FSE

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Chapter 12

Hours past once more and soon the sun fell, leaving the moon to light the sky. It was still full from last night, bathing blue light into the den as Lucian and I sat in silence. The residents of the coast town were forced outside of the boundaries of the camp by the Eeveelutions. The Leafeon clan raised a large leafy wall to prevent them from getting in. For half an hour I had heard them shouting threats of rebellion and anger, until they fell silent. Were they just camping outside the wall waiting or did they go home?

Sleep tugged at me, but I wasn't able to rest. This last day had been a whirlwind of activity. Morgana, Lucian's tale and the history lesson he gave, and then the trail had taken it out of me, but my mind raced with worry and sadness. I didn't want to die...

"Psst..." I looked up suddenly and turned my head around to the familiar voice.

"Axel?" I whispered out and shuffled close to the doorway of the den.

"Yeah. It's me." Axel said softly and I couldn't help my confusion.

"Aren't their guards like, right next to the door?"

"We are here. We do not mind Axel visiting." I heard another voice whisper back suddenly from my left, "There isn't much to worry about when it comes to you it seems."

"The whole coast town is in a riot about this. We had to shove them out and put up that wall. The other Elders are trying to hold calm, but you can see it in the way they act. They don't want this to happen either..." Axel said sadly.

"Except that blasted Jolteon." The other guard from my right snarled, "Can't believe what he said...saying he's not letting his emotions cloud his judgement is the biggest lie I've heard. Neither of you did that killing."

"He is in his own right..." Lucian stated behind me then and I looked back at him, "A human killed his enter clan, from his eyes there is no "good" human..." He concluded without looking up.

"It's still a bunch of crap." The guard mumbled, "What use is laws when it means we are doing the wrong thing in following them? The large majority of the clans that were there agree you do not deserve this treatment."

"I've spoken with Epa." Axel whispered hurriedly to me then, "She is thinking of declaring the Jolteon as unfit to lead, she says he is too young and volatile to lead wisely. She'd need every single of the other Elders to agree with her, and it seems they are ready to take that route as well. If they did this, another Jolteon could vote in favor to let you live."

"But wouldn't another Jolteon Elder be just as mad at humans?"

"You'd be surprise to know that it really seems most of the other surviving Jolteon agree you are not the enemy." Axel explained, "And several of them are of age to lead."

"How did that hothead get in charge of the Jolteon clan anyway?" The guard at my right asked and the other guard answered.

"He was the only one that seemed willing to take the position. I think his hate and want for revenge is what drove him, the rest were still too shocked to lead. Now that more suitable Jolteon have recovered from the attack, perhaps it is time for someone more clear minded to take the seat."

Axel stayed silent a moment before he spoke hurriedly, "I have to go Ruli...the Umbreon Elder is calling me..."

"Go." I told him and smiled, "I'll be fine..."

I heard Axel's footsteps as he ran off and my smile faded as I suddenly felt very alone again. The guards outside seemed to sense it as one of them said, "He loves you a lot...even though he isn't an Elder and he was banished he's practically putting himself in the middle of all their talks and no one dares to try and stop him, not even that Jolteon."

"Do you know his name? The Jolteon." I asked the guards and the other spoke.

"His name is Kinetto."

"You know him?"

"Clanmate." The guard said, "I'm a Jolteon myself."

"What happened at the Tower? Can you tell me?"

"The attack?" The Jolteon said lightly and he sighed, "I can't tell you much more than what happened. There was one attacker, a blue pokémon, his body hinted that he was a fighting type. No one knows what species he was, none of us had ever seen one before. His strength was unmatched, I saw him deflect a lightning bolt merely by punching it...we couldn't stop him from utterly destroying the whole clan. When the Elder fell we went into full retreat, he killed several more of us before leaving us alone."

"After sending you they perfected their machine." Lucian said behind me, "They have the strength of hundreds of pokémon..."

"What?" I asked him in surprise, "But you matched Morgana's strength nearly evenly."

He scoffed, "Hah...if she had truly wanted to she could have killed me at any moment..."

"Then...why did she-"

"She was just as upset as I was...finding me alive...she didn't want to kill me." Lucian said sadly and I realized what he was saying. She was holding back her own power, she didn't want to kill the one she loved. Seeing him alive had jarred her, she wasn't able to focus her power. Indeed, she had been just toying with me before Lucian arrived. At any moment she could have killed both of us. Instead...she gave up and let herself die at Lucian's sword...

The Jolteon continued then, his voice sounding morbid. "Most of us other Jolteons are saying at this point that it's not a matter of if you're human or not...if you're willing to help us we need all the help we can get, otherwise we may all be dead where we stand..."

_____________________

Morning came and I grunted as a ray from the sun eventually shined down to hit my eyes. I had finally managed to let myself sleep a few hours after Axel's visit, calmed slightly by the thought that the other Elders were working to find a way to work around the Jolteon's vote. As I woke I again heard several shouts from beyond the Leafeon encampment, and as I rustled one of the guards spoke to me. The shouts sounded like the coastal town was still there, and they were chanting something non-stop.

"Awake eh?" I heard the Jolteon's voice speak to me, "Just in time, I think Epa's about to announce something to the crowd out there. She's been teleporting back and forth for the last few hours."

"They've been there all night?" I asked to confirm my suspicion and he hummed affirmatively.

"Just a little bit ago they began chanting for both of your freedom. Kind of admire it really..." He said happily and I couldn't help my tail wagging from it.

"Ah there she is." The other guard said and I heard the crowd fall silent. A few moments of silence passed before I heard Epa's voice, enhanced by her psychic power, boom out.

"The Council of Elders has come to a most dramatic close..." Epa started slowly, "First...I will announce that we have removed the Jolteon Elder from his seat." Roars of approval erupted from the crowd as Epa continued, her voice still loud enough to be heard over the shouts. "We have decided that he was too young and inexperienced to lead. Until a new Jolteon Elder is decided, Ruli and Lucian will remain in captivity, at which point the new Elder will give their vote..." Epa paused a moment to let the crowd settle a moment before she continued.

"I know you all care about him but...I urge that you all return to your homes...please..." Her voice became soft then, "This situation is dangerous...protect your families...and allow us to protect this world."

"She's gone. Left them with that." The Jolteon stated to me and I guessed he meant that she had teleported away. Then suddenly he shifted where he stood. "I'm being called..." His voice held a sudden nervousness to it, and I realized he might be being summoned to be named the new Elder.

"Remember to stay calm." I told him from the other side of the door as I smiled.

"Y-yeah..." He said and I heard him get up and start to trot away from the door, the other guard chuckling.

"If he gets voted in I'd say your freedom is assured."

"What species are you can I ask?" I asked him.

"I'm a Flareon."

"Your Elder spoke well, I liked the way he spoke with his word play."

"He likes to include all kinds of mannerisms into his sentences. "Fiery passions" and all that." The Flareon chuckled, and I laughed as well.

"He didn't come close to what the Vaporeon Elder said though." I said as I remembered the strange symbology the water type had given me as he voted.

"Oh yeah, that whole "becoming one with the ocean" bit was pretty clever. He must have been thinking of how to say that the whole time they were voting until it got to him." The Flareon laughed and he sighed "At the end of the day, while we might all be bound by duty, we are all just pokémon. We'd be fools to see you as the bad guys now I think."

I smiled as I turned around to put my back to the door, looking at Lucian again and then frowning as I saw him. He hadn't moved since we got in the den, sitting there with his eyes closed and he had only made small remarks last night to the conversation then remained brooding the whole night. Did he not just hear the announcement? I wondered if he was still sleeping when he spoke to me.

"I'm awake...and you should know by now I don't just show emotion...geeze..." He grumbled at me and I grinned again. His voice was back to its usual sarcastic and calculating tone. He was finally back to a good mood it seemed.

_______________________

A few hours later Lucian and I were summoned again. We exited the den and two Leafeon removed our vine bindings. I rubbed my wrists as the vines fell from them, thankful to be able to move my paws separately again.

"You've been released." One of the Leafeon told us. "The new Jolteon Elder has voted your innocence. Epa wishes to speak with you both now. Follow me please."

We followed the Leafeon across the encampment, just as the Leafeon clan began to take down their giant grass wall. The denizens of the coast town were teleported home by several Espeon after Epa's announcement, and they left willingly now that Epa had basically told them I was going to be okay.

The Leafeon led us to what I recognized to be Chora's den, but on entering found it was packed with the other Eeveelutions Elders now as well, again with Epa sitting in the middle of them all. The new Jolteon Elder sat in the same space as the previous had, his head held high proudly and I wondered if he was the same one that had been guarding us.

"Ruli...Lucian." Epa said to us as we both stood in front of them, "The previous Jolteon Elder was ruled by hate and anger towards humans...despite that indeed, in being human, you were guilty, we have all been swayed by your actions and the defense those that know you came to. We believed that even when saying he was not, he was still letting his emotions cloud his judgement." She raised her tail to point at the new Jolteon at the edge of the group.

"As such, we removed the Jolteon from power and elected a new Elder for the Jolteon clan, who quickly voted for your innocence as well. You have been released of the crime of being human. For all intents and purposes, you are both now civilians of this world, pokémon just like the rest of us."

"What reason do you have to vote us Innocent?" Lucian said to the Jolteon, who blinked in surprise at the question. I too turned to Lucian, looking at him as if to ask him to shut the hell up or he'd ruin our chance.

Lucian ignored my gaze though as he said, "I want to know, you're not just voting innocent because you're being pressured by the rest of them are you?" Lucian waved his paw at the other Elders, who in turn stood up straighter as they realized Lucian's implication.

The Jolteon however, shook his head then, and when he spoke I recognized his voice. "No, I voted innocent because I truly believe it."

"You were the one guarding us." I said and smiled, "I hoped you get in."

He nodded happily back at me and smiled as well, "It's an honor to be asked...despite the circumstances that did get me the position." he turned his eyes back to Lucian though, "But what I said is the truth. I believe we need you as allies, what we are facing up against is too powerful to just ignore your desire to help."

Lucian closed his eyes and he turned his head, "You heard what I told Ruli though?"

"That Morgana held back?" The Jolteon asked, "Yes, I did hear that..."

"You realize we are not going to be able to defend you just because we are also human?" Lucian asked, "We are not as powerful as them...I was born naturally into this world by Arceus, and Ruli's coming here was faulty. They have perfected their contraption and they came here with the strength of hundreds in the bodies of one."

"We are not asking just you to defend us." The Flareon stated, "It would be shameful of us to ask you to use your "power" as humans to defend us when clearly, just as you stated, you have none."

"What we ask is that you fight beside us." Chora clarified.

"Even so." Epa said then, "We have no idea where they may strike next, or how. The first attack was direct, but Morgana snuck her way to the top of the tower and tried to steal the mirror unseen. And if there are three others out there, we must be prepared for any possibility, for an attack from anywhere."

"Even the Vaporeon Tower in the waters may not be safe." The Vaporeon stated.

"The Flareon Tower may be well guarded by mountains and lava..." The Flareon said, "But even I hesitate to say it won't be the next target..."

"Even the frozen temperatures of the artic regions may not be enough to stop them." The Glaceon added.

"The Vaporeon tower is safe." Lucian stated then and the Elders looked to him and he further explained, "They would not use a body, when were are limited to sending only six, to become a water type just for that one mirror."

"Why are they limited?" I asked curiously to Lucian.

"The energy they are using, while once seemingly limitless, is failing." He said and I remembered that the human's machines were being powered by the energy found inside pokémon and that it was now starting to run out.

"The amount it takes to send a single person through space is astronomical." Lucian continued, "While the energy can provide it easily, it was decided that only a small team of up to six would be sent in, to avoid using more than was necessary."

Lucian clapped his paw to his chest, "I was the first one. As explained already, my transport failed miserably, and I was lost to space and time, presumed dead by my human fellows."

"Until, as you claim, Arceus came to you and had you reborn as a pokémon." The Glaceon stated and Lucian nodded.

"Correct." Lucian concluded but the Glaceon continued.

"Why would he do such a thing for you? What did he tell you when you met him?"

Lucian closed his eyes, "This was...meant to be a punishment. He had me born as a pokémon to teach me the sadness, anger, and hurt he felt when we humans had betrayed him with what we did."

Lucian brought his paw to his eye, "This eye...while I have learned now to control it...was my curse. You wanted to know what I saw in the mirror...What I saw..." He gulped as he gave a very uncharacteristic whine and I couldn't help but feel concern.

"You still don't need to tell us..." I said as I had before at the trail.

Lucian shook his head, "No...no it must be known so they can trust and our purposes further explained." He sighed and he still held his paw over his eye though, "What I saw in the mirror...was my mother being raped...and I...I saw through the eyes of the Absol that spawned me...the sight of her body horrified me..."

The Elders bristled, and Epa spoke softly, "So it is true...the mirrors react oppositely to you. They show images of the past and show visions through the eyes of someone rather then showing you from the outside."

Lucian nodded, "That would seem to be the case. I had not been able to see a mirror until just yesterday...but this existence was meant to be a punishment." Lucian removed his paw from his eye then and opened his eyes again, continuing, "As a half blood, I was shunned by my clan, hated for even existing. My eye was cursed by my father's blood, it caused misfortune and illness to all who gazed upon it, further inflating the hatred. I have since learned how to control it...but as a young Riolu I was berated for every misfortune that happened, even if there was no proof I was the cause." Lucian pointed at the scar along his face, "This scar and the fact that this eye is now blind...was given to me by them."

I stared at him wildly then and gasped, "Wait, they were the ones that blinded you?"

Lucian shook his head, "Yes, but not by clan rule. A Lucario, angry at me for supposedly bringing his own child an accidental injury, struck me with the back of his paw. His spike cut across my eye and blinded it. A few believed that would stop the eye's ability, but it did not. Eventually, I was partially banished from my clan to protect them. While I was given supplies for food...I had to live alone in the mountains away from prying eyes. I spent most of my time in the forests below the mountain, acting more as a lookout for the clan and only allowed to visit them if absolutely necessary. I tried to ignore my loneliness by training my body and mind daily. The only visitor I had was his father." Lucian pointed a paw to me briefly, "Rather, the father of the boy who he now inhabits."

"Ruli's father was, as you had told us earlier, the only one you trusted enough to tell you were a human...but he did not betray you to his clan. Why?" Epa asked lightly and Lucian nodded.

"He was my only friend...the only one of the clan who did not blame me for what I could not control...he was the one who convinced them to at least give me the supplies to live if I was going to be banished. He stood up for me, despite what I was. He became my friend, occasionally he would even spar with me. He didn't stop telling me that he was my friend, even when ill from the effects of my eye." Lucian grinned and he shook his head, "I believe it was my desire to keep him from being affected by my eye that gave me the ability to control it."

Lucian sighed, "Unfortunately, I would not be able to tell him I grew able to control it. He evolved into a Lucario weeks before I did, and told me one day when visiting me that he was going to go into a self-imposed Exile, to explore the world. He wanted me to come with him, but I denied his request. I told him I didn't want him trying to deal with traveling with me when I would only cause misfortune and illness to places we visited." He looked to me as he smiled, "So it was he instead made me promise to be the godfather of his child should he ever have one."

"But your confession to him, when did that occur?" Epa prodded and Lucian waved his paw.

"I'm sorry...I got carried away...but what I wanted to say was that I told Ruli's father what I was because he was my only friend, my only companion during this "punishment." imposed on me. The day he was leaving, he stopped by one final time to say good-bye and tell me had spoken to the Elder and made him promise that if I ever did need assistance I could go to the clan for it. As he left I called him back and...I told him everything. For half an hour I spilled my guts about being human, having met Arceus, being born into this life and the anger, sadness, and hatred I had continued to harbor over the years to pokémon because of it. At the end of it all, I was on my knees at his feet, sobbing, scared for my life. I thought for sure he was going to turn me in."

Lucian's voice shook as he continued, "Instead, he pulled me to my feet, kneeled down to be face to face with me as I was still a Riolu...and smiled at me. He hugged me tightly then for several minutes...I was in shock I don't know when I started hugging him back, but he pulled away from me after and stared me right in the eye, wiped away the tears I had been crying and he said, "So what if you were?" He told me that it didn't matter what I may have been fifteen years ago, right now I was a Riolu, right now I was his friend. He told me that I didn't seem that bad, and that if I really had come to this world to harm the mirrors, he really hoped I wasn't anymore because that would make him really sad. I was his friend, he didn't want me to be so upset and angry...he forgave me..."

Lucian brought an arm to his face then to rub at his eyes a moment and Epa spoke, "That's enough Lucian...I can feel your truth...and your emotions...I thank you for telling us."

Lucian nodded but he added still, "Since then...I decided I would fight the other humans rather than help them, I trained constantly to ready myself." He removed his arm, "I want to protect this world that he lived in...even if he is gone." Lucian looked to me, "His child is still alive, and I intend to keep my promise to him."

"Even though the one in that body is not really his son?" The Umbreon asked, and Lucian shook his head.

"We are all pokémon now..." Lucian stated. "He may not be the mind of his son...but the body and blood that runs through his veins is...and who knows, somewhere in there, the from before Ruli may still exist."

I rubbed the back of my head, "I hope that means you aren't going to find someway to erase my mind from him..." I stated worriedly.

"Even if it were possible, destroying your mind to bring back the old Ruli may be a bad idea." Lucian said, "From what I have gathered, Ruli was not a good boy..." Lucian crossed his arms in thought.

"Back to what I was saying though, I was the first one sent. You were the second they sent, from what I can tell, you were just a disposable pawn though. They needed to send another person to iron out the remaining glitches of the teleporter. They tried to find someone young. They probably held some kind of fake competition...something to find someone that at least may be useful should the teleport work successfully, and as such you were chosen." Lucian looked at my body.

"You know as far as you do that you were a human of roughly fifteen years of age?"

I nodded and he continued, "Ruli's father had him fifteen years ago, five years after he had gone into his exile. You were both around the same age. When you were sent here, as expected there was an error. Your mind got through, but your body did not. Somehow though, your mind found itself a new host, but it seems it had be someone that was close to your age. Out of all the pokémon you could have found, it happened to be Ruli."

"I don't remember actively choosing him." I stated simply and he chuckled at me.

"Of course you don't, didn't say you would." Lucian waved his paw and chuckled, then continued to the Elders, "After sending him, the remaining humans perfected their machine, and now bring themselves to this world with all their strength intact."

"Humans have the strength of hundreds of us?" The Glaceon asked with disbelieve and Lucian explained.

"From the energy mankind took from pokémon, they have created many things over the years...the average human lifespan is three times as long now than it had been all those years in the past. Serums and other things were invented that improve mental ability, physical ability, sex appeal. You name it, it has probably been made..." Lucian stared at them all, "What you face is not just the strength of hundreds of you, but possibly thousands...I too was sent with that strength, but I had to be remade and reborn, I do not possess that strength." He looked at me, "Ruli's body was lost, he doesn't have that strength either, and he is severely lacking in training still."

I looked down as the Elders mumbled a moment, and Epa spoke to Lucian, "What do you propose we do then? Roll over and die?"

"Of course not." Lucian returned grumpily and he crossed his arms again, "I expect us to think clever. As I said, the Vaporeon Tower is probably the safest. They wouldn't waste a body making one of themselves a water type, so if this tower is underwater, it is the safest. You can move the mirrors there, and every clan can protect them, either form the shore, or from the water. I suggest you even let other pokémon from the waters assist you, even ones from land that are willing. Every single one that you can."

"He is right." The Jolteon stated then, "This isn't a fight that just the Eeveelutions can do alone, we need everyone possible to stand with us."

Epa nodded lightly, "I agree, we are many against three now...and if their strength really is so much, we need to take measures and band together. See to it that each of your mirrors are teleported to the Vaporeon Tower right away."

"Yes!" The Elders shouted and they began to push their way past Lucian and I and out of the den.

"As for you two." Epa stated simply and she looked at both of us, "Lucian...I want you to come with me, you and I shall go to the Vaporeon tower and see about the defenses, we have ways of letting land pokémon breath underwater."

Lucian shook his head rapidly, "I would prefer to stay with Ruli, I must train him more and get him used to his abilities as a Lucario. You know more than I do about your towers and clans and-"

Psy suddenly appeared next to Epa, "I will be handling Ruli's training Lucian." He stated as he appeared and Lucian started at him in confusion as the psychic type pressed, "Trust me in what I say, go with Epa. If you know the ones we are defending ourselves against, your knowledge in how they may approach and attack will be invaluable. Leave Ruli's training to me."

Lucian continued to stare a moment and eventually he bowed his head, closing his eyes, "Very well...I will bow to your wisdom Sage..."

My ears twitched as I heard him say that. Sage?

"Good." Psy said he then spoke directly to me, "Epa will return shortly to teleport you. Ruli, please met me and Axel just outside the Leafeon camp." And with that he and Epa both vanished.

I turned to Lucian, "Sage?"

Lucian turned to me and he blinked, "You are not aware?"

"Aware of what?"

"He is a sage of Arceus." Lucian stated simply. "I have met him once before, just briefly, before he donned that blindfold."

"Met him before? Was my father-was Ruli's father with him?"

Lucian tilted his head, "No...why?"

I tried to think clearly about what I knew about Psy, "What Psy has told me when I first met him...Psy traveled with Ruli's father to explore the world and gain knowledge..."

"That's strange..." Lucian said softly, "He told me he was a sage of Arceus. I saw him one day as I had been training in the forests alone, watching me from the trees...When I noticed him he told me he knew what I was, said he was a sage of Arceus and would one day call upon me, but he vanished then before I got a chance to react. That was ten years ago, and just recently in the coast town was when I really got a chance to meet him...I've been wanting to talk to him but he keeps teleporting everywhere."

"What do you think is true though? Did he really travel with Ruli's father?"

"If he did, it begs the question on how did he know I was human that day? Did he tell Psy about me? It was ten years ago...he would have already been dead, and I doubt if he did tell him, Psy wouldn't have waited another five years after his death to try and find me..." Lucian stared at me and he whispered, "I suggest you be careful around him...he is not what he appears..."

________________________

Epa returned soon after to take Lucian with her to the Vaporeon Tower, and I left the den and made my way to the exit. Several Leafeon were already working to prepare themselves, as soon the Espeon clan would appear to teleport them all to the other tower.

I left the encampment to meet Psy and Axel just a little ways into the forest.

"Ruli." Axel said happily as he instantly ran up to me and nuzzled into the fur of my hips, "It's so good to see you free..."

I smiled at him and wagged my tail, "It feels good to be free Axel, thanks for not giving up on me." I tilted my head to him then, "I wanted to ask but the council disbanded before I got the chance, what happened to the previous Jolteon Elder?"

Axel shuffled slightly and he looked down at the ground, "Um, no one knows..."

"Know one knows?" I repeated in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"After he was removed as Elder, he just...left. No one has seen him since..." Axel said worriedly and Psy spoke.

"He is indeed an unknown." Psy said, "But we cannot let him distract us from our tasks. Please, follow me."

Psy started to float and he began to pass into the forest. I watched him carefully for a moment before I looked down at Axel. He looked up at me and I nodded to him lightly, before starting to follow the psychic type into the woods.

______________________

For a whole day we followed Psy through the forest, resting briefly but not stopping until Psy brought us to the base of a mountain, and to the opening of a deep and dark cave.

"Come, inside." Psy said to us both but I put my paw out to stop Axel from following then and held my ground just outside the cave mouth.

Psy paused halfway in and he turned his head back to us, "You hesitate...Is something wrong?"

I furrowed my brow and stared at him, nervousness creeping up on me though as I spoke, "Who are you really?"

Psy stayed silent a moment and then he turned to me, "What are you talking about? I am Psy, I always have been."

"No you're not." I stated and held my gaze, "Lucian called you a sage...he told me you have visited him before, ten years ago...and that you knew he was a human. Did Ruli's father tell you about him?"

"No." Psy answered readily, "Ruli's father did not tell me about Lucian."

I gulped at his answer and I pressed anyway, "How much do you really know?"

"Everything." Psy answered readily again. "Do you really think to fight me now?"

I lowered my head a bit while still holding my stare, "How do you-"

"I know everything." Psy repeated, his eyes glowed purple a moment. "I am a sage of Arceus."

"You don't know everything, it's impossible to know everything." Axel said behind me in my defense then.

"You honestly think it was the aura that gave Elder Xio'en his "vision" of Ruli?" Psy shot back and Axel and I looked at each other a moment.

"You mean that-"

"Yes, I sent him that vision, to get him to send the summons for you so that Pangoro would have me send you to the Lucario clan. I knew the children would be possessed and that would lead to you meeting Mistress Chandelure, and that would lead to you going to her for assistance later on." Psy's eyes sparked with psychic energy under his blindfold, "And I knew...that you would decide to attack me here."

"I'm not deciding anything yet!" I barked back at him but already I could feel his psychic energies pressing against my mind. I gasped and held my paws to my head.

Axel's yellow rings began to glow and he stepped out in front of me, his own purple aura started to come through but Psy tutted.

"Your power is meaningless to me young Axel."

Suddenly the cave bellowed out a wave of psychic energy, almost as if the mountain itself were alive and it breathed out at us in a deep exhaling breath. Axel yelped as the power pushed against his barrier, and sent him spiraling through the air several yards behind me. The wind did nothing to me and I shouted back at him. Dust and dirt blew out from the mouth of the cave, filling the air and my vision that I lost sight of him.

"Axel!"

"You think to fight me?!" Psy's voice rang through the air at us both and I turned back to him, staring at the purple eyes glowing through the dust.

"You don't know...who you're dealing with. I didn't come here to fight you you know."

"Again, I didn't decide anything yet!" I shouted back at the eyes, "Just tell me the truth, tell me who you really are!" I held a paw in front of my face, blocking the dust from my eyes as I tried to watch him.

Psy's eyes stared at me in the cloud of dust before they vanished and his voice spoke out to me, "Then come forward Ruli...into the cave, and I shall tell you everything you wish to know..."

The energy still roared out from the cave and still rousing up dirt and dust into the air in a massive cloud. It pushed against me firmly but it didn't seem to be strong enough to push me as it had Axel.

I turned back again, "Axel!"

"I'm here! The psychic energy is too strong! I can't walk forward!"

I gritted my teeth and turned back to the cave mouth.

"Okay! I'm going in! Wait here!" I shouted back to him and I started to press my way into the cave. The energy continued to push against it, but it didn't seem to be pushing in such the way it had to Axel.

"Be careful!" I heard Axel shout to me worriedly as I pressed into the mouth of the cave.

The wind died down as I entered into the dank air within the cave. I looked back out the opening, the dust cloud still active. I wondered if Axel was going to be okay, but I determined if Psy had really wanted to harm he would have, and so I turned back and began trekking further into the darkness.

As I went and the light of the entrance started to fade, Psy's voice spoke out to me from further in the cave.

"You haven't learned how to summon that weapon Lucian gave you have you?" He chuckled at me, "Hold out your paw and will it to you."

I did as I was told and thought briefly about the bone spear, and it appeared in my paw, glowing green and lighting up the area around me. The cave wall was clear and it reflected my image back at me. I jumped slightly in surprise and then growled at my image for scaring me.

Psy's voice laughed out, "The glass surprise you hmm? Pay no mind to it, continue, follow my voice, and you will find the answer as to why I truly brought you here."

I stared at the mirror image a moment longer before continuing forward, holding the glowing staff in front of me to light the way. The cave continued for several minutes, the glass like walls continued to show my reflection.

"What is this glass...?" I asked out loud as I looked to it, watching myself in the off put mirrors.

"It is the same glass the mirrors of the towers are made of." Psy's voice answered me, but then pressed again, "Continue please, just a few more minutes."

I grimaced as I continued on, frowning deeply until finally I reached what seemed to be a large cavern. The ceiling was low so I had to crouch to enter, but from there it opened up to a huge area. In the middle of the room, a single, glowing stone rested. It seemed to float in midair, but as I approached with my bone staff, it's glow revealed it was merely sitting atop a large pillar. I came closer slowly, and began to hear soft whispers in my voice.

"Ruli...son..."

I blinked and tilted my head as I stared at the stone. The voices were coming from it, what was this?

"Ruli..." The voices whispered on to me and I began to reach out to the stone.

"Who...what...are you?" I asked out to it as I kept approaching.

"That is what I have brought you here for." A suddenly very soft and wizened voice spoke out to me then. I turned and held out my staff defensively.

"Psy?" I whispered out, "That's not your voice..."

"It is my actual voice." the voice chuckled lightly and from the shadows in front of me floated forth a pokémon I could not recognize. It's body was yellow, but seemed frail and old. He floated in the air cross legged, with the toes of his feet interlocked. A magnificent beard flowed down his body, and a just as magnificent mustache reached out across his sides. Above his head, floated five metal spoons and I blinked in surprise.

"Those spoons...are you-"

"I am an Alakazam...the Psy you have known has been nothing but an illusion cast across the land by my power...I am Psy." He stated and took a breath a moment, coughing slightly, "I am the guardian of this chamber. I am...Mega Alakazam."