Vessels

And now, we have the final-

The Alpha's - no, it was now called Arceus - train of thought froze in its tracks. Something was very wrong. Things were not as they should be. It was like finding a scratch on a gemstone, except the gemstone was actually on the brink of being cut clean in half.

Arceus dismissed the battle about to commence before it and focused on the sight occurring outside of its domain. It was looking underneath the surface of the Earth, inside the complex where the boy and the anomaly came from.

No. This shouldn't be possible.

Dream Eater still kneeled on the ground, unmoving. He had closed his eyes a long time ago, but he had not fallen asleep. He had simply stayed where he was. He didn't know where else to go. For one of the first times in his life, he felt lost.

He could sense Midnight was nearly distraught as he. For once, the Gengar's signature smile didn't match its eyes. Its red eyes were dark and full of disappointment. It hadn't moved from behind Dream Eater since Shadow Force's pulse had stopped, either.

The Pikachu was no better off. Its tall ears were pressed flat against its head as tears continued to fall from its eyes. Dream Eater had never witnessed a Pokemon cry before. He'd never seen two creatures of a different species care so much for each other, either.

The air suddenly felt strange. Dream Eater didn't know how else to describe it, but something felt…off. He opened his eyes. The Pokemon must have noticed the change in atmosphere as well. Chu stopped spreading tears for a moment. Midnight shifted in place.

Dream Eater looked around for any other evidence as to what the change might have been. He came up with nothing. He looked to the Pokemon beside him to see if they were having better luck.

Chu had perked up. Its ears went straight again and it moved to all fours. It jumped on top of Shadow Force and began to nudge him a bit.

What? Dream Eater watched, puzzled, as Chu continued to shake its trainer. But he's dead, isn't he? He thought sullenly. He put a finger on his throat under his jaw to feel the lack of a heartbeat.

Thump.

Dream Eater's eyes widened. He pulled back and stood on his feet. Sweat began to drop from the top of his head and around his face. His mouth was wide open in utter bewilderment.

But...how?!

The strangeness of the environment became more noticeable and prominent. Dream Eater realized he could detect emotions from it. Triumph. Anger. Hatred. Most of all, a desire to hurt. No, a desire to kill.

Shadow Force's eyes snapped open. He jerked upward to a sitting position. He gasped for air, heaving heavily. Damp blood covered one side of his face, though the wound in his head was no longer bleeding.

Dream Eater was still baffled. More than that, however, he could feel fear stirring in his chest. Just who was this boy? How could he possibly have come back from the dead? His heart had stopped beating!

"H-how..."

Shadow Force gained his composure and examined the Pikachu on his lap. He smiled, putting a hand out to rub Chu's head. The Pokemon was pleased and began to cry again. However, these seemed to be tears of joy.

"How?"

Shadow Force glanced at Dream Eater. He kept his smile while Chu moved off of his lap so he could stand. As he arrived on his feet, Dream Eater noticed that one of the boy's jacket sleeves had also been drenched in his own blood, leaving practically one-half of his body black, while the right side was a dark red. It made him look demonic.

"Well, shouldn't we continue where we left off?" Shadow Force asked plainly.

Dream Eater still had his mouth open. Fear and uncertainty still gripped him. And yet, he felt happiness deep inside of him. He tapped it and felt it flood him. His mouth closed and spread into a wide grin. He walked backward until he was behind Midnight. Chu pranced forward and blocked the path to its trainer.

"Of course. Let's continue," Dream Eater said. "No interruptions this time. One of us is going down."

Eve and Null's evolution rushed towards each other through the blank vastness of Arceus's domain. Before meeting in the middle, the trainers called out their attacks.

"Double Kick!" Kyle shouted.

"X-scissor!" Leader called.

The Pokemon that was once Null was much faster than it had been before, which meant it was now ludicrously faster than Eve. It's front claws glowed green. It jumped into the air, raising its front legs before slashing downwards with its claws in an x formation. Before Eve could even register in its mind the move Kyle had told it to perform, it was slashed on the back by X-scissor. It went underneath its enemy's body, which landed on the ground like a feather between it and Kyle.

Kyle grimaced. Eve was surrounded on both sides now. He watched Leader intently to see if he would try his hand at catching Eve once more. This was going to be much more difficult than it had been before. Fortunately, he had Arceus to give him some advice.

"Hey, I might need your help sooner than we thought," Kyle whispered. There was no response.

"I thought I might share the name I came up with for my Pokemon!" Leader called over.

"Yeah?" Kyle said, trying to keep the concern at Arceus's absence out of his voice. He frantically began to worry that the higher being had left him.

"I call him Silvally!" Leader said proudly.

Kyle didn't respond to him. He was focused on getting a god's attention. "Arceus!" He whispered harshly.

After another moment, Arceus's voice appeared beside him. "Apologies. I was...occupied with something else for a moment."

Something that could distract it from this? Kyle thought. Not to mention it sounds worried. What could have happened?

"I need you to offer some strategies as to how I might defeat this guy," Kyle said.

"Continue to fight. I need to see how he fights with that new Pokemon of his. I'll be sure to have something you can use before the anomaly faints."

I can't tell if that's reassuring or not, Kyle realized with a sigh. "Judgment!"

"Charge through with Iron Head!" Leader countered.

Countless individual beams of light shot from empty space in front of Eve's face. They streaked towards Silvally like missiles. The majestic Pokemon's head flashed a metallic glow. It charged forward as its master commanded, plowing straight past Eve's attack. As each beam struck, they were deflected in a random direction. Silvally continued on and struck Kyle's Pokemon once again, throwing it backward. As it skidded towards Leader's feet, the man cast an impish grin as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another Dominance ball.

"Eve! Kick the ground with double kick and get out of there!"

The Eevee did as it was advised. Its legs glowed white as it slammed one of them into the ground, changing its trajectory. It then made another kick, allowing it to gain more speed until it was far enough away from Leader so that Kyle was comfortable. Its legs stopped glowing and it stood in place. Leader still held the ball in his hand in preparation to throw. He let his arm down, still clutching the device.

Leader smirked. "I guess the gap between the strength of our Pokemon is simply too great. Your attacks simply bounce off at this point."

Kyle scowled.

"He is correct, you know," Arceus said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kyle said dismissively. "But there isn't much I can do about it."

Arceus hesitated. "You are aware you can evolve your Pokemon, yes?" It spoke tenderly as if it very much hoped that what it said was true.

"It didn't work last time," Kyle reminded the higher being. "It devolved, remember?"

Arceus was silent for a moment.

"There's something you're not telling me," Kyle concluded.

When Arceus spoke again, there was surprise detectable in its voice. "How do you know?"

Kyle blinked. He had never made an observation as difficult as that before. Carol was the one who was good at that kind of reading. How did he know?

"Nonetheless, you are correct," Arceus said. "There are things I wish for you and the rest of those you call 'trainers' to learn for yourselves. However, there may be a need for an exception in this case."

"Okay, so what do you have for me?"

"Your Pokemon is my anomaly. It shares traits with myself," Arceus explained. "I know you've figured this out through the move which you called Judgment."

"What's your point?" Kyle asked. He was multitasking. He had to give commands to Eve in between questions while the battle in front of him waged on. He was focusing mostly on dodging with the maneuverability Double Kick offered. However, Leader was sure to catch on soon enough.

"Call your Eevee back and use one of your stones to evolve it," Arceus suggested.

Easier said than done, Kyle thought. If he plainly called for Eve to return to him, Leader could simply order Silvally to stand guard and intercept it. But what other option did he have?

Kyle opened his mouth to summon Eve, but before he could even get the words out the Eevee was already heading towards him as it dodged another one of Silvally's attacks. It bounced along the with Double Kick and skidded up to its trainer's feet.

I didn't even call it, Kyle noted. But there was no time to worry about it now. He was still clutching the ice stone in his left hand. Still in his pocket was the leaf stone, but at this point, Kyle doubted he would have a use for it. He would evolve Eve into Glaceon once more, as that was what he preferred.

Leader saw what was happening, yet made no move to prevent it. Kyle was certain he would have if he had known what was being planned beforehand. For now, he waved to hand to Silvally, stopping it in its tracks, and patiently waited.

"Looking to make things easier for you, eh?" He taunted. Kyle elected to ignore it. He held out the ice stone to Eve.

"Hold on a moment," Arceus said.

Kyle stopped and withdrew his hand. "What is it?" He asked.

The air directly above Eve seemed to shift for a moment, similar to when Arceus's body materialized earlier. Only this time, the whiteness was taking on a different shape. It formed an object that was long and thin, like a strip of stark white cloth. As Kyle watched in awe, the construct of Arceus's power wrapped itself around Eve's midsection like a belt or a rubber band. Eve seemed to find it comfortable.

Leader's eyes widened at the sight, then narrowed. He turned towards Arceus's projection.

"Taking sides, are we?" He angrily accused. "Fine! I'll beat them to shreds anyway. Just you watch."

"Take out your other evolutionary stone as well," Arceus said, ignoring Leader's small outburst.

"The leaf stone? What for?" Kyle asked doubtingly, though he still removed it from his pocket. What use could he or Arceus have for two stones?

"Press them against your Pokemon's back, where the harness I forged is."

Kyle did as he was told. As he placed the two stones next to each other on Eve's back, the belt-like object changed shape, wrapping itself around the stones as well, securing them in place.

"It doesn't use too much of my power, and I can always reclaim it once we are finished here," Arceus explained.

"Okay, that's good, but how does this hel-" Kyle stopped talking but kept his mouth where he was when he realized it. "Wait."

"You are correct," was all Arceus said. "Now go. Continue the fight."

Kyle still had his mouth open. Then he began to chuckle.

"Hey," Leader said with a frown. "I don't see what's so funny. Your Pokemon isn't going to benefit much from whatever that is."

Kyle smiled at him. Leader didn't seem any more nervous because of it.

But he was about to be.

I do not know why you made us wear this device in the first place. I do not require it.

"I know," Adrien said as he sidestepped out of the way of a Shadow Ball. "I didn't want him to be suspicious. Besides, it's more fun if he knows I can hurt him."

I suppose you provide a defendable point. However, concerning the suspicion, I believe I can confirm he is no longer suspects us of having any strange abilities. Now he is sure that we have strange abilities.

Adrien shrugged. "Oh, well." Another Shadow Ball. This one almost caught him in the abdomen, but he managed to move away just in time. "Do you want me to take it off?" He asked.

I do not need you to remove it for me. I will destroy it when I see fit to do so.

"So, were you just complaining, then?" Adrien asked slyly.

The voice didn't respond. Adrien chuckled. He still wasn't sure how he felt about it. Until now, he had thought it had simply been his mental imbalance taking on a new form. He had multiple reasons now to believe that wasn't true. Well, the mental imbalance portion was still sound.

It called itself the Renegade and that was all it had told Adrien about its identity. So many things about it were unknown, yet it had literally brought Adrien back from the realm of the deceased. Most would've wanted to know how that was possible in the first place, but the only thing Adrien was concerned about was why. Why go through the trouble for someone like him? Had anyone else experienced this sort of thing?

It also mentioned something about Pokemon, Adrien remembered. Could the two phenomena be connected somehow?

Adrien lost focus and almost allowed Midnight to use Hypnosis on him. He quickly raised his hand to cover his eyes, barely making it in time. Chu used the opening and used Thunderbolt. A large streak of lightning burst from the Pikachu's body and shot into Midnight's smile. The Gengar stood its ground, however, absorbing the shock.

"Poison Jab!" Dream Eater commanded.

Midnight's hand glowed purple as it darted towards Chu. The Pikachu used its tail and batted Midnight's arm, causing its attack to go off course. The Gengar tried spinning around with its momentum, trying to punch again, but Chu was already darting away. Midnight's attack met empty air.

"Thunder Wave!" Adrien called.

Chu fired a small jolt from its cheeks in Midnight's direction. The Gengar easily dodged it, but Adrien had planned for this.

"Thunderbolt!"

Chu increased its electricity output from Thunder Wave level to Thunderbolt level in an instant as it fired in the direction Midnight dodged. Its accuracy and prediction were both sound, but Midnight managed to avoid the attack anyway. The attack simply didn't travel fast enough.

I can't use Quick Attack since its a ghost type, Adrien thought. In fact, the only moves I can use in this fight are Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave. It's clear that he can easily pick up on my attack pattern.

I have something you can try.

"Eve, use Double Kick!"

Eve propelled itself along the ground in a zig-zag motion, exactly as Kyle had wanted it to approach. As it neared Silvally, Leader called out a counter.

"Predict it and block with Iron Head!" He called.

The top of Silvally's head flashed metallic and it moved its head along with Eve's quick movements. Kyle had thought this through already. Silvally would most likely manage to block the attack and counter. It just had to time its block correctly.

But things were going to happen differently than Leader thought.

"Evolve into Leafeon!" Kyle called.

Eve glowed for a brief moment before growing in size and shape, as well as changing in color. It evolved into Leafeon in the time between one set of Double Kick. Its ears and tail resembled leaves and there were small tufts of green fur on its body. The leaf stone on its backside was gone, though the ice stone still remained.

Eve immediately began to move faster, causing Silvally to fail in its timing. Eve struck Silvally in the leg, kicking it out from underneath it. It would be unable to move for another moment.

"Use another set of Double Kick!"

Eve kicked the prone Silvally again, this time in the side. The opponent was pushed backward, causing it to roll along the ground. It then took advantage of its momentum and popped into the air before landing and regaining its footing.

We should retreat, for now, Kyle decided. I don't have any more openings.

Eve backed away towards its trainer as soon as Kyle had the thought. It had been doing that more and more often.

Leader had his eyebrows raised. "So, you evolved mid-attack. Fairly clever. It's unfortunate that you won't be able to do it again."

Kyle grinned. Oh, that's not even half of what I had planned.

Leader thrust his arm forward. "Air Slash!"

Silvally swiped with one set of claws, sending a blade of compressed air towards Eve. The Leafeon instinctively dodged to the side. It was much faster now, so it was out of the way long before the slash had reached it.

"Razor Leaf!" Kyle called.

Leaves sharper than kitchen knives sprouted from Eve's body and shot towards Silvally. The leaves were equally as fast as the Air Slash, but there were many of them, though they might be weaker.

"Iron Head!" Leader ordered.

Silvally danced around as its head changed once more. As it tried to move around, the leaves followed. Some missed, while others simply tapped Silvally's head and fell to the ground. However, some managed to break past its defenses and make small cuts in its legs and body.

"Follow up with Double Kick!" Kyle said, feeling confident.

Eve rushed towards Silvally, back legs glowing. Unfortunately, Silvally was able to recover before the Leafeon reached it. Its front claws glowed green as it raised its front legs for X-scissor. There was no time for Eve to change direction and get out of the way. Not to mention, Bug-type moves were extremely effective against a grass type like Leafeon.

Kyle couldn't get Eve out of the way. But he could soften the blow.

"Now, switch to Glaceon!" Kyle called.

Eve's entire body glowed white briefly as Silvally was slashing downward. Then it was an Eevee again. The leaf stone reappeared in its place next to the ice stone. It began to glow again but was stopped as X-scissor hit its mark and Eve was stopped in its tracks as it was slashed across its front. It was thrown to the ground where it lay open to any attack.

So we can't switch straight to another type, Kyle noted. We have to devolve first.

"Use X-scissor again while it's down!" Leader called.

Crap! "Hurry! Switch to Glaceon!" Kyle tried again.

Eve glowed once more and changed to the ice type while it was down. The ice stone disappeared this time. Now Eve would have more defense to guard against the attack.

Kyle cringed as Eve was hit again by X-scissor, but it wouldn't have been much worse if Eve didn't evolve so quickly. As soon as the attack was over, Silvally raised its claws again. Kyle wouldn't give it the chance to attack a second time.

"Judgment!" Kyle called.

Beams of sky blue light fired rapidly from Eve's body into Silvally's exposed front. The synthetic Pokemon cried out and jumped backward, covering the places where the beams struck. Eve pushed itself back to its feet and retreated to where Kyle stood.

"Those beams were blue," Kyle whispered to himself.

"Indeed," Arceus said. "Judgment is a move I myself can use. As you've probably guessed, I have an ability that allows me to change my type. That is why the anomaly can do the same. The move type reflects the current type of the Pokemon using it."

"So I just hit Silvally with an Ice-type attack," Kyle finished, smiling.

"Correct," Arceus confirmed, "and it would have been grass if the anomaly had been a Leafeon."

"An Eevee definitely shouldn't be able to do that," Leader said, frowning. At first, Kyle thought he had heard him and Arceus talking before he realized Leader was talking about Eve switching between evolutions.

Kyle grinned. "I've spent a lot of time looking at potential evolutions for my Eevee," e said proudly. "I know the exact base statistics for each one. We can adapt to any attack you throw our way and to any attack I hit you with."

Leader nodded. "Interesting. But will it be enough for you? I think not."

The two fell silent as they waited for the other to make a move. Kyle definitely wasn't going to strike first, so he waited for Leader to make a move.

Eventually, his patience was rewarded. "Air Slash!"

Glaceon was slower than Leafeon, so Eve couldn't maneuver around the attack, so instead, it jumped over with a small hop, trying to minimize the time it spent in the air. As it did so, Silvally came charging forward, following its previous attack.

"Iron Head!" Leader ordered.

Kyle didn't have time to switch before he needed to block the attack. "Bite!"

As Silvally thrust its now hard-as-iron head towards Eve, the Glaceon opened its mouth and caught it in its teeth. The impact caused Eve to slide backward, but it eventually managed to come to a stop. Silvally struggled with it as both attempted to push the other back in a contest of strength. It was clear to Kyle that Silvally was the bigger and stronger Pokemon, so he worked around that.

"Double Kick!"

Eve threw its head to the side, using Silvally's strength against it. The larger Pokemon stumbled past, leaving its side exposed. Eve kicked at it twice with its glowing hind legs. Kyle grinned in satisfaction.

Before the attack landed, however, Silvally flashed metallic blue for a moment. It happened in an instant and Kyle wondered what it had been.

As Eve's attack hit its mark, Silvally brushed it off like it was nothing. Kyle's eyes widened. Eve landed on its feet as it finished the move and looked up at its opponent, shocked as well. Silvally's head then flashed to silver as it used Iron Head. It headbutted the enemy right in front of it. Eve was blown backward as it let out a loud cry of pain.

What? Kyle wondered. It tanked Double Kick even though it's supposed to be super effective against normal-types. How is that even possible?

"Arceus?" Kyle asked.

"I do not know," the higher being said. It sounded very concerned. "Its type shifted somehow as mine does. It should not be possible."

Leader, apparently surprised as well, blinked at his Pokemon before letting out a hearty laugh.

"I'm not seeing things, am I?" He asked between laughs.

As the two humans watched, Silvally flashed multiple different colors: Blue, red, green, brown, purple, pink, silver, and so on. With each flash, Arceus relayed what type Silvally was switching to. With each flash, Leader laughed in delight. With each flash, Kyle felt the pit in his stomach grow deeper.

"My, how the tables have turned!" Leader commented.

Kyle gritted his teeth. "Eve, use Judgment!"

Silvally flashed red, switching to a Fire-type. Kyle watched as it coated itself in flames before rushing forward. The Ice-type Judgment dissolved as it passed through the fire. Silvally closed in and slammed into its target.

Damn! Was that Flame Wheel? Kyle wondered. Then he shook his head. No, it couldn't have been. Jordan's Monferno looks different when it uses Flame Wheel. This was something different.

Leader laughed again. "It must've learned a new move when it evolved. If I had to guess, I'd say it's like that move you use. The one with the light. I'll call it Multi-Attack"

Silvally has a move that changes type too?! Kyle thought.

"It is true," Arceus said.

Kyle was taking his time in processing his new situation, but Leader elected not to give him any.

"Now, switch to Normal-type and use Iron Head!" Leader ordered.

Silvally flashed white and coated its head in iron, charging forward.

Okay, this is fine, Kyle thought as he tried to keep a cool head. Fighting-type moves are strong against Normal types. "Double Kick!"

Eve rushed forward to meet Silvally halfway, hind legs glowing. As it leaped forward to deliver a set of blows, Leader gave another command to his Pokemon.

"Switch to Ghost-type!" He called.

Shit.

Silvally flashed dark purple. Eve's attack passed harmlessly through Silvally's body as if it were made of air. Silvally then rounded on it and slammed its head against the startled Glaceon. The impact threw Eve into Kyle, sending them both to the ground.

Kyle and his Pokemon pushed themselves to their feet. This was bad. Silvally had more options to choose from than Eve and it didn't have to switch back to Normal-type before changing to a different type. Kyle had thought he would gain an extreme advantage with his switching, but Leader had just one-upped him.

"How can we win?" Kyle asked Arceus. He didn't expect an answer.

After a long moment, Arceus spoke hesitantly. "There is something else you can attempt."

"What?" Adrien asked curiously.

You must close your eyes and concentrate for a moment.

Adrien scoffed. "I'm not in much of a position for that," He said as he eyed Midnight, trying to figure out if its next attack would target him or Chu.

Your Pokemon and I will protect you. Do it now.

Adrien sighed and closed his eyes, putting his faith in his Pokemon. The sounds of battle continued in front of him as he focused.

"There is a presence in your mind. One that is not your own," Arceus said. "Can you feel it?"

Kyle drew his attention from the battle to focus on his mind. Now that Arceus had mentioned it, he could feel another set of thoughts and feelings in his mind. Now that he had noticed it, it felt like it had been there forever, slowly becoming more prominent.

"Yes," Kyle responded. "I can."

"Try closing your eyes and concentrating on it."

There is another consciousness in your mind. You must tap into it.

At first, Adrien was slightly confused at the Renegade's words. But as he turned his attention back to his brain, he saw that it was telling the truth. The presence was clearly there. It was similar to what the Renegade's presence felt like, but not quite as strong. Though it seemed to have much more positive emotions.

"I can sense it," Adrien said.

Excellent. Enter it.

Kyle took a deep breath and relaxed as he tried to focus. The presence grew, and Kyle could now clearly feel emotions and thoughts. There was a great abundance of fear, but holding it back was defiance as well as a sense of justice. More than anything, however, was the desire to love and protect.

Adrien never used relaxation to concentrate. He allowed stress and anxiety to give him strength as he pushed his consciousness into the newly discovered section of his mind. He could feel feelings coming from it. There was a sense of slight indifference and a need for battle. Yet the most noticeable trait was loyalty and the desire to have someone to be with.

Kyle gasped as the consciousness merged with his own. His thoughts became its thoughts, its thoughts became his. They were one and the same, connected by an unbreakable bond. Not just the bong of a trainer and its Pokemon, but the bond of partners.

Adrien exhaled as their two consciousnesses washed over each other. They were connected as one entity, one being, by a bond that could be severed by none, not even themselves. They were one fighter.

Kyle and Adrien's eyes snapped open.

Well, how about that.

Leader had been watching Judgment close his eyes and breathe deeply for a good moment. Was it out of pity that he allowed his opponent to take a second? Or maybe it was respect? He didn't know. He didn't care. It was only interesting to him that Judgment's eyes had changed. He wasn't certain, as he was far away, but he was confident.

Judgment's left eye was emerald green.

What is that?

Dream Eater had been trying to get past Chu while Shadow Force had closed his eyes of all things to do during a battle. Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to get past Chu's defenses. As he had seen an interesting spectacle, he had called Midnight back so he could focus on it. His eyes narrowed.

Shadow Force's right eye was ruby red.

Kyle opened his eyes to a different view than he had seen before. He still saw most of what he had seen before, but he was now lower to the ground. He looked down and felt dizzy at what he saw. He could see his own body, but now he could also see the front side of what looked like a light-blue dog. It was very disorienting.

What is going on? He wondered.

"So, it seems you can make a half-bond already, though that is your limit," Arceus said. "Rather impressive. Many cannot achieve that feat so quickly, even with assistance."

"What's happening?" Kyle asked. It felt strange to speak. It felt like only half of his mouth was moving.

"That consciousness you felt was the anomaly's," Arceus explained. "You can now see through its eyes as well as your own. I can explain more to you later, but for now, you must continue to fight."

Kyle found another set of thoughts that were not his passing through his head. They were kind and soothing, making Kyle relax.

These are Eve's thoughts, he realized. I can hear them.

Kyle found that he could also move Eve's body independently of his own. No, he wasn't moving it. It was responding to his thoughts and the firing of his neurons as if they were its own. The delay of a verbal command was no longer present in this form. Still, it was as if he and Eve shared the same body, as well as the same mind. Not completely. But enough.

Adrien immediately noticed that he could now see through Chu's eyes with his right eye, though his left eye still saw things from his own point of view.

"What is this?" He asked.

A technique used by only the greatest of masters. It allows the consciousness of a human and a Pokemon to merge. It eliminates the need for verbal commands, among other things. It will be very useful to you.

Adrien tested the Renegade's words and found that Chu's body responded to his thoughts. Adrien could also tell what his Pokemon was thinking, now. It was energetic and ready to fight.

"Do I have to see out of only one eye?" Adrien asked. "It's a bit disorienting."

You will be unable to dodge attacks made towards you.

"Ah, right. Oh well. Let's try this out."

Adrien imagined a bolt of lightning emanating from Chu's body towards the Gengar standing before the two of them. Almost instantly, the conjured image became a reality as Chu used Thunderbolt. Midnight didn't expect it and was unable to dodge in time. It was struck in the side and took a few steps back, cringing.

Adrien chuckled. He could have some fun with this.

Kyle focused on the portion of his sight that was from Eve's perspective, concentrating on learning how to move around swiftly in this form. He practiced jumping from side to side for a moment before he decided he was ready enough.

Eve's hind legs glowed as Kyle prepared for his Pokemon to try using Double Kick. He tried to make Eve propel itself as it had done before, but he found it was not so easy. It was like this was a manual mode, and being out of this merge would be auto-pilot. It would take some getting used to.

When Eve fell over a second time, Leader seemed to decide that he was done waiting.

"Air Slash!" The head of Team Dominion called.

Silvally swiped with both of its claws once in rapid succession. As the blades of air traveled towards Eve, Kyle did his best to weave around them. Eve ducked underneath one and sidestepped past the other before charging ahead to Silvally. It bared its teeth as Kyle prepared Eve to use Bite.

Silvally saw the attack coming and switched its type, flashing black. Dark-type. A mistake.

Switch!

Eve glowed for a moment before returning to an Eevee, then glowed again and evolved itself into Leafeon. Silvally was confused slightly by the action, though didn't change its type again, as it must've seen that Eve's teeth were still bared in preparation for Bite. At least, that's how Kyle was making it seem.

Eve's hind legs glowed as it approached before it leaped the last few feet forward and used Double Kick. Silvally didn't have the time to change type and it took the full force of the attack. Fighting-type moves were super-effective against Dark-types.

Silvally wasn't trying to dodge. It was trying to predict the move Kyle would use next and adapt so it could sacrifice a small amount of health for an opportunity to cause a massive amount of damage to its opponent. Kyle would use that against it.

Chu leaped forward at Adrien's silent command, jumping in a quick zigzag motion in the hopes of disorienting Midnight. As it neared its enemy, Dream Eater called out his own command.

"Hypnosis when it gets close enough!" He called.

Adrien heard the command and Chu stopped on a dime, body beginning to discharge electricity. It then released a Thunderbolt towards Midnight, who was still preparing for Chu's approach. It managed to roll out of the way, however.

I will transfer an attack I know to your Pikachu to make the fight easier. Which move do you want me to replace?

Adrien didn't argue. "Replace Double Kick. What's the attack called?"

Iron Tail.

Chu's tail glowed silver. Adrien grinned. The glow dimmed. Adrien wanted to create an opening, first. Chu used Quick Attack, instead. But it wasn't targeting anything. It simply ran in a random pattern around Midnight, bouncing off walls and the ground, never touching concrete for more than a second. Midnight looked around, trying to keep its eyes on Chu's form, but the electric mouse was too fast. It threw a few Shadow Balls in a hopeless and failed attempt to hit it.

Chu suddenly changed the pattern and darted straight for Dream Eater. It canceled Quick Attack and instead began to prepare Iron Tail, aiming for the Team Dominion member's neck. Midnight chose that time to finally regain its sights on its enemy. As Chu was aloft in the air, it was exposed. Now that Quick Attack had been stopped, it was much slower, slow enough to be hit with one of Midnight's Shadow Balls. The ball of dark energy hit its mark, causing Chu to be thrown off course and into the wall, cracking it.

Adrien grimaced and Dream Eater back away to put more distance between himself and Chu. Adrien had been so close that time. He needed a way to get rid of Midnight. That seemed to be his only option. Chu removed itself from the cracked wall and assumed a four-legged battle stance.

Not much else to do now, Adrien thought.

Chu's tail glowed metallic once more. This time, however, it would be targeting Midnight. The Gengar's fists turned purple at its trainer's command; Poison Jab. The two Pokemon rushed towards each other and continued their fight. Midnight threw punches and jabs towards Chu, who blocked or parried them with its tail. Chu would sometimes try to slash with its tail, but Midnight would either catch the blow or smack it away. Neither Pokemon could gain the upper hand.

Adrien started having Chu throw in a few Thunderbolts between Iron Tail strikes. Midnight did the same, only with Shadow Ball. Both Adrien and Dream Eater still had to dodge whenever one of the Pokemon missed their target, which was incredibly often.

Soon, both Pokemon started to gradually take more hits. Midnight was the first to land a blow with Shadow Ball. The attack had struck Chu in the stomach, blowing it back into the wall again. This allowed Midnight to follow up as it landed the second blow of the encounter.

Chu landed some hits after that, as well. After Midnight had approached so closely to follow up its attack, Chu had used Thunderbolt as replaced the distance between them. After a few more exchanges of blows, Chu managed to slash one of the Gengar's legs with Iron Tail.

Finally, when it seemed the battle would progress no further, Chu jumped in the air while flipping forward to deal a powerful strike with Iron Tail. Unfortunately, it had been a foolish attempt. Midnight managed to catch Chu's tail in its glowing hands. It struggled to keep it there. While it fought, its eyes were only inches from Chu's. That was when Adrien realized his mistake.

"Hypnosis!" Dream Eater called.

Midnight's sinister eyes flashed, and Chu began to look drowsy. Adrien could the influence of the move on his Pokemon's mind. The connection was slipping and Adrien was becoming able to see less and less out of Chu's eyes. After a few more seconds, Chu had fallen limp to the ground, sound asleep.

Dream Eater grinned in triumph. "Finish it with Dream Eater."

Eve used Judgment as Leafeon, sending green beams of light towards its enemy. Silvally flashed red in response. Fire. Kyle couldn't do much about that, as neither Grass-type moves nor Ice-type moves had much of an effect. So his only option was to switch back to Eevee. As Eve did so, it used Judgment a second time. Silvally absorbed the blows from the first round of Judgment before noticing that the next set was a type it couldn't defend as well against. Kyle hoped that it would give up trying to change type and dodge since changing type would risk being more affected by the first round, as they were so close together.

He was right. Silvally dodged to the left without changing type. The beams struck the ground where it had been before, causing no harm to the synthetic Pokemon. But Eve was already sprinting across the ground, hind legs white. It bounced itself forward and up with Double Kick and unleashed a set of blows with its feet across Silvally's face.

So it has to concentrate in order to change type, Kyle noted, smiling. I can't dodge and switch at the same time, nor can it use a move while it's switching.

Leader order Silvally to switch its type, but Kyle saw it coming. He canceled Eve's next set of kicks as Silvally flashed dark purple, switching to a ghost type. Leader realized his mistake too late. Eve bared its fangs and leaped forward, biting Silvally on its long neck. The synthetic Pokemon roared and whipped its head in all directions, trying to shake off its attacker. Eve remained strong, pressing down with its teeth.

Silvally switched to Fighting and tried to use Multi-Attack. Eve quickly evolved into Leafeon before Silvally finally managed to remove Eve's teeth from its neck by swatting at it with its front claws. The Leafeon tumbled along the ground and Silvally attempted a follow-up attack, body still covered in Fighting-type energy.

Eve rolled to its feet and jumped to the side at the last second, using Judgment as it did so. The beams of green light struck Silvally's side. The energy around it faded as it was knocked down.

Kyle saw Leader growl in frustration and smirked at the spectacle. Silvally tried using Air Slash but Eve dodged to the side while using Razor Leaf. The sharp green leaves flew at Silvally's body. The larger Pokemon dodged most of them, but a few hit their mark. Eve was already following up by approaching rapidly with Double Kick. Kyle had allowed Eve to make the individual motions itself, for now. Silvally tried to block with Iron Head. It ducked its head low and parried the first set of kicks. It tried to block the second set of kicks as well, but as Eve's feet struck Silvally's Iron Head, the metallic energy surrounding it shattered. Silvally's head was thrown backward by the impact. Eve flipped backward in the air.

As Eve landed, it and Kyle both saw a black Dominance ball streaking towards them.

Midnight opened its mouth as thin, silver whisps began to drift from every opening in Chu's head. The threads flew inside Midnight's grinning maw. Chu began to shake and thrash on the ground.

I cannot lose.

The wounds, marks, and burns Midnight had sustained from battle began to close and fade as it recovered health from Chu's own.

I will not lose.

Chu began to thrash less and less as its health was drained almost completely. Adrien could only stand there and watch in disbelief.

NOT NOW.

Adrien cried out in pain as he felt a sudden rush of energy flow from the consciousness of the Renegade into the consciousness of his Pokemon. There was so much...power. Violent energy that could level cities and kill people in an instant. It was even stronger than the power he had felt when he had been resurrected.

YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO IT.

A burst of the same power suddenly sprouted from Chu's body. The silver tendrils stopped flowing and Midnight took a cautious step back. The ground cracked. Shadows began to envelop the still-sleeping Pikachu, obscuring it from view. It seemed to be absorbing the light from around itself.

I CAN DESTROY YOU ALL IN AN INSTANT.

Dream Eater ordered Midnight to use Poison Jab on Chu. The Gengar complied, throwing its glowing fist at the cluster of darkness. Before the attack could land, however, what seemed like a tendril from the darkness whipped out and struck Midnight on the side, knocking it towards the wall.

No. It hadn't been a tendril. It was a tail. The shadows dissipated and Adrien drew his next breath sharply.

Chu was now a bit bigger and it was orange instead of yellow. Its tail was more like a whip and it had a thunderbolt-shaped tail end. Its ears, which were standing straight up, were larger and wider. Adrien would have thought it simply evolved into Raichu if there hadn't been a few things about it that were different than a normal Raichu. Instead of having yellow cheeks, ears, and tail, they were all blacker than a moonless night.

WE WILL FINISH YOU.

Adrien gasped again and felt his sight change as his consciousness merged with his Pokemon's once again. He was seeing out of Chu's eyes again, but now it was only Chu's perspective. He couldn't see out of his own eyes anymore.

As Adrien sensed Chu's thoughts and emotions, he felt a new knowledge that hadn't been there before. A new attack. Not Iron Tail.

SHADOW FORCE.

Kyle and Eve had taken their eyes of Leader as they had flipped backward. They hadn't spent enough time on the ground to secure proper footing for a dodge. Kyle's heart almost sunk. At first, he criticized himself for getting too lost in the battle. He had completely forgotten that Leader could throw the Dominance ball anytime he wanted.

But now wasn't the time. He had to act fast. He needed to keep the Dominance ball from touching Eve's fur. If he hadn't been merged with Eve's consciousness, he would have already lost.

Eve used Judgment, aiming for the Dominance ball. Green beams of brilliant light shot out and struck the capsule blasting it away just as it was a foot or two from Eve's face. Kyle sighed with relief.

Leader growled again, this time with even more anger. "Just take it down!" He yelled at Silvally.

Silvally roared and switched to Fire. It used Multi-Attack again, covering itself in flames. It charged toward Eve with the intent of trying to finish it off. Kyle could tell it wasn't going to switch again.

Eve devolved back into Eevee before using used Double Kick and sending itself straight upwards in the air. It then canceled the previous move and used the last move of the battle. Leader was finished.

Judgment!

Chu vanished instantly where it stood. Midnight looked on all sides, wary of a sudden attack. It had every right to be. Seconds later, Chu appeared from the shadows and struck Midnight with its tail, sending it straight into Dream Eater. The two of them were thrown across the hallway by the huge impact. They hit the ground and rolled to a stop.

Dream Eater struggled to his feet a few moments later and wiped fresh blood from his face. His fear was clear to Adrien. He was sure his body's face was smiling.

Thunderbolt.

Chu planted the end of its tail into the ground, causing the cement to fracture. Black volts of electricity ran across its body. The device on its wrist shattered and dropped to the ground. It wasn't needed. Chu then unleashed all of its stored power as a bolt of pitch-black lighting shot towards Midnight and Dream Eater.

Beams of white light rained from above Silvally, like judgment coming down from heaven. The cloak of fire around it was no protection against the light. It roared in one final act of defiance as the beams relentlessly struck its body. The beams ceased. Silvally dropped to the ground a moment later, defeated.

Dream Eater watched as the black bolt approached him.

Well, I guess that's it, then, he thought as the electricity enveloped his and Midnight's body. He smiled despite the pain and looked one last time at the boy and his Pokemon. The boy's eyes were now both glowing red, along with his new Raichu's as well. They were a magnificent sight together. Dream Eater was sure they'd go far.

Thank you, he thought as he closed his eyes.

Arceus watched as the two boys struck down their enemies with one final blow.

They will be the greatest masters of their time.

And one day, they will have to kill each other.