Hey, everybody! School's out and I'm planning on dishing out as many updates as possible this summer. I'm glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter, especially the blooming love between KC and Alex. I'm having a ton of fun coming up with situations to make their love blossom even more. If any of you also have ideas for pairings involving your OCs, go ahead and voice it.
Pit Fan, I'll place both of your new OCs at the Orange Islands since I plan on sending Blacky there. My decisions for who's-going-where aren't final but I already know who is going to Johto. They are Mark, Alex, KC, Mist, and (occurring later in Johto) Luffy and TK. That leaves Jake, Freeze, Ookami, Roen, Zack, and (occurring a bit later) Brad. You'll know why Luffy and Brad will appear later soon, KCSonic113.
Ketchum Kid, I'm still coming up with the Orange Island Cipher Gym Leaders. TK does sound like he'd do well as the second gym's leader but having two gyms would be pretty tough, even for an experienced Top Ranger like him. If anyone wants, you can submit an Orange Islands Cipher Gym Leader but only three can be submitted since Fernanda is the Mikan Island Gym Leader.
Anyway, this chapter contains the third Cipher Elite 4 battle. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. One more to go before we hit the Cipher Champion battle! Enough about that, though. Onto the chapter!
Chapter 38: The Broken Seal
Siobhan smirked before bursting out in laughter. "How dumb can you get?! Physical attacks don't affect Ghost-type Pokemon!" she laughed. "How on earth did you get to be six-place winner of the Kanto League?"
Leena growled. This girl is really ticking me off! "Then why don't you show me how it's done?" she dared.
"Gladly! Haunter, use Shadow Shade!"
Leena smirked. "Gotcha! Sinner, use Mirror Move!"
The Fearow held out his wings and created a barrier, sending the attack crashing straight back at Shadow Haunter. The Ghost-type cried out, backing up a bit. Siobhan stared in shock before gritting her teeth in rage.
"My turn! Gengar, use Thunderbolt!" Agatha cried.
Haunter let out a screech of agony as it was electrocuted. Siobhan stomped her feet. "You no-good, dirty, rotten cheaters!" she shouted.
"It's not cheating if you're weakening your opponent. You're such a kid!" Leena barked. "Sinner, return! Eden, you're in!"
The Gardevoir emerged, handing off her egg to Leena. As the girl placed it in her bag, she caught Siobhan looking. Ignoring her, Leena hauled the bag back on her shoulders and huffed.
Agatha shook her head. "You haven't changed, Siobhan." She admitted. "You're the same power-hungry little girl as you were before. You cry when things don't go your way and use your anger to force others to obey you."
"Shut up!" Siobhan snapped. "I have changed, granny! I'm stronger now! And I'm going to prove it! Haunter, use Shadow Sucker Punch!"
"Eden, use Psychic!" Leena ordered.
"Gengar, use one more Thunderbolt!" Agatha said.
Gengar placed itself in front of Eden, allowing the physical attack to pass through it. Eden and Gengar then combined their attacks, nearly knocking the Shadow Pokemon out. Haunter floated backward, only to be hit by a final Psychic by Eden. Leena quickly captured it with a Snag Ball, smirking in triumph.
"You gonna continue or are you gonna give up?" Leena asked.
Siobhan was shaking, falling to her knees. Then she began to cry. Agatha held out a hand, stopping Leena from going any closer. Then Siobhan looked up and glared at them. Grabbing another Poke Ball, she clenched it tightly. "I won't forgive you," she hissed. "I'll make you both pay!! Drifblim, use Payback!"
"Eden, use Psychic and then Magical Leaf!" Leena cried.
The psychic attack hit Drifblim, only to have the damage doubled as Payback hit Eden twice as hard. The Gardevoir glared at the Ghost-type, summoning glowing leaves and hurling them at it. Drifblim yelped, backing off as the sharp leaves crashed into it by the dozens. Finally breaking away, Drifblim returned to its trainer's side.
"Eden, are you okay?" Leena asked, kneeling by her side.
"Gardevoir voir," Eden nodded. "Garde!"
Leena nodded. "Alright! Let's do this!" Standing up, she looked back at Agatha. "Let's kick her butt!"
Agatha smiled. "With pleasure. No granddaughter of mine is escaping this without quite the harsh punishment."
"What are you gonna do? Spank me?" Siobhan laughed. "I'm not going to lose! I can't lose with the power I have!"
"Well, you're about to lose! Eden, use Magical Leaf!" Leena shouted.
"Gengar, use Sludge Bomb!" Agatha ordered.
Drifblim was forced back even more as the sharp leaves collided with its body. Then it cowered, waiting for the Sludge Bomb to finish it off. It never came.
"What happened to your Sludge Bomb, granny?" Siobhan asked. "Is your Gengar just as old and poorly-aimed at battling as you?"
"No," Agatha said smugly. "I believe my attack should hit in 3…2…1…"
Suddenly, the Sludge Bomb crashed on top of Siobhan's head. Gasping in pure shock, she gagged and desperately tried to get the sludge off. "EEEEEEW!" she wailed.
"Good job," Leena chuckled.
"I should hope so," Agatha replied. "So much for the saying 'You can't teach an old Arcanine new tricks'. I believe I've just proven that saying wrong."
"Then again, you're not an old Arcanine." Leena pointed out.
"Well, I should hope not. I quite enjoy being human, thank you." Agatha said.
Leena grinned. Man! No wonder I love her the most out of all the Elite 4! She's both the oldest and the cleverest! "Eden, finish that Drifblim off with Psychic!"
The moment Drifblim was defeated, Siobhan pulled another crying fit. Then she became enraged once more. "I won't be defeated by an old woman and a loser!!" she shouted. "Roserade, show them my true power!"
"Eden, return! Arcane, you're on!" Leena called. "Arcane, use Flame Wheel!"
A giant wheel made of pure fire erupted from the Arcanine's jaws and crashed into the Grass-type. Roserade screamed, barely surviving the attack. Then a ball of black energy hit it straight in the back, knocking it out. Gengar returned to its place by Agatha's side, grinning manically.
"Shadow Toxicroak, get out here!" Siobhan shouted, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. This can't be! This can't be happening, damn it! If I have to, I'll destroy them with my special Pokemon… They won't get out of this alive!
Leena smiled. "Now do you see why I won sixth place?" she asked. "My Pokemon are ready to tackle any situation. You only have three Pokemon left, Siobhan. I hope you have a better plan soon." This seems too easy, she thought.
Agatha returned her Gengar and tossed out Arbok. Siobhan is planning something. She may seem like just a normal child but she's clever when need be. What's her strategy?
"Knock them out right away! Shadow Impact!" Siobhan ordered.
"Hold on, Leena!" Agatha warned.
"Don't worry! I've got a plan!" Leena reassured, returning Arcane.
The giant blue frog jumped into the air, pulling back a fist as it gathered glowing black energy. Then it launched itself straight into the ground, causing the ground to crack and rumble fiercely. Siobhan released her Shadow Tentacruel and jumped onto its head, allowing it to take a bit of damage to protect her.
When the dust cleared, Siobhan looked around. "Where did they go?!" she cried.
"Up here!" Leena barked.
"Huh?" Siobhan looked up and gasped. "No way!"
"Yes way!" Leena laughed.
Flying high up in the air, nearly touching the ceiling, was Sinner the Fearow. Agatha was riding on his back while the bird had his talons firmly gripping Leena's shoulders, protecting them from the shockwaves on the ground. Agatha's Arbok had survived the attack and looked up, glaring directly at Siobhan.
"Arbok, use Earthquake!" Agatha called.
The serpent nodded and summoned its own powerful shockwaves, tossing the two Shadow Pokemon around. Toxicroak, growing angry, gained a violet aura around it and unleashed its Shadow Jab upon Arbok. Arbok dodged each strike, hissing and sinking its fangs into the frog's arm.
"Now use Giga Drain, Arbok!" Agatha ordered.
Toxicroak bellowed in rage and tried to throw the health-draining cobra off, finally succeeding when Arbok withdrew its fangs. The snake slithered away, licking its lips with its forked tongue. The violet aura grew brighter as Toxicroak grew angrier.
"What is that?" Agatha muttered.
"That must be Hyper Mode!" Leena growled. "It makes the Shadow Pokemon stronger but it gets hurt in the process. Siobhan has to call it back before Toxicroak gets hurt."
"Siobhan, call your Pokemon!" Agatha shouted.
"No!" Siobhan replied. "Toxicroak's even stronger now! Toxicroak, use Shadow Hyper Beam!"
"Sinner, use Wing Attack!" Leena cried. If that hits us up here, the fall could kill Agatha and me! What's that stupid girl thinking?!
Looking up, a ball of bright purple energy formed in front of Toxicroak's mouth. Just as a giant energy blast erupted from it, Sinner unleashed two small tornadoes from underneath his wings. The two attacks collided, pushing against each other in a power struggle. Suddenly, the tornadoes vanished and the Shadow Hyper Beam rocketed toward the two trainers.
"Arbok, use Earthquake!" Agatha suddenly shouted.
Arbok summoned another shockwave, causing the Shadow Pokemon to lose its footing. Stumbling backward, Toxicroak's attack veered off course and crashed into the ceiling. Sinner quickly dove toward the ground, shielding the two women from the debris with his wings.
When the field cleared once again, Toxicroak suddenly stood up. Siobhan laughed. "See?! Not even two Earthquakes can take down my Shadow Pokemon! Ready to give up, granny?"
"Not yet. Look again, Siobhan." Agatha said. "You might understand why we told you to call your Toxicroak."
"Huh?" Siobhan glanced down at the frog.
Toxicroak slowly began swaying back and forth as the damage from both attacks took their toll on it. Add in the recoil hits from being in Hyper Mode and the pain really began to hit it hard. The frog suddenly fell backward, knocked out. Leena tossed a Snag Ball, capturing it.
Siobhan fell to her knees on Tentacruel's head. "B-but…that didn't happen! How?!"
"When a Shadow Pokemon is in Hyper Mode, it takes recoil damage every turn." Leena explained. "Maybe if you called Toxicroak when we told you to, it wouldn't have fainted. The recoil damage is what knocked it out, not us. You only have yourself to blame, Siobhan."
"That's why they say 'Knowledge is power', Siobhan." Agatha added. "If you had known better, maybe you could've caused us more damage. But you didn't. Will you continue?"
"You…you…" Siobhan clenched her fists. "Who cares about knowledge?! You're just like that stupid ranger!"
"Ranger?" Leena repeated. Does she mean a Pokemon Ranger?
"Well, you're all wrong!" Siobhan shouted. "It's power! As long as you have power, nothing can bring you down! And I have all the power in the world right here in my hands! Cipher has promised me everything!"
"Siobhan, I demand to know your reason for joining Cipher!" Agatha shouted.
"Why not? I might as well tell you, granny." Siobhan shrugged. "I joined Cipher to get stronger. Isn't that always the reason?"
"No granddaughter of mine would do something like this!"
"Well, I'm not your cute little granddaughter anymore!" Siobhan snapped. "I'm stronger now, stronger than you! And this book is going to ensure my victory!"
"Book?" Leena repeated.
"Yes, this book." Siobhan held out her magical book, entitled 'The Book of Spirits'. "I found it in some dusty old ruins in Almia. Ever since I found it, I haven't lost a single battle!"
"Siobhan!" Agatha scolded. "That book was hidden away for a reason! No matter how much power it supplies you with, it comes at a price!"
"Who cares?" Siobhan stuck out her tongue. "Besides, I already broke the last seal on this book. I can summon a whole army of spirits now."
"Siobhan," Agatha whispered. "What have you done…?"
"You'll know soon enough, granny…if you live that long!" Siobhan growled. "Gengar, go! Use Shadow Punch on Fearow!"
Gengar vanished, reappearing in front of Leena and striking. Sinner quickly defended her, knocking himself out in the process. Leena returned Sinner and tossed out Dragonair. Arbok hissed at Gengar, driving the Ghost-type away for the moment.
Leena glared at Siobhan. "You're about to see my true power now, Siobhan. Dragonair, use Hyper Beam!"
"Idiot! I can dodge that!" Siobhan laughed. "Gengar, dodge it and use Hypnosis!"
Gengar quickly jumped out of the way, watching as the orange beam shot past it harmlessly. Just as its eyes began to glow, Leena started laughing.
"What are you laughing at?!" Siobhan demanded. "Stop it right now!"
"I'm laughing at how stupid you are, Siobhan!" Leena replied, smirking. "Dragonair are far more powerful than you think they are."
"Huh?" Siobhan blinked curiously.
"Aside from their attacks, Dragonair have four distinct powers that they can use at will." Leena said. "One, to gallop not only across the sea but through the air. Two, to change the direction of energy blasts. Three, to control the weather itself. Four, to toss their opponents around by combining attack modes with other Dragonair. I think you know which one I'm about to use now, Siobhan."
Agatha looked at the girl in shock. What a clever way to use Dragonair's abilities, she thought. Leena's thinking the exact same way that Lance does with his two Dragonair. How strange…
"Uh…" Siobhan suddenly realized what was about to happen. "Gengar, get out of there!"
"Too late! Dragonair, do your thing!" Leena ordered.
"Nair!" Dragonair nodded, her eyes turning a brilliant light blue.
Suddenly, the Hyper Beam did a complete u-turn and crashed into Gengar's back. Just as Gengar struggled to its feet, the attack hit it again. Over and over, the attack hit Gengar until it was barely able to stand. Dragonair ceased her attacks and seemed to smile.
"Agatha, it's all yours." Leena said.
"Arbok, use Giga Drain!"
The last of Gengar's health was drained away, knocking it out. Siobhan returned her final normal Pokemon and jumped off of Tentacruel's head. "Shadow Tentacruel, your turn!" she ordered. Then the brunette smirked. This isn't over! Not even close! Just wait until you see my next trick, granny. Just you wait…
Returning Arbok, Agatha tossed out her Gengar again. "We might as well finish this up quickly, Leena."
"Yeah," the raven-haired girl nodded. "Dragonair, use Thunder Wave!"
"Gengar, use Thunderbolt!"
Siobhan's smirk grew as she opened the Book of Spirits and began chanting softly under her breath. Just seconds before the attacks could hit, Roserade reappeared and took the attacks. The Grass-type smirked. Tentacruel remained unharmed.
"What?!" Leena cried. "No way!"
Agatha suddenly glared at Siobhan. "Don't you know what you're doing, Siobhan?! That book is dangerous! Stop right now!"
"No!" Siobhan said. "I can continue to revive my Pokemon as many times as I please. Do you really I'll stop just because you asked me to? With this book, I'm invincible!"
"As long as that Roserade is out, we can't hurt that Tentacruel." Leena grumbled. "How is she doing this, Agatha?"
"We have to destroy it," Agatha replied coldly. "We must destroy that book. My ancestors hid that book in Almia in order to protect the world from the creature that lies dormant inside of it. Even if it is an important relic, we must destroy it at all costs!"
"Hah! Like you could, granny!" Siobhan laughed. "Just try it! Tentacruel, use Shadow Constrict! Roserade, use Magical Leaf!"
"Gengar, use Thunderb—AAAH!"
"Agatha!" Leena cried.
One of Shadow Tentacruel's tentacles wrapped tightly around the elder Elite 4 member, picking her up and tightening its grip. As Leena charged to free her, Roserade launched its glowing leaves at her and sent the girl flying backward. Dragonair quickly caught her trainer, crying out in alarm.
"Dragonair nair! Nair!"
"A-Agatha!" Leena coughed, struggling to sit up in Dragonair's coils. "Let her g-go, Siobhan! You r-regret it!"
"Oh, really? Make me regret it then." Siobhan dared. Turning, she smirked at her trapped grandmother. "How does it feel to know that you're being beaten by your own granddaughter, granny? It hurts, right? Well, it should! You trained me hard as a kid and now I'm getting my revenge!"
"Siobhan!" Agatha gasped as the tentacles tightened again, putting pressure on her chest. "You don't need to do this! Cipher's only using you! Please!"
"And I'm only using Cipher, granny." Siobhan replied. "Cipher is my way of finding bigger and stronger opponents to fight. I actually could care less about what their goals are. My only goal is to become the best Ghost-type trainer in the world. And that can't happen if you're still around, granny."
"Siobhan, stop it!" Leena shouted, finally standing up and pulling the sharp leaves from her shirt. She was bleeding from the places where they managed to pierce the skin. "Would you really go so far as to kill your own grandmother just to get stronger? That's sick!"
"I don't care! Gengar, Drifblim, and Roserade, deal with that girl!" Siobhan ordered. "Granny is all yours, Tentacruel!"
"Dragonair, use Slam!" Leena ordered.
The Dragon-type shot out from behind Leena and soared over the three Pokemon, rocketing directly toward Shadow Tentacruel. Siobhan growled but continued to chant under her breath. Tentacruel managed to capture Dragonair in its tentacles, unleashing a Shadow Sting. As the sharp needles pierced her blue skin, Dragonair screamed.
"Dragonair!" Leena cried.
Drifblim unleashed a Payback, forcing the girl to her knees as it hit her back. Gengar smashed its fist into her side, sending Leena sprawling across the arena floor. Roserade quickly followed up with another Magical Leaf, forcing Leena to curl up into a ball to protect herself.
Siobhan smirked through her chanting. There's no way I can lose now! Granny and that Snagger girl are as good as dead once I finish this spell! Even without my commands, my Pokemon are doing great! Keep it up, you four!
As Roserade prepared at attack again, a loud cry echoed throughout the whole gym. Turning, the three Pokemon watched as Dragonair continued to struggle amidst all the pain she was in. Turning, Dragonair smashed her horn into Tentacruel's tentacles. The Shadow Pokemon bellowed, releasing both her and Agatha.
"Dragonair! Agatha!" Leena cried. I have to get to them!
Siobhan kept chanting despite her anger. Come on, Tentacruel! Don't let them get away! I'm nearly done, too!
Tentacruel raised a single tentacle and crashed it down on Agatha. Dragonair quickly protected her, crying out in pain. A Poke Ball at Leena's waist suddenly started shaking, growing more violent with each passing second. As Dragonair cried out a second time, black energy started erupted from the sphere.
Leena slowly got on her hands and knees, noticing the ball moving. Oh no… Eden, stop! Reaching out, she snatched the Poke Ball off her belt and clutched it to her chest. Eden, hang in there! Don't let the darkness get you! Please, Eden!
Siobhan noticed Leena slowly getting up. Nearly done, she thought. Just a little more!
Agatha, slowly opening her eyes, smiled. "Got you…Siobhan…"
Gengar suddenly appeared by her side and unleashed a Thunderbolt, electrocuting Tentacruel. The giant jellyfish bellowed before it collapsed. Agatha let go of the Snag Ball Leena had given her, capturing Siobhan's final Shadow Pokemon. Gengar grinned in triumph while Dragonair collapsed, too hurt to move anymore.
As Leena clutched Eden's Poke Ball, Gengar quickly defeated Siobhan's remaining three Pokemon that were previously revived. Agatha slowly got up and limped toward the girl.
"Leena, we've won." Agatha said. "You can get up now. Leena?"
"Won?" Siobhan asked, finally able to speak again. "You really think you've won? Not by a long shot! I still have one Pokemon left. The one in this book…Spiritomb!"
Agatha looked up in fear. "Siobhan, stop this right now! Even if you have control of it, Spiritomb is too dangerous to set free! Please, for once in your life, listen to me!"
"No! I'm done listening to you, granny!" Siobhan shouted. "I'm in control here! I win!"
The moment Siobhan opened the book once again, hundreds of spirits erupted from its pages and swarmed in the air around her. Eden's Poke Ball suddenly grew white-hot, causing Leena to yelp as she dropped it. The Poke Ball opened in a blast of black energy, revealing Eden. The only difference was that she now had a dark aura around her.
"Leena!" Agatha cried, kneeling by the girl's side. "What's wrong with your Gardevoir?"
Leena slowly looked up at her Pokemon. Eden continued to watch as the spirits continued to appear from the Book of Spirits. "Everything," she muttered. "It's all Cipher's fault."
"You afraid yet?" Siobhan asked. "The Snagger girl's shaking. Are you scared?"
"I'm scared for Eden, you idiot! You people used her!" Leena shouted. "You kidnapped her and used her in your fucking Shadow Pokemon experiments! I'll never forgive you people!"
"Huh?" Siobhan asked. "Do I look like I really care? You'll probably be dead in a moment, anyway. Spiritomb, reveal yourself now!"
All of the spirits suddenly fused together into a huge ball of pink and green energy. Siobhan pulled out the Old Keystone from her pocket and placed it on the ground. The spirits shot into the keystone and formed into Spiritomb. Suddenly, the arena was filled with a hundred different whispers.
Eden glared before forming a ball of dark energy between her hands. "Garde…VOIR!!" she cried, tossing it at Spiritomb.
Instead of dodging the attack, Spiritomb absorbed the dark energy and then launched it back at her. Eden was sent flying backward, collapsing at Leena's feet. Leena quickly fell to her knees by the Psychic-type, watching as the dark aura faded. "Eden…" she whispered.
"Spiritomb," Agatha muttered. "Siobhan, do you realize what you've done? Realize what you've released?!"
"Yeah," Siobhan nodded. "A super-powerful Pokemon that was bound to the Odd Keystone by a magic spell because of its constant mischief and misdeeds. Now that I've freed it, I can command its powers. With an army of spirits at my beck and call, I've become invincible. What do you say to that, granny? Impressed yet?"
"Siobhan…I refuse to let this progress any further!" Agatha shouted. "Gengar, use Thunderbolt!"
Just as the lightning bolt shot toward the Ghost/Dark-type, the newly-revived Roserade appeared and took the hit. It fainted instantly. Siobhan laughed as she returned her three fallen Pokemon.
"I don't need these three to fight for me anymore. Not when I have an army at my disposal." Siobhan said, smirking. "This Spiritomb is quite special, granny. As I'm sure you already are aware of, this Spiritomb has access to the move Nightmare."
"Huh?" Leena looked up, still holding the unconscious Eden in her arms.
"Siobhan!" Agatha barked warningly. She wouldn't…she can't! As long as I have Gengar, Nightmare won't affect me. What does she plan to do with Nightmare then?
"As you're also aware of, this particular variation of Nightmare can't affect a trainer if they have a Ghost-type Pokemon to defend them." Siobhan continued. Her gaze locked with Leena's. "Without a Ghost-type Pokemon, you're prey…Leena!"
"Leena, run!" Agatha shouted.
"Time to find out what your worst nightmare is, 6th place Pokemon League Champion! Spiritomb, use Nightmare!" Siobhan shouted.
Spiritomb dispersed into an army of spirits once again. The spirits shot toward Leena, surrounding her. The raven-haired girl looked around wildly, clutching Eden closer to her. One of the spirits tapped her forehead. "Good night…" it hissed eerily. Leena then slowly fell to the ground, succumbing to her worst nightmares.
"Leena!" Agatha cried.
"One down, one to go!" Siobhan laughed.
Leena opened her eyes and found herself floating in a strange black void. Around her were little spheres of light, almost like bubbles. As one came closer to her, she realized that the bubbles contained moving pictures. No—memories! Leena's memories! Peering into the bubble, she found herself sucked into it. Blinking, she realized that she was in the memory. Then it started…
It was of that night. The night when her parents and Connie were murdered by that woman. As she relived the horrid memory, she noticed the woman seemed to be peering at her out of the corner of her eye. The Persian was also looking at her. But how?
Suddenly, everything faded except for her and that accursed woman. The blue-haired murderer turned to Leena and smiled. "My, you've sure grown up." She stroked her Persian lovingly. "I had actually hoped you'd die in that smelly alley, dear. It seems that didn't happen."
"What?" Then it hit her. This woman was talking to her. "Who are you? Why did you kill Connie? Answer me!"
The woman chuckled softly. "If you must know, my name is Selene and I am an agent of Cipher."
"Why did Cipher target me?!" Leena demanded.
"Hmph! Such a rude child. I might have to fix that." Selene lifted the gun and pointed it at Leena. "This'll be nothing like my precious Persian's claws, dear."
The gun went off and the bullet pierced Leena's left shoulder. Then something unexpected happened. Leena screamed. She could actually feel the pain from the gunshot. Clutching the wound, she felt blood running from the injury. "What's going on?" she hissed.
"In dreams, you can't feel pain." Selene said, stepping closer to her wounded target. "Even in your nightmares, you can't feel pain. It's all in your head, dear. Not in this nightmare, though. Everything here is entirely real. If you die here, you die in reality."
"What?!" Leena took a shaky step back.
"What's the matter, dear? Afraid?" Selene smirked cruelly. "Well, you better be!"
Leena took off running down the empty alleyway the moment Selene lifted her gun to shoot. Bursting out into the street, the raven-haired girl found it devoid of cars or people. There were only buildings, alleys, and that lone street that seemed to stretch on forever and ever. She ran down the street, searching desperately for a hiding place.
That's when another bullet crashed into her right thigh, causing her to fall to the ground. Screaming in pain, she clutched the wound and turned to look over her shoulder. Selene emerged from the alley and slowly walked toward her. Terrified, Leena managed to drag herself into a nearby alley and used the brick wall to stand back up. A shadow fell over her and she looked up.
"Found you, dear!" Selene sang, entering the alley.
"Leena! Leena! LEENA!!" Agatha shouted, shaking the unconscious teenager. "Leena, wake up! Don't fall for Siobhan's tricks!"
"Too late, granny. She's entered her worst nightmare." Siobhan giggled. "Now to finish you off. She won't be waking up anytime soon."
"Gengar, use Thunderbolt again!" Agatha ordered. "You won't get away with this, Siobhan! I promise!"
"Promises mean nothing, granny! Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse!" Siobhan barked.
A wave of dark energy exploded from Spiritomb's body, causing Gengar to fly backward a good five or six feet. Gengar unleashed a lightning bolt that hit dead on, causing little damage. Spiritomb suddenly vanished, avoiding a second Thunderbolt.
"Where is it?" Agatha muttered, looking around.
"Gengar gen—GAAAAR!!"
"Gengar!" Agatha cried, watching as her Ghost/Poison-type crashed to the ground. "But how?"
"Shadow Sneak is pretty useful, isn't it?" Siobhan giggled. "Use Dark Pulse again, Spiritomb!"
The next wave of dark energy sent both Gengar and Agatha flying. Agatha struggled to stand up again, returning her Gengar. Unleashing Arbok, she coughed. I have to end this…and fast! "Arbok, use Earthquake!"
"Ominous Wind!" Siobhan ordered.
The eerie wind crashed into the violet serpent just as it started creating the giant tremors. Spiritomb retreated into the Odd Keystone, allowing the tiny stone to bounce around wildly with the tremors. Once the earthquakes ceased, Spiritomb emerged nearly undamaged.
"You see that, granny?! I'm invincible with Spiritomb on my side!" Siobhan cried. "You don't stand a chance!"
"Even if I don't, I'll still keep fighting. Arbok, use Earthquake again!"
"Stupid old geezer," Siobhan growled. "Learn when to give up! Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse!"
Leena's heartbeat quickened as Selene drew nearer and nearer with each step. The blue-haired woman smiled, pointing the gun at her once again. "You really enjoy making this difficult, don't you? But it seems our game of cat-and-mouse is about to end."
"No…I don't want to die yet." Leena muttered.
Selene fired the gun and Leena screamed, clutching her right arm to her chest and supporting herself against the brick wall with her left arm. More blood stream from the wound and pain shot through Leena's body with a renewed vengeance. She barely stopped herself from sliding to the ground.
"I'm afraid you don't have a say in this, dear. You're a stupid, useless, pathetic little girl." Selene said, pointing the gun at Leena's head. "You've lived longer than you were supposed to. This is goodbye…hopefully forever this time."
Leena felt rage boiling inside of her. She wasn't some weak little girl! She could fight! Growling, she pushed forward and knocked the gun away with her injured arm. Pulling back her right arm, she struck with a violent punch that no doubt knocked a tooth or two out. Selene fell backward and crashed to the ground, yelping.
"Who's the weak little girl now?!" Leena shouted.
Selene smirked, blood running down her chin from her mouth. "You are, dear."
A blue glow covered Leena's body and sent her flying backward, crashing heavily into the brick wall. Leena screamed as she felt a few of her ribs crack from the impact. Then she fell on her knees to the ground and nearly face-planted, pain racking her body continuously.
Selene slowly stood up and smiled as a green and white Pokemon appeared in front of her. "You have my thanks…Eden."
"Huh?" Leena looked up and saw that it was indeed Eden. But the look in the Gardevoir's eyes clearly told her that she was under the influence of Cipher's experimentation. "Eden…why?"
"She isn't the Eden you know, dear. She's the experimental Shadow Pokemon Cipher created when we first revived the project." Selene explained. "As a Shadow Pokemon, her feelings for her trainer have disappeared and have been replaced by a constant need to fight. You mean nothing to Eden anymore, dear."
"Eden…" Leena slowly stood up. "Eden, stop it! You've fought this before! You can do it again! Please, Eden!"
"Have you forgotten where you are?" Selene asked. "This is a nightmare where your worst fears are exploited and used against you. You fear encountering me again, so here I am. You fear losing Eden to the darkness, so she is now lost to you. Maybe I should show you the deaths of your companions, which I know you have begun to fear."
"No…" Leena started to sink to the ground again. Then she came up with something. Getting up, she shakily started walking toward Eden. "Nightmares can become dreams if you think positively. My dream is to get Eden back to normal. Eden, remember?"
"Gar…de?" Eden tilted her head, confused.
"You're my best friend, Eden." Leena hugged the Gardevoir. "We can beat this nightmare together."
"Garde…" Eden slowly hugged the girl back, relaxing. "Gardevoir voir…"
Selene suddenly grinned. "That's with normal nightmares, dear. This nightmare isn't normal. Eden!"
Leena suddenly gasped as a sharp object tore through her stomach and out her back. Looking down, she realized that Eden's fingers had become sharp claws. Blood spattered the pavement below her feet and more dripped from the tips of Eden's claws. She could feel the warm liquid in her mouth, running down her chin and dotting the ground.
"E…den…" Leena finally realized it. This really was her worst nightmare.
Agatha coughed as the dust settled. All of her Pokemon except for her Misdreavus had been defeated by the powerful Spiritomb, but that didn't mean she hadn't caused any damage. Spiritomb was certainly down to half of its health after battling her Pokemon. And Agatha didn't plan to back down yet.
"Ready to be defeated, granny?" Siobhan asked.
"Not in this lifetime, Siobhan. Misdreavus, use Psychic!" Agatha cried.
"Spiritomb, use Dark Pulse and follow up with Shadow Sneak!"
Spiritomb unleashed another wave of darkness, taking damage from Misdreavus' attack. Misdreavus yelped as the attack hit it, recovering quickly as it prepared to use Thunderbolt. But Spiritomb was gone, already activating Shadow Sneak. The moment Spiritomb collided with Misdreavus from behind, it unleashed the largest electrical shock it possibly could. Spiritomb jumped away, returning to Siobhan's side.
"Good job, Misdreavus. Hang in there a bit longer." Agatha encouraged.
"Misdreavus mis!" Misdreavus nodded.
"Thank you," the old woman muttered. Leena, please wake up soon. I don't think I can take Siobhan down by myself!
Lying by Leena's side, Eden slowly began to stir from unconsciousness. Blinking her large red eyes sleepily, she sat up and noticed the battle occurring in front of her. Turning, she shook Leena firmly but was unable to wake her up. "Gardevoir voir? Garde! Gardevoir voir! Voir!" she cried, shaking Leena. "Garde!"
Siobhan turned to see the Gardevoir. "Well, well. It looks like she finally woke up. Too bad she can't save her own trainer from Spiritomb's Nightmare attack."
"Garde?" Eden had managed to overhear Siobhan. "Gardevoir voir? Garde…" Pulling the unconscious girl into her lap, Eden placed her head on Leena's shoulder and used telepathy. Leena? Leena, please wake up. Agatha needs help against Siobhan. She can't defeat her without your help. Leena, wake up! It's me, Eden! Please!
Siobhan smirked. Stupid Gardevoir, she thought. Nothing can break through Spiritomb's attacks. That Snagger girl is doomed. And once granny goes down, I'll win!
As Eden sat there, mentally pleading for her trainer to awaken, Leena began to faintly stir. On her thigh, arm, shoulder, and middle, there was no sign of her ever getting shot or stabbed. A single tear ran down the raven-haired girl's cheek.
"Now do you understand, dear?" Selene asked, her voice sweet with venom. "This nightmare's never going to end. You'll be trapped here forever, destined to revisit your worst fears for all eternity."
"No…" Leena whispered, slowly doubling over. "You're…lying…"
"Why would I lie? I'm just telling you the simple truth, dear." Selene said. The blue-haired woman grabbed Leena's ponytail and forced the girl to stand up, allowing Eden to slide her claws out easily. "Did you really think you could help anyone? If anything, disaster follows your every step. That's reality, dear."
"You're…wrong…" Leena coughed. "I…will help my friends…no matter what!"
"How can you help anyone when you can't even save yourself?" Selene asked. "You can't, can you? In the end, what will it gain you? Friends, family, adventure…?"
"Shut…up!" Leena growled.
"No," Selene replied. "Deep down, you deserve all of this pain. All of this suffering and sorrow. You deserve it all. This is the kind of life people like you deserve to live—a life full of fear!"
"No…" Leena tried to pull away.
"Once again, why would I…lie?" Selene suddenly fell silent, listening.
Then Leena heard it. "Eden…" she whispered. Not the fake Eden that had just attacked her. The Eden that she knew and loved.
"Leena? Leena, please wake up. Agatha needs help against Siobhan. She can't defeat her without your help. Leena, wake up! It's me, Eden! Please!"
Selene dropped Leena, allowing the teenager to fall to the ground in the pool of blood that had formed not long ago. Then Selene pointed the gun at her. "I think it's time to end this now. Goodbye, Leena." Then she fired the gun, the bullet aimed straight at Leena's head.
Leena waited for the bullet to kill her, unable to move because of the injuries she had gained. After a while, she slowly looked up and gasped in shock. Standing in front of her was the real Eden, forming a shield in order to protect her. The bullet had ricocheted back, hitting Selene in the head and killing her. The fake Eden had vanished, too.
Eden turned and held out a hand. Another soon joined it. Looking up, Leena stared in shock as Mark stood there. One by one, the other Snaggers appeared and held out their hands to her. "Need a hand, Leena?" Mark asked.
"…Yes," Leena reached out and allowed everyone to grab her arm, hauling her up off the ground. "Thanks, guys."
"No problem. Just do us a favor, okay?" Luffy said.
"What?" Leena asked. She noticed that her injuries were gone.
"Wake up," Oddly enough, Luffy's voice sounded like Eden's voice. Wait, maybe it was Eden. "Wake up, Leena. Please wake up."
Blinking, Leena noticed that she was now back in the black void. A single bubble appeared in front of her, showing Eden shaking her unconscious body. In the background, Siobhan and Agatha continued to battle but it was obvious that Agatha wasn't going to last much longer. Reaching out, Leena allowed herself to be sucked into the bubble...
"Spiritomb, finish it! Dark Pulse!" Siobhan shouted. Finally! I'm finally going to win!
Agatha knew this attack would finish her off. I apologize, Misdreavus. It seems we weren't strong enough. But, even to the end, we'll keep fighting! "Misdreavus, Shadow Ball!"
Spiritomb took a little more damage as the orb of dark energy hit it. Then Spiritomb launched its finishing attack. Misdreavus closed its eyes in defeat, accepting its fate. Just moments before the Dark Pulse connected, a blast of pink energy crashed into Spiritomb's side and caused the attack to miss them entirely.
"Who did that?!" Siobhan shouted, turning to glare at the perpetrator…only to gasp in shock. "No way! How did you get free of the nightmare?!"
"Leena!" Agatha cried. "You're awake!"
"You bet I am!" Leena smirked. Standing by her side was Eden and Dragonair. "You really thought a nightmare was gonna knock me out of this fight? Well, looks like you were dead wrong! I'm back and I'm ready to kick some prissy little girl's butt!"
"Eek!" Siobhan yelped. No! That's not possible! Spiritomb's Nightmare attack can't be broken! How did she get free?!
"Hey, Agatha! What's the plan?" Leena called.
"We defeat Spiritomb and destroy that book!" Agatha replied. "Spiritomb's already weak thanks to my attacks. The moment it goes down, though, she could use the Book of Spirits to revive it. We have to destroy the book before she can do that."
"Right!" Leena nodded. "With my ace-in-the-hole set, we use my combo without fear. Agatha, let's attack together! Dragonair will handle everything."
"If you say so," Agatha said. "Misdreavus, use Thunderbolt!"
"Eden, use Psychic! Dragonair, you know what to do!" Leena ordered.
Dragonair's eyes began to glow, allowing the direction of energy beams to be changed. The lightning bolt and psychic energy quickly dodged around the Dark Pulse counterattack Spiritomb sent out to defend itself. Both attacks hit head-on, weakening Spiritomb further. Agatha and Leena managed to score another combo hit before Siobhan came up with a counterattack.
"Spiritomb, use Shadow Sneak!" she cried.
"Where is it?" Leena muttered.
"It normally attacks Pokemon from behind," Agatha explained. "But Siobhan never says which Pokemon it attacks. This could be tricky."
Suddenly, Dragonair cried out before crashing to the ground, knocked out. Leena growled, returning the Dragon-type to her Poke Ball. "You did great, girl. We'll have to do without the directional changes now, Agatha."
"I know," The old woman glared at Siobhan. Even if we defeat Siobhan, how are we going to destroy that book? Maybe…aha! That might just work.
"Spiritomb, use Ominous Wind!" Siobhan ordered. I can't lose now! Not after all of this hard work!
Agatha and Leena nodded. "Double Psychic!!" they cried.
The twin beams of energy hit Spiritomb from both sides, nearly knocking it out. Misdreavus suddenly unleashed one final Thunderbolt, finishing it off. Spiritomb fled back into the Odd Keystone, defeated. Leena and Agatha had finally won.
"We did it!" Leena cried.
"I don't think it's over yet." Agatha warned. "Remember what I told you. Do it now, Leena!"
"Right!" Leena grabbed a Poke Ball from her belt and pulled out the Revive Agatha had given her. "Time to wake up, girl!"
Siobhan stared at the Odd Keystone in shock. "No…no, no, no, no, no! I won't let this happen!" Rubbing away the tears, she opened the Book of Spirits and started chanting. Spiritomb, I'll revive you and we'll end those stupid Snaggers once and for all! I won't lose this! Never!
"Sorry but you lose, Siobhan! Dragonair, use Hyper Beam!" Leena cried.
The beam of orange light shot toward Siobhan, changing directions and hitting her square in the back. The brunette screamed, falling face-first to the ground as the Book of Spirits flew out of her arms and landed on the ground a few feet away. Getting up, she screamed as the corner of the book flickered with brilliant orange flames. Dashing over, she patted the fire out and clutched the book to her chest.
Agatha walked toward her granddaughter with a stern look on her face. "Siobhan, drop that book this instant! You may not realize it but I am doing you a favor by destroying that book. This Spiritomb is too powerful to be controlled by a mere child. I'm doing this to protect you, Siobhan. Believe me, please."
"No!" Siobhan cried, shaking her head. "It's mine! I found it! You just want to take it away so you can have this power, granny! I won't let you!"
"You little…" Leena punched the brunette as hard as she could. "Don't you realize how worried Agatha is about you?! You attacked her and nearly killed her, yet here she is trying to save your life! You ungrateful little brat! This is why I hate kids like you!"
"Huh?" Siobhan clutched her stinging cheek.
"You should be happy that Agatha cares about you, Siobhan!" Leena shouted. "If you respect that in even the least, you'll drop that stupid book!"
Siobhan whimpered. She's really scary! She narrowed her eyes and grabbed her teleportation device. "Sorry, but I don't care! I'm not dropping this book for anything! I'll get my revenge on you later, Leena! I promise!" Pressing the button, Siobhan vanished as she was teleported away from the Indigo Plateau.
"Grrrr! That ungrateful little brat!" Leena shouted, stomping her foot angrily.
"Siobhan's always been like that, Leena. I knew deep down that she'd never change." Agatha said. "Let's go, Leena. I'm sure everyone is worried about us."
"Yeah," the raven-haired girl nodded. "If I ever see that brat again, I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind!"
Agatha simply laughed. After returning their Pokemon, the duo headed down the stairs and emerged through the barrier. As everyone congratulated them, Leena stepped outside and noticed KC and Alex chatting away like lovebirds. Then she saw them holding hands and smiled.
"I guess they finally confessed to each other. About time," she chuckled.
On the island that houses Cipher, helicopter hanger…
"This is the boss' orders, sir?" the chopper pilot asked.
"Yes, they are." Prof. Pine nodded. "Attack the Snaggers at the front of the Pokemon League building. If we can capture one of them, we could gain some leverage. If you fail, drop the message I gave to you."
"Understood, sir. Let's move out!"
The pilot and three Cipher goons climbed into the helicopter, taking off in the direction of the Kanto Pokemon League. It took them a while before they were flying right above the building. Lowering themselves, the goons smirked. Only four Snaggers were outside of the building currently: Alex, KC, Leena, and Ryan.
"Let's do this, men! Attack!" the goon in the passenger's seat cried.
On the ground, Ryan was the first to notice the helicopter. Releasing his Bastiodon, he nodded to his other three friends. "Bastiodon, use Hyper Beam."
Just as the goons unleashed their Pokemon, they were all defeated by the blast of orange light made by Bastiodon. The head goon growled and unleashed a Beedrill. "Get that girl! She looks pretty weak!"
The Beedrill shot down from the chopper, dodging around Bastiodon and aiming for Alex. Weavile hissed and struck, knocking the overgrown wasp out of the sky in seconds. Smirking triumphantly, the Ice/Dark-type never noticed the Beedrill getting up and swiping at Alex from behind. An unexpected Pokemon did notice, though.
One of Alex's Poke Balls popped open, her Meteor taking the hit for Alex. The blue-haired girl turned around and caught her wounded Bug-type Pokemon. Weavile quickly struck Beedrill down again, only to back off and allow KC's Chimchar to burn it. The wasp shot back toward the chopper in terror.
"Darn it! We're out of here!" The pilot dropped the box he had been given and steered the helicopter away, heading back to the island base.
"Alex, are you all right?" Ryan asked.
"I think so. I don't know about Metapod, though." Alex hugged the green cocoon close, only to gasp as he started to glow. In moments, a beautiful Butterfree was in the place of Metapod. "He evolved!"
"He evolved because he was trying to protect you, Alex." Ryan explained. "That's true friendship."
"Ryan, you're actually talking more than normal!" KC noticed.
"Maybe I'm finally getting used to it again." Ryan replied, smiling. Maybe I can talk like normal again. I was so quiet before but now, ever since I joined these guys, I've been feeling more confident about talking more. It feels…nice.
"Hey, what's this box?" Leena walked over, carrying the box in her arms. "It's pretty light despite how big it is."
"Maybe we should open it." KC suggested.
"Yeah!" Alex nodded. Her Butterfree landed on her shoulder, nodding in agreement.
Leena opened the box and pulled away all of the paper. Inside of the box laid a pair of glasses, a piece of a shirt with blood on it, and a small note. The note read: "Send these to Prof. Oak."
"I wonder who this is from…?" Ryan muttered.
"I hope that isn't blood!" Alex whimpered, glancing at the bloody shirt piece.
"If it is…who's is it?" Leena asked.
Next Chapter: Flames and Endurance
"I admit that you're a pretty good opponent. Why are you with the Snaggers?" Chase asked. He hopped off of his defeated Flygon, throwing out a normal Dragonair.
"I have to keep up with my rival. If he gets better than me, then what was the point of being rivals with him?" Will stated, reaching down to pat Salamence's back. "This gives me a chance to train and get stronger. And I'm making plenty of new friends along the way. I like that."
"Your talent could've been better used elsewhere." Chase said. "Then again, all of you Snaggers are fools. All you care about are the Pokemon. Pathetic,"
"So what if we're pathetic in your eyes? You guys are just as pathetic!" Will smirked. "Especially since you're not watching the battle anymore!"
"Huh?"
"Lance, now!" Will cried.
"Go!" Lance ordered.
Chase's Dragonair cried out in pain as Lance's two Dragonair struck from beneath with twin Hyper Beams. Lance reappeared by Will's side, his Dragonair in tow. Chase glared, but focused his gaze on Will.
Will seemed to know what Chase wanted. "It's like Lance said before. I rush into things without thinking about the risks. I act before thinking. Now I'm doing it on purpose, Chase. I do the acting, Lance does the thinking."
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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I worked hard on writing it. Leena's nightmare is based on a similar one I once had, just minus Eden and Selene. And, oh my god, I think that's the longest preview I've ever written! *faints*
Anyways, the battle between Lance, Will, and Chase is coming up next. After that, the Champion battle. And after that, Mist, Freeze, and Brad will join the Snaggers and a celebratory party will be thrown by Prof. Oak. Yes, there is going to be a party because I want to see everyone dressed up…and torture Ryan by putting him in a suit! *laughs evilly*
As per request by Steelion, Ryan is beginning to open up and talk more now. If anyone else wants to request clothes changes, Pokemon team changes, and such for their OC for when they head to Johto/Orange Islands/Sevii Islands, add it into your review (since KCSonic113 already did so with KC).
Anyways, I don't think I have anything else to say. I'm glad you guys have stuck with me this long and I hope you continue to stay with me to the end. Thank you so much! Please review! *gives cookies to all reviewers*