Hi everyone!!  SK here.

School has started for me and uuuuuuggghhhhh I am once again reminded how much work I get.  Don't worry, since this book is the only one I have ongoing right now, I'll try to keep up with consistent updates.  I might be publishing more pretty soon though.  September is very busy (I have a lot of birthday celebrations going on, one of them being mine!!), so updates MIGHT be delayed... so sorry in advance.

Anyway, let's begin!!  As always, I hope you enjoy it. :)

Ash

I wake up feeling refreshed, so I get out of bed and stretch.  I'm immediately greeted by the sight of Pikachu and Greninja still sleeping.  I smile, as honestly I'm so glad that I can see them again, even if they're both in Mist form.  I vaguely recall the events of the previous night, where Layra showed me the devastating events of the Balance Ritual, but I shake the morbid feeling away.  That's all it was, I tell myself.  An accident.  They let the imbalance get to far.  We won't let that happen this time.  

I exit my room, viewing the emptiness of this Colony.  It still confuses me when I don't see smiles or hear laughter, or watch the Colony be full of bustling activity like in the Light's one.  This place is always eerily silent... 

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see Rin.  I instantly hide, straining to hear what he is whispering to himself about, but at the same time trying to remain unnoticed.

"Soon, Rin, you can have yourself back, once I destroy the balance.  The world will finally be free from those wretched Lights and that wretched Minister who caused this whole thing in the first place.  There will be no need for balance any longer.  And to think, you will be the cause of this gorgeous era."  Okay I know Rin is weird, but I've never heard him refer to himself in the third person...

Suddenly, I hear another voice.  It's as quiet as a breath in the air, but I hear it.

"Let me challenge you again."

Rin laughs.  "No, why would I?  Rules are rules- oh.  Why, hello Ash!" he says cheerfully.  

My heart skips a beat, and I slowly come out into the open to face him.  "H-Hello, sir."

He flings his arm around me like we are the best of friends or something like that.  "Ash, my boy!  It's been a while since I spoke with you."

Yeah cause the last time was when I almost died at your hands.

"How's your training going?" he asks casually.

"It's... been going okay," I tell him.  "I can create little things with my magic, and I summoned my Mist Pokemon too."  I hope he has no idea how hard I'm trying to hide my nervousness.

"Ah, outstanding!" he exclaims.  "So, I suppose that you will be learning your special powers today, yes?"

I'm confused.  "Special powers...?"

He sighs.  "Oh, how disappointing.  It seems Layra didn't tell you everything, did she?  Well, allow me to explain.  Fairies with two bonded Pokemon have a deeper soul connection with them.  As a result, you might be able to summon some of your Pokemon's attacks.  It might be able to help with that bond phenomenon of yours," he adds with a cheeky grin on his face.

My confusion only grows.  "How do you know about that?  It was only discovered recently..."

He takes his arm off of me.  "I have my sources... but let's just say that you're quite popular among Legendary Pokemon," he says.  "Now, I must be off.  I look forward to hearing how your training is coming along at the end of today!"

Rin walks away, beginning to murmur to himself again, however this time I can't hear him.

"Don't trust... him..."

I jump, looking around in confusion.  It's that same airy voice again.

"Destroyer... maximize power..."

"Um, hello?" I ask, but I get no response.

I feel a sudden poke on my shoulder and I yelp.  I turn around, expecting some kind of demon, but it's just Layra.  She's also in the middle of laughing at me.

"Jeez, you're definitely spooked this morning!" she says cheerfully, although her voice is a different kind of cheerful than Rin's was.  Her voice has real emotion, unlike Rin's.  "Anyway, are you ready to start training?"

"Y-Yeah," I tell her.  "Hey, did you... hear anything just now?  Like a voice maybe?"

Layra instantly shakes her head, almost a little too fast.  "No, why?"

I shrugs.  "Nevermind.  Let's go," I said.

The Minister nods and we walk towards the same space as yesterday.  It's a little later in the day, and it is a little more cloudy than it was yesterday.  If I'm to guess it's probably some time around eleven o'clock in the morning... but I don't have a watch, so who knows?

We arrive there, and she begins by explaining the day's activities.

"Well, since you mastered basic magic yesterday, and since you can fly without falling flat on your face-"

"HEY!"

"-we can move onto more advanced stuff today.  I heard you with Rin, so you already know about Dual Bond Powers.  After, I want to test how strong the bond is with your Pokemon, so you'll pick one and... we'll battle."

I'm surprised.  "Battle?  Really?  Who's your Pokemon?"

Layra winks at me.  "You'll see!  I'll give you a hint though, she's a Dark-type Pokemon.  But you'll see her later, so you won't be pondering for too long, don't worry."

Hmm... I wonder what my opponent will be...

"Anyway, let's- hey!  Ash, your Mist Pokemon are...?" Layra trails off, gesturing to the fact that my Pokemon are not with us, but the two misty strings coming from my chest clearly show that they are out and about.  

"Oops, sorry.  They're still asleep in my room," I explain sheepishly.

Layra sighs.  "Well, summon them here then."

I'm shocked.  "You can do that!?"

The fairy looks like she's about to lose her patience, and we've only just started.  "Of course.  You're connected at the soul, just simply tell them to come here.  Honestly, have some common sense already.  It's like I'm training a toddler to do this job."

I'm taken back.  "You're on edge."

She glares at me, her eyes light up with that fire of hers.  "So what?"

I frown, only slightly.  "Is something wrong?  Did Rin do something?"

She shakes her head.  "No, just... okay.  Look, Ash, I need you to keep a secret for me, okay?"

I just simply nod my head up and down.

"Pretty soon, I'm going to have to leave you.  There's this very important meeting that I need to attend, but it's not in camp.  Don't mention this to anyone, no one can know, because I'm usually not allowed to leave.  Understand?" her voice is stern, almost like she's lecturing a child.  However, I still detect discord and faint desperation in her voice, so I agree.

"G-Good," she says, starting to relax.  "Okay then, what are you waiting for?  Call your Pokemon already!"

I decide not to mention the fact that I couldn't do it earlier because she was talking to me, and focused on the task at hand.  I was not actually sure how to do this, so I just called out to them in my thoughts.

Pikachu, Greninja, could you... um... come here?  To where I am?  Can you see that?

"Yeah, we can see, Ash.  Be right there!"  That's Pikachu.

"We'll be there in a moment."  Greninja follows suite a second later.

I have a stunned look on my face, and Layra looks at me with confusion written all over her.  "What?"

"It's just... I didn't think that we could communicate by just thinking like that," I explain.  "It's... really cool."

Layra smiles, rolling her eyes fondly at me.  "I thought you'd say that."

A second later, both Pikachu and Greninja join us.  Both of them stare at Layra, and I can tell even without hearing their voices what they're thinking.

She's trustable, I tell them mentally.  I trust her.  She's just someone caught in a mess trying to do the right thing, and she's helping us.

"Alright," they answer in unison.

"So, Ash, what are Greninja's attacks?" she asks me.  "And Pikachu's?"

"Why, so you can get the upper hand of me when we battle?" I question.

She huffs and stares at me.  "Ash, I told you that I have to leave soon.  Please don't make this difficult."

"Sorry," I apologize.  "Greninja's attacks are Water Shuriken, Aerial Ace, Cut, And Double Team," I tell her.  "And Pikachu's attacks are Electro Ball, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, and Iron Tail."

Layra thinks to herself for a moment.  "Hmm... okay then.  It'll probably be easiest for you to use Greninja's Water Shuriken attack, and Pikachu's Electro Ball and Thunderbolt attacks," she says.  "Want to try?"

I nod vigorously.  "Yes please!"

"Okay then.  Let's start with Water Shuriken.  Greninja, would you please?"

Greninja nods and forms its signature Water-type attack, but doesn't actually use it on anything.

"Good," Layra says happily.  "Now, Ash, I want you to try and do the same thing.  You have a closer connection with Greninja than anyone else; he can see and feel your thoughts and emotions and you can do the same for him.  Same with Pikachu.  You should know how to perform all of their moves as a bonus."

"Why can't other fairies do it?" I wonder.

"To put it simply, there's simply not enough soul power to do that," Layra says sadly.  "With two Mist Pokemon, you're much more powerful.  And that's the good thing- once you learn how to use their attacks, you'll be able to do it forever, even if something... unfortunate were to happen.  Anyway, try it now.  Pretend you're Greninja, and you're summoning a shuriken."

"I'll try," I say, closing my eyes to maintain concentration.  I try to imagine how Greninja does it, summoning a shuriken and all.  I mean, come to think of it, how do both of them do it?  It's almost like-

"AAH!" comes Layra's scream, and I immediately open my eyes.  I am holding a water shuriken in my hand, however this one is sparking with electricity.

"What?" I demand.  "You have to stop scaring me like that.  Did something happen!?"

"No no, nothing like that, it's just... Zagan, you've already done it."  Layra is shaking her head, and I can sense her worry.

"Done... what exactly?" I ask, not understanding what's so concerning.  

"You... right right, you don't know.  So, since using Pokemon attacks are pretty hard to do, it's usually natural to start with just solo attacks.  Combination attacks, like how you combined Pikachu's Thunderbolt with Greninja's Water Shuriken, take years to master... and since most fairies master magic within a day or two, that is a long time.  But you... you did it on your first try.  I've never seen anything like that, and trust me, I've been here for a while."

I become sheepish.  "W-Wow, so I guess I'm... pretty good, huh?"

"Don't let Rin know about this," she says forcefully.  "He will put his plan into action sooner than we'd like."

"Too bad he hears and sees everything."

I jump at the voice again, and this time, I notice Layra flinch when I hear it.  "You do hear it!" I say angrily, annoyed at her for lying to me.  "Who is it?  Who is he?"

"I have to go," she says meekly, and leaves the area suddenly with me calling after her.  "Practice your attacks."

I'm helpless.  Who is that voice?  Why are they talking to me?

I walk out of the training area, seeking answers.  Luckily, I don't see any fairy in the Colony so I just leave.  I wasn't intending to leave- I still have a mission to complete, after all- but I want to figure out a couple things.  Who is that mysterious voice, and what do they want with me?  Also, if there is the tiniest chance that I can see Serena in the forest, I'm taking it.  I walk for a couple minutes, then that's when the voice speaks again, only much clearer.

"Good, we're out of his hearing range.  Greetings, Ash."

"Who are you?" I asks slowly.  "And how can I hear you?  Are you a spirit?  I thought I needed a Necklace to talk to you."

The voice chuckles.  "You have many questions, all of which will be answered.  But for now, my name... ah, yes.  It's been a couple hundred years since someone's said it out loud to me."

"My name... is Rin."

I'm sorry but cliffhanger!!  I bet you're all feeling really confused right now.  Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!

Questions: What do you think Layra's Pokemon is, and who do you think the voice is?

You'll get those questions answered with the following updates!!  Stay tuned for more :)