkest hour despite Shadow Lugia warping their minds.

As for Ashura, James and Pikachu, they had found refuge in Slowking's cave. Slowking, for some reason, was missing in action, so they had it all to themselves. They did not dare confront the other islanders for fear of being turned on, so they were on their own in their quest to return the planet to its original state.

Ashura had left James and Pikachu in the cave to go searching for Shadow Lugia. He had given them strict orders to stay hidden while he took care of business.

It's bad enough that my other friends have been corrupted by Shadow Lugia's evil, Ashura had said before leaving them. I don't want to lose the only sane friends I have left. I have to finish this once and for all since Lawrence was obviously defeated. If I fail in his place, then all is lost. I don't care what happens to me, but you are forbidden from leaving this cave until this storm subsides. Do you understand me?

"Crystal, sir," said James, not used to taking orders from a Legendary. Something about his overwhelming presence intimidated him, even though that was not his intention.

Pikachu was also reluctant to leave Ashura's side, but it knew better than to go against a direct order from a Legendary. It still bothered it that it would not be at its master's side as Ashura saved the world one more time.

Ashura was now flying over the Orange Islands in search of Shadow Lugia. The evil Pokémon's power was hard to miss even with a Legendary as "inexperienced" as he was, but he was still powerful enough to leave a field of energy in his wake.

Ashura somehow lost track of his quarry over a distant region of the world called "Hoenn". As a human, Ashura had never been here before. There were strange new Pokémon in this region that he had never seen before. He recognized some of the Water Pokémon from the other regions such as Psyduck, Tentacool and Seaking, but there were also some unfamiliar Pokémon whose names came to him naturally now. There were some pink heart-shaped Pokémon called "Luvdisc", some round, whiskered Ice-types called "Sealeo" and even some majestic eel-like Pokémon with red and blue scales called "Milotic".

Even stranger than the Pokémon in this region was the fact that this area was also under siege. Ashura was amazed that Shadow Lugia had spread his darkness throughout the entire world, causing the storms that now pummeled the continents like they were flies.

But that still didn't explain why Shadow Lugia had just disappeared like this. He reached a spit of land that was partially underwater called the "Battle Frontier" before he lost Shadow Lugia's trail completely. It was as if it had vanished off the face of the Earth.

Ashura circled the Battle Frontier several times. The Battle Tower was the highest point on the island and it was this landmark that Shadow Lugia had plowed through before disappearing. A large, gaping hole was punched in the side of the glass-and-metal tower on one side but not on the other. This suggested that Shadow Lugia was still inside.

Taking careful precautions, Ashura hovered in front of the hole and examined the damage. It looked like something had knocked Shadow Lugia out of the air and he had crashed through several floors once inside. A majority of the upper floors were clogged with trainers and other people who had tried to escape the floodwaters. They were all looking up at him in amazement, but they didn't do anything but wave and point. Obviously, the people of this region were not used to seeing a live Lugia flying above them despite having lost some of their free will.

Ashura was so busy making sure the people of the Battle Tower were okay that he did not see a massive explosion of energy break out of a building nearby called the Battle Pyramid and slam into him, knocking him into the a smaller but slightly raised body of water nearby. Before he was able to Recover from the attack, another blast of energy came at him, pushing him further under the water and weakening him further. And while he was Recovering from that, a massive figure dove into the water and confronted him.

Sure enough, it was Shadow Lugia. The damage to the Battle Tower had been a distraction for Ashura while Shadow Lugia had hidden out in the Battle Pyramid to ambush him. It had been the perfect trap to catch Ashura off his guard and ambush him.

The demonic Lugia faced Ashura under the water and began charging a third Shadowblast. Ashura knew that if he took another one in his already weakened state, he was done for before he even got in on the fight. So completely on instinct, Ashura went into a Whirlpool and disappeared before Shadow Lugia could blast him.

The Shadowblast fizzled out in his mouth as he tried to figure out where his quarry had gone. A completely innocent Wishcash was floating by and ended up taking a Shadow Rush attack from the annoyed Lugia. Shadow Lugia growled when he realized that he had attacked the wrong Pokémon and soon had his wings full when the Wishcash's pod mates turned on him. For the first time, some regular Pokémon were attacking him in great numbers. He tried to avoid the powerful Water Pulses heading in his direction but ended up eating many of the attacks. When the Wishcash had punished their friend's attacker enough, they swam on, leaving Shadow Lugia in a weakened and foul mood.

Just when he though he had been humiliated enough, Ashura came spiraling out of nowhere and slammed into him with his Whirlpool move. The force of the impact stunned him enough to push him up towards the surface and send him flying towards the nearby Battle Pike.

Now fully Recovered, Ashura came out of his Whirlpool and spread his wings wide to face the decimated Battle Pike. Shadow Lugia felt betrayed and cheated that it had been ambushed TWICE, but that only fueled his rage. Leveling a wall with a sweep of his wing, he took flight again and flew directly at Ashura.

But against all odds, Ashura did not flinch as Shadow Lugia came closer. And just when it looked like the two were going to hit each other, Ashura spun on his heel in the air and managed to backhand Shadow Lugia across the chin, sending him careening back towards the ground. He then took off after his quarry and Tackled him, punching a fresh crater in the pavement below.

The Tackle had been more of a Double-Edge and both Legendaries were hurting from the impact. Unfortunately, Shadow Lugia Recovered first and got in the air before Ashura did. Before he could react, he had been hit by a wicked Shadow Rush. Now completely Paralyzed, Ashura could do nothing as Shadow Lugia began charging up the same move that he had used to weaken Lawrence III – the Shadow Half.

Almost instantly after he released it, Ashura felt as if he had been drained of almost all his energy. He found it hard to move and his breathing was coming even shallower now. He realized that just like Lawrence, he, too, had failed. Shadow Lugia was just too strong for either of them to defeat. And once the final Good Lugia was destroyed, there would be nothing to stop Shadow Lugia from destroying and flooding the world.

Just when it seemed that all was lost, a miracle came out of nowhere in the form of a massive gust of wind. The blast of concentrated air slammed into Shadow Lugia, who had been weakened by his own Shadow Half, and sent him spiraling into the ocean at the edge of the Battle Frontier.

Ashura looked up at his savior and smiled weakly. The dragon that had visited him in his dreams, Shiron, was flying high above him, looking at where he had blasted Shadow Lugia.

"S... Shiron...?! Is it true?!"

Shiron looked at Ashura and fluttered down to help him. Ashura noticed something that he was wearing that he had failed to see before. A large golden band was hanging around his neck near his chest that had several red rings punched into it. Several golden wind-shaped symbols were etched into it and for some reason, it made his impressive figure seem even more amazing.

Shiron held out his gauntleted paw to help Ashura to his feet. "Need some help?"

Ashura was nearly speechless as he took his paw and struggled to get to his feet. He only managed to say one word: "How...?"

Shiron smiled and patted him on the back. "I got wind of what was going on and I figured you could use my help. I managed to give Ranshiin the slip, but this terrible weather told me that you had your hands full."

Ranshiin...? Ashura started to say but shook his head. Later.

Suddenly, a blast of violet energy came flying at the pair. Shiron knew that Ashura was not fully recovered and pulled him down to the ground to avoid getting blasted by the Shadow Rush.

"Wait here. I'll deal with this guy while you're down."

Ashura nodded and watched Shiron take to the sky. He seemed to have a unique way of doing battle because he relied mostly on his wings to manipulate the wind and attack his opponents.

Not only did he rely on his wings to do damage, but Shiron was also quite strong in the muscle department. Ashura watched him get close to Shadow Lugia once and punch him clean across the chops, causing him to stumble slightly and shake his head before he resumed his attack on the Windragon. Shiron also seemed to have a rather effective move called...

"WING...!!!"

A powerful gust of wind gathered in Shiron's outstretched wings and seemed to concentrate in every one of his white feathers.

"TORNADO!!!"

Like a miniature sonic boom, the concentrated wind flew from Shiron's wings and slammed into Shadow Lugia, causing some serious damage and causing him to hit the ground again with enough force to crack the concrete below.

Ashura marveled at his strength and was about to join the fray when Shiron's wing-like ears perked up and he looked back in the direction that he had come from. Shiron sighed and looked back at him.

"I'm sorry, Ashura. I must leave you now. Ranshiin is on his way. When this is all over, I promise that we will meet again."

He took off like a rocket, leaving a streak of white wind behind him. A few seconds later, Ashura saw a similar-sized black-colored wind following behind him. He did not get a good look at it, but he figured that "Ranshiin" was similar in build and speed to Shiron, which would make it that much more difficult for him to defeat.

Still, he felt that he owed Shiron a favor for distracting Shadow Lugia and giving him enough time to Recover and get back in the game. But he would deal with that another time. Shadow Lugia was still in the battle and he had a major bone to pick with him.

Ashura pushed the rubble off him and took back to the air. Shadow Lugia did likewise and it appeared that he had a chip on his shoulder from being ambushed three times in the last hour. The demonic Lugia surrounded himself with a Shadow Aura and let out a roar to his competition. Ashura, however, refused to be intimidated this time. He spread his wings wide and gave them a powerful flap, causing a massive Whirlwind to gather and fly at Shadow Lugia. The Shadow Pokémon took the full force of the attack, but his Shadow Aura held firm. Some unusual force enabled him to endure much more damaging attacks now, but Ashura was determined to find a way through it. He tried throwing another Whirlwind at him, but this only provoked Shadow Lugia to shoot another Shadowblast at him. He dodged it, but he had to find a way through that aura before his opponent Recovered enough to use another Shadow Half.

On a hunch, Ashura decided to try something he had never done before. He flew away with Shadow Lugia in hot pursuit and tried to get far enough away to charge an Aeroblast. But no matter where he went, his opponent was not far behind him. They spiraled around the Battle Tower for a few moments before Ashura took a dive back towards the ocean, leaving Shadow Lugia in the air for a minute.

Just when he was about to hit the ocean's surface, Ashura pulled out of his dive and turned to face his opponent. He figured that he had just enough time to charge an Aeroblast and fire it before Shadow Lugia caught up to it, so he took the chance. Rearing back his head, Ashura opened his beak and started charging an orb of clear energy. He had to time this correctly or he would become Lugian Roadkill except he was over the ocean instead of a road.

Focusing all the powers of the wind and the psychic abilities that flowed through his veins, Ashura waited for that one critical moment when Shadow Lugia would not be able to avoid it but also not collide with him. Just a few... more... feet...

Bingo!

With one powerful push, Ashura released the Aeroblast like he was breaking a dam full of rushing water towards his opponent. Like Lugia's had when he had attacked Lawrence's airship, the Aeroblast split into several beams when it fired and then reformed into a single beam of solid wind energy.

Shadow Lugia did not have enough time to react. The super-powerful Aeroblast pierced his Shadow Aura and hit him directly over the heart. He was hit with enough force to collapse a bridge and he was pushed back into the air with the Aeroblast pushing at his heart. He was at 4000 feet when the end of the Aeroblast exploded, taking him with it. Shadow Lugia's heart had been overloaded with Good and Light and it was too much for his Shadow form to take. When the Aeroblast exploded, he was reduced to wisps of violet energy that flew everywhere and then evaporated into nothingness.

Ashura let out a sigh of relief, but he had used more energy than he had thought and fell the remaining few dozen feet to the ocean below, exhausted but alive and victorious.

Some time after Shadow Lugia's defeat, the storms plaguing the world began to lift. The ocean levels started to lower and the humans and Pokémon that had been affected by Shadow Lugia's evil started to recover. For the first time in two days, the sun began to poke out of the clouds and shined on the world once again.

Back at Shamouti Island, James and Pikachu looked out of Slowking's cave and smiled at the sunlight shining down on the island. They realized that Ashura had been victorious and peace would soon be returning to the world. Pikachu still felt the loss of not being able to see its human trainer again, but it knew that Ash was now something much more than just its trainer and friend.

Back on the beaches of Shamouti, Lawrence III opened his eyes for the first time since falling victim to Shadow Lugia's evil. He was once again human but this time, he had finally learned his lesson. Lugia had taught him to pay more attention to the elements and the forces of nature at work in the world. Being a Lugia for a day had opened his eyes to the life of a Legendary and he made a solemn promise to devote the rest of his life to the preservation and care of nature. He would do whatever it took to make sure that no one repeated his mistakes. He laid there on the beach for a while before he eventually got up and headed for the remains of the island city.

Back at the city, Misty, Tracy and Professors Oak and Ivy snapped out of their trance and looked around at what had happened while they were brainwashed. The town was half-flooded and they were on the roof of the hotel that they had stayed in without any idea on how they had gotten there.

Misty looked up at the shining sun and sighed. Somehow, she knew what had happened to Ash and smiled at the knowledge that he was now a Legendary. When she had been brainwashed, a voice that she had never heard before told her everything about Ash's fate. She could not explain it, but the voice had assured her that Ash's life was far more meaningful now.

Meanwhile, the white Windragon, Shiron, was flying back towards Shamouti Island, the fallen form of Ashura in his arms. He had arrived just in time to get him out of the water and get his self-recovery system to work again before his wounds had overcome him. The Windragon had had to hold his breath for a good 10 minutes before he resurfaced with Ashura in his arms. It was amazing what he could do when he put his mind to it. After he had dealt with Ranshiin, he had returned back to Ashura's battlegrounds to find that he had won but was incapacitated in the ocean. Now, he was flying Ashura's body back to Shamouti Island where he would explain everything to his human friends and family. But before he showed them Ashura's new form, he would leave him nearby and explain everything before they saw him. It was probably better that the news wasn't just dumped in their laps and they would instantly understand.

Shiron settled Ashura back on the ruins that housed the three treasures. He then flew back to Slowking's cave and recovered James and Pikachu before bringing them back to the city. The pair of them was amazed to see a dragon of Shiron's magnitude that wasn't a Pokémon whatsoever and that he was capable of human speech. Not only that, but he also understood Pikachu perfectly.

Once he reached the city, Shiron dropped off the pair and was immediately greeted by the islanders that had survived the storm and were coming to see the Windragon. Shiron took a moment to let them examine him and even answered a few of Professors Oak and Ivy's question about his connection to Lugia. Granted, he did not know everything about his own past, but he did his best to please his crowd.

Once he had received his share of attention, Shiron started to explain what had happened to both Shadow Lugia and Ashura. The islanders were shocked to learn that the Chosen One was now a true Lugia. There had never been a legend to support this, so they were amazed that Lugia had planned this from the start.

The one who took the news the worst was none other than Ash's mother. She cried when she realized that she would never see her Ash in his human form again. Shiron understood her plight. When he had been converted, he had all but severed all ties to his human family. But he was a Windragon now, so he had a higher purpose in life just like Ashura did.

When he had prepared the islanders as best as he could, he went to go get Ashura and bring him to meet his family and friends. To make a long story short, the shock that Ashura recognized them and called them by name was almost more than they could handle. They got over it, though, and Ashura said his good-byes to them all before he and Shiron left to return to their rightful duties in the world. The islanders watched and waved as the true Chosen One left for places unknown to watch over the world. They might see them again, but they knew that Ashura had a higher purpose now.

But that still didn't stop his mom from worrying. For once, Ash was all grown up and didn't need her anymore, but that wouldn't stop her from worrying about him. As far as she was concerned, Ash would always be a kid and she hoped that he would come back to see her again. Her whole world was shaken up, but she knew that Ashura would never forget her.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket was on their way to the next island in their newly-reconstructed Magikarp Sub. For once, James was considered the hero even though he did not do much. Jessie and Meowth were overcome with envy that James had met a Lugia personally.

But their envy reached an all-time high when James gave them the surprise of their life. Somehow, James had managed to acquire both Lawrence III's and Ash's Silver Feathers and the trio was ecstatic about the money they were going to get out of the deal. But the experience had slightly changed James' mind about the feathers and he argued that they should only sell one of them. This way, they could use the second feather to call their former enemy if they were ever in trouble. Jessie and Meowth objected to this at first, but they soon realized that just one of the Silver Feathers was worth over $3 million Poké. They did not object to this kind of paycheck and agreed to split the money between the three of them.

But Jessie still couldn't shake a feeling she had had ever since they had left the island. "Do you ever have the feeling that the twe... er, kid... may have left a piece of himself in James?" she asked Meowth privately when James was out of earshot.

"It may be. I ain't never seen him like dis before we went to dat island."

Jessie sighed and rolled one of the Silver Feathers in her fingers. "I feel like the kid is looking back at me through this thing. I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched."

Meowth shrugged and looked at the other feather. "We might not be able to prove it, but dat Lugia seems to know more dan he's tellin'. Da only one who knows anyting for sure is James, and he's not sayin' anyting."

When James got back, they got back in their sub and pedaled off. Still, they couldn't help but give one last comment before they left for their life of luxury and privilege.

"Team Rocket's blasting off for cash!"

While Ashura and Shiron were flying over the ocean, the Legendary had a question to ask the Windragon. Shiron... do you think we were destined to meet?

Shiron rolled over on his side to face him and continued flying. "I guess so. I have a feeling that there's a force at work that even I can't explain. We may be different, but I feel that we will need to team together for one more battle before the end."

Ashura sighed as they continued on. I can't shake the feeling, but I feel like we're missing something. There's a sense of accomplishment that I just can't grasp. Do you think we missed something when we defeated Shadow Lugia and Ranshiin?

Shiron shook his head. "It may be, but we shouldn't let it control us. If Fate has plans for us, then we'll just have to deal with it when it comes. That's my outlook on life."

Ashura smiled and flew off with Shiron into the setting sun. Fate will come when it comes. That's all life is.

But what the two of them were unaware of was that deep within a shadowy dimension called the Twilight Realm, a dark figure was looking up at the portal that he had been thrown through and then destroyed by his opponent. He glared up at the destroyed portal and turned to a figure next to him.

"This is not over. We will have our revenge on those who have banished us. Soon, the world will tremble at the power of Twilight and Shadow and we will return. Fate will grant us reentry back into the world of Light and we will spread our darkness over the world once again!"

The figure next to him merely roared and glared back the portal with piercing-red eyes. Soon, Fate would awaken and grant them a boon that will allow them to return to Earth. It was just a matter of time...

To be continued...

Coming soon from shadowlugia249:

"Shiron vs. Ranshiin" – Shiron's story

"Light and Shadow" – Lugia and Shiron vs. ??? and ???

"Tails for Two" – a Sonic TF