Warning: This story will involve scenes of oral vore and graphic digestion. Although this particular chapter does not. If this is not your thing then stop reading now. You have been warned!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is the property of Nintendo and Game Freak.

Guardians of Alicrest: Chapter 10: Ovorlord Nefarious

Ava strolled through a lush forest, enjoying the sights and sounds of peaceful nature. Suddenly the environment around her began to shift and she was walking through a stone structure. She didn't even notice the change and continued along as if she had been inside the building the whole time. She approached a wooden door and stuck out her paw to open it. As soon as she touched the door, she was overcome with a sense of dread. But that was silly; This was her room after all, wasn't it?

Despite her fear, she pushed the door open anyway. Waiting on the other side was a Grumpig with a wicked grin on his face. Ava immediately turned to run, but her right leg gave out and she collapsed to the ground. She glanced at her right shoulder to find that it was horribly deteriorated. Entire pieces of flesh had been corroded away, exposing the muscle tissue underneath. Had it always been like that?!

The Grumpig opened his mouth, shooting four cuffs with chains on them. Each cuff trapped one of her paws and they began to pull her back towards Grumpig's maw. Ava clawed at the ground with her three good paws in an attempt to resist, but it was no use, the chains would not be deterred. As she grew closer to the Grumpig's gullet, his mouth seemed to get bigger and bigger, until all that was behind her was the dark pit of the Grumpig's throat. Once she reached the threshold of the mouth, the ground seemed to disappear completely and she screamed as she fell into the abyss.

She fell quite a distance before the chains finally pulled taut. She was left hanging high over a pit of green bubbling goo. Inside the good were two canine like skeletons. To Ava's shock, the two skeletons rose to their feet and looked up at her. It was her parents; She didn't know how she knew, she just did.

"Join us..." the skeletons said in unison.

The chains began to lower towards the vat of bubbling goop. Ava's struggles started anew.

"No! I don't want to die!" Ava shouted.

"Join us..." the skeletons repeated.

"No! No! GET AWAY!"

******

Ava shot awake, gasping for breath. She took deep breaths, trying not to hyperventilate. It was just a nightmare, a horrible nightmare. As Ava recovered from her shock, she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was in some kind of cave with a glowing blue crystal on the ceiling that illuminated the room. The air was pleasantly cool, a far cry from the desert, which was the last place she remembered being. She remembered... Vorlord Nefarious! She was immediately on edge, scanning the room for any signs of the sadistic Grumpig. She seemed to be all alone. That was strange, why would Nefarious leave her alone? Furthermore she was completely unshackled, free to move about as she pleased. Was this some kind of trap or cruel trick set up by Nefarious? There was only one exit to the room, but did she dare risk it? After a few hesitant moments, she decided that anything was better than waiting here for Nefarious to return. So she made her way towards the exit.

"Leaving so soon?" the voice made Ava's fur stand on end.

Ava slowly turned her head to see Vorlord Nefarious behind her. How did he get there?! Had he been hiding in plain sight the whole time?!

"You and I are bound by destiny you know." he continued to say "No matter how many times you escape my grasp, fate will always bring us back together."

Ava finally worked up the courage to respond "W-Where are we?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"Why Ava, don't you recognized the fresh air of the northern mountains?" Nefarious responded.

The northern mountains! How long had she been out?! "W-Why are we here?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"Because I've arranged for you to have a personal meeting with Ovorlord Ouroboros." Nefarious said, a wicked grin creeping onto his face.

Ovorlord Ouroboros?! The one responsible for killing Guardian Suicune?! What did he want with her?! Ava hadn't thought she could be any more frightened, but she was wrong. She felt woozy; Her legs began to wobble and give out from under her. Until a psychic blast knocked her to the ground, shocking her back to her senses.

"Do try not to faint again." Nefarious said "I want you to be fully awake for your meeting with Ovorlord Ouroboros."

"But, but I... don't..." Ava didn't even know what to say. She was terrified beyond words. She curled herself into a ball and began to cry quietly to herself.

Nefarious reveled in Ava's misery for a few moments before speaking again "Oh how I've missed the sound of your pitiful sobbing. But as much as I'd like to watch you squirm, I've kept Ovorlord Ouroboros waiting long enough."

Nefarious used in psychic powers to lift the weeping Glaceon off the ground and carry her along. They traveled down a winding tunnel lined with the same glowing crystals. Along the way, Ava finally stopped crying, having given almost entirely into despair. She quietly observed the tunnel they were walking down. A few other paths seemed to branch off from this one. The cave was like a labyrinth, but Nefarious seemed to know exactly where he was going. After another minute of walking, they emerged into an enormous cavern. A very large crystal on the ceiling illuminated the entire cavern, allowing Ava to see it perfectly. They were on a raised portion of terrain, with inclines on both sides that led down to a pit below. But Ava hardly noticed any of this as she was transfixed on the creature she saw inside the pit.

A massive, green serpentine Pokemon took up most of the pit. Yellow, ring-like patterns ran the length of his body and red lined fins protruded at set intervals. His head currently stood at eye level with the pair on the raised platform. Instead of white, his eyes were black, with yellow irises that seemed to be staring into her very soul.

"Guardian Rayquaza..." Ava uttered in disbelief, again unsure of how she knew his name.

A thin smile grew on Rayquaza's face "It has been ages since anyone has addressed me by that name." he said in a low, gravelly voice "I am Ovorlord Ouroboros."

Guardian Rayquaza was Ouroboros?! No, it couldn't be! It didn't make any sense! Or did it make perfect sense?! Who else could have been strong enough to kill a Guardian except another Guardian?! But why?! How?! All these questions and more buzzed through Ava's head.

"Still, the fact that you knew my real name marks you as a spirit host." Ouroboros continued "At last, one of the keys to my freedom is within my grasp. Nefarious, bring her to me." he commanded.

Nefarious levitated Ava towards Ouroboros. The large serpent shifted his position so that his head was further back and more of his body was up front. He raised a section of his body up and wrapped a single coil around Ava, not tight enough to hurt her, but just firm enough to keep her from escaping. Ava was trembling violently in fear as Ouroboros held her at eye level.

"What is your name, little one?" he asked.

Ava was surprised by the question, but it did little to abate her terror "A-A-Ava" she stammered in response.

"Good, I will forever remember your sacrifice for my freedom." He said and prepared to open his mouth.

"Wait! " Ava shouted suddenly "Tell me! What do you want with me?! Why do I have to die?! Why did you kill Suicune?!" all of Ava's emotion poured out. She was confused and scared and she just wanted some answers.

"Very well." Ouroboros replied "I will grant your last request and tell you my story."

"It's true, I was once one of the Guardians of Alicrest along with three others; Guardian Lugia, Guardian Reshiram, and Guardian Suicune. Together we watched over Alicrest, maintaining peace and order. However, I was not content with this like the other Guardians were. You see, a world without conflict is a boring one. I craved chaos and strife, anything to break the rut the world had fallen into. However, no Pokemon would ever be powerful enough or stupid enough to challenge the Guardians. So I thought, if I couldn't find a conflict, I would make one."

"So I decided to make my move. I attacked and devoured Guardian Suicune, eliminating on of the world's protectors. However, when the other two Guardians learned of my treachery, they retaliated in unison. But even with their combine strength, they were no match for my might. When they realized that they couldn't win, they resorted to one last desperate measure. They sacrificed their own lives in order to imprison me here inside of an inescapable barrier."

"However, I was a Guardian too, so I had knowledge of how their ritual works. The barrier is not self sustaining, so Lugia and Reshiram each left a fragment of their spirits in this world to maintain it. However, these spirit fragments can't survive on their own. They must find a living spirit to bind to in order to survive. The host isn't harmed, but they may find themselves with strange memories of Pokemon and places they don't recognize. When the host dies, the spirit fragment seeks out a new host and the cycle begins again."

"I knew that if I could just obtain the two spirit fragments maintaining the barrier and bind them to me, I could break free from my prison. However, I could do nothing from my captivity, so for ages I remained incarcerated within this mountain, until Nefarious here stumbled upon my prison. I had him form the Vorlords, knowing that if they devoured enough victims they would eventually eat those with spirit fragments in them. So you see, the Vorlords' true purpose was to find these fragments and free me."

Ava just sat there for a few moments, letting the information sink in. It was a lot to take in at once. So there was a spirit fragment bound to her? Is that where all these strange memories were coming from? And now she was going to die, because this spirit had chosen her out of thousands of other Pokemon? It wasn't fair!

"But why?! Why do you have to eat your victims?!" Ava demanded to know "Isn't just killing them cruel enough?!

"Consuming our victims serves a very important function." Ouroboros replied "You see, if a host dies within the body of another, the spirit will have nowhere to go. It will be forced to bind to the consumer. But there is another much simpler reason that we devour our victims... Because it's fun."

Ava's eyes grew wide at the answer. Did he just say it was fun?! Dear Arceus, he was almost as sick minded as Nefarious.

"You have your explanation." Ouroboros said "With your death I will only need but find the remaining spirit fragment and I will be free."

"Actually I already know where it is." Nefarious chimed in.

"You do?! Where is it?!" Ouroboros asked with interest.

"I have it." Nefarious stated.

"What?!" with great speed, Ouroboros launched his tail up and wrapped it around Nefarious and looked him straight in the eyes "And how long have you kept this from me?!" he demanded in an angry tone.

"Come now, if I had told you, you would have eaten me, and then I couldn't have found the other fragment for you." Nefarious said calmly.

"I suppose that's true." Ouroboros grumbled "But now it is time for you to complete your service to me. Do you have any last requests?"

"Just one... don't blink!" Nefarious said before his eyes began to glow.

Ouroboros's eyes began to glow the same color. They stood completely still, their eyes transfixed on each other. After almost a minute, Ouroboros finally broke the stare and blinked a few times. He looked around the cavern for a moment before cackling maniacally.

"You!... What did you do to me?!" Nefarious demanded to know.

"You arrogant, little fool! You were always so confident in your power, that you never even considered that one of us would be able to harm you!" Ouroboros responded.

"You will pay for this treachery Nefarious!" the Grumpig yelled.

Wait, did he just say Nefarious?! That mind, in that body?! Oh dear Arceus no!

"That's Ovorlord Nefarious to you. Oh you have no idea how long I've wanted to say that." Nefarious said gleefully "Ever since I laid eyes on that magnificent body of yours, I just knew I had to have it. So for the last couple of years I've been developing a technique the would allow me to swamp my consciousness with another. I just needed to wait until I had both spirit fragments, or I would be the one trapped in this prison."

"You can't do this to me!" Ouroboros objected "I've waited too long for this!"

"And that's what makes it so perfect. You waited all those years, only to have your hope snatched from you at the last moment. Oh, it's just so deliciously poetic." Nefarious licked his lip "And speaking of delicious, what was it you said to me earlier? 'it is time for you to complete your service to me.'"

"You won't get away with this! I'll make you pay! I'll kill you from the inside if I have to!" Ouroboros threatened.

"Please, feel free to struggle all you like, but you'll never master that power in time to save yourself." Nefarious replied "In the meantime, enjoy the sights and sounds of your old stomach."

"Nefarious!..." was the last thing to leave Ouroboros's mouth before Nefarious chomped his mouth down over him.

Nefarious released his coil, revealing Ouroboros's frantically kicking legs, which were quickly slurped into the serpent's maw. Ava watched in horror as Nefarious swallowed, sending a very slight bulge down his throat and into his body.

"Mmmmm, who knew I was so delicious." Nefarious cackled manically.

He was a madman! He just ate his old body like it was nothing! Ava began to tremble in fear again. This couldn't be real, it had to be another nightmare! Right?!

"Oh Ava, how I've longed for this day." Nefarious said, turning his attention to her "Did you really think I would let Ouroboros eat you? No, that's a pleasure I have reserved solely for myself. And with this body, I can enjoy that experience to the max. You see, this body is ruthlessly efficient in digesting its victims. Even a small prey like you will probably last a week before dying. Oh just thinking about how much you're going to suffer makes me giddy."

Ava's eyes grew wide again and more tears rolled down her cheeks. A whole week?! Oh please Arceus no!

"But my fun will have to wait a little longer. I want Ouroboros to move along a little before devouring you. I want each of you to have a unique experience, but most of all, I want you to die miserable and alone, with no other Pokemon to share your pain." He said morbidly "Cherish your last few hours of freedom Ava, for tomorrow you start your descent into hell."

With those final words, Nefarious laid his head down and closed his eyes. The consciousness swap process had actually been pretty draining on him and he needed some rest to recover his strength. Ava on the other paw, couldn't rest at all. She was far too terrified to sleep. She didn't want to die, but more so she didn't want to suffer. She knew firstpaw what being digested felt like and she never wanted to experience that again. She tried to struggle free of Nefarious's grasp, but the coil held firm around her body. And so for hours she was force to wait, every moment dreading the fate that awaited her when Nefarious awoke. Occasionally she would be overcome with grief and cry to herself, while at other times she would go into denial, thinking that this couldn't be real and just had to be another nightmare. But the slow sounds of Nefarious's breathing and the warm coil holding her in place were all to real. After what seemed like an eternity, Ava must have been on the verge of sleep, because she was startled when Nefarious began to stir from his slumber. He let out a long, loud yawn before blinking his eyes a few times to clear the sleep from them.

He looked over his new body once again "So it wasn't just a dream." he said to himself before turning to look at Ava "Good morning Ava, I trust you slept well." he snickered wickedly at his own sarcastic comment "What do you say we get down to business? It's time for breakfast and I'm famished. But I think a scrumptious little Glaceon will fill me up quite nicely." he licked his lips. "It's been fun tormenting you Ava, but now it's time for you to know true suffering."

"No! Please, don't do this! I don't want to die!" Ava broke down and begged "Just please don't!"

He slowly moved his mouth towards Ava, savoring the torment he was putting her through. Soon he was right on top of her, he was simply bubbling with anticipation. This was it!... BAM! A Shadow Ball struck Nefarious in the side of the face drawing his attention to the entrance of the cavern. There, standing on the ledge were a Meowstic and Mienshao.

"Ouroboros! Release her at once!" Cedric demanded.

Ava was never more relieved to see those two in her life. But her relief quickly faded as she realized what they were up against.

"Cedric! Ming! That's not Ouroboros!" she yelled to them "It's Nefarious!"

"Nefarious?!" the both exclaimed in shock.

"I see you two survived your little encounter with Draco." Nefarious said to them "I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. It looks like I'll get to be the one to end your miserable lives after all." he said with a grin.

"But... how?! Where's Ouroboros?!" Cedric asked in confusion.

"I stole that arrogant whelp's body before giving him a tour of my digestive track. The poor fool is stewing away in my stomach as we speak." Nefarious explained.

Cedric and Ming were left speechless. They had come in expecting a battle, but they hadn't expected this.

"So what do you think of the new me?" Nefarious asked "Isn't it magnificent? Just imagine the kind of havoc I could reek with this body; The suffering I could inflict. Soon this world will know the meaning of true despair. And with this ageless body, my reign of terror shall be eternal!"

"We won't let that happen!" Cedric declared.

Nefarious cackled maniacally "Do you two truly believe you can stop me all alone?!"

"But they aren't alone!" a familiar voice called from the cave.

Moments later a Blazekin, Chestnaught, and Greninja entered the cavern, followed by roughly twenty other Pokemon.

"So this is all that remains of your pitiful resistance." Nefarious said "Well you've saved me the trouble of hunting the rest of you down."

"We're done hiding from you, Nefarious!" Blaze declared "Draco and Morgana are already dead. You're all that's left of the Vorlords."

Nefarious chuckled "Is that supposed to frighten me? Although I am surprised you actually managed to defeat those two, you do realize that this is the body of an ancient guardian don't you? All of you are nothing to me! The only thing you've done by coming here is provided me with a feast to celebrate my victory!"

"Ya haven't won yet, ya gutless sack o' haggis!" Rook responded.

"Oh, I beg to differ." Nefarious disagreed "In fact, why don't I give you a demonstration of just what this body is capable of?"

Nefarious opened his mouth and a glow could be seen briefly within before a beam of energy shot at Rook. Rook slammed his claws together forming a shield of bramble, while other Pokemon dove out of the way. The beam struck the shield and for a moment it looked like it would hold, but this hope was quickly dashed as the shield shattered and Rook was thrown back against the wall. He managed to stay on his feet though and looked back at Nefarious.

"Is that the best ya got?" he taunted Nefarious.

"Far from it, that was just a warm up." Nefarious replied.

Nefarious held out his claws in a 'V' shape and fired bolts of electricity in both directions. Again Pokemon dove out of the way, but some didn't make it in time and received a nasty shock. Those who dodged returned fire, launching various different elemental attacks at Nefarious. However the attacks seemed to deflect harmlessly off of Nefarious's scales, making him chuckle. He raised a claw back before slashing it forward, carving out a section of the terrace. Those who had been unfortunate enough to be paralyzed by the Thunderbolt couldn't evade and took the full brunt of the attack, leaving no sign of them. The others continued to pour on the attacks, still seeming to do little more than tickling Nefarious. Nefarious's eyes began to glow and several rocks were pulled from the ground and ceiling, hovering around his body for a moment.

"Hit the deck!" Blaze yelled just before Nefarious launched the boulders at the group of Pokemon.

Everyone ducked just in time to avoid being splattered by the rocks as they flew over them and crashed into the wall behind them. While everyone was down, Nefarious opened his mouth again, firing another beam of energy, but this time he swept it across the terrace, catching several Pokemon in the blast. As the dust cleared, some Pokemon got back to their feet, but others remained on the ground, either unconscious or dead.

"This strategy is proving to be ineffective." Sheena observed "Our individual attack are unable to pierce his armor. I suggest we try a more focused approach."

"Ah think ah know what ya have in mind." Rook said.

"Me too, but we need to draw Nefarious's attention away from us." Blaze said.

"Leave that to us." Cedric volunteered.

Cedric and Ming ran to the other side of the terrace, before Cedric wrapped Ming is psychic energy.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be." Ming replied.

Nefarious chuckled as he observed the Pokemon left in front of him. This was too much fun. Ouroboros's body was working out better than he had dreamed. He aimed a claw at another group of Pokemon and began to charge another Thunderbolt. But his concentration was broken when something whizzed by his face, follow by some light blows to his neck. He looked to see a Mienshao floating next to him, pounding away at his neck. He reached a claw up to smash her, but she zipped out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed. She flew around and hammered a few more blows on his other side. Nefarious used his other claw to try to smack her away, but again she was too fast. Nefarious began to flail his claws around wildly, trying to swat the insect that was buzzing around his head. After a few moments of useless swatting and growing frustration, Nefarious noticed Cedric standing near the cliff in deep concentration. So that's how the Mienshao had obtained the power of flight. Now ignoring Ming, Nefarious aimed a claw at Cedric and fired an Energy Ball at the concentrating Meowstic.

"Cedric!" Ming warned him.

Cedric opened his eyes just in time to see a large, green ball of energy strike him and send him crashing back against the wall. With his concentration broken, Ming was released from his psychic energy and dropped to the ground below. In the meantime, Blaze, Rook, and Sheena were almost done preparing for their attack.

"With this, I pledge my fire!" Blaze said and aimed his claw at Nefarious.

"Ah pledge my grass!" Rook repeated and placed his claw behind Blaze's.

"And I pledge my water!" Sheena finished by placing her hand behind Rook's.

Nefarious heard this and turn to look at the three. A ball of energy formed at the tip of Blaze's claw and exploded into a spiraling beam of red, green, and blue energy. The attack struck Nefarious and exploded in a spectacular display, leaving everyone wondering if the attack had worked... Unfortunately as the smoke cleared, Nefarious was grinning wickedly at them. His face was scorched and scratched, but seemed relatively unharmed.

"I think I actually felt that one." Nefarious mocked them "Allow me to return the favor."

Suddenly Nefarious brought his tail up and slammed it down towards the trio.

"Look out!" Rook yelled, pushing Blaze and Sheena to either side of him before throwing up his claws in defense.

The tail slammed down on Rook, destroying another part of the terrace.

"Rook!" Blaze and Sheena cried out in unison.

"I guess I still don't know my own strength." Nefarious sighed "A pity, I was hoping not to kill any of you just yet."

During all of this, Ava watched as Nefarious decimated the group of Pokemon before him. Here she was again, powerless to do anything while other Pokemon gave their lives for her. What had happened to the determined young Eevee who wanted to be strong enough to protect others? She already knew the answer to that, Nefarious had happened. He had robbed her not only of her family, health, and happiness, but he had robbed her of her courage as well. The torture he had put her through had traumatized her and left her with a deathly fear of him.

She watched as Cedric got back to his feet and hobbled back to the edge of the cliff. Cedric and Ming, Ava thought, they had taken her in and comforted her when Nefarious killed her parents. They had become like family to her, and she could hardly bare to see them suffer. Despite this she still couldn't bring herself to act, her fear was just too great.

Nefarious looked down at the battered Meowstic "Still haven't had enough have you?" he asked.

"I won't give up. I won't let you win. I won't let you hurt my family!" Cedric replied, each statement more determined than the last.

Nefarious laughed at this "Rest assured, your family WILL suffer. In fact, I may just leave you alive long enough to see it."

This seemed to strike a nerve with Cedric, causing him to shout and fire a Psybeam at the giant serpent. Nefarious used his claw to deflect the attack effortlessly.

"Oh yes I can picture it now, the look on your face as I destroy everyone you hold dear." Nefarious said "So who is it? Parents?... A wife?...... Children?"

Ava's eyes grew wide at that last suggestion. No, not Sol and Luna! They were so young and innocent, much like she was before Nefarious had captured her family. No! She couldn't let that happen! She couldn't let Nefarious put anyone else through what he had put her through!

Nefarious aimed one of his claws at Cedric and began to charge another attack. Seeing this, Ava snapped out of her thoughts and bit down on Nefarious's hide. Her teeth couldn't pierce the thick scales, but they still froze the area around where she bit. Nefarious cried out in shock and quickly uncoiled Ava, dropping her to the ground below.

"Did you see that?!" Blaze remarked.

"Yes. It seems that body has a particular vulnerability to ice." Sheena observed.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me, that means that our best weapon against Nefarious is!..." Blaze began.

"...Ava." Cedric finished his sentence "I have an idea, but I need you to trust me."

******

Ava picked herself up off the ground, but what she found was a very angry serpent looking down at her.

"You're just a glutton for punishment aren't you!" Nefarious shouted at her before whipping her with his tail, sending her flying back against the far wall.

Ava slumped to the ground. That had hurt. She tried to struggle back to her feet, but while she was doing so, Nefarious thrust one his claws at her. A white and purple blur tackled her out of the way just in time to avoid the attack. It was Ming! She quickly picked up Ava and began to head towards the ramp leading back up to the terrace. Nefarious fired a few Energy Balls at her, but darted left and right to evade them. However, when her goal became clear, Nefarious slashed in front of her tearing out a chunk of the ramp. Ming was quick to react though, jumping into the air and using Nefarious's own claw as a platform to jump the rest of the distance.

******

"You want us to do what?!" Blaze exclaimed "But that will leave us completely open!"

"I know, but it is our best option. Ava is the only one with enough of a type advantage to hurt Nefarious." Cedric replied.

"And you're sure it will work?" Blaze asked skeptically.

"It worked for Vorlord Morgana." Cedric stated.

"Fine." Blaze relented "Everyone who can still fight, gather round."

The remaining Pokemon gathered around Cedric who began to explain.

"I need you all to hold paws or make some kind of physical contact. I'm going to use Helping Hand to transfer a portion of our energy to Ava. I know it's a gamble, but we need to put our faith in her. It's our only chancing of winning this battle."

The others nodded in agreement and began to hold paws in a circle. Cedric began to concentrate, gathering the essence from those around him and transferring it to Ava.

Ming and Ava finally arrived at the top of the cliff in time to see the ring of Pokemon, but so did Nefarious.

"What's this?" Nefarious questioned "Another desperate attempt at an attack against me? Or perhaps you are just saying your final prayers before I kill you? Either way, you've made yourselves an easy target!"

Nefarious opened his mouth and aimed it at the defenseless group of Pokemon. It emitted a glow before firing a beam of energy at them.

"No!" Ava jumped in front of the beam and emitted a protective barrier in front of the attack.

The barrier held strong, scattering the energy around its edges, safely away from the others.

"What?!" Nefarious shouted in complete shock.

He looked down at the Glaceon. There seemed to be an aura of energy around her so strong that it was almost visible. Nefarious fired a Thunderbolt at her, but she swiftly dodged it. He fired other and she dodged it as well. He grunted in frustration and tried to jab her with his claw. She dashed to the side to avoid it, but Ava was no longer content with just evading. She opened her mouth and formed a shard of ice, which she fired at Nefarious. The attack seemed to do minimal damage, but it served to enrage Nefarious further. He began to recklessly fire a volley of attacks at Ava, each of which she dodge and countered with another shard of ice. It seemed like Ava had the advantage and that Nefarious was about to lose it, but he suddenly calmed down and laughed.

"Oh I see what's going on here. How did I not recognize Morgana's little trick?" he said "You must think you're pretty clever, but your little strategy won't work if I take out the source."

Nefarious swung one his claws, once again targeting the group of Pokemon around Cedric. Ava jumped in front to project another protective barrier. Nefarious continued to press against the barrier, trying to penetrate it while Ava strained to keep the barrier active. Nefarious raised his other claw and appeared to be forming energy in it. If that attack hit, it would shatter the barrier for sure. So Ava decided to take a different course of action, she dropped the barrier, but immediately opened her mouth and fired an Ice Beam at the claw that had been pressing against the barrier, freezing it solid. Nefarious howled out in pain and drew his claw back, shaking it frantically.

He clutched the claw and glared at Ava. He opened his mouth and shot another beam of energy at her, but she opened her own and fired another Ice Beam to intercept it. The beams clashed meeting a in stalemate for a few moments, but Ava's Ice Beam began to creep forward. Nefarious noticed this and Ava could see his eyes grow wide as he realized he was actually losing. There was little he could do though, if he stopped the attack, he would take the full force of Ice Beam. His only option was to continue and hope that Ava tired out. This didn't happen though, and the Ice Beam eventually reached Nefarious, causing another howl of pain as half of his face was frozen.

Ava didn't let up. She opened her mouth again, but this time blew out a frigid wind. The wind rapidly grew in power until it formed a swirling Blizzard around Nefarious. For a few moment Nefarious was obscured by a flurry of ice and snow, but when it cleared his body was mostly frozen, covered in frost and icicles. Only a small portion of his face remained thawed now. He breathed heavily, his breath visible due to the frigid air around him. Ava expected him to be angry or even afraid, but instead he just laughed.

"Enjoy your reprieve while it lasts Ava. I'll be waiting for you in the next life, ready to turn it into a living hell!" were his final chilling words.

Ava charged the remaining energy she had and unleashed a wave of Sheer Cold energy which rushed over Nefarious, freezing him to the very bone. After a few moments, the brittle body began to collapse under its own weight. Large section of the body broke away falling to the ground below. His head broke off as a whole, still wearing its wicked grin, even in death.

Ava breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over. She felt the excess power leave her as Cedric stopped channeling his Helping Hand. The group of Pokemon turned to look at her, with a mixture of awe and gratitude. Ava was about to say something, when she was suddenly embraced by Ming.

"You did it! You actually did it!" Ming praised her.

"I knew we could count on you." Cedric said.

"Even I have to admit that I'm impressed." Blaze complimented her.

"Th-Thanks." Ava replied, a little embarrassed by all the attention "I just couldn't let him hurt anyone else."

Suddenly Ava felt strange and a small ball of light left her body. Everyone watched it curiously as it flew behind Ava. Another ball of light emerged from Nefarious's body to join the other one over the pit. In a small flash of light, both balls transformed into ghostly images of unfamiliar Pokemon. One looked like a cross between a dragon and a bird, with a large wingspan and long tail. The other was slightly more draconic with a wispy tail and hair. These must be the Guardians Lugia and Reshiram that Ouroboros spoke of. They both looked at Ava and smiled.

"Thank you Ava, because of you, we are finally free." Lugia said.

"You have suffered more than any Pokemon should ever have to. I'm am sorry that we have nothing to offer you other than our heartfelt thanks." Reshiram said.

"Just know that you are a true hero. You are all heroes." Lugia said, acknowledging the contributions of the others.

"It seems the time of the Guardians has passed, but we can leave this world knowing it will be in good paws." Reshiram said before both spirits faded from view.

Every Pokemon stood awestruck for a few moment. It was truly a historic moment, the end of an era, and the beginning of a new age; Hopefully one of peace.

******

Eventually the group of Pokemon all made if back to their base in the forest. They held a memorial ceremony to honor those who had given their lives in the battle against Nefarious. Of the roughly twenty Pokemon that had fought, about a third of them had lost their lives, including Rook.

But now was not a time for despair. The Vorlords were defeated; The world was free from fear; It was a time to rejoice. And rejoice they did. The rest of the day was spent in celebration of their victory, with food, drinks, and general merry making. By the next morning things had finally died down and Cedric and Ming could be seen talking to Blaze.

"So what will become of the Guardians of Alicrest now?" Ming asked curiously.

"I suspect most will return to their families and loved ones." Blaze replied "However, a few of us will stay behind. Without the ancient Guardians, this world will need someone to protect it."

"It's good to know someone will still be looking out for us." Cedric said "However, I think it's time I get back to my family."

"I understand." Blaze said, his demeanor much calmer now that the war was over "I wish you the best of luck. Maybe our paths will cross again someday."

******

Ava sat quietly at the camp's edge. It was hard to believe it was all over. The last few months of her life had defined her, and now that they were over, she wasn't really sure where she belonged. Should she stay and be a Guardian? Her injured leg pretty much put that idea out of the question. But could she truly return to a normal life? She was so absorbed in thought, that she didn't even notice Cedric and Ming approach her, until Ming put a paw on her shoulder.

"Are you okay? You look sad." Ming asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Ava lied "It's just, where will I go now? Where do I belong?"

"Isn't it obvious." Cedric replied "You belong with us."

"We may not be related by blood, but that doesn't make us any less of a family." Ming said.

Ava suddenly leaned forward and embraced Ming. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but they were not tears of sorrow, they were tears of joy. They remained like this for a couple of minutes, simply basking in the heartfelt moment.

******

In the forest, outside a den, Cedric once again reached out with his psychic energies. Moments later, a female Meowstic emerged from the den.

She could see the smile on his face "Cedric, does this mean..."

"It's over." He stated simply.

The two embraced each other, but this time they met with a heartfelt kiss. During this, two Espurrs emerged from the den.

"Ewww!" the two children teased when they saw their parents kissing.

They broke the kiss and Cedric turned to his children.

"Sol, Luna, I know life has been hard for you two, being confined to such a small area, forced to hide from the outside world. But we don't need to hide anymore. I want to show you the world and all the beauty that lies within it."

The two Espurrs' eyes grew wide and sparkly at the prospect of getting to leave the forest.

"Really?!" they both exclaimed in unison.

"Yes, but first daddy needs to rest." Cedric said.

"Awe!" the two whined, but in reality they were just happy to have their dad home.

"I hope you don't mind if Ava and I join you." Ming said.

"Of course not, you two are just as much a part of this family as Cedric." Aurora replied.

And so they all settled in for the night. As Ava laid on a fresh bed of leave, she looked at the other Pokemon lying around her. This was her home now. It felt... right. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off to first night of peaceful sleep she had since could remember.

Her nightmare was finally over.