A/N: This chapter's dedicated to frozenblossom, for being the only reviewer of my last chapter...

Journey of Darkness

Chapter 1

He stood in-front of the gym, Shadow next to him. The large oak doors opened, revealing a tired pokemon and his trainer leaving the gym. The doors didn't close once the boy left. Takeo took this as a sign to enter.

The gym was fairly simple, It was a room which led to two more rooms and so on, Until the final doors all led to the same room. He remembered this place… This was his father's old gym. He bowed his head momentarily, he wondered what fool owned the gym now. He went through the door to his right. A teenager his age stood there holding a black and white ball in his hands.

"I am a master of speed! See if you can dodge my fast pokemon's attacks!

Takeo shook his head at the stupidity of the teenager, and motioned for Shadow to come forward, he had red eyes now, a symbol of battle readiness. The teenager pressed the button on his poke ball, and a Fearow appeared.

"Fearow, drill peck!"

The bird flew forward diving into Shadow, but he went straight through him, Fearow's eyes were wide as the after-image faded away.

"Shadow, slash him..."

The wolf pokemon leaped forward and slashed at the stunned Fearow. The bird fell back, with his wings wide, and its back to the ground. The teenager's eyes were threatening to bulge out of eye sockets. He returned the Fearow to the poke ball. He suddenly calmed down, and spoke.

"Well-uh-done… Fearow's a hard opponent, but you won't be able to beat this one!"

Takeo was confused, what did he mean by 'this one.' The teen threw the poke ball forward, and out came… Another Fearow! Takeo sweat dropped. This guy was an idiot.

"Shadow, you know what to do."

The pokemon nodded, and leapt at the second Fearow and bit its wing. The second Fearow was out with one hit as well. The trainer, with goggle eyes returned his pokemon to the ball, before promptly fainting. Takeo shook his head again at the guy's idiocy, and walked on.

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Soon he had reached the leader, it wasn't hard. Shadow still hadn't sustained one hit. He was starting to think he had trained him too much… The leader was only a few years older than him, and had a serious demeanour, his hair was short, but flat to his skull, and he had an average build.

"I'll be more of a competition then my apprentices, so prepare to face my power."

"Uh-huh, just release your pokemon, let's get on with it."

The leader threw out a Beautifly, and once again, Takeo motioned Shadow forward. Shadow's eyes were their normal ice blue now; he had long found these battles boring.

"Shadow, Ice beam!"

The wolf pokemon, jetted a beam of ice from his mouth directly at the butterfly pokemon, the Beautifly dodged to the left, letting the ice hit the wall harmlessly. Takeo raised an eyebrow. Shadow's eyes became red, in realisation of a challenge.

"Beautifly! Sleep powder!"

The butterfly flapped its wings and shiny dust came down, about to land on Shadow.

"Shadow! Move!"

The wolf dodged to the right.

"Shadow, leap upward, and crunch!"

The wolf leapt off its hind legs, and attempted to bite the insect.

"Dodge Beautifly! Dodge!"

The insect attempted to move, but the wing's edge was bitten off anyway.

"Now, Beautifly, while he's landing, Mega-Drain!"

An orb of green flew toward the wolf, and took some health, and returned it back to Beautifly.

" Shadow, Ice beam!"

Shadow shot another beam of ice at the insect, this time hitting it.

"Now while it's stunned, slash it!"

He ran to the bug, which had now landed, and slashed it hard.

"Beautifly! Whirlwind!"

Shadow was caught up in the tornado of wind, and was yelping.

"Ice beam again! The ground this time!"

Shadow froze the ground, leaving a block of ice, only for it to be shredded up by the whirlwind. The gym leader smirked, while Take remained emotionless. The shards of ice were shot out by the whirlwind all around the tornado, slamming the Beautifly into the wall. The tornado subsided, and Shadow landed softly on the ground.

"Beautifly, return!"

The leader looked at his ball momentarily before offering to shake Takeo's hand. Takeo didn't accept, he snatched the gym badge off the leader, and walked out of the gym, Shadow following. He was stunned… Now he remembered that face… It was Takeo, the son of the old gym leader here. His mentor… He shook his head sadly, after so long, and Takeo still hadn't let it go. He hadn't known Takeo well, but he still remembered.

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She was remembering the night she became a trainer. She hadn't been a very pleasant person in those days. The night she became a trainer wasn't a happy one as it should've been. Takeo's parents had died that day, and he had left from the whole villages lives with a puppy in his arms. She wondered what had happened to him, she suspected he had probably died, he wasn't a very happy child initially, but that day brought sadness and guilt crashing down on his shoulders. Things like that gave older people then Takeo an initiative to commit suicide. She shook her head, she regretted ever being mean to him, she always had liked him, but she couldn't show it. Never… Now that he was gone, she would tell him all her secrets if she met him again. That was a promise. Unlikely to ever be fulfilled.

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A/N: Please tell me whether you like it. If anyone who reads this read Destiny's Key, notice the differences.