They followed the black Dragonite through a maze of passages wide enough to accommodate even the seventeen-foot height of Lugia, at last coming to a large room where Giovanni sat upon a chair at the far side. The Dragonite landed beside his master.
The Evil One's resurrection had brought about a few changes to his appearance. Now, his hair was black, his eyes were red-tinted, and his body was more powerful, but he was still recognizable.
He stood up, talking immediately, his voice carrying easily across due to the acoustics of the large chamber. "O Chosen One, that I may face you again." His face twisted into an evil grin as he looked at Mewtwo. "And you, the Repentant One, one of the Chosen One's Defenders." He laughed mockingly. "You think you with your weak powers can turn the tide...But not even the Guardian's Tear can do that." His piercing eyes stared into Misty's orbs, sending a chill down her spine.
Giovanni raised his arms toward the ceiling. "Dark Ones, I now release you from your orbs!"
Pokéballs that had been hidden in the dark rafters began relinquishing their contents, and many lights flashed as Dark Pokémon materialized on the ground.
Pokémon of all kinds appeared, and it was obvious to Ash that they outnumbered those on his side. Still, he couldn't give up.
"Battle," ordered the Evil One when the last Pokémon had been let out of its Pokéball.
Ash turned in an almost-panic to the Bonded Ones, but, somehow, he knew what to do. "Defenders, step aside and wait for the crucial moment of conjuring. Your orders will have no effect, so do not bother. Repentant One, your powers are useless here."
Blinking, Mewtwo, Shura, and Brock did so, stepping into the shadows. They had never expected such commands to be uttered by the youth.
"Bonded Ones," Ash said, looking at them all seriously, "watch out for your weaknesses...And good luck!"
The Bonded Ones dispersed, only to be met with terrible odds. There were about five Dark Pokémon to every one of the Bonded Ones. The Bonded Ones stayed in their partner pairs, however, helping the odds a little, for they were well-suited for teamwork.
Ash turned to Misty. "Aid the Water-Types, Misty. Use your mind and your power." Then he turned away.
Misty nodded, though she didn't quite understand. She closed her eyes and concentrated, suddenly seeing parts of the battle in vivid detail. Squirtle, use Blizzard on that Tropius. Suicune, use your Gust to drive it straight home. The redhead opened her eyes in surprise. She didn't think Squirtle had known Blizzard before this ordeal...She watched in satisfaction as the Blizzard/Gust combination scored nicely on the Grass- and Flying-Type, then she closed her eyes once again as she realized such slow progress would not win this battle,...however this battle was to be fought...She began to concentrate next on her Staryu and Starmie...
Ash, though he had control over a much larger range of Pokémon, was progressing much quicker. He didn't think his orders toward particular Pokémon; instead, brightly colored wisps of light went out from him and surrounded the appropriate Bonded Ones, providing for a much more efficient communication system. Every now and then, however, he would think directly toward a Pokémon, so as to encourage him or her.
While all this was going on, Ash still found room in his mind to wonder at his situation. The thought that evil could be brought back from the dead was a chilling one.
Evil was still standing on the other side of the room, once in a while barking commands, but mostly staying eerily silent. The strength of the Dark Pokémon was received from him, and the Bonded Ones received their strength from Ash.
Though both the Evil One and the Chosen One were strong, the Dark Pokémon had the odds in their favor, and they were steadily beating back the Bonded Ones.
"Ka!" Pikachu cried out in pain as a Dark Dugtrio hit him with a Dig attack. He collapsed on the floor, gasping. Ash quickly sent out a tendril of strength to him, and the Electric-Type got unsteadily to his feet. He attempted to use Slam, but he was thrown back. Raikou had her own problems.
Staryu and Starmie were being bombarded by Thunder attacks from a Dark Raichu, and a Blastoise was using Hydro Pump on Charizard. When at last the Blastoise got annoyed with the elusive Charizard, it turned to Ho-oh, causing Charizard's eyes to glint in Rage. Soon, the dragon went on a rampage.
A slow smile spread over the Evil One's face. The Chosen One was being depleted of energy. It was time.
"I still don't know why weze heah," a strange male voice said. "Da boss's gone, and weze free ta do what weze want."
A different male voice interjected, "But there's a reason we have to be here. That Gengar told us if we didn't come it'd do terrible things to us!"
"Oh, you're nothing but a scaredy cat," a feminine voice snorted.
The first male voice laughed. "Heh, he's da 'fraidy cat, not me!"
"Hey, where'd our Pokéballs go?" the second male voice inquired.
"Youze two prob'ly left 'em at da last base we were at," the other male said.
"Well, let's get out of this submarine. I'm burning up, and it's bad for my complexion!" the female voice stated. "We can find our Pokéballs later."
"All right," the second male sighed.