It has been a long time since a ceremony of this scale has been conducted by the Darkmon. The last one was probably around the time the population began to fully expand into the lush, dangerous world they've lived in, the one they continued to live in for the next five years.
Now, here they were, about to start the event that will break new grounds for their kind. This was much more than expanding land or their population. This was about getting a message across to the humans and Pokémon of the above world.
No longer will their precious light be a symbol of protection. No longer will THEY, the Darkmon, have to fear its destructive touch that burns through their skin. That light, the sun, was a weapon that forced these creatures of darkness into the shadowy world they called home. They were restricted to this land that would, in time, become overpopulated with their kind. They needed to expand.
The humans treated evil creatures like them with the utmost disrespect, seeing them as the problem of the world. Everything in their little world had to be perfect, filled with order. Tonight, chaos will take its turn at the helm.
The Darkmon were all conjoined into a cleared out area, one that used to house the throne of their lord. Now it has been replaced with seating arrangements, an alter for the wedding ceremony, and a table full of picked berries. Dark wanted this night to be as authentic as possible for his soon-to-be queen.
The Darkmon lord stood tall in front of his subjects as they got themselves under control. Standing by his sides were Fang and Savage, pincers/hands behind their backs.
Dark looked among the crowd before whispering to Fang, "Are our guests here?"
Fang nodded. "Meowth is with Laura and Darkmon 7-7-9. Your queen's servants are putting the final touches to her appearance."
He smirked. "Excellent." He looked around into the crowds of Darkmon. "Is everyone accounted for?"
He shrugged. "You expect me to keep track of everyone? Probably." He glared. "Darkmon 6-7-4-6 isn't here, though. As expected, that treacherous fiend."
Dark sighed. "Such a shame. His powers are so useful." He shrugged. "I suppose I can have you deal with him for his act of treason."
Fang smirked. "Really, my lord?"
"Eh, knock yourself out."
He rubbed his pincers together with a gleeful grin. "You won't be disappointed, my lord." This is going better than I thought. Soon that Dark Riolu will be out of the way, then everything will run smoothly.
Dark stepped forward and raised his hand, signally the audience in front of him. "Attention, my loyal subjects." They turned forward, all conversations and activities put on immediate hold so they could take in the glorious speech their lord prepared.
"We will be beginning in ten minutes. Please be patient until we start."
The creatures of darkness went wild for his few words. It wasn't a speech as believed, but the impact came out the same. It should be expected since they praised their mighty lord with the utmost devotion and respect. They may have had to wait…
…but the end result would be all so worth it.
It was quiet in the evil forest, similar to earlier. Only, you could hear the distant sounds of the Darkmon hollering from the distance. No Darkmon in sight, yet the thought of so many gathered into a single location was not for the faint of heart. You'd have to be crazy to go near that mass of destruction.
Luckily, our heroes ARE crazy enough to do such a thing.
Once the coast was clear, and after peeking out from behind the bars for a second look, Emolga squeezed the leaves she was provided and dripped the acidic liquid onto the wooden bars. The process was slow, but the acid tore through the bars. They should be out of here in no time.
She turned back to Scraggy and Axew, who were prepping themselves for the sneak attack. They strapped the equipment around their bodies, securely fastened so nothing dropped. They wouldn't want one of those landmines going off.
Axew poked the rubbery explosive and chuckled. "Heh, it's squishy." Emolga walked over and slapped his hand. "Ow!" He rubbed it with a whimpering expression.
"Don't play with it," she warned lightly.
"Sorry…"
She shook he head, then turned to the large leaf in the prison. She pulled it away, revealing the massive tunnel. It took Krookodile the whole day to dig this hole and he was still trying to find the perfect way out. He had to take frequent breaks to keep his strength up. He wouldn't want to fight any Darkmon while dead tired.
She bent down and shouted, "Hey Krookodile! Can you hear me?!"
A few second of waiting and she didn't get a reply. The dirt was likely muffling her voice, unable to be heard from faraway distances. She doubted it was because the sand croc was ambushed. He wouldn't let anyone capture him without a fight. Even so, she wanted to be kept up to date on the escape tunnels progress. They needed it ready before they could begin.
The bars finally melted down. Scraggy walked out and stretched his limbs. "Finally! Some space!" He narrowed his eyes in the location of the chaotic cheering. The Darkmon seemed to have grown in excitement. That only meant bad news. "Guys, I think they're started soon. We need to move, now."
Emolga clenched her teeth. "But we don't know if the tunnel's ready yet."
"If we don't destroy that bulb, the tunnel won't do us any good. We'll just have to take our chances and hope Krookodile is finished."
She looked to Axew for his opinion. He shrugged. "We can't wait here all night. They'll be releasing that smog cloud soon. Krookodile will find us once he's finished."
The flying squirrel looked down the hole again, then groaned. "Ugh…fine." She stood up, grabbed her stuff, and followed Axew out. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can leave."
"The ceremony will be starting soon. Once the bulb is in its most vulnerable state, that's when we strike," Scraggy reminded, punching his palm. "Let's do this thing!"
The group nodded in agreement and walked in the direction of the Darkmon laughter.
It was late at night for the humans. With the Darkmon prepping for total Armageddon, they had to prepare themselves for the worst. All day, they've been reinforcing what was left of the Pokémon Center and barricading it so they couldn't get in. If they manage to do so, they'll have their Pokémon ready to fight back.
Hank was able to get the equipment up and running again. If things looked bleak, he'll have to contact the Undella Police Station and have them warn the entire region of an impending war. He wasn't sure what to do with the transport machine, though. He only got that working again just in case they needed extra help. Ash does have stronger Pokémon that could aid them.
Only issue was outside help. They'd have to contact Oak and hope he was in his lab or awake. Same with Juniper if he needed his Unova Pokémon.
The old agent had plenty of Pokémon back at base that could assist them, but he couldn't contact his boss if they were in the middle of battle. The machine was a backup plan, at best. They just had to hope that the Pokémon take out the bulb before the cloud covers a large enough radius.
Hank sat in a meditative position outside of the center, waiting patiently for the first wave to start. He expected it to occur once the flower started producing smog or when they go on a rampage if it's destroyed. He was prepared for both instances.
Lucario sat by his side, mirroring his position. Azumarill decided to stay inside, preferring to stay out of the fray for as long as possible. The humans were inside, too. Hank wanted them as safe as possible before they had to join in.
Ash peeked out the windows with drowsy eyes. They've been falling in and out of sleep all night. While he was partially rested, he wanted to go back to sleep. But he needed to stay up for battle.
Iris, Dawn, and Cilan were pretty sleepy as well. The dragon trainer groaned. "Ugh, talk about rude! How long are they going to keep us waiting?! For a bunch of power hungry savages, they sure love taking their sweet time!"
Cilan raised a thoughtful finger. "Now, now, Iris, we mustn't give in to their games. One cannot prepare a fine five meal course by slapping together ingredients so hastily. It must be perfected with the gentlest of touch, properly ordered in a presentable state, seasoned with-"
Iris slumped forward in annoyance, almost wishing for those bloodthirsty savages to break in and try to tear them limb from limb. At least then she wouldn't have to listen to the Pokémon Connoisseur…unless he gave a detailed, food related description of THAT battle.
Thankfully for her, she wasn't the only one suffering. Azumarill pulled on her ears and exposed her teeth with a sharp growl. Does all this guy talk about is food?! She slumped to the ground. I rather be hanging around those idiot Rocket agents.
Her eyes suddenly widened.
Where was Jessie and James?
She got to her feet and ran down the hallway, suspicious of their absence. I swear, if they're plotting something, I'm going to pound them into pancakes!
She searched all over the center before heading to the roof, the only place they could be. If they weren't, she either missed somewhere or they bailed. Actually, the latter seemed fairly obvious. As if cowards like them would actually stick around for this. Team Rocket was full of scum. It's not like they truly cared about their two missing teammates. They could be replaced. It's what any of them would do.
She climbed to the roof to see…they were there…surveying the distance ahead.
Jessie was scanning the forest through a pair of binoculars, able to get a somewhat clear image of the forest from such a distance. James, using a piece of chalk, was sketching the roof with countermeasures and back up plans in case they were overpowered. One advantage to losing so many times over the years, they had a plan to counter just about anything thrown at them, mostly for electricity.
Azumarill blinked in surprise, taken back by the effort they were putting in just to rescue a good for nothing cat and a recyclable tin can. Did they really care that much that they were ready to risk their own lives?
James tapped his chin with the chalk. "Okay, so we can probably hold off against an assault of Flamethrower attacks, but how do we deal with any of them using water attacks to drown us?"
Jessie zoomed in on the forest. "Do we have any Ice-Types?"
"The twerpette has her Mamoswine."
"We can freeze the water before it can hit us. We just need to worry about falling ice if they decided to make a hailstorm out of it."
"The old guy's Heatmor would come in handy for that." As he wrote down the plan, he heard the shifting of feet behind them. He turned, then shrieked. Azumarill was inches away from his face, her glare deepening the closer she got. "What are you doing here?!"
Before she could get a sound in, Jessie put the binocular down to confront her. "Look, if you're here just to give us the stink eye, then scram. We're busy."
Azumarill growled and pointed at the chalk markings on the ground. "(What is this all about?!)"
The two agents looked at each other, confused. "Uh, what is she saying?" Jessie asked.
James shrugged. "Don't know." He sighed. "Another reason we need Meowth and Laura back."
So they were just tools to communicate with Pokémon? Is that why they wanted them back? Even so, she was not in the mood to play '20 Questions'.
She snatched the chalk out of James' hand and started writing on the roof. She never took the time to properly comprehend human text, so her penmanship and grammar were a little…
"Why do you place so much force to save your lousy team-mates?"
…well, not perfect, to say the least.
Thankfully, it didn't take a brainless dope to figure out what she meant. Jessie crossed her arms with a huff. "In case you haven't figured it out, missy, those are our friends you're referring to."
Azumarill lowered her eyelids, unconvinced. There had to be an ulterior motive to their interest in them. They were talking about a talking Meowth and an advanced android. Surely they weren't wasting such potential…right?
James understood the expression and shrugged innocently. "It's true. Meowth has been with Team Rocket since we first started out as a team. And, while she may have been with us for a shorter period of time, we're as close to Laura as we are with that lovable cat."
The aqua rabbit still wasn't convinced, shaking her head. "(How can Team Rocket agents be so…kind and civilized? You're nothing more than criminals with ulterior motives for world domination. Why would you waste your time making friends with a weakling and some replaceable machine?)"
While they didn't get the exact words, they managed to pick up on the meaning. Jessie, rather peeved with the aggressive rabbit, crouched down. "Look, this may only be a temporary truce, but I'm not against kicking you off this roof."
Azumarill sneered. "(I would LOVE to see you try.)"
"My point, however, is that we're sticking around to get back our friends…our family. Those two mean the world to us and we're not backing down until we're reunited."
"(But you're evil! You're supposed to be cruel and malicious! You're part of Team Rocket, one of the evilest organizations in the world! It's part of your nature! You can't change!)"
"So, even after I saved your life, you still don't believe I can change? I'm just evil? You know, just because I am evil, doesn't mean I'm…evil. The world isn't as black and white as you see it!"
Azumarill's eyes widened in shock. A faint memory, flashing before her eyes, if only for the briefest of moments. Memories that she tries…so hard to repress. She shook her head and held her face in her hands.
I thought I buried those memories away. Get out of my head…I don't want to remember you…
The Rocket agents quickly noticed the aqua rabbit was beginning to look upset. Not an 'angry' upset, more so a 'depressing' upset. Something during her rant must have set her off.
It wasn't normally in their nature to comfort someone they were close with. Meowth, for example, would sometimes need a reassuring talk from the two humans, either about his placement on the team or, especially, his failed romantic life.
Then there was Laura, who was a mess to deal with, something they wouldn't say to her face. With her emotions constantly flaring whenever she gets too upset or angry, they'll have to calm her down before she short circuits. A dangerous task, but they'd still do it for a friend.
Did they even want to help Azumarill? She has been nothing but distrusting ever since they were captured. She was constantly giving them the stink eye, as if they were about to cause havoc at any moment. She had a reason to be suspicious, sure, but she acted like they were ALWAYS up to no good. They may be crooks, but they weren't completely evil. They've had their good moments sprinkled in over the years.
This was likely their last night enacting the truce. They might as well get the rabbit to cooperate with them. The only way to do that was to help her.
Jessie wasn't really good with the comforting thing, evident by her hotheaded outbursts, but James was much more experienced in that department.
He crouched down to Azumarill's level. "Hey…are you alright?"
Azumarill peeked out from behind her hands and turned away in huff, angrily holding back frustrated tears. She didn't need sympathy from them.
James frowned at the action and reached out. "Hey, I'm only trying to help." She swung her tail at his hand and slapped it away. "OW!" He gripped it while clenching his eyes shut.
Jessie growled. "What's your problem?! He was only trying to help!"
Her partner shook his head. "N-No Jessie, I'm alright. There's no reason to get angry."
"You offered your help and she CLEARLY doesn't want it."
"She's just shy, that's all."
Jessie's eyes darted to the right, deadpanned. "Yeah, real shy…"
James tried once more. She swung again, but he was prepared for it and caught the orb in his hand. This only angered her further as she swung around and threw her fist at him, striking him in the cheek and knocking him to the ground.
"Hey! What did you do that for?! I was only helping, you jerk!"
Her eyes widened as the face of her old friend quickly flashed over James, who Jessie immediately attended to.
"Are you alright?!"
He pushed himself up and rubbed his sore cheek. "I believe so." He groaned. "Oh, that is going to feel sore in the morning…"
The red head quickly turned her attention to the aqua rabbit. She was not pleased with her actions. "And you think we're the bad guys? If this is how you treat someone trying to help you, I can't imagine how anyone puts up with you."
The memories…her actions…they struck her, right in the heart. She raised her fist, the one she struck James with. Did she actually hit him? Without remorse? Has she really gone that far to distrust everyone?
They were part of Team Rocket. They couldn't be trusted…so why does she feel like she did something wrong? She shouldn't be feeling sympathy for hurting someone who's evil, right? Yet, she struck someone who was only trying to offer a kind gesture of assistance. Someone cruel…offering help?
She clenched her eyes shut. She didn't want them seeing her breakdown into tears. She aggressively rubbed her shut eyes.
How can you trust something that has been shown to be so cruel and heartless? Then again, these two were human. Her old friend…her lover…he wasn't.
He was a monster who would gladly execute a lower lifeform to prove his dominance. Yet, when you really get to know him, there was a bit more to who he truly was buried underneath all that malice. He was someone who cared about her, the longer they got to know each other. With him gone…she hasn't felt right ever since.
Was all this pent up aggression towards Team Rocket just her anger towards another, far more sadistic force?
She bowed her head in shame, watching James sit up with his legs crossed. This wasn't any different to her encounter with 46. She treated him like dirt because she went off a basic instinct. She sensed something wrong and reacted. She never bothered to check if her intentions were in the right until they just…talked.
James rubbed his sore cheek. "You think it'll leave a bruise?" he asked his partner. He then felt movement coming towards him. He looked up and saw that Azumarill had stepped closer to him. Naturally, he flinched, unsure of what her next action will be. "Uh…yes?"
Keeping her eyes to the ground, she mumbled, "(I…I'm…I'm…)" Saying this particular phrase to an enemy felt wrong for many reasons, but her actions are already unjust so far. Whether she liked it or not, even if they were still crooks, they were in this together. That meant working as a team.
"(I'm…sorry…)"
James had a deep grasp on how Pokémon felt. It came with experience, having spent his life with affectionate Pokémon all his life. He knew what her intentions are now.
He smiled and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, sending a light shudder down her body. "Don't worry…I'm not mad."
She looked up, surprised. She punched him in the face! How was he not mad?!
Even Jessie was taken back by this. "You can't be serious. She has hated us ever since we got here."
He chuckled. "I know she didn't mean it…not completely, at least." He grabbed the aqua rabbit's hands and looked into her eyes. "I don't blame you for mistrusting us. You have every right to hate us. We're crooks, thieves, and all of that. But right now, finding our friends is our top priority. I hope you can understand that."
It wasn't in her nature to trust thieves. It wasn't in her nature to trust people who were clearly not morally sound…
…but one creature of darkness taught her that, sometimes, there's something deeper to a person's character than their morality.
She wanted the Darkmon gone. They wanted their friends back, safe and sound. They wanted two different things and were aiming for the same objective to achieve them. Whether she liked it or not, they had to work together.
Somewhat begrudgingly, she gave a sigh of confirmation. "(Very well…I'll trust you…for now…)"
James smiled brightly. "That's all I needed to hear."
The aqua rabbit turned away and walked back into the Pokémon Center. That painful stabbing in her chest seemed to have lifted a bit. Still, having to remember 46's face for such a brief moment…it didn't improve her mood. Perhaps, if she's lucky, fighting the Darkmon will improve her spirits. One could only hope.
Once she left, Jessie gave the blue haired agent a glare. "You're too nice, you know that?"
He chuckled. "Hey, it got her to calm down, right? We have enough on our plate tonight. Having one less enemy breathing down our neck makes our job the tiniest bit easier."
She rolled her eyes, then smirked. "True, I suppose." She picked up her binoculars and scanned the forest. "Ugh, what time is it? They're taking forever."
As James checked for the time, Hank had been listening to their conversation. His lips stretched out into a satisfied smile. He'd never expect Team Rocket agents would be the ones to calm down Azumarill. He had to admire James' knack for understanding a Pokémon's emotions. Hopefully now she'll have a clear head and focus on the task at hand.
However, another thing plagued his mind, the same thing that was currently irritating Jessie. The Darkmon were taking an awfully long time to begin their plans. Agonizingly long time, actually.
They planned to start at midnight, but it was way pass that.
He narrowed his eyes. "What's going on down there?"
"My loyal Darkmon!"
The crowd of Darkmon ended their cheers as their lord floated up into the air, arms raised up high with a wicked smirk presented on his face.
"The moment you all have been patiently waiting for has arrived! The hour has reached its mark!" He clapped his hands together, igniting the surrounding area in bright purple and blue light.
"Let the ceremony commence!"
Claws and fists raised high, followed by joyous screams and laughter. Feet stomped the ground, attacks such as Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Shadow Ball fired into the air in excitement, and even Darkmon literally throwing each other across the audience. If this was how they were acting about the ceremony, then they were going to go nuts for the main event.
Standing outside of the audience of Darkmon was Laura, peering behind a tree nervously. Her nervous…this was not something she was used to. She was nervous for two reasons, in fact.
One, she was about to betray someone she grew attached to in such a short time. That, and she'll likely be killed if things go awry and he catches on to their betrayal.
Secondly…if things didn't go as planned but none of them get caught for it…she was getting married to a sadistic ruler of a malicious species and she'll become the queen of the new world.
Suffice to say, she had very mixed feelings about what she wanted out of this.
For her wedding, she decided to downgrade to something simple, but suitable. She could not stand another moment with her idiot servants bickering about a topic as ridiculous as a wedding gown, especially since she, after stating it numerous times, didn't need one. Instead, she wore a crown of black roses on her head. She also had her fake fur groomed to perfection, curtesy of said servants.
And thankfully, the design choice was enough to be approved by the two Dark Kirlia, who were currently doing their usual routine of sucking up to the android. "Oh my lady, you look simply marvelous!" one of them fawned over.
"This night will remember your beauty for all of eternity!" the other complimented.
Normally Laura's ego would be skyrocketing from all this attention and praising, but she has had enough of these two. Yep…definitely going to execute them.
"And it was all thanks to my ingenious advice and planning," the first stated proudly.
Her fellow colleague glared. "You? I did all the work!"
"No you didn't, this was clearly my work!"
Laura's eye twitched as the two shouted back and forth at each other. Slowly, she pulled her sleeve up and configured her arm into her cannon. However, she didn't get halfway through when her saving grace came into the picture.
"Alright, you two, break it up!" Chloe ordered, forcing the two apart. "I'll be taking over things here. You two just join the others."
They pouted. "But we must stay with our lady at all times!"
Laura panicked at the thought. No, please, anything but that!
Meowth stepped up behind them and shoved the two towards the crowd. "Hey, it's a big night for you two. Why not take a load off and enjoy the ceremony? Doomsdays only happen once in your lifetime."
The two looked at each other and smiled in agreement. "What do you say, sister? Shall we participate?"
"Quite certainly, my friend!"
They turned to Laura and bowed. "Farewell, our lady! We look for to serving you as our queen!" With that, they ran into the crowd.
Laura sighed. "Thank goodness! I was going to die of stupid from them!" She composed herself and turned to her two friends. "Anyway, is everything in place?"
Chloe nodded. "By now, the Pokémon will have escaped and will be making their way through the stealth point. Once they're in position, they'll drop the explosives on the bulb once it has fully bloomed."
"Good." She turned to Meowth, who was lugging a leaf sack over his shoulder. There were items bulging at the sides. "That your battle suit?"
"Yeah, it is. It should get me through safely enough to reach the escape point." He offered his friend a sheepish smile. "So…how are you feeling?"
"Hmm, let's see…I'm about to get married to a tyrannical ruler and become queen of a malicious species while we're planning a revolution that can get us killed…I feel just a bit nervous," she admitted.
Meowth sighed. "You're gonna need to let Dark go. I don't think he's the guy for you." He looked over his shoulder, getting a glance of the lord. "Plus, once the sun rises, your crush will be a pile of ashes."
Laura looked down. "I know." She closed her eyes and tried to collect her thoughts. "I'm…not going to let this affect the plan. I'll be strong…"
He smiled sadly at his friend. "I know you will." He hugged her, which she immediately reciprocated.
"…To start off this joyous ceremony, let's get down to the first event of the night: my marriage with my new queen!"
Laura pulled back and shook her head. "I have to get into position. I'll join up with you guys once everything goes off." She made her way to the walkway.
Meowth frowned, a bit ashamed that he was tearing her away from someone she felt genuine love towards. A small part of him wanted to call this revolution off and let her have her chance at love, as hard as it was to admit. He cared so much about her that he was willing to let the apocalypse happen.
Chloe brushed up at his side, making him shudder. "I suppose we should be joining Lord Dark. He requests that you stay within his line of sight."
He chuckled uneasily. "W-Why? Doesn't he trust me?"
"I rather not take any chances with that. I don't want him to hurt you. Or worse, make me do it." You're too…cute to harm.
The sharp pain in her chest struck at her again. She growled angrily, growing sick of its constant torture. The sooner she got answers to this stupid pain, the better.
They made their way around the crowd and came up behind Dark. Chloe stood in between Meowth and Fang purposely, as she didn't trust the Fang Scorp Darkmon anywhere near her friend.
Dark spun around in the air. "As you all know, once I become king, it'll be hard to manage everything on my own. I may be able to keep you lot under control, but the entire planet. Even I believe I can't handle all that. With my queen, she'll rein over you with an iron fist, no pun intended," he shouted, muttering the final part under his breath.
"She shows the true characteristics of a ruler! She's bold, assertive, terrifying, and downright evil!" He laughed. "Oh, what a woman!" He floated down onto his makeshift stage. "Let us commemorate tonight in her honor! Give it up for your new queen, Laura!"
All heads turn as the android slowly walked down the pathway. Her eyes were dipped down as she attempted to avoid eye contact with any of them. While she was nervous, there was still that side of herself that wanted to soak in the attention like the narcissist she can be. What can she say? She's amazing.
She reached the end of the pathway and turned to face Dark. His eyes were narrowed and his lips stretched out into a smirk. She looked away briefly as her face overheated.
She shrieked as he took her hands in his and held them up. "Laura, you are receiving the highest offer I can bestow upon anyone. You must feel overwhelmed."
On the nose.
Dark turned to the crowd, still holding one of Laura's hands. "As you all know, this lovely android will be officially brought into our society, along with her little Meowth friend."
The crowd erupted in 'boos' and chants for the death of the cat. Instinctively, he stepped behind Chloe, who protectively wrapped her tail around him.
Dark raised his hand to silence them. "Yes, yes, I know you all still have strong feelings against this decree, but I can assure you there are benefits." He gestured to Meowth. "Our new ally here is technologically gifted. With his genius, we could improve our lives greatly. Not to mention our advantage against the humans and Pokémon. With his genius, we can very well conquer this pitiful planet in no time."
The Darkmon looked to each other with mixed feelings. Working alongside a Pokémon?
Dark smirked. "And, if it still is an issue, we have our ways to…fully accept him into our society." Meowth gulped. He remembers Laura telling him that Dark might be able to turn him into a Darkmon. That didn't sound like a comfortable process. "Just bare and grin it until the world is ours."
With some reluctance, the Darkmon cheered in acceptance, stomping the ground wildly.
The Darkmon lord chuckled. "Very good." He turned to Laura. "As for you, my bride, are you ready to be accepted into our culture and serve as a symbol of doom to our enemies?"
She offered a sheepish smile. "I, uh…suppose so."
Dark smiled. "Excellent." He pointed her to the crowd. "Look around you, my dear. Feast your eyes on your new army, yours to command. Once the bulb projects the smog into the sky, I shall give you free reign over my subjects, equaled to my own. And to commemorate this occasion, I present to you my symbol of our marriage."
Her eyes widened. "Wait, did you get me a ring?!"
He laughed. "My dear, I can do many things, but conjuring a diamond is out of my power. No, it's something more personal to our forest. Personal to me." He snapped his claws.
The ground between them rose from the ground, making the android step back in awe. The pillar of rock came up to Dark's chest. Inside this chest was a medallion with spider silk weaved together into a necklace.
The medallion itself was carved from wood, circular in shape and with meticulous etches imprinted into it. The etches looked like a detailed and complex maze of lines. If Dark made this, he must have spent quite some time to get it exact.
What stood out from the rest was the teal gem in the center of it. It had a round cut and gave off a beautiful glow in the darkness.
She gasped in surprise. "Dark…this is beautiful…" She was deeply in awe by the…sweet gesture. "I…I thought you said you couldn't make diamonds, though."
He chuckled. "That's going into assumption that what you're looking at is an actual gemstone." He tapped it, making it glow brighter. "What you're looking that is a piece of my life force, which I crystalized into this gem before you."
She blinked in shock. "Your…life force?"
"I'm a living creature, you're an android. I figure this is the closest I can get to showing my admiration to you: by giving you a piece of my own life."
That…has got to be the sweetest, most generous thing anyone has ever done for her. She actually wished she could cry tears of joy to fully appreciate the gift.
"I-I…" she stuttered, rendered speechless.
He shushed her and took the necklace. "Allow me." He placed the loop around her neck and slid it on. "There…it looks lovely on you."
Her face went red with embarrassment. "Oh…stop it," she said coyly with a flirtatious grin.
"AWW!" She cringed before glaring at the audience, picking out her two dimwitted servants who were practically gushing over this charming scene. For creatures that repress their emotions, those two made no effort to do so.
Dark snickered and wrapped his arm around her. "Fret not, my dear. It'll all be over soon." She smiled at him and, despite her better judgment, leaned against him affectionately.
Meowth's eyes narrowed sadly. Now he felt even more guilty about the plan. Chloe could feel his despair and gave him a reassuring nudge to keep his head in the game. He gulped and gave a nod.
The dark cat glanced to the side, her ears perking up as she heard movement from the distance. This particular movement was trying to act stealthy. They're here.
Like most get-togethers, there were always those few stragglers who were wait. Some of the Darkmon decided to skip out on the ceremony while others felt it'd be best to attend.
Three Darkmon, a Dark Swellow, a Dark Slugma, and a Dark Vanillish, were walking about, minding their own business without worry. Why would they? They were one of many deadly creatures lurking about. Well, they were about to get a reality check.
As they grew closer to the ceremony, they heard the sound of leaves rustling. Now, normally, this wasn't a bother seeing as how this was a common sound with so many Darkmon inhabiting the forest. The problem this time?
They couldn't sense any of their evil brethren AND all the Darkmon were gathered in a single location.
They turned around with sharp growls, scanning the slightly illuminated forest for possible prowlers. They couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary, but they didn't sense anything either. Something was purposely hiding themselves.
The Dark Swellow stepped forward confidently. "Show yourselves! Are you ally or foe?!"
The Dark Slugma rolled his eyes. "Like someone is stupid enough to give away their location like that."
Dark Vanillish shrugged her icicle appendages with a glare. "There are stupid creatures like that."
The dark bird groaned. "Look, all I'm saying is that they might fall for it if they're not prepared for it."
"It's a simple trick. Besides, who's not going to be on edge with us around?"
He shook his head. "All I'm saying is someone could be caught off guard because they didn't expect such a call."
"Or they could be so busy talking that they let their guard down, too," said the Dark Riolu standing behind him.
"Exactly!" The Darkmon's eyes suddenly and whipped around to see Koda. "YOU?!"
He grinned. "Hello! Tell me, how do you feel about being a good guy?"
"Where the heck did you come from?! AND what kind of idiotic question is that?!"
He sighed. "Never mind." Without warning, he slammed his palms into his chest and administered a powerful Force Palm, sending him packing into a tree.
Dark Slugma and Dark Vanillish glared and fired Flamethrower and Ice Beam at him. Using his aura pulse technique, he pushed against the attacks with invisible energy.
Dark Slugma suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him and suplexed him into the ground. Dark Vanillish turned to the attacker, but was immediately blinded by two yellow hands, then received a wave of electricity that sent her off course before crashing into the ground.
Ryder walked over to Pikachu and helped him up. "Looks like we're getting closer."
The others came out of hiding. Oshawott was the first to speak, commenting about the light coming from the noisy direction. "Man, that sounds like a ton of Darkmon."
"Well, there are over eight thousand of us, so it is to be expected," Koda causally reminded like it was not a big deal…despite it being a HUGE disadvantage against them.
Oshawott shuddered. "Yay, can't wait…"
Snivy placed a comforting had on his shoulder. "We'll be fine. If we're lucky, we can get through our objective faster and won't have to bother taking them all on." That bit of reassurance improved his mood, as seen by his light smile.
Ryder narrowed his eyes. He could sense the massive pool of the combined forces. Yet he sensed a prominent force beyond the crowd: Dark. His aura was far greater than the other Darkmon, perhaps even stronger than all of them combined. It was…horrifying for the usually calm Charmeleon. He actually felt his left foot move back, as if a sign a part of his mind wanted to retreat badly.
He trained himself to combat Dark, planning for anything he can throw at him, but was there any hope to stop him? Assistance from the gang, mainly Pikachu, would give him the numbers advantage if it was them vs. Dark, but that was a low factor to consider. He fought Dark only once, in his weakest state, and it didn't end well for the Charmeleon.
Here he was, unable to fully bring out his aura's true power, fighting a foe who has only been growing stronger throughout years of torment and raising an army. He was at a massive disadvantage, especially since they had to wait seven hours to gain their own advantage, assuming they destroy the bulb.
He clenched his fists. Backing down now would leave everything he worked for utterly pointless. This had to end, tonight.
Ryder looked at his friends. "Are you all ready?"
Pikachu stepped forward and placed his hand on his shoulder. He could sense the discomfort within him. Even a trained spy still felt doubt. "We've told you, we're with you all the way."
He smiled, then glared forward. "Right…let's move!" They made a dash towards the massive crowd of Darkmon.
"Listen up, my loyal subjects!" Dark shouted, his voice booming loudly over his subjects with his powerful tone. "For too long, the humans and Pokémon have kept us secluded in this dreaded forest! We are unknown to the rest of the world, but their actions against us speak thousands! We are a menace to their perfect way of life!"
A sea of 'boos' erupted loudly, fists wildly waving in anger.
Dark raised his hands to silence them. "We have been brushed off simply as a species that THEY believe they are superior towards. Their arrogance, their pride…it is all dripping with the image of a pathetic race! We have proved our superiority towards the Pokémon! We have defeated their numbers and increased our own through combat! They have no right to act so conceited! WE are beings of power! We have every right to boast our dominance!"
Cheers boomed out into the sky. Meowth and Chloe glanced at each other, the former nervous.
"Where are they?" he whispered.
She darted her eyes to the left. "They're here. I can hear their movements outside the crowd. They're faint, but easy to pick up if anyone was paying attention."
He nodded, looking forward at the crowd. "They better hurry. Staying here is giving me the shivers."
As Dark continued to hype his crowd, the three recon Pokémon stealthily crawled behind a tree. Emolga peeked out from behind it to see if anyone had eyes on them. Thankfully, they were too busy cheering on their lord as if he was a celebrity…which, technically speaking, he was.
She gave Scraggy and Axew a two finger signal and pointed up. They nodded and started climbing up. She narrowed her eyes before following them.
They quietly scaled the tree. There was a branch hanging just over the bulb, which was slowly expanding its leaves out, simulating heavy breathing. It was awaiting its moment to shine.
She nodded at her friends before shimming from branch to branch. They were extra careful not to disturb the leaves or they would be exposed.
"Once our territory spreads over this planet," Dark continued, "we will eliminate the humans and Pokémon, collecting their energy to increase the strength of our home world. After that, we can live our lives the way we choose. This world is ours to do as we please. More subjects, more land…we will be the Earth's dominant race.
"How many of you are tired of being stuck in a single location? How many of you wish to see the world? How many of you want to be free?!" His army cheered at the top of your voice. "That's what I want to hear!"
He gestured to the bulb as it got more excited with the rousing speech. "With the power of our central bulb, darkness shall reign over this land for all of eternity! Light it up!"
The bulb rose its many vines and stuck them into the ground. They pumped like veins as they sucked nutrients out of the dirt, collecting energy from the trees rooted into their soil.
While the change was drastically slow, the Darkmon could tell the wood of the trees was aging. They were slowly being sucked up of life, sacrificing a bit of itself to expand.
The bulb pulsed with energy as its sides stretched out, parts of the flower petals inside exposing. Anyone with a good view easily made out the serrated teeth lining them inside of the slimy leaves. They were sharp enough to create sparks against metal, even shred through said metal.
Dark crossed his arms with a proud grin. "Can you feel it, my subjects? That overwhelming power building up in front of you? Take in this moment while you can! We're about to make history!"
As the Darkmon cheered, Ryder and his group snuck around the perimeter. They stealthily incapacitated the guards, knocking them out and stuffing them in some bushes tied up.
Ryder planted his back against a tree and peered around. He could see Dark, along with some fellow Darkmon by his side. He glared upon seeing Meowth and Laura, though he was quite surprised to see the android was standing next to the Darkmon lord while wearing some rather fancy accessories.
"Koda wasn't kidding. She really is siding with that monster…" he whispered.
Pikachu peered out from the tree and narrowed his eyes. "At least their attention is on the crowd."
"Right…" He turned to Koda, Oshawott, and Snivy, handing them a couple bombs each. "Get above the bulb and drop these onto it. We'll create a diversion once you do and we can start eliminating them."
They scrapped them on their weighted vests, aside from Koda who just held them. Koda started climbing up the tree first, followed by the other two.
Ryder turned his attention to Pikachu, Piplup, Dragonite, and Pignite. "Our job will be to take out as many of them as quickly as possible. Pignite and Dragonite, use your Flamethrowers so we can wipe out a bunch of them in one sweep." They nodded. "Piplup, you'll weigh them down with your Ice Beam, long enough for us to eliminate them, too."
He pouted, crossing his flippers. "Why do I get the boring job?" He brushed his flipper over his head, like he was doing a hair flip. "My awesomeness dictates that I do something flashier to give those monsters some fear! Might I suggest-"
"No. Windmill. Shuriken," he ordered, pressing emphasis on each word with a deadpan expression to match.
He flailed wildly, though remembered to keep his voice low. "You let me bring this thing, so let me use it!"
"Only for emergencies. The idea is ambushing before battle, not direct their attention immediately."
"But- "
Pikachu placed his hand on his shoulder. "Buddy, we can't take risks, remember? Just stick to the plan, okay?"
He sighed. "Fine…" He looked to the side, pouting his beak out. "Still be cool, though…"
"Shush," the Charmeleon ordered. He waved his hand before crawling around the trees. They followed close behind.
Dark floated over the crowd with his hands behind his back. "I'll be honest with you, my subjects. I've never been this excited in my life. You should be, too. For five years, I've lacked the proper challenge I desire. I may never get that chance. A part of me hopes our enemies are superior to our forces." The audience gasped. "Yes, yes, I know, shocking.
"But I am serious. It's so easy to backhand my opponent's attacks, incapacitate them with a single punch, or effortlessly dodge their attacks. I'm simply too powerful. Such a shame. In this drab world we live in, no one poses a threat to me. Why must I be gifted with such talents?"
Meowth rolled his eyes and whispered to Chloe, "What did I tell you? Inflated ego…" She offered a short smirk.
"I may never get my chance. Perhaps, if anything, the Legendary Pokémon that watch over and protect these insolent lifeforms might offer me a challenge. Or, at the very least, work up a sweat." He chuckled. "Oh, wouldn't that be something?"
At this point, Dark was just stalling. The bulb needed a bit more energy and their plans to take it from the intruding Pokémon hit a snag. They only got energy from their previous captives, but it wasn't enough. Taking energy from the forest was their back up plan, but a slow one.
Even so, he can sense the energy build up inside. It was about ready to bloom. Finally, my moment to shine is within our reach.
As the bulb prepared to bloom, Emolga's team were getting close to the attack point. They steadily balanced across some branches.
Scraggy looked down. He stumbled a bit from a short case of vertigo. It didn't help he was also hovering over an unsuspecting crowd of blood hungry savages. "Ugh…are we there yet?"
Emolga rolled her eyes. "Just about. We're about directly over the…bulb…" She stopped suddenly, which made Axew run into her back.
He shook his head and blinked, then tapped the flying squirrel's shoulder. "Emolga, what's wrong?" She simply pointed forward, allowing the two younger Pokémon to see what she saw.
Koda flipped gracefully over a branch and landed on the tallest one above his group. "Hehe, beat you guys."
Oshawott vaulted himself with his scalchop. "Hey, which one of us is wearing weighted gear, bub?"
Snivy came into view and rolled her eyes. "This isn't a race, you two. We're here on business. Koda, where's the dropping point?"
"Well, judging from our current location and the placement of the bulb, our destination is right over the…" He pointed at the collection of branches they were supposed to be at, but his face fell upon sighting the surprised Emolga, Axew, and Scraggy.
Oshawott and Snivy gasped. "Guys?!"
"Oshawott?! Snivy?!" Scraggy whispered loudly.
"What are you doing here?!" Axew asked in surprised.
"And WHY are you with a Darkmon?!" Emolga asked harshly, sneering at the frightened Dark Riolu.
He hid behind Snivy, shivering. "I, um…presume these are your missing acquaintances?"
She nodded. "Yeah, they are." She stepped forward. "Surprised to see you've stayed in one piece."
The flying squirrel huffed. "I can say the same for you. You wouldn't believe the trouble I've been through getting this far. But more importantly," she jabbed her finger against her chest, "why are you here? And why are you with that murderous monster?"
Oshawott stepped forward. "Hey, he isn't a monster! He's our friend!"
"Your friend? HA! Yeah right! After what I've been through, I wouldn't believe that for a second!"
Axew poked her side. "Uh, aren't WE working with a Darkmon that you begrudgingly trust?"
"Shut up!"
Snivy glared. "Wait, YOU are working with a Darkmon?" She held her hips and leaned forward. "Why are you here, anyway?"
Scraggy looked down nervously, making sure the Darkmon still had their attention held on their leader and the bulb below them, which was beginning to enter the first stages of its blooming process. "Look, it's a long story, but to give you the summary: we're here to destroy that thing!"
Snivy looked down. "That? You're here to destroy the bulb, too?"
"Whoa, time out!" Emolga called out. "You're here to blow it to pieces as well? What have you been doing since we got here? And," she gestured to the weighted gear and the explosives, "where did you get that stuff? WHY do you have that stuff?"
As the two bickered back and forth, Dark landed on his stage and gestured the Darkmon to the bulb. "I feel I've taken enough of your time already, my subjects. Let us commence with doomsday! Our beloved bulb, bloom your beautiful petals! Transform into the magnificent, radiant, deadly rose you were meant to be!"
The sides slowly split apart. Slime jumped off from the interior before the leaves expanded outward. The teeth rattled viciously, tearing through the strands of plant matter that were still attached to the bundled up petals.
Speaking of the petals, once the leaves fell to the ground, the rose began to expand out. The petals were a deep purple, presenting a royal feel to its mysterious form. The patterns that adorned the top of the petals added to this theme, as they showed off decorative red symbols lining down each petal with intricate detail. At the center of the flower was the obvious bud, black as the darkest sky. It was cut up into fives, meaning they'll likely extend open and expel the dark cloud they'll be waiting for.
Dark smiled with glee. "Yes, perfect." He looked at his bride. "Take a long, hard look at this, my dear. Do you see what I see?"
She smiled nervously. "Uh…yeah, I sure do. Hehe…" Her eyes darted up slightly. She couldn't see Emolga or the others exactly, but she could make out the nearly unnoticeable color splotches in their fur, along with…other colors that didn't belong to them, which confused her. Was she imagining this? Were there more of them up there?
Dark chuckled, obviously paying no mind to Laura's sudden state of confusion, then gestured to the newly bloomed flower. "Don't keep us waiting any longer. Expel your dark cloud and cover this world in a never ending smog!"
The flower expanded itself out and began forcibly bringing the smog, which was being created inside, up to its closed off bud. It had to get the right amount of smog made up before it could create the cloud.
Fang waited patiently, teetering back and forth on his heels. His eyes only wandered for a moment, but that slight second of gazing through the trees above gathered his full attention.
"What the…" He narrowed his eyes and, without a doubt, saw the tiniest bit of movement. While it could be the wind, there was no mistaking the bright colors mashed together, hiding fairly well behind the leaves. He saw the group was standing directly above the bulb, which Dark didn't seem to notice.
Fang glared quickly at him before focusing back on the Pokémon. They must be planning to destroy the flower. No, no, no, this isn't the right time. Not yet. I need to move things along so everything goes according to plan. He looked around, then stepped back quietly into the trees, vanishing from sight.
Above, Emolga and Snivy continued their bickering. "All I'm saying is that he could be tricking you!" Emolga argued.
"You're working with Meowth and some Dark Glameow you barely know, but the guy we've known much longer than you have is suddenly untrustworthy?" the grass snake argued back.
The others were caught in an awkward spot. They were still wondering how this hasn't gathered any unwanted attention from below.
Scraggy grumbled quietly. "We don't have time for this…that thing is going to explode soon."
"The Scraggy is right," Koda agreed, if only because he didn't want to be the center of this argument any longer. "We can't wait around." He set the charge on his bombs and hovered them over the dropping point.
Emolga rolled her eyes. "Fine…but I'm keeping my eye on you, buster." She took the jelly mines and positioned them over the flower.
The others brought out their respective explosives and hung them over the flower. It was a clear shot.
"Alright, on my mark," Snivy whispered. She held up her hand as she used her vines to hold the bombs. She counted down. "Three…two…one…"
Before they got to zero, their heads whipped around, surprised by the sharp whistling that was permeating their range of hearing. The direction it came from changed frantically, one moment coming from their left, next to their right.
Emolga looked around panicky. "What is that?"
Oshawott held up his scalchop defensively. "Did one of the Darkmon find us?"
Koda's eyes narrowed. It had to be coming from the Darkmon, but he didn't remember one creating such a horrible noise. Judging from the rapid change in sound direction, he could only deduce that it was coming from a fast moving object. It was likely a Flying-Type by that logic, but which one?
He didn't have to wait any longer as his eyes glowed purple, getting a shocking image through his future vision. His head whipped towards Axew and shouted, "Axew, watch out!"
"Huh?!" the young dragon sounded in confusion.
A streak of purple light shot out of the darkness. It zigzagged through the air, turning at incredibly sharp and precise angles rapidly. The flying creature was completely unidentifiable. However, one thing was for certain: it had its sights on the young dragon.
Emolga gasped as the fast moving light sharply dive-bombed from the air and went straight down. "NO! AXEW!" She lunged at him and tackled him out of the light's reach.
It sliced right through the branch they were on, cleanly cutting through the wood as if it disappeared in an instant. Emolga flinched as she felt it graze the tip of her tail ever so slightly. It felt like a hot knife lightly grazing her. It stung for a short moment. She was just relieved she got Axew out of danger.
However…they just lost their vantage point.
The two fell out of the trees in distress. Emolga flapped her membrane wings, but Axew was weighing her down. She couldn't float down safely. She, instead, wrapped her arms around him and braced for impact.
The Darkmon jumped back in surprise when a large branch fell out of the trees, then gasped as two Pokémon joined alongside it. They crashed with a small dust cloud surrounding them.
The two pushed themselves up and coughed on the dirt. Their eyes then widened. Several glowing red eyes were directed at them. Overwhelming fear built up in the two as they huddled close to one another and shivered with panicking expressions.
Ryder's group and Emolga's team stared at the scene in alarm. "What are they doing here?!" Ryder questioned softly, all while reaching for his shurikens.
Pikachu remained silent, his face filled with worry. He wished he had an answer to that. Of all the Pokémon he expected to turn tail and get the heck out of this nightmare forest, Emolga and Axew stood out above the rest. Why were they here? Didn't they know the danger they'd get themselves into? What possessed them to pull such a risky move?
Meowth bit on his claws nervously. No, no, no, no, no, NO! We're dead! Chloe gritted her teeth, trying to keep her cool. If any word about her treason got out, Dark would likely force her to attack Meowth. Or destroy her. Or worse…both.
Laura nervously glanced over at Dark, who narrowed his eyes at the intruders. He floated off the stage and hovered over the two Pokémon. He flexed his claws, a smirk growing on his face. "Well, well, well…isn't this a lovely surprise?" He laughed out loud. "Take a look, my subjects! Feast your eyes on the supposed heroes of the Earth!"
Emolga pushed herself back as a nervous grin popped up on her face. "H-Hehe…what are you talking about? W-We w-w-weren't trying anything."
"Spare me the lies, rodent," he spat, eyes glowing brightly. "I'm no fool. It's clear to me that you were trying to destroy our sacred flower." His eyes slowly glanced to his side. "And I can sense you're not the only ones here."
Axew shivered. "P-Please, don't hurt our friends!"
"Sorry…I don't take requests." He snapped his claws, commanding the flower to raise its vines. "But, since you're here, perhaps you can stay for dinner? Our flower just is never satisfied no matter how much it feasts." He pointed, giving the order for the vines to strike down at the two. They screamed and held each other, eyes snapped shut and teeth clenched together.
Two shurikens flew out of the bushes and sliced through the vines. They struck two Darkmon before exploding, sending the two flying.
Dark closed his eyes and smirked. "Why am I not surprised?"
Ryder and his team jumped out of cover and landed in front of the two quivering Pokémon, standing tall. "So much for the element of surprise…"
Dark opened his eyes. "Ryder…"
The Charmeleon tightened his fists. "Dark…"
"It has been a while since I've seen you face to face. Came back for another humiliating defeat?" He took a stance, left arm behind his back and the other raised with his palm facing his foe. "Don't make me laugh."
Ryder glared. "Things are different now. This time, I have backup."
Dark nearly busted out in laughter. He held it back, letting out a few amused chuckles as a result. "Congrats, you managed to work up a team of three plus you." He looked up. "However, I'm certain the rest are above us." He pointed his claw up, then flicked down.
Gravity became their enemy as the others hanging in the trees were pushed through the branches and slammed into the earth below. Koda groaned, then shrieked upon seeing his master. "L-Lord Dark! Uh, sir!" He saluted awkwardly.
Dark glared. "Should have expected an innocent fool like you to turn so easily." He sighed. "To think I could have used your ability for the sake of my people. So sad…" He raised his hand. "Guess I have no choice but to annihilate you."
Koda stood up and backed away. "Can't we have a civilized discussion about this? You're not in the right head, my lord. Please, let me-" One psychic blast knocked him off his feet and slammed him against a tree.
"I've heard quite enough. I have big plans for today and I won't let them be squandered by pathetic lowlifes such as you." A fast moving shuriken came into his line of vision, millimeters from hitting his face. He moved his head to the side and let it safely fly pass. He looked at his counterpart. "You are interfering."
Ryder reached into his cloak and pulled out his bo staff. "I didn't spend the last five years training myself just to be brushed off by your pride. You and me are settling this once and for all."
Dark dropped his hold on Koda and folded his arms behind his back. "Do you even know what you're getting yourself into? You have a brain. Try using it and think about how this will end. I'm stronger, faster, tougher, smarter, far more versatile in battle, can heal in a snap; you actually think you can beat me?"
Ryder spun his staff. "Not alone." Pikachu stepped up to his side and pulled out his own collapsible bo staff, resting it against his shoulder.
The Darkmon lord rolled his eyes. "Oh my, a Pikachu…how terrifying." He floated up into the air. "Let me paint you a mental picture: you're worthless. Nothing you amount to could ever surpass me. I'm the perfect being. I surpass every living creature on this planet and then some. With every battle, I grow stronger. With every victory, my foes grow weaker.
"Has it not set in yet? You're wasting your time. I'm always going to be superior, Ryder. I have the edge in power. You're only mortal." He shook his head. "Fact is, your only chance of beating me has been sealed away BY me." Ryder subconsciously placed his hand over his scar. "Without the full access to your aura, you're nothing. You'll always be nothing." He pointed out to the other Pokémon. "All of you…worthless.
"The Darkmon will rise as the dominate race. The superior race. Your precious light will be no more by tonight. Everything you cared for will be all for nothing." He floated over the stage. "So, just sit back and cower in awe. Because the Darkmon…
"…have won."
The bud of the flower peeled open and, in a sharp boom, released a massive tower of smog upward. The group was knocked down by the powerful burst. The smog shredded through the trees and spewed into the night sky.
Far off at the destroyed Pokémon Center, the group could see a pitch black plume rising high into the sky. Jessie nearly dropped her binoculars in shock. "Is…that the cloud?"
"It's…It's huge!" James shouted, stepping back in fright.
Hank clenched his teeth. This is bad…
Dark laughed as the flower continued to pour out the dark smog. "Ah, simply beautiful, don't you agree?"
Ryder growled. "I can still stop you! All I need to do is destroy that flower!" He lunged forward and threw an explosive.
Dark, without batting an eye, flickered in front of the bomb and backhanded it, smashing it to pieces. He grabbed Ryder by the face, stopping his momentum. "You're too stubborn for your own good." He socked him across the jaw, sending him back to his friends.
Pikachu caught him and set him on his feet. "You okay?"
The spy relaxed his jaw. "I've had worse…" He glared at his counterpart, who stared back with a relaxed expression.
He sighed. "Typical…" He landed next to Laura, who was nervously watching the events unfold. "Very well, if that is how you want to play, then I have no choice."
Meowth leaned towards Chloe. "We need to bail, now," he whispered. She nodded before they both stealthily shuffled off the stage.
Dark raised his claws up high. "My loyal subjects, I think it's time to let the party start. And there will be no ending it. Once my smog has covered a vast enough distance, we'll be able to blister this land and every little thing that opposes us. So, as your ruler, I order you…"
Everyone got into position. Thousands of snarling beasts, all eyes on them. Whatever the case, they needed to stop their forces and destroy the flower at all costs.
Dark's eyes narrowed mischievously before snapping his claws.
"…to paint the forest with their blood."