(( Author's Note: This makes a lot of references to a couple old roleplays and stories. I tried to make it make as much sense as possible to those who didn't read along with the old roleplays! Unlike the roleplays though, this is a single story I wrote while I didn't have internet. ))

(( Please let me know what you think! If anyone is interested, I would gladly continue it, whether as a roleplay or continue writing it! ))

Prelude

A cold wind blew through the outskirts of the Viridian Forest that day. And while the sun shone bright above the treetops, the forest below was dark and full of shadows.

Far away from the League Approved Route, stood a man, back against the edge of a large cliff. Small rocks broke free under his heels and tumbled down the cliff face. He did not turn around and look. The wind whipped his long ebony hair around, sending his long bangs twirling over his face, but he ignored them. His bright emerald eyes were glued ahead - at an unknown monster in front of him. Black poisonous vapour wafted from the creature's mouth as it walked closer to him, and toxic sludge dripped from its body. It was a Pokemon he had never seen before, but just by looking at it he could tell it was at least part Poison Type.

A woman stood beside it, a mocking grin on her face. Seeing her there made his chest ache. The woman was a childhood friend, someone he had known since he was a ten year old kid, just starting out on his journey. But for some reason, he knew this wasn't her. It was an impostor, a fake. Something very wrong was going on in the Kanto Region, something he had just gotten himself involved in. He managed to keep a stoic look on his face as he weighted the options in his mind. No matter what he tired, his Pokemon could not harm these strange, shadow Pokemon…. And now its Trainer was ordering it to attack him! He could either call out another Pokemon, and let them be fodder between him and this beast… but he would never do that to his Pokemon. He knew nothing they could do would harm this monster. There was only two options…

Let himself become fodder to this monster or…

He looked over his shoulder. The cliff behind him sprawled endlessly down into a pit of mist. His mind raced as he pieced together a strategy. With a sly grin, he turned back to face the woman across from him.

"Zaffre… Delia…" He whispered, as the unknown Pokemon pounced at him. He closed his eyes, "Sorry kids… looks like I won't be able to fulfil my promise and be back before you start your journey…"

He let out a short chuckle… and then leaned backwards.

The last thing he heard was the woman scream out at him, before his body went soaring through the air off the side of the cliff! He could feel himself falling through the air, and slowly opened his eyes to see the top of the cliff disappear above the mist. He felt the hair band holding his hair back fly out, and for a moment his hair blocked out all vision. But the moment the top of the cliff was completely out of sight, he reached for a Pokeball at his belt, and threw it into the air. The Pokeball burst open in a flash of light, blasting the mist aside as a large Bird Pokemon appeared. The large Legendary Bird of Ice, Articuno, flapped its wings once, before swooping down under its Trainer, and scooping the man up from mid-air. It cawed proudly, before disappearing into the mist.

... ... ...

Azure Yawa (30) of Couriway Town, Kalos Region, went missing in Kanto last week, after a surprise visit to the Region. While Yawa was originally from the Kanto Region, he was not here to visit family. His family in the Kalos Region said he was here on a business trip, but said little about what it was about.

The disappearance of Yawa makes him the 25th Gym Leader to disappear in the on-going trend of vanishing Gym Leaders world-wide. Unlike the others though, Yawa did not disappear from his Gym.

Yawa was last spotted in the Pewter City area, being said to have arrived via plane at the Pewter City Airport. There have been no reports of Yawa entering any hotels in the area. No attempts to reach the Pokemon League Officials have been answered.

While also a Gym Leader, Yawa also studies Pokemon in their native environments, and has been known to be away from the gym at times, but has never been gone so long, or without family knowledge. His wife, Hannah Yawa (29), children Delia Yawa and Zeffre Yawa (both 10), have no knowledge of his whereabouts.

If anyone has anything about the disappearance, the Pewter City and Couriway Police Forces urge you to call them immediately. As well, if you have any information about the disappearances of the other Gym Leaders, please call your local Police number today.

A woman grinned, almost mockingly, as she closed a newspaper she was reading, and folded it back up. She dropped it on the table and leaned back in her seat. Her long silver hair hung down over her face, blocking out her eyes as she grinned, and folded her legs under her long grey travelling cloak, that she had wrapped around her, the hood pulled far over her head. The small café around her remained as quiet and dull as ever as she left the world of printed text and returned to reality… if she was ever even there anymore to begin with anymore…

"Well." She said softly, scratching at her cheek, "Looks like things are finally starting to get interesting again."

After all. Immortality was no fun at all if nothing was happening.

"Can I get you another coffee?"

The woman heard a voice beside her, and turned her head, her grey eyes peeking out from under the hood, "No." She stood up, keeping the cloak wrapped securely around her, "I was just leaving."

She turned around and headed for the exit, and out into the night. Out under the light of the full moon and stars, she lowered her hood, and pulled her hair out from under the cloak, letting it drape down her back and to her knees in straight, uneven locks. Her heels clicked loudly against the cobblestone road as she left the café.

A large shadow formed behind her, before bright purple flames burst out in a halo-formation around her, revealing a large Chandelure that swooped down behind her.

Haize let out a laugh as she strutted down the road. As she walked, a strange white mist followed her, filling up the sleepy little town with the mist, "It's been too dull for far too long. Time to make some noise."

A pair of bright green eyes flashed through the mist behind her, as if agreeing with her.

Chapter One:
The Ghost Maiden

A small TV played up in the corner of a small bar. Most of the Bar Patrons ignored it as it played the news. Most of them sat moodily around their tables, listening to a sappy song being sung by a man playing a piano up on the stage in the corner. It seemed only one of them was watching the TV. The man looked to be around middle-aged, with long black hair that stretched to his shoulders, loose and hanging low over his face, and was wearing a black travelling cloak.

The news was once again replaying the article about the missing Gym Leaders. It seemed most of them have completely disappeared by this point. It seemed like only a few in the Kalos and Unova Regions remained. The article ended with showing clips of victorious Trainers who had won badges from the remaining Gym Leaders, or by the people covering the Gyms. The man watching gripped the handle of his mug tighter as he watched the clips.

Suddenly, a figure blocked the TV from his sight. A woman dressed in a grey travelling cloak. She sat across from him, nothing but a thin, mocking smile visible on her face under the tattered hood. Still, the man sitting across from her instantly recognized her.

Without a word, he instantly stood up and pushed the chair back, before turning and walking away.

"Hey now." The woman grinned as she rested her elbows on the table and folded her hands, before resting her thin, pace chin on them, "Is that anyway to treat an old friend?"
He looked over his shoulder at her, "You're no friend of mine."
"As friendly as ever, I see." She laughed.

She reached across the table and grabbed the handle of his half-drunk drink. She instantly drowned the last of it, before looking back up at him, "But for a 'corpse', you'll pass."
He sighed and slowly turned around to face her, "What do you want, Haize?"

The woman laughed and stood up, before walking around the table towards him. She reached out from under her cloak, a scarred, pale arm that nearly glowed in the dull light of the bar, and started fingering the clasp of his cloak, tracing the design with her finger.

"Why don't we… go somewhere more private?" She laughed.
He reached up and grabbed her by the wrist, "You're the last person I want to be alone with."
She just grinned at him, a maniac grin, "I know."

With her free hand, she reached up and placed it on his shoulder, pulling him down until she could reach his ear, "But… I'm sure you want to learn about 'The Shadows' though?"
His eyes widened and he pulled himself away from her, "How do you?"
She laughed, "You learn a lot when you've been around as long as I have."
"Haize…" He retorted, his tone nearly a growl.

Instead of responding, Haize turned around and started walking away. The man's hands balled into fists, and he squeezed them tight for a second, before sighing in frustration, and following her out.

The night air outside was cool and crisp. The woman stretched as she walked outside and twirled around, letting her cloak spin out around her.

"You and I are quite alike, Azure." She laughed.
"Where did that come from?" Azure responded, pulling his hood up over his head. He paused for a second, "And no, we aren't."

She stopped spinning and turned around to face him, the almost-full moon glowing brightly behind her head, "Oh but we are. We are the Chosen! You and I are one and the same. Chosen by Esuna! We both love nature, hate these crowded human establishments… both of us are chosen by the Light."
"Get to the point." Azure snapped.

Haize's eyes narrowed, and she sighed, before turning and starting to walk away, "It's not safe out here. The Shadows are everywhere. Come."

Azure sighed and crossed his arms. The Light? The Shadows? What the hell was Haize talking about? But then again, he knew by experience that Haize was not 'fully there'. The woman he saw in front of him was nothing more then Esuna's servant, a shell of a person who's only purpose was to serve a Legendary Pokemon who had caused him more trouble then was worth.

He looked around the road. She had claimed that it wasn't safe out here, and while the road looked empty, he knew better. He wasn't even sure where he was. After escaping from the 'Cerise Imposter' and her Immortal Beast, he had Articuno fly him 'off the map'. The two of them were now in a Town off the Pokemon League regulated routes. A small town without a Pokemon Gym, or no ties to the League at all. The town was large enough to have its own bar, and to have paved roads, but too small for anyone to even bat an eyelash at. He had gone here to try and regain his bearings and try and figure stuff out… but so far nothing had come to mind.

All he knew was that something was kidnapping the Gym Leaders, they weren't just 'disappearing'. The Pokemon League wasn't saying anything, whether to cover their own backs or for something else, he had no idea. All he knew is that he had went to investigate the missing Gym Leaders, and instead found a gym full of strange, unknown Pokemon that seemed to be untouchable. No matter what his Pokemon had done, nothing seemed to be able to harm the strange black Pokemon. Instead he had been chased from the gym, and through the Viridian Forest to a cliff's edge, where he was forced to jump to avoid them taking him as well. He had debated whether or not to go back home after that, but he couldn't. He wouldn't put his family in danger like that, especially if they were after him now… no, it's best that everyone think he disappeared as well.

He sighed. Haize was the best lead he had. While he didn't want to admit that, and the last thing he wanted to do was follow her, if she really did have some answers, he had to follow her. Throwing his pride aside, he brushed a lock of hair out of his face and followed after her.

Haize wasn't walking very fast. In fact, she was sort of swaying back and forth as she walked, her arms spread out as she drifted. Azure groaned and shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked. Haize swerved off the road, and led the way to the center of a nearby field. As they walked, he noticed the strange mist reappearing around them. He instantly recognized the mist, and tried his best to ignore it as it completely blocked out the entire field. The moonlight reflected off the particles in the mist, causing a sea of pink, blue and silver to flash around him.

Finally Haize came to a stop and turned around to face him, "We're safe now."
"Safe?" He asked, before pausing to look around, "We're out in the open, and can't see anything."
"You've seen this ability before." Haize said, as if he had never said anything. She folded her hands behind her back, "But did you know it was an ability? Like Pikachu's static or etcetera?"
Azure folded his arms. To be honest, he wasn't all too surprised, "An ability?"
Haize giggled, "Yes!" her eyes narrowed, and somehow her face twisted from an 'innocent smile' to a dark and twisted grin, "The Shadows aren't invincible here."
"What's this 'Shadows' you keep talking about?" Azure asked.

Haize laughed, "Remember when you faced Barghest?"
"Barghest?" Azure asked.
"The Pokemon at the cliff." Haize stated,
"How did you know…" Azure started,
"Nothing you did could harm it, remember?" She interrupted, "The Shadow Pokemon were no match because of 'type match ups'."
"Type match ups?" Azure asked, "What type match ups? Are you saying that 'the Shadows' are a Pokemon type?"

Before she could answer, a sickening crunching noise came from behind him. It sounded like a mix between a 'crunch', and a sucking sound like something heavy getting stuck in mud. Azure's eyes narrowed and he turned around to look around the field. At first he didn't see anything. The field was empty. It looked like an everyday field, like one would find in a small town like this. An undeveloped building plot. There were plenty of weeds, and it looked like some kids had built a baseball mound in the center, but the mist blocked out everything else.

"Haize…" Azure whispered, his eyes still scanning the darkness around him.
Haize walked up beside him, "Don't worry. The Mist will help."
"The mist?" Azure asked.
"Fight the Shadows." She stated simply, "Everything else can wait. Everything will become clear."

"You're crazy!" Azure snapped, "I thought you just said my Pokemon were no match for them?"
"They will be now. The mist will help." Haize repeated, "Everything will become clear."

Azure opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a large shadow emerged through the mist. This thing was nearly two stories high! It's head was the first to become visible through the mist, and Azure nearly felt his stomach flop. The large Pokemon was another he had never seen. Its head was squarish in shape, with tiny, beady red eyes, large nostrils that were even bigger then its eyes, and a large under bite. Two long canine fangs jutted up from its jaw and raised up nearly over top of its head, and it had two equally large horns on top of its head. The horns curved upwards and forward, curling in-between its two bottom fangs. Its large body followed behind it, two large circular legs that were nearly as large as tree trunks, and a long, slug-like body dragged behind it.

"What the hell is that?" Azure said through gritted teeth. Haize didn't respond. She just twisted back and forth on her heels. Azure growled between his teeth and reached for a Pokeball.

As the creature emerged through the mist, Azure finally got a good look at it. The 'crunching sound' he had heard when it was coming was it's body when it moved. The creature's skin looked bark-like in appearance, and crunched and cracked as it moved it's limbs. His mind quickly collected everything he could from it. It had little 'branches' coming off its bark-like skin…. Grass type. It looked like it was at least part Grass Type. While most Grass Types were herbivores, the large fangs meant this one was probably a predator. But the small eyes and large nostrils meant that the thing probably relied on smell instead of eye-sight to find prey.

Azure groaned and pushed his bangs behind his ear as he threw a Pokeball into the air, "Go! Delphox!"

A Pokemon burst from its Pokeball in front of him. She shook her large ears, sending sparks flying through the air. She stretched and looked up at the unknown Pokemon determinately. From behind Haize, her large Chandelure flew up beside Delphox.

Azure's eyes locked on Chandelure for a second. Seems Haize had the same idea. If it was a grass type, then Fire would be the most effective measure. He had some pretty bad memories surrounding that Chandelure though, and the idea of fighting next to it was almost crippling.

Fifteen years ago, Azure had to face Haize in battle over a Crystalline Pokemon that was threatening to destroy the Johto Region. The Pokemon was under Haize's control, but she just let it run free. It moved without direction, turning the entire region to Crystal. Azure had thought that defeating Haize would stop the Pokemon, but it didn't. After defeating her, Haize had told him some crazy story that she was only doing what he had told her to do. That was when he realized that she was out of her mind. He had never met her before then, and certainly never told her to attack Johto. It wasn't until later did he find out the truth… when he and his friend, Collen, were sent back in time, to Ancient Etrova, and met Haize there, as a young girl named Haley. Even still, 'Haize' was not Haley. Haley was long dead, and this immortal shell that remained was nothing more then a toy being used by a Legendary Pokemon… a Legendary Pokemon that was bored of her toy, and wanted to replace her with him. Something he had been fighting off for years now. He could trust Haize as much as he could trust Esuna… but, Esuna didn't want her 'new toy' to die, so he knew that at least for now, he could trust Haize… or more, he had to if he wanted to find out more about 'The Shadows'.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to get lost in a reverie. He had to defeat this monster first, worry about Haize and Esuna later!

The creature threw its head back, its mouth snapping open with a loud cracking noise, and let out a long, agonizing howl. Azure could feel the ground under his feet shake from the vibration of the thing's voice alone.

Delphox tried to look brave, but the fire type had never seen a monster like this before. She looked back to her Trainer for reassurance. Azure nodded at her. While the thing looked massive, it didn't mean it was unbeatable! "Delphox!" Azure called out to her, "If we want to win this fight, we're going to have to throw League Rules out the window!"

She tilted her head, obviously confused at what she was hearing.

"I know." He said, his tone softer, "It's going to feel weird at first. But trust me on this." He paused and turned his head to look at Haize, as if he was questioning his own self. Haize nodded at him, and he turned back to his Pokemon, "Forget about turns and all that! We've got to go all out! I need you to use your full power!"

She hesitated a second, but nodded. Azure was starting to debate his choice on the Fire Fox. While Delphox was powerful, and had the type advantage, she had always been the 'rule follower'. She had always been the 'good girl', following Azure's directions without question, even when she knew he was wrong, always happy to lead the other Pokemon along on the way. While she was vicious in battle, he knew she had a gentle and calm demeanour. That, and she was apart of his second party - a group of Pokemon he raised after his adventures as therefore was not trained in the 'Etrova Fighting Style.' Even still, she looked ready to fight.

"Okay Del!" He said, his eyes scanning over the monster. The beast had to have a weakness… it just had too. A point where a Super Effective hit would do even more damage…

Before he could locate one, the creature raised it's monstrous foot and stepped forward, shaking the ground under it's massive weight. Azure's eyes narrowed as he thought over what he knew about the Pokemon. It was a system he had always used. He rarely ever relied on a Pokedex on his journey - it wasn't hard to learn a lot from Pokemon just by looking at them after all. This Pokemon was large, and its massive size made it incredibly slow. It looked like it relied on smell over eye-sight, and a thick bark-like shell covered almost all of it's body. He smirked as a plan formed in his head.

He reached for his Pokeball Belt and grabbed a second Pokeball, "Go! Articuno!"

In a flash of light, Articuno burst forth from it's Pokeball in a shower of ice particles. The Legendary Bird landed on the ground beside Delphox and spread it's wings wide, throwing back its head and shaking loose its mane. Unlike Delphox, Articuno had been trained in the Etrova Fighting Style. It knew how to fight outside of League Rules. Azure grinned as he looked at his Pokemon. The two of them had been through a lot together, always facing whatever challenges emerge as a team. Azure had thought their days of adventuring were long over, but he was starting to accept that he was wrong. It looked like it was time to get back into the action. Articuno automatically crouched down and waited for Azure to jump onto his back, but instead the Trainer shook his head.

"Sorry." He said, "Normally I would, but I don't think Del is ready to work without instruction." He turned to look at Delphox, "That's something we'll work on together later…" He reached over and ruffled the hair on top of her head, and she let out a happy yip, before he turned back to Articuno, "I need you to fly up to it's head… keep it's attention on you."

Articuno nodded, and then with a powerful beat of its large wings, it whooshed up into the sky. Haize nodded at Chandelure, and the Fire Type spun up after it. Azure didn't question it. He just left Haize to do what she pleased. The last thing he wanted to do anyway was fight next to her… he worked best alone.

Articuno raced upwards into the air. It circled around the Beast's head, and cawed loudly. The Beast's nostril's flared up as it smelt the Ice Pokemon and it roared angrily, before slowly turning it's head to try and follow after it. While Articuno distracted it, Chandelure flew up behind it's head. Its multiple arms spun around its head in a whirl, before the flames at the ends flared up bright, and it launched a Fire Attack at the Monster. The attack hit the beast in the back of the head, but barely made a dent in the thick bark-like shell. The beast roared out and thrashed it's head about, too large to turn around and swat at the quick and nimble Fire Pokemon behind it.

From the side of it's head, Articuno launched an Ice Beam attack, sending a stream of ice against the side of the Monster's head. The ice did nothing but bounce off the bark, forming large pillars of ice across the side of its head. The creature turned it's head and struck at the Bird with it's horn, but the Bird Pokemon easily dodged around it.

Just like he figured. The bark-like shell was too thick for even Fire or Ice Attacks to get through. Azure turned to look at Delphox, "Let's go. We've got to get underneath that thing while it's attention is on Articuno!"

Delphox looked at Azure like he had suddenly lost his mind. We? Underneath? But Azure just simply patted the Fire Type on the head, and turned and ran ahead. She hesitated a second, then ran after her Trainer. As he ran, Azure could feel his joints almost automatically start to ache. He gritted his teeth. He definitely wasn't as young as he used to be, and he hadn't been very active as late. He was no longer as physically fit as he used to be when he travelled. Being a Father and a 'family man' certainly had taken its advantage on him. But none of that mattered right now. Right now he had to get underneath the monster. If they lived through this, he'll worry about working out then.

The beast raised one of its feet, and Azure instantly swerved for the other one, Delphox right at his heels. Right before it lowered it's foot back to the ground, Azure jumped at it's other foot. He latched onto a 'branch' sticking out of the monster's leg, and clung on. Delphox was moment's behind him. The other foot then hit the ground, and a large shockwave radiated out from where the Beast put it's foot. The shockwave travelled across the ground, causing the very earth under it to ripple outwards. Azure waited for whatever for the Stomp Attack to fade, before swinging himself down off the branch, and underneath the monster.

Azure landed in a crouch on the ground between the beast's thick legs, and it's slug-like body. He looked up at the beast's underbelly above him, and a light smirk crossed his face again. Just what he figured - the underbelly of the beast was not covered in the bark-like shell. The dark grey-brown of it's flesh lay exposed in front of him.

"Flamethrower!" Azure ordered, "And remember what I said. Don't hold back!"

Delphox ran up next to him, and opened her mouth. Sparks leapt from her mouth and sizzled to the earth below, before her entire maw lit up with flame, and a large beam of fire launched forth from her throat, and up into the air. The Flamethrower attack collided with the center of the Beast's uncovered torso, waving over its un-protected flesh. The smell of burning flesh and wood instantly filled up the night air. The monster let out a pained howl before rearing up into the air. In a rage, the beast raised both of it's feet in the air to try and stomp out the Fire Pokemon who was attacking it.
Delphox's attack wavered for a moment, and she looked over at Azure, waiting for him to give her the order to dodge, but instead the Trainer shook his head. He reached over and removed his gloves.

"Keep going!" He ordered.

He reached up and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, and tore at it. In one quick movement, he tore the thin fabric right off, removing the sleeve altogether from his shirt. For a moment, he instantly felt self-conscious. This was something he hadn't done since Etrova, and something he hadn't told anyone about since. He wasn't even sure he could do it anymore, but sure enough without the sleeve he could still see the blue-white markings down his arm. The markings seemed to reflect off the mist, and glowed where the particles in the mist touched it.

As the creature lowered it's feet to attack them below, Azure raised both arms into the air. The markings on his left arm suddenly lit up, and 'changed'. The markings suddenly looked like ribbons of crystal embedded into his skin. They lit up in a rainbow of pastel colours as he held his arms above his head, and squeezed his eyes shut as the feet came soaring down towards him.

Come on! He screamed in his head. It had been a long time since he did this. Too long. What if he couldn't use the Blessing anymore?

At the last second, a bright light shot forth from Azure's outstretched hands, and jutted out in what looked like two large crystal wings that spread out above the two, and curved down. The crystal wings reflected off the mist, forming a semi-circle of dancing colours. Delphox's fire attack went right through the wings and continued to sear at the beast's underbelly.

Almost instantly after, the Beast lowered its feet right on top of the 'Force-Field'. Azure cried out as the stress ripped through is body, and staggered slightly, but the beast's feet instantly bounced right off the Force-Field. The weight from the creature ripped through his muscles, and caused his knees to buckle, and he fell to one knee, but kept his shaking arms extended above him, the shield still intact.

The Beast roared out as it's attack was reflected back on it, and it staggered backwards, falling over onto it's own slug-like body. Panting heavily, Azure lowered his arms, his eyes wide with surprise. He had used that ability several times in the past. It was a 'gift' from Esuna. It was a move, similar to the Pokemon Move, 'Reflect', that bounced attacks right back at the user, but he had never seen it affect the opponent that badly before? He didn't have time to think about it though. Now was their chance! The beast lay on it's back, its bare underbelly fully exposed!

Articuno didn't even need an order. Instantly it swooped in and launched an Ice Beam attack. The Ice Beam hit right across the Beast's stomach, freezing over the burnt flesh with large pillars of ice. The pillars didn't stay long though, because right behind Articuno came Chandelure with a flame attack, arcing right beside Articuno's attack, searing more flesh from the weak underbelly. The Beast screamed out in pain and thrashed it's two arms, trying to twist itself over, but before it could, Articuno swooped back up into the air and circled around. It's mouth glowed white for a moment, before it launched another Ice Beam, right into the center of the Beast's stomach.

The Beast let out an agonizing howl as it's limbs curled in on itself, trying in vain to cover it's weak spot, before the creature started to collapse in on itself. With a dying wail, it imploded into itself, until it was nothing more then a black smudge on the earth.

Delphox watched in amazement, her eyes switching from Azure, to Articuno, to the blackened earth in awe, but her attention instantly snapped back to her Trainer as he fell to his knees, panting heavily. She crouched down beside him and patted his back. Articuno landed on the ground behind them.

"W-what was that thing?" He panted.

Haize walked up towards him, her Chandelure hovering behind her. She stopped in front of him, an almost mocking grin stretching wide across her face.

"The Shadows." She smirked.

A cold wind picked up through the field as everything settled down, waving past the two lone people, and their Pokemon. Slowly, the thick mist around them started to evaporate, revealing the early morning sky, the stars just starting to fade with the growing light.

Haize's eyes narrowed as she outstretched a hand towards Azure, but he shook his head and put one hand on his knee to push himself back to his feet instead. Seemingly unfazed, Haize withdrew her hand and hid them once again under her travelling cloak.

"The Shadows…" Azure repeated softly. He looked over at the blackened earth, where that large Pokemon had disappeared without a trace, "You've said that before… but what does it mean? What are 'the Shadows', and why could my Pokemon's attacks suddenly start working against them?"

"The mist!" Haize sung,
"Enough games!" Azure snapped. He could hear the venom in his own tone, "I'm through playing around Haize! What's going on?"
Haize threw her head back and laughed, "Straight to the point! I always did like that about you!"

Azure felt his anger boiling, but then exhaustion took over, and suddenly all feeling just quit. His shoulder's slouched, and he struggled to stay on his feet.

Haize grinned and flicked a lock of silver hair off her shoulder, "I'm sorry to break you in that way, but I thought showing you would be the best way to explain what's going on!" Her grey eyes flickered, teasingly, "And you've got to admit! That was fun!"
"You're idea of fun and mine appear to be totally different." Azure muttered. He sat down and crossed his legs, "Now please… just tell me what's going on!"
Haize laughed, "I'd like too, but I don't really know all the details myself."
He shot her a dark look, "…what?"
She laughed, "If looks could kill!" She crossed her arms under the cloak, "Well, I do, but I know someone who can explain it better then I can. After all, this stretches back even further then I do, and I am a little over a thousand years old."

Azure groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Somehow, he wasn't surprised… not surprised at all. He looked up at Haize and sighed, "Alright… out with it. Who do I need to go see?"

She just grinned, and Azure groaned. He closed his eyes for a moment, "Let me guess… this links back to Etrova?"
Haize laughed, "You should know where to look by now."
"Do I need to hop a Plane or Island to get there?" He asked, sarcastically.
"A plane will be fine." Haize laughed.

(( A/N: Again! Please let me know if you'd be interested in reading more and I'll continue it! ))