Far, far north of Silvent City, where Bronze had completed his first Gym Challenge...
The Hood walked carefully along the path marking the way to Stark Mountain, measuring the noise his footfalls made with uttermost precision. Emrett should have finished with those archeologists by now, but the Hood had other duties to complete.
Along the gravelly path, several squirrels fought with a wild Bidoof. Looking at the creatures, the Hood pondered about why some creatures, namely squirrels, birds, and other creatures could not be evolved, use moves, or battle without suffering severe injury.
It was the folly of Arceus to create such revolting beings, all body, no spirit. Hurting one was no worse than hitting a rock. Possessing no Knowledge, Emotion, or Willpower, such animals were worthless, utterly revolting. For the fun of it, the Hood killed one of the squirrels with his antique projectile sidearm, the bang of the object causing a flock of Kricketune to take flight, their slender arms creating a flood of music.
The Hood pushed the fog of the noise out of his mind, when Stark Mountain loomed above him, yet not intimidating him in the slightest. Size was irrelevant to intelligence, if one could possess it to a extent in which it would aid their Ambition to fulfill their Ideals.
"Hey! Are you the one that made that noise?"
The Hood saw, at the mouth of the cave, the so-called Guardian of Stark Mountain, Buck, was standing with his Claydol. "Answer me! I don't like the look of you..."
"Hold, young master!" The Hood said, stepping toward the trainer, calculating how quickly he could reach his concealed weapon. "That was the Kricketune, if I am not mistaken. I intend to capture a set of Pokémon in this fine...mountain? It is actually more of a volcanic hill..."
Buck saw the Master Ball at the Hood's belt. "Wiat, that means that you are going to capture He-"
Some people are just easier to kill than others. The Hood drew the projectile weapon, firing two bullets into the teen's chest. A quick snipping of the jugular and carotid arteries with a sharpened blade, and Buck fell dead.
The Hood picked up the terrified Claydol's Poke Ball, sending it back. "Not quick enough to protect your master. I am loath to kill a Pokémon...but I cannot have any witnesses."
Applying a illegal Poke Ball scrambler, the Claydol inside the Capture Device was reduced to rubble. The Hood, realizing that no evidence that remained would be able to trace the killing back to him, walked into the deeps of the Earth.
He had not sent any of his Commanders or Admins out on this journey. It was far too important of an endeavor to give control of to those of lesser skill, except perhaps Emrett. Kett was also set to complete his objective in an hour, in tandem with the Hoods own assignment.
The Hood bore a single, many-buttoned device, shaped like a toroid with a black sphere connected to the exterior framework. Once the Hood had entered a cavern with a stone that looked like it had been made of solid magma placed in the center, the Eclipse Lord activated the thumper, sending out intangible vibrations into the surrounding rocks.
Suddenly, the mound of rubble before the Hood began to stir, moving like a great Titan of a older world. Then, a massive beast roared in annoyance at being interrupted from its uneasy slumber, breaking the crest of the rocks like a wave.
Heatran, Lord of Stark mountain, the Scourge of Fire, the greatest Vassal of Groudon, had awoken.
The Hood began to speak, wondering if the elohim would be moved by his plea. "Heatran, I am making all things new. Join me and my cause, or be forced to submit to my authority. Forsake you alligence to Arceus, and remember the Power that you once wielded under the authority of the Great Djinn, the Giver of Freedom."
The legendary Pokémon snorted, and launched a blazing fireball at the annoying human. It would not abandon its allegiance to Good so lightly.
The Hood pressed a button on his obsidian black wrist gauntlet, causing him to teleport out of the blast radius of the fireball. Heatran growled in confusion, and launched another fireball. The Hood dodged the attack again, thankful that the power of Heatran had waned over the eons.
Sending out a a Mismagius, The Hood teleported behind Heatran with his Pokémon. He truly wished he did not have to battle, but capturing Heatran was too important to not compromise his tenuously held principles.
The Hood ordered Mismagius to launch a Shadow Ball at Heatran, making the legendary elohim roar in anger, it's attacks becoming frenzied and inaccurate.
For several minutes, the battle consisted of the Hood and Mismagius launching attacks at Heatran, while teleporting away from the counterattack. Eventually, Heatran began to tire, and fell to its legs, the mighty beast crumpling into a twitching heap.
"I have bested you, Flame of Arceus," The Hood said, regarding the defeated Pokémon before him. "Join me, or you will be subjugated to more indignation. Choose wisely, Prince and Power of Magma."
Heatran gave a growl, and then fainted.
The Hood took the Master Ball he had been bearing, and captured Heatran. This would almost certainly injure the Pokémon further, due to its fainted condition, but the Hood thought little of it. Success, success at last.
With his last gasp of energy, The Hood sent out an Alakazam. The constant teleportation had greatly sapped his strength, and he had to return to Roria.
"Take me..." The Hood rasped. "To the agreed location."
With a rush of compressing air, the Hood was gone.
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Pokedex Holder and Champion, Black stood near the ice-covered Giant Chasm where the legendary Pokémon Kyurem slept, the Grinding Ice, the Shell of the two Lords of Truth and Ideals.
After the defeat of Team Plasma for the second time, the Tao Trio member had covered the chasm in ice to rest undisturbed, frozen in eternal slumber. Unfortunately, things that are asleep can be awakened even if they should not, and that was to be the fate of today.
Black had responded to the reports of activity near the huge caldara by many people in strange uniforms. Apparently, they were members of a new organization known as Team Eclipse, and while no illegal activity had been directly observed, the citizenry felt that Black himself should investigate the strange undertaking.
The disturbances themselves where the grunts setting up encampments near the ice, and unloading truckfulls of packages which soon disappeared. Black had agreed as the Champion of Unova, that he would investigate the suspicious activity, since the other members of the Elite Four were preoccupied, and the local police believed that a visit from the Champion would greatly improve the attention that the town received.
Brav flew Black over to a grey tent, on the opposite side of the great chasm After landing, a uniformed man, with strikingly blond hair came out to greet him, ushering him inside the small dwelling.
"Champion Black!" He exclaimed. "How surprising that you could make it out to our operation, and how delightful. I am Eclipse Commander Kett, and if you are investigating the reported disturbances, do not be alarmed. We have obtained a permit from the Devon Corporation to mine for Mega Evolution Stones in the immediate vicinity. The activity witnessed was simply our equipment being prepared, we have explained that to many visitors and inspectors. Do you wish to see our paperwork?"
Black replied with some skepticism, all the while looking around the improvised shelter, tables and chairs arranged in a strictly conforming fashion, glowing monitors and piles of sheets of paper dotting the fold-up furnature. "Okay, but I don't see any entrance to the mine. And how in the world did you receive a permit to mine here, so close to the location of a volatile legendary Pokémon?"
"We would never risk a direct tunnel into the ice itself," Kett said. "We do have a sense of conservation and self-preservation. We have thoroughly weighed the risks, and have concluded that the risk is very low, while the profit shall be very high. Team Eclipse requires a copious amount of equipment for our charity work, you understand. We still have that paperwork, sir. You may talk to Mr. Stone yourself if you wish for further confirmation."
Suddenly, a grunt burst in. "Sir," He began, wiping off his sweaty forehead on his orange armsleeve. "The equipment is set for-"
He paused, suddenly noticing Black. "Thank you, soldier. That will be all." said Kett, shooing the ranker away.
"As you can see, Champion, we are about to begin mining. You should be going around to your other duties! This is completely inconsequential, and any member of the local police could have come here, instead of you. Be off, and return at a later date that suits you."
"Wait," Black said. "I have to do something." The commander raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you wish to do?"
Black sent out Musha. "Well, my head is full of thoughts about keeping my place as Champion. Whenever I try to concentrate, the thoughts get in the way of my deduction skills. So...I have Musha here eat my Dream, so I can concentrate on my surroundings."
Musha floated up to Blacks head, and began to chew it. Kett flinched, but Black assured him that everything was fine. "No, it's fine, I just need to...blank.
Black began to feel the feeling of clarity and blankness that came with his thoughts being eaten away, the black coalescing into pure white. Okay, he thought, what is really going on here? Blueprints of the chasm...gunpowder on Kett's uniform...spare wires...notes of expenditures...wait, why is Kett yelling?
"I don't care that we aren't clear of the blast radius!" Kett screamed in a radio. "If the mission fails, our lives are forfeit! Detonate! Now!"
Black felt Musha break away, and he sent out Tula. The Galvantula launched a web a Kett, gluing him to a desk, the stringy substance as strong has forged steel, hardening over time.
"Blast what?!" Black demanded. "Answer me!"
Kett smiled manically, his eyes flitting to the chasm, just visible outside the tent flap. "As you should know, a combination on intense heat and force can make even the most solid ice break, even ice created by the Lord of Winter. However, you are far too late to stop us, regrettably for you. I may die here, for all I know. The same still goes for you, and I take some solace in that."
Black knew what would happen just a second before it did, and recalled Musha and Tula, flying through the roof of the tent, riding Brav.
Then the world exploded.
Black felt himself being lifted up far into the air, propelled by a unendurable shockwave, vaguely aware of Kett flying away on some sort of Pokémon. His entire sensory perception had been reduced to sound and blinding pillars of light. Then he was falling...no, he was grabbed by Brav, who was flying away from the gorge...shards of ice, spiraling, creating kaleidoscopic patterns in the burning light of the sun...
His vision returned to normal, and his hearing cleared of the nearly incessant ringing noise. He had likely broken a few ribs, judging by the sharp pains in his chest. Brav was cut by the ice shards, but otherwise healthy. Then, Black saw the crater.
The ice in the gorge had been completely cloven in two. Powerful explosives had been placed in drilled tunnels through the ice, almost nearing Kyurem. A blast that loud would have awoken the dead, and certainly given them some temporary hearing damage.
A hundred feet away, Kett and several Eclipse grunts stood, still recovering from the blast, scraped, bloody, but standing proud nonetheless. Black tried to hobble up, but Kett saw him and sent out a Venomoth, which shot some sticky webs at Black and Brav, binding them down. Poetic justice.
"Not so mighty now, Champion? I am sure you will enjoy the show." Kett said, twitching with excitement. "The Prince and Power of Ice awakens. The shell that was left when the Lords of Truth and Ideals split from the single being that they once were shall be the servant of Team Eclipse forevermore!"
In the smoking ravine, a roar could be heard, as resounding as a advancing glacier, as empty as the dark expanse of Space, a sound that had seldom been heard in the world since it was first incepted.
"Kyurem calls!" Kett exclaimed. "Our power grows ever greater...ready your Master Balls! Attention!"
Kyurem lumbered out of the ravine, shocked and concussed. It look dangerously weak from the massive blast, as most beings would be.
"Kyurem!" Kett proclaimed. "We have awoken you in the name of our great leader, so that you may join our cause! However, regardless of your choice, we will be capturing you regardless. What say you, Lord of the Grinding Ice?"
The Pokémon responded by impaling one of Kett's grunts with a spear of ice.
Snapping his fingers at the grunts, Kett ordered them to begin to send out various Fire-type Pokémon. Black could do nothing but watch, as his fingers were completely trapped, preventing him from opening his Poke Balls.
Kyurem roared, and sent a half-hearted jet of ice out of its mouth, which was met with consuming pillars of fire from the grunts. Black was vaguely aware of distant police sirens, as the authorities were rapidly nearing the location.
The ice attack was evidentially weaker than the combined force of all the Pokémon repelling it, and eventually Kyurem collapsed from sheer exertion.
Kett pointed at Kyurem, continuing the barrage until it had totally fainted. Then, Kett threw a Master Ball, and all the other grunts did the same. Most of the balls harmlessly bounced of the Legendary elohim, but one grunt's ball absorbed Kyurem in a brilliant flash of light.
Sending Venomoth to retrieve the target ball, Kett fingered it with pride. "As you see, Champion, we have bested Kyurem. I can hardly think of anything we could not capture for our glories cause! What a fine prize for our leader this elohim will be. Clear out!"
The grunts sent back their Pokémon, and mounted a pair of Dragonite. Kett himself winked at Black, and then flew away on his Venemoth, disappearing into the hard burning of the shimmering blue sky, as the sirens grew ever louder.