Kanto. Vermillion City Hospital, day.
Right now, Ash was doing his daily checkup at the hospital, concerning his Delayed Aura Ataxia. It was just him while Twilight and Delia were at Undella Town. But as always, Pikachu was by his side.
Ash sat on the bed with Pikachu, waiting for his results to come in from the doctor. Thanks to Twilight, now Vermillion City Hospital has notes about Delayed Aura Ataxia. The doctor then came in, ready to give some results to Ash.
"Well, Ash. The fact that you didn't pass out but were on the verge of doing so is impressive. So it is all about how far you push yourself." The doctor said.
"Yeah. So how am I now?"
"Not sure. This is still unreal to me. All I can say is just take it easy but...you already knew that, didn't you?"
"Pikachu."
"At best, we could send this to the hospitals in Sinnoh. Since Lucario is mostly native there, they'll know something for sure. It'll take a while for them to send us anything, so come back in maybe two or three days for some results, alright?"
"Thanks, doctor." Ash nodded before remembering. "Oh yeah! I should head to Johto now! The Shrine Maidens might know something about how to get past it."
"Shine Maidens?" The doctor adjusted his glasses.
"I'll let you know if I found something out from them!" Ash hopped off the bed with Pikachu before dashing out. "Thanks, doc!"
"Pika-Pikachu!"
"Uh...see you soon."
Johto Region. Azalea Town. The Shrine Maiden's location.
Just up ahead at Azalea Town, the building belonging to the Shrine Maidens could be found. And of course, it was an actual shrine. Keeping to the theme of Johto, it had a dual colouring of gold and silver, most likely to represent Ho-oh and Lugia. This was considered a holy site of Johto.
"Can't believe I missed out on a place like this." Ash looked at the shrine with Twilight joining her. "I can thank Alola for letting me take things slowly."
"Pika."
"If we can get an answer about Delayed Aura Ataxia, our problems might just go away," Twilight said as Ash knocked on the door. But he wouldn't need to knock on the door for the shrine.
The nearby Shrine Maidens who were outside had walked up to Ash, Twilight, Pikachu, Espeon and Togekiss each after noticing them. Here at the shrine, the most common Pokemon-Type is the Fairy-Type since their experts in dealing with spirits. The most notable being Spiritomb.
"Welcome. " The both greeted with a bow. "Do you perhaps need something?"
"Oh, hey." Ash greeted back. "Yeah, we're just here for something quick."
"We're hoping that we can have some answers about Delayed Aura Ataxia. Something relating to Aura Guardians," said Twilight.
"Oh. Then head right in. The Maiden Mother can tell you what she knows." One of the shrine maidens responded, allowing Ash and the others to enter.
With the door opening, they were greeted to the indoors of the shrine. The first thing that caught their attention was the abundance of shrine maidens walking through the many doors in these indoors alongside their Pokemon. Noticeably, despite having Fairy-Type Pokemon with them mostly, some Dark-Type Pokemon could also be found. Most of the spirits they deal with are Ghost-Type related so the best Pokemon-Type to have in this case would be the Dark-Type.
Ash and Twilight couldn't help but gawk at the scenery before them. It felt so old yet new at the same time. This shrine has definitely stood the test of time over the years. Ash was glad that he could have the chance to re-explore every region he's already been to.
Who knows what secrets he's missed out on over the years?
Up ahead, a very familiar shrine maiden could be seen. One that assisted Ash and the others during the Spiritomb attack from months ago.
"Hm? Oh! Ash! Twilight!" She greeted.
"Nozomi!" Ash greeted back along with Twilight and the Pokemon.
"Pikachu!"
"Espeon!"
"Good to see you all again. How are things? Safe I hope?"
"Uh...we're safe but...there's still a lot happening around us." Twilight laughed nervously, knowing that while most of Equestria is safe, it technically isn't considering the lurking threats.
"Nozomi. We've got something to ask. Everyone here knows about Aura Guardians, right?" Ash asked.
"Every one of us. But the Maiden Mother knows the most."
"Great. Then she can probably tell us what she knows about Delayed Aura Ataxia." Ash pumped his fist.
"Delayed Aura Ataxia...?" Nozomi squinted her eyes as she had no idea what that was herself. Seems that her knowledge of Aura was still limited. And the same can be said for the others.
"Can you please take us to the Maiden Mother? For Ash's sake." Twilight requested.
"Certainly. Right this way."
The Maiden Mother's room.
This was where the Maiden Mother, also known as Mother, a Priestess also, resides mostly, praying to a Celebi Shrine. But mostly praying to it early in the morning or at night.
Right now, she was teaching new and young shrine maidens to perform a traditional and sacred Johto dance. She was even multi-tasking, also showing other shrine maidens and their Pokemon how to practices sealing and purification rituals.
Nozomi opened the door after knocking on it, prompting the mother to allow them inside with "Come in."
"Mother. We have visitors." Nozomi said as Ash, Twilight, Pikachu, Espeon and Togekiss came through.
"Hm? Oh, you must be Ash Ketchum and Princess Twilight Sparkle." The Mother stood up tall. "We've heard about how you assisted in the defeat of the escaped Spiritomb. Thank you so much for your help." She bowed afterwards. "Welcome to our Shrine. What brings you here?"
"Well, we were wondering about something, Mother. We hope this sounds familiar. Delayed Aura Ataxia." Twilight got the point immediately.
"What did you say?!" The Mother suddenly gasped at the top of her lungs, causing everyone to jump with their hearts startling. They weren't expecting such a loud response.
"Uh...D-Delayed Aura Ataxia...?" Twilight stuttered as Togekiss shuddered.
"T-Toge..."
"Come with me." Not wasting any time, the Mother ordered Ash and the others to follow her at once. She clearly knew something major about this.
Ash and the others followed while Twilight was a bit nervous by this, unsure of what was waiting for them. The Priestess entered a room up ahead that was yet another one of her own rooms.
In this room, it acted as a sort of treasure trove, holding many items that can be considered valuable in their own way with their ancient appearances. After all, this building is fairly old.
The Priestess went over to a cabinet, opening it and taking out what she would deem to be the most important object to her. A book. A fairly small one with very few pages as it looked burnt and slightly damaged, showing that it has been through something.
The Mother placed the book down while sitting down herself. Ash and Twilight did the same with their Pokemon as all eyes were locked onto the book.
"Here." The Priestess said before opening the book to a specific page. One that was centred around Ash's major health-damaging issue. "Delayed Aura Ataxia."
"Pika..."
"Espeon?"
"Toge?"
"I hoped I would've never had to hear about that horrible curse ever again." The Priestess sighed as she held her forehead.
"Why? What happened?" Twilight asked.
"An unfortunate event." The Mother closed her eyes. "You see...I am a Priestess. Above the shrine maidens here. Therefore, I am allowed to marry. And I did once. Until that Ataxia came along and ruined almost everything for me."
"Pika?"
"It affects you too?" Ash looked at the Mother.
"No. But it did affect my husband and my family. You see, my husband came from a line of Aura Guardians from long ago. Tasked with similar objectives as the shrine maidens here. His family line performed good deeds with Aura, keeping everything safe and well passing on their skills to those who also possessed this innate ability of Aura. But, they all shared that same weakness. Delayed Aura Ataxia. Or as some call it, the Universe's Malison."
"Universe's Malison?" Ash and Twilight both said.
"The more scientific name for it was apparently deemed Delayed Aura Ataxia. But in the past, that was its name. Since Aura is the life force of everything in the universe, the people of old titled it as such. And that same curse is what took the life of my husband. In a life-risking event, he used all of his Aura to protect those around him and lost his life in the process."
"Oh. S-Sorry." Twilight's heart sank after hearing that.
"It's fine. My husband's sacrifice was not in vain. Because of him, I'm here today after all. But even so, that curse has been lurking around for centuries without any end. And I assume it's come to you as well, Ash?"
"Yeah. I've had trouble with it for sure. I've passed out a few times and even for a week as well." Ash nodded.
"That's why we came here. To see if you knew a way to at least regulate it. Ash is working hard to try and work around it. Apparently, he's trying to break through the Ataxia and get rid of it." Twilight explained.
"Focusing a lot is what woke me up early, remember?" Ash gave a thumbs up.
"What did you say?" The Priestess turned to Ash, "You woke up early by focusing?"
"Uh yeah."
"That's certainly new. No Aura Guardian who was come under that curse has ever done that. And you did this by focusing you said?"
"Yeah while I was unconscious." Ash tapped his head.
"The doctor said that Ash was able to do this while being both conscious and unconscious at the same time. I don't really get it myself." Twilight shrugged.
"This is a development. The only person that's ever done that was Sir Aaron."
"Sir Aaron?!" Ash gasped.
"Pikachu?!"
"Right. Most Aura Guardians in the past knew each other. An old family member of my husband's lineage also knew Sir Aaron. Aaron himself told his fellow Aura Guardians that he managed to find a way through the Ataxia to the point where he eliminated it from his body. He was the only known Aura Guardian to do so."
"Well, Ash does have a similar Aura Pattern to Sir Aaron apparently." Twilight nudged Ash.
"That might explain it. This is a big development, Ash Ketchum. You have the potential to eliminate the Ataxia from your body like how Sir Aaron did."
"Oh! Ash looked at his hand. "Hehe! It was a good call to start focusing in the zone, huh?"
"Pika-Pika!"
"Unfortunately, this is all I can tell you about Delayed Aura Ataxia." She closed the old book. "I apologise if this was fairly limited information."
"It's fine. We've learned something new after all." Twilight shook her head. "But...how did Sir Aaron do it? It wasn't just by focusing all the time, was it?"
"No. Sir Aaron didn't exactly do so to break the Ataxia. But, focusing was certainly a part of it in a sense."
"Hmm..." Maybe for Ash, it's different. What to do...?" Twilight pondered.
"I got it!" Ash stood up, raising his finger as everyone turned to him. "We go to Rota!"
"Rota? Where Sir Aaron was born?"
"Oh yeah!" Ash nodded. "That might be the place to go. Ilene, the Queen that rules there might also know something for sure. It's been a while since I've visited it anyway, so it'll be a fun blast to the past. Let's head there maybe tomorrow."
"Pikachu!"
"Rota sounds good. It'll be great to know more about Sir Aaron too!" Twilight squeed. She was always looking forward to learning more information. Especially if it involves Pokemon which has had her more excited with learning than she's ever been.
"Then I and the entire shrine wish you all the best of luck. Ash Ketchum. I trust that you can spread what Sir Aaron had discovered and save other Aura users from the Universe's Malison. May Celebi, Ho-oh and Lugia watch upon you." She bowed to Ash.
"No need to worry." Ash gave a reassuring smile and thumbs up. "I'll get rid of that Ataxia for good so that everyone can go all out in a battle as much as they want."
"Pikachu!"
Azalea Town, away from the shrine.
"So, the Rota Kingdom is up next, hm?" Twilight spoke as she, Ash and the others had left the shrine. "You've been there before Ash. Did you see anything in the castle that could help?"
"Nah. But Cameron Palace is a pretty big place so there's obviously something there I haven't seen yet. But Ilene could show us what else it has for sure." Ash responded. "I'll find out what Sir Aaron did and get past Delayed Aura Ataxia for sure."
"Pikachu!"
"But before that, what's next? More Undella?"
"There's some stuff I wanna check out over at Manehattan. I hear that restaurant's got some new food that's super amazing!" Ash's stomach was already growling from thinking about the food. Same with Pikachu.
"Pikachu..."
"Sure. We'll eat there first." Twilight laughed as they went on with their merry way. The nearby shrine maidens had already waved goodbye to them, wishing them the best of luck.
With this knowledge, Ash and Twilight have more to go off and explore. Cameron Palace in the Rota Kingdom was up next. It'll be a nostalgic re-visit for Ash and Pikachu while being a new experience for Twilight and the others.
Empress Twilight's Universe. Canterlot Castle.
Elsewhere, at the universe belonging to Empress Twilight, a different story was about to unfold. Canterlot in this world has gone through some upgrades that are tailored to the Empress. It was where she was born, after all, so she would overdesign this the most out of anything else.
The most notable thing was the placement of the castle. While it was still in the same area it's always been in ever since its creation, due to the years going by, the terrain had been shifted during the Empress' rule, changing a few things up. Cantrlot castle was now built on top of a massive cliff from where it dominates the surrounding buildings and nearby forest. It has four mighty towers and a gigantic central keep.
Somehow, it still resembled the original Canterlot, just on a higher scale and position. However, it couldn't be considered a castle anymore. It was an entire palace. Compared to the ships that have Canterlot Castle apart of them, this blew all of them out of the water.
There were now rails of high balconies and artificial ravines that were 200 storeys deep, filled with lights and teeming with ponies. Truly, it stood out from everything else.
Massive flags that had her Cutie Mark on them were plastered in a perfect line right beside the castle. Some residents even had her flag within their homes or even on their roofs.
Inside, the Empress was already scheming as always. Her attention was still directed to the universe where the Pokemon exist. So far, that universe and all the inhabitants that come from there and the Pokemon World itself have been giving her trouble.
Cobalion, Celestia, Reshiram, Jackie, Pyrestar, who was now captured here and even her own niece Flurry Heart. Each has done various feats that have made the Empress less than pleased.
Instead of residing in her throne room, she was heading somewhere else. Recent events have forced her to take drastic measures. Alongside her were Skyblue Shine and a few of her guards.
"Empress. Are you sure this is a good idea?" Skyblue Shine asked as they were approaching what had seemed to be a dungeon.
The dungeon in this new Canterlot remained mostly the same however it had high security this time so that no one could even have the chance of escaping.
"I never underestimated that world but...they've proven to be quite possibly the biggest threat I've ever had to deal with." Empress Twilight replied. "Seems like a different kind of invasion is in order."
"A different kind?"
"Our military plus full-on domination invasion has already been pushed back thanks to that Pyrestar and her accursed spell. So, we're switching it up. On a smaller scale but enough to get us somewhere. And I'll be doing the hard work myself as well."
"You mean...you're heading to the otherworld?"
"Precisely. I refuse to hold back any longer. I hate getting my hooves dirty but those Pokemon Trainers and their Pokemon need to be dealt with. If anything, the sheer number of them and how unique they are means that they hold a perfect counter to everything we do. That Gardevoir can most likely Counter my gravity spell with those black holes and such. I can't afford to let any of that happen."
"Then...what first? What shall we do to gain the advantage? They've already infiltrated our world a few times."
"Then we'll do the same to them. It seems that their ultimate goal is the Legendary Pokemon known as Jirachi. The Pokemon that can grant any wish and will be able to keep their worlds together. This Pokemon is so rare that not even Ghetsis and his team have found it yet."
"So, we aim for Jirachi first?"
"No. Soon. In the meantime, there's something that caught my attention. Aura. More specifically, that one Aura Staff."
"Aura Staff?"
"Apparently it belonged to a legendary Aura Guardian known as Sir Aaron. And from what you've told me after your time in the Pokemon World, the oh-so-popular Ash Ketchum has a similar Aura Pattern to him. Aura is the only thing that can go against Rift energy and potentially everything else. And that staff only amplifies the capabilities and potential of it."
"Then that means..."
"We take the staff, of course. A task that I leave to you."
"M-Me?!" Skyblue Shine stopped walking as she pointed her hoof at herself.
"Of course But...you're not going to steal it with how you are. No-no. You'll need some improvements." The Empress smirked. "Improvements that'll have you stand a better chance against the other world."
"I-I understand. But, wouldn't that take longer, Empress? I mean, I'm fine with it but with how things are at the moment..."
"I know. I mean, I can always resort to this." The Empress stopped by a room that was nearby the dungeons. She tapped her hoof on the aluminium door as it responded to her magic.
When it made contact as a dark purple pulse came out, the door suddenly opened, revealing another science room. Twilight's Empire had a plethora of them everywhere due to how advanced this world was in terms of resources and technology.
And within this room, Skyblue Shine saw something that absolutely shocked her. Something that even she had no idea about despite her being an android.
There was an entire room with hundreds of Skyblue Shine's in giant capsules, resting. Or rather, they were shut down and inactive. That was the more appropriate term. Every last one of them looked like her. Mane, colour and everything.
"W-What...?"
"I would use another version of you to do the trick but...you're the best one so far." The Empress walked in. "Therefore, you're the one I need to focus on the most."
"Empress. This is..."
"Yes, I know. Of course, there are copies of you. You should be thankful that you are the earliest model after all." The Empress smirked as she walked over to a table that had many chips. Most of which were memory chips that Skyblue Shine had used on Premium Polish once to reset her memories an entire day back.
But, other chips served different purposes. Chips that improve Skyblue Shine. Sort of magic amplifiers. But they do more than just amplify magic. The technology in this world has improved to the point where artificial magic can be made as well. The Empress used her magic to grab two of them each.
"Here. Two of these will do. I only ever gave you one magic chip and that sufficed. But with these, you'll have the magical prowess of a dozen unicorns. One chip was already enough to make you as capable as 30."
"Understood, Empress."
"Now, hold still." The Empress walked over to the android, tapping on her head lightly with her hoof. With one tap, a small rectangular hole opened up, revealing the first chip inside. Skyblue Shine's chip slot seemed to be deeper than Premium Polish's.
The Empress placed both chips inside of the slot as they immediately connected and latched onto the android, going through her entire body and shifting things up a bit. Her original capabilities were being amplified as a whirring noise could be heard.
Skyblue Shine's eyes opened wide as they flashed white, similar to how alicorns act when they're being overflow with magical power. Her body was outlined in that same white light as she almost even went off the ground. But that was as far as she went. Afterwards, the light faded away as she was done receiving the magic.
"Oh..." SKyblue Shine felt a bit woozy afterwards.
"There. You should be at least as good as Princess Luna was if you ask me."
"Thank you, Empress." Skyblue bowed. "Where must I got to receive this staff?"
"Head to the Rota Kingdom in the Kanto Region. That is where the staff can be found. You'll need assistance from my soldiers as well. Retrieve that staff. The Pokemon existing here means that we will be able to retrieve Lucario's Aura. And once we do, I shall possess high amounts of Aura that can even surpass an Aura Guardian."
"Understood."
Two groups are set for Rota. One for the sake of eliminating a curse that threatens the life of Aura Guardians and the other for the sake of further obtaining power itself.
Aura is the only thing that can properly go against and also nullify Rift energy itself. Both a wonderful and horrifying life force. Whoever fully controls Aura will perhaps gain unmatched potential as the journey continues.
Chapter 446 End.