This chapter made a great improvement; I shortened it at least by 11 freakin pages! XD And yes, the training is a bit based on Kung Fu Panda, but what can I say; I love the movie! And I dunno why, but I can somehow visualize Raikou being voiced by Jack Black...
Support, please!
New Divide
Chapter 9: Training and Terror
Darkrai and Violet face each other while Ribo stands between then and makes sure that they have an equal distance away from each other.
"Come and get some, old man." Violet taunts. Darkrai growls and narrows his eyes at the clone. The duo exchange a glaring contest and Darkrai suddenly takes notice how red Violet's eyes are. He hesitates when he sees Eclipso through them. He feels horrible about scolding his younger brother with cruel words instead of comforting him as every older sibling should.
"Darkrai? Is there something wrong?" Ribo places a hand on Darkrai's shoulder. Darkrai blinks before he shakes his head. "No. I'm fine."
Ribo looks skeptical before he shrugs. He isn't going to press onto the matter if Darkrai doesn't want to talk about it. "All right then. The first lesson is to find your enemy's weak spot." Suddenly Ribo leans closely to Darkrai and whispers. "And by the way, Violet has a thing about people touching her neck."
Darkrai frowns and raises a brow as Ribo floats over to the middle of the battlefield. "Um… OK?" He shrugs before he focuses on Violet and clenches his fists. She's going to pay for barbecuing him this morning.
"You ready, Violet?" The phantom calls. Violet calls back to him. "I was born ready, Grandpa."
"Let's get it on!" Soon the duo charge at each other and dodge every attack aimed at them. They would fade into the shadows and attack each other in their dark forms. Ribo had a hard time watching the duo since they blend in against the grassy fields. The other two groups are teaching their own trainee about basic defensive positions. Ash copies his trainers' movements while Raikou uses his speed and electrical attacks on his trainers.
Darkrai grunts when Violet punches his stomach. He falls down to his knees while she wrings her wrists patiently. He quickly dodges another kick and trips Violet down. She lands on her stomach and Darkrai straddles her as he tightens his hold on her arms. He summons a Dark Void to ensure that Violet wouldn't escape through the shadows again. Suddenly Darkrai thinks about Ribo's statement and begins to stroke her neck. Violet tenses before she shudders against the ground. Darkrai could have sworn that she was giggling.
Then temptation hits the phantom and he begins to tickle Violet's waist. The clone turns her head and lets out another laugh. Darkrai smirks as vengeance overwhelms his systems and he begins to tickle the female phantom to death. Violet screams in laughter and tries to remove Darkrai's hands while she kicks and squirms underneath him. Darkrai doesn't know why, but seeing Violet under him and pleading for mercy is worth all the trouble.
Ribo leans against a boulder and smiles as he watches the duo. He could sense the thrill radiating from the duo knows that they are already closely acquainted despite their differences. Violet continues to laugh as tears leak from her eyes. Darkrai holds a mischievous glint in his eyes as he continues to tickle her.
"No fair!" Violet whines as she squirms. She was laughing so hard to the point where her stomach is beginning to cramp. "You can't tickle your enemy to death!"
"Who says?" Darkrai asks challengingly as he takes pleasure in tormenting his partner.
Soon the other groups notice what's going on and raise their brows. Crystal couldn't help but smile at the sight before she orders everyone to focus on their training.
Ribo decides to break up the fun by pulling the phantoms away from each other. He holds them away at arm's length. "Ok, that's enough. As nice as it is that you both are getting along, we really need to focus on our training."
Violet huffs and crosses her arms while Darkrai looks surprised. He finally realizes what he did and is tempted to smack himself. He has always thought himself as a loner Pokémon but now he is tickling a girl that he despises and respects. Sure it was fun, but it goes against his ways and it makes him look like a softie. However, it doesn't explain why he feels strange whenever he looks at Violet or is near her.
Darkrai honestly feels some sort of a bond with Violet. He knows that she understands his dark preferences and beliefs that even Cresselia wouldn't understand. Even though they are different, they respect each other in a mutual sense. Violet is childish and egotistical but Darkrai still enjoys her company as much as she likes his presence.
Darkrai's eyes widen. How could this be? He has already promised himself that he would belong only to Cresselia… But now… Is he really falling for his brother's arrogant and prissy clone? The idea itself is preposterous and impossible!
Violet and Cresselia may have a few things in common, but they are too different in various things. Cresselia is sweet and compassionate while Violet is arrogant and selfish. Cresselia is Darkrai's counterpart and he has known her since the beginning of time; Violet is but a mere projection that he has met barely two days ago.
Then the phantom realizes that it's going to be hard looking at Cresselia after he reunites with her. How would she react if she knows about this? Sure she might be angry or jealous, but Darkrai cannot bear the thought of her hating him. The phantom sighs and shakes his head out of frustration.
After Ribo asks Violet to gather some berries from the forest, he notices Darkrai's frustrated look and raises a brow. This is the third time today that Darkrai has been distracted and the psychic knows that something must be bothering the phantom. He floats over to Darkrai and stands before the pensive phantom before he shakes his shoulders gently.
"Darkrai. Darkrai!" He calls.
Darkrai blinks and looks up at Ribo's face in a startled manner. Ribo looks stern and somewhat annoyed. "Are you OK?" the psychic asks again.
Darkrai narrows his eyes as he removes Ribo's hands from his shoulders. "I'm fine, Ribo."
Unfortunately, the psychic isn't going to let the situation go. "No, you're not. This is the third time today that I've seen you look distracted by something." Ribo says sternly as he crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at the Legendary. "It's obvious that something is bothering you."
"Your point?" Darkrai snaps as he glares at the psychic. His personal issues is none of the psychics business.
"My point is that you cannot concentrate on the training if you are distracted." Ribo's eyes soften before he sighs. "I'm just saying that maybe I can help you fix the problem. Is it very personal?"
Darkrai raises a brow at the psychic. Ribo could easily read the phantom's mind but he is being respectful enough to hold back and let Darkrai speak his thoughts out. Then Darkrai decides that he may need help with his predicament after all. And if Crystal is right, then Ribo will be honorable and not say a word about it to another soul.
Darkrai hesitates as he runs his hand through his hair uneasily. "Well… I was thinking about Cresselia."
Ribo nods in understanding. "Yes, your counterpart. She's also your girlfriend, if I'm correct?"
Darkrai nods. Ribo places a hand on his hip as he cups his chin thoughtfully. "Based on what I hear about the Legendaries, they tend to argue with their counterparts because of their differences. Are you unsure of your relationship with Cresselia because of your differences?"
Somewhat surprised, Darkrai shakes his head. "No, nothing like that. We may argue about some things, but our disagreements never get the best of us. I was only thinking about how she is doing right now."
"I'll bet that she must be worried sick. All mates are like that when their loved ones are missing." Ribo then looks thoughtful as he stares at the phantom. "And another thing troubles you."
Darkrai hesitates. "… Yes."
"Does it have anything to do with Violet?" Ribo asks. When he sees Darkrai's arm twitch, he knows the answer. "You like her too, don't you?"
Darkrai glances uneasily at Ribo, but the psychic looks unimpressed as he glances at the forest. "I understand completely, Darkrai. You love Cresselia but you can also love another person at the same time. It is natural to have feelings for more than one person, but the hardest part about your predicament is which girl to choose. Women do not like to share their mates so you will have to simply remain friends with one of them and hold the other as your lover."
"I know that I love Cresselia," Darkrai snorts as he crosses his arms. "What I probably feel for Violet is just a mutual bond. I barely know her anyway." Darkrai doesn't know why, but he could feel a dark burning inside his chest but he tries to ignore it.
"Do you?" Ribo asks. "For all you know, you could be having a mutual bond with Cresselia and feel love for Violet and not realize which feeling is which."
"I'm not an idiot, Ribo. I know the difference between love and friendship." Darkrai growls as he clenches his fists. How dare the psychic question about his love for Cresselia? Darkrai suddenly begins to feel angry and he is praying that Ribo would stop before he gets hurt. Now he regrets confessing to the telepath.
Ribo looks uneasy before he focuses on his goal. He has an idea on how to activate Darkrai's affinity but he probably won't get out of it without being snapped in half. However, Ribo needs to know for sure about how Darkrai can trigger his affinity and use it for his advantage. "I'm just saying that your relationship seems strange. You and Cresselia are too different to be together."
"And how would you know?" Darkrai snarls darkly. "You don't know me or Cresselia so you have no right to claim that." Darkrai is unaware that his body is engulfed by a dark aura as he glares at the psychic. The other groups notice what is going on and widen their eyes in bewilderment. Crystal suddenly calls for a time out and rushes towards the duo.
Ribo continues to press onto the matter and acts ignorant even though he is quite nervous. "While that may be true, you are counterparts. You are so different that your relationship might not even last for a while."
Darkrai says nothing as he lowers his gaze and glares at the ground. "Shut up…" He mutters quietly but Ribo doesn't hear him.
"I know about your profile, Darkrai. I think that any chance of you maintaining a healthy relationship with Cresselia is very slim. You might end up hurting her at the end."
That does it. Darkrai snaps his head up to glare at the psychic with burning eyes. His aura seems to flare and the groups step back in alarm. From behind the foliage, Violet stares at the boys with wide eyes as she clutches a basket of berries in her hands. Crystal runs even faster to stop Darkrai before he lets out his anger.
"SHUT UP!" Darkrai roars as he shoots a dark blast at the telepath. Ribo didn't have time to dodge when the blast hits him squarely on the chest and sends him flying back. He crashes against a boulder and lands on the ground in a crumpled heap.
Everything turns deadly silent as the Pokémon stare at the scene in shock and disbelief. Crystal glances at the unconscious Ribo before she looks at an aggravated Darkrai. The phantom's aura begins to fade and he takes a deep breath to calm down. The phantom blinks and realization hits him as he stares at Ribo's body in horror and bewilderment.
"Uh-oh…"
-ooo-
"Sorry for attacking you like that."
Ribo only groans in pain as he rests against the boulder that he crashed against. Violet and Crystal carefully wrap bandages around his damaged spine and broken arm as the Pokémon watch from around them. The female phantom has placed aside the berries to tend to the psychic's wounds.
Darkrai looks guilty as he grimaces at what he did. He looks at the crack on the boulder and notices small trails of blood drying on the surface. He had no idea that his anger could trigger such a powerful move but he knows that he needs to be careful from now on. It has almost killed his trainer and has possibly strained his relationship with the other Pokémon.
Ribo strangely looks satisfied as he nods curtly at Darkrai. He winces when Crystal tightens the bandage on his waist as she glares at him. She has read the boys' mind and knows what happened. She is disappointed in Darkrai for easily losing his temper and is annoyed at Ribo for nearly getting himself killed through a simple theory. The trio had a mental conversation and agreed to keep quiet about Darkrai's predicament. Violet would surely have a heart attack if she finds out that Darkrai has a crush on her. Crystal will talk with Darkrai privately about the issue later. Darkrai feels somewhat relieved but betrayed that Ribo has lied to him about his thoughts on Darkrai's relationship with Cresselia; the psychic really supports the lovers and has only irked Darkrai to activate his powers.
After finishing bandaging the wounds, Crystal places her fingers on Ribo's temples and uses Recover. Once she is done, the bones are healed but the bleeding stitches remain visible. Crystal has limited power when it comes to healing Pokémon; she can heal one body section at a time. She wisely decides to heal Ribo's broken bones and orders him to let the stitches heal in time. Ribo is thankful for Crystal's advice since he has no problems floating around with stitches on his arms and ribs.
Ribo carefully stands up with Violet and Crystal's help. The female phantom finally glances at Darkrai accusingly. "What happened that made you trigger the dark affinity, anyway?"
Darkrai blinks. "That power I used was the dark affinity?"
Violet nods curtly while Crystal stares thoughtfully at the phantom. "It is unusual for someone to call upon an affinity that they never even knew that they had." Crystal muses. Then she shakes her head as she looks at Ribo and Violet. "Ribo, you stay here and get some rest. Violet, you stay with him and watch over him. I'll take over Darkrai's training program."
Violet looks confused. "But what happened earlier?"
"Nothing." Crystal shakes her head and doesn't press onto the matter. "It's already taken care of. Just stay here and get some rest."
"But-"
Crystal gives Violet a steely glare that makes the phantom turn silent. The lizard's golden orbs flash warningly and Violet immediately drops the subject. "… OK." She mutters as she sits beside Ribo.
Crystal sighs before she leads the other Pokémon towards the middle of the meadow. She looks at her friends. "How far is your process coming?" She asks Rocky and Scalene.
Rocky shrugs as he glances at Raikou. "Thunder boy is quick on his feet, but he is not very defensive on offensive attacks."
"Same thing for Ash," Crystal murmurs as she glances at the human. Then she looks at her friends. "You guys go sit down and relax with Ribo and Violet. I'll train the boys from here."
The Pokémon glance at each other before they stare uneasily at Darkrai. It's obvious that they are debating on leaving him with their leader. Then they shrug and walk towards the foliage and make themselves comfortable.
Crystal looks at Darkrai. "You and I will talk after training." She says in a calm voice. Darkrai knows that there's no argument in her tone and only nods.
Then Crystal faces the three boys and places her hands behind her. Ash and Raikou look intrigued while Darkrai looks bored as he crosses his arms.
"OK, based on what I have seen and heard, you boys are prepared to train. But when you focus on your tactics and control your anger… You stink."
The heroes look offended but Crystal continues. "But perhaps that is my fault. You are Legendaries and a human child. Therefore, I cannot expect to train you the same way I have trained my friends. I cannot be offensive in any way to urge you to try hard. But I see that the way I can get through to you boys… Is with this." Crystal holds up a basket of berries and smiles at the boys' stunned look.
Then they let out sighs of relief when they realize that it is lunchtime. "Great, cause I'm hungry." Raikou murmurs.
Crystal chuckles and takes away the basket when the boys reach out for it. "Good. When you boys are done training on the basics, then you may eat. Let's start." Crystal plucks a berry and eats it as she turns away from the deflated heroes.
Crystal almost laughs when she hears Raikou and Ash whining. She hears Darkrai scoff. "Whatever happened to not using food to train, Crystal?"
Crystal recalls what happened earlier this morning and smiles over her shoulder. "You were using that method to smash Raikou against a tree. My training tactics are much more effective…"
-ooo-
Darkness.
That's all she could see. She couldn't speak and even thinking hurts. She can only feel the cold and damp ground below her. Soon Latias' senses slowly return and she sniffs the air. The scent of fresh blood hits her nose and she scrunches up her face in disgust. She opens her eyes and her vision is blurry until she blinks several times. She frowns as she floats up and looks around in bewilderment. She could hear some flies nearby and realizes that she is in a small cage cell. The only sources of light are the lit torches hanging on the walls. Latias grows horrified when she sees several corpses in different cells. Then she notices a window above her cell and looks over the bars to see a strange dimension with black and purple skies and floating islands.
Latias gapes in bewilderment. Where on Earth is she?
Then Latias decides that she needs to get out of the cell fast. She floats over to the gate and grasps the bars. Her touch activates electricity through the bars and Latias yelps as she backs away in alarm. Suddenly a door opens and Latias turns to see Terotrey entering the prison. She stares at the scientist in horror and disbelief as he walks up to her cell and smirks at the dragon.
"Why, hello again, Latias." Terotrey greets. "It is so nice of you to drop by to see me again. I was beginning to think that the Legendaries had forgotten about me."
Latias looks nervous before she narrows her eyes threateningly at the human. "Who would want to remember someone as horrible as you are?" She snaps. She knows that humans cannot understand Pokémon language so Terotrey would be clueless about her threat.
However, the scientist frowns at Latias. "I was merely being polite. If you're going to be that way, then I might as well treat you as my prisoner."
Latias gapes at the human. "You can understand me? How?"
Terotrey smirks. "You and the Legendaries have no idea about who you are dealing with, but you should know by now that I am full of surprises. Even Darkrai and Raikou know that by now."
Latias gasps. "Where are those boys and what have you done to them?" She demands.
Terotrey chuckles. "Nothing yet. Blackfire's daughter helped them escape from me." Suddenly the doctor frowns. "She is getting smarter with her tactics, though…"
Latias blinks. "Did you just say Blackfire? And she has a daughter?" Like the other Legendaries, Latias knows that Blackfire was banished because she was pregnant. But the dragon didn't think that the exile would survive this long and keep her child alive in the process. Latias couldn't help but wonder what the child is like.
Terotrey snorts in amusement. "That is correct. My ancestors have captured them a few years after their exile. Blackfire would always claim that she still loves Arceus after what he has done to her and their child."
"Their child?" Latias repeats uneasily. "She's Arceus' daughter?"
"Yes, Latias." A voice says softly and Latias looks around in surprise. Terotrey smiles and waves a hand. "Blackfire, dear. Why don't you come out and explain this better to Latias?"
Suddenly a black vapor forms beside Terotrey and takes the form of the exile that Latias hasn't seen in about 1,500 years. "Blackfire!" Latias gasps. She smiles in happiness of seeing a familiar face but frowns when she notices the unhappy look on Blackfire's face. The qilinlike being turns her head away in shame and Latias looks concerned. "Blackfire, what's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Yes, Blackfire. Tell her what's wrong." Terotrey sneers as he places a hand on her hoof. "Or do you want me to tell her."
Blackfire shakes her head. "… No…"
"You don't want to tell Latias?" Blackfire opens her mouth but Terotrey continues. "Fine, then I will tell her." The scientist looks back at Latias and smirks. "After Blackfire and the other exiled Legendaries were captured, my ancestors have experimented on them for different purposes. However, the exiles has pledged undying loyalty to my family before my ancestors promised to keep Blackfire's daughter alive. But when the brat escaped, my ancestors kept the exiles and experimented on them to find different ways on how to capture the real Legendaries. They have considered transforming Pokémon into drones but they didn't have the technology to do it. So when the exiles were passed down to me, I decided to create an army of robots and used the remains of the exiles' essences into helping me find the real Legendaries. The exiles have agreed to help me with my goal as long as I keep their daughter/goddaughter alive. And Blackfire has agreed to become my queen after my goal is reached."
Latias is speechless as she gapes at Terotrey. Then she switches her gaze between Blackfire and Terotrey before disbelief is sketched onto her face. She couldn't breathe when she speaks. "B-Blackfire… Tell me that he isn't telling the truth… Please tell me that he's lying…"
Blackfire says nothing as she stares sadly at Latias' pleading stare. She hesitates before she slowly shakes her head.
Terotrey isn't lying.
Latias begins to cry as she gazes up at Blackfire in sorrow and betrayal. "How could you, Blackfire? How could you do this to us? To Arceus?"
"I had no choice… I had to protect my daughter. She is the only thing that matters to me now…" Blackfire murmurs weakly as Terotrey wraps a possessive arm around her foot.
Latias could understand the maternal love that Blackfire has for her child, but it still doesn't change what she is doing. She is sacrificing her life to protect an illegitimate child that is the heir to the Legendary throne.
"We will leave you to your thoughts," Terotrey says as he leads Blackfire out of the prison. "So be good and I might take it easy on you for the next few days."
Terotrey smirks as he leaves the room. Blackfire gives Latias one last sad glance before the doors close. Latias is silent as she stares at the steel doors for a long time. Of all the things that she has forgotten to ask, she still doesn't know how Terotrey has been brought back to life.
"Is he gone?" A voice asks. Latias jumps in alarm and looks around the room for the source of the noise.
"Yep." Another voice responds. Latias blinks when another source of light erupts and she sees a pink Moltres glowing from the cage beside her. The bird's flames illuminate the room and Latias sees several different colored Legendaries surrounding her. The dragon notices how sick they look but ignores it as relief washes through her.
"Aurora? Marco? Jade? Is that you?"
The Pokémon freeze and turn to look at Latias with wide eyes. Suddenly the black Rayquaza crawls over and carefully reaches over to Latias through the bars. "Latias? How did you get here?"
"Remember when Terotrey sent me out this morning?" The gold Latias says suddenly. The Pokémon look at her questionably and Aurora suddenly looks uncomfortable and shameful. "Well, he actually gave me orders to hunt down Latias and to bring her here."
Latias gapes at Aurora in disbelief as she clutches the Rayquaza known as Jade's hand. She did what?"
There is silence before a familiar phantom and a tiger walk up to inspect Latias. They narrow their eyes at her while Latias' eyes flash in relief. "Eclipso! Saberspark!"
"Latias." They murmur softly as they carefully reach out to her over the bars. Latias lets go of Jade's hand and clutches the duo's hands tightly. "If it were any other circumstance, then this would be a nice reunion." Saberspark muses.
Latias lets go of the boys and smiles somewhat sadly at them. "I know what you mean. But how did you guys get involved with Terotrey anyway? I know that he said that his ancestors kidnapped you, but he didn't explain how."
Eclipso sighs as he leans back. "Well, it happened a few years after Crystal was born and-"
"Crystal?" Latias raises a brow. Saberspark clears his throat. "Blackfire's daughter."
"Oh." Latias nods in understanding and urges the phantom to continue.
"As I was saying, it happened a few years after Crystal was born. When Blackfire was exiled, she came to us and we helped her through her labor. She nominated us as Crystal's guardians and we would often watch over Crystal. We weren't really in our games back then because we were distracted by seeing how happy Crystal was when she plays around. Seeing the child being so happy was priceless and her giggles were infectious." Eclipso smiles at the memory. "Suddenly a few nets grabbed us and hauled us away. Our capturers have used torturous methods on experimenting us and left a few of us scarred for life. However, Crystal escaped a few centuries later and we were stunned by her audacity to leave."
"What does that mean?" Suddenly Latias looks suspicious. "If she could escape at such a young age, then why couldn't you guys? Can't you escape through Eclipso's shadowbending powers?"
"We could, but we can't." Eclipso shakes his head firmly. When Latias gives him an incredulous look, he sighs. "We promised Terotrey's ancestors that we'd work for their family as long as they do not hurt Crystalline. We love her too much to risk any chances and stayed with them for the next centuries. Besides…"
Suddenly Eclipso holds his arm up and Latias sees a tracker implanted into his skin. Her eyes widen in horror when she notices more trackers on the other exiles' arms. "Terotrey has implanted a tracker and a transmitter into us. He will know where we are and he will send a terminal virus into our bloodstreams if he finds out that we escaped." Eclipso explains as he lowers his arm.
"We'd help you escape, but there's nowhere to run or hide at in Terotrey's Realm." Saberspark adds sadly. "Any chance of encountering a portal is very slim."
Latias suddenly looks ill. "But surely Crystal has come back to set you guys free?"
"Actually, she tried to break Blackfire out at one point." Eclipso muses. "Just a few years ago she snuck back to Terotrey's ancestor's home to see her mother, but Blackfire refused to leave because of her vows to Terotrey's ancestors. Instead, Blackfire gives Crystal an important item before she tells Crystal to leave."
"What item?" Latias asks curiously.
"Arceus' Jewel of Life." Eclipso responds. Latias looks gobsmacked while he continues. "Blackfire knew that the jewel wouldn't be safe with her while she was imprisoned so she gave her daughter the honor of protecting Arceus' soul. She disguised it as an accessory so even Crystal has no idea of what the item really is."
Latias looks like she is about to faint from the shock of everything that she is hearing. Suddenly she looks uneasy. "Does anyone know about Crystal's heritage?"
"Only we and Blackfire know; we never told another soul about who her father is. We knew that it would create chaos if Terotrey knows that a new Legendary is on the loose."
Latias nods in agreement as she forces herself to calm down. She takes a deep breath as she relaxes. Then she remember something and looks curious. "Last month, the Legendaries and I have fought against Terotrey. We shot a blast at him that should have killed him. How is he still alive?"
The exiles look uneasy as they glance at each other. Then they look back at Latias. "We… Honestly don't know. We think that he might be more than just a brilliant human. He might even be a Pokémon." Saberspark admits.
"A Pokémon?" Latias asks in confusion. The tiger nods and he looks suspicious. "Lately we noticed that Terotrey's been acting more strange after he transformed himself into a dragon. He keeps saying that he doesn't need the Legendaries' essences anymore and he acts more like a spiritual demon. All Pokémon moves go through him like ghosts and he bleeds black blood… That's a bit out of the normal, don't you think?"
The Pokémon look thoughtful as they nod in agreement. "For all we know, he might be capturing the Legendaries now only out of revenge." Eclipso adds. Then he glances at the others. "Let's all agree to keep a close watch on Terotrey. Knowing how sneaky he is, he's up to something and I can tell that it's only going to get worse."
"Aye…" The Pokémon nod in agreement before they yawn. "Let's get some sleep; we'll talk more about this later." Saberspark suggests.
The Pokémon don't say anything as they spread around in their cage and make themselves comfortable. Saberspark and Eclipso nod at Latias before they move towards their counterparts. Latias remains silent before she floats to the middle of her cage and lies down. She glances at the exiles as the pink Moltres' fire begins to dim and the Pokémon fall soundly to sleep against the uncomfortable ground.
-ooo-
Crystal was serious when she said that her training tactics would be more effective.
The heroes have spent endless hours copying Crystal's movements and they have taken in several hits to learn how to be defensive. Crystal has used the food as the main 'protectee' targets that the boys would need to protect from her. However, their several attempts to protect or even eat the food would always fail. Crystal would always swipe the boys off their feet and eat the fruit before their faces.
The boys also had to perform sit-ups and pushups that were almost impossible to handle. Crystal has put up pit fires to make the boys do pushups harder and orders them to perform sit-ups on tree branches that hang over a cliff. The boys aren't sure if Crystal is purposely trying to kill them.
Raikou's paws and shoulders are sore from all the jumps and defenses that he had to perform. Even though the sit-ups and pushups were easy for him, he hated the fact that a small Grovyle could still trip him down. Darkrai's old age has made several of his bones crack and he was no better off than the tiger is. Crystal has forced him to walk on his legs during the training and the phantom realizes how much he never really used his legs since he relies on floating around. He is starting to regret it. Ash had the hardest time dealing with the defensive movements since he has very sensitive skin. He took the longest time to perform perfect flips and movements. But by the time he would stop and rest, he would have several bruises on his arms and his muscles would ache.
Finally Crystal decides that the boys had enough with their training and sets up a picnic in the middle of the meadow on top of a flat boulder. She sits on the blanket and takes out four bowls with chopsticks from the basket. She takes out a large bowl of triangular donuts and sets it between her and the three bowls.
She looks up at the boys' dumbfounded looks and holds up her chopsticks. "After you, boys." She smiles.
The boys look suspicious as they walk up to the picnic blanket. "That's it? No pushups or sit-ups? No hikes up and down the cliffs?" Darkrai asks as he narrows his eyes at the girl.
Crystal only smiles and shrugs. "I vowed to train you boys on the basic movements, and you have been trained. Just as I promised you, you are free to eat." She points at the donuts before her.
The boys are silent as they stare skeptically at Crystal. Then they slowly sit down and pick up their bowls hastily. They drag their chopsticks towards them and hastily pick up a donut while they stare at Crystal carefully.
"Enjoy." Crystal grins. Then the boys return the grin and bring the donuts up to their mouths…
… Until a blur of black and white swooshes past them and snatches the donuts away. "Hey!" The boys yell as they glare at Crystal. The lizard quickly chews the donuts and swallows before she looks up innocently at the boys. "I said that you're free to eat. Have a donut."
The boys glare at Crystal before they pick up more donuts. But Crystal slaps their hands and grabs the donuts while the trio yell out in anger. Crystal smirks as she stuffs the donuts into her mouth and chews before she swallows.
The Pokémon glare at Crystal with intense glares while she smirks up at them. "You are free to eat!" Crystal says firmly.
"Are we?" Raikou asks dramatically as he smirks at Crystal.
"Are you?" Crystal shoots back as she twirls around her chopsticks. Then the thunder tiger slams his fist down and causes the whole picnic blanket to jump up into the air. While everything scatters around, Crystal hastily jumps up and stuffs all but one donut into her mouth. Raikou quickly jumps up to swallow the donut but Darkrai manages to grab the donut with his chopsticks. While the thunder tiger falls down onto the ground, Darkrai puts the donut towards his mouth until Ash spreads apart his chopsticks and makes the donut fall into one of the three bowls.
Crystal hastily puts her chopsticks around the donut and begins to move it around the bowl when the boys attempt to pluck at it. Then she flips the bowl over and smirks as she begins to switch the three bowls around to confuse the boys. Raikou flips a random bowl around and finds the hidden donut before the boys use their chopsticks to grab it. Crystal slams her chopsticks against the boys until Raikou throws up the plate and attempts to grab the donut. However, Crystal throws one of her chopsticks and it catches the donut and hangs it onto a nearby tree.
Then Crystal jumps onto Raikou's back and attempts to jump towards the donut until Darkrai grabs her foot and slams her down onto the ground. The Pokémon notice that the donut is slipping out from the chopstick and Crystal hastily grabs Darkrai's arm and flips him over her shoulder. Darkrai lands on his feet and attempts to knock her down until she throws him against the charging Raikou and Ash.
The Pokémon realize that the donut has slipped from the chopstick. Raikou pushes the three heroes away as he opens his mouth to swallow the donut. However, Ash quickly slams the tiger's mouth shut with his chopsticks and uses his arm to let the donut roll down towards his mouth. Darkrai floats up from the shadows and slaps the donut away from the duo and Crystal kicks it towards another part of the meadow. When the boys quickly run after it, Crystal smiles as she throws aside her remaining chopstick and runs after them.
Crystal attempts to trip the boys as they throw the donut up into the air multiple times. They dodge several of Crystal's strikes and manage to trip her down. Darkrai and Raikou throw Ash up into the air and the human slices the donut into three pieces with his chopsticks. Crystal stares in awe as the boys land beside each other and catch the three pieces simultaneously.
Crystal smiles as she watches the boys catch their breath and look at their divided pieces. Then they look back at Crystal. Crystal smiles and nods approvingly as she gestures them to eat. But to her surprise, the boys throw the pieces into her hands. She stares at the pieces before she glances at the boys with a raised brow.
The boys smile at her. "We're not hungry."
Crystal stares before she smiles and throws aside the donut remains. The boys walk up to Crystal and smile down at her. The Pokémon stare at each other in silence before Crystal surprises the boys with a hug. "Well done, boys. You are ready." She murmurs.
When she lets them go, the boys only smile. Suddenly they hear clapping.
"Dude, that was so awesome!" Rocky's voice shouts. The boys look bewildered while Crystal smiles as they watch the lizard's friends pop up from the shadows by Violet's power. The Pokémon are applauding while they have impressed smiles on their faces.
"That was great!" Violet grins. She surprises Darkrai when she gives him a friendly hug. "You did well, Legendary."
Darkrai hesitates before he returns the hug and gently pushes the phantom away afterwards.
"Amazing," Scalene smiles as she runs her hand through Ash's hair. "You boys have completed the basics in very little time. Your performances are outstanding."
"I knew that you could do it!" Laki grins excitedly. "You're ready to take on the next level!"
Crystal looks at the sun and notices that it's setting in the distance. She looks at her watch and looks surprised. "It's already five in the evening." She murmurs. The Pokémon blink and look at the lizard.
"Seriously?" Ash asks.
"I should have sent you boys home hours ago," Crystal mutters as she shakes her head. Then she shrugs. "No matter." She looks at Darkrai. "Darkrai, I want to talk to you… Privately." Then she looks at her friends. "You guys can go back to your duties. I'll send the boys home."
Darkrai suddenly feels uneasy when he realizes that Crystal wants to talk about his situation with Cresselia and Violet. With a hesitant nod, the duo walk away from the group and stop by the forest before they start talking.
"Yeah, it's almost time for my patrol." Rocky says as he stretches his arms. Then he walks over to Raikou and Ash and pets their shoulders. The force nearly makes the boys stumble. "It was nice meeting you guys. I guess I'll see you sometime during the next lesson." Then the Rhyperior steps back and lets the others give their farewells.
"It was an honor to meet the Legendaries," Violet's voice is strangely soft as she gives the boys a friendly hug. "Take good care of yourselves and stay fit for our training programs."
"We will," Raikou says as he hugs Violet back. Hugging the clone is like hugging a ghost (no pun intended). It feels weird but it's eerily soothing. Suddenly the tiger smirks. "And for the record, it was worth it seeing Darkrai getting his ass kicked by a girl."
"I know," Violet smirks as she glances at Darkrai and Crystal. "It's going to be interesting with that pushover around…" Suddenly her gaze softens in a tender way that her friends have never seen.
Suddenly Darkrai glances back at the heroes and stares directly at Violet. Crystal looks over her shoulder before she forces Darkrai to look back at her.
Ribo coughs uncomfortably. "Yeah, um… Just be sure to practice your moves when no one else is watching." Suddenly the psychic smiles. "Who knows? You might find a way to activate your powers without our help."
"We will wait for your return patiently," Gallade says as he bows to the heroes with a fist over his chest. Laki smiles almost childishly as she hugs the boys tightly. "You're going to do great! I just know it! If Crystal believes in you, then so do I!" She beams at the boys and they couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Thanks, Laki. Take good care of those kids of yours. They really are sweet." Raikou requests and Laki smiles before she nods. Then the Pokémon begin to crowd around each other as Rocky presses a few buttons on his watch.
"Send our regards to 'Rai, guys!" Violet calls out before the Pokémon disappear in a flash of light. Raikou and Ash stare at the spot before they turn to Crystal and Darkrai. The phantom and lizard are walking back to the heroes with indifferent expressions on their faces. "You guys ready to go home?"
The boys nod.
"Okay. I already put up a mental link with you boys so you can call me at any time. But please only call me if the situation becomes serious, understand?"
The boys nod in acknowledgement.
"I'm sure that my friends told you to train when you're alone." Crystal states. "Go ahead and follow to that order, but don't overtrain yourselves." Crystal suddenly smiles. "I'm proud of you for your performance today. Our next lesson is to find your affinities." She smirks slyly at a suddenly sheepish Darkrai. "And we'll be learning on how to control them." Then she looks at Ash. "And we'll teach you how to activate your aura."
Crystal's expression is warm. "I'm sorry that the training took longer than expected, but at least the hard part is done. Good luck with your reunions and cherish the time you spend with your loved ones. Maybe we'll meet again tomorrow afternoon? Or maybe the same time the next day?"
Raikou looks thoughtful. "Maybe the day after tomorrow. After we reunite with our friends, it's going to be hard to sneak out alone. Especially after we tell them that Terotrey's back."
"Understandable." Crystal nods in approval before she gestures the boys to come closer.
"I'm going to send you three into the Hall of Origins, but I need Raikou and Darkrai to focus on the details of the place since I don't know where it is. I will be reading your minds so I can determine the appropriate coordinates of the area and use my watch to send you there. Ash, do not think of anything; cleanse your mind and relax. The Legendaries will take you home after they sort things out."
Crystal smiles as she begins to press the buttons on her watch. "Good luck, boys. May fate let us see each other again soon."
"And good luck to you too, Crystal." The boys smile at Crystal and give her thankful nods. Crystal smiles back and watches the Legendaries as they close their eyes to focus. Crystal uses her telepathy and waits until she has a clear vision of the Hall of Legends before she puts her coordinates in. Soon a portal opens beside the heroes. The boys hold hands and look at Crystal over their shoulders before they jump into the portal together. As they shut their eyes from the dizzy ride and let the portal take them to their destination, they can hear Crystal's voice in their minds.
'Be safe, boys. Stay strong; we've got a long journey ahead of us.'
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