CHAPTER 2 – WHIRLPOOLS
In the Western part of Johto, two figures flying over the sea come to a halt. The harsh winds and seemingly endless whirlpools blocking the way will not let them advance any further.
"Darkai, we're not getting through here. We'll be blown into the whirlpools and sucked into the bottom of the sea instantly," said Genesect.
Darkrai closed his eyes and concentrated his energy. "Wait," he commanded.
Darkrai raised his hands and shouted, "Ominous wind!" The clouds above became darker and a strong gust of wind came down on the sea ahead. Soon the whirlpools started to thin out and become shallow until the sea was calmed, and the whirlpools were no more. The intense wall of wind dissipated and a path to island ahead was cleared.
"Well... that's one way to do it," acknowledged Genesect. Darkrai released his powerful force and opened his eyes. "Let's move," he demanded.
Darkrai and Genesect flew swiftly over the rest of the sea and arrived at Whirl Islands. Landing on the beach, Genesect took a second to inspect the area. The beach was populated by Krabbys and entrances to multiple caves.
"There's no sign of them around. How long do you think it will take to find them?" Genesect asked in his robotic voice.
"They've found us. Look up," Darkrai declared.
On the peaks of the mountain top above, there were three bird-like shapes that were staring directly at the duo. As Genesect looked closer, they started to look more familiar until they were finally recognizable. It was Moltres on the left, Zapdos on the right, and Articuno in the middle. The legendary birds were alerted on their arrival.
"There goes the element of stealth." Genesect quipped. "What's the plan Darkrai?"
"Let me deal with Moltres, you won't be able to take its attacks. And remember, we need them alive for this to work." Darkrai ordered. Genesect nodded and concentrated his aim on Articuno and Zapdos.
The peak of the left perch crumbled as Moltres charged towards Genesect with flame charge. Darkrai intercepted Moltres with a quick attack which flinched Moltres, and then a dark pulse which sent the flaming bird flying into a cave below. As Darkrai followed Moltres into the collapsing cave, Genesect flew high into the sky as the clouds began to darken once more. Zapdos started generating powerful lightning strikes from the clouds to damage Genesect, who was narrowly dodging the strikes flying at rapid speeds and weaving through mountains. Articuno appeared behind Genesect and fired an ice beam. The ice beam coated half of Genesect's backside with a layer of ice, stunting his flight and sending Genesect into a free fall.
"Damn it, I'm frozen," Genesect shouted as he started falling towards the sea. He used his metal claw to start chipping away at the ice as Zapdos was prepared to fire another lightning strike. In the nick of time, Genesect chipped off the ice that was covering his boosters and charged back into flight, narrowly avoiding another bolt of lightning.
"Alright, let's try this," Genesect said to himself as he activated double-team. Genesect then seemingly started to multiply. Two became four, four became eight, eight became sixteen. In a couple seconds there one hundred and twenty-eight Genesects headed for Articuno. As Articuno flew away in opposite direction, Zapdos was rapidly destroying the illusions with lightning strikes. Articuno looked back and started firing ice beams at the illusions, destroying even more of them. Just as Articuno turned its head back around, it felt something in its chest and instantly stopped. It was almost as if it was a steel beam that stabbed into its body.
It was the real Genesect, impaling Articuno with it's metal arm.
"Gotcha," Genesect cheered. He then started striking Articuno with numerous metal punches before throwing it to the beach below. Articuno was finished.
Genesect and Zapdos started hearing rocks and boulders rumbling from the cave on the other side of the beach. Blasting out of the collapsed cave was Darkrai, holding Moltres by it's neck. Darkrai tossed Moltres aside and concentrated his attention on Zapdos.
"One more" Darkrai exclaimed. Zapdos, enraged by the sight of its fallen allies, left its perch and directed all of it's power in the clouds above. The skies went from a dark gray to a jet black, and lightning strikes powerful enough to completely combust the trees below began to rain down onto the island.
"Genesect, keep using double team, don't get hit. On my command, fire at Zapdos," Darkrai instructed. As soon as Darkrai gave his order, he sunk into the beach and became a silhouette of himself, in the form of a shadow. The shadow moved into the forest and disappeared.
"Don't get hit. Great advice," Genesect retorted as he started making more illusions.
Darkrai, as a shadow, zoomed past the forest and reached the edge of the mountain. The shadow started climbing up the mountain, getting closer and closer to the height that Zapdos was flying at. Zapdos was concentrated on Genesect and taking out his illusions at a much faster rate than Genesect could generate them. Genesect was soon down to three copies. As lightning strikes quickly destroyed the last two illusions and only the real Genesect remained, Darkrai jumped out of the shadow which was now at the peak of the mountain and appeared behind Zapdos.
"Genesect now!" Darkrai shouted. Darkrai launched a dark pulse at Zapdos which sent it flying towards the beach with the weight of the force. Genesect launched a flash cannon from the gun on its back towards Zapdos, and then Zapdos found itself being crushed between the forces of the flash cannon and the dark pulse. The reaction between the two attacks exploded, and Zapdos was sent spiraling into the forest below. The intense lightning from the clouds above stopped and Darkrai floated down to the ground.
Genesect grabbed Moltres and dragged it over to the incapacitated Articuno. Darkrai floated out of the forest with Zapdos, beaten and hardly breathing, telekinetically floating next him. He threw Zapdos down next to it's allies.
"That's it huh? This will bring out the big bird?" Genesect inclined.
Darkrai did not answer him. Instead, he stepped on Zapdos's neck prompting it to screech loudly. Then, from under the sea, there was a roar that shook the whole island.
In the heart of the Sinnoh region, Mewtwo and Deoxys trek down a hidden crypt, not marked on any map or recognized by human technology. Mewtwo leads the way down the crypt with a knapsack on his back and a torch floating beside him. Deoxys cautiously follows behind, not knowing exactly what he's getting into. They soon come to a stop, as there is a large boulder blocking the way.
"Dead end," Deoxys muttered. Mewtwo raised his hand and lifted the boulder out of the way and to the side. "Not exactly," Mewtwo responded.
The two legendary pokemon walked through the entrance. They came to a wall with two long candles to the side of it. Mewtwo lit up the candles with is torch and brightened the cavern, which revealed hieroglyphics on the wall.
"Ancient writing," Deoxys observed, as he started translating the wall.
KEY TO THE CRADLE:
PIERCE THE STORM (LUGIA)
PIERCE THE SKY (RAYQUAZA)
PIERCE THE MATTER (GIRATINA)
PIERCE THE AURA (ZYGARDE)
PIERCE THE LIMIT (KYUREM)
"Mewtwo, what is this?" Deoxys inquired.
"This is the key to the cradle. Five different keys hidden inside the minds of five legendary pokemon. Once all five keys are collected, access is granted to Arceus's private dimension where he sleeps undisturbed for thousands of years," Mewtwo explained, as turned to face Deoxys.
"Darkrai is plotting to collect all the keys and enter the cradle. He will then trap Arceus in an eternal nightmare and take over his body" Mewtwo insisted.
"Darkai will become a god." Deoxys reflected. Mewtwo nodded "Yes, exactly. We need to collect all five keys before Darkrai does. I can shut down Arceus's mind down while he's sleeping and kill him."
Deoxys was wrapping the situation around his head. "Wait, why do we have to kill Arceus? Why don't we just stop Darkai, or wake him up?"
"And then what? Arceus still exists with the power to destroy everything as we know it. Do you really want to risk waking Arceus up so he can put the world in peril again? Even putting a stop to Darkrai is a long shot. Palkia and Dialgia hit Darkrai so hard that he was warped out of the fabric of space-time, and he came back more powerful than ever," Mewtwo sneered. "Arceus has put the world in danger more times than he's tried to help it, even if he created the universe. The only way to make sure a bomb doesn't detonate is to diffuse it for good."
Deoxys sighed. "Okay, I understand what you're saying, but why do you need me?"
Mewtwo explained himself. "You're the only telepath on my level that I can trust with a mission like this. The only way to get these keys is to tire the keyholders out in battle and enter their minds, assuming they don't want to give them up willingly or they're not sleeping. I can't do this alone. Also…" Mewtwo opened his knapsack and pulled out a grayish gem that was in the core of the dead Deoxys.
Deoxys in shock looked at the gem and instantly recognized it. "That jewel, that's…"
"Yes", Mewtwo interrupted. "The gym to the other Deoxys. I know how you work. If the gym is intact you can regenerate, right? Arceus's dimension is filled with life energy, generated by the Jewel of Life itself. If we get this gem inside the cradle, your friend will come back to life. So, do we have a deal?"
Deoxys took a second to contemplate the decision. But the thought of reviving his counterpart left him no choice. Finally, Deoxys responded. "Okay, I'm in. But why would Darkrai be doing this? As evil as he looks, he's not that way."
Mewtwo put the gem back inside his knapsack. "There's a lot more to explain, but we have to get started immediately. Come on, we have find Lugia before Darkrai does."
TO BE CONTINUED…