A/N: If you're wondering about the publication date, I had originally posted a preview of this story on that date (8/4/2013). The story's actual premiere date is 10/15/2013. Also, the front cover was a commission done by feyuca of DeviantART while I was at Comikaze 2013. I added some effects to it, but the drawing itself was her work. With that out of the way, welcome to part two of the Hope and Faith saga!

Chapter 1 – Blessing Under Control

No one knew where she had gained the dark power she holds. She once had an older sibling, but it was unknown what her cause of death was. Her dark power had the look of evil to it, but she had it under control, and used it for the good of the world of Pokémon. She stopped thinking about where she could have obtained it, since every prior effort at that was absolutely futile.

She focused her power to unleash a blast of darkness from her claws at the Outlaw she had dispatched herself to apprehend. Though the Hariyama she was fighting had a twofold type advantage over her, the mysterious dark power of hers had him defeated instantly. No one knew why it seemed to be super effective against anything standing in her way, but only Outlaws had to fear that as she was one who vowed to never misuse her power. That was an oath she swore to herself ever since she did exactly that to a dear friend of hers. Though she didn't know why she committed that act, it was poignant enough to keep her true to her own word.

The best part of her day was spending time with her friends Pelame the Eevee and Pugno the human-turned-Riolu. Her late sister had once joined them some time ago, to her chagrin. After coming to her senses after a journey of self-discovery, she had become a valuable asset to Pelame and Pugno's Exploration Team known as Team Space-Time. Like her older sister, she was a Sneasel. On the day she had officially joined the Team, she elected to go by the name "Blessing." She didn't remember why she chose that name, but she liked the sound of it.

Whether it was exploring with her friends, or returning home to them after a solo mission, she was always happy to be with the Team. And she was happy to train at the world-renowned Wigglytuff Guild. Her life had turned for the better ever since that day one year ago, and she prospered for it.

At the Guild, she had her own crew room all to herself. The room once belonged to the two founders of Team Space-Time. Their graduation from the Guild and residential transferal to the nearby Sharpedo Bluff left that room open for her to use. After a hard day's work, she had no trouble drifting off to sleep.

On the other hand, Pelame was sleeping peacefully at Sharpedo Bluff, but not without having a strange dream that confused her to no end. This wouldn't be the first time, however. She could swear that she had heard the figure speak before. She had heard it at the peak of Destiny Tower. Though it had been a little more than a year since she and Pugno had reached the top of the tower and earned a Space Globe as their prize, the familiarity of the voice speaking to her hadn't disappeared. She knew Arceus's voice unmistakably. Before he could reveal anything important to her, something would cause the dream to end at that moment, and leave her sleeping normally. She wished there was something she could do to help him get his message across to her. Of course, being fully asleep hindered her.

"AND THREE!" shouted the Guild crew, filling the Guild's second subfloor with the sound of their morning cheer. "SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Chatot had lots to do as the right-hand Pokémon to the Guildmaster. Initiating and leading the cheers was one such duty, which he always excelled at. "Okay, everyone!" he announced. "Time to get to work!"

"HOORAY!" responded the Guild crew. That served as the cue to dispatch the crew to their daily tasks.

"Blessing, may I see you for a moment?" Chatot called. Blessing obliged.

"About that strange power of yours…have you figured out where it came from? I know that's what you've been trying to do, and I don't want you to fail at that. But there's something concerning me about it."

"What would that be?" Blessing asked in response. "If you're afraid I'm going to misuse it, don't be. I intend to keep the promise I made to Pelame and Pugno."

"I know that. I'd never think you would break your word. It's a different concern entirely. You see, those Outlaws you've apprehended using that power of yours; as you know, you've captured quite a lot of them, even that Mismagius that eluded the law for months. Outlaws have disappeared from the correctional facility Officer Magnezone takes them to. The ones who have disappeared are the ones you've captured with your special power. I have no idea why or how, but that's the case anyway."

"I see," Blessing said, surprised. "Is there anything else?"

"Nothing else," Chatot said, resuming his usual chipper mood. "Now, it's time for you to get to work now! There's lots to do today!"

"Yes, sir!"

Upstairs, the Guild's first basement housed the two bulletin boards where jobs were posted. Blessing took a look at the board on the left.

"Maybe I should stay away from Outlaws for a while," Blessing thought. "For their own good."

Blessing took down a note requesting a missing Chimchar to be retrieved from the Beach Cave.

"Taking' it easy, are you?" Loudred said. "Too TIRED of Outlaws for a while?"

"Not really," Blessing responded. "As if giving away a White Gummi to a hungry Cleffa is a hard job itself. It'll probably be hard for you, though." Blessing pointed at Loudred's stomach.

"Oh, you LITTLE…" Loudred started, just as Blessing tossed a White Gummi into Loudred's gaping mouth.

"There. Now you can do your job on a full stomach." With that, Blessing left the guild.

"HOW can that girl be so kind YET so annoying at the same time?!"

"I keep telling you, I don't know what in the world you're talking about!"

"In that case," growled a Skuntank to a scared Chimchar. "You'd better dig really deep into your noodle, or else."

"That's right," said a Koffing who was flanking Skuntank. "Otherwise, you'll be taking the wettest nap of your life."

"If it comes to that," said a Zubat who flanked Skuntank's other side. "Then I hope you can live without air for the rest of your life."

"But I can't swim as well as a Water Pokémon can! I can hardly swim at all!" cried the terrified Chimchar.

"Pity that," Skuntank responded. "We'll let you stay dry if you tell us what we want to know. And all we want to know from you is how to snuff out the Alpha Bloodline! So hurry up and spill the beans if you don't want to start breathing water!"

"How should I know something like that?! I don't even know what this 'Alpha Bloodline' is! Please, just let me go! I don't know anything! Honest!"

The young Chimchar was panicking, knowing that he was seconds away from being shoved into the Beach Cave's tide pool. He couldn't escape from the cavern, being tied by the feet to a heavy boulder by Evil Threads. He couldn't burn the thread away with his Ember attack, as it was fireproof. His struggling against it only tightened its grip on him.

"In that case," Skuntank said menacingly as he advanced on the poor boy. "Hold your breath."

Skuntank shoved the boulder into the tide pool behind Chimchar, sinking it instantly. It took the young Chimchar with it to the bottom. With their assignment done, the three Pokémon of the roughneck Team Skull left the cave.

At the bottom of the pool, the young Chimchar was struggling desperately in vain to free himself from the boulder. Even though he knew that would just cause the thread to tighten, he was completely panicking and forgot that detail. The thread kept him just a foot and a half below the surface when he swam straight up. If he were only an Infernape, he'd be tall enough to reach the surface. Alas, he was only a Chimchar, and that last pesky eighteen inches were all that was separating him from air. At the bleakest moment, he didn't know how, but he had suddenly been freed. Something took hold of him and brought him to the surface and then to safe ground. He had never been so relieved to be able to breathe again.

"Thank you…so much," he gasped. "You saved my life."

"Take it easy, little one," the rescuer said. The rescuer turned out to be Blessing. "Don't worry about those bullies. They're gone. And I should get you home."

Blessing opened a Dimensional Hole leading to the Volcanic Island to the northwest, knowing that to be this boy's home.

"Hey," Chimchar said, thoroughly impressed. "How did you do that?"

"It's one of my abnormal abilities. I don't know where I got this power, but I saw those bully Pokémon using the same power. But I use it responsibly, for the good of the world. Such as when I rescued you from drowning just now."

"Cool! And thanks again!" He ran up to Blessing and gave her a tight hug. "I owe my entire life to you. I promise, someday, I'll repay you somehow." He then released Blessing and entered the Hole that led to his home. Blessing shut it as soon as he made it through.

"Take care, kiddo."

"So those stinkers are up to no good again," Chatot said as a response to Blessing's report on the mission she finished. He paced back and forth between the Guild's bulletin boards. "And it appears they have the same strange power as you do. But they misuse it, unlike you."

"They were asking that Chimchar boy about something called the 'Alpha Bloodline,'" Blessing added. "I don't know what that is, but it sounds important."

"I agree. I think we need to speak to Pelame and Pugno about this. Inform Grovyle and his crew from the future about this, too. If there's anyone who can get to the bottom of this mystery, it's all of them."

Elsewhere in the world, Team Skull gave their report to a mysterious supervisor.

"He knew nothing about the Alpha Bloodline," Skuntank started. "But he's out of the way now."

"He can't mess with us anymore," Zubat added. "We've made sure of that."

"Since that boy is asleep at the bottom of a tide pool with water in his lungs," Koffing added. "We only have to worry about Team Space-Time and those interlopers from the future."

The Pokémon hearing the report got up to address his minions.

"My mistake," he said. "Clearly I shouldn't have sent thugs to do a Pokémon's job. Though I'm happy to hear that a perfectly innocent Pokémon will be no more trouble to us, there's still the matter at hand…"

Team Skull cowered in fear of the incoming punishment.

"…Unless I can eradicate the Alpha Bloodline immediately, my goal will never be achieved. And you three were of no help in getting me closer to it! Therefore, you will be punished by my Disable attack. Team AWD will be picking up your slack while you three are serving your punishment."

He turned to Team AWD and addressed them.

"You know what you must do. And do not fail me!"

Without another word, Team AWD vanished, leaving Team Skull to their fate. Once Team Skull was properly paralyzed and left there with a starving sensation, the mysterious Pokémon looked out the window of the castle he was occupying.

"Team Space-Time," he seethed. "This time, you will fall to me. And with you, the rest of the world will fall to darkness. Mark my words, the darkness will triumph over all!"