Lucario and Darkrai? What were they doing there? Why did they leave Almia Castle?
Kellyn's legs wiggled beneath him, and he and Ash quickly bowed to the two noble Pokémon. Now was the time for Kellyn to tell Darkrai his concerns with Vatonage. Maybe that was why he and Lucario were there—they already knew his request?
At least Ash was next to Kellyn, so when it was time for him to transfer his power, he didn't have to chase after him and Pikachu.
"Please rise." Did Darkrai beg? "You guys don't need to bow to me. We're here because Lucario wanted to see you again."
Lucario nodded and approached Kellyn, placing a paw on her chest. "Car," she softly said.
Ha, if Kellyn could guess, it almost seemed like Lucario…
Darkrai finished his thought. "She wishes to join you guys on your quest for the other two Gem Guardians. She wants to teach you balance, Kellyn."
"Balance?" It truly was a miracle that Kellyn managed to purify Lucario. "Actually, Darkrai…" Kellyn put his hands behind him and intertwined his fingers. "I want to talk to you about that. About Vatonage."
There was no turning back now.
"Hm?" Darkrai focused on him, as did Ash, Pikachu, and Blu.
"Um…" Kellyn locked his knees, flinched, and spilled his guts. "I want Ash to have my power."
Silence. Everything in the forest stilled, even the snow bouncing off the tree branches.
Blu, Ash, Darkrai, and Lucario stared at Kellyn, whose lips trembled. "I'm not worthy of it. Ash is a much better leader than I."
More silence. Then Ash laughed and reached for his lips. "That's a good one, Kellyn!"
It looked like Lucario and Darkrai were also trying to hold back laughs.
When Darkrai spoke again, his tone was serious. "That's not possible, Kellyn. Aside from the Gem Guardians and me, you're the only one connected to the Luminous Crystal, which is where Vatonage's power comes from."
Kellyn's face flushed, and he puffed out his cheeks. "But I don't want to be the Prince!"
Did Darkrai glare? He definitely snapped, which was unusual for him. "Well, too bad, you are. I didn't want to be King, but there I was."
Kellyn noticed frustration in Ash's eyes, too, but he remained calm. "And I didn't expect to be the Chosen One in the Orange Islands, but that's a different story."
"Pika," Pikachu agreed, patting Ash's shoulder.
"And Wendy and Sven didn't expect their surprise," Darkrai added, "but it happened. It's called growing up, Kellyn. It happens to everyone."
Now, Kellyn knew for sure he wasn't ready. He thought he became an adult when the Union promoted him to Top Ranger at fifteen, but he guessed wrong.
Shaking his head, he backed away from Darkrai, Ash, and Lucario. A flashback of him hurting Wendy at the Luminous Crystal flashed through his mind. What if he had killed both of them?
Kellyn's panic surged, and he grasped his chest, trying to stop the palpitations.
"I know you're scared, Kellyn," Darkrai continued, "but that's why we're here—to guide you through this."
No, Kellyn wasn't scared—he was terrified and too young to be royalty.
Before he could succumb to another panic attack, Ash approached with a knowing look on his face. "Deep breaths, Kellyn."
But the darkness.
Kellyn clutched his head, and suddenly, a surge of purplish-black, shadowy mist surrounded it.
Without warning, Blue-Bird twitched and lowered his own head, saying, "Blue-Bird! Blue-Bird!"
"Blue-Bird!" Ash shouted, leering at Kellyn. "Kellyn, snap out of it."
"I don't know how I purified Lucario," Kellyn argued. "I don't deserve this power, Ash."
Ash put his foot down. "You purified Lucario because you found balance and were confident."
Kellyn's confidence was already low coming to Almia. The demotion only made it worse. That was proof he wasn't ready for the title.
"Kellyn," Darkrai added, "you purified Lucario because you remembered three important traits of a Ranger. Lucario and the others want to help you keep remembering those traits—that's how you'll truly grow."
Kellyn let those words sink in: Confidence, Teamwork, Balance. The corruption left his mind, and Blue-Bird calmed down, landing on his shoulder.
"You just need to remember what you were like before you purified me." Darkrai began backing away from the group.
Oh, gosh, had Kellyn gone down the same path as Sven—with a life-altering event that changed him forever?
Darkrai clasped his hands—"I know you can do it"—and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Ash and Kellyn with Lucario.
Well, that was a Mission Failed. But at least Kellyn ended up with another Partner Pokémon. There was just a lot for him to reflect on that night.
On their way back to Ms. Winter's, Ash told Kellyn, "We'll train again tomorrow on the way to Boyleland, if Sven's feeling better."
Lucario, walking between the two, said, "Car."
In another ten minutes, Kellyn and Ash reached Ms. Winter's and pushed open the door, Ash calling, "Ms. Winter, we're back!"
Ms. Winter, organizing things in the kitchen with Brock and Dawn, held her finger to her lips. "Shh, dears." She motioned toward the room Sven had crashed into. "Your little friend's got a fever."
A fever? Oh, no! First, Kellyn hurt Wendy, and now Sven?
His face must've grayed because Ms. Winter added, "Oh, don't worry, dear. Brock thinks he'll be okay in the morning. Wendy's in there with him, so it's not like he's alone or anything."
Still!
Brock, placing a few plates in the kitchen's cupboards, said, "Wendy said we'll call the Union in the morning and give them an update."
Kellyn wasn't sure how Sven would react if the Union decided to pull him from the mission. Honestly, he wasn't sure how he'd feel either. That was just another thing to add to his list of worries.
He almost forgot about Lucario until Dawn asked, "Huh? Why's Lucario here?"
"Lucario?" Kellyn finally returned to reality and noticed the tall Pokémon standing beside him.
"Kellyn and I ran into her and Darkrai outside," Ash explained. "She wants to join us and help teach Kellyn balance."
"Oh." Ms. Winter grinned and approached Kellyn and Lucario, taking Kellyn's ears. "I think that's a wonderful idea. Lucario will help you with the next two Gem Guardians."
"Divine," Kellyn said, pulling away. He left Lucario and headed toward the bathroom again, but stopped at the front door and quietly pulled out the ultrasound picture he had seen before. Kellyn hated poking his nose into Ms. Winter's business, but he was just so curious.
Before long, he heard Ms. Winter behind him. "That's a picture of our daughter."
Kellyn jumped and spun around, bumping heads with Blu. "Ms. Winter! I'm so sorry." He started to put the picture down, but Ms. Winter stopped him.
"It's okay, dear. You were just curious." She took the picture out of his hand. "Our sweet daughter was everything we had hoped for."
"But I don't see any other pictures of her…" Kellyn started, then it sank in when Ms. Winter gave him a mournful look. "Oh… I'm sorry."
She giggled softly. "My dear husband made up for it by asking me to marry him. We grew up that day, Kellyn, just as you need to grow up now."
But Kellyn wasn't ready to grow up. He couldn't take care of his friends and the region at the same time.
"Sleep on what Darkrai told you, dear," Ms. Winter said, guiding him toward a row of sleeping bags in the living room. "You might be surprised."
Kellyn doubted that. He also doubted the peace would last—especially with J and Team Rocket still out there—and they might not be so lucky next time.
Oh, Darkrai. Why couldn't Ash be the Prince?