Chapter 5 – The legend ----------- -Pallet town- Ash and Misty had finally reached Pallet town, a small and welcoming rural village with a clean and warm atmosphere. In the distance was a large observatory on top of a hill. That was Ash’s destination. When they reached the observatory’s door, Ash pressed the door bell. On the screen next to the door appeared a 60 year old man wearing a lab coat. “Who is it?” The man asked. “Professor Oak, it’s me, Ash!” Ash announced. Oak looked taken aback. “Wow! Long time no see Ash! Please, come in!” Oak pressed a button to unlock the door, allowing Ash and Misty to enter. Just as Ash remembered it, the lab was filled with different inventions and materials for Pokémon. After passing several doors, Ash found the professor in his lab. “Hey professor, it’s been awhile.” Ash greeted. “Great gods! That man is ancient! Was he alive during my era?” Satoshi gasped. “Be quiet!” Ash hushed. “Don’t tell ME what to do! I’ll be quiet when I want to!” “Why you…” “So Ash, did you bring that shard?” Professor Oak asked. Ash nodded and pulled out the rainbow colored fragment from his pocket, showing the professor. Satoshi gawked in shock. “Impossible! Ash, how did you get your hands on that!?” “You know about this thing?” Ash inquired. “Yes! I know much about it!” Satoshi was about to continue when the doorbell rang. “Ah, looks like we have another guest. Ash, Misty, you two just sit tight and relax while I get that.” Oak left to get the door. A few minutes later, Oak brought the guest with him to meet Ash and Misty. “Brock!? When did you get here?” Misty asked, very surprised. “After the situation in Viridian, Gary gave me a ride back here. I’ll tell ya, those guys are fast! I got here in no time at all!” “Ah, my grandson brought you here? Tell me, how is he?” Oak asked. The gang scratched their heads nervously, unsure of how to break the news. “Well…he’s doing great! You know, got some new friends and having a great time.” Brock said finally. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to tell him what his grandson is really doing. “That’s good to hear.” Oak smiled. “Hey, um…professor? Can I talk to you about something?” Ash asked. Oak nodded, urging him to continue. “Well, something weird happened ever since earlier. At one point, the GS ball opened and something went inside of me. Ever since, there has been this weird, bossy voice annoying me. And I’m starting to think its some annoying ghost haunting me.” Satoshi clenched his fist in fury. “You insolent brat! If you weren’t my spirit carrier, I would destroy you!” “Grrr, there it was again!” Ash grimaced. “Come to think of it, you were acting strange earlier…” Misty put two and two together and was shocked. “Wait a minute, what if….what if you are possessed by the evil spirit within the GS ball!?” “If this is true, than we’ve got to get rid of it somehow.” Brock guessed. Oak pondered about Ash’s story and had an idea. “Ash, can you summon Noctowl for me?” Oak requested. “Sure thing.” Ash unclipped on of his Pokéballs and summoned a night owl Pokémon. “Okay, now have it use Foresight.” “Ah, that’s right! Foresight gives ghost a physical appearance!” Brock exclaimed. “Great idea professor! Noctowl, use Foresight!” Ash commanded. Noctowl’s eyes glowed red and released a wave of red light throughout the room. When the light passed Ash, everyone was startled with what appeared. Satoshi glanced at his hands, very surprised. “This…is incredible! I can touch things now! Which reminds me…” POW! “OW!” Ash fell down after getting punched in the head, but Satoshi continued to stomp on him while he was on the ground. “Don’t you dare call me an annoying ghost you little ingrate!” After a final stomp, Satoshi turned away and crossed his arms. “And to think I help save you and that woman’s life!” “Wait…you saved us?” Misty recalled Ash’s hair and skin changing color. It was almost for an instant, but there was no denying it. Ash looked exactly like the spirit! “Who are you and what do you plan to do with Ash?” She demanded. Whether that man saved them or not, she couldn’t trust him, especially after hearing the story about the spirits being evil. Satoshi glanced at Misty smoothly. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I don’t take orders from anyone. Who I am and what I plan to do with Ash is my own business, not yours.” Misty was convinced. Not only was this spirit a jerk, but evil! She had to think of a way to get rid of it, but the only way she could think of to get rid of the spirit was… “Don’t worry Ash; I’ll get rid of him!” She dashed towards Ash and reached into his pocket for the GS ball. Unfortunately, when her hand touched the GS ball, the ball reacted and opened. Everyone jumped back in surprise as a bright, yellow sphere floated from the ball and shot inside Misty! -Misty’s unconscious mind- Misty opened her eyes and found herself in a bright, yellow room that seemed to stretch endlessly. She could sense a presence in the area. It was warm and inviting. As she walked aimlessly into the unknown, she couldn’t help but be a little afraid. How did she get here? Where was she? What was going to happen? All of these questions and more ran through her mind as she felt herself starting to worry. “Is anyone here? Can you help me?” Misty pleaded, searching for any signs of life. “One of loyalty and love, do you wish for divine strength?” A soft, feminine voice asked. Misty whirled around and nearly fell back in surprise. In front of her stood a tanned woman who looked exactly like her, though about a year older. The woman wore a white chest plate with a chain mail under it, white shoulder pads with yellow outlines, and a platinum silver cape with a foreign insignia and crimson interior. On her hands were silver gauntlets with a small, tear shaped guard overlapping her knuckles and wrist. Thick, white greaves were equipped on her legs. Misty was awestruck at the sheer beauty and divinity the woman displayed. “What strength are you talking about?” Misty asked. “The power to protect the one you love from the darkness that is haunting him. Please, allow me to help you save him.” The woman extended her hand to Misty, who was a little wary about her. The woman sensed Misty’s hesitation and smiled warmly. “Don’t worry. I do not wish to cause you harm, but only help you.” Misty thought about her words. If she was willing to help Ash, she couldn’t be all that bad, but…with the story she heard about the spirits, she could be trying to trick her. But…it was something about this spirit…something trustworthy and kind. Misty trusted her instincts and decided to accept the woman’s help. “Sure. I thank you for your help.” Misty grasped the girls hand and immediately felt a strong surge of strength flow through her. She and the other woman were soon enveloped in a ball of light. -Professor Oak’s lab- Everyone gasped as the ball of light flowed into Misty. She was still for a few moments until her skin turned tanned and her hair silver. Just as quickly, Misty changed back and fell on her knees, winded. Ash immediately kneeled next to her. “Misty, are you alright? What happened?” Ash asked, shaking her shoulders lightly. Misty shook her head, trying to shake off the headache. “Ugh…I don’t know. As soon as I touched the GS ball, I appeared in his empty room, and I met this woman who looked exactly like me, except she had silver hair and dark skin.” Misty glanced to her side and gasped over in shock. The same woman she met was standing right next to her! “It’s you!” The woman smiled down on Misty as she helped her up. “Yes, I thank you for releasing me from that prison. I would’ve been stuck there for many more years had you not freed me.” “Yeah, and I wish she stayed there.” Satoshi huffed. The armored woman shot a menacing glare at Satoshi. “I knew I sensed a dark presence! Satoshi, guardian of darkness!” She took on a battle stance, ready to fight. “Ah, Kasumi, guardian of light. So you remembered me after all these millennia. I’m flattered.” Satoshi tossed her cocky grin, only serving to infuriate her. SMASH! Everyone jumped as Kasumi flew at Satoshi and swung her fist. The punch Satoshi barely dodged split one of the tables in half. Satoshi didn’t even try to put up a fight, but merely dodged Kasumi’s strikes and taunted her. Luckily, Ash and Misty held back their respective spirits and stopped them from destroying the lab any further. “Oh, excuse me. I apologize for destroying your home sir.” Kasumi bowed apologetically. Ash glared at Satoshi, who just shrugged and crossed his arms. “What? I got nothing to apologize for. That savage monstrosity you call a female attacked me first!” Satoshi argued. SMACK! “ARG!” Satoshi growled as Ash slapped him upside the head. The darkness guardian seethed as he bowed to Professor Oak in a similar fashion to Kasumi. “I didn’t mean to wreck your home Professor Oak.” Ash smiled victoriously at Satoshi’s apology. It didn’t sound like a real one, but it was still something. “You better sleep with one eye open, Ketchum!” Satoshi warned telepathically. Ash gulped in fear, hoping he was just trying to scare him. “It’s okay. The Pokémon I take care of here have done a lot worse.” The professor waved off. “Now Ash, can I see that mysterious shard?” “Huh? Oh right, here.” Ash pulled the fragment from his pocket and gave it to Oak. Kasumi gasped in surprise. “Impossible! That’s…” “Correct. That’s a fragment of the legendary Final Destiny.” Satoshi finished for her. “Final Destiny?” Ash, Misty, Brock, and Oak asked at the same time. “Can you tell us more about it, Satoshi?” Oak requested. Satoshi nodded. “The Final Destiny has existed even before our time. Its infinite power was said to be able to grant the user more than enough strength to rule the universe as that person saw fit. It is strange how such a powerful orb was shattered. I was quite surprised to see Ash with a shard of the Final Destiny, seeing that if the object was completed his power and abilities would be limitless.” “That sounds unbelievable!” Ash said, amazed. “I don’t blame you for being skeptical. Everyone from our continent thought the same thing at one point, but as soon as the real thing was seen, all hell broke loose.” “That reminds me,” Oak eyed the spirit’s clothing and insignia. “The clothes, tanned skin, the markings, none of you are from Kanto or any region I know of. Tell me, what continent are you from?” “We come from a land very far away from here, a place called Lumina.” Kasumi answered. “Lumina? I’ve never heard of such a place. Can you tell me more about it? Including your history and culture?” Oak pressed on, intrigued. Satoshi shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Sure, I’ll tell you what I remember. It all started over 5500 years ago, before me and the light scum other there existed.” He jerked his thumb at Kasumi, who growled in response. “Lumina used to be a peaceful continent, where people were joined together and knew nothing of war. All was calm until one day, a rumor passed through one ear to another, whispering about news of a powerful object with boundless power, namely Final Destiny. At first, it was considered absurd and unbelievable. However, as time passed, more and more people began believing that it existed, and soon, the once peaceful people of Lumina started bickering and fighting with each other. Soon enough, wars were declared and lives were lost. As the years passed by, some of the factions were united as others were split apart. This resulted in creating five empires that ravaged the lands, turning it into an inhabitable wasteland, full of sand, death and despair.” Satoshi paused, cueing Kasumi to continue. “As he said, by the climax of the war, Lumina was split up into five parts, each belonging to a specific civilization: Mizura of water, Fazura of fire, Terroga of nature, Raikeiza of light, and Kuroza of darkness. As you can guess, I’m a Raikeizian and Satoshi’s a Kurozian, practically polar opposites. The Luminarian war dragged on for hundreds of years. Many lives were lost and even more lived in despair. During the war, the five guardians of each civilization were born, the representative champions of each empire, namely us. We were all mortal enemies and fought each other innumerable amount of times. But one day, that all changed…” “It was the same day of our final battle.” Satoshi said. “What happened?” Ash asked. Satoshi sat in a chair, grimacing about the final battle. “Each of our countries discovered the whereabouts of the Final Destiny and sent the main bulk of their legions towards the location. All five guardians lead the troops for the battle for infinite power. As our armies fought each other, we guardians commenced our battle inside the temple where the Final Destiny resided. It was fierce and lasted for many hours. In the middle of our battle, he arrived. I do not know his name, but he was a man who was very powerful, more powerful than all of us combined. All five of us fought him, but the best we could do was mortally wound him. It was then he pulled out THAT thing!” He pointed at the GS ball. “He stole our souls and locked them inside. I don’t remember anything after that.” Ash, Misty, Brock, and even Professor Oak was astonished with the tale. Normally, they would find it hard to believe, but the fact they were spirits held some truth. Professor Oak held his chin as he pondered. “So, you say this is a shard of the ancient and powerful artifact?” “Yes, though I am curious about why it is in pieces. I wonder what could’ve happened after our souls were locked…” Satoshi pondered. “I see.” Oak turned to Ash. “Ash, would it be alright if you and your friends would wait outside the lab for awhile? And allow me to borrow your Pokédex in the mean time.” “Sure.” Ash handed the professor his Pokédex. When he recalled Noctowl in the Pokéball, Satoshi and Kasumi faded from sight. However, Misty and Ash could still see the spirits. Ash, Misty and Brock waited outside Oak’s laboratory. In the hallway, the three trainers sat together on the bench in the lobby area, still trying to let the rush of information sink in. While the gang has seen amazing things happen before, this was something they never experienced, and it was very strange and hard to believe. As Ash thought about story, he noticed thick tension between Kasumi and Satoshi. They were sitting on the floor next to their respective partners with their arms crossed and facing away from each other. Sure, Ash could understand they disliked each other since they were enemies from the start, but it felt like there was something more between them. Another strange thought occurred to Ash when he glanced at Brock, who was leaning against the wall, relaxing. “Hey Brock, can I ask you something?” Ash asked. “Sure thing” Brock said. “Every time we came across a girl, you were always the first one to be in her face, but when we met Kasumi, you didn’t do anything. Why’s that?” Brock crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. “Well, can’t say for sure. I didn’t get that feeling I normally get when we meet a pretty girl. It could be because Kasumi looks like Misty, but also, I think it’s something else.” “Something else?” Misty inquired, interested. Brock nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know what it is though. Just something about the girl I can’t put my finger on…” “Hmm…you know what? I think I know what it is!” Ash exclaimed. “Really? What?” “Well, you know how you go after every pretty girl? I guess it’s because Kasumi didn’t meet your standard of pretty girls.” SMACK! “Ouch!” Ash rubbed his head after getting punched. “Don’t talk about Kasumi that way! Especially since she looks like me!” Misty chastised. It was just then it hit her. “Wait a minute…why is that?” Kasumi thought about it as well. “If you think about it, we can only join host bodies that have the potential to suit our past selves, not to mention being related in some way.” Ash’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute! Are you saying…?” “Correct, the host and their spirits are distant relatives.” Satoshi answered. “I guess that means the red head is bossy and short-tempered.” “Don’t forget scrawny looking.” Ash added. “Oh, right. Almost forgot that one!” POW! Both Satoshi and Ash winced in pain as Kasumi and Misty punched them. Both girls sat back at their respective spots and huffed. Brock just sighed, watching the strange scene unfold before him. Not being able to see the spirits made things very confusing and awkward. “Man, I really wish I could see those spirits. It’s kinda confusing watching you guys like this.” “Count yourself lucky. You won’t be irritated nearly as much.” Ash sighed. “Watch yourself boy!” Satoshi warned. “Misty…I have something important to discuss with you.” Kasumi spoke mentally. “Just speak with your mind so no one else can hear.” Misty nodded and did what Kasumi requested. “Um…okay. What is it?” “That spirit harboring Ash’s body is pure evil, a monster of destruction that must be stopped. If we don’t destroy him soon, Ash’s soul will be devoured by him.” “Are you serious!?” Misty almost gasped, but stopped herself. She didn’t want to alarm Ash and the others. “Think about it. Satoshi is the guardian of darkness. Does that in any way sound like a good guy to you?” “I guess your right about that.” “I know I’m right. Satoshi’s from the same race of people who kill their own kind for power, whose lust for greater power knows no bounds. Everyone knows nothing good comes out of darkness. Darkness is the veil that hides true evil. If we work together, we could crush him and save Ash, but we have to act carefully. Satoshi is a cunning and dangerous foe. We can’t act hastily.” “Um…okay, but what can I do to help?” “You’ll be the key part of the plan. When the time comes, you’ll be able to help. For now, you must use your own strength to fight your battles. From what I can tell so far, you are a skilled Pokémon trainer. While it is good to use Pokémon for especially tough battles, you should fight as well to gain more strength. Trust me; fusing with spirits brings many merits. For one, while you are not any stronger than before you fused with me, the growth of your strength increased extravagantly, so you’ll quickly get stronger. Just remember, you should fight battles as well as your Pokémon. Grow strong and train well.” “Alright, I will. Thanks for the future warning.” Misty glanced at Ash sadly. Ash was possessed by the evil spirit, yet he didn’t seem worried about it. It was almost as if Ash trusted the spirit. If that was the case, Ash would be in trouble. “Don’t worry Ash, I’ll save you soon. Just hang on.” Misty whispered quietly. A few minutes later, Professor Oak emerged from his lab and returned the Pokédex and Final Destiny shard to Ash. “I would like to make an important request.” “Yes professor?” Ash listened closely. “According to Satoshi and Kasumi’s story, if this Final Destiny was to be constructed into a whole again, the world could be in danger. Normally, I wouldn’t take a second thought about this legendary artifact, but it would seem that Team Rocket, Magma and Aqua are after these things as well. This leads me to believe that collect these shards would keep them from falling into the wrong hands. Ash, I think it would be best if you traveled the world and collected all of the shards.” “Travel the world!?” Everyone exclaimed. “Yes. Ash, I gave your Pokédex a new function. Now it can detect any Final Destiny shards that are nearby. The Pokédex will do it automatically, so you don’t have to worry about missing any shards. Be sure to check all of the key spots on the continents you pass by. I know this is a daunting task, but it would probably be a good idea for you to go through with this. Now, if you were to decline, I can understand…” “No way!” Ash exclaimed, shocking everyone. “As a matter of fact, I can’t wait to travel the world again! Plus, there are so many new things going on that I can’t help but wonder how much world has really changed. Besides, if I declined, I would never hear the end of it.” “You damn skippy you would never hear the end of it!” Satoshi grinned excitedly. He was starting to like Ash. The boy held promise. “I’m for it if Ash goes.” Misty joined. “Count me in! Can’t let you two have all the fun.” Brock agreed. “Alright, it’s been decided. Starting tomorrow, you three will travel the world in search of the Final Destiny fragments.” Professor Oak said. “Sounds great! Thanks for your help professor.” Ash thanked. He turned around and left with Brock and Misty for his house. As Ash stepped inside the house, he found it strangely empty. Normally, his mother and her Mr. Mime, Mimie, would be home. The gang spent the night and prepared to depart for a new adventure starting tomorrow. -Viridian city – Team Nova headquarters- Wes parked his damage bike in basement of the building. He was extremely exhausted and injured from his bout against May, and nearly lost his life. Luckily, he managed to chase her off and arrive where the Magma transporter crashed. He searched for Ash and Misty practically everywhere, but they were gone. No traces of them were anywhere, and the GS ball was gone too. Considering that as a mission failure, he made his way to Boss man’s office, fearing the extreme verbal abuse he was about to receive. “Oh man, Boss man’s gonna have my hide for this.” Wes sighed, making a turn in the hallway. “HIYA WES!” A girl’s voice shouted from behind. The girl latched herself onto Wes’s back, causing him to lose balance. “Whoa, whoa, WAH!” CRASH! “Ouch…” Wes groaned in pain, face first on the ground. He slowly pushed himself up, with the girl still hanging onto his back. He glared irritably at the 14 year old girl hanging onto him. The girl wore a light blue jacket over her purple halter top, a white mini skirt and pink go-go boots. Her orange hair had two pig tails and she had big, adorable blue eyes. “What happened to you? Did you get hurt during the big chase?” The girl asked. “Gee, I don’t know Rui, Maybe it was the fact that you JUMPED ON ME!” Wes stood up and dusted himself off, but the girl continued to hold onto him by wrapping her arms around his neck. “You know I was just having fun. Hey, we’re spying on Ash and his friends. Wanna listen in?” “What!? Ash and Misty are alright?” Wes asked in surprise. “Yep! Not only that, but something special is going on! Let’s go listen!” Rui released Wes’s neck and dragged him by the hand, beaming with excitement. “Whoa, hey, slow down! I’m coming too!” Wes pleaded. They soon arrived in the meeting room. The first person to greet them was an auburn haired, 15 year old boy with a blue baseball cap, a teal shirt complete with same colored vest and pants, blue fingerless biker gloves and sneakers. A Pikachu was next to his leg. “Hey Ritchie, I heard that something weird was going on.” Wes said. “Yeah, and you wouldn’t believe what we’ve heard! See for yourself!” Ritchie led Wes and Rui to where the rest of the group was. In the middle of the meeting room, Brendan, Gary and Boss man sat around a table, listening to a recorded message on a computer. Wes sat next to Brendan and patted on his shoulder. “Hey brother, what’s up?” Wes smiled cheekily. Brendan groaned tiredly as he removed Wes’s hand. “How many times do I have to tell you? We are NOT brothers!” “Nonsense! We look so much alike. We’re practically twins!” Brendan tossed Wes a flat gaze. “The only thing similar about us is our hair. However, my hair is pure white while yours is silver.” Wes shrugged. “Meh, close enough. So brother, what’s going on here?” Brendan sighed at the “brother” comment. There was just no getting through to him! “Gary tagged Brock before letting him go, so now we can keep track of Ash’s whereabouts and conversations.” “Ash is always landing into trouble one way or another, but something told me to tag one of his buddies, and I called right.” Gary said. “Trouble is right. I barely got out of that highway alive. Luckily, that Team Shadow chick ran away from me before we could finish our duel. Gotta admit, that girl was hot.” Wes held his chin and grinned. Brendan groaned irritably. “Are girls all you think about?” Wes shook his head. “Of course not…I think about girls, chicks, babes, and hotties!” “No fair! What about me?” Rui pouted. Wes patted her head gently and smiled. “Don’t worry. You’ll always be my number one.” “Yay!” Rui gave Wes a bone crushing hug on his windpipe. “Ack! Can’t…breathe…” Wes gasped, reaching out for air. “If you goofballs are done fooling around, let’s get down to business.” Everyone stopped what they were doing and sat in their seats as Boss man turned on the speakers for the computer. The entire conversation Ash had with Professor Oak was being played. After listening, most of the teens were shocked and skeptical with what they heard. Brendan on the other hand, wasn’t convinced. “That can’t be real. Such a thing cannot exist.” He commented, shifting his glasses. “Not only that, but 5000 year old ghosts? I can understand ghost Pokémon, but get real…” “I wouldn’t put it past Ash.” Gary disagreed, “You heard the voices. I doubt they were fooling with us. But if something like that did exist, it would explain why Team Rocket is so bent over getting their hands on it.” “Very true. What’s your take on it Boss man?” Wes asked. Everyone turned to Boss man, who was thinking it over. “Hmmm…just in case, we should take it from him. We can’t risk something of that much importance in their hands. According to their conversation, we should wait for them to pass by here, since they are going to travel around Kanto. Gary, you’ll take command of this mission. You and Ritchie know Ash better than any of us, so you two will try to talk him into giving it to us.” “While I agree with you, what if Ash doesn’t want to give it to us? He’s very stubborn like that.” Ritchie inquired. “Then, we will have to take it by force. I’ll leave it up to you guys. Now go and prepare to catch them.” Everyone stood up and salute Boss man. “Yes sir!” -Team Shadow’s Arch Angel- “Very interesting…” Melody grinned. Team Nova weren’t the only ones with secret listening devices. Before Melody and Duplica escaped, Duplica managed to tag Brendan with her multi- purpose battle rifle. The conversation Team Nova heard was also heard by Team Shadow! “What do you think May?” Duplica asked. May thought about the conversation and nodded. “It makes sense when you think about it. I mean, why would Team Rocket, and other such groups be so active nowadays? You’ve heard the reports. They are all scattered across the globe, searching frantically for something. It must’ve been the Final Destiny.” “But something bothers me. Why now? Why couldn’t those bad guys search for the things earlier? Doesn’t that strike you as odd?” Melody pointed out. The other girls thought about Melody’s words. It was true. Had Team Rocket, Magma, or Aqua searched for the shards earlier, they probably would have found most of them by now. There was only one explanation. The three teams must have found out about it recently! Whoever told the teams about the sacred item most likely knew more about it then that he or she was letting on. But why would someone who was the only person to know about the fragments suddenly tell a group of dangerous teams about it? Did that mean someone was behind the scenes and pulling the strings? Or…was it something much worse? “Don’t know about that, but if anything, there is definitely someone else we need to worry about, and it’s not those three teams we face practically every day…” “That’s a good point May.” A female voice said from behind. Everyone turned to face their team commander, a mature, 29 year old woman with long, styled light blue hair and eyes. She was adorned in a stealth suit like May’s, except the suit had more gadgets, was thicker because of the armor and secret compartments under it, and her signature black cape. May, Duplica, and Melody saluted her immediately. “Good afternoon madam Clair!” The girls saluted in unison. Clair laughed heartily. “Now, now, no need for formalities. Remember, I’ve personally trained each of you. And like I said before, you can just call me Clair when we are alone. Okay, let’s get back on track. So we can hypothesize the possibility of a third party outside the groups we currently know of, correct?” The girls nodded. “If this is the case, then we got to dig up more clues and evidence regarding this. I feel with Ash now being involved in this, we should keep a sharp eye out for him. May, your team will keep a look out for Ash and his friends. Be sure to keep us informed about what he does and avoid direct contact with him. We’ll brief you on anymore mission objectives as time progresses. Is that understood?” May saluted Clair. “Yes. I’ll watch over Ash and company, and also keep you informed on his activities.” “Good. Also, this Final Destiny seems very important, especially if everyone is trying to get their hands on it. If possible, try to obtain as many of the shards you come across as you can. We’ll leave a few in Ash’s hands until we come to a decision on the matter. For now, take a break and rest. We have quite the load ahead of us, especially since you failed to get the GS ball.” Clair shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh well, better Ash has it then Team Magma. Until then, take it easy. You girls deserve it.” The girls took Clair’s advice and left for their respective rooms. The race for Final Destiny has begun. -------------- And that’s chapter 5. Kinda slow, but there will be action (and humor) in the next chapter, so stay tuned and review!