[Pokémon] The Fourth Ninja Village Hero Sibling

Yonpei

I was pretty annoyed when my older brother Sanpei brought a quartet of strangers to the village. Naturally, everyone welcomed them with open arms because Ipei would be named the new Chief during the festival tomorrow tonight, and surely someone related to the Chief couldn't bring people into the village who would harm it.
This conveniently ignored the fact that it was Chief Hanzo's nephew and adopted son who brought my sire into the village with him.

You see, Ipei, Nihei, and Sanpei were only my half-brothers. About fourteen years ago, Chief Hanzo's nephew and adopted son brought a friend he met on his Pokémon journey into the village. At first he seemed like a perfectly nice and peaceful man, helping the children out with their ninja skills, going out of his way to help the villagers, being kind and polite to everyone that he met. But as the weeks went by, he began to show a darker side of himself, becoming increasingly more violent and aggressive, especially towards women, and people who crossed him started to mysteriously go missing. But no one did anything because the Chief's son, who was the future Chief himself, had personally vouched for him. Everything came to a head when this man was caught red handed after murdering the very man who had vouched for him, because the future Chief had discovered what he was up to. When hauled in for questioning, he admitted to having assaulted several women, including my mom. He didn't even try to deny it.

What no one realized until later was that he had left a part of himself behind: me. Even though he only did that Mom once, it was unfortunately still enough to get her pregnant. Not a lot of people really liked me because of it. It was stupid because it wasn't like I asked for that to happen to Mom (if anything, I would have tried to change history so that my father was someone different; I wasn't quite altruistic enough that I would try to prevent myself from being born).

Most of the villagers tolerated me at best, because Chief Hanzo sternly reminded everyone that my conception wasn't my fault, and that it wasn't like I asked the bastard to do what he did, and because Ipei was going to be Chief one day, but not may of them truly accepted me. I had a few supporters, namely friends of my mom's, but it seemed like most people were waiting for me to turn into my sperm donor. Honestly, that just seemed like a self-fulfilling prophecy waiting to happen.

So I wasn't exactly thrilled when Sanpei brought a quartet of strangers, Ash Ketchum, Serena Gabena, and Bonnie and Clemont Fulmen, into the village with him. Naturally, because they were friends of Sanpei, they were welcomed with open arms.

"Good morning and salutations, Sanpei. I congratulate you on your recent evolution of Greninja." I greeted my half-brother a bit stiffly.

I sometimes liked to speak very formally when I was talking to him to show how much I hated him. I didn't speak so formally with anyone else, so it was a mark of how much I didn't like him. He was four when I was born, and he saw that having me made Mom sad and kind of nervous, and I cried a lot and it annoyed him, so he decided that he didn't like me. He had never made an effort to see passed that original four year old impression of me.

He never made an effort to see me as a sister, to treat me as family, not just the bastard child of the man who killed the future Chief, or as an annoyance that he had to put up with because Mom and Ipei said he had to, so I didn't see a reason not to.

Of all of my brothers, it was Ipei who made the most effort to treat me like family.

Nihei made almost as much effort as Ipei (he didn't really know how to get past my decidedly unapproachable attitude), but still Ipei was the brother I was closest to. It was Ipei who taught me pretty much everything I know, from life to Pokémon Training. And Ipei was the one who held me when I woke up screaming after a particularly gruesome nightmare about a city I thought was on the moon in flames, being attacked by monsters of some kind.

"Yonpei." Sanpei replied coolly.

Sanpei was four-ish when I was born. Unlike Ipei, who was already eighteen when I was born, Sanpei didn't get to hold me and look at me as a sister. Ipei had told me several times that the first time he held me, he saw something special in me, something worth protecting.

Sanpei didn't get that same feeling, probably because he never got to hold me when I was a baby— Mom wouldn't let him, apparently, because of the previously mentioned four year old dislike of me because I cried a lot and because I made Mom nervous and sad and tired. From what she said, she was worried he might drop me on purpose because he didn't like me. Just because Mom supposedly felt the "touch of destiny" on me, whatever that was supposed to mean, didn't mean that she wasn't worried about me turning out like my sperm donor. Which, fair, he had seemed nice at first before he got comfortable enough to show his true colors.

And Nihei, for some strange reason, was terrified of babies, and he still was today, albeit a bit less so than when he was younger. Arceus help him if he ever got married and had kids (no idea if he would, and no judgement if he didn't, but Arceus help him if he ever did decide to do that). I think it was the crying and the wetting, but he was absolutely petrified of babies, and also never wanted to hold me because he thought he'd drop me. He could be such a worrywart at time, but I loved him for it anyway. I think his worrying was why he didn't try to get closer, for fear he would say something to make me mad at him.

He know about my temper and generally avoided inflaming it.

I think he didn't want to go and stick his foot in his mouth and say something that would make me mad and drive us apart.

Ash, Sanpei's friend, looked between the two of us, taking note of our similar facial features and hair colors. "Are you two siblings?"

"Half-siblings." We corrected curtly.

"I'm guessing there's A Story behind that." Clemont guessed.

"There is." I agreed. "But it's none of your business, outsider."

Nihei quickly broke the tension by challenging Sanpei to a battle, his Venusaur against Sanpei's Greninja. I watched with a bit of interest, rooting for Nihei, of course.

Sanpei started off with Night Slash, which Venusaur was able to black at the last minute, taking little damage from it. However, Sanpei didn't see this and thought it connected, so he continued on the offensive as if it actually had.

But Nihei, clever Trainer he was, had a counter to that: first he had Venusaur conceal himself with Petal Blizzard, and then go underground. Once Venusaur came up, Nihei had him use Razor Leaf, and then Solar Beam, which ended the match.

As everyone praised Sanpei for his improvement, I rolled my eyes, debating the wisdom of making a scathing remark about how Arturia and I could beat him with a Type disadvantage and restricted to Fire Type attacks- no idea if we could, but to would be fun to see his reaction to the taunting, and he might turn colors from said taunting- but then felt my Pokéball warm on my belt. So I quickly made my excuses and hurried to the tunnels under the village, to the area where the monument to the Hero Greninja was, where I could let my best friend and partner out without the outsiders seeing her. It was my usual training ground, since very few people knew that I had a Shiny Legendary for a partner.

Once there, I activated the listening seal in Sanpei's room, knowing that he would show his friends his room, and by activating the seals, I would have a good two minutes' warning about them coming. Idiot still hadn't realized that I'd had his room bugged for more than a year.

I scowled as I heard their conversation, about a photo that had Ipei, Nihei, and Sanpei in it.

"So why doesn't the photo have Yonpei in it?" Serena, the older girl of the group, wanted to know. "I mean, she's your sister, right?"

"Half-sister." Sanpei corrected. "Same mother, different fathers. We've never been very close. She's always been closest to Ipei and doesn't really want to spend time with me."

Oh, yeah, sure, make me sound like the bad guy. You're the one who never bothers to spend time with me, even though I asked you to. Granted, it was as a favor to Ipei, who wanted his family to at least tolerate eachother and try to keep the attempted humiliation to a minimum, but I still had asked and would have spent time with him if he agreed.

I sighed. "Make me the bad guy like you always do," I muttered. "Never mind that this whole messed up relationship of ours is, to channel Cinema Therapy, a two way street of garbage." I shook my head and tried to banish those thoughts tossed my Pokéball and I rolled my eyes as roaring filled the cavern. I made my way over to Arturia, my partner, and smacked her upside the head. "Yes, we know you're a big, tough, Entei. Now stop hamming it up and let's do some training. Unless you'd rather work on your big tough Entei act."

Arturia pouted. "Spoilsport."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your point?"

"Naturally my point is that you're a spoilsport."

I rolled my eyes. "And that makes so very much sense."

"Thank you. So, training?" My Shiny Entei partner asked eagerly.

"Naturally. What do you want to work on today? Speed? Accuracy? Power? Defense? Endurance? Evasiveness?" I paused as I heard something from Sanpei's room and sighted. "Or not. Looks like training will have to wait. The little girl's Dedenne and that other weird Pokémon she called Squishy fell down the trap door."

"Back into the ball then?"

"Unfortunately so." I pulled out her Pokéball, which I had painted with the image of a flaming orange knight's helmet shaped like a lion's head (something out of one of my favorite TV series; I had taken up painting after I broke my leg and had to stay off it for a few months as something to do) against a sky blue background, and was about to point it at her when I saw Nihei and Ipei come into view. Smiling, I turned to face them. "Ipei, Nihei. What are you two doing here?"

Ipei hugged me briefly, which I returned. "Just going over a few last minute details for the festival with Chief Hanzo. Training with Arturia?"

I raised an eyebrow, and using USL (Unova Sign Language, which I had learned from another ninja a few years ago), I replied by rolling my eyes, shaking my head sarcastically as I tapped my thumb to my pointer and middle fingers, pointing at myself, slicing my right hand though the air in a half-circle motion, did a few punches in the air (my sign for training) and then arced my right hand— ring and pinky fingers folded against my palm, pointer and middle fingers bend and slightly curved, middle ring and pinky fingers folded against my palm, pointer and middle fingers bent and slightly curved, thumb pressed against them— towards my flattened left hand. No, I'm never training again.

I rolled my eyes again, and held up my right hand, thumb and middle fingers touching, pointer finger sticking up, put my middle finger up with my pointer, thumb touching my ring finger, then turned my hand sideways, and pointed to myself, punched the air, and half-smacked my spread pointer and middle fingers to my forehead, thumb touching my ring finger. For good measure, I folded my pointer, middle and ring fingers against my palm, pressed my thumb against my pointer finger, and stuck my pinky up, holding my hand against my forehead. Duh I'm training, stupid idiot. Maybe it was insulting and rude to call one of the two people who had largely raised me a stupid idiot, but Ipei liked to encourage me to find creative insults for people I didn't like. I think it indulged his prankster streak that he couldn't openly indulge since he was going to be named the new Chief in a few days.

Instead of getting insulted, Ipei just grinned. "Now, Yonpei, I know you can be more creative than that. However, that was a rather stupid question, so what do I expect but a stupid answer? So, what are you working on today?"

Our conversation was abruptly interrupted by the Dedenne and the strange Pokémon Squishy came falling through the tunnels. Nihei caught them, a bewildered look on his face.
I sighed. "Well, unfortunately training will have to be put on hold. Arturia, return." Just as my partner disappeared into her Pokéball, Sanpei and his friends landed with varying degrees of grace, Nihei handing Squishy and Dedenne back to Bonnie.

Sanpei looked at me. "Did you just return Arturia to her ball?" He questioned, annoyed. "Ash and his friends are perfectly trustworthy."

I snorted. "You mean like the last visitor was perfectly trustworthy? Because we both know perfectly well how that turned out."

Sanpei flinched. "So yes, he was untrustworthy, but Ash is different!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I've never met him before. Therefore, I'm not going to trust him."

"He won't steal your partner!"

"No, he'll just shout it to the world that I have a Legendary Pokémon and then every greedy collector and their mother will come here trying to take Arturia from me." I shot back.

"We could have them swear an oath." Nihei, ever the peacemaker, suggested.

"On what?" I demanded. "What's binding enough that they won't break it?"

"There's no need for anyone to swear an oath because they won't tell anyone." Sanpei insisted.

"Pull the other one." I retorted scornfully. "I set a kunai trap on it."

"I have a better idea." Ipei interrupted before our debate could get any more heated. "Yonpei, have you perfected your Fidelius seals yet?"

"I have." I answered. "I managed to slip one on you last week and you never even noticed. Don't tell me you haven't wondered why you can't talk about certain topics."

Ipei grinned. "You didn't manage to slip one on me, I let you put it there. But since I haven't been able to remove it, I decided to let you think that." Turning to the outsiders, he continued "If you've read the famous Harry Potter series, you probably have an idea of what we're talking about. The Fidelius Seal acts much like the Fidelius Spell in the books, with its applicant being the Secret Keeper. In this case, you all would be bound by what is essentially the Fidelius Charm, and Yonpei is the Secret Keeper. As you heard her say, her partner is a Legendary Pokémon, so you can see why we're being cautious."

"Not just a Legendary." I added. "A Shiny Legendary."

Clemont's eyes widened. "I can see why you would want this kept a secret." He murmured.

Bonnie looked at her brother curiously. "Clemont, what's the big deal about a Shiny?"

"Well, Shiny Pokémon are a different color than they normally are." Nihei began. "And they're really rare. A Shiny Legendary Pokémon is even rarer. If word were to get out, greedy Pokémon Hunters will swarm the village to try to take Arturia, Yonpei's partner, away. Yonpei has a hard time trusting people because of what her father did, and she and Sanpei have never been close, so Sanpei's word alone that you're trustworthy isn't enough to reassure her."

"What did her dad do?" Ash asked. "I know he's not your dad, but what did he actually do?"

"Well," I sighed. "Let's just say that he didn't care about Mom at all, and probably never meant for me to be born. I doubt he even knows about me, considering that he's locked up in jail for murder, theft, and other unmentionable crimes." Eyes widened as the older outsiders in the room realized what I was talking about. "There's a certain stigma that follows kids like me. The people of Ninja Village usually go out of their way to ignore me. So you can see what I don't trust anyone. Just so you know, there's no way around this. Like Ipei said, Sanpei's word alone isn't enough, especially considering that he doesn't like me because of who my father was. And just so you know, I will put the Fidelius seal on all of you, even you, Sanpei, and don't think that I can't or I won't. Because, believe me, I will. We may have the same mother, we may share blood but you're hardly my brother." Nihei was my only brother. Ipei was more of a father. He was the one who had taught me almost everything I knew (Mom had the bare minimum of ninja training that everyone in the village gets; instead, she worked as the closest thing the village had to a Nurse Joy).

"I couldn't agree more." Sanpei snapped.

"I don't trust any of you." I continued, deciding just to ignore Sanpei. "And if you try to tell anyone about this, not only will you not be able to since I'm the Secret Keeper, but the seal will completely wipe your mind of the knowledge and erase your memories of seeing Arturia. Don't think that I can't do that." I looked at them. "So, who's first?"

Ash stepped forward, squaring his shoulders. "You know you can trust us, Yonpei. We're your friends. We wouldn't tell your secrets."

"No, you're not." I said flatly. "You're Sanpei's friends, and friends of Sanpei's are not friends of mine. Now turn around and lift of the back of your shirt." I was surprised that Ash didn't protest as I drew the seal on his back. I was equally surprised when none of the others protested, although Sanpei shot me dirty look. Finally, after all the seals had been applied, I stepped back and took a breath. "Alright. You want to know what my partner is? Well here she is. Arturia, call to Excalibur!" I tossed the ball into the center of the room.

Arturia roared as she appeared. "I call to the Holy Sword Excalibur!"

I grinned. "Everyone, this is my partner, Arturia, named after one of my favorite characters in an TV show that I like." I ignored Ipei's snort at the comment. "Meet Arturia the Shiny Entei, who is also named after the legendary King Arthur of Albion. So, were you surprised?"

Yonpei

"Incredible." Clemont finally breathed. "Yonpei, how in the world did you manage to capture a Shiny Entei? Entei aren't even native to Kalos!"

I shrugged. "That's the thing— I didn't. I found her egg in the monument," I nodded towards the shrine/monument up ahead. "And it hatched a few days later. Boy was I shocked when it turned out that the egg I found, which I thought I'd be lucky if it were even a half-way decently rare Pokémon that would help me become a decent trainer, turned out to be not only a Legendary Pokémon, but a Shiny one was well."

"Monument?" Ash echoed.

Ipei nodded, pointing at the shine up to the village's hero, Greninja. "It's a monument and shrine to the hero of the village." He explained.

"Hero?" Clemont repeated.

"Yes. Let me show you." The future Chief walked forward and pushed the doors open.

Taking a look at the portraits done in what I thought might be charcoal or pencil of some sort hanging on the wall, Serena gasped. "Wow! I think that's a Pokémon!"

I nodded. "That's right. Our village's hero is, in fact, a Pokémon. According to legend, there was a big fight that broke out among the ninjas of the village for whatever reason. It's impossible to say what exactly that reason was now, but the point is that a fight did break out between the ninjas of the village and someone decided to do something about it, stepping in to stop the fight from getting any worse. What's interesting is that it was a group of Pokémon who defended the village, and their leader was a Greninja. I know the drawings aren't exactly clear, but it was definitely Greninja. That's why both Ipei and Sanpei chose Froakie as their starters when they started training, and why more than a few others have chosen Froakie as their starters. Lots of ten-year-olds start their journeys hoping that their Greninja will be like the Hero."

"But that Greninja looks different than ones I've seen before." Bonnie half-protested.

I shrugged. "I know. I'm not sure why that is. There are a few theories, but no one knows for sure because it took place more than a century ago."

Suddenly, the outside alarm sounded. Ipei looked at Sanpei, shifting into what I called Command Mode. "Sanpei, take your friends and go to Chief Hanzo. Yonpei, Nihei and I are going above. Yonpei, how long do you need to fully unlock Excalibur's abilities?"

I smiled nervously. "Well, I was able to switch to a forty second aria yesterday."

Nihei pursed his lips. "Forty seconds? That's going to be tricky, but I think it's doable."

"Agreed." Ipei added and then looked at me. "Don't bother recalling Arturia. It will only take you more time. Instead, mount up and ride ahead of us. Do not try to use your sword until we get there. We all know that it to keep the tempo the second time if you're interrupted the first. And while we can buy you the forty seconds, any more than that will be difficult and likely not doable. It would be better for all of us if you just wait a few minutes for us to arrive."

I nodded. "Right." I hastily climbed onto Arturia's back, hanging on for dear life as she sped up. It was barely a minute before we reached the commotion, which was being caused by a group of Skarmory. Automatically I reached for the sword worn over my back but then remembered Ipei's words and instead started the song that served as the passphrase to unlock Excalibur's full power in my head. I had to sing it out loud for it to work, but I found that doing it in my head before doing it out loud helped me to not be interrupted when I did it out loud. When I sang the passphrase song out loud, I had to keep to the tempo and not mess up at all, or I'd have to start all over again. It was annoying, but it was what it was.

Arturia and I managed to get in front of an attack that would have hit one of the villagers just in time. I was definitely thankful I'd been taking the time lately to practice, a lot, with Excalibur under Ipei's guidance. Even two weeks ago, it had taken between ten and fifteen seconds to materialize my shield, and a full one minute to unlock the sword's full abilities— even though it drained my energy more to keep it materialized all the time, it was worth the drain to keep my sword with me at all times because I'd have to take time to materialize with it and to unlock it. But I had worked really, really hard to be able to keep it out at all times, so that I didn't have to go through the hassle of bringing it out and unlocking its power. I have no idea why the lock was in place, but I could only guess that it was to keep me from using its power when I wasn't ready to have said power at all times. When I first got it, when it appeared to me in a dream when I was nine, I'd had to make it appear with one thirty second incantation in Latin— which was hard enough— and then sing a five minute hymn in Old Kalosian, which was also hard. Thankfully I had managed to keep Excalibur out all the time and switch to progressively shorter arias, the latest being forty seconds. It was still long, but a bit more doable in a fight than a five minute hymn.

The Skarmory's attacks battered the energy shield I created, but still I held firm. I ground my teeth and pushed forward, biting my lip to keep my mind off the temptation to draw my sword. I will not draw my sword, damn it. I thought firmly. I know better. Just telling myself that I wasn't going to draw my sword wasn't working, so I tried a different approach: I started to recite a prophecy in a book I had read recently. The first of you shall be the last, as darkness looms and shadows cast. The God of Under strikes a blow, as vile evil stirs below. He calls upon his children four, to find the orphans much before, the fate of Man can be ordained. The death of many he must claim, to break out of his fiery hell. Hear this call to serve you well, gather your courage and your wits, search for boxes never quit, until the last of six are found, and Delphi's mystics now are bound, to face the Four and take a stand, against the threat to all the land. But first you'll start with scroll and map, to lead you down a hidden trap. Into the cavern by the woods, descend the stairs and hope you should, have the Seer by your side, to ask the door to open wide, and save you from an icy death before her daggers steal your breath. Go beyond Capheria's reach, the first such place upon the beach. A quest of six and no less few, to find the Seeker young and true. Seeker leads you to the Star, vital to your journeys far. Seeker guides you deep in stone, language now is not unknown. Serve you well upon your quest, break the Star to serve you best. Tuck back through and do not tarry, time is key to all you carry. Find the next, there's five to come, each will give one part of sum. Will you win or will you lose? It will lie in who you choose. A minute or so after I started reciting, I pushed one of the Skarmory back, whirling to face another coming at me from the other side, and was contemplating reciting something else when I finally saw the arrival of Nihei and Venusaur as well as Ipei and his Greninja. Thank Arceus; I was starting to get worried.

"Yonpei, we're here!" Nihei called and had Venusaur swat some of the distractions away. "Good work holding the line. We can take over from here. You only need forty seconds, right?"

"Just forty." I confirmed.

"Alright. First, assessment?" Ipei prompted.

"They're not wild." I replied immediately. "They're too well trained, too coordinated in their attacks. Their goal seems to be to cause mayhem, but they're not actually doing much damage. I highly doubt that wild Skarmory know to try to double team me and try to distract me by forcing me to deal with numbers, like they've been trying to do. If I had to hazard a guess, I would have to say that someone is using them as a distraction."

"Yes, that was my thought as well." Ipei agreed, turning to look over his shoulder. "Greninja, come here." He called and the Ninja Pokémon rushed over from where he was dealing with yet more distraction Skarmory. Who sent them, and why? "Greninja, we need to buy Yonpei thirty seconds, for the usual reasons. Can you help me with that?"

Greninja nodded. "I can." He answered. For some reason, I've always had the ability to understand Pokémon. "Forty seconds is going to be difficult, so don't get interrupted, little one. We won't be able to buy you much more than a minute."

I scowled at the Greninja who was very much an older brother to me. "Do not," I growled. "Call me little. I'm thirteen years old, damn it, and I'll be fourteen in less than six months— I'm not little anymore, thank you very much."

"Haven't you learned by now that you'll always be little to me?" Greninja retorted.

I sighed. "Whatever. I don't have time to argue this with you right now. Arturia, let's do this."

"Right." My partner acknowledged.

Closing my eyes, I laid my sword against my arm and started the song that would unlock its full power. "I dream of the morning light, I'll se you again. It's not time yet, no, it's not time yet, no, what color will this wonderous morning be? It's not time yet, no, it's not time yet, no, this lonely night is only half consumed. I hear the sleeping bell chime, but I can't find you. Now, good morning, Nightmare! And the bad dreams will never, come once again."

The song complete, my eyes snapped open. Using my shield hand, I formed a crude set of reins made out of my Aura, the main use being to direct Arturia without having to speak. Because I couldn't speak via telepathy I couldn't direct my partner that way, and even if I could, I was still partially taking my focus off of the opponent. And as Ipei had taught me, it was a Very Bad Idea to take my focus off my opponent even for a split second during a battle, be it a true battle, like a fight, or just a Pokémon battle. To prove his point, he and Greninja had attacked suddenly, switching off attacking and defending and in general never giving me a moment to think, much less issue an order.

My Aura reins wouldn't hurt Arturia at all; at most, she'd only feel some mid-level discomfort (something like a three or four on a scale of one to ten). They just served as a way to direct her, a way for me to tell her where to move in the middle of a battle so that I didn't have to direct her verbally when we both needed to focus our attention on the matters at hand.
The Skarmory swooped low, attacking again, firing off numerous attacks; I wasn't sure what. I batted them away with my sword, but still they kept coming.

I pursed my lips together. "Well, looks like we're going to have to stop it up a notch." I decided, turning in Ipei's general direction to shout a quick warning. "Ipei! I'm about to do a Soul Resonance! Make sure everyone gets out of the way before I finish!"

"Right!" Ipei barked. "Everyone, fall back! Clear the area and let Yonpei attack!"

"Okay, Ipei!" The villagers agreed and hurried back behind him as he erected a shield.

"The power of the shield is only good for two minutes," My favorite person ever informed me. "Make sure you get everything done that you have to in that time, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay!" I called back. "Ready, Arturia?"

"Ready!"

I raised my sword and shield high above my head. A silver-gold barrier surrounded me, the only reason I dared to something like this at all. "Excalibur," My sword began to glow silver and gold, shining so brightly that I almost had to squint. It was time to bust out my ultimate ace and take this battle to the next level. "SOUL RESONANCE!"

Yonpei

A beam of brilliantly colored light, oscillating between silver and gold, shot into the air, turning my usual outfit, a miniature pink version of Ipei's outfit, silver and gold. My left eye turned silver and my right eye turned gold, a side effect of what I was doing.

I released a hundred golden silver arrows of light, sending them in every direction, having them circle back around and change direction on a dime as soon as one of my opponents tried to evade my attacks. Yanking on my Aura reins with my left hand, I wheeled Arturia sharply to the right, taking out a mini-team from Team Rocket (the resident terrorist team in Kanto) and sending them blasting off. I then turned Arturia towards the Skarmory, which all soon retreated. They accomplished what they wanted: capturing Chief Hanzo.

I released the Soul Resonance and sheathed Excalibur, and had to bite my lip against the sudden tiredness that overcame me. For those brief few minutes using it, the feeling was amazing. But once I released it, all of that energy was gone.

I tightened my grip on the 'reins' as I tried to keep my back straight; I could pass out after the battle, after I wasn't where dozens of villagers who didn't like me could see me.

Suddenly, a pair of arms encircled me and lifted me very gently off of Arturia's back. I was about to squirm and thrash, and demand that Ipei put me down (he was the only one Arturia would let come anywhere near me when I was like this; not even Nihei got to come near me when I was about to pass out from using Soul Resonance, and it always made me want to pass out) before a few Latin words were whispered in my ear and I blacked out.

I woke up several hours later, right as night was falling.

"Sleep well?" Ipei asked, smiling.

I glared at him. "I didn't need to be made to go to sleep, Ipei! I would have been just fine if you hadn't done that!" Stupid family members with bad ideas about what's good for me.

This was met with a raised eyebrow. "My apologies. It won't happen again."

I snorted but otherwise didn't comment. "So what happened?" I asked instead of getting into an argument about whether or not it would happen again. "I know Chief Hanzo got kidnapped, but who kidnapped him and why?"

"Saizo has an idea about that." He replied. "We're having a meeting in half an hour to make a plan and figure out what to do next. I've left a fresh set of clothes and some water for you, if you'd like to freshen up before then."

I suddenly realized that the clothes I was wearing were dirty and sweaty, and I'd been wearing them for a few days straight. A fresh set of clothes sounded absolutely wonderful right about now. "Thanks, Ipei. Uh, would you mind . . .?"

Chuckling, the soon to be Chief excused himself and let me change and wash my face. I'd have to take a shower later before the festival (thank Arceus we had that modern convenience, at least) but for now, this would do just fine.

I quickly changed out of my clothes and put on the new ones, using the small basin of warm water that Ipei left to wash my face.

I let out a contented sigh; that sure did feel good. Like my Fire Type partner, I wasn't much a fan of cold things. Alright, so there were some things I liked cold, like drinking water or foods meant to be enjoyed cold like ice cream, but wash water? No way.

Arturia hated anything cold, from cold water (even drinking water) to cold weather to cold food. She also refused to eat any food that hadn't been loaded with copious amounts of Tamato and other spicy Berries. And Arceus forbid I try to give her a bath with anything but scalding hot water. She wasn't much a fan of taking baths in general, but a bath that wasn't scalding hot was just not going to happen. Normally I had to wear rubber gloves to bathe her.

With all the training we did, she usually needed a bath at least once a week.

Not a very pleasant experience. Especially with how much she protested and fought.

"You ready?" Arturia asked.

I nodded. "You?"

"Duh."

I glared at her. "No duh-ing, or so help me, I'll make you take two baths this week."

The Shiny Entei seemed to pale. "Shutting up now."

"Thank you." I grumbled before turning back to the doorway where I knew Ipei was waiting. "Ipei, I'm done now. Will you show me to the meeting place?"

"I will. Follow me." I stepped outside of my room, and Ipei turned and led the way towards the place where the meeting would be held.

Once there, I saw that Saizo, who was Sanpei's teacher, Nihei, and the quartet of outsiders were there as well. So they were all in on this plan making? Wonderful.

Everyone sat down and I returned Arturia to her ball (to her displeasure) because there wasn't enough space for her in the small meeting room, and Saizo cut straight to the point. "I'm afraid Kagetomo and his henchmen kidnapped the Chief."

I frowned. "Kagetomo?" I echoed.

Ipei nodded. "He used to live in Ninja Village, and was a very powerful ninja. He was in training to be the next Chief, but then he and Chief Hanzo had a disagreement about what meant to be a ninja and how best to lead the village, and Kagetomo was stripped from his position was future Chief. That was when I began my own training as future Chief."

"Kagetomo thought that he had the power to rule the world." Saizo spoke up. "And thought it was his right to do so. But Chief Hanzo disagreed and revoked his status as future Chief. Kagetomo fled with his follower, Hidaiyu, who agreed with him, and they trained a group of ninjas until they were strong enough to take on the village."

Sanpei stood up suddenly, declaring that he had to do something and the he has going to rescue the Chief. Ash, who was just as hotheaded as my idiot half-brother stood up mere moments later, deciding that he would go with Sanpei.

I stood up and grabbed both of them by their ears. "Morons." I hissed. "If you go charging in there, guns blazing, you've as good as lost, and then what will happen to Chief Hanzo-sama? He's certain to be fine right now, if only because Kagetomo needs him alive and intact to present the Chief's Emblem to him. But what if Kagetomo decides that it's too much hassle to keep Chief Hanzo-sama captured and instead decides to just leave him on his own somewhere or worse? Plus, you don't even know where he is! Do you two have any semblance of a brain in your heads? Good grief. You may be Pokémon Trainers, and you may be recognized as an adult in the eyes of the village, Sanpei, but you sure as hell aren't acting like it. You're both acting like children. Stop and think for a moment before you go rushing off without a plan, you idiots."

Sanpei glared daggers at me. "I don't have to listen to you!" He shouted. "You're not my sister! You're just like your father, and I wish that you'd never been born!"

For a second, I could only stare in shock. And then anger replaced my shock as I lunged at Sanpei. "Take that back!" I screamed. "Take it back, take it back, take it back! I'm noting like that bastard, you hear me?! TAKE IT BACK THIS INSTANT!" I wrapped my hands around Sanpei's throat and began shaking him. "I SAID TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK OR ELSE I'LL DO MORE THAN JUST SHAKE YOU, YOU HEAR ME, BASTARD?!"

"Yonpei, Sanpei, enough." Ipei growled. "Sanpei, you should know better than to compare Yonpei to the man who sired her. Just because she told you off and you were angry does not give you the right to say that she is just like the man. Yonpei, have I not told you that flying off the handle at the slightest hint of someone comparing you and he will do you no good?"

I sighed and reluctantly released Sanpei. "I guess you're right." I muttered reluctantly. "But you'd better not let him go with just a verbal slap in the wrist. I know you'd have to punish me as well but I don't care. Just punish him too and I'll be happy." I really hoped that Sanpei wouldn't get off with what was essentially a slap on the wrist. I really, really hoped that.

Ipei nodded. "Both of you will be punished accordingly. Sanpei, you realize that your words go beyond mere petty insults, that what Yonpei's sperm donor did weighs heavily everyone, especially Yonpei herself? You are well aware that the topic in question is a sensitive one. I realize that you are unhappy about Yonpei's existence, but you should know that it was not her fault. You should know by now that Yonpei will react violently when someone compares her to that man. Yonpei, you should know better than to react so violently when someone compares you to that man. Flying off the handle will do you no good."

"I know." I muttered. "I know. But he doesn't have to go rubbing it in my face. It's not like I asked to be born, or for Mom to carry me to term. Touch of destiny my, err, my left foot."

When asked why Mom decided to carry me to term when the other women decided they wanted no part of him (I was not the only child conceived by the bastard; just the only one carried to term and not aborted) she would always say that she felt the 'touch of destiny' on me, whatever that was supposed to mean. Not that she'd ever tell me what that meant, no matter how many times I asked her. She seemed to enjoy dangling it in front of me, tempting me and taunting me, daring me to try to figure out what it meant, just stringing me along until I got the right answer. I definitely knew where I got my vindictive streak from, and it sure as hell wasn't that bastard who sired me. I thought it was revenge for all the pestering about her family history and her connection to the legend of the Moon Kingdom.

Ipei's chuckles brought me out of my thoughts. "Yes, Mother would say something like that."

"Touch of destiny?" Ash echoed. "What does that mean?"

I shrugged. "That's what Mom always said when asked why she decided to carry me to term. She supposedly felt the 'touch of destiny' on me, whatever that's supposed to mean. Not that she'll ever tell me. Personally, I think she just likes f— err, messing with me." I hastily censored myself, noting the way Ipei's hand drifted down towards the pocket of his outfit where he carried a bar of soap which he used to wash mouth out if I swore more than he would like. He put up with me calling my sperm donor a bastard, and the occasional damn or hell, but other than that, he had a firm 'no swearing' rule. "But anyway, what's the plan to rescue Chief Hanzo-sama?" I looked pointedly at Ash and Sanpei. Sanpei glared.

"To start," Ipei replied. "The villagers are tracking his whereabouts. Let's see what they come up with." Sure enough, just a few moments later, a villager burst in and after the customary sneer at me, he told Ipei where he'd seen Chief Hanzo-sama: Atori Mountain, near the summit.

That in mind, it was time to make a plan.

One way or another, we would rescue Chief Hanzo-sama from Kagetomo.

Because no matter what we had to do, Arturia and I were going to make sure of it.

Yonpei

The plan made, we raced to execute it. So, Saizo leading the way, we made our way to the summit where our Chief was being held. However, almost as soon as we came to the foot of the mountain, we were stopped by Kagetomo's force of ninjas that he'd trained. Nihei looked at me hopefully. "Yonpei, do you think that now would be a good time to draw your sword? If you needed to, could you do it, to rescue Chief Hanzo?"

I pursed my lips together. "I think so. But I'm probably going to need to sleep a long time if you still want me to perform at the festival. Soul Resonance twice in one day is going to be insanely tiring, especially if I have to use a Balance Breaker. And I need that thirty seconds."

Ipei nodded. "Can you sing the passphrase song for your sword while you focus on a potential second Soul Resonance? You may need to pull out a second, if earlier was any indication. I doubt that Kagetomo and his ninjas will be inclined to be any less intense than earlier in pursuit of their goal." His gaze flicked to Sanpei's friends; clearly, he wasn't going to give away that I could call upon the most famous sword from Galarian legends. Nodding, I told him that I could. "Good. Then come with me, and we will rescue Chief Hanzo. Can you do the process while in movement?" At my second nod, he smiled warmly. "Well done. You've come a long way."

I blushed. "I'm glad you think so." I quickly climbed onto Arturia's back, forming the customary Aura reins to direct her, as I focused on the passphrase song, Mada Dame Yo. If this kept up, I might see about trying a shorter passphrase song sooner rather than later. Then, quickly drawing Excalibur as Arturia took off at a brisk trot, I began singing, blade flat against my arm. It was a bit more difficult to keep my focus, to perfectly keep to the tempo like I needed to, than usual because I had already used Soul Resonance once today, but somehow, miraculously, I managed to do it. Though a third time was probably not going to be possible. I had to be able to do this if there would be any chance of rescuing Chief Hanzo-sama. I couldn't afford to let my focus slip and mess up, not when the village's Chief was depending on me, whether he knew it or not. He was depending on Ipei and I, who I had just caught up to about one minute ago, and we would rescue him.

Besides that, Chief Hanzo-sama was one of the few people who never blamed me for the actions of the man who sired me, be it the mass assault of the women of the village or the killing of the heir before Kagetomo and several other promising young ninjas.

Having grown wise in his old age and after all of his time leading the village, he realized that I, a child, couldn't possibly be held responsible for the actions of That Man.

After all, I hadn't somehow asked him to do that to Mom or kill the heir.

And because of his faith in me, I would save him.

No matter how far I had to push myself.

Directing Arturia to charge Kagetomo's Weavile, I hurried to finish the incantation as she slammed into the Ice and Dark Type.

The future of the village wasn't just at stake, but also Ipei's future as well, because I had a good feeling I knew what would happen if Kagetomo became Chief. With that in mind, I knew that I absolutely could not afford to mess this up.

I really, really, couldn't.

The synchronization complete, I grasped Excalibur firmly with both hands and lifted it into the air high above my head. "SOUL RESONANCE!" I roared, my eyes turning silver and gold, and my outfit doing the same, and my normally mahogany colored hair turned silver with streaks of gold, as a beam of light, oscillating between silver and gold, shot into the air. Nearly everything about my appearance changed when I used Soul Resonance. As Weavile and Greninja clashed and attacked, I wheeled Arturia around and charged at Weavile again. It tried to slash at me with what was likely Metal Claw based on the grayish silver glow, but I quickly raised formed a temporary shield and blocked it. When it tried again with Shadow Claw, I used the flat of Excalibur's blade to hurl it back towards Kagetomo.

Greninja and I locked eyes. Having the same idea, he and Arturia surged forward together, Greninja attacking with Water Shuriken and I with Excalibur, using an energy shield whenever Weavile got too close, alternating our attacks so that when the Sharp Claw Pokémon tried defending against one attack, the other hit him instead— all without Arturia helping me. Soul Resonance was awesome, but I was definitely going to be paying for this later.

Finally, Weavile was blown back, unable to battle anymore, and landed by Kagetomo's feet. Kagetomo was not happy, and wasn't quite sure how he'd lost, but he gave up when he saw that all of his ninjas had been captured and tied up, and that he was now outnumbered by the ninjas of the village. After Greninja undid Chief Hanzo-sama's bindings, he stood up. "Ipei has something— something that you do not have." The Chief of Ninja Village informed Kagetomo. "And that thing is devotion. He battles for the dreams of the people. He gives everything he has for the future of each and every Pokémon." As he continued to explain, realization dawned on Kagetomo's face. Sheathing Excalibur, I smiled and released Soul Resonance, only to be hit with a tidal wave of tiredness. When I used Soul Resonance, it briefly took away my limitations. I literally couldn't get tired, or injured, or even scared when I used it. However, as soon as I released it, everything that I should have felt using it hit me all at once, in one big wave.

I tightened my grip on Arturia's Aura reins, back stiff and straight. Like before, I wasn't about to let myself be vulnerable in front of so many people who hated me. Some of whom probably wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of my vulnerability. I knew all too well that most of them were just waiting for me to turn into my sperm donor, so that they could point and say "See! I was right! I told you we should have killed her when she was born!" It was stupid, but it was par for the course in a small village where violent crimes almost never happened, where they were very much the exception to the rule.

Ipei's arms encircled me like they had earlier that very day, gently lifting me off of Arturia's back and into his arms. "It's alright, Yonpei." He whispered, looking down at me, a wide, proud smile on his face. "The battle is over. Sleep now." Too tired to protest, I closed my eyes and soon was fast asleep. I was somewhat aware that I was being carried, feeling as if I were floating for a few minutes, before I was laid down on something soft.

It was at that point that I became completely unaware of what was going on. I was too tired that night to even dream beyond a few hazy flashes of seeing Earth from the moon.
I woke up sometime that next afternoon, in Ipei's bed. There was a cot on the floor next to the bed so I assumed that Ipei had put me in his bed and slept on the floor. I wasn't sure why he would do that, but I appreciated the sentiment all the same. Knowing Ipei as I did, he probably wanted to make sure I actually slept well— using Soul Resonance twice in one day drained me pretty much to absolute zero. This was the first time I had ever used it twice in one day. As I mentioned before, it essentially removed my limits while I was using it— all of them, both mental and physical; I couldn't get tired, or hurt, or even scared when I used it, and I couldn't really feel any sort of emotion too strongly— so as soon as I released it (it's not a good idea to force yourself to have no limits all the time; it really stresses your body and mind, and magically blunting your emotions does the same to the mind), all my limits came rushing back to me all at once, and I became acutely aware of exactly what I should have felt during my limitless time. And it only got worse the longer and the more often I used it. And keeping it up all the time wasn't possible, I knew that from foolish experience.

I had tried to keep it up all the time once, but after about a day my energy reserves gave out and I passed out, and everything from that twenty four hours I had kept it up came rushing in all at once. Needless to say, I didn't try doing something like that again. Ipei's rare yelling had seen to that.

Blinking, I sat up and rubbed my eyes as Nihei entered with what appeared to be a tray of food; fried eggs from the smell of it, my favorite breakfast food ever. Especially when Ipei made them, because he knew how to make them taste absolutely amazing. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning, before everything got crazy because of Kagetomo. "Good morning, little sister. I hope you're hungry." Nihei greeted, setting the tray down. "Did you sleep well?"

I yawned and stretched. "Morning, Nihei. How long was I out for? It seems like I've been asleep for a long time. To answer your question, yes, I slept well, and I'm sure hungry. I haven't eaten since yesterday. I think my stomach is about to mutiny." I joked.

"I'm glad you slept well. It's hardly a surprise your stomach is about to mutiny. You've been out for more than more than a whole day. Ipei told me he had a feeling you'd be awake soon, so I brought this for you." When he was sure that I wasn't going to sleep again he set the tray down in my lap. My stomach growled again. I thanked my brother, dug in, and questioned where Arturia was, because she detested being in her Pokéball for long periods of time. Nihei sighed, exasperated. "Don't talk with your mouth full." He scolded for what must have been the millionth time. "It's not polite. How many times have I told you that?"

Nihei and his manners. It was just the two of us here. Why did it even matter?

"Bite me." I replied as I shoveled another bite of fried eggs into my mouth, quickly followed by another and another. "I'm hungry, and I haven't eaten since a few mornings ago, need I remind you? So I'll talk with my mouth full all I like, thank you."

Nihei rolled his eyes. "Alright then. Well, I don't know where Arturia is, but Ipei let her out earlier so she could eat as well. She's probably waiting for the best moment to scare you or something, knowing her." That sounded just like my best friend. Knowing her, she'd wait until the most inopportune moment to do so. Nihei agreed when I told him this. "Do you think you'll still be able to perform in the festival tonight? I know that Ipei was really looking forward to it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Please. As if I'd miss it. I've been looking forward to it for weeks." My older brother grinned, agreeing with me before he told me to finish my breakfast because Ipei reserved a shower for me. "And no one complained?" I asked incredulously.

Had I heard that right?

No one complained about me, the village curse, getting a shower the second I woke up, because Ipei said so? Had I woken up on another planet?

That never happened— not to me.

"Oh, they complained alright, but he reminded everyone that you're going to be performing in the festival, and you helped rescue Chief Hanzo-sama, and you've also been asleep for more than a day and haven't showered in several days. So they backed off." Nihei answered. I couldn't help but grin; Ipei poked the best logic shaped holes into arguments. And he was the one who taught me to do it, so I'd definitely know. Upon Nihei's prompting, I hurried to shovel my food into my mouth as fast as possible. Once I was done, I quickly used the bathroom (I had been asleep for more than a day, after all) and then headed to the showers, feeling immensely grateful that Ipei had the foresight to reserve one for me. I took my time showering, basking in the feel of the hot water washing away all of the dirt grime I had accumulated over the past few days. Showers absolutely had to be the creation of whatever higher power there was out there.

As the hours ticked by, I became increasingly nervous.

This was my chance to show the villagers I wasn't the monster my sperm donor was, or the curse they called me. My chance to prove them wrong.

And I wasn't going to blow it.

No matter what.

Yonpei

Right before the festival started, Ipei pulled me aside. I wondered what it was about, until he started pacing. Then I had a pretty good idea of what was happening.

"Yonpei," Ipei began, making me dizzy from the speed he was pacing at. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, nothing will change between us. If anyone tries to hurt you, I want you to come straight to me. Please don't try to take matters into your own hands. I know it would be easier and perhaps more satisfying to do so, but it will not help matters in the long run. Your performance at the festival tonight should hopefully go a long way towards helping people change their minds. Please don't do anything other than perform."

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Sit down." I ordered the pacing man. "You're making me dizzy." Reluctantly, he did so, sitting with an audible thump on the bench next to me. "Look, I get what you're trying to do. And I agree with you to a certain point. But as you've told me on numerous occasions, there is a long, long way between 'should' and 'is.'" That was one of Ipei's favorite sayings, something he told me all the time.

Ipei sighed. "I'm aware."

"Then take your own advice." I retorted, rolling my eyes. "The worst thing to do in any stressful situation is to be nervous. Always keep your cool."

The next head of Ninja Village stared at me. "Is today the day of you reminding me of all of my previous lessons?" He questioned idly. He'd been training me as if I were the future leader of some important country my whole life, or at least it felt like that. I had no idea why, but he said it had something to do with Mom's 'touch of destiny' and our family history. When I pestered him about it, he just said that I wasn't ready to know and I found find out why I was older. How much older, he never said. I still pestered him about it sometimes, just to make sure he knew I hadn't forgotten, but he could be as close mouthed as a rock when he didn't want to say something. I wasn't the only one he did that to— he often did it to both Nihei and Sanpei when they wanted information that Ipei didn't want to give them. He got the trait from Mom, who could be even more close mouthed when she didn't want to talk about something. Such as her family history and her family's connection to the legend of the Moon Kingdom.

I shrugged. "Probably. Now stop stressing out. Whether it changes people's minds or not, it's not ever going to be something we can change. People's actions are not dictated by what is actually true, but rather what they believe is true."

He groaned. "Sometimes, I wonder if I haven't rubbed off on you a bit too much."

"Probably." I said brightly. "It's your fault, though. If you didn't want me to outsmart you by repeating your lessons back to you, you shouldn't have taught me so well."

I got a scowl and then a sigh. "I suppose you have a point." Ipei reluctantly conceded. "However, I believe the festival will start soon. Shall we?" He offered me his arm.

Smiling, I took it. "We shall."

Ipei le me out to the festival grounds where everyone was waiting. Chief Hanzo was already on stage, Chief's Emblem in hand. As Ipei and I approached the stage, he smiled at us, speaking into the microphone which had likely been set up for me, despite Ninja Village's by and large lack of modern technology. "Good evening, everyone. I thank you all for attending this the festival wonderful night as we say goodbye to the era we have known and say hello to a new one. On this night, Ipei Ichihara will become the new Chief of Ninja Village." Chief Hanzo held up the Emblem and the crowd roared their approval. "I have given this decision much thought, and have decided that Ipei is the best person to succeed me. Ipei," The soon to be former Chief turned to the man who had largely raised me. "In the act of passing this symbol, this Chief's Emblem, you will become Chief of Ninja Village and have a duty to protect those who live here, people and Pokémon, friend or enemy. Can you do that? Can you protect them all if you must?"

"I can." Ipei answered, his voice clear and strong.

"Then kneel before me and give your oath." Chief Hanzo ordered.

Ipei obediently dropped to one knee, eyes on the ground in a gesture of respect. "I, Ipei Tsukino, do hereby swear that from this day forward I will protect those who live in Ninja Village with my life if need be, be they friend or foe, ally or enemy, human or Pokémon, newcomer or legacy. I swear to use my position as Chief to better the Village and to guard it from harm, with my last breath if need be. I swear to judge everyone equally by their own merits and to see them for themselves before anyone else. With Arceus as my witness, this I do swear by Reshiram, the Vast White Dragon of Truth."

The Chief's Emblem in Hanzo's hand flashed as the now former Chief raised it into the air again. "Then I hereby bestow you with the Chief's Emblem and give you the title of Chief of Ninja Village. May you serve the Village with all the love and loyalty you possess."

"I will." Ipei promised. And he would; Ipei always told me that if you give your word, stick to it. In the world according to Ipei some of the worst people were those who didn't keep their word.

"Then rise, my son, and take your place as the Leader of Ninja Village." Hanzo intoned. As Ipei did so, Hanzo took the new Chief's hand and raised it into the air. "People and Pokémon of Ninja Village, I present to you the new Chief— Ipei Tsukino!" And the crowd roared their approval again. I grimaced and dug a pinky around in my ear; that was getting really old.

The new Chief bowed to the former Chief, and as he straightened up, he turned to address the crowd. "And now, to celebrate this wondrous occasion," The new Chief began. "Yonpei will sing the ceremonial song to commemorate the passing of the Emblem."

A few members of the crowd booed. A lot of them started muttering. A few even looked like they were going to throw something or demand that someone else sing.

But Ipei remained firm and pushed me forward, reiterating that I would sing for them.

Nervously, I walked onto the stage and stepped up to the microphone as the music began to play. I had no idea if this was going to go smoothly or not, but I hoped it did. Ipei hoped that by allowing me to sing the traditional song, Together We Are One, it would show people that he didn't hold me accountable for my sire's actions. I thought he was being optimistic, but I liked singing and wanted me to do this for him, so I would do it.

"Here we are,
Sharing our lives;
We made it through,
The good and bad times.
And still we stand,
With hope in our hearts;
No matter what,
We will play our part.
And now we've come so far,
Once chance to touch the star,
Go higher, and higher . . ."

Some people booed, but some other people cheered half-heartedly, and yet more (more than I thought there would be) cheered with genuine enthusiasm. I guessed that they weren't sure what to think of me, since I had ridden to the rescue of the village on the back of a Legendary Pokémon, fighting the Skarmory just as hard as the other defenders who had fought the . Interestingly enough, I noticed Kagetomo and a few members of his band of ninjas in the crowd. I had to wonder what he was doing here. He didn't seem interested in Ipei, after all. His attention was more focused one me, which I found odd. For all that his motivation, until a couple of days ago, was to become Chief, he didn't seem much interested in the proceedings. Just what was he up to?

"Find your guiding inspiration,
In a place where dreams are made;
With a lifetime's preparation,
There's no time to be afraid.
Put our differences behind us,
While we shine like the sun.
See what we've all become;
Together we are one."

A few people bobbed their heads along to the music, smiling and tapping their feet. Kagetomo and his ninjas were among them. How weird. I really wondered why they were here, and why they seemed to be so interested in me— they sure hadn't been paying much attention when Ipei was swearing his oath, or when the Chief's Emblem was passed to him. So then why were they here, and what about me was so interesting that they were watching my performance so closely? I supposed all I could do was keep watching, and maybe I would find out. Or I could badger Ipei for details once this was done— chances were good that he'd figured out at least part of the reason that they were watching me so closely.

"Deep inside your heart and soul,
You're worked so hard,
To reach your goal.
With every step,
With every breath,
You gave it all,
'Till there was nothing left.
Seek out the strength to win,
No thoughts of giving in,
Go higher, and higher . . ."

I briefly looked around for Arturia, but I didn't see her. Sensing her behind me, I hastily formed a brief Aura link with her and thought it sent a stern warning that that she had better not interrupt my song, lest she be forced to eat the blandest, healthiest Pokémon food I could find for a whole month, or subject her to Nihei's attempts at cooking if she really annoyed me— because this went way beyond a simple prank. Thankfully, she assured me she was just coming to sing along with me. So together we raised our voices to sing hello to a new era of Ninja Village: the era of Chief Ipei Tsukino, my favorite person ever.

"Find your guiding inspiration,
In a place where dreams are made;
With a lifetime's preparation,
There's no time to be afraid.
Put our differences behind us,
While we shine like the sun.
See what we've all become;
Together we are one."

The crowd seemed shocked, awestruck, mesmerized, that a Legendary Pokémon had come to sing with me. A few people were looking between Arturia and me, clearly making the connection that she was my partner Pokémon, the one whose back I had ridden to the rescue of the village on. Granted, there were some people who looked angry that a Legendary Pokémon would sing with me of all people, the person who was absolutely responsible for my sire's actions, the bane of Ninja Village, but they were few and far in between.

"Together, we are one,
We are one . . .
Find your guiding inspiration,
In a place where dreams are made;
With a lifetime preparation,
There's no time to be afraid.
Put our differences behind us,
While we shine like the sun.
See what we've all become;
Together we are one."

Here we go. Last verse. All I had to do was make it through this last verse without any trouble, and then they'd all see that I wasn't some monster like they all thought I was. Maybe. I was probably just being optimistic, like Ipei was, but I had to at least try. It wasn't like I was planning to live anywhere else, so I had to put up with the attitudes that came with living here. So if I did this performance really well, it might start to change people's minds. Or at least show them that I cared enough about Ipei and his reputation as Chief that I wouldn't mess up something important like this and would do what I needed to to preserve important traditions.

"Find your guiding inspiration,
In a place where dreams are made;
With a lifetime's preparation,
There's no time to be afraid.
Put our differences behind us,
While we shine like the sun.
See what we've all become;
Together we are one . . ."

Cool story. How long until the SM plot starts? Also, when Hazno is saying the Ipei is going to be the next Chief, and thanking everyone for coming he calls him Ipei Ichihara, but every other time he's Ipei Tsukino. Was he supposed to be Ipei Tsukino when Hanzo is saying he's the next Chief, or do they have two family names, or what?