A Spirit's Journey

by PkmnMaster Rolf

A story, you say? Well, I know a few of those. Some of them are about me, and some of those are even true. This one's one of my favorites. It's how I came to be the Absol I am today. Of course, I didn't like it then, but that's how it always is with life. It's kind of funny that way. It starts with me running down the slopes of Mt. Coronet...

36. Chapter 36: Fearless Fighter Rio?

Chapter 36:

Fearless Fighter…Rio?

It took almost a full minute (dream-time) for Darkrai to stop laughing. I growled, but at least it was an improvement over going after Nine. "So, it has come to this, then!" Darkrai said when he finally calmed down enough to form coherent sentences, "You betray me and try to break off our deal before it is completed! Not that I am surprised."

"I used your power, I did not use your mind," I countered, "But you are using my head to do all this stuff. Therefore, the deal's off!"

Darkrai sighed and nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "So then, since you cannot convince me that you are right and I certainly can't convince you to stand aside…"

I rushed him, not giving him the chance to finish that thought. A wall erupted out of the ground in front of me and I ran face-first into it. Darkrai chuckled. His hand melted right through it and grabbed my throat, slamming me to the ground. "I can already tell I am going to win. Your thinking is too…limited."

I bit down on his hand. It was like biting old, ragged cloth that had been storing stale food for too long. I coughed as a cloud of dust flew in my face and up my nose. Darkrai's grip tightened, making it incredibly painful to breath. Desperately, I did what I had done to shatter the cage and the wall sealed up around his arm, squeezing it until he loosened his grip slightly. In a flash, I slipped out and was away from the wall, snarling and ready to pounce. Giant, black vines erupted around me, trying to entangle and crush my body. Instinctively, I swung my blade and they fell, neatly cut in half, even though there was no way I possible could have reached them all or cut through so easily. But hey, it was a dream. Crazy things happen.

"Spirit!" Mew called. Unfortunately, it was right as Darkrai shattered the wall and sent the shards flying toward me. I quickly shifted sideways to avoid the attack.

"Shut up, Mew!" I snapped, annoyed, "Trying to fight here!" I crouched and, with a thought, turned the stone underneath me into a catapult, pouncing with lightning speed onto Darkrai. He opened his mouth wide and a ghoulish scream echoed in my ears, freezing me in a wave of irrational fear. One backhand later and I was flying through the air, impossibly high, and directly toward the maze. I did not want to be sucked into that thing, so I quickly conjured up a platform to land on out of the rubble strewn about. It still hurt, but it was better than being trapped in that maze.

"You're doing it wrong!" Mew shouted, "You can do anything here! You need to think more like me or else you'll never win!"

I ignored him for the time being and sent a wave of darkness at my tormentor. He simply waved his hand and parted it. He lifted his hand and fragments of the ground cracked and lifted into the air, coalescing into the form of a giant scythe. He twirled and the scythe extended, forcing me to leap off my platform to avoid being cut in half. Where I was standing shattered instantly, but instead of the expected sounds of stone being destroyed it made an eerie moaning sound.

"No!" Mew protested as Darkrai brought the scythe around for another swing, "You need to forget how you usually fight and create things with your mind! You're only limited by your imagination!"

That made sense, and I was getting tired of dodging the scythe. So, I gave it a try. The next time the scythe came around, a stone hand reached up and grabbed it. With one squeeze, the scythe shattered. Darkrai snarled and I instinctively recoiled, his aura of fear temporarily overcoming my resolve. Instantly, he attacked again, tearing great chunks of stone shaped like arrowheads and flinging them at me with a thought. I stomped my foot and a wall appeared, shielding me. I thought I was doing pretty well, but Mew sighed.

"He's toying with you, Spirit," he said.

"Well," I shouted, leaping away as a circle of spears shot up from the ground and intersected right where I had been, "What do you suggest?"

"Try a wave of your favorite food! A storm of razor-sharp lollipops! Something impressive!" Mew called back.

"Impressive, huh?" I muttered, "Well, let's see then…" Before I could really come up with something good, the ground around me suddenly rose into the air, forming a large ring that quickly contracted, trying to crush me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I ordered the stone beneath my feet to shoot into the sky, carrying me to safety. When I next opened my eyes, I was rapidly rising on a thin pillar that had barely enough room to stand on, already five hundred feet in the air. I corrected my course, turning the trajectory of my ride so it was headed right for Darkrai, leaping off at the last second to avoid getting crushed. I landed and turned to see Darkrai floating right next to where the pillar had made its landing, amused.

"Well that was creative," Darkrai said, "But not enough."

I grinned as an idea occurred to me. A crack in the ground opened up and a small group of armored humans rose out of it. Their faces couldn't be seen because of their helmets, but their metal shells were covered in spikes and they held cruel looking weapons in their hands.

"So, the Pokémon commands the humans?" Darkrai chuckled, "Clever, I must admit."

I smirked. "Go, attack him! Use…stab, hack, and slash!"

My small army charged, but the ground shook and rumbled. A creature broke through with a bellowing roar. It certainly wasn't a Pokémon but rather something…else. A huge horned beast with dagger-like teeth and sword-like claws. It stood on two legs and had huge, beating wings that knocked my small army down with the sheer power of the wind they generated. A blast of purple fire from its mouth melted the armor, turning my soldiers into little puddles.

"It appears that I am one step ahead of you," Darkrai said with a confident smirk, "Now really, Spirit, did you truly think this would work? I have been living in this realm, the Dreamworld, for…centuries, even. I have so much more experience with this sort of fighting than you do. You can't beat me at my own game."

I glared at the creature he had summoned, contemplating it. Then, with another stomp on the ground, I shattered large portions of the plain stretching behind the maze. The largest chunks collected together, forming a pile, which rose up in the form of a tremendous golem, twice as high as Darkrai's beast.

"Oh, so now we are competing to see who can create the biggest monster?" Darkrai said, unimpressed,"Well then…" His beast swelled in size, growing larger and larger. It's head split into two, and then three, and then four, and so on until it had seven, hissing heads at the end of the same amount of snake-like necks. Seven maws opened to reveal seven sets of razor sharp teeth and they roared as one, shaking the ground beneath my feet.

I lifted my foot and grinned when I saw the object hidden underneath it. "To take a page from the humans, go Poke-ball!" I kicked the summoned object as hard as I could. It struck true, hitting the beast right in the middle of its chest and sucking it in. It wobbled three times and clicked before flying back to me. I tapped the button and the creature instantly reappeared, but this time it was on my side. Darkrai's cloak flapped wildly in the wind created by the force of its roar.

"Be gone." The Lord of Nightmares waved his hand and the ground swallowed both monsters up. "That was a clever move, but it still does not mean you have any chance of winning. This is only a delay, one that I am willing to indulge for a while but will soon grow tired of. You must face the facts, Spirit, you simply do not have the power, even in your own mind, to defeat me."

"Then you will have to prove it!" I snapped, "Besides, you think I'm going to listen to you when you just demonstrated how disastrous that can be?" That reminded me, could I possibly destroy the maze and let everyone out? I attempted it, but immediately I felt an overpowering force opposing me and retreated.

"True. You are indeed wise and perceptive," he drawled sarcastically, "Then I shall prove it by also taking a page from the human's book! Eight of them!" He raised his hands and trees shot up all around, dark, twisted things as hard as the stone they sprouted from. Wriggling tentacles sprouted from Darkrai's back and two, thin legs appeared. He looked himself over and gave a satisfied sigh, then vanished from sight.

"Behind you!" Celebi shouted, pointing. I whirled just in time to block one of his new appendages from drilling a hole into the back of my head with my blade. I growled and tried to lock eyes with him, but found I couldn't look at him directly without my vision going fuzzy. So, I lengthened my blade and swung, taking down a wide arc of trees, but he vanished right before I could hit him.

"Left!" Mew called and my blade swung in response, parrying once again. Darkrai chuckled and vanished immediately. To make myself a harder target, I dodged left. It was a good thing too, because all of his wriggling tentacles pierced the ground right where I had been moments before. Seeing an opening, I swung my blade. Darkrai gave out an unearthly screech as I neatly cut through all of his freakish limbs and he vanished again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him reappear, pausing to regenerate before disappearing again.

"This is getting old real fast…" I muttered. I looked up at the sky and an idea occurred to me. At my bidding, small lights appeared, rapidly growing larger. Just as Darkrai reappeared off to my right, piercing tentacles primed for the attack, I leapt back as a glowing meteor slammed into the ground, creating a huge explosion that left me unharmed but threw Darkrai into the air and into a tree.

"I have you now!" I shouted, leaping impossibly high. I came down, swinging my blade with the intent of bisecting the dark specter, but he vanished once more and I took out the tree instead. However, that did not stop the rain of meteors falling all around. I watched as he flickered in and out of existence, dodging them with alarming speed.

"You can't fight both me and keep them trapped in the maze!" I taunted.

"You underestimate me," Darkrai countered, "I am perfectly capable of doing just that!"

"Oh yeah? Well how do you like this?!" I picked up the speed and severity of the storm until one struck him right in the head, stunning him. In an instant, I was on top of him. My blade cleaning entered his chest, meeting no resistance from the…cloth that made up his body. In the very center, however, I struck something hard. Darkrai screamed in actual pain and the sound of it made me get off him very quickly, heart hammering and breathing quickly in an involuntary burst of fear.

He lay still for a long moment, like one struck dead. For a moment, I was hopeful, but I should have known better. A dark, menacing chuckle escaped his lips as he slowly levitated back into an upright position. The forest disappeared and he reverted back to the appearance he usually had with one change: there was anger in his eye. "I have been too sloppy," he said, "Never in a thousand years has anyone, ANYONE, actually wounded me! I swear, it will not happen again. Throw whatever attack you wish, it shall not touch me." He turned back to the maze. "I grow tired of this game. I still have work to do. Where was I? Ah yes, your beloved Ninetales."

I growled warningly. At my command, another tremendous golem rose out of the earth behind Darkrai as he leaned back over the maze. One of its fists rose into the air, preparing to crush the King of Nightmares once and for all. Darkrai did not even look back, not until it was a mere fraction of a second from striking him. The fist came down, but when it was within a foot of him, red lightning flashed over it, disintegrating it so well that not even dust was left. More red lightning crackled over Darkrai's chest, right where I had stabbed him, sealing up the wound.

I blinked, stunned. "What the he…?"

"One of my favorite techniques," Darkrai said, "You might have heard of it. The humans aptly call it 'Dream Eater'. Attack me with whatever you can think up, I'll just absorb it and heal myself." He raised a hand toward my new golem and more red lightning crackled, leaping from his hand to the rock creature. It disintegrated in a flash of crimson, feeding Darkrai even more strength. A shield of the red electricity formed around him, crackling and humming.

Well, I thought to myself, I'll just attack from long range then! With a gesture, I summoned a gigantic cannon underneath me, aimed directly at Darkrai, he scoffed and shrugged, turning his attention back to the maze. "Now my dear, where were we?" he said to Nine.

The cannon fired. A brilliant beam of pure energy lanced out towards Darkrai, enveloping him. Almost immediately, there was a backlash. Red currents raced up the beam, striking the cannon beneath me and tearing it apart. I fell to the ground, flailing wildly. With a snarl, I was back on my feet, my entire being bent on overwhelming Darkrai's defenses and smashing him before he could break Nine. I could see through his scheme. If he succeeded, it would also break me and make him even stronger.

I sent waves of rocks, avalanches of snow, howling winds, crashing lightning, roaring tornados. I tore the ground open and summoned the worst monsters I could dream up. I bent the laws of reality, bringing everything I had to bear against Darkrai's infernal shield. It all failed. The only thing I accomplished was feeding him so much power that the red electricity completely obscured his body.

I couldn't hear what he was saying to her anymore. My rage blotted out my understanding. I don't know exactly what he said to do it, but I when I heard a sob coming from her, I completely went ballistic. Meteors the size of continents, armies armed to the teeth, even the apocalypse, I sent it all right at him. Nothing worked. His shield grew so much it began to eat the world around it.

"No…" Nine said in a tight voice, "No, it won't happen that way!"

"Oh but it will," Darkrai crooned, "And you know it."

I suddenly stopped attacking, out of ideas and panting. I couldn't stop him. Nothing I summoned penetrated his shield. And Nine was on the brink of breaking. I had to stop him, somehow! What…what could I do? I was desperate! His shield disintegrated everything, removing it from the Dreamworld. Nothing could penetrate it.

"I'm not particularly fond of being inside your head, absol! I have no love for Darkrai or his work," Giratina called, "Do you think you could manage to wake up anytime soon? I'd be back inside my own head then. Who knows, the shock of being ejected just might wake me up!"

Mew scoffed. "Darkrai helped you! Remember?"

Giratina glowered at him. "To a limited extent, yes. But this scheme of his is destined to fail and I want no part of it."

"Destined to fail ex-ruler of death?" Darkrai was a bit ticked. "We shall see!"

It was actually a good idea Giratina had suggested. If I woke up, this entire world disappeared and I would drag Darkrai with me, freeing everyone from his influence. The only problem with this brilliant idea was…I couldn't wake up. What was I supposed to do? Leap off a cliff and kill myself in the Dreamworld to wake up in the real one? Sure, I could summon a cliff, but Darkrai would find a way to stop that. I cast my gaze around frantically, not finding the solution. I wanted to crush him, but Dream Eater was such an annoying technique! It destroyed anything it touched! And I couldn't get up close and slash him to bits because it would…destroy me…

I grinned.

With only this hope and my rage to fuel me, I charged. "Darkraaaaaaaai!" I screamed. The electricity died down just enough for me to see through it. He turned, smirking, but whatever taunt he had died on his lips. He tried to dodge away, but I manipulated the world around me to increase my speed ten times over.

"Spirit!" Mew called, "You're about to jump into the-"

It was too late. I gave one final leap and entered the crackling sphere, a weird tingling going all up and down my body. Red light filled my vision, and then it was black.

I gasped as I woke up. Only a few seconds had passed. The six Zoroarks were dashing toward Arceus, assaulting him with waves of darkness that had no visible effect. His look was stern, but he had not yet made any move to attack them, seemingly waiting for the perfect moment. Then, everyone else revived, but hardly any were prepared to fight. The Legendary Council and the rest of Darkrai's victims collapsed, bewildered by the sudden change of scenery. Even those he hadn't yet broken were dazed.

My first instinct was to run to Nine and make sure she was alright. Sure, the rest of them were important and all, but she was going to be my mate. However, when I tried to move my feet, I discovered they were stuck fast to the floor in an inky, black mist.

"You…you miserable little mortal!" Darkrai's voice screamed out of it, "I shall make you pay dearly for disrupting my ritual! However, I still have enough power to manifest myself, so I have no more use for you!" The black mist began to rise from around my feet, beginning to take shape.

"Yes! At long last, our master has arrived!" Zorro declared, "The world shall tremble at his approach! Today is the day Arceus shall fall!"

"Is that so?" Arceus said with veiled contempt, "I tend to disagree. Your master will be sent back to his prison and you six shall join him. In fact, I will not even have to make one attack."

Zorro laughed, laughed right in Arceus' face! These guys were ticking me off! I wanted to tear them to shreds, but I still couldn't move from my spot. Angrily, I stomped on it and was surprised when I was actually able to stop it. "What do you think you are doing?! Release me at once!"

I gritted my teeth as Darkrai tried to wrench himself free. "What's the matter? You still have over a minute left! And I intend to hold you right here until that minute is complete!

"NO!" I was nearly pulled off my feet as Darkrai immediately began struggling to escape my grasp. A tightness filled my chest as his essence fought to leave my body. I grinned and sank my claws into his inky substance, pinning him to the floor.

"Hey Cresselia!" I called, "Xerneas! Someone blast him before he leaves! I can only hold him for so long you know!" Cresselia looked at me uncomprehendingly, mind still dazed from being ripped out of my dream. She was by far the best off, however, probably because she was used to delving into people's dreams. Slowly, she realized what I had said and a smile spread across her face.

"Gladly," she said, preparing for her attack.

"Lord Darkrai!" one of the Zoroarks called worriedly, "Hurry!" The six of them abandoned their attack on Arceus and turned for Cresselia, who unleashed her pent up energies on them. Several fell and the others were severely wounded. I guess that is just the power of a Legendary.

"And now, Darkrai…" Cresselia ground out through gritted teeth, "At long last I destroy you! All the pain and suffering you cause ends today! And I shall be the instrument of your end, the instrument of justice!"

"Shut up and do it already!" I snapped. Seriously! Now was not the time to go into a dramatic monologue! Save it for the movies or at least don't do it at a time when the only thing holding him back is one absol's determination!

"You're right," Cresselia said, "I shall try not to destroy you as well, for I sense you are an unwilling participant in these events. However, there shall be a reckoning for…"

"FOR ARCEUS' SAKE, JUST BLAST HIM AL-"

You can probably guess what happened. Her stupid monologue gave Darkrai just the right amount of time he needed to gather his strength for one last, final effort. My legs gave out and I could no longer hold him down. He was free. I was on the ground, breathless and gasping for air. Now Cresselia decided to fire, but she missed of course, because he could move again! He dodged! He couldn't have done that before, but no! The righteous crusader of light, justice, and rainbows had to give one final speech before the end!

To be honest, I can't be too hard on her because the next moment Darkrai sent her flying across the room with a pulse of darkness. She struck her head and blacked out.

The Zoroarks cheered triumphantly. Several of the others stirred, but the sight of Darkrai in physical form and the Legendary Council on the ground kept them from attacking. Satisfied, the King of Nightmares turned to Arceus. "Hear me, oh Arceus!" he said, addressing him, "I have defeated the most powerful of your creatures and become mighty off of their pain! You saw me defeat my long-time rival with a single attack! My followers and I now wish to set me on your throne! If you refuse, we will destroy you!"

"And exactly how do you plan to do that?" Arceus said with a slight tone of amusement. Darkrai clenched a fist and shook it a him.

"You claim to be the Original One and that you created us! I know that is not true! You were merely here first and took advantage of that position to declare yourself the god of this world! Now, I challenge you for that position! I will make this world an image of my desires, not yours! A world of darkness without the unbearable light!"

"Did I not create you, though?" Arceus asked, raising what passed for an eyebrow in mock surprise, "On the contrary, I remember the day I did. I remember every life, every action, every thought you have taken. It saddens me greatly, but still I do."

"Do not patronize me by pretending you love me," Darkrai chuckled, "We both now that it is not true. We are opposites, you and I. Darkness and Light. But now, the Darkness has come to blot out the light forever! So make your choice, fight me or die!"

"You shouldn't talk to him like that…"

All heads turned toward the back of the hall. Rio stood alone, unmoved from his position when all this had begun. His arms were crossed and a frown was on his face. He stared right into Darkrai's eye without flinching or blinking. The Nightmare King scowled.

"Ah, the lucario who didn't fall asleep," he said, "Though it was of no consequence, I would like to know how you escaped my power. I will find out after I am ruler of the world, though I can assure you it will not be a pleasant process."

Rio turned to Zorro. "Why are you following this guy? He's insane. He's trying to take down Arceus!"

Zorro grinned viciously. "When he ascends, we shall become like gods alongside him!"

"Wow," Rio said, taken aback, "I was wrong." Zorro looked confused. "You all are crazy!"

Seven glares met his gaze. Darkrai and his followers were quickly losing patience with Rio. "And why, might I ask, am I crazy for 'trying to take down Arceus?" Darkrai demanded coldly.

Rio cocked his head to the side, confused. "Can't you sense it? Arceus' power? He could wipe the entire race of Zoroarks off the face of the planet with hardly an effort. He could rewrite the laws of nature! He could even destroy it, if he wanted to. But he won't, because he is good. No, that's not quite right. He is the good. Just being in his presence…can't you feel it? It's like nothing I've ever felt before and…everything I've felt before at the same time. The touch of grass, the sunshine on my fur, and smell of the forest, the laughter shared with friends, the contentment of a warm summer day, the joy of a family snuggled together during winter. So many things I can't even put a name to, but behind it all there is one thing. It's the same feeling I felt whenever Syoran used to cuddle with me until I fell asleep." Rio looked past them, gazing at Arceus. He smiled shyly and shuffled his paws. "You called me your child, sir. I…I never knew my father. Does that mean you love me?"

Arceus smiled warmly at him. "Yes it does, Rio."

"Then, do you love everyone? Even Giratina?"

Arceus nodded. "Yes, though he makes it hard sometimes, he is still my son. I punish him as is necessary, but if I did not love him I would have obliterated him long ago."

"But then, do you love Darkrai?" Rio asked tentatively.

There was a sharp intake of breath. Slowly, Arceus nodded. "I do, but with qualification. I hate what he has become, but I love the being he is. I cannot ignore what he has done, however, for I am also just."

Darkrai snarled at Arceus with hate in his eye. "You lie! You cannot love me! I am going to destroy you!"

Rio stared at him in shock. "Wow, you are pathetic," he said.

There was a long moment of silence. Slowly, painfully slowly, Darkrai turned toward Rio, radiating anger and rage, filling the room with fear. "What…did you just say?" he hissed.

Rio giggled, he actually giggled. "I said you're pathetic! I mean, Arceus is…Arceus. You look like a stiff breeze would carry you away. You'd have better luck freezing the sun."

I tried to rise to my feet. Rio was, in my opinion, being incredibly stupid. Darkrai had already proven his power. He may have been no match for Arceus, or so I hoped, but he was certainly more than a match for Rio. Darkrai screeched in anger and I fell to the ground again, heart hammering. I swear, that sound made me flinch every time! Rio winced, covering his ears.

"Ow!" he said, "These aren't just for show, you know. I have sensitive hearing."

Darkrai tensed, making as if to attack him. However, he caught himself and chuckled instead, but it was full of menace. "Oh, you will pay for that. Pay greatly for that."

"On the contrary," Arceus said, "He shall defeat you."

Darkrai paused, but then he smiled. "Is that what you think? Then I shall prove you wrong and prove you are no more a god than me!" He motioned for his followers to gather round and they complied, forming a semicircle behind him.

Rio cocked his head to the side. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"We are the Nightbringers!" Zorro declared, "We bring our master's nightmares into the real world!"

"Well that's dumb!" Rio scoffed, "They'd be even more flimsy than he is!"

"Well let's see how 'flimsy' they are in practice, hmm?" Darkrai chuckled, "Let's see, Rio, what is your nightmare?"

"Don't answer, Rio!" I warned, "That's how he defeated everyone else!"

Rio pondered it and answered anyway. "Hmm…having all my fur shaved off? It actually hides the fact that I'm kind of skinny. Ooh! I know! Never eating ice cream again!"

Darkrai chuckled, though it was a bit forced. "No, that's not it. I believe it's something a bit…more. A bit farther back, if you will. The beginning of your life. Do you know why you were born?"

Rio blinked. "Um…no. Why would I need a reason to be born? It kind of just…happens."

Darkrai smiled. "You know you are a Bred Pokémon, correct?" Rio nodded, giving Darkrai an incredulous look.

"Of course I do," Rio responded, "What kind of question is that?"

"And you never knew your father?" Darkrai asked. Rio shook his head. "Hmm, I wonder why that is? Care to explain?"

"My mother's trainer didn't own him…" Rio admitted.

"I see," Darkrai said, pleased, "Then allow me to reveal the reason you were born. Your mother's trainer wanted to make money, so he sold his Pokémon's children to random trainers. You were born, not out of love, but for someone's convenience. A bastard-child. An unloved freak. A mere commodity. He would not have cared if the human they sold you to abused you. He had his money. But that's not the worst part. He arranged for your mother to be violated. You're the product of rape! And who's to say whether or not you were the first?

"You want the world to be just, right? For everyone to be good. Well, if it was, you never would have been born! It's thanks to evil and corruption, thanks to greed that you exist! In a perfect world, you never would have been born! Everyone is right to despise you, for you are the incarnation of injustice and abuse! You are scum! The dirty scrapings off the very pit of this world! And you disgust even me."

"Oh yes, even I can be scandalized. For you see, the shadows see all. I've seen you crying in the dark. All of your life you have been trying to deny this. Why then do you act surprised when I bring it to light? It is what you are. It is the truth."

My heart sank and I expected Rio to fall to his feet, crying. However, he only stared at him incredulously. "You know…" he said, "I would have agreed with that at one point." He smiled and shook his head. "But if anyone is scum, it's the trainer who brought about my birth. I am not. I used to get that confused, thinking that it mattered where I came from, that it defined me. But…see, Spirit and I talked once. He said that my strength mattered more to him than my past. Sure, not exactly a large improvement, but he meant well."

He glanced at Arceus and nodded a bit shyly. "Now, as you were just speaking there, Darkrai, sir, something occurred to me about that statement that I hadn't realized before. If we broaden it a bit more, it means that it is my actions in the present that matter, not my past. I could hide behind the excuse and never leave my Poke-ball, crying over what a horrible fate I had to be born that way, and I think that is what you prefer, but I have people who love me. And so, I'm sorry, but I just think you're being stupid. Now…"

Suddenly, he adopted a fighting stance, summoning a shimmering, blue staff to his hand. "I'm afraid you're going to have to leave," he said, "It's really for the best, you know. Stay much longer in the presence of Arceus and your power will disappear entirely. In a room filled with light, there aren't any shadows."

Darkrai's eye was filled with disbelief. He stared at Rio like he was something from outer space. "What are you?" he demanded, "What are you?! You didn't even hesitate!" He clenched his fists. "I will stop your heart with pure fear! I will drive you mad! I will…I will…" He screamed and shot a bolt of darkness right at Rio. It struck him in the chest and knocked him back. I shouted in dismay. Darkrai huffed, satisfied, but Rio merely regained his balance and reassumed his stance. "Impossible!" Darkrai bellowed.

Rio smiled. "I'm sorry, but you only have one weapon: fear. Well, it's easy to defeat when I just have to look right behind you and there is Arceus. What can I possibly be afraid of when he is here? Even if I fail, he is so much more powerful that I don't need to fear you. I mean, sure, I feel little jolts of fear, but one glance at Arceus banishes them immediately."

"You lie!" Darkrai snapped, "I've defeated the entire Council, who spend a good portion of their lives in his presence! They were afraid! It was almost too easy!"

Rio frowned. "Then…I suppose they forgot to focus on Arceus and focused on you. If they had, they could not have been afraid." I blinked. What the heck was that supposed to mean? I mean, sure, I'd forgotten about Arceus when fighting Darkrai. He was Darkrai for crying out loud! Still, I couldn't argue with the results. Rio was absolutely immune to Darkrai's influence. "Now, are you going to leave or not?"

"I've had enough of you!" Darkrai shouted, his voice cracking a bit, "Zorro! Bring that impudent creature to me!" The Zoroarks exchanged glances, worried glances, and stepped back.

"With all due respect…" one of them muttered, "We'd like to see you defeat him…"

"It would be a true demonstration of your power!" another added.

"And it would prove Arceus wrong, as you said, master," a third chimed in, bowing apologetically.

"And besides, he has a type advantage."

"I fought a lucario before. Broke my paw before I could get away."

Zorro hesitated, torn between them and Darkrai's quickly mounting fury. "I am sorry, master," he mumbled, "But it seems we are decided…" I grinned. Suddenly, it all made sense. Darkrai's power came from fear. His followers wanted that power. So, if he wasn't able to inspire fear anymore, there was no reason for them to follow him anymore.

"Useless, the lot of you!" Darkrai sneered, "We'll see if I reward you at all for this treachery!" He raised his hands. "Due to the power I have absorbed, I can no bring my nightmares into reality! Behold!"

Another monster appeared, still tall, but thicker and bulkier than the one I had faced. It roared intimidatingly at Rio, mouth wide and showing off razor sharp teeth. A furnace-like blast of air swept over the room along with a horrible stench. "This one could swallow you in one gulp," Darkrai said, "Its throat is so wide you'll just slide right on down to the stomach, where your screams will-"

Rio raised his arm. A blue orb of pure, explosive energy shot right down its wide throat and blew it apart from the inside. The corpse evaporated into mist. Darkrai stared at the spot where it had stood moments before.

"Saw something similar in an action movie," Rio explained, "Except they chucked dynamite down its throat. The evaporation is a nice touch though!" Darkrai glared and made another motion with his hands. A masked psychopath appeared, wielding a knife in one hand. He lunged at Rio, but the lucario just leaned aside, pivoted, and slammed the man to the ground. He twisted the knife out of the freak's hand and blew it up with a blast of aura. Both the fragments and the man also evaporated.

"Kids these days…" Darkrai snarled, "So desensitized by T.V. and video games…"

Rio glanced at Arceus, who nodded. With that reassurance, Rio began leisurely walking toward Darkrai. The black specter glared at him. You could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out a way to bring Rio down. He raised his hands and shot bolts of pure darkness at him in rapid succession. Rio held out his staff and it expanded into a shield, blocking each of the bolts. Darkrai let out that ear-piercing shriek again, but Rio's only reaction was an annoyed flick of his ears. The shield contracted, forming a glowing sphere in the palm of Rio's left fore-paw.

"Give it to him, Rio!" I called. He looked back at me and waved, a smile on his face.

"I will kill everyone you care about! They will all die!"

"Then I better stop you now."

"I will torment you forever!"

"So I better defeat you now."

"You…you will die alone!" Darkrai said desperately, backing up, "Everyone is deceiving you! Your trainer only wants you for your strength! You will never find a mate! One of your friends is a murderer and he wants to kill you! You're a monster and you'll transform on the next full moon! Be afraid of the dark! There's a monster under your bed!" He jumped and gave a small yelp when his back hit Arceus' leg, but Rio was right in front of him.

I stared in amazement. Darkrai, the Lord of Fear, was afraid. Afraid of Rio.

"Now!" Rio said sternly, "I think it's time you left us alone!" He placed his left fore-paw on Darkrai's chest. The Nightmare King shied away in fear, eye wide and roving wildly. He tried to flee for the door, but Rio grabbed him. "Force Palm!" he called out. Darkrai's body crumpled, flung through the air by a small explosion of aura. He slammed against a pillar and slid down, brokenly.

"H-how…?" he asked weakly, "You're nothing…a cast-off lucario…I'm the King of Nightmares…"

"Well…" Rio said, "It's just that, you don't scare me. There's no reason for me to be afraid of things that don't matter. And…I guess my mind was just so full of love, the love of my family and of Arceus, that there was no room for your fear."

Darkrai glowered at him as his body began to dissolve. "You have not stopped me…" he muttered, "I will be back, but I will be smarter about it. I will plunge this world into darkness…eventually…" Those were his last words. Within seconds, he was nothing but a scrap of cloth and a pile of dust. I stared at that pile for a long time.

Rio turned to the six Zoroarks. "Anyone else?" They exchanged glances. Then, as one, they turned and ran out of the hall. Rio looked to Arceus. "Are we going to let them go?" he asked.

"Yes," Arceus said, "They have seen the defeat of their master. They will spread the word and possibly even abandon their worship of Darkrai. But, their future is not for you to know. You have done well, Rio." Arceus sighed and looked around the room. "Now, we had better rouse everyone else. In this at least Darkrai was successful, he damaged the psyches of most of the council. However, the damage is, hopefully, not permanent and I shall be on hand to help my children heal, to comfort them as any parent would. You two may wish to shield your eyes."

Rio and I did just that. A flash of light lit up the room, healing all injuries and reviving those who were still unconscious. Immediately, the room was filled with various noises. Some were stunned, others were still recovering from their cruel treatment from Darkrai. Mew immediately flew over and picked up Pikablu, who was in a state of shock. I, however, had a different concern. I rose and searched out Nine, finding her lying on the ground, not moving.

My heart nearly stopped. "Nine!" I cried, going to her. I nudged her side. "Come on! Wake up! It's over!" She gasped, coming back to reality. Her eyes shot around, quickly taking stock of her situation. They settled on me and she let out a sigh of relief. "Nine…" I gave off a relieved chuckle.

Tears came to her eyes. "Oh Spirit!" she said, a sob catching in her throat, "You're alive! He said such horrible things!"

I shushed her tenderly. "It was a lie, Nine. Whatever he said, it was all a lie."

Arceus cleared his throat, calling all attention to him. "Everyone, I understand it has been a rather…eventful day. However, I think it would be best if we all retired to rest for a while."

He ushered us out of the throne room, telling us all to go lie down and rest, even Giratina. He promised he would talk to each of us individually, but asked for our patience. No one really had a problem with this and soon we were all filing out the door. Nine leaned on my shoulder, shuddering occasionally. I was going to have some serious comforting to do later. Great. I can do a lot of things, but 'comfort' is not one of them. I suppose the best thing I could do is just be there to listen to her. And besides, the others would be there too. Hopefully, I'd saved Nine from the worst of it, but I could only imagine what Pikablu was going through right now.

"Excuse me, Spirit," It was Arceus. He had come up behind us. "Walk with me, please."

I glanced at Nine. "Go," she muttered, "Just…seeing you're alive…well, let's just say it chases away the nightmare I'd been having."

An angry coldness crept into my heart toward Darkrai. He'd told her I was dead or going to die or something. As nice as it was to know that it was her greatest fear, I still hated him for torturing her. I nuzzled her as tenderly as I could manage. "I'll be right back and nothing is going to happen to me."

She nodded and smiled, nuzzling me back. A slight blush lit up my cheeks and I cleared my throat, turning to Arceus. "I'm ready."

He nodded. "Then follow me. I think we have a lot to talk about."

A/N And now, something completely different. Another example of how the story could have gone.

Mew worriedly watched the battle between Spirit and Darkrai rage on. If only there was a way to revive Dialga or Palkia, then it would be over in a second! He thought about it, straining his attention span to the point where he sprained it, before finally coming up with an idea.

He turned toward the fourth wall with a big smile. "Don't worry, everyone! This story is told in first person! That means Spirit can't lose! Everything will work out in the end!"

The fourth wall shattered, a sound which even those trapped in the maze could hear. In particular, a certain master of space heard it, and he was not happy.

"ALRIGHT, WHO BROKE IT THIS TIME?!" he screamed, letting loose a blast of power that not even Darkrai's twisted world could contain. In an instant, the maze was destroyed and a very ticked off dragon was standing on top of the ruins, glaring down at everyone.

"Darkrai did it!" Chase called.

Our story now ends with Darkrai running for his life from the enraged Master of Space. Later, when they all woke up, they saw Rio standing where he had been, waiting expectantly.

"Alright! Bring him out!" the lucario called, "I'm going to fight Darkrai and show him why he sucks!"

Spirit smirked. "Well you'll have to outrun Palkia to catch him then. He's still running."

Rio's face fell. "But…I wanted to be awesome for once…"

Mew patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay. Want some peach cobbler?"

"Okay…"