Master of Bad Dreams

Darkrai Learns Another Lesson!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

"Pokémon" – Normal Speech

'Pokémon' – Thoughts

Pokémon – Flashback

Pokémon – Move Names

{Pokémon} – Pokédex

Previously on Master of Bad Dreams,

"You are too confident Ursula." Ash suddenly spoke and after a while, it was like a ghost started to speak in the room and spooked everyone in the room. "You think that you can walk up to Dawn and call all her Pokémon and her hard work cheating when she trained herself to the ground to win the Wallace Cup. You act like you should have won it. You act like you should win every contest you enter. You are wrong Ursula and now Gliscor, use Ice Fang!"

Ursula felt like time had stopped when the Sandstorm dispelled to show that Gliscor had been flying above it the whole time, hidden with the help of the desert winds. And for being a Ground type, Gliscor knew to find where Gabite started to dig and sent the Cave Pokémon out of the ground while biting down with ice covering his fangs, dealing fours time the Super Effective damage. Gabite fell from the chilly fangs with barely the energy left to stand.

Ursula fell to her knees with tears in her eyes. All of her training, her best Pokémon, everything was useless in order to win against Ash. And yet the unthinkable had happened. "Now that is done, I forfeit!" Everyone gasped, Ash had made this far and he can win this Contest by storm, and now he is forfeiting!? "You hear me. I didn't enter for any Ribbon, I didn't enter to be a Coordinator. That isn't the life for me or any of my Pokémon. Fame just isn't what is best for us."

"Are you kidding me!?" Ursula roared, "Then why did you embarrass me!? My Pokémon!? My talents!? My future as Top Coordinator!?"

"Because you did the same to Dawn, one of my friends Ursula." Ash said plainly and Gliscor nodded. "I entered this Contest so that if you did indeed fought me instead of Dawn, I will show you that victories are never faked. They are earned through skill, with faith in bonds and through hard work. You can see all of it with my and Gliscor plainly. And you lost to the very three things you spit and laugh at; I know this ever since we first formally met." Ursula flinched at how she made a poor first impression to people who never got the chance to know slightly better.

"By standing that only natural talent is the key to Ribbons and being a Coordinator than you were not only insulting me, insult Dawn but every single Coordinator is this hall and all across Sinnoh. They all are different but they truly are Coordinators because they work hard, train hard and establish bonds between Pokémon. Natural Talent means nothing to them but you!" Ash continued and pointed to the crowds in all directions and Ursula could see the glares from all the Coordinators in the stands watching the battle. "If you want to keep this up then do it for all I care or anyone else for that matter. But I don't want to be a Coordinator if you see yourself as the example of a real Coordinator. And no else either and that is why I am forfeiting." Ash finished before returning his Gliscor back to his Pokéball.

The end result was everyone cheering for Ash while booing at Ursula who remained on the stage since she did have a place in the final Contest Battle in the Chocovine Pokémon Contest. With her exhausted and broken Pokémon and her soul even more, Ursula tried to fight to win with what is left of her overconfidence but she ultimately fell to her imperfect feature via special moves that Dawn had cooked up so that nothing is taken advantage of; moves such as dodging attacks and Pachirisu moving around so that Gabite instead stumble, the Electric type Pokémon didn't as much as attack because against a ruined Pokémon, they will be no different than bullies. The match was all neutral despite what the circumstances could be in default.

The Contest was filled with building excitement that just died in one fell swoop but what rose where the first fell was the heartfelt devotion of a trainer to another. Every Coordinator came home with all these forever cemented in their minds, along with various emotions from the chances that Ash used that involved Dawn were much more appreciated than that Ursula ever did when she kept telling everyone that she will defeat Dawn, and all that rising rookie ever did was win the Wallace Cup fair and square. Just how beautiful loyalty can be when it came to friends?

Whatever is the answer, Darkrai will be trying to figure out all from his experience within Ash's physical shadow for the entire day. Ash was just his opposite to what Darkrai always thought humans were and what is more is that Darkrai feels like he is slowly becoming more like Ash. Whatever this will be good or bad will be up to all those who are asked the question.

"You're under arrest!" Just how did a day like this started out until an Officer Jenny came around wearing sunglasses with a Pokémon on her shoulder, saying those three words. It was just yet another run in with Team Rocket in their latest attempt at Ash's Pikachu. As always, they were sent 'blasting off' but not with Pikachu flying along with them and in another direction

That is until this Officer Jenny came on her motorcycle but with Ash's Pikachu safely in her hands. But when Ash politely retrieved his Pikachu, Officer Jenny asked him if he was the same Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town that came to Viridian City. That didn't sit well a little with the raven haired trainer so he braced for anything to happen when he plainly said yes. Getting arrested was on the list of the worse things to occur.

"On what charges? We were the ones attacked by Team Rocket!" Ash defended himself and his friends tried to do as well. They never counted on something like,

"I misspoke. What I was saying was that I need you to catch Team Rocket." Officer Jenny said much to relief of his friends but to curiosity of Ash himself. Officer Jenny said that personally, she was hoping to turn in Team Rocket but hearing that they were in Sinnoh rather than Kanto, Officer Jenny filed for a transfer. All the way with her partner, Chatot.

Chatot is an avian Pokémon similar to a parakeet. Its head is black and resembles an eighth note, while its black tail resembles a metronome. It plumage is brightly colored with blue wings, a yellow chest and feet, a green stomach, and a pink, hooked beak and eyelids. Additionally, there is a ruff of white feathers around its neck. This Pokémon's tongue is similar to a human's, allowing it to imitate human speech. Chatot is also able to mimic the cries of other Pokémon, and uses this ability as a defense mechanism. Chatot uses the sounds it has learned and arranges them into its own melody, and flicks its tail to keep rhythm. Chatot is the only known Pokémon that learns Chatter.

As Ash, Pikachu and Brock had already ran into a Chatot before, Dawn was the only one to take out her Pokédex.

{Chatot, the Music Note Pokémon. It hears words and then mimics them.}

But regardless of this development, Ash and his friends didn't know what this transfer Officer Jenny had in mind. Until she asked them to be bait to catch Team Rocket like luring a wild animal into a trap with raw food! That sure didn't work because instead of Team Rocket finding them, it was Officer Jenny's new boss.

Officer Jenny from Kanto sure was dejected that she let her obsession make her blinder then her sunglasses that she was wearing despite no sunshine that day. She just bought the trainers lunch in an attempt to make up for it. Still, Ash and the gang had not going gained free food but also a show when Officer Jenny conjured up a bowling ball to stop some crooks; Chatot also helped by using Feather Dance to make the crooks dizzy and unbalanced.

Still, Ash didn't approve that Officer Jenny was then acting like a kid who got a passing grade on a test he lost a week's worth of sleep over. That was because Team Rocket appeared and not only that, they snagged up Officer Jenny's Chatot while she wasn't looking! "Come on you, let's get at Team Rocket." Ash said to the once again dejected Officer Jenny.

"But how!? They can be anywhere in the city…!" Officer Jenny shouted but Ash had just glared him down.

"I thought you were a better detective than that. Why can't you just trust your partner for once?" Ash said before listening to the wind and so did Pikachu. After a while, everyone else just shrugged and tried it too only to hear the familiar cries that no Flying type Pokémon can muster other than,

"My partner, Chatot!" Officer Jenny cried out in happiness and relief until she noticed that Ash and the gang had run ahead of her while she was deep in her clouded mind. "Hey wait for me!" Once she did catch up with them, Ash and the gang had already found Team Rocket who were in their ridiculously but virtually impenetrable robot shaped like a bowling pin.

Officer Jenny had finally made some progress with her bowling balls but she had a limited supply so Team Rocket thought that she was going to lose. Instead, they forgot about Chatot and that caused them to finally be done in by a Steel Wing to the likes that even Ash or Brook never seen before. One that managed to trash the seemingly indestructible robot. That was how the day was saved but Team Rocket had been sent blasting off instead of being arrested by Officer Jenny from Kanto, like she wanted but Ash had shown her that putting the lives of others over obsession is something a good person will never do.

After an apology from Officer Jenny who told them where the next Gym is, Ash and the gang said good bye to her as Officer Jenny stated that she was going to return to the Kanto Region that she ultimately abandoned in her obsession with the Team Rocket trio. It was one wild day but of course, there was a lesion to be learned by someone who couldn't do a thing but watch it all unfold.

Darkrai realized something yet again from this encounter. That when you care about something, you will do anything for it. It can be crazy and extreme and yet it can be sweet as well. Darkrai never had anything to live or fight for and all this felt really warm internally. Is this what makes his trainer a boy that everyone wants to be around unlike him? Darkrai had no clue but wanted to find the answer to yet another question he could only ask of Ash.

XXXXX

"There it is! With our Pokémon!" Inside a cave, on the snow covered Route 217, were a Meowth and a Piplup, both trapped up to their necks in ice while being carried away by an unknown Pokémon that was hiding in the shadows but halted when that voice was heard, echoing along the cave walls. "Flamethrower!"

That same Pokémon had to try and dodge the stream of steady flames that heated up the icy cave and also thawed out the Piplup and Meowth. And it was all done by a familiar Monferno, to a few of course. "Wow! You look like a real fire type now bob!" Meowth, being the talking Meowth that he is, had to bring out but was silenced by a stare and glare from the Playful Pokémon; no doubt that he didn't want to take anything from a Meowth with a dirty record as…well Meowth.

"Piplup! You are okay!" Dawn then appeared along with Ash, Brock and surprisingly, Team Rocket. When she saw that the Flamethrower had finally shed some light on the mysterious kidnapper, literally, Dawn took out her Pokédex to scan it.

{Froslass, the Snow Land Pokémon and an evolved form of Snorunt. It freezes its opponents to temperatures nearly minus sixty degrees.}

Froslass is a humanoid Pokémon with a hollow torso that resembles a kimono. It wears a red band around its waist, reminiscent of an Obi. Its body lacks feet and it floats in the air like its counterpart, Glalie. Its arms are connected to the sides of its head, and flare at the wrists. The flared portion has dappled, light blue coloration. Its hands consist of three small fingers. Froslass's head is shaped similar to a sideways water droplet, and is topped with two ice crystals that resemble horns. Its head has several holes on it, resembling a mask. Through two of these holes, crystal blue eyes with yellow sclera can be seen. It also has a mouth below this "mask".

Froslass lives in snowy areas and has the ability to freeze foes with its -58 degrees Fahrenheit breath. It is thought to display its victims secretly after freezing them. As evidenced in the anime, it can create illusions to manipulate others. Froslass is a female only species, and is said in legends to be the spirit of a woman who was lost in the mountains.

Also, according to the Sinnoh Pokédex, only female Snorunt exposed to a Dawn Stone can evolve into Froslass. And Dawn Stones were originally discovered in the Sinnoh Region. That was why Glalie was thought to be the only evolution to Snorunt. It is another piece of proof that Sinnoh had caused more Pokémon discoveries than any other region so far.

"So this is the Pokémon who dared tried to freeze us to death in that blizzard eh?" Ash said, brief and to the point. Both he, the gang and Team Rocket got lost in the blizzard and thought to have found a cabin and a hot spring to help with the cold. But it was all faked by this Pokémon and kidnapped both Dawn's Piplup and Team Rocket's Meowth in order to get both parties to chase after her. "So let's get to why you wanted us to chase after you, shall we?"

Ash said with not only his Monferno and Pikachu staring with a sadistic smirk but somehow, his Gliscor and Staravia were also doing the same. The former two, Froslass can get away with but the latter two all have a disadvantage against her typing and yet Froslass was intimidated by them. And so, later,

"What!? A poacher!?" Ash suddenly shouted while listening to the wild Froslass. "A poacher had stolen your friend!? Is that why you wanted us to follow you and you had to kidnap our Pokémon to get our attention?"

Froslass nodded with a sigh of relief and disappointment because she didn't realize somehow that she could have asked Meowth to tell the story instead of struggling to give the message in her own tongue to the trainers and Pokémon present. Also, she realized that she actually went a little extreme in her attempt to get help so she bowed her head in attempt for forgiveness.

Ash just wanted to get this all over with because not a single soul was enjoying this development as much as he is. So, after a good hour of searching from point zero that was the home of both the wild Froslass and her friend, they had come across a sight that was out of place in the blizzard and that meant something to look into. And they had no idea who angry they were to witness the sight.

There, with a man and a giant floating Pokémon that realized merely a chuck of ice with a hockey mask attached to, was the Snorunt that was the friend of Froslass that really got kidnapped.

Snorunt is a small, black Pokémon with an ovoid body. It has circular, light blue eyes, wide teeth, and spherical hands and feet that lack digits. It is covered with a yellow cloak that gives it a triangular outline. The coat is rimmed with an orange stripe and has three orange diamond markings on the back. Well-adapted to life in colder climates, it subsists on snow and ice and can survive temperatures as low as -150 degrees Fahrenheit. Snorunt is also a social creature, living and traveling with other Snorunt in groups of five. It can be found in caves, particularly when the outside weather lacks snow. Additionally, it has been known to visit human dwellings.

"Hey that's a Glalie! That's the other evolution of Snorunt!" Ash pointed out yet another Pokémon that all except for Dawn were familiar with all the way back in Hoenn. Since this is the first time Dawn has ever encountered a Snorunt or a Glalie, she scanned it with her Pokédex.

{Snorunt, the Snow Hat Pokémon. Snorunt is said to bring great wealth to any home that it lives in.}

{Glalie, the Face Pokémon and an evolved form of Snorunt. Glalie protects itself by creating ice armor from airborne moisture.}

Glalie is a spherical Pokémon that consists of a black rock core covered by ice. The icy covering has several holes and spaces across this Pokémon's body. Blue eyes and a mouth with flat teeth are visible through three of these holes. There are two large, black, conical horns on either side of Glalie's head. Its icy body will not melt, and it can control ice by freezing moisture in the air. This ability is used to freeze its opponents, which it then consumes. It can be found in caves.

And this time, Team Rocket was actually pretty helpful with their own Pokémon against this Poacher and his Glalie. James used a Grass type native to Sinnoh named Carnivine with its Vine Whip and Bullet Seed.

Carnivine is a green Pokémon resembling a Venus flytrap. Its circular eyes have small pupils, and it has spiky teeth. Its stem is yellow with green spots, with red and green vines beneath with the appearance of tentacles. It can hang from tree branches using these vines, and it is said to look like a plant. It has two arms resembling leaves with three leafy 'fingers' each. Its mouth can open to about 180 degrees wide. With its mouth wide open, it attracts the prey it waits for with a sweet-smelling saliva, then chomps down. It takes a whole day to eat prey. It lives in forests and marshes. Its diet consists mostly of insects and small bugs.

And while Carnivine was having fund, Meowth surprised everyone by using Fury Swipes and Slash very effectively. Meanwhile, Ash's Monferno was using Flamethrower and Mach Punch to the advantage while Dawn's Piplup used Bubble Beam and Peck. All of these attacks have overwhelmed the Glalie and pretty soon, the local Officer Jenny had been given the poacher in ropes to be shipped away for his illegal activities. Meanwhile, Froslass and her friend waved goodbye and thanked the gang for the all the trouble they had went through to help them. And finally, Team Rocket just went up and fled while everyone's attention was on the poacher being sent to the slammer. But that wasn't to be the last of them for sure and the gang had realized that a long time ago before this day.

Of course, Darkrai saw just what lengths anyone will go for a friend. Wild Pokémon or not, trainer or not. Maybe the Pitch Black Pokémon will feel that way too and look at himself in the mirror as a Pokémon who has a friend and one that he will help in times of need.

XXXXX

"Hold it right there twerps!" Out came you know who out of the brush and in their most silly robot yet. One in which they were the pilot of a machine that was arms, torso and legs. But this didn't even make Ash chuckle.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt now." Ash said and Pikachu didn't even utter a word before sending them off once again with its signature move. And for the rest of the day, Ash and the gang were never bothered by Team Rocket. All except for that one time with yet another robot but Ash could have sworn, after being sent blasting off, there were some arguing among Team Rocket and that Meowth was getting the brunt of it.

In spite of this, Ash decided not to try and get some more dirt on this. After all, they never even showed themselves since they broke their record for more than one attempt in a day. But Ash had a disturbing feeling when he could have sworn that someone was eavesdropping on them talking about a rare but wild Pokémon that was seen up in the mountains. Of course, given that it was a dangerous Pokémon, Ash and the gang wisely chose not to even try this out.

Unfortunately, it was not to be when Jessie and Meowth appeared looking troubled. They had a really bad falling out and when Meowth went to a Ramen Noodle restaurant to spend the rest of his days as a master cook and Jessie left to be a Coordinator for real, James foolishly went up to the face the dangerous Pokémon on his own. They asked of Ash and the gang to find James and settle this so that this dangerous Pokémon won't hurt anyone.

"So it was a Metagross after all." Ash said once they ran into James who had to have this dangerous Pokémon on his trail. No doubt angry at the blue haired man for trespassing and won't let him get away with it.

Dawn had first seen a Metagross from the tag battle tournament in Hearthome City but that one was a normal Metagross not one with different coloring.

The Metagross is a robotic Pokémon but with a silver instead of turquoise, disc-shaped body and four legs. The main body appears to serve as both head and body, and this Pokémon's overall construction gives it the appearance of a mechanized arachnid. It uses its heavy body to pin down its prey before consuming them with its large mouth. A large, metallic cross is situated in the center of its face. On either side of the cross, a red eye peers out from a space in Metagross's metallic armor. Its four legs are joined to the main body by ball-and-socket joints. While the upper portion of the legs is relatively thin, they are considerably thicker below the knee. Each leg has three short claws on the end and a flat, blunt protrusion extending over the knee. The legs can be tucked in, allowing Metagross to float in the air.

Metagross is the result of two Metang fusing together. This gives the Metagross a total of four brains, all connected by a complex network of neurons. Because of these complex connections and the number of brains, this Pokémon is capable of complex calculations and is more intelligent than a supercomputer. It uses its intelligence to analyze its opponents during battle. This Pokémon can be found on rough terrains.

While facing this Pokémon down, Jessie had her Seviper from Hoenn by her side.

Seviper is a serpentine Pokémon that is usually depicted scrunched up like an accordion. It is mostly black, but has several markings on its body. It has yellow hexagon markings that run from its head to its tail, small yellow bumps where it touches the ground, and various purple scar-like marks. It has elongated red fangs that protrude from its upper jaw and fierce red eyes. Its tail is partially red and has a blade-like shape. Seviper sharpens its tail on rocks, and can use it for its signature move, Poison Tail.

Seviper wraps around its opponents to make them unable to move. Its tail and fangs are venomous, and are used for striking and poisoning prey or enemies. It has been bitter enemies with Zangoose for many generations. It lives in grassy areas.

But Jessie had only made things worse by foolishly trying to order her Seviper to use Poison Tail on Metagross. After all, Metagross was not only a Psychic type Pokémon that has an advantage over Poison types but also a Steel who are immune to all Poison type moves. That was how Seviper was done in by a Zen Headbutt attack.

Before anyone else could try at this wild and angry Shiny Metagross, a familiar face appeared literally from the shadows and made the Metagross stop in its tracks. "Darkrai!" Everyone cried out while the Pitch Black Pokémon refused to lose his focus. Even in the face of a fake Legendary, one must never lower their guard.

Darkrai stared down the Shiny Metagross like when he did that to the wild Deoxys a few days ago. Darkrai had the advantage as his typing made him immune to all Psychic type attacks, ones that Metagross obviously tried to do but automatically failed at. So it tried for a glowing arm, usually known as Hammer Arm, but Darkrai had dodged it and used a Dark Pulse in retaliation.

That set off a fight to break each other's defenses and land one super effective hit to send them packing. But it was not to be when Meowth actually appeared and with a balloon to get them out of the jam! And with the arrival of the rescue Balloon had also caused Metagross to drop its guard and Darkrai was able to use the chance to land a damaging hit and put Metagross to sleep with its signature move before moving back to Ash.

Everyone was wondering why since Darkrai had gotten the chance to defeat Metagross but the Pitch Black Pokémon chose to flee instead. "Perhaps it is because Darkrai is more honorable than that." Ash theorized, much to everyone's initial confusion, that Darkrai wished for a more fair match in which this never happened and Metagross getting either a honorable loss or victory. And none of those can happen if something had forced the Iron Leg Pokémon to drop its guard like that. Honor is a complicated thing that can be confusing and unbearable at the times for sure but at least it is something that Darkrai feels like he could, personally, sleep at night now that he had done something to fully respect the wild Pokémon.

XXXXX

"And there it is!" Steveland, yet another friend that Ash and the gang had made on their Sinnoh Journey, shouted in excitement at the sight of a tournament in the works and was about to start. "The PokéRinger competition today in our windy town of Squallville! We just made it!"

"Calm down Steveland, we will get there in time and I can't wait to see you compete with your Pokémon." Ash said with a smirk and tone of a friend watching the amusing antics of another, like it was a good laugh to share and experience that bonded the two friends together.

"Right!" And just like that, Steveland regained his focus in order to follow after the gang who managed to get into line to sign up. They had just got some of the last tickets in stock and while Ash and Steveland go to do one last review of their tactics, Dawn and Brock took Pikachu and Piplup to the audience where they will watch the competition unfold.

At the tournament, among Ash's Staravia, were other trainers and they all had different flying type Pokémon. Examples included not only Steveland's Skiploom but Fearow, Noctowl, Swellow, Wingull, Skarmory and Swablu. There was also this suspicious trainer with a familiar Yanmega but Ash and Steveland paid it no mind.

That was how both of them managed to pass their first round abut Steveland couldn't make it past the second like Ash did. So the ambitious trainer wished Ash all the luck in the world to win this. And Ash was not going to disappoint him.

But then there was yet another Pokémon competitor and can cause some unfriendly and unhealthy competition. It was Paul's Honchkrow, the one that he evolved ever since he dared tried to use a Murkrow against the signature Pokémon of the Sinnoh Regional Champion.

Honchkrow is a dark-blue avian Pokémon with plumage resembling a person dressed in formal attire. It has a large feather crest resembling a fedora hat that has spikes extending from the back. It has circular red eyes with white sclera and dark blue eyelids. Its yellow beak is slightly curved, and its head is supported by a broad, short neck. Honchkrow has a white and prominent crest of feathers on its chest that bears resemblance to a beard or cravat. Its wings have red feathers on the inside. Honchkrow has black feet with four toes. The tail's base is a white, cylindrical stalk, on which there is a growth of red feathers on the end. Honchkrow is known to be ruthless. With a mere cry, it can summon and organize flocks of Murkrow in this manner, and is known as the "summoner of the night" by the pitch black darkness that often accompany such a spectacle.

It is said that a Honchkrow will never forgive the mistakes of the Murkrow that follow it. These flocks have been seen flying at night. The purpose of the flocks is unclear, but they are known to collect food for the Honchkrow that organized them. Honchkrow normally spends the daytime hours tending to its feathers in solitude. It is a scavenger that lives in swamps, forests, human towns and cities, and plains.

All this was proven when Honchkrow refused to back down in the face of a Dragonite, a Pokémon who are a select few that are the closet to the power of a Legendary Pokémon. It was because this Honchkrow had finally showed its ability, Super Luck. It allows a Pokémon land critical hits very easily compared to Pokémon without it. That was how Honchkrow's Sky Attack was able to not only finish off the Dragonite but also win Paul the round. And to think that this Dragonite was trained by a four year champion.

All this tension stayed in the air and affected every remaining trainer until it was time for the final round, winner will take all. And it was Ash…against Paul! And after seeing how well Paul had been winning as well as Ash, it could be anyone's victory but there was also how passive and sadistic Paul's tactics were along with how his Pokémon fought for the ring.

And it was like for the entire match and it was like Staravia couldn't keep up with the fully evolved Honchkrow for long and was eventually floored, literally. But when Staravia fell to the ground with the ring still in his mouth, something amazing happened as soon as the Starling Pokémon started to glow a bright blue, almost as bright as the yellow of the Sun.

"Could it be?" Ash said since he saw his Pokémon evolving and he knew what Pokémon his Staravia is going to become. So he took out his Pokédex as soon as that happened.

{Staraptor, the Predator Pokémon. Staraptor has an aggressive temperament and will bravely attack enemies that are far bigger than itself.}

Staraptor is a grayish-brown, avian Pokémon similar to a large bird of prey. It has small, red eyes and a thin, yellow beak with a black tip. There is a circular white patch on its forehead, which is smaller on the female. Larger white markings cover the front of its throat and chest, separated by a black ruff encircling the shoulders. A red-tipped, black crest extends over its head, nearly reaching the tip of its beak. Staraptor is fussy about the shape of this comb, which it uses to appear larger and frighten enemies. It has large wings, five black-tipped tail feathers, and yellow feet with black talons. Its powerful wing and leg muscles allow it fly effortlessly while carrying a small Pokémon. Upon evolution, this Pokémon leaves its flock to live alone. It can be highly aggressive, persistently attacking even larger foes in spite of illness or injury.

"Now let's see what you can do now Staraptor, use Close Combat!" For Honchkrow, it was all in an instant. Staraptor appeared before it and repeatedly kicks, pecks, and hits Honchkrow with his wings at a fast speed. "Now Brave Bird!" Staraptor ignored the lowering of his defenses, the side effect of using Close Combat, and got ready for the great but risky attack.

Staraptor pulls in its wings and dives down at the opponent like a missile, its body bursting into flames. Then, it pulls out its wings, its body becomes surrounded by a blue aura, and it slams into the opponent. When the glow fades, light blue sparks run up Staraptor's wings as it takes recoil damage. And since Close Combat was used beforehand, the damage was greater than usual but Staraptor wasn't going to fall do this development.

Not when Ash was counting on him and especially not when Honchkrow finally fell out of the sky to the sheer power of those two attacks. Staraptor simply swooped and snatched the ring from Honchkrow's mouth in order to place it on the goal. Ash had won the Sinnoh PokéRinger competition!

While Ash was weaved through the crowds that were congratulating on his victory, Darkrai noticed that Paul was scowling at the sight. When the passive trainer gruffly returned his Pokémon, he felt an unnatural chill up his spine. Paul then heard something out of a horror,

"You are the one that doubts my master. Doubts his beliefs, his methods and his way of enjoying life. I can't stop you from thinking that but I will not let you try and humiliate my new master all because you drag your personal beliefs in other people's business. I will force you to take in all the nightmares you ever witnessed in your short life, remember that."

Paul then tried to turn and see who was doing this but only saw something of a shadow leaving his sight. Paul hurried to get a better look but failed to find who spoke to him. So he just continued on what he was doing but he will never have his passive and cool smirk for the rest of the day. And that was because Paul never found out what spoke to him or that it was a shadow that retreated into another, Ash's.

End of Chapter 6.

*I really put it all into this chapter along with the next because I wanted to make the deadline of midnight of New Year's Eve. That is one way to celebrate yet another completed year and the start of a new one altogether. I bet you all have your own fun way to celebrate all this; after all, it only happens once a year for a good reason.*