Pokémon Darkness

Part 1: Unova

Chapter 9: Prelude to Destruction

"Triton!" Claire shouted, her world suddenly empty aside from herself, her Pokémon, and her adversary. "H-how did you find me here?"

"Did I not just say it was a coincidence?" Triton mocked. "You need to listen better. I just happened to be here unrelatedly. I have more important concerns than beating you now."

"You aren't fooling me, Triton!" Claire threw back. "I know you tracked me here! How?"

"Really, Claire, even if I did follow you here, which I didn't, why would I explain how?"

"Because I'm going to-" Claire began, but Triton dismissively cut her off.

"You know you stole that Toxicroak, don't you? As always, you are no better than a common criminal. You didn't have the right to purify her either; all you did was hurt her and weaken her. A Pokémon who isn't even yours. How dare-"

"Sh-shut up right now, Triton!" Claire yelled, nearly shaking in anger. "H-how could you suggest that this poor Toxicroak should have remained with a bad trainer like Ardos? People like him don't deserve to have Pokémon, when all they do is hurt them and use them as tools!"

"You're problem is that he hurt her? And yet you hurt her far more than her true owner ever did by forcing her through purification? Is she really in better hands with you?" Triton bitterly countered, now scowling.

"Th-that's not even true!" Claire defiantly proclaimed. "Forcing her to become a Shadow Pokémon in the first place was twice as bad! And it left her unhappy all the time! Now she can be happy again!"

"You really believe that, don't you?" Triton mused. "Well then, perhaps this battle will make you see things more clearly!"

As quickly as a flash of lightning in a violent thunderstorm, Triton threw a Pokéball at his feet. Virtually simultaneously, Claire leapt back, sent the unconscious Toxicroak back into her Pokéball, and pointed for Februa to slide off her shoulders into battle.

"Machoke, Vital Throw!"

"Februa, Confusion!"

Machoke slowly and steadily drew back his fist, gazing intently at Februa, barely flinching as the Confusion attack knocked him back a few feet. He then threw a precise punch to Februa's side that Februa easily shook off.

"Again, Februa!" Claire called out before Machoke had even finished his attack. Triton sighed slightly before issuing his command.

"You were supposed to start with Zweilous…" he murmured. "But no matter: Payback, Machoke!"

Februa again blasted Machoke back a telekinetic pulse, but this time Machoke lunged forward and furiously beat the psychic dragon. By the time Februa managed to shake his attacker off, he could barely remain in the air.

"Februa's faster, Triton!" Claire tauntingly proclaimed. "This round is over! One more should do it, Feb!"

"Quickly! Hit another Payback!" Triton shouted, though a bit uncertainly. This command did in fact prove meaningless as Februa threw Machoke to his feet with another Confusion attack.

"…Impressive," Triton admitted. "Go, Staravia!"

"I know he's impressive, Triton!" Claire laughed. "You did great, Feb, now pull back! Go, Seel!"

The bird and the sea lion contemplated each other with narrowed eyes, each ready to strike on a split-second order. Claire, closely watching for any sort of tricks up Triton's sleeve, carefully selected her next move.

"Icy Wind, Seel!"

"Staravia, use Retaliate."

The starling Pokémon quickly sped towards Seel, striking her once with a powerful slashing jab of her beak. Determinedly ignoring the freely bleeding gash across her face, Seel let out a frigid breath at her foe that left her covered in frost.

"Hmm, how resilient," Triton remarked casually. "Finish her off with U-Turn, Staravia."

"No!" Claire cried out. "Hit first with Ice Shard, Seel!"

Before Staravia had a chance to move, Seel bombarded her with jagged pieces of ice that left cold slices across her chest. Struggling to stay airborne, Staravia soared down on Seel in a sort of crash landing before awkwardly gliding back to Triton on injured wings. Seel attempted to remain steady, but quickly collapse to the ground.

"Oh Seel! I'm so sorry!" Claire lamented, her heart raked with guilt and sadness. "Well, it's time for your first battle, Shelmet!"

"Go, Karrablast! Start off with Toxic!" Triton ordered, sending out Staravia's replacement.

"Um…" Claire mumbled, disconcerted by her lack of options. "I guess… Use Struggle Bug, Shelly!"

Karrablast easily ignored Shelmet's tentative attack and countered by spraying a dark toxic liquid. Shelmet wobbled nervously and attempted to attack again, but found herself unable to. Claire nervously bit her lip, worried that Shelmet's fear would overcome her, and that the loss of her first battle would only worsen her confidence. Then, fortunately, she was seized with a sudden idea.

"Now keep using Peck, Karrablast," Triton said self-assuredly.

"Shelly!" Claire called. "Use Bide! That way you don't have to move until you can work up the courage!"

Shelmet withdrew into her shell, bracing herself for the attack. Before Triton could revoke his command, Karrablast quickly hit Shelmet with two Peck attacks, injuring her rather thoroughly.

"Quickly, Shelly!" Claire cried out, quickly becoming more and more nervous as her Pokémon's poisoning grew worse and worse. "You'll be able to take him out in one hit! Just one hit will do it! I know you can!"

"Karrablast, stop, stop!" Triton yelled, but far too late. Karrablast did indeed stop and look inquiringly at his trainer, but, with his guard momentarily down, Shelmet managed to rush forward and tackle him with rather shocking power, knocking the clamping bug Pokémon out completely. However, Shelmet's poison wracked her entire body with clearly visible pain, and Claire knew it was time to recall her.

"What do you think of that, Triton?" Claire shouted as she recalled her newest friend. "That was her first battle ever, and she's only going to get even stronger!"

"That victory was more because of my mistakes than your Shelmet's strength!" Triton bitterly threw back. "Now go, Sneasel!"

"Your turn, Zweilous!" Claire shouted, throwing out her starter's Pokéball. "Hit her with Incinerate attacks!"

"Ice Shards, Sneasel! Keep hitting her with Ice Shards!" Triton countered.

The two dark-types lunged at each other, volleying attacks back and forth with incredible speed. Sneasel repeatedly pelted Zweilous with jagged ice, who returned with equally forceful jets of fire. The dark dragon was left with freezing gashes across her body, while the sharp claw Pokémon sustained significant burns.

Though Claire's teeth remained firmly clinched together throughout this rapid exchange of attacks, she continued to mentally offer warnings and suggestions, and was only slightly surprised to see Zweilous respond to them. As the as Zweilous's natural aura grew brighter, Claire could sense her Pokémon's love and gratitude, as though their souls had become linked in a very real way. As her own aura seemed to merge with Zweilous's, they moved, thought, and fought as one being, and, thus united, were able to defeat Triton and his Sneasel after a brief but intense duel of fire and ice.

"Excellent job, Zwei!" Claire commended without opening her mouth. "Do you think you can take on the next one?"

Not at all to Claire's surprise, she could clearly read Zweilous's thoughts flickering through the now-brilliant vermilion glow that surrounded her: "I can take on anything he can throw at me."

As Claire smiled and nodded, indicating for Zweilous to remain in the fray, Triton smirked and chuckled.

"I suppose it comes down to this, then," he mused. "Say hello to what is now my strongest Pokémon, after half a day of intense training. Go, Gyarados!"

Gyarados immediately stared down Zweilous with intense animosity, striking a stab of fear in the hearts of both the Pokémon and her trainer. Without even bringing the words to her mind, Claire envisioned Zweilous leaping forward with a double Dragon Breath attack, which the dark dragon hastened to perform. The two bursts of draconic energy rather potently shocked the atrocious sea serpent Pokémon. Triton, gazing with some apprehension at Claire and Zweilous's tacit communications, uncertainly issued his next command.

"Gyarados…" he murmured. "Hit her with Ice Fang."

Claire felt Zweilous's valiant effort to avoid the powerful attack, but Gyarados was simply too quick, and fiercely bit the small dragon with frigid fangs. The moment the crushing blow hit her Pokémon, Claire felt a sharp surge of pain, and their seemingly psychic connection was unceremoniously severed as Zweilous stumbled and fell unconscious, her aura faded to a barely visible hue.

"Z-Zweilous!" Claire cried out, wrenched back into full consciousness. "You'll pay for that Triton! Let's finish this, Graveler! Rock Blast!"

"Heh. Waterfall, Gyarados," Triton laughed, looking very relieved that Claire had resumed speaking.

As soon as Graveler hit the ground, he rolled to the side, narrowly dodging Gyarados's charging Waterfall attack. He then countered with a barrage of jagged rocks that pierced the scales of the sea serpent. With a vehement roar, Gyarados again charged forward with a surge of water. Graveler was not so lucky this time; Claire let out a gasp of shock as he flew several feet backwards, and knew to thank his Sturdy ability when he managed to weakly stumble to his feet.

"Grav, pull back!" Claire shouted over to him, though knowing it was a strategically unwise command. "At least let Feb heal you!"

But Graveler locked eyes with her for a moment before shaking head slightly and leaping back into the fray. His second wave of stones left Gyarados badly injured, but still very much awake. With another battle cry, she lunged forward once again, knocking Graveler fully unconscious.

Commending her friend's bravery, Claire sadly recalled her rock Pokémon and contemplated this final phase of the battle. She and Triton each had two injured Pokémon left. They had an unspoken agreement that it was strictly a single battle, so attempting to use Februa to heal Shelmet would likely draw objection from Triton, and she had, in truth, been half-counting on Graveler refusing to obey.

"Will you please just hurry up and send out your next Pokémon?" Triton drawled impatiently. Quickly taking Shelmet's bad poisoning into account, Claire hastened to withdraw Februa's Pokéball.

"Your turn again Februa! We've almost got this; you know what to do!"

"Check, Claire," Triton simpered. "Finish him off with an Ice Fang, Gyarados!"

Februa sped forward with remarkable speed and threw Gyarados back with a Confusion attack. When the sea serpent recovered, her eyes had slid out of focus, and she was rocking back and forth slightly.

"No! Stay focused, Gyarados!" Triton called out, noticing her confusion. "He's right in front of you!"

As soon as he said this, Claire was seized with an idea: "Circle around her, Feb, full speed! It'll further disorient her!"

Gyarados spun in circles, attempting to keep her eyes on the purification Pokémon as he rapidly swirled around her. She quickly lost her synchronization, however, and when she finally attempted to strike out with her icy bite, she merely smacked her face into the hard concrete. After swaying even more violently for a few seconds, she collapsed to the ground.

"Gyarados!" Triton angrily yelled. "You're better than that!"

"How unlucky, Triton," Claire softly giggled with a slight smirk. "Although better-trained Pokémon have fallen to confusion before, so I wouldn't let it bother you."

"Bah! You finish this, Staravia! Retaliate!" Triton bitterly spat.

With a split-second decision that broke her heat, Claire took the second in which Triton sent out his final Pokémon to switch Februa out with Shelmet. As a bug-type, she knew Shelmet would have stood no chance against Staravia anyway, so she couldn't afford to have Februa taken out with Staravia's double-strength Retaliate.

"I'm s-so sorry, Shelmet," Claire whispered as she sent her snail Pokémon out. "I promise I'll make this up to you somehow…"

Triton's starling Pokémon instantly swooped upon the bug-type, jabbing her sharply with her beak. Shelmet barely had time to register the attack before she was knocked out cold. With a rather heavy heart, Claire returned Februa to the field.

"This is it, Feb! Confusion!"

"Indeed, it is, Claire. U-turn, Staravia!"

Februa struck first; with a tackling motion, he blasted a pulse of psychic energy at Staravia. The bird was knocked spinning through the air, but just barely managed to recover. However, she regarded Februa with a dazed expression very similar to that of Gyarados's just a minute before. Claire bit her lip as she stared utterly still at the starling Pokémon, vaguely noting Triton doing precisely the same thing. The battle came down to this coin flip: would Staravia successfully attack, or hurt herself in confusion?

"Staravia…" Triton nervously muttered. "You can do this, Staravia, stay focused…"

"Y-you can avoid it, Feb…" Claire murmured, equally uneasy. "J-just move side-to-side…"

Then, quite suddenly, Staravia charged. She seemed to move in slow motion as she pelted downward at Februa, each millisecond dragging on for several minutes. Claire found herself physically incapable of moving, so great was the sheer tension. Although she was unable to wrench her eyes from the striking bird, she could easily tell that Triton was in such a state as well. She couldn't watch, and yet she couldn't look away. Surely the starling Pokémon would hit, surely Februa would be finished off, surely Triton had proven himself superior…

At last, after a second that seemed to last an hour, Staravia slashed Februa cleanly across the face with her talons and promptly turned at a sharply downward angle. Both Pokémon hit the ground in the same moment, and neither stirred afterward. A second passed in silence, and then another, and then…

"Well, I'd say that I won this round…" Triton whispered, but without much confidence, as he recalled his unconscious Staravia.

"H-hardly," Claire countered with just as much volume, likewise sending her own fainted Pokémon back into his Pokéball. "They b-both fainted. This was a tie…"

"Well… You only did even that good by sheer luck!" Triton proclaimed, regaining his arrogance and vehemence. "Next time, I'll easily crush you!"

"We'll just see about that, Triton," Claire mutter softly, plagued by a sudden twisting feeling in her gut. As Triton haughtily turned away and marched off into the crowd, Claire realized that she didn't want her rival to go. With all of her Pokémon unconscious and N still out searching for Burgh, Claire would be left to face the mob of strangers completely on her own, and Triton was at least a familiar face she could have fixated on.

Though she would never admit it, least of all to Triton, she secretly enjoyed their battles very much. He was the only person she was, in truth, even physically capable of taunting and shouting at without restraint, and she actually liked receiving taunts and shouts from him as well. Also, as their tied match exemplified, he was a perfect match for her in terms of strength, skill, and wit. All in all, being with him made her feel alive, and… free, in away she had never known before. She didn't know what to make of it.

She suddenly remembered her rather inexplicable connection to Zweilous's aura. It had happened so naturally that she had barely noticed it until it had ended. She had no idea what had caused it, and doubted that she could consciously do it again. In recollection, she realized that Triton had seemed unsettled, frightened, possibly even saddened, by Claire and Zweilous's psychic link. She wondered how he had interpreted Claire's sudden silence and Zweilous's continued attacks. Was it possible, that maybe he was missing Claire's shouts and taunts, as Claire herself would have had Triton similarly connected to his own Pokémon?

Claire then blinked, and was moderately surprised to find herself in a cleared area of a street surrounded by a massive crowd of onlookers, who had evidently made space for her battle with Triton. She couldn't quite tell how long had passed since Triton had walked away, but based on the spectators continued shocked silence, it didn't seem to have been long.

Weakening under the gaze of so many strangers, Claire again found herself begging that Triton or N or possibly even White would return, so she wouldn't be so completely alone in the midst of unfamiliar people. And, also once again, her prayers were answered in not quite the way she had anticipated.

"Hey everyone! Burgh's back! He's right there!"

At these words, a spell seemed to be broken, and every eye shifted from Claire to search for the bug-type gym leader. More in hope of finding N with him than getting to Burgh himself, Claire attempted to push her way through the people, trying her hardest to imagine that they were trees, towards the source of the voice that had announced the gym leader's presence. After a good amount of effort, she finally caught sight of the rather glamorously dressed gym leader.

"M… Mister B-Burgh…" she stammered, attempting to gather all of her courage. "M-Mister Burgh, I h-have s-something to t-tell you…"

However, due the noisy clamor of the entire crowd, Claire knew that Burgh was not going to hear her tiny voice. She frantically tried to draw his attention, but he merely continued surveying the massive crowd with an expression of mild surprise.

"Hey now! Can I get you to all quiet down for a bit?" Burgh called out in a calm yet very clear voice. Within a few seconds, the vast throng ceased its avid questioning and listened eagerly for any sort of news. Although Claire realized she could now make herself easily heard, the silence made it infinitely more difficult to speak aloud. While she grappled with her words, Burgh spoke up again.

"Right, now I've received a-"

"Leader Burgh!" came a familiar voice from far across the sea of Castelians. "Leader Burgh! I have important information for you!"

"Mm-hmm? Who's this, now?" Burgh inquired. "Who's got this important info?"

At these words, murmurs began to run through the crowd again as someone apparently made their way towards the front. Claire searched for the source of the commotion, hoping desperately that it was what she thought it was. Thus, it was with incredible relief that she saw her green-haired friend pushing through the crowd, finally stopping to catch his breath in the space cleared out for Burgh in front of the gym door.

"Leader Burgh!" N called out again as he ran forward. "It is I! I have information!"

"Well now…" Burgh murmured, raising his eyebrows with mild surprise. "If I remember, your name is… N, am I right? Reformed former king of Team Plasma? Whatever could bring you back here, hmm?"

"That is… correct," N panted. "I have information regarding the attack on the Pokémon League and loss of communications and-"

But here, Claire tentatively walked to his side and tugged on his hand, wanting to alert N to her presence. N jumped as he looked down at Claire, as though he had half-forgotten she was waiting at the gym.

"Claire!" he shouted, remaining oblivious to the crowd's stares. "Oh good, you're still here! Shall we tell Burgh of Cipher together, then?"

"Y-you can do it," Claire whispered, rather grateful that N had arrived in time to spare her from having to speak to Burgh herself.

N nodded with a smile of understanding and turned back to Burgh, but Claire did not hear what he then said. Her thoughts drifted back to Triton. The abruptness of his appearance again struck her, and she wondered how and why he had showed up. All he had done with her was battle, and he had left soon afterward, so perhaps he was in fact there for a different purpose. But what could that purpose be? Maybe it had something to do with the "friends" who had brought him to Unova? Could he possibly be in league with…?

No. That just couldn't be true. She wouldn't allow herself to think such things. Cipher would never allow someone so young to join, even if they were as skilled as Triton. Triton just couldn't be. Arrogant and sharp-tongued as he was, Claire knew he was a good trainer who cared about Pokémon, and would agree to join Cipher just as soon as they would allow it. She didn't know what she'd do if he was. He just couldn't be…

A slight push on her shoulder disrupted her thoughts. "Claire? Are you ready?"

"Huh? To leave? What did Burgh say?" Claire asked in response.

"He believes us and agreed to prepare Castelia City for a battle. So yes, now we leave for Nimbasa."

"O-okay… Good…" Claire stuttered. "E-except… While I was waiting, T-Triton showed up… and he fought me. We actually ended up tying, but all my Pokémon got knocked out. D-do you have any revives or anything?"

"Triton? Really? That's… odd. But never mind him now. I'm afraid I don't have revives, but there'll be a Pokémon Center in Nimbasa City you can use. There's one here, but I'm not sure where, and it might take even longer to get to than Nimbasa's."

"Oh, r-right! Okay, let's g-go on then!" Claire agreed, inwardly smacking herself for forgetting about Pokémon Centers. As she and N ran off to a vacant spot large enough to hold Zekrom, Claire glanced back at Burgh, who was now speaking to the crowd. She deeply hoped that he would be able to reach everyone in the city. They would need all the help they could get.

The air crackled with electricity as Zekrom was released from his Pokéball. N swiftly scaled onto his back, and turned to pull Claire up after him. All ignorant of the stares they were collecting, the three crusaders soared into the sky to make plans for the inevitable war.

Archeops gracefully touched down in the middle of Nimbasa's now densely-crowded streets, closely followed by Unfezant and Braviary. With equal grace, White leapt to the ground and recalled her prehistoric bird. After assuring that Cheren and Cynthia were following her, she began to run towards the Pokémon Center, deciding that it would be the most logical meeting place. She attempted to fight down the panic that rose up in her gut when she thought of N. She didn't know what she would do if he had been captured by Cipher or… something worse.

"Actually, I know exactly what I would do," White thought bitterly. "I would hunt those bastards down and murder them."

But she still tried to dispel such thoughts. They were irrelevant, she assured herself, because N was surely fine, surely waiting in the Pokémon Center, just as worried about her as she was about him. They would reunite and express their relief and exchange their stories and prepare for war. Everything would be just fine.

"White! Hold up!" Cheren called out from a several feet back, pushing his way through the crowd. Jolted out of her thoughts, White stopped a bit impatiently to allow her companions to catch up. The moment they reached her, she seized their wrists and dragged them forward with her customary haste.

"Come on, quick! I wanna see if N, and Bianca and everyone is all right!"

Neither hearing nor caring what Cheren murmured in response, White plowed onward to the Pokémon Center. A few people she passed recognized her or Cheren or Cynthia and attempted to stop them to ask for details about their plans, but White waved them away with slight irritation. She knew she was being a bit rude, but she couldn't afford to stop and speak to each Nimbasian individually. She had to reach the Pokémon Center…

And finally, after far too long, she did. Releasing Cheren and Cynthia's hands, she rushed inside, and was flooded with blissful relief at the sight of N, Claire, and Bianca sitting at a table, apparently uninjured. Bianca, being the only one facing the door, immediately rose with her usual gigantic smile and quickly stumbled her way towards her friends.

"Ch-Cheren! White! You made it okay!"

Finally reaching them, she promptly threw her arms around Cheren's shoulders. Cheren returned with one of his usual awkward hugs. When she drew back, White noticed tears just barely forming in the corners of her eyes.

"I was really worried about you especially, Cheren. We had no idea if you'd been attacked or not, but when knew Cipher had taken lots of the north, which was where you were going first, so we were so worried."

White inwardly chuckled at Bianca's blatant affection, and again wondered just how much longer it would take her two friends to just make it official. She then made to approach N, but Bianca violently hugged her too before she could take more than a step.

"Oh, but I worried about you too, White!" she insisted. "I mean, I knew you could take care of yourself and fight off anyone but still, there could've been a lot of Cipher people south too, 'cause that's where we originally were, so I was still worried."

"I'm fine, B, really," White assured her as she pulled away. "We're all here, now, aren't we? Everything's fine."

"Wait…" Cheren began concernedly. "What about the Champion? I mean, Alder. Where's Alder?"

"He hasn't showed up yet," Bianca said sadly. "We know he was headed to the places with the most Cipher people, so we think he might be in some trouble there…"

White, relatively confident that the resilient Champion would fare well against a thousand Cipher agents, did not allow this information to perturb her. Instead, she turned back to hurry to N, and nearly smacked directly into him when she found that he had walked over to her while Bianca had been crushing her. Before White could fully recover from her momentary surprise, N pulled her into a hug that but Bianca's to shame.

"White! You do not have any idea how glad I am to see you!" he half-shouted. "I was very much worried when I saw you and Reshiram and Bianca fall, but was greatly relieved when Claire and I met Bianca in Driftveil City and she informed us that you were okay. All the same, it is still very nice to see you in person. What has happened to you?"

"Me? What's happened to you? How did you end up with Bianca in Driftveil?" White asked, a bit more snappishly than she really meant to.

"I suppose we all need to exchange stories, so we all know the full situation," N conceded. "I guess I will go first."

White collapsed into the seat beside N's, suddenly realizing how exhausted she was. Bianca returned to the seat across from her, and Cheren fell into the seat to the right of that. Claire lean forward from the other side of N and waved to White, who smiled and high-fived the young trainer. Cynthia, who had thus far remained thoughtfully silent, pulled up a chair to the end of the table just beside White.

With all the trainers thus seated, N launched into his tale. He explained that, after the midair duel, Zekrom and Claire had fallen into the Twist Mountain Range, while N had managed to land in the water a bit to the east. He told how they had hidden themselves in a cave, and how Februa had saved them by learning Heal Pulse and mending Claire and Zekrom's extensive injuries. He recounted reuniting with Bianca in Driftveil, and the three of them teaming up with Clay to fight off the Cipher Admin who had attacked them. Finally, he described dropping Bianca off in Nimbasa to warn Elesa while he and Claire went on to Castelia to meet Burgh. White gasped and cheered continually throughout the story.

"So it's confirmed that everywhere south of Driftveil has been warned, and north has been taken?" Cheren asked.

"We believe so," N replied. "At least in the west. What's the status of the east and south?"

"Lacunosa Town has been occupied," Cheren stated, sounding somewhat ashamed of himself. "I managed to warn everyone there, but a large regiment of Cipher agents arrived too quickly, and we had to retreat to Undella Town, so Cipher couldn't actually capture anyone. Once in Undella, I told Cynthia here what's happening, and she agreed to help. While she made sure everyone from Undella and Lacunosa was completely informed, I hurried to Black City for reinforcements. Fortunately, everyone their acted quickly and rationally, so we were able to return just before Cipher invaded Undella. By that point, we had far more trainers than they did, but they still seemed ready to fight. But then White showed up, kind of out of nowhere, and then they decided to retreat."

At this, Cheren turned to White. "How did you get to Undella Town, anyway?"

Taking a deep breath, White recounted that, after she and Bianca had recovered from the fall and split up, she had informed Lenora about Cipher. While the normal-type gym leader had led the people of Nacrene City to stop the small Cipher troop that had begun invading the south, White had hurried on to Striaton City, but had been intercepted by none other than the Shadow Triad.

"Th-the Shadow Triad?" N incredulously exclaimed. "B-but if the Shadow Triad is with Cipher, th-then that means that Gh… Ghet…"

But here N fell into a kind of stupor, slowly shaking his head with eyes wide with fear. Sharp claws raked White heart at the sight of him. Desperate to help, she tentatively put her arm around his shoulders, but drew back with alarm when N lashed out, nearly striking her face. It seemed to pull him back to the present, however, because he shook his head and his eyes slid back into focus.

"I… I'm sorry…" he muttered, apparently unaware of almost hitting White and merely referring to his spacing-out. "J-just bad memories… Continue, please, White. What did the Sh-Shadow Triad want?"

"Well…" White began, still rather shaken. "They told me that my mom and Professor Juniper had already taken care of warning the people of Nuvema Town, Accumula Town, and Striaton City, and that I was needed somewhere else. I guess they were right, because it sounds like some major shit was about to go down in Undella before I showed up. They didn't seem to be lying about my mom and everything, and it'd make sense, so I guess that means all of southern Unova is ready.

"But anyway, before I could do any more than take out two Pokéballs, they grabbed me by my arms and warped me to the beach a little ways south of Undella. Then they asked me if I still had those orb thingies they gave me like two years ago, and then when I told them I did they just left."

"Orbs? What orbs?" N asked, looking puzzled.

"Well, all I managed to figure out about them back then was that they're called the Adamant, Lustrous, and Griseous Orbs, and that-"

"What? You have the Orbs of the Creation Trio?!" Cynthia suddenly shouted, hastily rising.

"Uh, I guess," White answered, rather taken aback. "Is that what they are?"

"Yes, yes! Oh, but you must show them to me!" Cynthia cried out, looking positively giddy.

"Sure…" White mumbled, reaching into the chaotic depths of her bag's "miscellaneous items" pocket. She felt around in the vast hyperspace that had expanded beyond its normal extended size due to the sheer number of items she had crammed into it. Finally, after reaching in almost to her armpit, her hand met a cool, smooth, rounded surface, which she seized and pulled out from the dark recesses of her pocket.

"I think this is the… um… Lustrous Orb!" she proclaimed, attempting to sound a bit more informed than she had initially come off as. As Cynthia stared at the faintly glowing stone, White reached back into her bag and felt her fingers touch a slightly less smooth, somewhat warmer object. After hoisting it back out and identifying it as the Adamant Orb, she felt around again for the final artifact. When her fingers met the rough, hard surface, a deep chill ran down her spine, and it was with a small amount of reluctance that she dragged the Griseous Orb out.

"Well, these are the Orbs," White stated, waving a hand in front of Cynthia's astounded face. "Now will you tell me what the hell they do?"

"The… They belong to the Creation Trio, who are quite possibly the most powerful legendary Pokémon in existence," Cynthia breathlessly went on, a manic, nerdy gleam in her eyes. "Legends say that they were the first Pokémon created by Arceus after he emerged from nothingness. The Adamant Orb belongs to Dialga, the Temporal Pokémon, who created time; the Lustrous Orb, to Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon, who created space; and the Griseous Orb, to Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon, who created matter and antimatter. The Orbs enhance the power of their true owners, but will have no effect on any other Pokémon. They were actually held by the Trio for many centuries after the creation of the world, at least until the decline of the Mew population, that much is clear, but some mythologists theorize that they were for a long time simply at rest atop Spear Pillar, which is to say, the summit of Mount Coronet, the highest point in Sinnoh. I myself think that is rather unlikely, though I do not dismiss it, seeing as there is evidence that a tribe there worshipped some artifacts, but I just doubt they were truly the Orbs. Anyway, no one is certain exactly what happened to them, but they definitely vanished sometime around the first appearance of the Unown. My own theory is-"

"Cynthia!" White finally shouted, feeling dizzy under the weight of the information Cynthia had piled onto her. "Please, slow down! Give us some time to take this in!"

"Oh…" Cynthia muttered, blushing deeply. "I… was ranting, wasn't I? I'm very sorry, I just… love legends. They're so fascinating!"

"Erm, yeah," White cut in before she could go off on another tangent. "So, let me make sure I've got the important stuff. These Orbs belong to three legendary Pokémon from Sinnoh who built the world. They make them stronger. At some point the Orbs vanished, and Ghet-"

Catching sight of N's slight flinch, White quickly amended her sentence. "And Team Plasma ended up with them. Then, the Shadow Triad delivered them to me, someone who had no idea what they are, and so for the past two years they've been laying at the bottom of my bag. And now, they're suddenly interested in them again."

"I think that summarizes it," Cynthia agreed. "But I really wonder how this Team Plasma wound up with these Orbs. I can't imagine how they would have ended up in Unova, unless someone from Plasma went to Sinnoh… but how did they ever find them? For years mythologists and treasure hunters have sought them to no avail; who could have possibly managed it?"

"No idea," White said bluntly. "And, as interesting as all of this is, we've got bigger problems to deal with right now. So, let's worry about these later."

And, with these words, she swept the Orbs back into her bag, not missing Cynthia's pained expression. She promised to let Cynthia examine them as closely as she liked as soon as they weren't on the verge of an international crisis.

"Cynthia," Cheren suddenly spoke up. "Why don't you examine Februa now, and tell us anything you might know about him?"

"Oh yes! Certainly!" Cynthia exclaimed, moving over to the other side of the table. When she reached Claire, she knelt down and held her hand out.

"We haven't been properly introduced. Hello, my name is Cynthia. And you?"

"C-Claire," Claire mumbled, reluctantly shaking Cynthia's hand. She avoided eye contact and remained silent for a few seconds before Cynthia opted to speak next.

"Well, as you could no doubt tell, I'm something of an expert on legends," Cynthia explained. "And, if your Pokémon truly is a Februa, I should be able to tell, and then I can inform you about the stories surrounding his species. May I see him?"

"S-sure…" Claire whispered, focusing intently on retrieving Februa's Pokéball. Once she released Februa, she held him closely and said something softly to him before placing him in front of Cynthia.

"Hmm…" Cynthia hummed slowly, observing Februa from all sides. "He certainly fits the physical descriptions perfectly. I have a couple more tests, though."

With that, she withdrew a Pokéball and sent out her Lucario. After looking at Februa for under a second, Lucario squinted and turned sharply away.

"That bright, huh?" Cynthia mused. "That's certainly a good sign. Try to watch, though; I'd like to try one more thing."

Then, turning back to the other trainers, she asked "By any chance, would any of you happen to have one of these Shadow Pokémon? It's fine if you don't, I have other means of testing-"

"Actually, I think I might!" exclaimed White, suddenly recalling the minute Togepi that the Cipher Admin had dropped. "That Cipher Admin dropped this Pokéball as he flew away. There's a tiny Togepi inside, but it's unconscious, and I can't very well tell if it's a Shadow or not anyway. But yeah, it might be."

Shutting herself up before she could ramble on aimlessly further, White threw the Pokéball onto the table, so that the Togepi lay in the middle of the trainers. It appeared even smaller and more helpless than it had looked at first sight. Grimacing slightly in pity, White turned to Claire.

"Well, Claire? Is it a Shadow Pokémon?"

"I… I think so…" she whispered. "It's k-kinda hard to tell when they're unconscious, c-cause their light fades a lot… but his glow looks kinda dark…"

"Well there you have it!" White said to Cynthia. "I think I've got an idea of what you've got planned."

"Good, good," Cynthia beamed. "Now, Februa, could you please purify this Togepi?"

Februa glanced nervously at Cynthia before turning to Claire. Claire smiled encouragingly and nodded once, reaching for the Togepi. Holding the spike ball Pokémon tightly to her chest, she nodded for Februa to begin.

White, expecting some sort of glow similar to Heal Pulse, was somewhat puzzled when nothing seemed to happen. Februa merely continued to gaze at the Togepi in Claire's arms. She opened her mouth to ask if something was wrong, but instead let out a scream of shock when the Togepi began struggling violently with pained wails. She, Cheren, and Bianca stood up, looking very alarmed, but N, Claire, and Cynthia seemed unperturbed.

"Is… Is that supposed to happen?" White shouted over the tortured screams of the Togepi. She glanced around the room and saw that everyone in the Pokémon Center was now staring at them with stunned faces.

"Yes," N sadly murmured, his voice barely audible. "Very unfortunately, the purification process is horribly painful. But the Pokémon say they feel infinitely happier and freer once it is over."

White merely bit her lip, still rather disturbed by the whole process. But then, no more than ten seconds after he had started, the Togepi ceased his screaming and fell completely still. White stared shakily as Claire slowly put the Togepi back into his Pokéball, walked up to the counter, and handed him to the nurse.

"C-could y-you please h-heal this T-Togepi?" she asked very quietly to the floor. The nurse, looking as bewildered as everyone else in the center, tentatively took the Pokéball and wordlessly set it in the healing machine. Claire took the Pokéball back in equal silence and scampered back to the table.

"That Togepi was a Shadow Pokémon," N announced to the room at large. "And he was just purified. I know the process looks painful, because it is, but he is now free again, and can feel emotion. Do not misjudge this girl and her Pokémon."

Apparently deciding that this cleared everything up, N turned back to the table. White attempted to shake off the shock and also faced Cynthia, who was speaking intently with her Lucario. After a few more moments, Cynthia nodded and recalled her aura Pokémon.

"Based on Lucario's descriptions of his aura and my own observations, I can conclude that there is little doubt that this Pokémon is indeed a Februa from old legends. I'm not sure what it is with this group and finding nearly impossible things, because it's been widely believed that the Februa population went extinct around seven to eight-hundred years ago, after declining for at least a century and a half. May I ask where you obtained this Februa?"

Claire made a small squeaking sound in the back of her throat, focusing deeply on Februa, whom she was now holding in her arms. After her customary three seconds of silence, she spoke to Februa.

"I… j-just found him as an egg one day… s-someone left him in a b-box in the woods north of m-my home… and I f-found him th-there…"

"Really?" Cynthia inquired, looking puzzled. "That's… very strange, to say the least. What did you do with his egg then?"

"…I-I just t-took it back to the P-Professor. H-he couldn't t-tell what the egg was… s-so I took c-care of it until it hatched… Th-that's really it…"

"Hmm…" Cynthia hummed again. "Very curious. Who is this Professor? Where was this all happening?"

"P-Professor Oak… In P-Pallet Town, K-Kanto…"

"Really? Samuel Oak? I'm surprised he didn't direct you to me. He knows how informed I am about myths."

"…I… I think he d-did…" Claire whispered, growing even quieter. "H-he told me about a m-myth lady t-to go to wh-who was in L-Lavender T-Town… b-but I… never made it there…"

"I was recently in Lavender Town!" Cynthia exclaimed. "What happened, though? Why didn't you make it? Did-"

"The Februa legends, Cynthia," White tersely interrupted, recalling the pain in Claire's eyes when they had discussed her past on Reshiram's back, only that morning. "My Arceus, has it really only been a day?" she thought somewhat nostalgically.

"Right, right," Cynthia agreed. "We must get this over with soon, so we may make plans. Put as concisely as possible, Februa were one of the first distinct species to descend from the initial Mew population. They evolved into a second form, Reinigen, though how is somewhat debated. Some theorize that they did have a third form, identified as Acrisolar, but if they did, almost none ever reached it. I myself think that there were just a few larger-than-average Reinigen. I know some say there was-"

"Concisely, please, Cynthia," White reminded her, as politely as she could manage.

"But of course. So anyway, Februa possessed the special talent of cleansing tainted waters and forests and mending wounds. As Februa, they were rather weak, and thus prone to fleeing, but as Reinigen they gained the strength comparable to some legendaries and would forcefully protect their homes and their young. Given specific aspects of their abilities, it's widely believed that most of them derived from the manipulation of auras. This, interestingly enough, suggests that they may have been the driving force behind the Second Great Migration, on account of-"

"Stay on topic, Cynthia," Cheren muttered before White even had the chance. Cynthia shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Right, sorry. What's probably most important is what was then the natural enemy of Februa and Reinigen: the Carien and its evolutions, the Verborden and Emponsolar. Widely believed to have been Dark/Poison, they savagely attacked just about any living thing. Most think they fed on blood or other fluids, but some evidence suggests to me- no, this is important!" Cynthia added, apparently catching sight of White's raised eyebrows.

"I myself think that they fed upon auras, as they have similar aura-sensitive traits as their counterparts. Also, some species they fed upon had nothing similar to blood. What's interesting and backs this theory up is the fact that they rarely killed their prey. Instead, they seemed almost vampiric; many stories claim that the prey of the Carien line would enter a savage state and attack anything that came near it. Rather like-"

"Shadow Pokémon!" White exclaimed, in perfect harmony with N and Cheren, as they all leapt up from their chairs.

"That makes perfect sense!" N cheered. "If Februa was the enemy of these things, then no wonder it has the ability to counter the state it could put Pokémon in! Since Shadow Pokémon are changed similarly, then certainly Februa can undo the damage!"

"Which most likely means that Cipher has somehow figured out what exactly the Carien line did, and are able to replicate the process to create Shadow Pokémon," Cheren slowly mused.

"While those are good theories," Cynthia began. "There's a slight problem. More of a complication, really."

"What? What is it?"all five trainers called out this time. With a deep sigh, Cynthia replied:

"Because, if the Pokémon was attacked by an Emponsolar, who by far killed the most, then Februa's line couldn't do anything. They would be corrupted for the rest of their lives."

These words were greeted with an incredibly tense silence.

"S-so that means…" Bianca began.

"…If Cipher figures out what made Emponsolar different from its prior forms…" Cheren continued.

"…Th-they'll b-be impossible to p-purify…" Claire finished in a whisper.

White glanced to each of her friends, seeing her own look of dread reflected on their faces. Several cruel seconds passed in utter silence.

"Well…" White finally said, her sense of urgency returning. "It's really about time we prepared for this battle."