Hi everyone!!  SK here.

So here we go with chapter eight.  There will be a lot of explanations for you in this chapter, so I hope it doesn't drag on too long if you know what I mean.

Anyway, I'm not gonna waste time by talking here.  Let's start the chapter!!

As always, be sure to enjoy it ^^

Ash

I quickly get released by my friends, and am reintroduced with each and every one of them.  They all now wear different kinds of fairy clothes... well, the same style, but different designs.  May's almost looked like it was on fire, while Misty's looked very, very, blue.  Very beautiful, but not as beautiful as Serena of course.

I get in touch with many of my old friends, like Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, and I'm about to say a quick hello to Bonnie when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

I turn around warily and I see this fairy guy I do not recognize.  He has honey-coloured hair, a little darker than and a little more brown than Serena's shade.  It's curled slightly on the ends but it is mainly straight, that combined with his golden eyes gives him a somewhat formal appearance.  He wears what looked like a long, navy-blue coloured dress-coat with golden cuffs, or whatever that was called- don't look at me, I've never really had a need to dress fancy before!  But yeah, he wears that, along with a golden shirt with buttons on it.  Oh, and he also has what I want to call a cravat on his neck, but I'm not sure.  Don't judge me for not knowing this stuff!

The man keeps a straight face as he holds out his hand.  "Greetings.  My name is Heliux, the Magic Minister of the Light Fairies."

The guy that Serena mentioned.  I gladly shake it.  "Nice to meet you.  My name is Ash Ketchum."

"The pleasure is mine," he says kindly.  "If you are not busy, I request that you come to the study room for a very important lesson," he said formally.  "I am aware that you are turning 20 tomorrow, and since you will be busy with celebrations then, it is important you have this lesson now."

"Heliux, lay off him, he just got here," Serena says, trying to defend me.  Heliux mutters something to her, something about her bringing me early I think, and she goes quiet.

"May I ask what this lesson is about?" I asked somewhat impatiently, desperate to catch-up with my friends and to also spend more time with Serena.

"Important knowledge for living in the Fairy Realm," he states, turning his attention back to me.  "Do not worry yourself; you will have plenty of time to converse with your friends after it is over," he adds, clearly sensing my impatience.

"Can Serena come too?" I ask excitedly, sneaking a glance at her.

Heliux shakes his head, looking stern.  "Her Lightness has other important matters to attend to with Brock, her Advisor."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," she says with a frustrated sigh.  "I'll be back," she adds quickly, offering me a small hug before she flits away.

I figure that this was my Brock he's talking about, but man, it's strange to hear him called an Advisor.  I will also never get used to calling Serena Her Lightness.  I turn to Heliux and sigh, knowing that this lesson would be important for me despite the fact I don't see it to be necessary right at this second.  Regardless, I decide to go with it.  "Lead the way."

Heliux gives me the slightest of smiles.  "Thank you, Ash.  If you would kindly follow me," he says, walking towards the edge of the main clearing.  As we walk, he seems to notice me staring at all the surroundings because he says, "Do not worry.  I assure you that you will have plenty of time to explore the Colony and the forest as well."

I nod curtly; I still didn't know what to expect from this guy.  Does he know that contractions exist?

We continue walking until we reach a tall, large flower-shaped room.  I'd just say that it's just a regular flower; it has a stem an everything.  The entrance, near the top of the structure, seems to be for flying-beings only. I can't help it as I begin to feel a little self-conscious.

Heliux remains silent and calmly creates a portal with his hands.  "Here is your shortcut," he says while flying up there himself.  Since I had nothing else to lose, I walk through the portal.  Sure enough I'm now in the room, and Heliux enters from behind me.  Once he fully comes in the space, he closes the petal-like doors behind him, making the flower room seem ten times more darker.

"Uh... not to be that person, but don't we need more light in here if there is a lesson?" I ask, feeling a little confused.

"The way I teach, I prefer it be pitch black," Heliux answers strangely.  He takes a deep breath, in and out, and says, "Close your eyes for a moment."

"Why- ah!" I let out a startled gasp as the Minister suddenly conjures up a giant blast of light.  Luckily I shield my eyes in time.  He really could've given me an advance warning for that, I think indignantly.  Though, I suppose he did... 

When I open my eyes I become instantly amazed by what I see; all around us different planets, stars, galaxies float around; our universe.  I stare at it in wonder and awe at the visuals that appear to be made of pure light and crystal.  After I gape at Heliux because his illustrious magic looks so damn cool.

"My Element is Space," he explains to me with a sly smile on his face.  "My specialty is creating visuals for others to see; a key part of being a Minister."

"What's an E-" 

"I will get there," Heliux said.  "Now, let me begin."  He waves his hand around, and the visuals shift and change as if something is warping them.

"A long time ago, this Earth was a chaotic place.  People lived in conflict with Pokemon, and the sky, water, even the very soil from which they stood roared with anger.  That was until two very special people were born; their names were Lita and Zagan.  They were each born with an element: Creation for Lita, and Destruction for Zagan.  There was also a Queen named Gardenia, she was the first Queen to ever exist.  Her Element was Time," Heliux adds.  I nod on in wonder, watching Heliux's conjured visuals change right before my eyes.  They changed from the planets and stars from before to show what I can assume to be Lita and Zagan, along with their Element symbols.  A third shadowy figure who I assume is the first Queen stands between them, but it dissipates after a few seconds. 

My first question.  "Why did the Queen disappear?"

The Minister glances at me.  "After the war, the current Queen refused and still refuses to be connected to the fairies so long as we are not in a state of peace.  As a result, I do not teach much about her and her Spirit Soldiers, as well as any other Queen or King."

I'm about to speak up again on this, but Heliux holds out a hand to stop me.  "Lita and Zagan restored the balance between nature and its inhabitants," he says, continuing and clearly ending that branch of the conversation, "and recruited other gifted people like them to become fairies.  This still stands today, but there are two types of fairies: Light fairies, and Dark fairies.  There are slightly fewer dark fairies because it takes a special and powerful elemental to become one.  As you might know, Lights and Darks used to live in harmony, until there the War of Light happened between them, causing the Darks to be cast off as outcasts.  Th-"

"Wait wait, sorry.  I have a question," I say, feeling a little embarrassed for interrupting him.  "But, what is an Elemental?"

Heliux sighs; I can tell that this guy has barely any patience for anything.  "I was getting there, Ash.  But alright, let me answer your question.  An Elemental is a person who is born with a special power, which we call Elements.  To put it in simpler terms, Elementals are people who are capable of becoming fairies," he simplifies.  "There is a wide variety of Elemental powers; some are very general, and some of them are very specific.  Often times there are two fairies that have similar Elements that are tasked to work together.  For example, you know Misty, correct?  Well, she has the Element of Fresh Water.  Lana, another fairy in camp, has the Sea as her Element; the two of them often work together."  Heliux waves his hand to change the visuals in front of me, showing me the different symbols for all of the Elements.  Fire, water, grass, the stars, the sun... oh boy, there sure is a lot here, just like he said!

"Each fairy is responsible for monitoring their Element at all times, and sometimes the Elements of others if that Element's specific position is empty at the time," he adds.  "However, apart from this, they must do the regular jobs in order to keep this colony running; the usual, I am sure you understand, correct?"

I just nodded my head, wanting to hear more about this whimsical world.

"There are three key roles in each Fairy Colony; the Leader, the Magic Minister, and the Advisor.  The Advisor keeps the health of every fairy, and can track down every non-recruited Elemental, no matter where they are on the planet.  Next is the Magic Minister- me.  There has only ever been two of us; one for the Lights, one for the Darks.  We were blessed by Lita with immortality to be able to successfully guide each new leader and generation-"

"Woah, so you've seen everything!?" I exclaim, unable to stop myself.  "That's so cool!"

He lets out a small grunt, changing the images back to the stars and galaxies.  "It is not all that great," he responds curtly.  "Now, back to the matter at hand."

Jeez, you sure don't waste any time, do you?

"We are in charge of advising the Leaders, as well as teaching magic to each new fairy that gets recruited.  We also prepare Leaders for their roles as well.  Last, there is the Leader-"

"Wait, you missed one," I say, feeling guilty for interrupting him for what seems like the millionth time.  "Serena mentioned you had a Queen?  You did too.  Where is she?  Is she here in the Colony with the rest of the fairies?"

"That matter is nothing you should concern yourself with until you become a full fairy," he huffs, then just continues with his previous statements.  "The Leaders are the most important- in fact, if they die, the entire generation of fairies starts to die off-"

"With a few exceptions," I say, finishing his sentence.  "Serena explained this to me."

"Did she now?" he asks.  "Well, let me ask you this.  Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"Yes, a lot of things," I reply.  "First, why does everyone's Pokemon look so... weird?" I mean, it's not like they are ugly or anything, but they're all translucent and glowing a bright blue, almost as if they're made out of some kind of magic.

"Oh, you are talking about the Mist Pokemon.  Well, when you become a fairy, you choose one Pokemon to become bonded to your soul- this is what turns you into a fairy, and what lets you have magic.  Since your souls are bonded together, whatever happens to your Pokemon happens to you as well."

I guess that's why Serena only wanted me to bring one Pokemon... oops.

"Anything else?" Heliux asks, somehow sounding patient and impatient at the same time.

"Y-Yes.  One, what are the Necklaces that everyone seems to be wearing?  Two, how exactly does this fairy-transformation thing work?"

"Ah, I am sorry Ash.  I cannot reveal these things to you before your Initiation into the Colony.  Once you are a full-fledged fairy, I will be happy to explain all of these things to you in detail.  Is that okay?" he checks.  Why are there so many things I'm not allowed to learn until I become a fairy?

I nod.  "Y-Yes.  Thank you so much sir," I say gratefully.

"Contact me if you have any questions," he says, opening the flower doors and letting the light in to fill the space.  "I shall send Serena up here to get you-"

"Oh wait, I forgot!  You said there would be birthday celebrations- is that true?"

Heliux turns to me and flashes that oddly sly grin of his.  "Just you wait."

Ooh fun chapter!!  I hope you enjoyed it.  If you have any questions about the Fairy Realm, comment them here!!  I might not be able to answer them (some of them have spoilers), but it lets me check to see if the answers are somewhere in the book.

Anyway, it's literally almost midnight here for me, so I'm going to sleep now lol.

Stay tuned for more!!