Ch.1: Stronger Than Before! A New Start to a New Beginning!
Much had happened in the last six months since the great disaster that befell Sacred Tree Village. Accounts of that day were mixed with confusion, some claiming pirates were involved while others pointed to a strange group of miscreants who were lurking around the village for some time. The most troubling regarded the rumors, now full-blown confirmation, of the shadows. What started out as fear and paranoia quickly escalated into a compromise of security.
The vague history of the shadows suddenly boomed into the limelight as Pokémon bought up all the information they could from bookstores and local libraries, desperately trying to find anything on how to protect themselves or what to expect. All they found was the bloody history surrounding the dark apparitions and what they're capable of, feeding into the madness driving these scared Pokémon.
Shadows could possess anyone, hide in the smallest shadow, and generally appear out of nowhere without warning. Some were even placing blame on the Ghost and Dark-Type communities with paranoia linking them as some sort of host of the demonic forces. This sparked outrage among communities as more and more trouble brewed. As more information came to the public knowledge, even more ludicrous accusations came out.
Accusations of witchcraft, fears of magic, and more sparked from the non-magically gifted Pokémon, blaming these recent events on arcane practices that continue to persist into their modern times. What was once culturally acceptable now became a scapegoat for the fear everyone was feeling.
Very few benefited from this predicament. Bookstores certainly enjoyed the sudden flow of money from history book sales, and news outlets couldn't find a fresher source of drama to exploit, some trying to keep the peace and some trying to spice up the papers.
While both fields were selfish in their own right, it didn't compare to the rise in crime from bandits. Some regular citizens were starting to turn to crime, believing the end of the world was coming and deciding to live the best life possible with no consequences. The rise shifted balance through the lands and caused even more unrest in the public. Nowhere seemed to be safe.
Was there any peace to be had in world breaking down under its own paranoia? What would become of everyone if this unrest continued to brew? What will it take to help the world heal?
"Ritchie, I'm telling you, I smell a fresh scoop here in the Desert Zone!"
A freelance team of reporters, an Alolan Graveler and a Bergmite, traveled along the vast sandy plains in search of the next town over. The tiny iceberg panted under the heat of the sun, occasionally splashing water over his body to cool down. He shook his head and glared firmly at his electric partner.
"Palmer, remind me again why you're dragging me through the desert? I swear, you always bring me to the hottest parts of Mysto just to torture me. First there was Scorch Grave, now this!"
Palmer shrugged off his complaints. "I have a natural sense for this kind of stuff, dear friend. We may have lucked out in the mysterious fights in Scorch Grave last year, but I know we'll find breaking news out here. The rumors I've been hearing are a credible source."
"By whose word?" Ritchie grumbled.
"I heard that there are shadows roaming parts of Mysto, bringing unease to the people. Some speculate they're surveying the land. For what, though? Who knows? All I see is a brand new story right at our fingertips. Perhaps we can interview one of them."
The Bergmite rightfully glared at this inane proposal. "Are you mad? I'm pretty sure those same rumors of yours mentioned something about violent massacres whenever someone tried to apprehend those monsters."
"Hey, as long as we don't provoke them, we should be fine. Who could resist my charismatic charm?" Ritchie rolled his eyes. "You have to trust your reporter's instincts. Have I taught you nothing?"
"Considering the last time I listened to you, we unleashed a feral Ursaring from a weird iron maiden…"
"Pft! Details! I can already picture our new story. This will be the story of the lifetime!"
The Bergmite, again, rolled his eyes. "I'd be more concern with being out here in the middle of nowhere. You're more likely to interview a bandit than a shadow."
Palmer tutted lightly. "Relax, Rich. We're in an open desert, not a straight pathway. The chances of us encountering any bandits all the way out here is slim to none."
"I have to once again recall your terrible instincts."
"Just focus on the story at hand. The people need to know the truth of what's going on, no more of those dramatic pieces that fill the public with despair. They need an article that brings hope! That's what we'll provide!"
"All I'm saying is getting ourselves killed over an interview you spawned from your own inane imagination doesn't fill me with the greatest of confidence." Ritchie shuddered. "For land's sake, are you even cognizant of the crap going on? It's not just wanted criminals starting trouble, it's also people freaking the hell out. Anyone willing to devote their time to crime because of the 'end of the world' is a potential, murderous lunatic."
Palmer again tutted in disappointment. "And giving false hope or speculative drama isn't doing the world much good either. I'll be the one to provide actual hope to the people. They need a symbol, something to bring them back down to earth so they can call out to the heavens and state 'I will survive'."
"You are way too fixated on a stupid news…paper." Ritchie's voice trailed off, getting the odd sensation that something was off. He looked back and noticed a dust cloud in the distance. Something about it looked off, but he couldn't place it. "Hey Palmer, do you see that?"
The Alolan Graveler stopped and looked back. "Hmm? It's just a harmless dust devil. They appear all the time out here."
"Those are whirlwinds, though. That looks like something charging toward us."
Palmer raised his brow, now curious, then pulled out a telescope from his pack. "Give me a second." He extended the telescope and peered at the dust cloud. Ritchie noticed the disturbed look on Palmer's face. "What the…? That really is a dust cloud, like the ones kicked up by a moving carriage."
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know. It looks so unnatural and—" Palmer extended the scope further, then noticed a weird shimmer coming through the cloud. "Wait, is that…oh no."
"What? What?!" Ritchie cried.
"Run!" Palmer dropped his telescope and started rolling away. Ritchie gasped and scuttled as fast as his stubby legs could.
The dust cloud charged after the fleeing news duo, easily outpacing them. As it drew closer, they heard the unmistakable sound of hooves galloping across sandy terrain. Each stomp was loud and thunderous, shaking the ground they ran upon and throwing them off balance. Palmer had trouble rolling as the ground kept bopping him in the air while Ritchie could barely keep up as is.
A net suddenly poked out of an invisible space within the dust cloud and, with a clean swipe, scooped the news duo off the ground. They screamed as they were dropped into the invisible field and onto what looked like a fancy carriage. They struggled in the net, crying for help.
"Another pair of lost souls doomed to the inevitable!" The news duo ceased struggled and gawked at the eccentric group of Pokémon boarding the roof. They were a five man group of a Slurpuff, Archeops, Volbeat, Grimer, and Grapploct. A Mudsdale took up the harness and pulled the carriage at great speed.
The Slurpuff and Grapploct were dressed in fine, wealthy attire while the Archeops was dressed like some hobo. The rest were dressed in gear one would only imagine appropriate for the apocalypse, including spiked wristbands, a Mohawk on the Volbeat (hopefully a wig or the duo would have several questions), and ripped vests.
…Well, either that or they were a punk rock band. Honest mistake.
Palmer sat up and gripped the net. "What the hell's going on?!"
Grapploct turned to their captured prey and exposited in the most dramatic fashion, "We are your new saviors, lowly travelers! The world is coming to an end, thus we must prepare for the worst! We are gathering the lost souls of the land and taking them under our wing, increasing our forces so that we may bring salvation to the helpless people in their time of need!"
"I beg your pardon!" Ritchie interjected. "We're not lowly travelers, we're journalists/reporters!"
"Mind giving us your take on the state of the world?" Palmer asked with a pen and notepad in hand.
"Palmer!" Ritchie scolded.
"What? Just because I'm in a net doesn't give me an excuse to slack on the job."
Slurpuff continued on, stating, "We intend to gather supplies and hide ourselves in a special bunker that'll protect us from those horrid monsters! We gather only the finest people for our cause!"
"One of your fine people is twitching like he stepped out of a cold shower while hooked on narcotics," Ritchie deadpanned.
They turned to the Archeops, who kept convulsively scratching his neck with his talons. "The end is nigh. The end is NIGH! I should've listened to Mother!"
Grapploct and Slurpuff blinked, then shrugged it off. "Well, he seemed like a good fit at the time," Slurpuff admitted.
Ritchie facepalmed while Palmer continued to scribble down the conversation. "And what do you mean by gathering supplies? I suppose this carriage is to hold a vast quantity."
"And to provide us protection from the authorities!" Grimer added.
"Protection?" Ritchie asked.
"Of course! What use is money in the coming apocalypse? We need to take everything we can no matter who gets in our way!"
Now Palmer was beginning to realize the gravity of the situation. "Wait, what? You might kill someone!"
"Everyone's going to die!" Archeops interjected, cawing at the sky. "The negative energy is spreading, man! All is lost! We must make a sacrifice to the Elder Gods! The taste of flesh will quell their anger!"
Volbeat patted the prehistoric bird's head. "Dude, we talked about this, it's not Elder Gods, it's shadow demons—"
"The world is a shadow demon, and we are their lowly meat puppets!"
"Starting to regret bringing him onboard," Grapploct mumbled.
Palmer pulled on the net. "You have to stop! Innocent people are going to get hurt! Think of your pokemanity!"
"Oh, that's real rich coming from you!" Ritchie scolded.
"Don't sass me at a time like this!"
Grapploct got up in their faces and flashed the stink eye. "You won't be so judgmental once we bring about utopia. We will survive no matter what casualities we bring!"
"Viva la Revolution!" Archeops cawed, flailing his wings.
"No, no, not a revolution either!" Volbeat shot down.
Palmer gulped and fell back in disbelief. "Oh my Arceus, everyone's gone completely insane."
Ritchie rolled his eyes. "Where's all that hope you were spouting earlier?"
"Captain!" The patchwork bandits turned to their trusty Mudsdale companion who nodded ahead. "We have three more wanderers up ahead. What should we do with them?"
Grapploct, the captain, pulled out some binoculars and spotted three figures dressed in the traditional desert clothing, complete with loose cotton robes, head scarfs, and more. They carried quite a bit of supplies on their backs, too.
Grapploct scoffed. "What do you think? They are clearly wandering the lands in search of a purpose! You can feel their lack of hope in the way they carry themselves! They are searching for salvation like we are!" Grapploct reached inside the carriage window and pulled out another comically large net. "We will greet them and fill them with hope!"
The news duo gasped, then cried out, "HEY! Get out of the way!"
"These guys are insane!" Palmer shouted out, but their voices couldn't reach them.
"They won't hear you," Grimer explained. "My illusion blocks visuals and audio." He leaned down and glared at them. "What are you trying to pull? Don't you see that we're leading the next generation to their salvation?"
"You all need to stop now! This isn't funny!" Ritchie pleaded. "No one's going to die! There is still hope in the world!"
"What hope is there?! The shadows caused havoc centuries ago, and now have been causing problems over the last several months! First it was Ironworks, then Sacred Tree Village, now this! The world's at an end, man!"
"That doesn't mean you have to resort to savagery!" Palmer pleaded. "My journalists instinct tells me there's still a hope to look forward to!"
"Quit living in a fantasy, kid!" Grapploct shot down as he readied the net. "The world's coming to an end and no one has the power to stop it. We might as well do what we can to survive! That's how our ancestors did it, and we will live by example! We'll bring hope back into the wayward souls in this desperate time!"
Palmer and Ritchie held each other as the carriage drew closer to the wandering trio ahead. Despite how close they were getting, none of them barely paid mind to it even though the carriage was anything but subtle. Why weren't they noticing the thunderous steps through the ground?
Once they were in range, Grapploct reared the net back and proclaimed, "There's no hope left, but we won't become destiny's puppets! This is the start…of a new utopia!" He swung the net right at the travelers and…
…they disappeared?
Grapploct, the patchwork bandits, and the news duo stared blankly at the empty net. "Uh…what happened?" Grapploct asked.
Suddenly, the Mudsdale let out a horrific cry as he went flying out of his harness and over their heads, violently beaten by something too fast to make out. They could only make out the color of orange for a second. They watched the horse tumble into the distance while their runaway carriage continued on its course, now rocky unsteadily without a driver.
"The Elder Gods have come for our spleens!" Archeops shrieked.
Before Grapploct could scold him, he noticed something on the front of the carriage. He gasped, spotting one of the figures clinging to the front. Grapploct glared furiously. "Is this how you repay our service? We are trying to bring you to salvation!" He tried to grab the figure, but they flipped over him and flew above the carriage.
Suddenly, in a move that was too fast for the bandits to track, the figure rushed past them like a spinning dreidel, delivering considerable force to the carriage. The figure glided across the air, now equipped with two long and clearly sharp blades of grass. Next thing they knew, the carriage came undone, breaking down into hundreds of cut pieces and disrupting the cloaking spell.
The bandits and the news duo tumbled into the sand with carriage parts pelting down on them. Palmer and Ritchie rolled inside the net and were nearly crushed by the roof of the carriage. They panted heavily, shaking like the cold winds of the Snow Zone passed through their souls.
"What…was that?" Palmer gasped.
"The guy sliced up the entire carriage in the time it took me to blink," Ritchie mumbled.
The patchwork bandits picked themselves up and shook off the body aches, then directed their attention to the desert trio standing a fair bit away from the wreckage. Slurpuff pointed at them and proclaimed, "You will pay for endangering our sacred mission! We were going to take you from your pathetic lives to a new utopia before the world dives into Hell!"
The wanderers stared silently for a moment, glancing and seemingly conversing under their breaths. One of them pulled their head scarf back and shocked the bandits upon revealing her face.
"I have no idea what you all were talking about just now, but I don't think scooping people up in nets is the best welcoming strategy." She paused for a moment like she was reconsidering. "Although, maybe if you did it with free hugs instead…"
The bandits staggered away, gawking in horror. "This…This is…a revelation!" Grapploct exclaimed.
"Graced by a goddess! An actual Mew! One displaying the color of rebirth itself!" Grimer gasped.
"So, not an Elder God?" Archeops asked, surprisingly the least stunned of the group.
Their comments instantly got the green Mew heated. "I am not a goddess! I am a regular ol' Mew!"
Ambrosine pulled her scarf back and frowned. "Uh, regular ol' Mew?"
"You know what I mean!" Gwyn cried, pulling on her braided ponytail. "I don't like it when people call me a goddess! It's super embarrassing!"
Flint pulled his scarf back and sighed. "Girls, not the best time for this."
"What is this?" Grimer asked aloud. "Why are these nobodies traveling with a Mew?"
"What a strange twist of fate," Volbeat awed.
Palmer and Ritchie, meanwhile, looked on in disbelief, but not for the same reasons. "Rich, that Flareon and the Mew…weren't they—"
"—the finalists from the Gelid Peak Tournament? Yeah, they were. They're from that Team Raven…something or whatever." Ritchie glared. "They were able to go toe-to-toe with Benedict the Titan. They're strong."
"What are they doing all the way out here?"
"Does it really matter now? Help me get out of this net." The duo started pulling on the net.
A tense standoff permeated between the bandits and the traveling trio, each side glaring each other down. Flint stepped forward, deciding to act diplomatic. "I've been hearing cases of citizens turning to crime in wake of the shadows, but I didn't expect something like this. Please, go back to your homes. Everything will be fine—"
"Who are you to speak?" Slurpuff interjected. "Have you seen the chaos brewing throughout Mysto? We may very well die if we stay out in the open for too long. Civilization will crumble if something isn't done."
"And that's precisely our mission!" Grapploct continued dramatically. "A brand new utopia to revitalize the population of the world until the apocalypse ends. A self-sustaining community to last generations. We won't make the mistakes of our ancestors. This time, we will be the generation to survive."
Flint glared. "You're putting other people in danger. Please, I'm asking nicely. Turn back now and I promise nothing bad will come of you."
"And what makes you so sure?" Grimer accused. "I bet you guys are just another group of crooks like us trying to steal our supplies. That's not even an actual Mew, is it? It's some phony freak in a disguise or something."
Gwyn flailed her fists. "Phony freak?!"
"Gwyn, calm down," Flint pleaded.
Ambrosine sighed. "Look, will you idiots just get lost? You're only going to get yourselves killed."
"We will not rest until utopia is achieved!" Grapploct reached through the rubble and pulled out a halberd. "You will find that we are more than a match for the apocalypse! It is you who should watch yourselves before you get killed!" Grimer summoned fireballs in his hands, Slurpuff pulled out a rifle, Volbeat raised a twin-blade dagger coursing with electricity, and Archeops just flashed his talons as he assumed the crane stance.
The trio weren't all that impressed. "Seriously?" Flint asked. "Is the fighting really necessary?"
Gwyn huffed, then beamed brightly. "Okay, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. How about we all sit down, brew up some delicious hot chocolate, and talk about our feelings. That'll make everyone happy."
"Hot chocolate in the desert? In the middle of the day?" Ambrosine questioned.
"Okay, cold chocolate. I just really want some—" Gwyn stopped herself and sidestepped the Grapploct's halberd as he lunged at her. "So, is that a no or…?"
"If you are not with us, you are against us!" Grapploct proclaimed as he swung for her neck.
Vines suddenly sprouted from Gwyn's sleeve and punched the octopus into the air. He crashed onto his back with his halberd impaling just above his head. The bandits gasped at the Mew as tentacle-like vines sprouted from her arm. When she pulled the sleeve back, it appeared like they were growing from her fur.
"That was rude," Gwyn said with a pout.
The bandits recovered from their shock, then charged with voracious battle cries. The Grimer lobbed fireballs at the trio. Flint raised his paw and summoned Blockade Reflector, bouncing the fireballs back at them. The Arcehops ran through them while the others defended themselves.
"I will satisfy the Elder Gods with a sacrifice!" Archeops shrieked, leaping over the barrier and diving down on Flint. However, an orange humanoid made of crystal appeared above the Flareon and caught the bird by his long neck. "ACK!"
Flint sighed and scratched behind his ear. "Okay, I guess diplomacy is officially off the table. Gwyn, crowd control. Ambrosine, make sure their captives are alright."
"Roger!" they exclaimed.
Flint lowered the barrier while Gwyn slammed her hands down and created a pathway of vegetation with high walls, knocking the bandits away. Vines sprouted out, grappled their limbs, and pulled them into the wall.
"Hey!" Slurpuff yelled while trying to wiggle her arm loose.
Ambrosine dashed through the straightaway and stopped in front of the news duo. They were tangled up in the net. "Need any help?" Ambrosine asked teasingly.
Palmer raised his hand. "No, no, we are—" Before he could finish, Ambrosine coated her hand in a blade of magic and sliced the net to pieces. The threads fell of their bodies. "…I could've done that," he grumbled.
Ambrosine smiled, then raised her hands to them. "Okay, I'm just going to check for injuries—"
"Ambrosine, duck!" Gwyn yelled.
Ambrosine pushed the duo down as a large fireball whizzed over their heads. She glared back and saw the vine wall catch fire. Grimer had freed himself thanks to his sludge body and burned away everyone's restraints.
Volbeat flashed his sparking dagger. "I'll get the Steenee!"
"I'll take on the fake Mew!" Grimer stated, summoning more fireballs.
"That leaves me with the Flareon," Slurpuff grumbled. She glared at him and his Guardian that still had Archeops by the throat. "You are an obstacle in the way of peace!"
Flint glared. "I'm not even going to bother with second chances today. I just want to find a hotel and get some sleep." His Guardian threw Archeops at the Slurpuff, who narrowly dodged. Archeops skipped off his face and flipped hard onto his back.
Slurpuff loaded bullets into her rifle. "Then rest all you want. Destination: Hotel Hell!" She fired, shooting bullets that streaked with electric sparks.
Flint kept his composure as his Guardian deflected the bullets with simple flicks of the wrist, then proceeded to approach the Slurpuff. She kept firing at him, but the Guardian was too fast and precise no matter what angle she fired at or how fast she flicked the trigger.
"Grr!" Slurpuff whipped out a paper tag and threw it on the ground. Flint covered his eyes as a blinding light blasted from the tag, washing him out within the flash. More gunshots went off inside the light, but the others ignored them.
Gwyn skipped around the carriage wreck as Grimer slung fireballs after her. She would spin, twirl, and dance her way to safety like she was in a choreographed ballet. Grimer casted his invisibility spell over the fireballs and fired off a volley of them.
"Whoa!" Gwyn raised a wall of wood from under her robes and watched it burn away from invisible flames. She raced around the Grimer, keeping her distance, then tapped on a pair of bracelets she was wearing. They reacted to her aura and changed shape and texture. They extended out and twisted into her grass swords. She gripped them both and charged at Grimer.
Grimer hissed and threw down a wave of fire at her. Gwyn sprung over the flames with wooden tendrils under her robes and flew down onto Grimer, stabbing him through the head. Grimer staggered, but remained unharmed. He enlarged his hand and wrapped it around Gywn's head.
"Time to burn!" He unleashed a torrent of heat inside his hand and watched as Gwyn flailed and struggled, trying to pull herself free. "No use! Once I grab hold of something, it's never getting loose! Burn to ashes and perish, you wannabe—"
He froze as something stirred inside his body. He held his stomach region for a second and listened to an odd creaking with him. He felt something slither up his throat, causing him to cough. To his surprise, leaves fluttered out of his mouth. He blinked, then looked down as branches poked out from within.
"Uh…wha—" Next thing he knew, a full grown tree exploded from within him and sent his goopy body splattering across the sand.
He dropped Gwyn's body, which transformed into wood with the face burnt off. Gwyn phased out of the base of the full grown tree, completely unharmed. She shook her head, however, from the phantom pains of the flames. "Ugh, got some of the sludge in my mouth!" Gwyn complained.
Grimer reassembled himself, though only as a small pile while the rest of his sludge slithered weakly through the sand. He glared at Gwyn, then slammed his hands down. Gwyn gasped as two pillars of earth shot out of the ground, then crushed her between them.
"How do you like that?" Grimer growled.
To his horror, the rock began to split and crack. Next thing he knew, Gwyn sliced the rock to pieces and scattered them through the sand. Gwyn transmuted her grass blades back into bracelets, then approached Grimer who started to quiver in fear.
"W-Wait, I surrender! Please don't—" Gwyn flicked a seed into his open mouth. He swallowed accidentally. "Uh, what was that?"
Gwyn smiled gently and snapped her fingers. "Something to help you sleep."
He felt something grow inside him again. After a moment, an intense drowsiness overtook his consciousness and lulled him into a deep sleep. He collapsed into a pile, bubbling as he snored. Gwyn waved cheerily to him, then walked away.
Over with Ambrosine, she kept backing away as Volbeat swung his dagger at her. She flinched with every close swipe to her face and the tingle of electricity brushing her cheek. She proved quick enough to react to his swings, though that may be on account of his poor training by the looks of it.
"I'm really sorry, but this is for your own good!" Volbeat stated, now thrusting the dagger at Ambrosine who kept jumped out of reach. "We won't let the apocalypse claim our lives!"
Ambrosine bared her teeth. "For Arceus' sake, there isn't going to be an apocalypse! Yeesh, and I thought I was the jaded one. You people are nuts." She dodged his thrust, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over her shoulder, slamming his back to the ground. She twisted the knife out of his hand and pressed her foot on his neck. "Stay put and don't do anything stupid."
"You first!" Volbeat pulled an electrified throwing knife from behind and threw it at her face. She leaned back, allowing Volbeat to spin and kick her legs out from under her. He picked his dagger up and stood up. "I'll make this quick and painless. You'll find relief out of this hellish future." He sat on her, keeping her arms pinned, and raised the dagger over her heart.
Ambrosine growled. "Don't treat death like some godsent miracle. It'll take this hell over that one!" She slipped one arm free and palm-struck his chest.
"Ah!" Volbeat fell off and onto his face. He grumbled and felt up his aching chest. "Why does everything feel…empty all of a sudden?" He stood up and pulled his vest open. A circle of teal magic imprinted onto his chest, specifically over his heart. "What the…?"
"Something feel off? Missing anything?" He looked back, then dropped his jaw.
Ambrosine held a teal orb in her hand around the size of a cantaloupe. Inside the orb was Volbeat's still beating heart. Ambrosine smirked at his horrified expression. "This is a little something I've finally got around to working on. Surgery Magic, the advance stage of medical magic."
"M-My heart!" Volbeat patted his chest and started to hyperventilate. His caged heart visibly sped up in conjunction to his panic attack. "W-W-Why am I not dead?!"
"What? You think medical magicians can't pull this stuff off without a little magical tomfoolery? I simply displaced its physical location." She drew a knife and pressed it against the bubble. "Anything I do to it will be reflected back onto you."
Volbeat stumbled back, whimpering pitifully. "Y-You wouldn't?"
"You were going to stab me in the heart. This seems only fair."
"N-No, don't."
"I'm going to do it."
"Please, no!"
Ambrosine hovered the knife right over the bubble, then stabbed straight down. She stopped an inch from piercing the bubble and watched Volbeat pass out from the shock. "Doctors also don't take lives." She tapped the bubble and sent it back to its original place. "But we do fire shots."
Flint kept his space as the tag team duo of Slurpuff and Archeops attacked him. Slurpuff stayed at a distance, firing electric rounds while Archeops continuously rushed Flint with mad intent, cackling something about Elder Gods and judgment day. Flint dodged Archeops' flurry of scratches while his Guardian deflected the bullets. Flint took slow, purposeful steps, avoiding Archeops' talons with near-perfect timing.
"A sacrifice must be made!" Archeops cried, lunging and throwing his talons forward.
Flint ducked, spun, and slapped across the bird's ankle, marking a glyph onto him. "Entrapment."
Orange chains sprung from Arcehops' ankle and bounded his legs and wings together. He squawked madly and tried to shake free of the chains, beating his head against the ground. "No, no, no! Don't drag me into the hell, Elder Gods! I didn't know!"
Flint brought up his Blockade Reflector just before three stray bullets pierced his back. Glaring over his shoulder, he mentally commanded his Guardian onto the offensive. It sped forward and threw out a flurry of punches. Slurpuff barely dodged, but got nicked in the cheek, causing her spin and tumble through the sand.
She picked herself up and glared vehemently. "Do you intend to hide behind a shield like a coward?"
"Uh, yeah? That's why I'm all the way over here," Flint answered honestly.
"We don't need cowards like you polluting our new utopia!" She fired several rounds into his shield, harmlessly ricocheting off the face.
Flint glared. "I rather not critically injure you, so I'll make this fast." He turned to the fallen Archeops, then opened his mouth. Orange magic gathered into a ball in front of him.
Slurpuff stopped firing and looked on in confusion. "Wait, what are you—"
"Mystic Beam!" Flint fired a low-powered Mystic Beam at the trapped bird. "And Verto!"
Slurpuff suddenly traded places with Archeops and found herself on the receiving end of them beam. She cried out in pain as she flew across the sand and crashed on top of her rifle, snapping it into two. She tumbled onto her face with her clothes ripped up. She tried to push herself up, growling through her teeth, but exhausted the last of her stamina and fell unconscious.
Flint called back his Guardian, then walked over to the girls once they were done. "Well, that was weird," he admitted.
Ambrosine groaned and rubbed the back of her head. "Tell me about it."
Gwyn giggled and bounded over to Flint, trapping him in a hug. "You're getting better at fighting, Flinty! Not a single scratch!" She kissed his cheek.
Flint smiled with a small blush. "Well, I have you to thank for that. My back leg's still giving me trouble, but I'm getting used to moving around without it."
Ambrosine frowned at their affectionate display and turned away, grumbling under her breath. Oh, get a room, you two.
"You did great, too, Ambrosine!" She looked back in surprise. Flint smiled at her. "I saw that spell you used. You're getting much better with your magic."
Ambrosine blinked, then covered her face bashfully. "Uh, th-thanks! I've been working real hard like you two! Hehehehe!" He does care!
Flint laughed awkwardly and looked away. "Err, yeah."
"RAWR!" They jumped and looked back at the Grapploct who finally recovered from his shock. He lifted his halberd and pointed it at them. "How can you three be so cheery when the end of the world is upon us?! We're trying to save pokemanity, but you got in our way! This will not stand!" He rushed at the couple and thrusted his halberd.
Gwyn pushed Flint back and struck the blade with her palm. When the blade connected with her palm, a brief green flash shined from Gwyn's hand. The halberd bent and collapsed against her palm without penetrating the skin, then began to transmute into a bouquet of lavender flowers.
Grapploct stared at the flowers dumbfounded. "My halberd! What did you do to my—" Ambrosine got behind him and walloped him in the head with a thick, medical magic book. "Heh…welcome to utopia~." He fell unconscious.
Ambrosine huffed and tucked the book under her arm. "Watch where you're pointing that thing."
Gwyn giggled. "Nice moves, Ambrosine."
Ambrosine smiled proudly and held her head up high. "Leave it to us medical magicians to have only the finest weapons at our disposal."
"Yep, nothing says 'threatening' like a hardcover textbook," Flint mumbled with an exasperated grin. "Am, maybe we should work on getting you actual weapons. That's the sixth bandit you've clobbered in the head with that thing. We didn't buy that book for you to give concussions."
Ambrosine looked at the book's spine, then blushed sheepishly at the slight dent in it. "Heh, but it's effective?" She laughed it off and stuffed it away in her bag.
Flint rolled his eyes playfully. "Alright, enough of that. What should we do with these guys?"
"I don't think they would've caused much damage on their own," Gwyn admitted. She flicked a couple seeds into the sand, sparking them with Accelerated Growth, and grew a few berry bushes. "There, they won't starve to death when they wake up."
Ambrosine shrugged. "Works for me."
Flint sighed, then turned to the news duo who had been watching in silence. He waved at them. "Oh, hello. Are you two alright?"
"Y-Yeah," they muttered.
"Do you need any help getting to the next town? That's our next stop."
Ritchie gulped. "Uh, no. I think we're good."
"If you say so." He nodded at the girls. "Okay, the town should be another day or two from here. Let's keep moving." They nodded back, then continued ahead.
Palmer and Ritchie watched them go on their way, still stunned by what they saw. Ritchie took a deep breath and exhaled his tension. "Dang. Can you believe it?"
"No, I can't."
"Those guys looked strong. I mean, yeah, they took out some no name bandits, but…they weren't even trying to take it seriously. They could've killed them without thinking if they wanted to."
"Yeah…"
"You have to wonder what brought them all the way out here. They don't even seem remotely fazed by the crap that's been going on. Palmer, that stuff you were talking about earlier? The people need hope. I think you might be onto something. With people like that hanging around, how could we possibly lose…hope?" He turned and saw the Alolan Graveler had disappeared. "Palmer?"
"Excuse me!" Ritchie gasped as Palmer started chasing the trio down. "Can I interview you three for the West Gale Regional Paper? What's your take on the year's turn of events?"
"GAH! Palmer!" Ritchie chased his partner down as he hounded the baffled trio.
In the dark plane housing the Anguis Organization, much had been going on in the last six months of inactivity. Aside from spreading terror in search of lost allies, the organization has dedicated its time into magical research and more scientific breakthroughs upon unfortunate dilemmas.
Aeternus marched down the halls of his castle, followed closely by his puppet Roserade maid. Dressed in a motley ensemble of various colors and a black cloak covering the left side of his body, Aeternus mumbled curses under his breath through gritted teeth twisted into his infamous smile.
"Can you believe the absurdity of it all, Maid? The world may have gone mad, but I didn't expect it to impede on my own operations."
"Trouble, Master?" the puppet asked.
He turned and clutched her face. "Another one of my lower branches was destroyed this morning by some upstart thief guild. Pretty much destroyed my stock, burned them to a crisp."
"Have you identified the culprits?"
"Far too many to count, but one of my less incompetent minions was able to inform me of their supposed leader. Some Raboot who melted everything just by standing near it. Kids these days. You think you've seen everything and suddenly their magical talent is shooting through the roof. The kid couldn't have been older than thirteen, yet my idiot goons couldn't do a thing to stop him."
"That powerful?" the puppet repeated.
He gently patted her cheek. "This is exactly why I took a shine to the Shadow King's efforts. I saw firsthand how strong magic has grown over the years. While I don't care much for my master's ethical position on the matter, it proves troublesome for business." He turned and kept on walking with the maid close behind.
"Aside from these setbacks, I appreciated the relative silence these past months. I've improved my craft with shadow magic. Thanks to Callista's Curse Weaver, I've been able to manufacture stronger shadow minions far more capable of retaining rational thought. My latest four are ones I'm quite proud of. The best test subjects I could find on such short notice." He smirked. "When combined with the rational mind of a Pokémon, my shadow minions can do so much more."
"As expected from your genius," the maid praised blankly.
"I am brilliant, aren't I?" They descended the stairs leading to his lab. "But we have no time to stroke my ego, sadly. Months of meticulous preparation are sitting at our doorstep. We might actually get operations running again." Aeternus glared. "Of course, with no information on the keys and the current predicament were in, a regional wide search was our only salvation, even if it has proven ineffective."
They reached the lab and stepped through, where Aeternus' grunts were hard at work around an object covered off by a tarp. He approached the Magmar manning the workstation and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and bowed to his boss. "How may I assist you, Count Aeternus?"
"I'm here for my weekly progress check."
"Of course." Magmar grinned. "You'll be happy to know that we've reached near completion."
Aeternus smirked. "Is that so?"
"We may need another week of monitoring, but we're confident we have everything worked out. That isn't a problem for you, right, sir?"
Aeternus laughed and patted the Magmar's head. "As long as you do your job correctly, I won't have a reason to execute you for incompetence." He laughed at the pale face Magmar made. "It was a joke."
"Oh…y-yes, of course. Very funny, sir—"
"I don't need a reason to execute you." Aeternus threw his head back, laughing, and walked away, leaving the poor Magmar ready to wet himself as he went back to work.
The Roserade puppet followed her master. "You mentioned something about new and improved shadow minions, Master?"
Aeternus eased his laughing and nodded. "Yes. I've been personally working on them myself. They should be ready for fieldwork soon enough." He scratched his chin. "Then we'll have a more reliable search party. As fun as it is to watch Pokémon pissing themselves in terror, sending shadows isn't the most reliable means of intel gathering nowadays."
"And what of Team Ravenfield?"
"They've been scarily quiet, which is concerning to say the least." Aeternus glared. "The only one I've had constant updates on is that blasted Blood Moon Rogue. He's not even trying to hide his presence. Then again, I don't think he wants to."
"How will you proceed?"
"If the new shadow minions are up to the challenge, they should be more than enough to eliminate them." Aeternus stopped and gazed at the glass window peering into the testing arena. He smirked, spotting his four new creations slaughtering the onslaught of shadows spawned by him. Thanks to the Shadow King's return, the shadows have grown stronger over the days. While they were remarkably simple to destroy in one-on-one fights, an entire hoard could easily overwhelm a party.
His creations, however, surpassed that weakness.
"Aren't they beautiful?" Aeternus asked aloud, stroking his chin. One shadow splattered against the window and ran down like ink. "Oh, if only I had the manpower to expend. I would love to see how they fair against an actual Pokémon. I suppose the math will tell us everything we need to know."
The maid's blank eyes flashed briefly. She looked over her shoulder. "Master, Mr. Delarosa, Commander Edwin, and Nightmare have returned."
"Ah, good." Aeternus turned and watched a black portal open up. The three underlings stepped out of the portal, along with a small flood of shadows that accompanied them.
Zaros bowed to his master. "We have returned, Count Aeternus."
"I can see that." Aeternus crossed his arms, revealing an interesting change to his appearance. With the loss of his right arm, he resorted to using his storage of Life Particles to craft a new arm: the arm of an Ursaring. He drummed the claws against his arm. "Well, what's your report?"
Nightmare stood at attention. "I regret to inform you that we were, once again, unsuccessful in locating Voss and Callista."
Aeternus glared. "Seriously?"
"Unfortunately."
"It's been six months, and none of you have been able to find them?"
Zaros glared. "We can't even remotely detect Voss' magical signature. It's like it's been erased off the face of the earth."
"It's the Sudowoodo's doing," Edwin pointed out. "I read through some of the texts on Fear Anima. Turns out there's a spell that displaces the target to a random part of the region and erases all means of tracking them until someone looking for Voss, or anyone he knows, finds him."
Aeternus grunted and bit on his thumb. "He knows how to get back. He's actively avoiding being found. There's no way he could go undetected for this long. He doesn't want to be found."
"There is still the curious case of Callista," Edwin reminded.
Thankfully, Zaros thought with an eyeroll.
"We found out she was buried under the maze when it collapsed, but we haven't found a single trace of her body when we went back to investigate. That at least confirms she's alive, but that doesn't explain how we can't trace her."
Aeternus turned away and scratched his chin. "It is strange. Callista doesn't have a magic aura, but we should've been able to detect her shadow essence. I should've been able to detect it. Something's not right."
"What does it mean?" Edwin asked.
"She's either hiding it similar to how Wendrake did, or something caused her to repress her darkness. The Shadow King could do that through possession, but I don't think Callista would know how to."
"So, we can rule out the likelihood she's dead," Nightmare stated, floating around Aeternus. "But then why wouldn't she come back to the base? She knows where to find it, too."
"That, I don't know." Aeternus shook his head. "It's a later problem now. We need to get operations back in order." He marched to the tarp-covered object.
The group followed after him. "Is he almost done?" Zaros asked.
"Just about. Reuben and Barrett have been an indispensable help with this…tricky project." Aeternus grabbed the tarp and pulled it off.
They gazed upon the figure suspended inside the tube of green liquid, hooked up with an oxygen mask and several wires. The body of Wendrake Vanderhart, now deceased from the world. Within said body, however, was their trapped king, suspended in animation and unable to free himself from his new tomb. The body was dressed in a one-piece body suit going from the feet to the shoulders with no sleeves. The legs were black while the torso portion was white. A metal plate with six circular outlets was attached to the back.
Aeternus pressed his fingers to the glass. "He needs time to monitor changes, but he's stable. Once he awakens, we can begin physical therapy and get him up and running again." Aeternus glared. "I am concerned about his power output, however, as this isn't a typical possession we're looking at. Even though he'll have control again, there's no chance he'll unleash his full power like this."
"So, how will he fair against Team Ravenfield?" Nightmare asked.
"I've been working with the witches on that. We discovered a particular potion recipe that should help, but it's ancient witchcraft junk. They're still looking into it."
"Can't say you haven't been keeping busy, Master," Zaros praised. "You've been working hard."
"As the only active Herald of Darkness at the moment, I need to." Aeternus stepped back from the tube. "The time will be upon us. Finding Voss is our top priority. If Team Ravenfield gets to him first, they'll undo the tracking negation spell, but they'll also have a chance of reclaiming the keys."
"So, what do you expect us to do?" Edwin asked.
"Great question." Aeternus pointed at Edwin. "My sources tell me the Grim Ash survivors are the ones pursuing Voss. Your job is to hunt them down and dispose of them before they become a problem."
Edwin glared. "No offense, sir, but there's no way in hell I'll be able to take on three Emotion Anima users at once."
Aeternus smirked. "You won't have to. In addition to a small force at your command, you'll be accompanied by my new band of minions." Aeternus nodded at his maid and pointed at the training area. She bowed, then approached the chamber.
"Ah yes, your new pet project," Nightmare mused.
Aeternus snickered through his teeth. "Kehehehehe. Once they get some field experience, they'll be more than powerful enough to eliminate Team Ravenfield. I'll have them hunted and slaughtered. My new warriors aren't just savage, they're intelligent. They'll be a match against those bothersome treasure hunters."
Roserade opened the chamber door and gestured the minions out. "Master Aeternus requests your presence."
The fighting within the chamber stopped, and the warriors stepped out, one having to compress their body down a bit to get through. They each had red, piercing eyes with bodies covered completely in solid shadow, making them black as obsidian.
Aeternus smirked at their gawking expressions, then gestured to the shadow minions. "Gentlemen, I introduce to you…the Knights of the Abyss: Famine, War, Pestilence, and Death."
Famine was a hulking, rotund behemoth of a monster. A four-legged giant with a gaping mouth dripping with saliva that had a strong, acidic smell. He had a spiked-ball tail that swung with the excitement of a Growlithe puppy. He wore silver-colored armor over his back and around his thick ankles. He roared at the group, sending spit that they dodged.
War was the shortest of the bunch, with her height ending just below Zaros' chin. She wore silver armor as well, such as a chest plate and bracers, along with a gladiator helmet with red plumage. She had large, shadowy claws that constantly shifted in size and shape before settling to a normal size.
Pestilence was tall and lanky, about half the height of Famine. She was covered by a sickly green robe with the hood up, allowing only her glowing red eyes to be visible. Her lower half poked out in the form of eight tentacles that slithered along the floor. Her gangly claws illuminated with a toxic green glow. Every time she exhaled, toxic gas expelled and dissipated like a warm breath in the winter.
Death stood out among his siblings as strong, determined, and fierce. He dressed almost in classic knight armor with a helmet grate that truly highlighted the scary red glow of his eyes. He wielded two lances strapped to his back. What truly made him stand apart from his siblings was that his lower half was attached to the back of an equally-scary horse, making them look like a shadowy nuckelavee. The horse itself wore a helmet and armor and snorted black flames from its nostrils.
Aeternus stood in front of his creations and grinned. "Minions, bow before your master."
The knights took a knee and bowed to him. "What are your commands, Master Aeternus?"
"I have plans for all of you. Pestilence, you will assist Edwin here in snuffing out the Grim Ash Clan's three surviving offspring. Think you can handle that?"
Pestilence bowed her head. "I will make them rot, Master."
"That's what I wanted to hear. The rest of you, you will wait on standby until further notice." He snapped his fingers and summoned multiple pictures, all with the faces of Team Ravenfield and their immediate allies. "These are your targets. They're all on the immediate kill list…save for this one." He tapped on Tony's picture. "I have plans for him. I want to break him, make him suffer, make him understand what I'm trying to do for him." He smirked. "I know he'll come to me. He'll never get his precious girlfriend back if he doesn't. Kehehehe."
Death nodded. "Of course, Master. The Dewott will be spared unless given the order to kill."
Aeternus sighed and burned the pictures away. "I'm so happy to be dealing with mentally competent minions. That is all. Patrol the outskirts of the castle." They bowed, then left the lab.
Edwin glared at the floor for a moment, then stepped forward. "When will Pestilence and I go to hunt the Grim Ash Clan down?"
"Soon," Aeternus assured. "I need to check in on the witches' progress with the Shadow King before we start our manhunt. And between finding Team Ravenfield and dealing with these sabotages on my organization, preparations must be made. Hmm, maybe I should send Famine after those sniveling brats first."
Edwin nodded. "Well, I guess I'll be off for the day." He sped-walk out of the lab. Nightmare and Zaros bowed to Aeternus, then exited after Edwin.
Aeternus returned his attention to the glass tube holding the Shadow King and pressed his hands to the glass again. "I'm not sure I'll be able to bring you back to full strength, Your Majesty, but I know one thing that'll bring you to your former glory. Once we get the Idol of Origin, you will return to your true self and bring peace to this diseased world." Aeternus' villainous smirk grew. "I can't wait to rule that world. Your vision, the vision I've seen, will be glorious."
The inanimate body didn't respond to the mad clown's ramblings, but the faint glimmer of red shimmered through closed eyes. By subconscious action alone, the Hypno's fingers curled into a loose fist.
The start of a new beginning is just beyond the horizon.