Here it is! The beginning of the true war! The moment we have all been waiting for! Be sure to protest against SOPA! I'm hoping that this story will end by the end of February at the latest. The earliest will probably be sometime the next week or by Valentines Day. Not sure, but I need some helpful pointers to make a memorable war! Keep in mind that there will be character deaths; I'm not giving names so you will have to read the next chapter to find out. Enjoy!
New Divide
Chapter 38: The War Part One
The day has finally arrived.
The day that will determine the world's fate. Tonight, everyone is going to fight for their home and die with honor.
Raikou is greatly surprised when he sees the valley and especially the meadow below the floating island filled with numerous species of Pokémon and humans alike. They are exchanging words with each other as they put on or make various armor for the war that night. Pokémon tribes from all over the globe have flown/run/swam to the island upon the Legendaries' calls and are putting on strong metal armor. Humans with very advanced technology have brought in even their own weaponry, vehicles, and armor for the battle. Even the best of the best trainers such as the Elite Four were here to prepare for combat. Raikou's speech from the night before has obviously influenced the world greatly and the thunder tiger is impressed that his words have boosted everyone's confidence.
He smiles sadly as he sits on the valley's cliff and watches over the massive army. The sky is covered completely by grey clouds and a cool breeze blows through the area. He doesn't think that it would rain today, but the atmosphere does radiate the slight tension that is building within the army.
Everyone is scared, no doubt about that. War is approaching and everyone is afraid for a variety of reasons. For falling under Darkstar's tyranny; for losing their loved ones; for dying.
Dying…
Raikou shudders at the thought of his life passing on so unpleasantly. Even though he is more than quite willing to go through with going to the battlefield, he couldn't help but think about everything that has happened.
He has made mistakes as much as he has helped everyone. Even though he has said that everyone should forgive and forget their past crimes, he cannot forgive himself for what he has done. So many Pokémon have died and suffered through various ways. And the worst part was that most of those cases were beyond the Legendaries' control. Raikou knows that it is because of their nature to never interfere with life (unless it was necessary) that makes both Pokémon and humans fear or even despise the Legendaries. As the creators of the world, shouldn't the Legendaries have a way to stop all the evil and create a pure innocent world?
Raikou blinks at his thoughts. He is starting to sound like Terotrey. If there is one thing he has to credit Terotrey for, it is that the evil spirit is right for stating that the world would be easier if all evil is wiped away and replaced with peace.
Then Raikou remembers Reshiram and Zekrom's words from the night before.
As much as there is good on Earth, there must be evil in it too. It is what makes us all equal.
The tiger thinks about the words carefully. Alpha and Omega have been around far before the universe was even created. They understand how life revolves and make sure that everything in life is balanced. From the amount of land and water in one planet to the separation of day and night. One death comes and goes as much as another life is born. There is happiness as much as there is sorrow. There is love as much as there is hate. There are differences as much as there are similarities.
Everything is balanced. All good must be balanced by evil.
Realization hits Raikou and his eyes slightly widen when he looks up at the sky.
The Gods are right. Everyone is the same by having equal amounts of good and evil in them. But then that means that Raikou has evil in him as much as Terotrey has good in him. Come to think of it, they have a lot of similar qualities. Determination, resourcefulness, quick thinking, rash behaviors-
Raikou shakes his head furiously. He is NOT going to compare himself to that monstrosity. They may be many things, but they are NOT the same. They have different values and they have made different choices. The only thing Raikou will admit to having in common with Terotrey is that they both have good and evil inside of them and that is all.
Suddenly a gentle rumble breaks the tiger's train of thoughts. He looks up and notices that the air smells wet. He sighs. Maybe he was wrong about it not going to rain…
Raikou shakes his head as it begins to sprinkle. He stands up and turns to walk back to the valley. It is almost late afternoon and he doesn't have his armor on yet.
It is time to be prepared for the worst.
-ooo-
Dusk approaches. The cold evening breeze blows through the army as they line up and march up to the valley. Palkia summons a portal that would take everyone to Darkstar's Realm. After bidding their families and everyone that is unable to fight farewell, everyone anxiously but bravely march through the portal.
Before the departure, it was almost impossible forcing Crystal to stay behind. Zoroark has expressed his concern for Crystal's health to the heroes and everyone agreed that it would be best for Crystal to not participate in the war. Should anything happen to Arceus or Lily, then Crystal is the last link to keep the balance of the world intact. The Grovyle was furious about the decision and tried to persuade everyone otherwise. It was useless; everyone stubbornly refused to listen to her and left to prepare for battle. Crystal's temper was so extreme that she almost destroyed the medical room. Thus, several of the more powerful commanders had to pin her down and (a bit regretfully) sedate her. Violet was told to stay behind with Crystal for safety precautions (but mainly to make sure that Crystal doesn't try to sneak into the realm). Although upset about not being able to 'kick some metallic asses', Violet agrees to protect the princess with her life.
Several of the armored Legendaries lead the army through the portal and wait as everyone lands on a suspiciously large landmass in the middle of nowhere. As they settle in and wait for the other soldiers to jump in, everyone looks around their new surrounding with slight fear, bewilderment, and anxiety. The skies are rapidly swirling with different colors of black, purple, and now dark blue and a strong breeze blows through the army. They are in what appears to be an empty desert that has nothing but large dunes as far as the land can see.
The heroes have decided that they would have a better advantage if they attack Darkstar in his own realm for a variety of reasons. For one, Darkstar has taken over the dimension after his exile and has no doubt found ways to control everything inside of it. However, the heroes believe that he can control one thing at a time and so decide to separate the army into different sections of the realm. That way, Terotrey will have a lot of difficulty focusing on attacking one particular spot when there are so many soldiers against him. He may have control over his realm, but he has no control over anything that was born outside of the realm.
Secondly, the heroes believe that there is a secret laboratory in the realm where Darkstar can control the robots (like he did a month ago, only it was hidden in the mountains instead). About a day ago, the human scientists have lost control and all of the cybertronic robots that were being studied have escaped. No doubt Darkstar has somehow possessed them into formulating a plan to return to his realm. After being told of the news, the heroes have a suspicion that Darkstar might know that he is going to be ambushed. So while the war rages on, the heroes can sneak through the realm and find the building. After they deactivate the control panel, they might be lucky and snap the mind control out of the robots. But if the worst should happen, then most of those robots probably won't either react or survive.
Soon the last bit of the army finally jumps in. Raikou gulps when Palkia closes the portal and separates the army from the real world. From their home.
He feels a nudge on his arm and turns to see Suicune giving him a brave smile. Raikou forces himself to smile back. He isn't going to back down from the battle, especially in front of her.
Everything is silent excluding a few murmurs from the army. Just as Arceus is about to consider which direction to go towards, there is a sudden rumbling sound. Everyone turns quiet and looks around as the rumbling grows louder. Raikou squints his eyes and looks ahead when he sees the sand suddenly forming waves. His eyes widen.
Without warning, a powerful force pushes through the army. Everyone lets out shrieks as they topple backwards. They begin to stand up when another force pushes them back again with even more power.
"What the hell?" Darkrai blinks after Cresselia and Ribo help him up. He brushes sand off his arms as he looks around cautiously.
Just as someone is about to say something else, another rumbling noise erupts. Everyone panics when a massive earthquake shakes the entire area. The flying Pokémon move as high into the sky as they could reach while the land Pokémon stumble backwards. Everyone screams in panic when the land begins to divide into two and the tremor grows worse. The sand disappears under the divided lands and everyone hangs on to whatever they can latch onto for their lives. The heroes watch as the land begins to take a different shape when all the sand disappears and soon a new surface emerges.
As soon as it's all over, the shaken army looks around their new surrounding with wide eyes. They are now in what appears to be a land made of charcoal and dirt. There are several craters and some slopes around. It literally looks like a wasteland; the only difference is that the heroes can feel something evil lurking inside the atmosphere.
"Hey! Up ahead!" A voice shouts out. The heroes look up and every fiber of their being turns still when they see a terrifying scene.
Terotrey is in his human disguise before a massive army of at least ten thousand cybertronic robots. As the demon stares at the opposing army with his arms behind him and a smug smirk on his lips, the robots are snarling as they extend their silver weapons.
It looks like Darkstar has indeed been expecting them to come to him.
As everyone stares at the sight with horrific looks, the heroes try to regain their senses and put on brave looks. Raikou could feel his heart pounding with extreme anxiety and he could feel his legs trembling.
His anxiety increases when he notices that Terotrey is walking towards them with only two other beings behind him. But he couldn't determine who or what the duo are. But he does see one of them waving a white flag at the army and raises a brow.
Darkstar wants to have a talk before the battle.
Arceus suddenly turns to Raikou. "Raikou, Darkstar is requesting to speak with us before we engage in combat. As the leader of this army, you must proceed to find out what he wishes to speak about. But under no circumstances are you to believe anything that he says."
"Of course not." Raikou shakes his head. Then he turns to the baffled Pokémon behind him. "I would like to ask Darkrai, Ash, Mewtwo, Deoxys, Jeff, Skyler, Heatran, Drendan, Zoroark, Lily, Raven, and Crystal's commanders to come with me. I won't take any risks in case it is a trap."
Several of the mentioned heroes nod in agreement. Jeff lets out a whoop of excitement from Skyler's head as the Flygon waddles over to his friend's side. The heroes give Raikou brave smiles before they turn to the fearsome army and look at the approaching three beings.
"Right." Darkrai grunts. "Let's go."
-ooo-
After about ten minutes of walking/floating, the heroes finally manage to reach to the middle of the battlefield. The walk seemed longer since the heroes could feel the anxiety increasing in their hearts. As they move closer, they could see Terotrey's form more clearly. The human disguise looks just as it did when they have confronted him the first time. However, they doubt that he is going to fight in such a fragile form; he probably only wishes to appear less intimidating in order to get the talk over with more quickly.
And as they approach closer, they see the two other beings. One of them looks like a black and purple Lucario with sinister black and red eyes. The other being is Eclipso. Raikou snarls when he sees the exile that has caused so much pain to the Grovyle that he cares for as a sister. He feels a hand on his shoulder.
"Easy, Raikou." Darkrai mutters. Raikou glances at the phantom. He could tell that Darkrai despises his younger brother just as much as Raikou does, but he is holding back his anger for the sake of keeping things peaceful with the talk (at the moment).
Soon the opposing leaders stop about five feet away from each other. The wind blows through their forms gently. There is silence before Lacaria inhales sharply. The heroes glance at her and notice that she is staring at the black and purple Lucario with disbelieving eyes. "X'ng?" She murmurs hoarsely.
The Lucario smirks at her comment. "Lovely to know that you still remember me, my dear."
Instinctively, Gallade pushes Lacaria behind him protectively and gives X'ng a very angry yet cautious look. "But if you're X'ng… Shouldn't you be dead?"
X'ng looks at Gallade up and down amusingly. "You must be her new mate. To answer your question, I was one of the few robots that Terotrey experimented on. I won't bore you with the details, so I'll make it short and simple. I'm just as cybertronic as Lacaria and Crystalline are, if not stronger and better. I cannot age and so I cannot die naturally." Then he looks at the frightened Lacaria almost hungrily. "I have almost forgotten how lovely Lacaria looks, especially after our last encounter."
Gallade's eyes flash and he growls as he holds Lacaria behind him protectively. Several of the heroes give the Lucario disgusted glares while Terotrey merely pets X'ng's ears. "Easy, my pet. Don't try to scare our guests away. At least not quite yet."
X'ng snorts and only nods at his master. On Terotrey's other side, Eclipso is staring at anything but at the heroes. His eyes are dark and his shoulders are drooped. He looks almost depressed.
"You wanted to speak with us, Darkstar?" Raikou asks calmly.
Finally the scientist looks at the tiger. Maroon eyes meet with ruby eyes and stare at each other for a long time as they speak. "Yes. I must admit that I'm quite surprised that you have planned to invade my home with such an impressive army. You all must be either very foolish or determined to die under my watch."
"Let me guess…" Darkrai crosses his arms. "You found out about the plan somehow through the humans?"
"Actually, no." Terotrey smiles and places his hands into his coat pockets. "I've been out to find all of my robots when I overheard Raikou's speech through a worldwide broadcast." He smirks at the tiger. "And quite a charismatic speech, I must admit."
Raikou says nothing as he stares at Terotrey carefully.
"I'm also surprised to find out that Crystal isn't here with you." Terotrey smirks as he raises his brows. "Why is that, I wonder?"
The heroes snarl and Zoroark launches forward. However, he is held back by Rocky and Mewtwo. Eclipso flinches when the Grovyle's name is mentioned.
"Through a series of unfortunate events," Raikou rolls his eyes at the statement as he gives Terotrey and Eclipso dark glares. "Crystal is unable to attend to this battle. She is of no concern for you."
"Actually, she will be of great concern for you."
There is silence as everyone blinks. Then the heroes turn around. To their horror and dismay, Crystal is standing before them with armor neatly framing her body. Behind the Grovyle, Violet is catching up to the girl with a distressed look on her face. Crystal marches forward. She ignores her friends' cries of outrage and Violet's protests.
"I'm sorry, guys!" Violet cries as some turn to her. "I tried to hold her back, I really did! But when she woke up, she used her psychic powers to make me untie her-"
Violet's desperate cries are ignored as Crystal stands beside Darkrai and Raikou. She glances at the stunned heroes and smiles before she turns to the opposing leaders. Terotrey and X'ng look mildly surprised while Eclipso looks petrified.
"Crystalline! What are you doing?" Zoroark swings Crystal around to face him. His face is a mixture of fury and panic. "I told you that I didn't want you to come here! Go back!"
"And I told you that I wasn't backing down!" Crystal snaps back. She glares defiantly at the armored fox. "Don't give me a reason to knock you down. I'm angry enough that you had told me to not go, but you had the nerve to suggest the same thing to my friends and made them turn against me!"
"It was for your own good! Just look at yourself; you're still healing!" He gestures to the bruises on the Grovyle's body. Crystal winces when the cut on her stomach begins to swell painfully, but she ignores it.
"Regardless; this is my battle and it's my decision! You know that I won't back down from any battle, and that includes being tied to a bed!" Crystal then raises a brow. "And really, why leave Violet behind with me? She is prone to mind control as much as everyone else is. Next time leave behind someone who won't be affected by my powers!" Crystal couldn't help but smirk at the irony.
"Note taken." Ribo huffs.
Zoroark growls and the lovers exchange a glaring contest. Then Crystal turns to her baffled commanders. "I will deal with you all later." With that threat made, Crystal turns to Terotrey.
"Darkstar." Crystal greets the demon. "I know that you haven't brought us here to have tea and cake. What is it that you want? Cut straight to the point."
The demon blinks before he chuckles. "Smart girl. You know me too well already, Crystalline. Very well. I will make this simple and clear."
Terotrey then breathes deeply as he looks at the heroes. "We don't have to be enemies. We all aim for the same thing; peace. Join me and help me rule the Earth. We can make the perfect world together."
"Yeah, not gonna happen." Lily steps up with her arms crossed. Raven stands beside her as they stare at the demon. "Never in a thousand millenniums."
Terotrey stares at the duo for the longest time. "Raven. Lily." His eyes glow a bit. "So this is what you two have been doing all this time. I'm not that surprised to see you here, honestly."
His eyes flash at Lily's lavender eyes before he stares intently at Raven. "I expected more from my own son, if anything. I would have thought some sense would tell you that it would be wiser to be with the stronger force."
"Are you stronger? Possibly." Raven says coolly as he places a hand on Lily's shoulder. "But are you the better choice? No. I have chosen which side I will be staying with permanently. Nothing you say or do will change my mind. I am your son, but I am not you."
Terotrey stares at his child incredulously before he sighs. "If that is what you have chosen, then so be it. But I digress…" Terotrey shakes his head in disappointment before he turns to the Legendaries. "Will any of you join me for my cause? You have my word that no harm will befall you."
"Darkstar, I have known you long enough to know that that is Tauros crap." Raikou narrows his eyes. "You are many things but a man to his word. We have no guarantee that you will keep your promise even if we do accept your offer."
"You're right; I have no proof." Terotrey nods grimly. "But isn't perfection what you desire? Peace on Earth forever? If you think about it, we are striving to create a perfect world. Why should we have to fight because our morals are slightly different?"
"Nothing is perfect, Darkstar." Crystal's eyes are fixed sourly onto the demon. "You should know that better than anyone else."
"That is why I am fighting to fix it!" Darkstar hisses. "Everything I have done has been done for the good of the world!"
"You call taking away so many lives and even transforming innocent Pokémon into robots the good of the world?" Mewtwo raises a brow.
Terotrey's stare is firm. "Some Pokémon need to understand that sacrifices are efficient for a noble cause."
"Noble cause my ass!" Jeff shouts. He jumps off Skyler's head and glares angrily up at the bemused demon. Without warning, the small flower lets out a shout and charges forward. He unceremoniously begins to punch the demon's legs with his small flower hands. Several heroes stare bewilderedly at the determined flower while Terotrey and X'ng look amused.
"My, my… Doesn't this little rose have such sharp thorns?" The scientist says sarcastically as he picks Jeff up by his collar. The Roselia spins around as he tries to punch the demon on the face. However, Terotrey only flings him away and Jeff lets out a startled cry. Skyler catches the Roselia in his arms and holds the flowery being as Jeff struggles. "Easy, mate…" He gives Terotrey a dark glare.
Crystal and Raikou turn to face Terotrey. "Our answer is no, Darkstar. We will never consider joining forces with you." Raikou says calmly.
Terotrey frowns darkly at the duo. "I see… Well, that is a shame. You two in particular would have made a nice addition to my army. But do you really think that you have any chance to stop me and my army of indestructible robots?"
"We know that you have control over them completely only through a mind control machine." Crystal snorts. "Like all robots, they will only obey you unless that machine is destroyed. We know you have that machine hidden around here somewhere and we will find it and destroy it."
"Crystalline…" Eclipso speaks for the first time in a quiet voice. Crystal turns to him and flinches when she sees his red eyes gazing into hers. However, she puts up a stony expression regardless of how sad or weak the clone looks. "There is no such machine anymore."
"What do you mean?" Raikou demands.
Eclipso lets out a shuddery breath and wraps his arms around himself. He seems to be trembling from emotion. "Terotrey has destroyed the lab after he transformed us exiles into cybertronic robots. He knew that you would think of such a theory and decided to take an alternative. He has transmitted a mere tiny machine inside of him that would give him full control over us. He programmed the machine to shut down all of his active robots should anything happen to him."
Darkrai's eyes widen. "Are you saying that if we defeat Darkstar, then all of you will die?"
"Precisely." Terotrey cuts in with a proud smirk on his face. "That is, if you actually defeat me. Are you really going to go through such lengths to take down an army of innocent Pokémon that have no idea of what will happen to them?"
Furious, the heroes say nothing as they glare at the demon. Terotrey's smirk widens. "Whatever you decide is no concern of mine. That is all I have to say to you. Choose wisely."
With that said, Terotrey turns on his heel and walks away. X'ng follows after him quickly. Eclipso remains behind to stare at Crystal with a forlorn expression.
Suddenly the phantom floats forward and places his arms around Crystal with a tight hug. Crystal freezes in shock and fear while the heroes let out shouts and step up to defend the Grovyle. But to their surprise, Zoroark holds them back. He stares at the phantom thoughtfully.
Zoroark has done nothing but glare viciously at the phantom during the entire talk. However, his anger slowly begins to diminish when he sees the phantom's expression and overhears his thoughts. The phantom is practically torn up emotionally and physically. After his encounter with Crystal, Eclipso was released from Darkstar's hold and the phantom was overwhelmed with horror, grief, and shame by what he has been forced to do. The phantom has done nothing but sit in a cold corner of his cell and lamented over his worst crime. He has literally beaten himself up and cried until he fainted from stress and exhaustion. When he woke up, he would repeat the process until Darkstar announced that war was approaching and that all of the robots are to move out. To say that Eclipso was a complete wreck was an understatement. He looked even more ghastly in his weak position than he was as a Legendary. The phantom was broken beyond repair and he would never forgive himself for the pain he has placed upon Crystal.
Zoroark knows that it is foolish to leave Crystal with the phantom alone, but he couldn't help but have a sense of respect for the phantom. After all, the phantom did raise and protect Crystal most of her life before Terotrey captured them. Besides, it was Darkstar the fox despises the most. The evil demon has possessed the phantom into raping Crystal, and thus Eclipso was not the one to blame completely.
For both Eclipso and Crystal's sake, they need to make amends before they ultimately face each other in the battlefield.
"Let them have a moment." Zoroark says quietly. Everyone gives the fox a look of pure disbelief. He glares at them and his eyes glow red warningly. Everyone hesitates before they glance at the duo. Then they sigh and turn to leave.
As Eclipso trembles and weeps silently, Crystal tries to move out of his hold. Zoroark walks up to them and places a paw on the phantom's shoulder. When Eclipso looks up slowly, Zoroark winces at seeing the bruises and cuts he gave himself, particularly around his metallic appendages.
Blue eyes meet with dull copper eyes. They stare at each other for the longest time and Crystal wonders what the fox is doing until Zoroark's expression grows stern. "I am trusting you one more time to not harm Crystalline while you are alone. Make your amends quickly and then leave."
Eclipso and Crystal both hold looks of disbelief and slight fear. Zoroark gives Crystal a tender look and kisses her forehead before he turns to leave. Crystal could feel her heart beating faster when she realizes that the fox is leaving her alone with the person who has given her the worst pain that she could imagine.
Crystal watches her friends leave before she gulps and turns to face Eclipso. Zoroark obviously wishes for them to make amends with each other before they fight. But how could she? The one friend that was dearest to her is now the very person that she fears greatly other than Darkstar. The person that she trusts in all the world is her second worst enemy.
The duo stare at each other for the longest time, unsure of where to start. Finally Eclipso speaks. "Crystalline… I…" He couldn't find anything else to say and turns away.
Crystal sighs and crosses her arms. "Eclipso… My mate must have read your mind to know the pain that you must be feeling. Hence, he must have known that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me intentionally and wants us to try to fix our relationship. Darkstar won't try anything until the war starts. So this will be the only safe moment that we have together."
"Crystal, that is the problem." Eclipso shakes his head sadly. "You have never been safe with me to begin with. I have failed to see that until now. Everything that I have done… I was serious when I said that it probably would have been best if we weren't friends. Look at where it has gotten us."
Crystal's eyes dim. "Eclipso… About that night-"
"Don't remind me of that…" Eclipso almost begs as he closes his eyes tightly. "I know what I have done is unforgiveable. I don't deserve your forgiveness."
Crystal frowns deeply before she steps forward and makes the phantom look at her. Her gold eyes flash while his copper eyes begin to tear up again. "Eclipso… I want you to know that I understand that Darkstar forced you into doing that to me. It was not completely your fault."
"But it is…" Eclipso whispers. "I gave in to his order instead of fighting… I was so weak…"
"Regardless, I want you to know that although I understand the situation, I cannot completely forgive you." Eclipso's face falls as Crystal continues. "You have hurt me in many ways beside the rape. My trust in you has fallen after you tried to stop me from being with Zoroark. You spoke so many words to me that have ripped me apart."
Crystal's expression is sad but she smiles weakly. "I guess if Darkstar has never been involved with our lives, this never would have happened."
Eclipso says nothing but lets out a weak sigh. "I… Understand, Crystalline. And I accept your decision without any hesitation. But might I ask for one last request?"
Crystal's eyes furrow and she stares at the phantom suspiciously.
"If you ever find me still standing in the battlefield, then do not hesitate to strike me down and kill me. Put me out of my misery."
Crystal's eyes almost bulge and she looks speechless. Eclipso's expression is serious as he continues. "I have come to the end of my time, Crystalline. You and I know that I will not survive this battle. But for my dying wish, I wish to see my dearest friend beside me. If I could let anyone take my life, then it would be you. I have caused so much mischief in this world and I wish to be dead and free from my pain. It would assure me that I would never hurt you again."
Crystal's eyes begin to dwell with tears. "Eclipso, I-"
"Promise me, Crystalline." Eclipso acts mature as he places his hands on Crystal's shoulders. He gives her a fierce yet pleading look through his tears. "Promise me that you'll fulfill this wish. For old time's sake."
Crystal couldn't help it. Feeling like a child again, she lets out a cry and wraps her arms tightly around Eclipso. Eclipso inhales sharply, not quite expecting such a response from his brave and strong crush. But as Crystal cries onto his shoulder, Eclipso couldn't help but smile as he returns the hug. This was more than he has ever hoped to receive.
Eclipso and Crystal relish their hug for a long time before they pull away. Crystal wipes the remains of her tears away and nods. Eclipso smiles. "That's my girl."
The duo stare at each other for a long time before Eclipso lets go of Crystal and turns to leave. He could feel his heart plummeting deeper and deeper into his soul as he floats away from Crystal.
"Wait! Eclipso!" Crystal cries. Eclipso pauses and turns to look at Crystal questionably. The Grovyle walks up to the phantom and hesitates. Eclipso blinks when he notices that she flushes a bit.
"What if I told you that… Um…" She plays with her headblade bashfully. Eclipso remembered seeing her do that when she was younger and it was such an endearing sight. "That I might have… Harbored feelings for you too?"
Crystal could have sworn that she has never seen the phantom look so stiff. His eyes were so wide that they threatened to bulge out of their sockets and he was gaping at her incredulously. He wondered if she was pulling off a sick joke before he murmurs hoarsely, "For how long?"
Crystal smiles a bit sheepishly. "To tell you the truth… It started as a crush after I took the form of a Grovyle."
"That long?" Eclipso couldn't help but raise his voice. It was almost comical seeing him getting so worked up.
"Yeah…" Crystal suddenly looks uncomfortable. "But I knew that our age difference would get in the way. And after Darkstar captured us, I never thought it would be possible. My feelings began to fade away after I escaped and then…" She looks away.
"… And then Zoroark arrived." Eclipso couldn't help but be disappointed. He sighs. "It looks like we were never meant to be, were we?"
Crystal smiles sadly. "I guess not…"
Awkward silence. Then Crystal steps up and takes Eclipso's hand. "E, I need to know… Will I see you again in the afterlife?"
Eclipso shrugs. "I'm not sure… Alpha and Omega wouldn't be too pleased if they know that I raped their granddaughter." Crystal frowns and Eclipso glances at her. He smiles weakly before he holds her hand up to his chest. "But remember that I will always be with you wherever you go. Remember everything that we shared. I won't ever forget you, Crystalline. Ever. I will miss you."
Crystal's eyes begin to tear up again. But she forces herself to fight back her emotions and smiles sadly. "I will miss you too… Lippy."
Eclipso's heart soars at hearing her calling him that. He sees Crystal hesitate before she leans forward and places a gentle kiss on his lips. Eclipso's circuitry almost goes haywire as his emotions get the better of him. He cradles Crystal's face and the duo exchange a passionate kiss.
Crystal doesn't even protest. She gently holds Eclipso's wrists as they continue with their tender moment. As the wind gently blows through their forms, both Pokémon could feel fireworks exploding in their chests as they forget about everything except each other. Eclipso deepens the kiss as he caresses Crystal's face with a tenderness that makes her shiver.
After a few moments, the duo slowly pull away and open their eyes. They gaze at each other softly with small smiles and lean their foreheads against each other. They exhale through their noses quietly and are silent until Eclipso says, "Goodbye, my sweet Crystalline. I love you as my dearest friend and as my godchild."
Crystal smiles weakly. "And I love you as my closest friend and guardian, Eclipso. I'm sorry that we can… Never be more."
"Your friendship is all that I can ask for, Crystal." Eclipso caresses her face softly before he takes her hands and kisses each softly. "It was a blessing to have known you. Zoroark is lucky to have you. He better treat you like the princess you are."
"I know he will." Crystal smiles gently. They continue to hold hands and stare at each other for the longest time. Before they pull away, Crystal murmurs, "Lippy?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for everything. And I… Forgive you."
Eclipso's eyes brighten and glisten with tears. The copper eyes are now ruby with life and he trembles from emotion. However, he responses by squeezing Crystal's hands. He leans forward and Crystal is certain that he was going to kiss her. However, he leans over her ear and whispers, "Thank you, Crystalline. For everything."
Crystal blinks as Eclipso then pulls away and turns to leave. He floats a few feet away before he stops to look back at Crystal. He smiles bravely and nods to her before he flies off towards the robotic army before them.
Crystal holds her hands together and tears threaten to fall as she watches Eclipso go. As soon as he is out of sight, Crystal continues to stare at the army for a long time as the wind cascades through her body. Finally remembering that she has her own army to return to, Crystal smiles weakly and nods to herself before she turns and leaves.
-ooo-
"I take it that it went well?" Zoroark smiles as soon as Crystal walks up to the heroes. The heroes notice that Crystal was almost glowing as soon as she reaches them and couldn't help but grin. Their friend is back. The talk with Eclipso must have made her feel at peace.
"It has." Crystal nods. "Now we can-"
Suddenly a loud roar interrupts her. Startled, everyone turns and sees that the robots are cheering as Darkstar glows and slowly takes the form of his terrifying dragon disguise. The dragon turns to face the horrified heroes with a sneer before he lets out a loud roar that shakes the entire land. Then Darkstar flies up and hovers over his army as he gazes at the opposing force. The heroes notice a robot stepping out from the army and aiming something at them. After a few moments, an arrow strikes directly between Rocky and Ribo.
"Holy hell!" The Rhyperior yelps as he steps backward.
Arceus' eyes glow. "It is time." He looks at the heroes. "Are you all ready?"
The heroes notice a change as the wind blows forcefully through them. The echoes of the robots' cheers fill their ears as they stare ahead. They nod to their God and straighten up as they turn to face their army and prepare for the greatest battle in history.
Cliffhanger! Mwahaha! The battle begins in the next chapter! The scene between Eclipso and Crystal took longer than expected, but I like their last tender moment together. So what do you think overall! Comment please!