It was a quiet day in the Hoenn region, more specifically in Fallarbor Town. There wasn't much trainers running about and battling other trainers. While it was expected from traveling trainers, it was nice to have some peace and quiet, especially around the Pokémon Center.

Speaking of which, the center itself was moderately busy. Nothing too big, but plenty of trainers who needed their Pokémon healed up or checked on.

The Nurse Joy of this center wheeled out a cart from the back, which had a complete tray of Pokeballs. She wheeled them up to a trainer and presented the tray. "Here you go. Your Pokémon have been fully healed. Please make sure they get plenty of rest before you resume your training."

The trainer nodded and took his Pokeballs. "I will. Thanks again, Nurse Joy." With that, the trainer ran out of the center as Joy waved him goodbye.

She chuckled before heading to the front desk, awaiting any other trainers who needed her assistance. It was a pretty slow day. She didn't mind so much as it did relieve her from such a dedicated job, but she didn't particularly enjoy doing nothing either. Oh well, it couldn't be helped.

She sat down at her seat. She, thankfully, didn't have to wait any longer as another trainer came up to her. He was a young man wearing a black jacket and jeans. The jacket's hood covered part of his face in the shade. He wore a backpack and had a tablet in his left hand.

She offered her usual inviting smile and said, "Hello, welcome to the Fallarbor Pokémon Center. How may I help you?"

He smiled back and presented five Pokeballs, each with what appeared to be different images and features on the top, most likely to easily distinguish them apart. "Five of my Pokémon were injured from a battle earlier. Would you mind healing them?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. It's our job here to attend to any Pokémon in need."

"Thank you." He set them on the tray she pulled out for him. After setting down the last Pokeball, his arm involuntarily twitched. He grabbed his forearm, careful not to drop his tablet, which he pressed against his body with his elbow.

Joy gasped in concern. "Dear me, are you alright?"

He offered a reassuring grin. "Oh…it's fine. Just hurt myself during some training."

"Do you need any medical help? I can patch it up if you want."

"N-No, it's fine. I get these all the time. I'll be right as rain in the morning, I promise." Nurse Joy's concerned expression didn't let up. "I'm serious, it's just a scratch."

"Well…if you say so." She picked up the tray and headed to the back. "Please wait out here while you wait."

He nodded. "Alright, thank you." The moment she disappeared behind the doors, he groaned as he clutched his wound. "Yeah…a scratch…"

He guided himself to a table and sat down. He pulled his sleeve back and stared at the gauze wrapped around his arm. Underneath was a large gash he got from a recent battle. "Ugh, that Scyther hit me pretty bad." He sighed. "Cool your jets, bucko," he told himself. "You can't worry about it now."

He set his tablet down, checking around to make sure no one was around. He was lucky the center wasn't filled with trainers. He'd gladly view this stuff in private, but he needed to figure out what the information stored on it was all about. It better be worth this nasty slash he got, that's for sure.

He booted up the tablet and clicked on the files he got his hands on. The file itself was labeled 'Team Rocket- Project: Perfect Storm', which he purloined from a top secret base he uncovered just a week ago. In that time until the present, he finished decrypting the password protected files with a little help from one his more tech savvy Pokémon. Arceus knows how long it would have took the human to decrypt himself.

Let's see what you've been up to, Giovanni. He opened up the file and found a bunch of different documents inside. He scrolled down a bit until coming across 'PsychoWear 2.0: Data Log'. PsychoWear? I haven't heard that in a while. He rubbed his chin. That 2.0 indicates it's an improved version.

He tapped the document open and scrolled through. It was only a catalog of notes made from the testing process. The words 'dark matter' seem to pop up quite a bit, too.

Not a lot of people know what PsychoWear is. Being a dangerous strength enhancing vest for Pokémon, they couldn't let such a powerful, yet hazardous weapon fall into the hands of the wrong people. He thought they were all confiscated. Seems like someone was still making them. He'll have to look into that later. For now, he needed to figure out who and what these improvements were for. From the level of modifications done on it, a normal Pokémon wouldn't be able to handle the strain. Something like this could actually permanently injure them, or worse.

He exited out of the document and searched through the others. This 'Perfect Storm' project has left him clueless for months now. He has been hitting dead ends involving the projects true motives. Any new info he got only led to more puzzle pieces to place together. He still didn't know what he was looking at. If they were keeping it that tightly locked down, then it's obvious this was one of their bigger projects. He has uncovered many of their plots over the years, but this one was clearly the most elusive.

He searched through the file and came across another document, which made him raise a brow in confusion. The…Nexus Cube? PsychoWear was one thing, but he never heard of this. Perhaps it was something they were making.

He opened the document and read:

'Project: Perfect Storm is nearly complete, but one element keeps us from achieving the connection we need. Giovanni's partner has designed a device that should get the job done. Honestly, it concerns me that he is working with that madman of a scientist. Can you even classify someone like him a scientist? Either way, this device, the Nexus Cube, gives us the connection we need. We need the right subject to use it. Giovanni's partner has the proper subject, but we still need to wait.

The document continued to go on about the process. However, it doesn't explain what the Nexus Cube truly does. It keeps mentioning a connection, but what does that mean?

He got to the end of the document, then gasped in shock. What?! Where's the rest?! He read the last passage, then slammed his fist on the table. The other half is hidden somewhere else?! ARGH! You've got to be kidding me!

He held his face and shook his head. It took him countless months of digging up research and going undercover to find Team Rocket's hidden bases. Can't he get a break?

Even so, the files he got so far at least indicated this was the only other thing tied to 'Perfect Storm'. He checked through the document again for any clues on the bases location.

If I had to take a guess…the other half of the document is in…Sinnoh! I better book myself a ride on a ferry. He closed the tablet and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm not sure what you're up to, but I'm putting an end to your operation soon." He crossed his arms. "But who is this partner they kept referring to?"

He shook his head and leaned back. Maybe I should take a few days off. It will take a while for the ferry to reach Sinnoh. It'll give me time to recuperate and figure out their hideout.

He was prepared to doze off when his tablet began to vibrate. He opened one eye and saw one of his security alarms were going off. He had them installed if something was happening, like say someone was trying to hack into his files and rob him of his vital research. However, this alarm wasn't for such an event.

He reached over and picked it up, reading the alarm name he assigned to it. His eyes widened in surprise. "The Forest of No Light is active?" He stood up straight, hands slammed on the table. "They're beginning to invade?!" He remembered to keep his voice low so he wouldn't alert Nurse Joy. Still, this was a grave issue.

He may have been off the grid for years, but he made sure to keep secret tabs on the Shadow Agency, including missions like this. The alarm was linked with a sensor that kept track of the forest in the event it began its invasion. Now here he was, thousands of miles from Unova with no way of getting there to help. Stopping Giovanni was one thing, but this was a much deadlier threat they were dealing with.

"This is a nightmare…I can't abandon my mission, but I can't let them handle this on their own." He gripped his head. "Ugh, what am I going to do?"

Then an idea came to mind.

He reached around his belt and pulled out the sixth Pokémon he had on hand. He expanded the orb. It looked like a regular Pokeball, the notable difference being the green diamond shaped gem on top.

He narrowed his eyes on it. He spent years training his Pokémon to take on big, bad threats, but none of them were more dedicated to their training than this one. He never seen a Pokémon so unwavering in the grueling training he put her through. Even his own partner Pokémon would be shocked by the results of five years of hardcore training.

He didn't want anyone knowing where he was, meaning this was a one-way trip for the Pokémon. Much like his partner, he wasn't sure when he'll see her again. However, he knew she'll explain his case to the headstrong Charmeleon he missed dearly. He wished he could give this information to him in person, but duty came first.

He held the Pokeball close and said, "Can you hear me?" It took a moment for the Pokeball to give a light shake, indicating a nod. "Good. Listen, I have a very important task for you. Remember why you spent these last five years training so hard? Well, time for those years to finally pay off."

He gasped as the Pokeball nearly burst open with white light, but he clamped it shut before the Pokémon inside could escape. "Whoa, slow down! I need to send you there first. The invasion has already begun. They're going to need you." He patted the orb. "I'll make sure to give the others your regards. Someone very special to all of us misses us. Seeing you and how you've grown will bring a spark into his heart. I regret leaving the way I did, so hopefully this can repay for it.

"I have a mission to attend to in a different region, but I don't want him knowing where. He spent five years of his life guarding the world from that forest. We both know the moment he catches wind of this, he'll head straight for it to find me. He needs a break from all this. Please help him relax, okay?" The Pokeball nodded again. "Good…please take care. Give my regards to my grandfather…please give my sincerest of apologies for Ryder.

"I'll miss you. Please tell him I miss him."

The Pokeball gave a sharp nod. He gripped the ball tightly and ran to the front desk. He slammed his hand on the desk bell furiously.

Nurse Joy ran out in a hurry, visibly alarmed. "W-What's wrong?! Are you okay?!"

The hood of Ryan Hayashi fell off his head. "Sorry to scare you, but I have an important request that needs to be carried out immediately!"

"O-O-Okay, what is it?"

He presented the Pokeball. "Can those transport machines reach Unova? I need this Pokeball transported to a Pokémon Center near Undella Town, immediately!"

"I'm not sure it can-"

"Please, you need to!" Ryan pleaded. "I can't explain why, but it's important! Someone dear and close to me may be in trouble and only this Pokémon can help him! You need to try, please!"

Nurse Joy could see the desperation in his eyes. They reflected seriousness mixed with grand concern. She would like an explanation as to what was so important, but it's clear this was a matter that can't be discuss. It was her job to help any trainer in need.

She took the Pokeball in her hands and gave a sharp nod with narrowed eyes. "I'll get it there as soon as possible."

Ryan smiled tiredly and bowed his head. "Thank you…" I really am sorry I can't be there to help you, Ryder. Just know that someone special to you is on the way. Just hold out a little longer.

They wanted a fight. Ask and you shall receive. Just don't be surprised when your opponent decides to play by his rules.

Trees came toppling down in the forest, noticeable from an aerial view of the foliage of leaves. Deep down in the forest was a mad storm of fury clashing against each other in a two-on-one battle to the death. The tag team of the fight were having the most trouble. One can't blame them since their opponent was a self-proclaimed god.

Dark slammed his hand against Ryder's chest, propelling the Charmeleon away. He dug his claws through the dirt and kicked off immediately once he stopped. He used Brick Break and threw his fist against the Darkmon's awaiting hand, effortlessly catching it and withstanding the force.

Pikachu jumped through the air and brought his staff down on Dark's head. Anticipating this, he changed his flesh to steel. The staff, upon clashing with his hardened body, shook up to the mouse, who felt the vibrations tingle throughout his body. Dark reverted to normal and flicked the air, blasting Pikachu with a gust of wind, then shoving his face into the dirt with psychic power.

Ryder pulled back and threw a sharp uppercut. Dark dodged it before slamming his hand against him. Rather than knocking him away like previously, he administered a surge of electricity that coursed throughout the agent's body. Ryder endured the electrical assault enough to grab Dark's arm and fling him over his shoulder.

He attempted to slam him against the dirt, but Dark phased through at the last moment. The sudden change made the Charmeleon stumble forward. Dark rose out of the ground and pulled Ryder's hood over his eyes, then rose high in the air to fire a high pressure stream of water from his hands, hammering him through the ground.

Dark smirked. "I can use any type in the book, Ryder! I can do anything!"

Pikachu pulled himself up and glared. He spun on his back and fired off Electro Ball. Dark witnessed this surprise attack and, ending his water attack from his right hand, caught the Electro Ball and started to absorb it.

"You can't hit me, Pikachu. I can absorb your attacks."

He was a bit surprised when Pikachu started running up a tree. "True, but you only have two hands!" Using Quick Attack, he kicked off the tree and propelled himself at the lord.

Dark glared, then ended his attack on Ryder to stop Pikachu in his tracks. He gripped the rodent's head and began to absorb his energy. However, he didn't get the chance to syphon off a lot. That attack wasn't meant to hit him, but acted as a distraction for Ryder to jump to their level and slam a bomb against his back, detonating it early with an Inferno added to the mix.

The Darkmon's back scorched with flames. Pikachu jumped away and fired off Thunderbolt, smashing Dark into the ground.

The mouse landed and pumped his fist. "Alright!"

Ryder landed next to him. "Don't celebrate yet. That isn't going to put him out." He clenched his teeth. Our main concern is destroying that bulb. We can have the sunlight finish him off.

Dark lifted himself off the ground, practically shrugging off the explosion. He cracked his neck, stating, "That certainly loosened my muscles." He smirked. "Have you tried actually inflicting pain on me?"

Ryder and Pikachu glanced at each other and nodded before dashing at the Darkmon lord. He took a stance, but dropped it when the two, rather than taking him head on, ran around him in a circle, appearing as black and yellow streaks of air.

He narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing? If you're trying to make me dizzy, you're wasting your time."

The agent and mouse suddenly stopped and rushed him with Aerial Ace and Quick Attack. Dark stopped their attacks with his hands, but they then grabbed on to his arms and fired off Inferno and Thunderbolt. Unfortunately for Dark, he could only absorb energy through his palms.

Blue flames and electricity wrapped around Dark. Ryder and Pikachu jumped away, then threw some explosives and fired off Electro Ball respectively. The resulting explosion knocked them back further, though they still kept their balance.

The smoke blew away from Dark, who was merely chuckling. He flashed his eyes on Ryder, then suddenly appeared in front of him in a burst of speed. Giving him no time to react, and punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying through the forest.

Pikachu raised his staff and tried to attack, but Dark appeared in front of him too. Dark was moving so fast that mouse appeared almost as still as a statue. He planted his fist under his chin, raising it up without resistance before applying the necessary force to shoot him into the trees, briefly breaking the sound barrier in that instant.

The mouse slammed through several branches and found himself over the forest, getting a brief glimpse of the dark sky above. No stars were in view, just a menacing dark cloud. He flailed his arms as he went back down into the forest, immediately greeted with a strike to his jaw. He slammed against a tree trunk and slid onto a thick branch.

Dark lightly touched down on that same branch, hands behind his back. "A week of intense training could never prepare you for me. Even so, I have to give you some respect." He clenched his raised fist. "Very few Pokémon can get up after taking that many of my punches, much less a single blow. Clearly your aura training with Ryder has paid off."

Pikachu picked himself up, panting heavily. He wiped his lip and saw the red stain he made on his arm. He slapped his cheeks and picked up his staff. "What can I say? I'm a dedicated learner."

The Darkmon smirked. "As it would seem. However…you're never going to beat me. You know that, right?"

Pikachu gritted his teeth. "I don't think so shortsightedly in a battle, even to an opponent as strong as you!" He rushed him and thrusted his staff.

Dark sidestepped and caught the metal staff. Before Pikachu could pull back, ice quickly traveled down the weapon and raced over his arms. It then proceeded to cover his body and tail, leaving only his head partially exposed. His body felt rigid and cold. He couldn't move a muscle below his head.

"A true warrior knows when he's at a disadvantage. A smart warrior knows when to throw in the towel." Dark released his grip on the staff, then folded his arms behind his back. "How many times must I hammer this into your brain? You're fighting a losing battle. It's the way of nature."

Pikachu desperately tried to break out of his icy imprisonment. "How can you be so darn smug and sure of yourself?"

"Really try and recap your current predicament. You keep spouting your heroic nonsense that you can beat me and yet you're still getting your rear handed to you. Me? I can boast about my power all I want and, in the end, I know I'll win because I am that strong. It's simple logic.

"I…We are the incarnations of evil." As his eyelids dipped down, his red pupils glowed brightly. "You can never rid the world of evil. It's impossible."

The mouse ceased his struggling and looked him in the eyes. "Why do you believe that?"

"It's how I was created. It's how all of us were created. We were given a purpose and we chose to stick by it, by creating our philosophy to spread our evil across this whole planet." Dark raised his arms. "Once your race and the humans are extinct, we can begin a new, simple life, ruling this planet as our own. It'll be our home…our paradise."

"But going as far as to kill everyone? That's a little extreme."

Dark shrugged with a smirk. "So what? We've gone too far to turn back now. We've already critically injured those previous trespassers. Killing them wouldn't faze us at all. If we let emotion guide our decisions, we would be like you helpless saps. Letting your precious feelings guide you to the 'right' answer rather than using rational thought and force."

He poked the Pikachu's nose. "When has offering kindness ever solved a real issue? If you were faced with a psychopath on the verge of killing your mate…or your daughter…" He smirked satisfyingly upon hearing his quiet gasp, "what would you do? Talk him out of it? Or let your rage and malicious side formulate the proper way to slit his throat?"

Dark didn't let Pikachu answer, not that he expected an answer from the conflicted Pokémon. "You want to stay morally sound, yet you want to protect your family by any means necessary. There is no middle ground when a life is on the line."

Pikachu desperately tried to voice a counterargument. "B-But…" Dark kept pushing him farther over his limit.

"Accept fate, Pikachu. There will be a time where you'll have to take a life. By the end of it, you'll feel pretty proud of what you accomplished: killing a murderer who tried to cut down your own family." The lord chuckled. "Course, you won't be around long enough to experience the thrill."

Pikachu's eyes dipped down sadly. Would be really do such a horrible action…if it meant the guaranteed safety of his mate and daughter?

"You must feel pretty pathetic, knowing that fighting for your loved ones only results in taking on the darker side of morality. Must be eating you up inside." Dark smirked. "In fact, why not try a little experiment? Maybe I'll find those two wimps and bring them back here to be tortured by my subjects."

His eyes widened fearfully. "You wouldn't dare?!"

He ignored him and pondered, "I wonder how long it would take you to snap? I'm betting on two or three minutes, tops."

Pikachu clenched his teeth tightly together. "If you lay one claw on them, I'll…I'll…" His cheeks crackled wildly. Dark grinned sadistically at the aggravation he was building up inside him.

However, his grin dipped a bit when he saw the mouse's electric sacs fire off white electricity for a single moment. He gave them a confused stare. It definitely didn't feel like regularly electricity, that much he could gather. Maybe he just imagined it. Not like it'll matter to him.

He reached out and grabbed the mouse's face, beginning to absorb his energy. "I hope you take what I said to your grave, my dear foe. You'll have the rest of your afterlife to reflect on the true dominate morality."

Blue flames surged from the darkness and made contact with Dark, who was briefly caught off guard long enough to release Pikachu. He jumped away, but was met with a barrage of shurikens. Commanding the shadows around him, large shadow talons stretched out from the darkness and batted away the dangerous projectiles.

Ryder landed on the branch Pikachu was frozen on, eyes locked onto Dark. "I won't allow your twisted mind to govern this world."

Dark groaned. "Honestly, can you sound any more melodramatic? You might as well speak with a deep, booming voice if you're going to play this obsessive-"

"Will you SHUT UP for once in your damned life?!" Ryder shouted angrily, his voice projecting far enough that even a few Darkmon preoccupied with their battles could hear it.

Dark was a bit surprised by his tone of voice. It's not the first time he has seen the Charmeleon steamed, but he can easily tell he was pushing the agent pass a limit. With an arm on his side, he replied, "Yeesh, you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Ryder glared as he, without looking, placed his palm against Pikachu and emitted heat that turned the ice to steam. "You really think being good is a weakness?"

He shrugged. "I don't think, I know."

He narrowed his eyes deeper. "You told me that giving into positive emotions acts as a distraction. Your law states that Darkmon should never be happy out of positive feeling. They should never love. And yet, not too long ago, you were about to marry an android you barely knew."

Dark sighed. "If you're trying to convince me that my proposal to her is a form of weakness, then you're even loonier than I thought. With her by my side, I'll achieve total conquest with a stronger force standing by my side."

"So why let Meowth live?"

"It was part of her demands in exchange for her hand. Simple as that."

Ryder glared. "Why? If you truly are evil, you wouldn't let some android give demands for your proposal. You wouldn't concede, you would take what's rightfully yours. Why play off the nice route when the other way feels so much easier to you?"

Dark sneered. "Listen you, I-"

"Unless you're not truly evil like you believed," Ryder concluded with a matching sneer. "We both have something that belongs to the other…and it's corrupted our minds. I'm partially evil…you're partially good. A subconscious mindset neither of us can control."

The agent gasped as the lord suddenly appeared in front of him and socked him in the gut. He gripped Ryder's shoulder, his hand sweating with acid that lightly burned his skin. He snarled. "Get it through your thick skull: I'm evil. I'm the living embodiment of sin and malice. It doesn't matter how much of your aura is mixed in with mine. I'll always be evil. That's how I was made."

Ryder winced before throwing a left hook across his cheek, knocking him back with a surprising amount of force. "That's how you were programmed. Face facts, Dark. This could have all turned out different. You might have ended up a blank slate when we first crossed paths. You could have been like me."

Dark wiped his cheek. "A moody agent who's upset he doesn't have his precious human and sheep gal? I obviously got the better end of this."

"So you willing accept who you are because someone told you? You wouldn't be here if it weren't for Team Rocket!"

"And their foolishness messing with the forces of nature will bite them back soon! I chose to be like this!"

"No you didn't! That flower told you who to become! You don't even know who you really are!"

Dark was beginning to get mad. "I know exactly who I am. I'm the one who's going to restore balance to this backwards planet's flawed system!"

"Tipping too far to one side leads to chaos!"

Dark sneered. "That's not what you day walkers believe with the side of good! You'd be happy if all evil was eliminated, like there's no point for immoral actions to exist!" He laughed condescendingly. "For darkness' sake, your world wouldn't even exist without evil! This world didn't start off by sharing a basket of fruit and exchanging friendship bracelets! Everyone, human and Pokémon, took what was theirs in order to survive!

"We may have been created by man, but we represent the evil you try to shove away. As you evolve over millenniums of improvement and advances, you reflect upon the actions that cause the most harm. But you know what they say: too much of a good thing leads to disaster!"

Dark's eyes glowed brightly before releasing a massive psychic wave that knocked Ryder and Pikachu into the air. "It doesn't matter if evil is immorally wrong. It doesn't matter if it causes the most heartache. It doesn't matter if I kill off every single being on this miserable planet!" He slammed his palms down.

Ryder and Pikachu landed on an adjacent tree, but took quick notice of the earthy arms stretchy out from the ground and rising up to crush them. They jumped out of the way in opposite directions. Dark inhaled sharply and exhaled a massive cloud of toxic gas that separated the two further.

"What does matter is that I'll reverse your pathetic morality system and give you a taste of your own medicine!"

Ryder latched onto the side of a tree and threw an explosive shuriken in the direction of his voice. "So you truly believe you're destined not to be happy or loved?!" He pulled out his Shockwave Gun and hid behind the trees. "Do you want to be miserable for the rest of your life?! Do you even love Laura?!"

A tornado of leaves wrapped around the lord and knocked away the projectile, detonating safely out of range. "My feelings towards her are none of your concern! I see her as a pawn who will soon turn into the queen! This is about business, not romance!" He fired flames into the cloud.

Pikachu jumped to a different tree and fired off Electro Ball. "What do you even plan to do if you succeed?! The only thing you gain is domination of the planet! After that, then what?!"

Dark grabbed the attack and absorbed it. "I plan to rule over this planet!"

"That's it?!" he shouted as he fired Thunderbolt. "All you want is the planet?! Nothing else?!"

Dark blocked the bolt of lightning with his hands and continuously absorbed it. "Evil doesn't need a purpose! My only goal is to prove a point! After that, this planet will be ran my way! Life will go on like it does now, only with you and the humans erased from our grand design!"

Ryder pounced off the trees and slammed his feet against his back. "What's the point in living if you don't consider the future?!" He jumped off him and blasted him blank point with the Shockwave Gun. "You plan to spend your entire life ruling the world?! An entire eternity?!"

Dark held his ground against the sonic blast. "My madness is not for you to decipher!" he retaliated, kicking him in the gut. Ryder threw another punch, but Dark caught it effortlessly. "How I run my life is my own concern!"

"What's the point of ruling the world if that's all you plan to accomplish?!" He tried to punch him again, but Dark caught his fist.

"What does it matter?!" He raised his foot and kicked him into the adjacent tree. He fired off a high pressure stream of water mixed with electricity, shooting the Charmeleon through dozens of trees. "Ridding this world of you freaks is the only reward I need!"

Pikachu tried to hit him with his staff, but he caught it. "Dark, it doesn't have to be like this!"

The lord turned his fist to steel and struck Pikachu away. "Quit lying to yourself! Good and evil can never coexist with each other! We're opposing forces that will remain in eternal conflict until this planet's inevitable demise!" He conjured a purple flame that somehow had frost wrapped around it. "I'm doing you idiots a favor by putting an end to this eternal feud!" He threw it at the mouse, engulfing him fire that simultaneously freezing his fur.

Ryder flew back in with Aerial Ace and struck him in between the eyes. "Nothing's gained by destroying an entire species!"

Dark glared forebodingly, completely unfazed by his punch. "Nothing's gained, eh?"

Ryder's eyes shot open fully, realizing the horrible choice of words. No, no, no, no, NO!

Dark grabbed him by the arm and threw him down with the force to shake the earth. Ryder tried to push himself up, but the Darkmon lord came down to earth faster, his eyes glowing even brighter than before. "So…destroying humans and Pokémon is wrong…but killing us isn't?" The Darkmon lord found himself chuckling very ominously. "Of course you would say that…"

Ryder held his hands up defensively. "That isn't what I-"

"What did I tell you about lying, weakling?" he warned with his eyes gleaming down on him. "I know what you meant. You know what you meant. Nothing's gained from destroying an entire species, eh?" His eyes glowed purple, psychic energy blazing out of his eyes. "It's the same ol' talk you 'heroes' keep spouting! Yet look where this conversation is going! You want to know what I have to gain from this?!"

The agent could see the massive buildup of psychic energy surging out of his hands. He was in big trouble. Crap! He tried to make a break for it.

Dark smirked angrily. "Let me show you, you self-righteous hypocrite!" He thrusted his hands out and blasted a massive, wide beam of psychic energy, encompassing practically everything in his line of sight.

Ryder may be fast, but the speed of that purple beam quickly caught up to him. He was engulfed in the beam's destructive power, along with all the trees, bushes, and any unfortunate Darkmon that happen to get caught in the beam's path. Aside from the living creatures protected from their aura, everything inside the beam was ripped to shreds instantly. Despite the attack clearly being psychic based, the land in front of it was scorched by the sheer friction and power running along it.

There was no telling how far the beam went, but it covered a massive distance in such a short amount of time. By the time Dark ceased his attack, the remnants of the psychic beam showed off the untapped power still lurking inside of Dark. The power he still hasn't fully unleashed.

Everything in front of him was destroyed. The large chunk of land unprotected by the shade of the trees was greeted with a sky that hasn't been seen in years, only it was being blotted out by the menacing smog spreading far out of the forest's perimeter. Even with such a large opening, they were still in darkness. The earth burned with smoke and embers. The beam's range stretched out all the way into the darkness, making it almost impossible to see the end.

Dark stepped upon the embers and slowly made his way to Ryder, who was sprawled out on the ground in sore pain. His cloak was tattered and his hood had fallen off his head. It, too, was riddled with holes.

He pushed himself up and panted heavily. "D…Dang…that was…that was…"

He couldn't finish his thought as he was kicked back to the ground. He tried to raise his left arm, but Dark stepped on it forcibly, cracking the ground beneath it.

Dark, despite using such a powerful attack, hasn't broken a sweat. "This is what I have to gain. I'm sick and tired of you pathetic weaklings trying to oppress us. If you're against evil, you're against us."

Ryder tried to rise, but Dark proved to be the stronger of the two. "Dark…this needs to end…you can't possibly want this."

The Darkmon lord lowered his eyelids. "It's too late for your pleas. As you've said to me, I've gone too far to turn back now. So instead…I'm going to embrace my destiny and accept it as fate. I suggest you do the same."

Piplup fired off Bubble Beam at the swarming Darkmon that were getting closer to swiping at his face with their sharp, pointy, violent, razor sharp machetes they called claws. They came close to landing hits, but the acrobatic and graceful penguin was more than capable of dodging their attacks, performing spin maneuvers around them and executing graceful flips over their heads.

The penguin laughed haughtily. "You guys may have brute force," he taunted as he landed on his feet and spun, firing off a wide range of Ice Beam around him, "but I have you all beat when it comes to my stellar moves!"

The icy energy made contact with most of the Darkmon and locked them down to the ground. While shattering the ice was a feat not difficult for the powerful monstrosities, they were held in place for a series of attacks.

"Emolga!" he shouted to his ally, who was fighting off a bunch of Darkmon while keeping Axew close by her. "You mind lending me a hand or two with these guys?!"

She pushed back multiple Darkmon with her Discharge and shouted angrily, "Can't you see I have my hands tied at the moment?!"

"Just get all your Darkmon over here! It'll wipe them out faster!"

She groaned, then looked to Axew, who nodded in agreement. She sighed and shouted, "Fine! Just give me the go when you're ready!"

Piplup nodded and leaped into the air. One of the Darkmon, a Dark Combusken, that was using Flamethrower to melt her allies out of the ice, looked up with a sneer. "What's that narcissistic Piplup up to now?!"

Piplup used Bubble Beam, but used the big bubble variation he has been perfecting. Large bubbles floated around the trapped Darkmon, leaving them puzzled. Piplup shouted up, "Emolga, give them a light show with Discharge!"

"Right!" She started to charge up the electrical attack when a Darkmon leaped out from behind her and attempted to sink its claws through her back.

Axew growled. "Hey!" He got behind Emolga and fired Dragon Rage right into the beast's face, sending him flying back. He made sure to jump away from Emolga as she released her attack

The lightning engulfed the bubbles and arced off each with steady streams, connecting the bubbles into a crazy mine field of surging storms.

Piplup, with a smirk, threw a stick into one of the bubbles. In that moment, it popped, followed by a chain reaction of exploding bubbles, splashing a rain shower of electrified water down on the entrapped Darkmon. They screamed in pain before falling over from the burst of damage.

The cocky penguin did a dance of celebration. "Oh yeah, that's right! Piplup is number one! I dare anyone to match my graceful talents!"

A balled up flipper struck him across the face, sending him crashing into a tree. He laid against the side dizzily for only a moment, but shook his head and regained his bearings. He blinked in confusion before meeting eyes with his counterpart.

He smirked smugly. "Huh, not whining? Guess you learned to take a punch."

The penguin blew steam out of his beak's nostrils and smashed his skull against his, knocking him back enough for Piplup to ram his Drill Peck against his chest. He shoved him against a tree, then ended his attack to do a skillful flip and striking his chin with his foot.

"I've been waiting to beat you!" Piplup stated with a twirl. "Now I'm even more awesome than before!"

Dark Piplup wiped his beak of blood, which evaporated. "And still as girly as ever, I see."

Piplup glared angrily and flailed his flippers. "I'll have you know that my skills are some of the manliest any contest will ever see! Only a real man can pull off a pirouette with grace like mine-" Too caught up in his boastful ramblings, he left himself wide open for a second punch from his counterpart, bashing him even farther than the previous ambush.

"And you're still annoyingly conceited, too."

Piplup pushed himself up and wiped blood off his beak. He shouted up, "Uh, you guys wouldn't mind leading another hand, would ya?!"

"I'd be glad to, but I have my own mirror image to deal with!" Emolga shouted as she was now defending Axew and herself from Dark Emolga, who laughed joyously as she tried to destroy the two with powerful Hidden Powers that left smoldering craters in their way.

The penguin clenched his teeth angrily before reacting to another punch thrown by Dark Piplup. He curved his fist under him and uppercut his jaw. The dark penguin kept his ground and bashed his skull against him, then fired off Bubble Beam. Piplup crossed his flippers and endured the attack as it gradually pushed him back.

Dark Piplup switched to Drill Peck and mimicked Piplup's earlier attack, ramming him against a tree with the spinning force. Piplup gritted his teeth and pecked viciously at his head. The evil penguin ceased his spinning and extended his foot up to strike Piplup's chin, then grabbed him by the flipper to throw him over his shoulder.

Piplup, using his elegant acrobatic skills, landed on his feet flawlessly before immediately firing off Ice Beam. Dark Piplup reciprocated the attack with his own Ice Beam. The two streams of icy energy pushed against each other, each stream forcibly trying to overpower the other. Despite his confidence in winning in this power struggle, the evil penguin decided to take steps to ensure he is proclaimed the victor.

He stomped the ground, tilting a chunk of earth up from the ground, then kicked it towards his counterpart. Piplup gasped and ended his Ice Beam to dodge it. However, this left his feet open for the other Ice Beam. It enveloped his lower half and rendered him stationary.

Dark Piplup chuckled as he walked towards him. "You have a lot to learn if you want to play in the big leagues."

Piplup struggled desperately in the icy trap, but he couldn't budge. He pecked viciously at the ice, but he won't be able to break himself out in time. He had three long range moves to give him some distance, but even that will prove to be futile since his counterpart resists them all. His only other option is…

…well, Ryder said only to use it in emergencies, so…

Dark Piplup stopped and cocked a brow as the entrapped penguin reached behind his back and pulled out his massive shuriken, unfolding it to full form. The penguin knew using this thing was a massive gamble, but he had to try. So, he had to do the one thing he knew best: show off.

He laughed with loud overconfidence, stating proudly, "Feast your eyes on the instrument of your demise, my pitiful opponent! What you see before you, handled stylishly in the flippers of a true master, is a weapon designed specifically to cut you and your cohorts down with a single throw! Quiver in awe at its mighty beauty! Cower in terror as the blade's reflection projects the aftermath once it connects with your flesh! Fear me as I-"

"Oh give it a rest, you conceded brat!" his counterpart interrupted rudely. He folded his flippers as he continued his advance towards him. "I know that tone of voice. I'm you, after all. I know everything about you. I know when you start shouting like that, you are hiding uncertainty and doubt. You refuse to show it, because you KNOW you're a pathetic loser."

Piplup gritted his teeth. "How dare you defile my image!"

"I don't have to do anything to taint your pathetic act. You think everything's going to be alright in the end, don't you? You think there's a point to acting like a haughty performer? Please…you could never match up to the rest of your teammates. You're just a ballerina playing hero…it's that simple."

The penguin still kept boasting, but his cracking voice gave away that his words were hitting him like nails. "I…am the best. My awesomeness with carve a way to my stardom and future…and remove you from my life."

Dark Piplup smirked. "It amazes me how willing you Pokémon are willing to go to put on a brave face. Quit playing tough and just let it all out. Cry like the stubborn, fussy baby you really are. You're just a child who wants attention. Now you've presented this image of an arrogant failure whose chances at finding love are about as likely as you learning to fly: in your dreams."

Piplup clenched his teeth tightly, his prideful smile dropping. Tears did shimmer in his eyes, but he denied them access from escaping down his cheeks. "I'm…I'm…"

"You're what? Mad? The best? A total wimp? Come on, spit it out. I don't have all day. I have a world to ruin." He chuckled. "Maybe I'll pay Dawn a visit and gouge her eyes out…while looking like you."

His eyes widened at the threat of harming…no, down right killing his trainer. There were things in this world he was willing to do to achieve his dreams at stardom. He would willingly jump off a bridge if it'll get his face recognized by the world. He would put on a cheerleading outfit for all the world to see…oh wait, he already does that.

However…the moment someone threatens the life of his trainer…that's when the foot comes down.

Piplup's beak stretched out into an irritated grin. "Heh…"

Dark Piplup lowered his eyelids. "The heck's wrong with you?"

"You're me, right? Then you must know that I've heard this all before. I've been rejected by many girls. I've been made fun of for wearing girly outfits. I've been called out on for being annoying and boastful. Any sane Pokémon would have cracked from all of it. It's frustrating having someone step on your passions and force to believe everything you worked hard for was utterly pointless.

"And yet, when I hear your words, all I hear is a challenge to keep striving." He chuckled. "Evil or not, you made on fatal mistake that'll leave you cowering." He raised the shuriken aloft, shocking Dark Piplup.

"ANYONE WHO HARMS DAWN WILL FEAR THE WRATH OF PIPLUP!" he shouted as he gave his flipper a mighty swing and threw the shuriken.

It hovered across the ground and went straight for Dark Piplup. However, it curved at the last moment and went completely around. He smirked. "Heh…you missed."

Normally, this would annoy the heck out of Piplup. However, he presented a calm smile on his face, a shadow casted over his eyes. "Did I?"

No one expected the next twenty seconds of danger that came towards them. As Emolga tried to fend off her counterpart, the shuriken ended up curving towards them and decapitated Dark Emolga, a sight the Emolga immediately turned Axew away from. The shuriken didn't seem to stop as it ended up turning around like a boomerang around a tree, slashing through a hoard of Darkmon, sending limbs and black blood flying, before heading straight back to Dark Piplup.

The evil penguin spun around and tried to catch the blade between his flippers. However, it acted like a persistent buzz saw trying to chew apart his face. How much force did that idiot throw this with?!

Piplup pecked his way out of the ice and dashed towards him. Dark Piplup managed to stop the shuriken, but he was caught off guard by the penguin's sweep kick, followed by a close range Hydro Pump to the face. The ground beneath them shattered from the attack's pressure.

Dark Piplup struggled to push himself up. "You've…got to be…kidding…" He gasped for air as Piplup slammed his foot down on his stomach.

He presented a sneer. "Who's weak now?" He reared his foot back and kicked him away. The evil penguin slammed head first into a tree and went unconscious.

As he dusted his flippers off, Piplup saw Emolga and Axew running down to meet with him, with the young dragon stating, "Man, that was scary! But what you did back there was supercool!"

Emolga placed a hand on her hip, sharing a wry grin. "Got to admit, I didn't expect you to pull that off. I'm impressed."

He blinked, then held his hips proudly. "Well, obviously! You'd have to be a fool to challenge the mighty Piplup!" He laughed boastfully, though underneath that laugh was an expression of shock and relief. Oh dear Arceus, I'm so glad that worked!

The flying squirrel ran her hand against the penguin's weapon. "Geez, to think you spent the past couple weeks learning to wield this thing. Must have been tough."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, truth be told, I was having trouble aiming it earlier. Couldn't hit a darn thing before."

Axew tilted his head curiously. "Then…how did you throw it so easily?"

He shrugged. "Guess I took a moment to actually see where I was throwing, rather than trying to aim for everything at once."

Axew smiled. "Well, that's great! With you and your sweet flying blade weapon, we're guaranteed victory!"

"Yeah…" Emolga muttered, pointing to her left. "Assuming we can keep them down, that is."

They turned and saw Dark Emolga, along with the other Darkmon the shuriken nailed, rising back up, regenerating their severed parts. Once her head was back, she snarled at the three. "Oh…you're so dead…"

Emolga got into a fighting stance, asking, "Out of curiosity, what are the chances you can do what you did back there a second time?"

He narrowed his eyes and pluck the shuriken out of the ground. "We're about to find out."

As they narrowed their eyes on their opponents, Axew's attention went upwards as he saw a purple light streak through the trees above them. He then shrieked as branches started falling down. "Look out!"

The group jumped away from the massive branches that seemed to be raining from the sky. Piplup looked up perplexingly. "The heck is going on up there?!"

Several thoughts were racing through the head of our favorite Dark Riolu. Though, one seemed to pop out more that matched the panicky, shimmery look reflecting off his eyes:

What did I do to deserve THIS?!

He flipped from tree to tree, desperately trying to lose the purple light streak known as Fang, who was persistently chasing him like a Flamethrower to a Lock-On combo. He did everything he could to lose the Dark Gliscor, but with his incredible speed and stubborn attitude, any chance at slipping away was miracle work by now.

His future vision went off again, almost accidentally running him into a tree since it briefly blinds him. He stopped and saw Fang curving down and rising up, snapping his pincers around him. He jumped to his left, avoiding the predicted and abandoned fate. However, that wasn't the end of the evil Darkmon's assault.

Fang made a sharp turn immediately after missing Koda. The Dark Riolu rolled out of the way, then jumped over another turn that nearly took his legs. The Dark Gliscor had him trapped in a tight space, little room to escape or flee. It kept make his impossibly sharp turns to try and nick or devour the Dark Riolu.

Koda was working with very little room. It felt like he was being compressed into a small box, slowly constricting around him until it cut off the last bit of life he had left. And unfortunately, 'cut' was an appropriate choice of words for his predicament.

He continuously contorting his body in odd ways to avoid the deathly snap of the powerful pincers. With each snap, it echoed a sharp noise that rang through his ears, reminding him of the horrid danger he was stuck in and would likely never escape from until he either got backup or if their mission was a success and the sun came up. However, the latter option was practically impossible and unreachable. Even with the ability to see Fang's attacks, he has only been at this for an hour. There's no way he would last another five or six hours fending him off.

Ugh! Why couldn't they have started their invasion at like five in the morning or something?! Suffice to say, the Dark Riolu was getting irritated.

Fang made it ridiculously difficult to escape from his orbital entrapment of deadly pincers. If he so much as stuck his arm out, he'd lose it faster than meat fed to a school of Carvanha.

"You'll run yourself to you limit eventually, 6746!" Fang exclaimed, turning from behind and almost slashing Koda's back, but he managed to safely duck under him. "Using your future vision nonstop must be wearing you thin!"

The truth hurts, literally for Koda. His eyes were beginning to sting from constant use of his future vision. Any moment it was going to shut off on him and he won't be able to dodge Fang's attacks without the risk of losing more limbs. Darkmon could regenerate from specks of blood, but there was a limit to how much strain that put on them. They needed energy to regenerate. Replacing a limb is one thing. Recreating an entire body out of a drop of blood was taxing.

Either he had to man up and take this fight head on or gamble his life on his future vision.

Right now, it looked like he was gonna have to take a few risks to survive.

Koda ceased using his future vision and spun on his heel. He spread his arms out to full wingspan and fired off his aura pulses around his body.

With his prey now in one place, Fang thought this was his chance to kill him. However, once he got his pincers over him, he couldn't snap them down all the way. The aura pressure Koda was exerting was strong enough to push back against the strength of his devouring pincers.

The Fang Scorp Darkmon sneered at this. "So, you're playing fully on the defensive now? Do you really think that'll stop me?!" He widened his pincers and snapped down harder.

Koda stopped spinning and focused the aura pulses on his pincers. He quickly ducked his head and let them close over him before slamming his palm against Fang's chest, firing off Force Palm.

Fang dragged his feet against the branch they were on and stopped himself. He glared before firing Dark Pulse. Koda stuck his arms out and pressed against the Dark Pulse with his aura. Once Fang stopped, Koda immediately used Copycat and mirrored the Dark Gliscor's Dark Pulse.

Fang's wings blazed to life, then propelled himself into the air. He zipped around in a streak of light before enlarging his claws once more. He made a sharp nose dive down on Koda. The Dark Riolu rolled out of the way and fired off Force Palm into Fang's face.

The Dark Gliscor slammed against a tree and held his smoldering face. AGH! That runt won't hold still! He wiped his face clean and glared. With that infuriating future vision of his, he'll just keep avoiding my attacks. He smirked. But he can't dodge all of them. I just need to keep applying pressure to him and he'll slip up, giving me the opening I'll need.

Koda panted lightly, bent over while holding his knees. Oh darkness, I didn't realize fighting him would take this much out of me! I'm not going to be able to keep up with him much longer. If he gets me, I'm kaput…forever! He looked up at his opponent, who was rising to his feet. I need to think of a way to get him off my back, but how? I can't hide or outrun him.

Fang stood up to full height and smirked. "You're proving to be a stubborn lowlife to put down!" He kicked off the branch and enlarged his pincers.

Koda held his palms out and caught his pincers. They struggled to shut on him. He desperately held them open, but it gave him a view of the inside of the Darkmon's horrifying pincers. At the center in the back was a hole of serrated teeth that spun wildly, dripping with acid. Darkness forbid he think about the poor soul that gets torn apart in those monstrosities.

Fang growled and clenched his pincers down harder. "Release me…at once!"

Koda could feel his palms bleeding. He glared and, using all his strength to keep the pincer open with one arm, fired Force Palm inside. The insides of the pincer exploded, causing Fang to reel back in pain. His pincer shrunk as he cradled it, seething with agony.

Koda blinked in confusion. There was no way it hurt that badly. That was a last ditch effort to force him away, but he was too focused on keep the pincer open that he couldn't muster the strength to fire off any stronger. That could only mean…

"You can only eat SOLID matter with those!" Koda gasped.

Fang's eyes widened. Crap!

Koda narrowed his eyes. I doubt liquid or gas would hurt him, so energy based attacks must hurt him. The insides of his pincers must be extremely sensitive. He smiled happily. When I tell Lord Dark about this, there's no way Fang will kill him now!

Fang saw the Dark Riolu trying to flee. "Oh no you don't!" Using his other pincer, he slashed through the branch they were on.

Koda lost his balance and fell out of the trees. He flailed his arms wildly before getting another vision of Fang diving down at him. However, because he was falling, he couldn't dodge properly.

He flipped himself barely out of full reach of the deadly pincers, at the cost of his left leg. He fired down Force Palm, blasting Fang straight down. Koda then saw the branch he was originally on and kicked off it, then grabbed onto a tree to stop himself. Once his leg regenerated, he began climbing.

This is crazy! There's no way I can keep up with him at the rate he's going! He flipped onto a high branch and hid himself behind the tree. At least I know his weakness. He held his hand over his heart. Even so, I'll eventually run out of energy to regenerate. I need to stay calm and think of a way to ditch him.

He looked around the tree cautiously. "No sign of him yet-AGH!" He gasped in pain as a sharp bite clamped down on his side. He clenched his teeth and looked to his left. Fang's right pincer was biting down on his hip while the other was powered up.

He grinned maliciously. "You can't escape me, 6746. I hunt down my prey with efficient dedication. And now to claim my reward!" He slashed through the Dark Riolu's legs, then slashed off his arm.

Koda winced in pain as he attempted to regenerate his limbs, but Fang kept tearing them apart. He wasn't even trying to kill him in one swoop. He was purposely eating him up until he lost the energy to regenerate.

"That's right, 6746! Keep clinging onto that pointless feeling you call hope! It'll be so much sweeter when you fall from grace at the hands of your own foolish treachery!" Fang shouted as he relentless tore apart the innocent Dark Riolu.

Koda panted heavily as he tried to regenerate any part of his body fast enough to, at the very least, stun him with a quick blow to the head or something. "You…can't…do this!"

"You act like there's a point to all this struggling!" Fang shouted, clenching down harder on his hip. "Wouldn't your precious life be so much better if everyone was dead? Wouldn't it be better if I end your suffering and slay you where you stand? Why do you heroic types put on the brave face and think you can make a difference?"

He hissed menacingly in the innocent Darkmon's ear. "You're a weakling. Nothing you do will amount to this great life you envisioned through your faulty lens. So stop acting like you can make sense of the world. Happiness only exists because of misery. Life exists because there's a time to die. Stop playing the hero and just accept reality. Stop living in a petty fantasy."

Koda clenched his teeth with his eyes tightly shut. A few tears brimmed out of his eyelids. "You don't know that!"

"I know plenty. When I'm done with you, the Pokémon, and the humans, they won't be asking me to spare their lives. They'll be begging for Death to knock on their doors!"

Koda tried to regenerate his arm, but Fang slashed it off again. He sighed shakily. "…why do you have to be so mean?"

"My gosh, you really are a child!" He threw his head back in laughter before stating, "Kid, haven't you learned anything?" He grabbed his head. "Life is hard. Life…IS LIVING DEATH!" He slammed his skull against the tree, splintering a large circle around the impact.

Koda gasped as the blow triggered his future vision. A series of images raced through his head, too many to interpret them. His eyes practically glazed over from the overload of images.

Fang narrowed his eyes at the Dark Riolu's dazed expression. "Geez, one blow to the head and you're already out cold."

These visions spoke millions to him. He wished he had more time to interpret them. However, one thing was certain: he had a mission to complete. He refused for this to be his end.

Mustering as much energy as he could, Koda regrew his right arm at a significantly faster rate than normal. "No matter what…no matter how many times you bring me down…I'm not quitting…"

Fang tried to slash his arm off, but failed to notice the Dark Riolu had regrown his legs and struck him in the jaw. Koda slammed his newly formed palm in his face and fired Force Palm.

Fang skidded to a stop and growled. "Why are you so willing to fight? You're weak! A runt! You're destined to die!"

Koda clenched his teeth and glared at him, panting heavily from the use in energy. "Because I'm a Darkmon…I'm the incarnation of evil…you can't destroy evil…" He swayed his body back and forth. "But I'm also a hero. Heroes never die!"

Fang growled. "Quit stating that heroic garbage. It's making you look stupid. You can't be a hero and evil at the same time."

"You make emphasis on stating life his pointless, right?" Koda brought his arms up into a fighting stance. "You see the world as black and white as the rest of the Darkmon. I'm accepting who I am…and turning it into my own strength! Using evil…TO FIGHT EVIL!"

With a loud roar, Koda's body erupted in a veil of purple aura, emitting a large pressure of wind that knocked Fang back quite a bit. The Dark Riolu's red eyes narrowed down at the Dark Gliscor as he got into a stance, preparing to pounce.

Fang dusted himself off and smirked. "So, that's your game, huh? Fine, I accept your challenge." He raised his claws and blazed his wings to life. "I've always wanted to see if I can beat a Darkmon using the Awakened Evil."

The two foes stared each other down, then made the lunge. Evil power vs. malicious intent. Which will come out on top?

Meowth and Chloe ran through the crowd of Darkmon that were either running of the forest to aid their comrades above or to take their turn at running the Pokémon out with brute force. Other than that Dark Stunky and Dark Cacturne, the Darkmon have been ignoring the two, implying they weren't aware of their involvement in the planned attack, which worked to their advantage.

Even so, the Dark Glameow couldn't help but ponder the Darkmon's surprise attacks. Meowth was so caught up in actually beating someone, and a Darkmon of all things, that he didn't consider the attack on a personal level. Why did they try to attack Meowth and her? Did they know something about their involvement? How could they know? Unless…

What if it has something to do with that same force that manipulated her? The one that nearly made her kill Meowth? That meant there was another Darkmon pulling the strings. This was an issue. They still weren't sure if Krookodile was finished with the escape tunnel.

"Laura!" Chloe glanced at Meowth as he called out for his dear friend. "Laura, where are you?! We need to leave, now!"

Chloe narrowed her eyes and looked ahead. It won't matter after today. They just needed to escape and they were all home free. The goal right now was retrieving Laura.

"She must have got lost in the crowd when the Darkmon were let loose!" Chloe determined as they sprinted around the massive crowd. "She likely tried to get somewhere away from the thick crowd, likely the trees!"

He nodded. "You're probably right! Still, it's going to take us forever to get through here!"

"If we keep calling out for her, she should hear…" Chloe stopped midsentence and glanced over her shoulder. Her earlier assumption seemed to be holding true, because Razor Leaf and Poison Sting was flying at them. "Get down!" She shoved Meowth to the ground as the two attacks flew overhead. They stood up and saw their attackers: a Dark Tropius and a Dark Whirlipede.

Dark Tropius smirked. "Looks like we found the traitors!"

Meowth's eyes widened. "Traitors?" He raised his hands nervously. "Um, you must be mistaken. We're loyal followers of Lord Dark, the rightful ruler of this crummy planet. Hehe, isn't that right, fellow Darkmon?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Give it up, Meowth. They're on to us." She growled. "What gave us away?"

"A little birdie told us last night when we were sleeping," Dark Whirlipede vaguely explained.

"But you shouldn't be allowed to attack us either way! Lord Dark said-!"

"-to destroy all that oppose us. He didn't word himself specifically enough. If he stated not to go after you two, despite your treacherous deeds, we wouldn't be standing here right now. Only a select few of us know the real truth about you treacherous felines." Dark Tropius snickered. "He did say to splatter your blood across this forest. Can't disobey an order!"

The two cats stepped back as they inched closer. Chloe growled. "I'll take them both on."

Meowth's eyes widened in surprise. "You can't be serious! I'm helping!"

She groaned. "Meowth, now is not the time to-!" Dark Whirlipede cut her off by rolling into her and knocking her away from her friend.

"Chloe!" he shouted out. He felt a presence coming in behind him and barely jumped out of the way of Dark Tropius' teeth snapping down on his tail. "WHA! Hey, my tail is not meant for snacking!" He unsheathed his claws and slashed the Darkmon's face.

He cringed a bit before smirking. "Ooh, the lowlife actually has some fight in him!"

Meowth glared and got into a crane like stance. "I'm warning you! Once I unleash my claws, they cannot be controlled!"

"I'm counting on it!" The Dark Tropius raised his wings and twirled them. A thick purple tornado of leaves wrapped around them before he swung them down.

Meowth gasped. "Leaf Tornado!" He tried to evade it, but his foot got caught in the wind and sucked him inside. He spun around, taking a lot of damage from the sharp leaves. Dark Tropius laughed as he swung the attack around before slamming Meowth into the dirt, making a Meowth-shaped impression the ground.

He pulled his face out. His eyes spun dizzily. "My, my, the world just keeps spinnin' and spinnin'…" Teeth clamped down on his tail and lifted him up. He flailed aggressively. "Hey, put me down!"

Dark Tropius grinned through his teeth. Through his clenched teeth, he said, "You really are a weakling. Should have figured from a Pokémon."

There was a point in time where Meowth would just lose his patience. He can put up with taunting for only so long before that tolerance level runs thin. And this Darkmon…oh boy, he was planting himself on a thin wire hanging over a pit of flames.

The cat glared at the Fruit Darkmon before shouting, "Alright, you want muscle?! I'll give you muscle!" He unsheathed the claws in his right foot and slashed them across the Darkmon's eyes.

"AAAHHH!" He released Meowth and held his eyes. "For darkness' sake! Why the eyes?! Why would you go for the eyes?!"

Meowth ignored him as he ran around his massive form and grabbed him by the tail. His normally weak muscles tightened with power, thanks to the enhancer leaf he ate. Arms, don't fail me now! With all his might, he lifted Dark Tropius off the ground and spun on his heel, swinging the massive sauropod around like a carousel.

The cat was, understandably, surprised by the amount of strength he was granted from one leaf and these wooden armor pieces. Note to self, if and when he goes back into the civilization of modern tech, he'll have to construct battle armor for himself.

However, that was a plan best suited for another day. He released Dark Tropius, who went flying into the trees. Meowth threw his fists in the air and cheered. "HAHA! Who's the weakling now?!"

"Quit boasting and do something useful, idiot!" Chloe barked at him as she forcibly pushed against Dark Whirlipede's Steamroller attack with her claws.

"HEY!" he shouted before racing towards his friend. "You get away from her!" He extended his claws and used Fury Swipes. "Taste the unlawful wrath of my Fury Swipes!" He slashed at the Darkmon's spinning body.

The lacerations to his rounded body hit hard, slowing him down enough for Chloe to pull her paw back and throw a hard Payback. The shock sent him flying into Dark Tropius, breaking apart the ground.

Meowth raised his fists and cheered, "Woohoo! Yeah, take that!" He extended his claws and held them in front of his face intimidatingly. "These babies are my pride and joy!"

Chloe rolled her eyes, then smirked. "Okay, so maybe you can handle yourself."

He smiled cheekily. "Told you!"

"Then again, you wouldn't have been able to do that with your own strength."

He deadpanned. "Can't you just, I don't know, be less honest? You're hurting my pride here."

She shrugged. "Not my fault the truth hurts."

Meowth groaned. "Yeah, we REALLY need to destroy that flower."

"If you even get the chance."

Meowth and Chloe immediately dodged a Rollout from Dark Whirlipede, but this was merely a diversion for Dark Tropius to incapacitate them with Leaf Storm. The dark hurricane of leaves smashed them against the trees before they collapsed on the ground.

They pushed themselves back up as the towering Darkmon grinned down on them with murder playfully shining in his red irises. "This time, I won't let you get the drop on me." He raised his forelegs to stomp on them.

Two blue energy bolts flew through the air and slammed across his face. The force toppled him backwards, landing on his back and flailing like a Torkoal on its shell.

The two blinked in shock, then turned around to greet their savior. Laura had her eyes narrowed as she configured her cannons back to her arms. She sighed and walked over to them. "Hey guys…"

"Laura!" Meowth ran up to her and hugged her tightly…at least, as tightly as you could when hugging a metal Pikachu. "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you!"

"Same," she replied halfheartedly.

He pulled back and observed her bummed out expression. "You okay?"

"I'm…fine." She looked back from where she came from. She has been pushing her way through multiple Darkmon trying to regroup with them. Right when Dark gave the order to kill the Pokémon, Ryder and Pikachu immediately jumped in and attacked her crush. They vanished in the darkness before she could even think about going after them.

A part of her…felt empty not saying goodbye to Dark. One moment, she was hesitantly ready to leave him forever. Now, after going through that whole ceremony…so close to marrying him…

She didn't know what to feel, otherwise her emotional glitch would be tampering with her hardware. She was stuck between sad, regretful, angry…she was somewhere in the middle.

She was willing to leave in order to save the world. Then he gave her this necklace that symbolized his feelings towards her. His true feelings may be locked away. She didn't know if he truly felt the same way about her. Yet, she knew somewhere deep, deep, deep, deep down, there was a part of him that wanted her to cherish this commitment.

He gave her his life force as a way to…express his commitment to this engagement.

She shakily pushed Meowth to the side and walked forward. "C-Come on. W-We need to f-find Krookodile or…whatever."

Meowth narrowed his eyes worryingly. Man…she has it bad for him.

Laura didn't even take three steps without suddenly getting tackled from the side, curtesy of Dark Whirlipede. Her left arm nearly fell off from the impact, but the wooden screws proved to be a bit more durable than she thought.

She rolled to a stop and glared. Now she knew what she was feeling: angry. "Okay…you've caught me in a pretty bad mood, buster." She raised her arms, turning them into arm cannons.

Dark Whirlipede rolled in place, preparing to run her over at full speed. Meowth and Chloe almost jumped into action to help her, but their assistance wasn't required.

Two hands shot out of the ground and firmly pressed against the sides of the Curlipede Darkmon. He slowed to a complete stop, which shocked him. It didn't' end there as he was then dragged underground, followed by a series of savage beatings that made the android and two cats flinch.

Once the fighting had stopped, a dark red blur jumped out of the ground and landed in front of them. Pushing his sunglasses up, he stated, "Well, I certainly know how to make an entrance!"

Meowth smiled and raised his fists. "Krookodile, you're here! Does that mean-?"

"-that the escape tunnel is finished? Why yes, it is!"

Meowth gave a short victory dance, even grabbing Chloe by the paws and spinning her around, earning a confused blush out of her. "This is perfect! We got to tell the others about this!"

"Yeah!" Krookodile looked around. "Where are Emolga, Scraggy, and Axew?"

"They're fighting, along with the rest of your twerpish friends!"

His eyes widened. "They're here, too?!"

"Yep!"

He smiled. "Great! Let's round them up and get out of here!"

"Follow me!" Chloe ordered before dashing ahead, followed by the sand croc.

Meowth stayed behind to confront Laura. "Laura…you sure you're alright?"

She clenched her fist tightly. "I'll…be fine. I'll catch up with you all in a moment." He narrowed his eyes unsurely. However, he didn't want to overstep his boundaries. So, giving a respectful nod, he ran off to catch up with Chloe and Krookodile.

Laura looked up at the leaves above, then at the necklace laying against her chest as she ran her finger across it. That may be the last time she'll ever see him. At least she has a piece of him to remember.

With a sigh, she ran after the others.

Claw and fist collided as the final collision of blows from Dark Garchomp and Hank ended with a rush of wind flying off their fists. They were both bruised from their vicious battle against each other. Dark Garchomp proved to be a tough opponent for the old agent, as he would just heal off most of the damage. Even so…

…he managed to overwork him.

Dark Garchomp panted heavily before falling over onto his back, passed out.

Hank panted heavily as well, yet he was still standing. The Darkmon that crowded around the two were in shock by the state of his aura. It had weakened a lot from the brawl, but it still remain strong throughout the fistfight.

"Who is that guy?!" one Darkmon shouted out.

"He's not human!" another yelled.

"How can anyone survive that many blows for so long?!"

Hank flexed his sore hands out, then tightened them into fists. He flashed a glare at the surrounding Darkmon. "Anyone else want to take a crack at me?" The Darkmon slowly backed off, teeth clenched irritably.

Hank narrowed his eyes. So many of them at once. But why did they choose to start their invasion at this time? Don't they know the sun will rise in…?

His thought process was cut short by a fist nailing him across the cheek. It somehow managed to bypass his protective aura, causing him to spit out blood. He dragged his fingers through the ground and stopped himself. He looked up to see a Dark Snorlax, who cracked his knuckles in anticipation for a fight.

Hank narrowed his eyes. "Must have been Chip Away that he used…" He smirked, picked himself up, and gripped his shoulder, winding up his arm. "Eh, I'm not that worn out."

Back inside the Pokémon Center, everyone was slowly pushing back the Darkmon. Now that they've got themselves situated out, they could plan accordingly against them.

Two Darkmon slammed their hands down and used Surf, conjuring a massive tidal wave. Dawn looked to Mamoswine. "Alright Mamoswine, Ice Fang!" The mammoth charged into the wave with icy energy wrapped around his tusks. He slammed into the wave and froze the water until a frozen Surf hung over the group's heads. "Now, send it back with Take Down!"

Digging his tusks under the frozen tidal wave, he ripped it from the ground and flipped it over the Darkmon. Some managed to get out of the way, but the rest were buried under tons of ice. Two Darkmon retaliated with Flamethrower. Woobat intercepted with Gust, pushing against the roaring flames.

"Keep it up, Woobat!" Jessie encouraged.

Togekiss lent her assistance by flying up to the ceiling, then divebombing down with Sky Attack. Her wings slammed into the two Darkmon and knocked them through the damaged walls.

Azumarill used Aqua Jet and slammed her fist across a whole chain of Darkmon lined up. With the last one, she grabbed it by the tail, threw it over her shoulder, and slammed it down on top of an already injured Darkmon.

Lucario swung his bone staff construct, Bone Rush, through the crowd, dealing precise strikes to their weak points. One tried to jump him, but he promptly countered with Aura Sphere, which it ran into and exploded.

Cilan snapped his fingers. "Crustle, X-Scissor! Stunfisk, Scald!" Crustle slashed through the crowd while Stunfisk sprayed the boiling water across them.

Unfortunately, this didn't stop a Dark Mienshao from leaping across the crowd and slamming its High Jump Kick into Crustle's face, then used its arm fur as a whip to snap across Stunfisk. It followed this up with Aura Sphere and threw two at the trainers.

They crossed their arms to, hopefully, block the damage, but Lucario got in front of them and caught the two spheres, then flung them back. Dark Mienshao countered with two more Aura Spheres, canceling each other out.

Lucario snarled, then summoned his Bone Rush staff. He sprinted at Dark Mienshao and collided his weapons against his palms. The Darkmon deflected the blow and rammed his knee across his cheek. The jackal pushed hard against the force, barely staggering. With a flash of his eyes, he blasted the Darkmon off with Psychic. He twirled his finger and pointed down, slamming the Dark Mienshao around the room before burying him head first into the shattered tile floor.

Lucario wasn't allowed a moment's rest as several Darkmon pounced down on him and drove their teeth into his flesh. He tried shaking them off, but they kept piling on top of him. Their combined weight overpowered the jackal before he collapsed onto his hands and knees.

Iris was about to have Excadrill get rid of them, but Ash beat her to the punch. He grabbed a piece of the tiled floor, which was broken into a straight edge staff, and whacked it across a Dark Raticate who was trying to chew apart Lucario's head. "Get off him!"

"Ash, stay away!" Iris shouted angrily.

Dark Raticate shook off the attack and growled. "You dare defile my face, you lowly human?!" Using Hyper Fang, he lunged and pounced down on Ash. The sharp tooth was close to gnawing down on his face, but Ash defensively held the stone up and caught it in Dark Raticate's mouth. He viciously tried to snap his teeth down on him, but he couldn't fully close his jaw.

"Ash!" Dawn called out. She tried to help him, but a Dark Arcanine stood in her way, snarling hostilely.

Lucario viciously trashed about, desperately trying to throw these cruel savages off. He used Psychic and blasted most of them off, but some were Dark-Types, so they weren't affected.

Cilan looked around worriedly. "What do we do?! We can't attack them without harming Ash or Lucario!"

James stepped forward. "I'm afraid we don't have a choice! Yamask, Night Shade!"

The ghost wailed the ghostly energy into the Darkmon holding down Lucario and Ash. All of them cringed from the discordant wailing, letting their guards down.

Iris nodded. "Excadrill, help them out!"

The mole dashed over to them and slashed off the Darkmon holding down Lucario. Once he was freed, he fired Aura Sphere into Dark Raticate, knocking him off. Dark Arcanine was momentarily distracted by this, allowing Stunfisk to blast him back with Scald.

Ash sat himself up and sighed with relief. "Man, that was close…"

"That was a really stupid move, Ash!" Iris scolded disapprovingly. "You could have got killed!"

"I had to help Lucario!" he tried to justify.

"Excadrill or the others could have done that!" she fired back.

A Darkmon leaped out of the crowd to pounce on them, but Crustle fired off Rock Wrecker and sent him flying back. Cilan stepped up, stating, "Now isn't the time to be arguing! They still out number us heavily!"

The Darkmon inched forward, snarling. However, they heard one of their allies outside wailing. They turned, then their jaws dropped.

Hank was slamming his fists into a Dark Snorlax, whose large belly should be absorbing all the shocks. Instead, his fists were leaving large bruises across his torso. He grabbed him by the arm and flung him into the air. Salamance, after scorching several flying Darkmon out of the sky, fired off Dragon Pulse, sending the large Darkmon into the Pokemon Center.

The Darkmon scrambled out of the way as the Dark Snorlax collided into the ground inside. He pushed himself up unsteadily, panting heavily from the beatings he took. His attention turned to the trainers, who backed away from the massive Darkmon. He ignited his fist in fire and took a step forward.

Azumarill kicked off the ground, using Aqua Jet, and struck the brute across the jaw. He resisted the force and struck the aqua rabbit in the torso. She flew into the wall, sticking for a moment before plopping onto the ground.

Dark Snorlax raised his foot to crush the aggressive rabbit, but Hank came in from behind and locked his arms around his neck. "Stay away from her!" he warned, forcing the brute back. He snarled at the old man and tried to reach for him.

"Excadrill, go help him!" Iris ordered. The mole nodded, then dashed forward.

As the trainers kept their eyes on the other Darkmon, James heard a ringing from behind. He averted his eyes and landed his eyes on the Poke Transporter. The screen, while slightly cracked, possessed a call symbol in the middle.

Someone was trying to send a Pokémon.

He looked back at the Darkmon before bolting over to the machine. He answered the call and appeared the face of Nurse Joy. "Hello? Hello, I need to speak with the Nurse Joy of this Pokémon Center."

"Uh…" James turned around and shrieked before ducking his head under a Flamethrower.

Nurse Joy gasped. "What's going on over there?!"

Hank flipped over the Dark Snorlax and kicked him across the face. He then shouted, "James, what are you doing?!"

"This Nurse Joy needs to speak with the one here!"

"Tell her we're in the middle of a crisis! We can't have any other Pokémon in the line of fire!"

James repeated the information to Nurse Joy, but she replied with, "But a young man requested that I immediately send you this Pokémon! He said someone is in trouble and only this one can help him!" She presented the Pokeball to the screen. "I don't know what's going on, but he sounded desperate!"

"I'm sorry, but we can't have any other Pokémon get hurt!" James insisted.

Dark Snorlax rammed against Hank, who stood his ground, digging his feet into the floor. He glanced at the transporter, then gasped at the Pokeball on screen. That stone? I've seen that Pokeball before!

"Look, now isn't a good time! Please call back when everything has settled down and-!" James was about to continue, but Hank suddenly said:

"Let her send it over! Now!"

James blinked. "Huh?!"

"I know whose Pokeball that is! I know who's inside! Send it over, now!"

James was confused by the demand, but he took the agent's word for it. He looked back to the Nurse Joy and said, "Alright…send it over!"

She nodded, then placed the Pokeball on the transporter. She typed in the commands, then pressed the 'Send' button. A white flash glowed off-screen.

Dark Snorlax finally grabbed Hank and threw him over his shoulder. Lucario caught his master and set him on the ground. "(Master, are you alright?!)"

Hank pushed himself up and coughed up blood. "Not as young as I used to be, but I'm still kicking…"

The Sleeping Darkmon slammed his foot down, shaking the center. Ceiling debris detached and rained down dust. With a roar, he charged towards them. However, Excadrill intervened with a Focus Blast into the giant's belly. It took a lot of force, but he managed to push the Dark Snorlax back before falling onto his back.

Excadrill leaped into the air, then dived down with Drill Run. Unfortunately, the Dark Snorlax wasn't out yet, as he caught the spinning mole with his hands and split him out of his drill state. Excadrill struggled, but wasn't granted enough time to escape from the Hyper Beam.

The beam encompassed the path in front of him, completely obliterating all in his way. The trainers barely managed to avoid the beam's wrath, only just grazing the tip of Jessie's shoes.

James fell back into the transporter just when the Pokeball appeared in a white flash. Knocking into the machine bumped the ball off, rolling across the floor. It shook madly on its own.

Dark Snorlax panted heavily from using the powerful attack, taking a moment's rest. He wound his arms up, then proceeded forward towards the trainers. Excadrill tried desperately to push himself up, but the Hyper Beam did far more damage than he expected, even with a resistance to it.

Jessie pointed at the brute, shouting, "Woobat, Air Slash!"

"You too, Togekiss!" Dawn commanded.

The two Pokémon raised their wings and fired off the wind slashes. Dark Snorlax merely batted them away, then did the same to the two Flying-Types, knocking them into the wall. Mamoswine charged forward with Take Down, but the Sleeping Darkmon stopped him by the tusks and smashed his Fire Punch into his face, sending him flying backwards.

The trainers huddled together worriedly while Lucario and Azumarill stood protectively in front of them.

Hank panted heavily, trying to push himself up. "Ugh…need to…help…can barely move…" His eyes darted to the Pokeball bouncing wildly across the floor. He snatched it off the ground and took a long, hard look at the gemstone on top.

He narrowed his eyes. That boy sure knows how to surprise his old man. You left making sure you were still in the loop, didn't you? He looked up at the Dark Snorlax advancing towards the kids and Rocket agents. He released a weary sigh, then looked at the Pokeball. Alright Ryan…let's see what you did this time.

He tossed the ball up once before chucking it high in the air. It momentarily stayed suspended over the Dark Snorlax's head before shaking. Suddenly, it split open, releasing a blinding light that crashed into the ground with a hard stomp. The landing, or perhaps the creature itself, released a massive burst of wind pressure that knocked the giant back. His face rippled from the rushing wind, trying to keep himself from toppling backwards again.

He groaned in annoyance, then peeked out from behind his crossed arms to get a clear look at what he was going to slaughter this time-

SMASH!

The giant gasped in pain as the released Pokémon, before the light around it could dissipate, rocketed itself into the Sleeping Darkmon's stomach and delivered a sharp, painful kick. The shock of the attack exploded throughout his body, nailing every fiber of his being in a single blow. In his mind, he knew this was much stronger than what the weakened old agent was dishing out earlier. This…was agony.

But it didn't end there. The Pokémon proceeded to distribute those same kicks across his entire body. As if one wasn't already intolerable, the rest were just as brutal as the first. Dark Snorlax tried to hit the Pokémon with Chip Away, but it was far too fast. It just kept running around him, ricocheting off the floor, and kicking him with sharp kicks.

The trainers, even Lucario and Hank, watched in awe as this single Pokémon was bringing the giant to his knees. And, to finish it off, it jumped into the air and brought down a precise axe kick to his skull, effectively knocking him out for…possibly several days.

The Pokémon landed gracefully, then turned to the other Darkmon crowding around it. They had unsure looks in their eyes. Dark Snorlax was their tank. He should have been able to wear down the resisters. And yet, this one Pokémon knocked him out?!

The Pokémon narrowed its eyes at them, but turned its attention to Hank, who said in an amused, yet warm tone, "They're not your target…you're here for someone else. You're here to help Ryder, aren't you?" It nodded almost immediately. Hank chuckled as he pushed himself up.

Ash blinked. "Wait, hold on…you know this Pokémon, Hank?"

"Know her? Heh…more than you know…" He grinned. "You've grown a lot, little lady. Guess Ryan wasn't sitting around and twiddling his thumbs when you all up and left. Heh…that boy…always doing things the hard way…" He gripped his shoulder, lightly squeezing it. "If I were you, I'd hurry before it's too late. We'll be fine here. You lightened our load quite a bit. Now move!"

She nodded, then dashed towards the exit. The Darkmon snapped out of their stupor and lunged at her. "And just where do you think you're go-AGH!" Having no time to deal with their interference, she dashed right pass them, throwing quick jabs into their sides, leaving them slightly paralyzed. The Pokémon dashed out of the center and raced off to the Forest of No Light.

Cilan blinked in wonder, then looked at Hank. "Hank…that Pokémon…is she…?"

Hank smirked, letting out a light chuckle. He held his hand out and formed an Aura Sphere, preparing to fire it at the Darkmon who were slowly rising to their feet. "Five years with revenge on her mind…not sure if I approve of it, but I think we'll be seeing a shift in this war soon."

Buneary leaped through the trees, keeping her arms protectively around Scarlet. The poor baby was shaken up from the events unfolding in front of her whimpering as she tried to make sense of these horrible things with her still developing mind. What was going on? Why were these mean creatures attacking these faces she has only gotten to know? Why was her mommy being chased by two creatures who looked almost like her parents?

The rabbit was immensely grateful to be born a Buneary, otherwise she wouldn't be able to block all these punches aimed either for Scarlet or her head. 8744 and 8745 were persistent in their chase against the protective mother. It would have been so easy for 8744 to just zap them with Thunderbolt, but that'd ruin the fun. Besides, he didn't have to worry about the rabbit's training. She had a major handicap keeping her from going all out.

8744 chased her down with Quick Attack. "Run, run, run, my prey! Gives me more time to go over my options to mutilate that brat!"

Buneary growled at the evil version of her mate. "I swear to Arceus, if you touch one hair on her precious little head, I'm going to-!"

8745 cut her off, jumping into her intended path and slamming her Dizzy Punch right into her face. She reached for Scarlet, but Buneary twisted her body and kicked her counterpart across the face. She then fired Ice Beam and froze the dark rabbit against the tree.

Her sensitive ears twitched, alerting her to dodge an Iron Tail from 8744. She backed away as he continuously swung his steel hard tail. "Come on, Buneary! Cooperate and I might make this quick and painless!" He smirked. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'll make it as slow and agonizing as possible! I want to hear your screams!" He smashed his tail down on the branch, knocking her out of the trees.

Buneary landed on her feet and dodged a Thunderbolt. She held Scarlet comforting as the confused baby cried. "It's okay, Scarlet! Mommy won't let them hurt you!"

8745 struggled before breaking her way out of the ice. She jumped down next to 8744, then brushed off the ice on her shoulder. "That special training of hers is making this difficult."

The Dark Pikachu smirked wider. "So what? She's still a weak, pathetic rabbit."

She smirked back. "Good point."

Buneary tightened her hold on Scarlet, but was still gentle so she didn't hurt her. She glared at the taunting Darkmon. They did think she was weak, eh? Well…they don't know what she put herself through to prove them wrong.

8744 flexed his fingers. "Let's end this battle and get on with the massacre." He rushed the rabbit, his cheeks sparking with electricity.

Buneary lowered her head, hiding her eyes in a dark shade. "You're much stronger than me…you're faster, tougher…maybe I can't beat you…"

"That's the whole point, idiot!" the Dark Pikachu shouted before swinging his Iron Tail directly at her head.

He intended to split her head open like a coconut, but what he got instead was his tail trapped between the rabbit's two, surprisingly strong ears, stopping his momentum and holding him in the air.

He shook viciously, trying to wiggle his tail out of her grasp. "Hey! Ear's off, idiot!"

Buneary growled. "Before…I might have ran away from this fight…but now…I can't afford to lose…"

8744 sneered, building up electricity in his cheeks. "I swear, if you pull anything, I'm ending that brat's life!"

The rabbit glared up at him with a devious sparkle shining in her eye. "You'll have to win first."

Suddenly, she threw herself backwards, bringing the Dark Pikachu along with her. Once she rolled onto her back, she used Bounce, but completely different to what it was intended for. Rather than leaping high off the ground, she used the strength of her leg muscles to kick the Darkmon into his back and nail him straight into the air with a brief shockwave.

8744 bit down on his tongue to keep himself from shouting out. D-Dang! What in the name of darkness?!

8745 sneered and raced towards the rabbit, activating Drain Punch. "I've had just about enough of you!"

Buneary spun on her back and misdirected the Drain Punch to harmlessly punch the ground, then struck her foot into the dark rabbit's chin, with less power. This was intentional as, after spinning back onto her feet, she leaped over her counterpart and spun downward before delivering a series of fast kicks downward, starting from her abdomen to her head.

8745 gasped out from the painful kicks. She tried to grab the rabbit, but she slammed her foot down into her face before flipping backwards, way out of her grasp.

Buneary smiled confidently, then looked down at her baby. "You okay, Scarlet?"

Again, she had no idea what was going on. However, seeing her mommy was protecting her from the scary monsters, her sobbing lightened down to light, gurgling whimpers. The rabbit smiled, thankful for Ryder's help.

*Flashback*

"We may have to lean your training in a new direction," Ryder said as he guided Buneary to their training ground, the same patch of dirt they've been doing their training on.

"How so?" she asked curiously.

"To put it bluntly, you're not that strong compared to the others. However, each of you do have your specialties. Pikachu's the fastest. Snivy's the most evasive. Oshawott has a bit more combat understanding thanks to his line's warrior nature. Piplup, despite his rash behavior, is likely the most unpredictable thanks to his contest experience. You appear to have the most agility out of all of them."

"Huh, really?" She wiggled her toes. "Makes sense, I suppose."

"Which is why I'll have to teach you a combat style that best fits with your agility. Simply running away, while useful to clearly ground, won't do you any good if you're facing a persistent opponent. No, you have to learn to use your agility offensively."

"Offensively how?" she asked.

He smirked. "Well, aside from your ears, you have a lot of strength in your legs. So, we need to focus on training you to combat enemies combining the power of your ears and legs. Think of it as your own style of capoeira."

"Capoe…what now?" She scratched her head in confusion. "Um…me no speak fancy talk," she replied goofily.

Ryder chuckled. "The results will give you an idea of what I'm trying to say."

*Flashback Ends*

If we survive this, he should really consider participating in contests. Buneary shook her head and focused on the two Darkmon in front of her.

8745 snarled. "She's mocking us…"

8744 cracked his knuckles. "Then let's rip her confidence to pieces."

With the other battles going on, Pachirisu was running away from Dark Krookodile, who was raining down Stone Edge wildly. The electric squirrel's great agility was enough to avoid the dangerously sharp rocks. However, three large ones and multiple shorter stones struck down in front of him and cut his path short.

He turned around, then caught sight of Dark Pachirisu leaping into the air and spinning down with Super Fang. Pachirisu quickly dislodged one of the smaller stones out of the ground and used it to block the attack. The evil squirrel sawed his way through the stone, close to snapping it in half.

Pachirisu clenched his teeth, trying to bear the strain in his arms. He swung the shard to the left, then kicked Dark Pachirisu by the side, avoiding the deadly fang. He then used Spark and slammed his body against him. Dark Pachirisu sneered before grabbing hold of his counterpart's tail and lifting him off the ground. He swung him around, then threw him across the dirt.

The electric squirrel dug his paws into the ground and halted himself. However, he lost his balance as the ground caved in under him. He quickly rolled out of the way of the evil sand croc rising out of the hole. He raised his claws high and slammed them down on Pachirisu, uplifting a cloud of dust.

He raised his claws once the dust parted, only to discover the rodent had vanished. He looked around intensively, trying to pick out his location. Soon, a sharp pain slashed up his back, in the form of Pachirisu's Super Fang. The squirrel spun around in the air and landed in a tree.

Not even two seconds of breathing room and he was already being attacked, as Dark Pachirisu grabbed him from behind. He smirked. "Just give up! Your pointless cause shall only see defeat! So, concede and I might let your death be honorable!" He dipped backwards, bringing his counterpart down with him. He aimed Pachirisu's head to the ground.

The squirrel grabbed his captor's hands and, with all his might, attempted to pry them off from around his waist. "You'll have to put a hold on my funeral! Death's not knocking on my door today!" He twisted his body and spun themselves around.

The spinning force was enough to slip out of the dark squirrel's hold. He flew into a tree and slammed against it with a loud 'splat'. Pachirisu pulled his face off, his eyes spinning dizzily.

"Heeey…stop spinning the world around, guys…"

He came back to his senses after a rogue Stone Edge came close to grazing his face. He jumped away as more came flying at him. Dark Krookodile used Dragon Claw and rushed up to the electric Squirrel. "I can keep this up all day, rodent! Half your attacks won't work on me!"

He smiled innocently. "Yeah, half of them, but not all! Sweet Kiss!" He pressed his hands to his mouth and blew a heart at him.

Upon making contact with his face, Dark Krookodile stopped and slashed viciously at the air. "AGH! What's going on?! Why are there so many of you?!" He proceeded to attack the air, even slashing at his own face.

While this was going on, Quilava was running away in sheer panic. He had an evil duplicate chasing him down with Flame Wheel and a homicidal version of Axew blasting away at him with Dragon Rage. What has his life come to? Can't he get a break?!

"Keep shrieking, runt!" Dark Quilava taunted. "It'll only make my catch much sweeter!"

"I feel like this is really unfair!" Quilava yelled, dodging another Dragon Rage.

"Who freakin' cares?! As long as you pests are erased from history, a normality such as fairness doesn't exist in my vocabulary!"

Quilava stopped and rolled out of the way of Flame Wheel once it was close enough, allowing it to completely miss. He swallowed hard, shivering uncomfortably. They weren't going to give him any time to strategize or fight back. It was survival now, with only the strong standing on top.

The fire weasel exhaled his nerves, trying to calm himself. Now wasn't the time to get worked up. He had friends to help. He had a trainer he wanted to get back to. He had a bright future down his path. It wasn't going to end here, not on his count.

Dark Quilava shifted directions and wheeled towards his counterpart. "Hold still so I can roast you, matchstick!"

Quilava stared down the destructive flames and held his breath before charging at full speed. He curled up mid-dash and activated Flame Wheel.

The two spinning flames collided with each other. As they pushed against each other, their attacks absorbed each other's flames. The Flame Wheels were beginning to grow bigger, mixing with red and purple flames.

Dark Axew saw this as an opportunity to catch Quilava off guard. So, he used Outrage, turning himself feral and unstable before leaping into battle. However, the fire weasel wasn't so easy to ambush as expected. He turned slightly to the left, grazing pass Dark Quilava and letting him take the downward force of the Outrage.

Quilava skidded to a stop, then shrieked as Dark Axew wasn't even slowed down. He leaped off his injured ally and continuously chased down the frightened fire weasel.

With Pansage, he was leaping across the trees, avoiding punches from his counterpart. He had to admire how strong these Darkmon truly are. While he himself could leave an impression of his fist in wood, his counterpart was fully capable of shattering through half a tree. Though, that also gave away the aftermath to what will happen if he gave him a chance to connect that deadly punch to his face.

Pansage ricocheted off a branch and flipped over Dark Pansage, firing Bullet Seed into the back of his head. He stumbled forward a bit, but retaliated with his own Bullet Seed. Pansage crossed his arms as the force knocked him across the trees. He dragged his feet into the branch and halted himself.

Dark Pansage rubbed his head, smirking. "You're putting up more of a fight than I gave you credit for. I'm actually having the single, tiniest shred of enjoyment."

Pansage panted and raised his fists. "Is that all you care about? Living in a fantasy world devoid of good intentions? Just self-enjoyment out of murder?"

He shrugged, snickering cheekily. "Why not? What else is there? All that matters is upholding the law of evil."

Pansage glared. That plant did a number on their minds. They can't even take a moment to consider their actions. Defeating them is the only way to end this.

Good news, he did have the appropriate method of dealing with him. One Solar Beam, made up of solar energy that was harmful to these monsters, should do the trick. Bad news…the Darkmon variant of the move charges much faster in this murky darkness.

Pansage positions his hands in front of him and began to collect a small…very small amount of sunlight. It would take a while to fully charge. His counterpart, obviously, wasn't going to give him the luxury of finishing the process.

He leaped forward, fist tightened. "Oh, your plan is to erase me, eh?! Good, good! Cling on to that false hope just a little longer, fool!"

Pansage leaped away from the punch, which snapped the branch he was on. He landed on another tree, still charging Solar Beam.

Dark Pansage grinned viciously. "Hey, hold still! You're making this harder on yourself!" He summoned Rock Tomb and hurled it at him.

Pansage dodged again as the rock toppled the tree over, but he was wide open for a direct punch to the abdomen, sending him plummeting into the ground. He groaned painfully, then immediately rolled away from his counterpart's destructive landing.

Dark Pansage held his hands back and charged his…well, not Solar Beam. Perhaps…Lunar Beam? Shadow Beam? Anti-Solar Beam? Eh, whatever.

He chuckled wickedly. "You're out of your element, idiot! In here, you're in my domain! I live for the darkness!" He fired the black beam at his counterpart. Pansage turned his back to it before it made contact. The powerful beam resulted in a massive explosion that spread flames across the trees, scorching them with purple embers.

Dark Pansage grinned evilly before walking towards the smoldering crater that housed a possibly grieving and broken grass monkey. "Just submit and accept death, weakling. Darkness blots out your light. Darkness consumes all into nothingness. Your precious light will flicker out like a candle on a windy night, lost in the forever pitch black abyss."

He reached into the smoke, then retracted his hand as a bright light shined through. He covered his face, then noticed his arms and torso were burning up. Light scorch marks started to form, then slowly spread across his body as smoke emitted from his skin. The outlined of the burn marks burned orange.

He clenched his teeth and glared into the smoke, which parted to reveal a heavily injured Pansage, lying on his back. His back had some nasty burns stretched across, along with the front side of his body. Even after that, he was not only conscious but also had Solar Beam fully ready to fire.

He took a moment to swallow his pain, then said, "Darkness can blot out the light, but even the dullest of stars shine through pitch black. This dull light…shall transform into a bright star! Solar Beam!" He fired the beam into Dark Pansage.

He almost got away, but the beam consumed half his body. The right side of his body slowly turned gray and withered away into dust. He screamed in pain and rolled across the ground, his right side burning and unable to regenerate until the pain subsides.

Pansage panted, then dropped his head on the ground. It won't keep the dark monkey down forever. Hurry Ryder…Pikachu…you have to win.

With his opponent incapacitated at the moment and clearly unable to sit up himself, the temptation to rest and gain back his strength came to mind. He wanted to close his eyes for a moment and sleep away the pain. No other Darkmon were currently around and his friends were handling their own opponents. Not like he'll be much help like this.

He almost shut his eyes, but kept them open as he saw a shadow dash across the trees. It was so fast, it likely didn't see him. He narrowed his eyes curiously. Who was that?

The dark clouds hanging overhead were a harbinger of doom for the pinned Charmeleon. Unable to lift his arm up from under the strength of Dark's foot, he was officially trapped. He couldn't use his other arm without the threat of having the bones in it reduced to powder. He was completely at the mercy, or lack thereof, of the malicious Darkmon lord.

Dark raised his hand, commanding hundreds of rocks to rise in the air. With a snap of his claws, they were carved into sharp stones, points aimed for Ryder. The Darkmon lord smirked. "I almost feel bad for doing this. Who will be my heroic-spouting rival now? Life will be so boring with your existence erased from this world. All we'll have are these fine memories of your plunders."

Ryder clenched his teeth. "This isn't how it'll end…I'm not down yet…"

The Darkmon raised a brow, amused. "I'm literally pinning you against the ground with my foot. Just give up. It's the easier option."

Ryder growled. "If I went my entire life taking the easy route to eliminate you, I'd deserve death. I'm not giving up until you surrender!"

"Until I surrender?" Dark narrowed his eyes. "Or until you kill me?" The hesitance in Ryder's face was the only reply he needed. He closed his eyes and gave a short chuckle. "Of course…it's all you heroes do. Uphold the peace…and don't kill…unless it benefits peace. So…I want to know: which is it?"

Ryder didn't answer. He was one word away from having rocks stabbed through his body. What could he say without sounding like a hypocrite in the eyes of this powerful being?

Dark sighed. "It's all you do. You present these codes of ethics that a hero should fall under, but you're willing to turn your back on these morals if it means upholding life and peace. The irony of it all is that you're trying to protect two whole species by killing another species. Where's the justice in that? Don't you live in a society where you need to stand trial? What, I'm not permitted a fair, unbiased trial to defend my actions?" He smirked. "Oh, that's right, I forgot. This is a world that frowns upon all negative actions and has to eradicate them all without a second thought. How silly of me to overlook such a fine detail." He pressed down harder on Ryder's leg. The Charmeleon clenched his eyes tightly, trying to suppress the pain.

"In this little world of yours, everyone needs to act happy. If someone is sad, you try and make them happy. If someone is angry, suddenly they get scolded for being upset over something so personal. 'You're not allowed to act mischievous or bad. You have to followed our standards if you want to be respected in life'." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's funny. We're not allowed to express deeper emotions…yet I know the benefits of evil and negative behavior far more than you ever will.

"If I always acted happy all the time and accepted everything that happened with a cheery outlook, I wouldn't be a good ruler. I treat everything that happens with an air of apathy. If it blows up in my face, I can get upset while reflecting on my blunders. You would never learn from your mistakes if everything went well."

He pressed down harder on Ryder. "If anything, you should be thanking me, Ryder. Because you experienced the feeling of loss and defeat by my hands, it motivated you to train yourself against a force you just can't win. Sure, you may be able to take on my minions…but faced against me and you'll get a broken elbow." He applied more pressure, forcing a sharp gasp of pain out of the Charmeleon. "The Darkmon will always grow in power. Pokémon…well, you in particular…have reached your limit."

He twirled his claw, preparing to fire the shards down. "Goodbye, my old rival. I doubt we'll meet again."

It seemed like it was over for the agent. With one flick of his claw, Dark fired down the rock shards with great speed. From the perspective of Ryder, the rocks felt like they were moving in slow motion. Was this that feeling most creatures get when they were on the brink of death? Were they given a brief window of time to let their entire life flash before their eyes?

Was this really it? He failed in his mission to stop the Darkmon? He'll never see Ryan, Jade, Techno, Tsunami…everyone, ever again? All those good times they've had together, from journeying throughout the different regions to training in the Shadow Agency, all left behind without even a proper goodbye to them?

Ryder's eyes were shrunk as he stared intensely at the shards. He couldn't die here. He didn't come this far to be treated like a child. His state of mind was in conflict, trying to wrap his morality around Dark's philosophy. Was there truly more to evil than he believed? Has he been living his life under the impression that life made sense? Was there more to these conflicting morals than meets the eye?

He might never get a chance to contemplate these thoughts, as the shards were nearing the point of impact. He was as good as dead.

…however, a saving grace came to his aid.

Even though the shards had a very short distance to cover to strike down Ryder, a Thunderbolt was fired precise and quick enough to obliterate the rocks. The Charmeleon stared in disbelief as a curtain of electricity flew over his face, protecting him from death.

Dark glanced in the direction of the Thunderbolt, but the attacker was already gone. He looked around curiously when he suddenly felt a kick to the side of his head. He was knocked away from Ryder and rolled back into a standing position, then stopped his momentum.

Ryder looked up at his savior: Pikachu.

He smiled and held his hand out. "How you holding up?"

Ryder smiled weakly, taking his hand and lifting himself up. "To be honest…not all that well." He glared at Dark. "I knew he'd be tough, but we've barely landed a scratch on him."

"We're just gonna have to keep pushing harder," Pikachu suggested.

Dark narrowed his eyes at them in discontent. "Honestly, it's like they're asking to die…" he muttered to himself. Hands behind his back, he started walking forward. "I must admit, you two, I, once again, underestimated the level of stubbornness you wield. Any other creature would be whimpering like a small child with the attacks I deliver." He narrowed his eyes. "But the stubbornness you express is nothing more than a façade for me to bring down."

Pikachu held his fists up. "We're never going to give up, Dark. Not until we stop your tyranny."

He smirked mockingly. "All heroic goals that'll fade into oblivion." He rushed at the two, claws glowing with draconian energy.

Ryder and Pikachu jumped away from each other, dodging the claws, then kicked off the ground to strike Dark. He flickered into nothingness, completely evading their attacks. He appeared above them, summoned hundreds of fireballs, and rained them down. Both of them used their bo staffs to deflect the fireballs.

Ryder jumped into the air using Aerial Ace and threw a strong punch at Dark. He caught the fist and kicked him across the face. Ryder would have been sent flying, but he kept a strong grip on Dark. He endured the force of the attack, still managing to hang on.

He fired a blank point Inferno into his face. Dark narrowed his eyes as he felt his skin burning. He inhaled sharply, sucking up the flames in an instant. With a wicked grin, after swallowing the flames, and exhaled a thick cloud of poison. Ryder covered his mouth with his cloak and jumped away.

Dark shadow stepped behind him, then brought his clasped fists down on his head. He prepared to fire a psychic powered beam, but Pikachu interfered with a powerful Thunderbolt to his back. He whipped around and aimed the intended beam for him instead.

Pikachu, using Quick Attack, ran away from the psychic energy. Rock and dirt were brought up and flew across the land. The mouse made a sharp left, then rocketed himself at Dark, using Iron Tail as the kick off. He swung the iron hard tail into him, landing a clean shot at his abdomen.

Dark barely felt anything, only laughing as he slammed his palm into the mouse's stomach and firing off pressurized water. Pikachu was drilled through the ground reaching almost ten meters deep.

Pikachu picked himself up and immediately realized he was submerged in pit of water. Holding his breath, he quickly swam to the top. Dark, however, landed on the top of the water, the tips of his claws grazing the water. Once contact was made, a thick layer of ice sealed off his escape.

Pikachu reached the top and pushed against the freezing surface. He pounded his fists frantically, trying to break it. He was able to throw a hard enough punch with the water working against him.

Dark snickered. "You know, maybe beating you to a pulp is a little too simple. Drowning you, however…oho, even I surprise myself with the extend of my cruelty."

Pikachu turned around and slammed Iron Tail at the ice. Again, with the water dragging his speed down, he couldn't work up the proper momentum to break the ice. If he were on land, this be much simpler.

Bubbles of air escaped his mouth. He held it as he felt his lungs begging for oxygen. He frantically flailing his feet, trying to think of a way out. Perhaps firing Thunderbolt would work, but he wasn't sure how much of it he could take while underwater.

Dark smirked. "At least I guaranteed one kill out of all of this."

A powerful shockwave blasted his back, knocking him forward. He caught himself in the air and levitated back to his feet. He turned around, then blocked a swift strike from Ryder. Ryder aimed the Shockwave Gun at his face, but he used his psychic power to misdirect the shot. He then slammed his head against the agent's and kicked him away.

Ryder caught himself, then made a dash for the pit of water. "Hang on, Pik!"

Dark slammed his foot down and erected a wall of earth that blocked the path to Pikachu. "I'm afraid this confrontation is between you and I now." He blasted him away with a gust of wind, then casually walked towards him.

Pikachu furiously punched at the ice. He really wished Ryder gave him an explosive or something. All he had was his bo staff and, if Iron Tail wouldn't cut it, there was no way that aid in his escape.

He was gonna have to risk it with Thunderbolt. I really hope this doesn't knock me out!

He concentrated hard on bringing out his electrical power, his cheeks crackling furiously, before released a powerful Thunderbolt that spread throughout the water. The blast itself hit him as well, stinging at his body. With enduring the pain, staying conscious from lack of oxygen, and firing the Thunderbolt to save himself, he was pushing him hard.

The bolt of lightning smashed against the ice and withered through it quickly. It wasn't long before it fired straight through. He immediately ended his attack and swam up, the last bits of oxygen escaping him.

Above with Ryder and Dark, the two were engaged in close quarters combat. Ryder swung his foot at Dark's side, but he blocked it and countered with a palm strike to the face. The Darkmon then grabbed him by the arm and slammed his elbow into his chest. Ryder gasped with pain, but pushed through to fire off a Brick Break into his gut.

Dark smirked viciously. "You call that a punch?!" He threw a flurry of punches at him, forcing Ryder to push himself onto the defense. "These are punches!"

Ryder blocked and misdirected them to the best of his ability. He knew Dark was still holding back on him, as he could move much faster than this. Still, that worked to his advantage.

He reached behind him and lobbed a bomb into the air. For a split second, Dark's focus was stuck on the bomb. With this, Ryder tackled him to the ground, planting two bombs on his arms. He caught the midair one and planted it onto Dark's chest while he flipped off.

They immediately detonated, with the blast wave knocking Ryder back. He knew that didn't stop Dark, but it was hopefully wearing him down.

Ryder brought his hands together and concentrated on trying to form an Aura Sphere. Using aura based attacks were probably his best bet to putting the Darkmon lord to his knees. However, this was a matter of whether Ryder could form an Aura Sphere or not,

He concentrated hard on trying to create the aura attack. The best he could accomplish was forming a pathetically tiny spark that blew up in his face. He groaned before reaching into his cloak.

If that won't work, then it's time to bring out the Electro Gauntlet. I just hope I can recover from the burns.

He just managed to wrap his claws around it when a punch slammed across his cheek. He didn't go flying as Dark, his attacker, caught him by the end of his cloak and flung him over his shoulder, slamming the agent into the dirt.

Ryder coughed harshly after swallowing some dirt. He suddenly felt a psychic force lift him off the ground. His movements were completely restricted as he was turned around to face Dark.

The Darkmon lord narrowed his eyes. "Are you done?" The burn marks from the explosion were completely healed up. "Was that your last trick?" He saw Ryder's eyes dart down to the right side of his cloak. This made the Dark Charmeleon smirk. "So, there's more?" He sighed. "What difference will it make?"

"I can guarantee you what I have left instore for you will leave you crying out in pain," Ryder muttered harshly.

Dark waggled his claw. "Ah, ah, ah, heroes shouldn't be saying such harsh things," he counseled condescendingly. "I don't know what this ultimate weapon of yours is, but you'll never get the chance to use it."

He tapped his foot on the ground and summoned a wooden staff. The wood looked dead and lifeless. It was twisted and coiled tightly. The top half had a hook shape.

He grabbed the staff and pointed the straight end at Ryder's heart. Ice formed out of his hand and froze the bottom half into a sharp spear. He pressed it against his chest, not damaging the skin but forming frost over the spot.

"Now, where did we leave off earlier? Oh right, I was about to kill you." He chuckled. "If you have any last words, might as well say them."

Ryder sneered. "Once Pikachu gets free, he'll save me."

"I'll give him credit for stopping my last execution attempt, but he's likely drowned by now. You partner is gone and only I'm here. Your friends are fending for their lives. No one's coming to save you." He pulled his spear back. "I told you before…there isn't a guardian angel coming to save you. It's all just heroic talk you say to give you hope in your darkest hour.

"If there really is a hero coming to save you, then tell me: who's foolish enough to take on the Lord of Fear and Darkness himself?!"

Even if Ryder had an immediate answer to give, he wasn't allowed the time. The moment Dark finished his question, an Electro Ball came flying at Dark from his left.

Dark narrowed his eyes. Pikachu got out, eh? He smirked. "Oh, what difference does it make?" He lazily held his hand out. "What does it take to show you I'm stronger than-?"

He caught the Electro Ball and was syphoning off its power, yes. However, this one was far different than the previous Electro Balls thrown by Pikachu. For one…this one didn't stop flying when he caught it.

Dark didn't know how, but this Electro Ball had much more force thrown into it. Even though he was absorbing the energy, the momentum was pushing hard against him. He dragged his feet through the ground, trying to slow down the Electro Ball, but, even though he was losing momentum, it persisted through.

Eventually, after being pushed through the leveled plain he created, he was back in the forested area where his back met a tree. The Electro Ball washed over his body and exploded in a bright shower of electricity.

The moment when Dark was shot away, his psychic hold over Ryder ceased. He dropped to the ground and panted, taking in precious gasps of air. He shook his head, amazed by the amount of power within that single Electro Ball. When did Pikachu muster up that much electricity?

He looked to the pit where Pikachu supposedly drowned and saw the mouse laying on the ledge just enough so he didn't sink back in. He was clearly exhausted.

Ryder picked himself up and lightly sprinted to him, holding his sore arm. "Pik, are you alright?"

Pikachu was completely soak, his wet fur clinging to his body. He looked up tiredly. "Just…peachy…" He swallowed and planted his face into the dirt. "Just give me a minute…to catch my breath…"

Ryder wrapped the mouse's arm around him and pulled him up to his feet. "I'm glad you're alright. I'm surprised you managed to fire off the Electro Ball with the state you're in."

Pikachu rubbed his face. "Yeah, well…I won't be swimming for a while. Not after that…" He raised a brow curiously, then faced Ryder. "Wait, what Electro Ball?"

Ryder narrowed his eyes. 'What do you mean? You used Electro Ball to knock Dark away, right?"

"Ryde, with what I went through and the state I'm in, I'd be lucky to stand on my own. I didn't fire Electro Ball."

"But…if you didn't…who did?"

"An old friend of yours, obviously," a voice stated from behind.

Ryder's heart skipped a beat. His eyes shrunk in disbelief. That voice…it came off sweet like honey. It spoke like a gentle angel, yet with a feisty tone hiding in the background. The tone of voice was confident and strong, expressing no concern or worry, yet there was a warmness to the tone. It was kind and loving. There was a great deal of care behind those words. Someone who…cared about him.

Ryder and Pikachu, in shock, slowly turned around to face the newcomer. Pink skin and white wool, a sparkly glow surrounding her even in the darkness, and elegant poise from her stance. Around her neck was a green scarf that covered her mouth and had the ends draped down her back.

The Chameleon's eyes shimmered in uncertainty, wondering if this was another hallucination created by Dark, as the Flaaffy pulled down her scarf to reveal a large, loving smile stretching across her face. "It's been a while…hasn't it, Ryder?"

The Charmeleon was frozen in place, shaking with doubt, yet elation, an expression that he couldn't show off in his face. It was stuck in an expression of surprise and disbelief. Nothing about this felt fake. That voice…her appearance…even her stance…it was all her.

It was…

"J…Jade?"