Sven stayed grumpy throughout Hia Valley, but fell asleep again in Crysta Cave, so Kellyn and the others moved quietly.
Brock tossed a blanket over Sven's back, and he and Wendy walked with him while Kellyn led the way with Blu and Lucario.
Kellyn begged for Wendy to remain distracted so he wouldn't have to train, but something deep inside did want to train—as crazy as that sounded. Still, he didn't want to stress Wendy out by making her worry about someone other than Sven. He remembered those days as he waited for Molli.
Kellyn wondered if he would ever quit thinking the entire journey through the cave, but at least it distanced him from what was coming up. It took almost an hour, but he and the others had finally exited it back into Vien Forest, where it was warm. Sven woke up, and Brock gathered everyone's coats. He folded them and packed them into his big ole' bag.
It looked like Sven was feeling a little better, so he walked for a bit through the forest on the way to Pueltown, with Brock, Wendy, and Staraptor watching over him. He leaned down, picked a flower, and handed it to Wendy.
She smiled, sniffed it, and then kissed Sven's cheek.
Brock blushed, but soon smiled back. Kellyn assumed he had plenty of heartbreak in his short life; he was likely used to it by now. Did he know Wendy and Sven's secret, through? What about Dawn? Had Ash slipped up on anything? Of course, there was always a chance they figured it out themselves through Sven's behavior, too.
The guilt returned, but Kellyn pushed through and continued to lead the way through the forest. The team stopped by the river, and he cringed, remembering J's ambush. Molli was another person he nearly killed in a few days.
Before Kellyn could succumb to his emotions again, Lucario, Wendy, and Sven approached him.
Oh, gosh! Now?
"We need to practice, Kellyn," Wendy said gently but firmly. "Try this." She, Sven, and Lucario cupped their hands and held them out to Kellyn.
A blue aura ball appeared in Lucario's palms, and she carefully moved it around before it disappeared.
Oh, gosh. But if it would help—Kellyn mimicked Lucario, Sven, and Wendy. They, the Sinnoh trio, and Blu stiffened when a ball of energy appeared in Kellyn's palms, too.
He tried to control the power, but something tugged at his ball, causing it to move freely without his control. Within seconds, it ricocheted and threw Kellyn into the river.
It wasn't out of spite, but Ash and his friends giggled a little before calming themselves.
Kellyn sat in the river and coughed. He clenched his fist and punched the water.
Wendy and Lucario hurried through the river and helped him stand.
"You almost had it, Kellyn," Wendy said. "Be proud."
How? Kellyn just embarrassed himself again in front of his friends. It didn't hurt as much as the demotion, but still.
Brock stepped forward. "Why don't we have some lunch, and then you can try again afterward?" He set his backpack down and started unzipping it. "I always feel right as rain after a good, hearty meal."
He wasn't wrong about that. Maybe a hearty meal was just what Kellyn needed.
The team sat in a circle, and Brock handed each member one of Ms. Winter's lunches.
Sven only ate a little and yawned. However, he shook his head and popped up (Kellyn guessed he was trying to stay awake). The Union was correct about slowing down to help him recuperate that day. Nonetheless, Sven's face read that he hated being sidelined. It probably made him feel like a burden, but he wasn't—Kellyn was.
Wait, no, Kellyn wasn't a burden—just flawed. While a part of him still wanted to complete the mission alone, he knew that all of Almia would likely fall into darkness if he did. So, with that in mind, he ate his sandwich quietly and then stood after eating.
"Wendy, Sven, and Lucario?" Kellyn interlaced his fingers and lowered his head, shuddering slightly. "I'd like to practice some more."
And with that, he officially trapped himself.
***
Kellyn actually wanted to train? That surprised Ash, but there he was.
Kellyn stood with Wendy, Sven, and Lucario beside a hidden pool in the riverbed, with Blu hovering in front of him, a stern look on his feathery face.
Kellyn cupped his hands again, but nothing appeared that time.
Come on, Kellyn," Ash pleaded, sitting on a log. "Listen to your instincts." His instincts guided him through the Orange Islands.
Brock and Dawn sat with Ash, and Ash noticed Dawn looking guilty, just like the day before. "Dawn," he said, "are you seriously still on about only giving Sven a blanket?"
"Quiet, Ash," she stated, narrowing her eyes and hugging Piplup in her arms. "I don't care what you say; I'm going to find a way to make it up to him."
Brock leaned forward on the log and asked her, "Are you sure you don't have that ten-year-old crush on him, Dawn?"
"Shush!" Dawn yelled, blushing. She threw her bag at Brock and hit him, knocking him off the log.
Ash and Pikachu tittered and gave Dawn knowing looks.
Ash bumped fists with Pikachu. "It looks like Brock's not the only one experiencing heartbreak, Pikachu."
"Shut up, Ash!" Dawn shoved him off the log next and stood up, marching away. Her face was as red as a Tamato Berry. "I'm going to find a way to make it up to Sven." She disappeared behind a tree, but Ash saw her watching the others from behind it. Was it weird that he was the only one in the trio who hadn't experienced heartbreak?
Ash and Brock sat, refocusing on Kellyn (Dawn needed her space right now).
He cupped his hands for what seemed like the thousandth time, and finally, the Vatonage energy reappeared in them. Now, if only he could control it with the help of the other Rangers and the Pokémon. Parity and the Gem Guardians needed Kellyn to stay balanced. Ash hoped they were hanging on as best as they could, but Sven did slow them down a bit. It wasn't his fault, though.
"Remember, Kellyn," Wendy told him, gesturing at his hands. "Balance and confidence."
It looked like Kellyn was really trying that time. Ash heard him mumbling, "Balance and confidence," repeatedly, even when his power tried to retake control.
Ash thought for a second before beaming. He placed his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Come on, Kellyn! You can do it! You can do it, Kellyn!"
"Pika!" his Pikachu announced after him.
While Brock didn't yell, he raised his voice. "You have our support."
Dawn soon joined them again and said, "Piplup and I, too!" She briefly glanced at Sven, flinched, and then returned her attention to Kellyn.
He inhaled, and Ash saw him relax as Blu and Lucario nudged him.
And in that moment, Kellyn sent the light into the sky, calling, "Vatonage!"
The light shattered into pieces and drifted onto a few wilted plants, which instantly perked up.
A few Pokémon in the area lay down and relaxed as they had just heard "Oracion".
Blu grew and soon sported his Rainbow Forme again.
"I did it!" Kellyn cheered, grinning.
Wendy clapped like Professor Oak on a good day. "You did, Kellyn! Congratulations!"
Golden boy Sven coughed, but soon crossed his arms and admitted, "It looks like I underestimated you, Prince of Almia."
Warm rays of sunshine filtered through Vien Forest's treetops, sparkling on the forest floor and river.
Ash knew Kellyn could do it; he didn't need his leadership skills—just a positive attitude. Darkrai chose him for a reason, and it was almost certain that Lucario knew that, too.
Her aura outlined her, and she rested her hand on her chest, saying in a wise voice, "Again, again. I help. Make Master proud." That was the first time Ash had heard her telepathy. Perhaps Kellyn helped her, too?
She and Kellyn faced the river and prepared their auras. Kellyn's changed from golden-yellow to rainbow, and Lucario's was as blue as her fur.
They were about to unleash their magic when something flashed in the treetops.
Pikachu's ears twitched—"Pika?"—but a beam of light shot past the team and hit Lucario in the back.
"Car!" she cried out before a sheet of stone covered her entire body, as if she had just seen Medusa. The Pokémon fell forward and sank into the river.
"Lucario!" Kellyn shouted. He, Blu, Sven, and Wendy hurried toward her, but a sudden gust of wind hurled them into Ash, Brock, and Dawn.
"J!" Ash bellowed when her spaceship appeared above the river.
J and her Salamence emerged from where the light beam came from and stopped before the spaceship.
"No Gem Guardians, no saving Parity, no heir!" she threatened the team. Her visor appeared and covered her eyes, and she sneered at Sven, who coughed beside Wendy. "Even better, your friend is sick. So, you guys aren't going anywhere." She moved down toward the river. "Thank you for supporting the black market."
Mechanical claws left her spaceship and pulled Lucario out of the water. They carried her toward it, and Ash leaped to his feet, Pikachu beside him. Now, he understood how Kellyn felt when J ambushed him and Molli.
How could Ash and his friends be so naïve?