fates collide // an ash xy love story

xxxii // in & out

"Lysandre..."

"If it isn't my favourite Aura Guardian," he comments, walking closer to her. Bonnie and Clemont look at each other with confusion.

"Well you're the only Aura Guardian I know, but the statement still holds true, you're truly one of a kind, Hannah." Lysandre praises her, stepping closer and closer, while Hannah steps further back. 

"I'd rather not talk to you, actually," Hannah states, "you manipulated Alain."

"Manipulated is such a strong word," He claims, "I think... tricked is more appropriate."

"You've hurt so many civilians and Pokémon down there," Hannah states, gesturing to the red and black vines destroying the city, her voice getting progressively more distressed.

"They're not the chosen ones, so I cannot save them." Lysandre shrugs, a deceiving smile on his face. 

"A-and now... you're ending the whole region, and possibly the whole world! And for what!" Hannah yells. 

"Because I don't know if you know this, Hannah, but most of humankind is horrible and cruel, only looking out for themselves and I find that disgusting."

Hannah, in her shock-induced state, mutters, "you're such a hypocrite," she builds confidence and steps closer to Lysandre, "I can't believe you just ran into this and didn't even care about all the innocent Pokémon and people down there."

"Its the cost of the new world, its what needs to happen," Lysandre declares.

Hannah starts to get worried, looking back to Ash, Clemont and Bonnie. Hannah and Ash make eye contact and Ash gives her a reassuring smile, "Hey, it's okay. We'll stop him, I know we can do it."

Hannah almost unnoticeably sighs in relief and reassurance floods through her body. Lysandre looks between the two of them and mutters, "interesting."

Lysandre looks at the boy and gives a pity laugh, "actually, you can't. That energy is on route to the sundial, and no one can stop it."

Lysandre looks at Hannah, and comments to himself, "well, almost no one."

"Okay everyone stop," Bonnie interrupts Hannah and Lysandre in their stare-down, "What are you guys talking about? What's an Aura Guardian?"

Hannah's eyebrows raise in realisation, "Oh that's right, I never told you guys, did I?"

"Well, apparently not," Clemont nervously laughs, "Does this all have to do with your prestige talk?"

"Um, yeah," Hannah mutters, rubbing her neck.

"Basically," Ash starts, turning his restrained body to face them, "Hannah's been training since she was like 10 to become someone who can control energy, and she completed her training like a year ago and wanted to travel and explore, so she ended up in Kalos. So all those meetings she went to, her special hotel room, all those people talking about her status was because she's an Aura Guardian."

Bonnie and Clemont both let out a sigh of realisation, "you know how much sense that makes?" Bonnie says, "you've gained even more respect from me."

"Thanks, Bonnie," Hannah says, smiling at her.

"You didn't even tell your new friends?" Lysandre buts in, "That's not very friendly of you."

"Because you know all about making friends," Hannah remarks. Lysandre gives her an unimpressed look, "as much as I want this to continue, I need to head off to headquarters to finalise a few things."

Lysandre reaches into his pockets to grab what Xerosic was using, a gun. Hannah's eyes widen in recognition of the weapon, the same one used on his friends. Hannah goes to create something from her powers but is too slow as Lysandre fires the gun at the girl, rendering her immobile.