{Haunted Roommates}
Inside Ash's shadow, the apartment was unusually calm. Which made Haunter stressed
She floated in the living room, arms crossed, staring suspiciously at the couch, the table, the walls, the ceiling, nothing was on fire, upside-down, or screaming.
"…Why is it quiet?" Haunter muttered.
The coffee maker sniffled nervously, "It's never quiet."
Haunter squinted, "Mew?"
No response.
She drifted down the hall, past the bathroom (still damp with ghost mist), toward the spare room that had not existed last week but absolutely existed now.
She nudged the door open.
Mew was lying on her plush bed, upside down, tail dangling over the edge. It was staring at the ceiling, humming softly to itself.
Haunter blinked, "…Why are you resting?"
Mew popped upright instantly, "I'M NOT."
Mew immediately wobbled, sat back down, and crossed its arms.
"I'm just… aggressively relaxing."
Haunter narrowed her eyes, "You hate relaxing."
"I'm branching out."
Mew floated up and did a lazy loop around the room, then suddenly turned away and coughed.
Haunter froze, "…Was that a cough?"
"No."
"That was absolutely a cough."
"That was a cosmic throat adjustment," Mew said quickly, "Very advanced. You wouldn't understand."
Haunter drifted closer, "You okay?"
"I am PEAK okay," Mew snapped, a little too fast, "I am the picture of health." She coughed again.
Haunter didn't say anything. She just floated over and pulled out her parchment and scream-quill.
Mew eyed it warily, "What are you doing?"
"Writing new rules."
Mew relaxed, "Oh good."
Haunter wrote:
Temporary House Rule: If you're sick, you tell me.
Mew leaned over, poked the parchment, and nothing happened.
Mew frowned, "…Huh."
Haunter turned to face them, "You didn't rewrite it."
"I didn't try," Mew said defensively.
"You absolutely tried."
Mew floated backward, hands behind its head, "Okay, fine. Hypothetically. If I were feeling a little off, which I'm not, it's not a big deal." Mew waved a paw.
Haunter sighed, "Mew."
"I'm fine."
"Mew."
"I SAID I'M FINE Cough!"
The cough bent the lights.
The coffee maker screamed, "SHE'S DYING."
"I AM NOT DYING," Mew yelled back, throwing a pillow at it that landed short because of Mew's tiny arms.
"Do you need me to, like… call a doctor or something?" Haunter asked.
"NEVER. Doctors are for the weak, and I am the stron- cough" Mew coughed again.
"Yeah, I'm calling the Joys," Haunter said, floating out of the door.
Mew flew after her, "Never! Besides, I'm leaving!" Mew announced.
Haunter crossed her arms, "Running away?"
"Strategic retreat," Mew corrected, "Besides. You like it quieter when I'm gone."
Haunter opened her mouth. Then closed it, "…The apartment does shake less."
Mew grinned, "See? Thoughtful roommate."
Mew drifted toward the wall, already half-phasing out.
"Don't lock the door," Mew called, "I'll be back."
Haunter watched Mew go and sighed, "…She better not bring a fever dimension next time," she muttered.
From very far away, Mew's voice echoed, "I HEARD THAT-cough cough!"
—
{Back in Rota}
It had been a few hours and a lot of battles. Ash, like he'd planned, went through with just his two babies, and they managed to beat down everyone. Now they were at the finals.
His opponent was someone wearing full knight armor with a Weavile. They went by Kidd, although no one could see their face. Then again, no one could see his either.
Heck, he'd left Pikachu and Vee over with May and Sorrel so that no one would recognize him, also because he wasn't gonna use them for this battle.
Anyway, the fight was heavily in Ash's favor. It was almost too easy. Ash let Bagon take this one, since Beldum took the last one. Not that it mattered much, at the start it was supposed to be so they got some battle experience, but now they were just doing it to have fun. Worst part was Ash wasn't even taking this that seriously, but everyone else was.
"Weavile, [Shadow Ball]!" Kidd commanded, trying to end this.
Weavile jumped high into the air and charged a dark purple ball in its hands, then shot it out, aiming directly for Bagon.
Ash snapped his fingers, "Now let's finish this. Bagon, [Dragon Rush]!"
From his side, Bagon huffed excitedly and rushed forward as his head started to glow purple. As the orb got close, he met it head-on with a headbutt, pushing through it and dispersing it. The falling Weavile didn't have a chance to recover as Bagon caught it, slamming it and sending Weavile flying back and crashing against the wall, knocked out.
The referee quickly checked, then raised the flag to Ash's side, "The winner has been decided! Our winner, and this year's Guardian of Aura, the Masked Challenger!"
The crowd started cheering loudly, and even in the top stands, Ilene and Riley were clapping after the battles. After all, here in Rota they didn't get many tournaments besides this one. To them, this was an intense battle, even though, again, Ash was only giving it maybe 30% effort.
Not because he was being a dick, mostly because if he gave it 100%, he guaranteed the stadium would be gone. Like, that's not even an exaggeration. League stadiums and Gyms had special force fields protecting the building and spectators from harm.
Rota did not.
They were less developed in that way. Sure, they had Aura Guardians that could create force fields, but one [El Thor] from Pikachu and half the castle would be gone.
But war crimes aside, that was for another day. Right now, he'd dealt with this.
And then Bagon came running at him excitedly, jumping up to headbutt him in the stomach.
That knocked the air out of Ash's lungs for a second, but he recovered and caught him, pulling him up, "Good work, bud. You did great!" he said, earning an excited head bop from Bagon.
The battles did help Bagon and Beldum quite a bit, but no, they didn't get to evolve. They weren't ready for that yet.
Then, from the other side, the person in knight armor returned their Weavile to its Poké Ball and walked up to Ash, taking off their helmet and revealing themselves to be a girl.
"That was a great battle," Kidd said with a smile, "Nice to meet you."
Ash wasn't really surprised, he knew it was her, but he still put on a smile and held his hand out, "Nice to meet you too."
Although he was keeping his eye out. Knowing Brock, his Brock-senses were tingling as soon as a pretty girl was in the area, and he was running here as they spoke.
Ash didn't even get two seconds of peace.
"—HELLO FAIR MAIDEN—!"
There it was. Ash winced as Brock practically materialized between him and Kidd, having ditched his wise-man dignity at record speed. The robe fluttered. The fake bald cap somehow stayed on.
"My name is Brock," he said smoothly, bowing just a little too deep, "and might I say, your swordplay-er, Pokémon handling, was truly exquisite-"
Brock didn't even get to keep talking, as from his Poké Ball belt, his Lombre jumped out and blasted him with water. And yes, before you ask, his Lotad did evolve, Brock trained as much as Ash did; it would be stranger if his Lombre hadn't evolved by now.
Anyway, with Brock facedown in the mud, Max ran out from the stands and grabbed Brock by the leg, "Hey, don't mind me, I'm just dealing with this, haha," he forced a laugh as he dragged Brock out of the way.
As Brock got dragged off, Ash and Kidd watched him. Kidd opened her mouth, but Ash just shook his head, "Don't…"
Kidd closed her mouth, "Noted." She looked back at him, then at the mask, "So, I don't suppose since I showed you my face, you'll show me yours?"
"Sorry, but I like my privacy," Ash sighed, "So the mask stays on, at least for now. But it looks like I have to go deal with some royal stuff," he said, gesturing with his eyes to where they could see Aura Guardians stepping out in a line, directing a path where Queen Ilene was waiting to congratulate him herself.
"Uh, yeah, good luck with that. That's not my cup of tea," Kidd said as she spun on her heel and turned to leave.
Ash just sighed and put on a smile before turning to Queen Ilene and the Aura Guardians.
–
{In the Castle Ballroom}
As the sun was setting, people were allowed into the castle where the celebrations would continue.
As soon as Ash won, he was led inside to be told the formalities of what he was going to do, and of course to be congratulated. And as he did, he made sure to be very careful not to get too close to any Aura Guardians, because if he did, they would be able to see his Aura.
Especially once he saw that not only was Riley here, but that he was also the leader of the Aura Guardians. Which… why? As far as Ash knew, Riley was supposed to just be training by himself over on Iron Island, and yet, here he was.
But of course, Ash only thought those things in his head. He wouldn't blurt them out. He kept a composed face, and thankfully he didn't have to take off the mask, since they thought it made him look more dignified.
Right now, he was standing on a platform next to the throne. Around him, everyone was sitting at tables with food, watching him, including his friends.
And standing around the room, Ash could see four Aura Guardians at each corner, just standing there, looking "dignified."
First, Riley walked up to Ilene, holding Sir Aaron's staff, and held it out for her. Ilene took it and held it in both hands before turning to Ash.
"This is the Staff of the Guardian, which once belonged to the great Sir Aaron. According to our tradition, the winner of the contest is named the Aura Guardian for the year and is presented with this staff." Then she held it out to Ash, "On behalf of my kingdom, it's yours."
Ash accepted the staff, holding it in one hand. As he felt it, he had to admit it felt familiar somehow. As for the crystal at the top, Ash could see into it and noticed a faint glow in the center, then he heard something.
"Why did you betray me…" the voice said.
Ash didn't change his expression. He knew that was Lucario's voice in there, but as he looked up, he noticed neither Ilene nor Jenny reacted to it. Seemingly, Riley did, since he was looking from side to side.
But since Ilene didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, she turned toward the crowd and spread her arms, "Now will begin the grand ball, honoring Sir Aaron and our new Guardian. Please enjoy yourselves!"
And just like that, the music began.
—
{Inside the crystal}
Lucario was stuck in here. Ever since one of the many great wars in the Pokémon world, he remembered that day. When he got ambushed, he managed to get away, but sand got in his eyes, though he could still see thanks to his Aura.
That's when he sensed Sir Aaron. He ran to his master, only to hear him say those words: he was abandoning the castle and Queen Rin, never looking back.
Lucario didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. But as he tried to chase Sir Aaron, Aaron threw his staff. As it landed on the ground, the only thing Lucario remembered was being sucked into something, wondering why.
To Lucario, no time passed at all. In reality, he was put into a state of suspended animation. Outside, years, generations, passed, and he remained frozen until Ash's hand touched the staff.
As soon as Ash's hand made contact, the staff reacted to his Aura, since it was so similar to Sir Aaron's, almost one-to-one.
That's when Lucario woke up. In his mind, he thought he had just been put in there. He couldn't see the outside world because he still had sand in his eyes, but he could sense the Auras outside, and he started moving, muttering:
"Why… why… why… why… why…"
–
And back outside, the party was in full swing. People were dancing and enjoying the food. Pikachu and Vee were over at a table with Max, stuffing their faces, while Sorrel stood nearby, looking at the castle and jotting things down on his tablet.
As for May and Brock, they went out to dance. Brock nervously managed to walk up to Kidd, who had changed into a purple dress, and invited her out to dance, while May quickly headed down to the floor to dance on her own.
But since when was Ash good at listening to rules?
Ash was about to head out to dance when the head maid, Jenny, quickly stepped in front of him, "No. As Guardian, you must sit still and look dignified."
Ash just smiled and took her hand, bowing like a gentleman, "Sorry, but sitting still isn't really my strong suit~" he said, spinning her around like a ballerina. He left the staff and his mask in her hands before quickly melding into the dancing crowd.
Jenny was left spinning for a few seconds before she fell back into the chair Ash had been sitting in, his mask slipping onto her face and Sir Aaron's staff resting gently in her arms. Ash was nowhere to be seen, and since no one knew his face, they couldn't call him back.
For a solid three seconds, there was silence.
Then Ilene laughed.
Not a polite royal chuckle, an honest, hand-over-mouth laugh as she watched Jenny wobble, blink, and finally slump back into the chair Ash had vacated, mask askew and Sir Aaron's staff cradled awkwardly in her arms.
Riley covered his mouth with one hand, shoulders shaking as he tried not to burst out laughing, "I… wow. He actually did it."
Jenny groaned, sitting upright and pushing the mask off her face, "Your Majesty, I explicitly told him—"
Ilene waved a hand, still smiling, "Oh, let him go. Honestly, that's the most 'Guardian of Aura' thing he could have done."
Jenny continued, "But still, shouldn't we look for him and—"
"There's really no point," Riley finished, his eyes still following the dance floor, "And since none of us know his face, chasing him would be pointless. Yes, he's dressed like Sir Aaron, but so are most of the people here." He gestured out toward the crowd, where at least five people were wearing Sir Aaron costumes, and probably more they couldn't immediately see.
And even if he wanted to, which he didn't, Riley couldn't really sense Ash's Aura while it was mixed in among everyone else. Riley simply assumed Ash wasn't gifted with the ability to use Aura, not realizing Ash was actively suppressing it to avoid being caught.
Ilene nodded, "He'll come back before the night is over. People like that always do."
Jenny looked down at the staff, then sighed, "So… what now?"
Riley gently took the staff from her, holding it upright with practiced ease, "I'll keep it safe until he returns."
The crystal at the top pulsed faintly. Riley paused for half a heartbeat, then dismissed it, it was probably just his mind playing tricks on him.
Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Ash slipped into the crowd. He lowered his hat just enough to shadow his eyes as he spotted May spinning with a group of dancers.
Timing it perfectly, he stepped in behind her.
When the music shifted, Ash moved around to her front, straightened, and performed a smooth, exaggerated gentleman's bow, one hand to his chest, the other extended outward toward her.
"May I have this dance?" he asked lightly, putting on an overdramatic gentleman's voice.
May blinked, then laughed, placing her hand in his without hesitation, "Why, mysterious sir, I thought you were supposed to be very dignified right now."
"Well," Ash said with a little smirk, "turns out being dignified is optional if no one can catch you."
May laughed, spinning as he guided her out and back in, "I know. To be honest, I had a bet with Max and Brock to see when you'd slip out."
"Oh really, who won~?" Ash teased as they spun.
"Brock did, obviously," May rolled her eyes, "I thought you'd at least wait until after the slow dance."
Ash smirked, "Oh? Are you not happy to be dancing with little old me~?"
May scoffed, but her grip on his hand tightened just a bit, "Please. I'm just surprised you didn't trip over your own feet the moment you stepped onto the floor."
"Hey, that only happens when I'm not trying," Ash shot back easily, guiding her into a turn.
May noticed, "…Since when are you good at this?" she asked, squinting at him mid-spin.
"Hey, remember I grew up with Green. You think she didn't force me to learn how to slow dance?" Ash said with an eye roll.
"Ha… yeah, right, I forgot," May said, though she looked away slightly as she cleared her throat, "A-anyway, let's not talk about that. Since you lost, you owe me a dance."
"Of course, m'lady," Ash said playfully.
But as they danced, the staff in Riley's hands began to glow, or more accurately, the crystal at its top did.
Riley stiffened, "What—?" he muttered, eyes snapping down as the crystal flared a blinding white, cracks of light spiderwebbing across its surface.
Ilene shot to her feet, "Riley?"
Then, from the crystal, a beam of white light shot into the center of the dance floor. The people dancing simply assumed it was part of the event and kept moving.
Lucario landed on the marble floor in a crouch, one knee down, one fist pressed to the ground, the other to his chest. For a moment, those who knew this wasn't part of the celebration stared at him in stunned silence.
Lucario looked up, sensing the Auras around him. He felt several Aura Guardians nearby, but then he sensed it again. That Aura. The one identical to Sir Aaron's.
And what's more, it was dancing with a female.
How dare he, when he was meant to remain loyal to Queen Rin alone.
In that moment, Lucario dashed forward toward the Aura he sensed. Only then did Riley snap out of it and realize Lucario had pulled back his fist, which was glowing with Aura.
"Everyone!" Riley called out, but it was too late for them to intervene.
But just not for Ash, as he saw Lucario coming, he stopped dancing, "Oh no," he muttered.
May was still mid-laugh, confused as Ash suddenly stopped dancing with her, "Ash, what's—"
Ash didn't answer. He quickly pulled his hand from May's waist, grabbed her wrist, and spun her hard. May went flying like a Beyblade, spinning straight into a chair. She landed safely, just dizzy and completely confused about what had happened.
Ash spun again just as Lucario's fist passed only inches from his face. In that moment, Ash finally released his Aura. He pulled his head back just enough to cause Lucario's punch to strike the brim of his hat, sending it flying upward.
In the same motion, Ash reached out and caught Lucario's arm. He twisted it smoothly, stepped one leg between Lucario's, and used the momentum to spin him around before slamming Lucario shoulder-first into the floor. Ash pinned him there, one knee planted firmly, one hand pressed between Lucario's shoulders, driving him into the ground with a heavy thud.
The impact echoed through the hall.
The music faltered. People froze, finally realizing this wasn't part of the dance.
From above, Ilene and Riley looked on as they hurried down, landing on the floor, and for the first time, they could clearly see Ash's face.
Ilene, as Queen, she had read every book there was on Sir Aaron. And while Riley bore the closest resemblance due to being the same age Sir Aaron was when he "died," Ash looked exactly like a young Sir Aaron.
As for Riley, now that Ash was no longer suppressing his Aura, he finally understood. That overwhelming Aura he had sensed earlier that day, it had been Ash all along. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together: Ash was also the masked champion who had left Jenny completely stunned.
Back on the ground, Lucario struggled, lifting his head, only to be pushed back down. His eyes finally opened fully, and he saw Ash's face.
"…Sir… Aaron?" Lucario whispered.
"Nah," Ash replied, a little too casually for someone who'd just been attacked, "Name's Ash. Now, if you promise not to attack anyone, I can let you go."
The room collectively forgot how to breathe.
May stared from her chair, eyes wide, heart pounding, "A-Ash…?"
Ash looked up at the crowd staring back at him. He sighed.
"Well… looks like the secret's out." Ash raised a hand and gave a small wave, "Hey there, everyone."