Cain Govinia (baiits)
Seth Zimda (Omesta)
Carla and Carlos (TheCatalystman)
Normally I wouldn't accept double OCs, but these two are meant to be a pair and so I didn't see any problem with it this one time.
So with these four in mind, that means I need to introduce...eight more characters and their Pokemon this chapter! Very well, challenge accepted.
Also, characters can no longer be chosen by Zygarde, Zeraora, Latias, or Latios.
Let's get this chapter on the road! (-o-)
After a nice breakfast, one which amazed everybody except Ray, the band of trainers set off down the old cracked stone road that led to the next town.
Victor was riding his Sawsbuck, even though no one else was riding a Pokemon. This led to him receiving more than a few dirty looks, although it was hard to tell with Ulfsigr.
Ray finally said, "The journey's half the fun, you know."
Victor replied, "Yes, but I'd rather not tire myself out as I do so."
Twig commented, "So he tires me out instead. That's fair right?"
Victor gave him a look.
Twig replied, "What?"
Ray sighed and patted Vivian, who was falling asleep on his shoulder. The Eevee purred delightedly and curled into his pats.
Rex, meanwhile, was walking with his Absol, who was holding her head up high and making a regal expression. Ulfsigr was holding hands with Mikami, who was admiring the scenery. John had his Axew resting atop his backpack.
Clara was following everyone else as she talked to Hickory, clearly trying to get to know him better. He was rather talkative too.
After a few minutes, Rex spotted something moving in a bush. He readied a Pokeball, then frowned as the only thing that appeared was a Pidove.
"Ugh. Please tell me there are rarer Pokemon around here.", Rex complained.
Ray chuckled. "Perhaps, but they are rare for a reason. It is odd, though, that we're not seeing more of any of them. It's almost as if they are elsewhere...or hiding."
"Did you have to say that so ominously?", asked John.
Ray answered, "No, but it certainly concerns me. There are only a few things that can scare wild Pokemon like this, and none of them are good."
A chill wind whipped through the area, and Ray shivered. For some reason, his mind drifted to his grandmother. He had not seen her since the day before yesterday, and he still did not know if she was okay. Even if she was, surely she must be worried about him right now.
At the same time, Clara stumbled, a look of sadness upon her head.
"Are you alright?", asked Ray.
She replied, "I just remembered my fellow archeologists. I don't think they made it out of the tomb. They're probably dead right now, and I haven't even thought of them! It just...hit me all of a sudden..."
Ray said, "I don't think the Sky Guardian would have saved us but not them. They should be alright. And even if they aren't, there's nothing we can do to change things, except press forward, and stop the Darkness before he hurts anyone else."
"You're right, I suppose.", muttered Clara, "But I just can't shake the thought that we messed up horribly..."
Ray looked around the area, as another chill wind blew through, sending goosebumps across his skin. It felt wrong, unnatural.
Ray then remembered an important location nearby. There was an old inn nearby that had been repurposed as a place where Trainers could gather, train, and battle. A ripe location for Legendborn to show up...and therefore a valuable target.
"We have to hurry!", Ray cried, and set off running down the path.
"Wait, what - don't leave us behind!", shouted Rex, who hurried after him.
Twig started galloping down the path, his ears perking up nervously. Another cold wind blew through, and this time seemed to come with faint sinister laughter. Something definitely wasn't quite right.
As Ray raced down the path, he caught a whiff of smoke. That definitely wasn't good.
Victor came up alongside him. "Are you gonna tell us what's going on!?", he shouted.
Ray replied, "The Trainer's Retreat - I think the Darkness is attacking it!"
"What is the Trainer's Retreat?", asked Victor.
Ray answered, "It's a refuge for Trainers! There must be some Legendborn there that caught the Darkness's attention! We have to hurry!"
He promptly sent out his Corviknight and mounted him, wincing as his rear slammed into the metal plates. Checkmate seemed to sense there was danger, and wasted no time in taking to the sky.
Rex sent out his Ditto, who happily copied Checkmate again. Clara picked up Hickory and summoned her Altaria, and flew into the air as well.
Victor returned Twig, and sent out Rune. He grabbed onto her tail as she hovered into the air, and the two took flight.
John cursed the fact he had no bike or rideable Pokemon, and started running as fast as he could to keep up. But he was rapidly falling behind, until Ray flew down and had Checkmate grab him with his talons.
Ulfsigr, meanwhile, simply flipped a switch on the side of his suit, and fired up a jetpack.
"What in the actual Distortion.", commented Rex.
Ulfsigr chuckled. "Bet you wish you had fancy toys like this in Unova, eh?"
"Over there!", shouted Ray, "There's a fire right where the Trainer's Retreat should be!"
Sure enough, there was a massive column of smoke rising from the forest. The six adventurers hurried towards it, hoping that they were not too late.
As they grew close, a ferocious cold wind blasted through, nearly throwing them off their mounts. The smoke ahead of them whirled around, forming a massive maw that boomed, "Welcome to my barbeque, Legendborn. I was hoping you'd appear."
"Stop this immediately!", shouted Ray, "There are innocents down there! Your quarrel is with us!"
The Darkness chuckled in amusement. "You should've paid more attention to history. Every life I claim, every soul I cast in fear, grants me strength. My power must grow, and this is the first step! Try and stop this...you will fail. I can't wait to watch."
Then the smoke shimmered and returned to its original state.
"We have to get down there!", shouted John.
Ray replied, "No need to say that twice." He steered Checkmate downwards, and the Legendborn dived into the blazing clearing.
Down below, a fight was brewing. Black-cloaked figures in strange masks ran around, cornering people and Pokemon and chanting. Behind them, a massive wooden lodge was filled with bright red-and-orange flames, as it was burned to the ground. Some of the black-clad people were dancing around it, as if it was the center of some horrific ritual.
Perhaps it was.
The Legendborn landed, and were immediately targeted. One of the black figures charged, a Houndour by his side, but Ulfsigr quickly pulled out his gun and shot him.
Ray winced, then sent out Winona. "We've got to put out the fire! Use Rain Dance!"
Winona replied, "Of course! I'll soak this area as if I was the Searager herself!"
She flew up into the sky, which rapidly filled with clouds as rain started pouring down. The fire hissed as the water droplets hit it, but it wasn't being extinguished so easily.
Ray noticed a group of Trainers surrounded by the evil men, fighting for the lives. But his attention was mostly on HOW they were fighting them.
One was a girl, floating in the air with long sleek black hair that seemed to defy gravity. As he watched, she flicked her fingers at one of the men, and a nearby wooden beam slammed into him, cracking his mask and knocking him to the ground. Another was a boy with a yellow and blue scarf, who was punching at enemies with fists surrounded in lightning. A girl with a red shirt and black pants was holding her hands up, a shimmering shield in front of her, while a pair of twins commanded a Gardevoir and Gallade without words. Another girl was holding a sword made out of water, holding off a black-robed woman trying to hit her with a staff. A long-haired yellow-eyed boy charged desperately at another man, hands curled into bony fists. Another kid was using his Galvantula to trap a robed figure, who was calmly whispering about the power of the Darkness.
Ray could sense the raw power coming from that area. A huge group of Legendborn, more than he'd thought would be here. No wonder the Darkness was attacking.
Ray knew he had to get them out of here. Gesturing to his new friends, he started running over, Checkmate close behind.
A man leaped at him, shouting, "He sees you now, Legendborn. He hungers for your blood!"
"Creepy!", shouted Rex, before swinging a fist and ramming it into the man's jaw.
Hickory was shivering and trying to hide behind Clara, his wide eyes gazing at the inferno. But he kept up with them, a ghostly aura surrounding him.
Victor frowned at the blaze, before sending out Wave. "We've got to put the fire out before it lights up the entire forest!"
"Ooh, rain!", the Palpitoad replied, "Um, no problem, Victor-man!"
He summoned a surge of muddy water, riding it towards the fire and drowning a large portion of it. Victor spotted a shadowy Arbok charging at his Pokemon, and commanded Rune to attack it. The Sigilyph eagerly struck with a Psychic, stunning the massive snake.
John sent out his Raichu, then dodged as an orb of shadows flew past. He cried, "I don't like these sorts of battles!"
Remi cheered, "Ooh, battles! Thunderbolt time!"
A bolt of lightning blasted a nearby shadow Drifblim, causing it to fall to the ground and faint.
Ray reached the group and kicked one of the bad guys in the back. As the man stumbled forward, Ray shouted, "I'm here to help!"
"Who are you?", demanded the yellow-eyed boy.
Ray answered, "I'm a Legendborn like you, tasked to try and unite you all!"
He dodged a Water Gun, and Checkmate screeched a battlecry as he flew to intercept the shadow Seaking who'd fired it.
Winona descended from the sky. "Hey there, Ray. Need me to blast some faces in? I got your rainstorm going."
"That would be great.", replied Ray, and Winona smiled as she swung her tail and sent a shadow Gligar flying.
The yellow-eyed boy rolled to the side as a shadow Charmeleon charged at him. The girl with a sword whirled in, the water blade repelling the Fire-type.
"Why are there so many of them!?", she cried.
Rex leaped in, sending out his Beldum to knock down as many of the masked men as possible. "I dunno, it's not like we're high-priority targets or anything, right?"
Twig galloped past, using his hooves to kick away people while using his Grass-type attacks to fight off various Pokemon. "Whoo, I love the rush! Your powers are awesome, Vic!"
Victor sighed. "Maybe."
Clara was using Cambria to shelter Hickory, while commanding Nimbi and Anani to split up and take down the enemies. She was also summoning blasts of magical leaves, which Ray remembered her talking about. "We need to get out of here!", she yelled.
The floating girl commented, "Wouldn't you think we would if we could? Yikes!"
She dodged an incoming meteor, courtesy of a shadow Clefable.
"You know, something about evil Fairy-types seems just wrong.", stated the boy with electric fists, as he jumped forward and punched the Pokemon across the clearing.
Ulfsigr charged in, opening fire with his handgun at any available target. Everybody kept shooting him nervous glances; guns were heavily frowned upon in most of the Pokemon world.
John had now sent out Amanda as well, who was charging at every opponent who fell. The enemy was falling back now, the combined forces of the Legendborn being enough to force them off.
Suddenly, there was a large explosion, as the building crumbled into splinters. Striding out was an unnaturally tall armored man, his mask that of a ferocious Dragon-type. In his hand was a large ebony hilt, which flickered as a large blade of crackling red energy appeared on its top.
"An aura blade.", whispered Ray, "Where did they get one of those?!"
"Your struggle ends now, puny Legendborn!", the man roared, "I will take you all down myself!"
"You're the one who launched the attack!?", cried the male twin, "How could you!?"
"The Darkness has awoken!", the man shouted, "It would be wise of you to submit now, or else you and all you know will die!"
"No thanks. How about we wreck your face instead?", replied Ray.
The man growled, and clenched his fist. The ruins behind him shuddered, as burning timbers floated up and started orbiting him. Before anyone could react, he launched them at each of the Legendborn.
Checkmate screeched, "Not on my watch!", and flew in front of one to avoid it hitting Ray. The others dodged around the flying timbers, as the man laughed while energy swirled around him.
"The Darkness has grown wiser in his exile. He has made his own Legendborn, ones who take the power of whatever Legendary he chooses and gain it tenfold! You have no idea just what I have to use against you!", the man roared.
Ulfsigr shot at him, but the bullet pinged harmlessly against the man's armor. The man growled, and retaliated with a blast of flame from his palm. Ulfsigr rolled to the side, and the flames whooshed harmlessly past him.
"Come on, Legendborn, use your powers! Or are you even weaker than I thought?!", the man taunted.
Winona snarled. "I won't stand for that. Rarrrrr!"
She fired a Dragon Rage at the man, who also had to dodge a Muddy Water, a Headbutt from Twig, and a Thunderbolt from Remi. But somehow he avoided them all, until Nimbi rammed her talons into the ground and knocked him off his feet with an Earthquake.
"What the Distortion?! Altaria can't learn that!", exclaimed Victor.
"I got it from a TM.", Clara replied, magical leaves swirling around her, "Anyways, we're going to have to work hard to take this man down!"
The Legendborn charged him, but a sudden burst of red energy blasted everyone back. The man chuckled, but froze when he saw the Pokemon begin to glow red.
"What the-", he started, when suddenly the Pokemon all started growing dramatically. They quickly reached a size where they towered over everyone, and Checkmate screeched excitedly when he saw the silvery shapes hovering around him and the glowing pattern on his wings.
"Whoa, you Gigantamaxed!", exclaimed Ray, "That's awesome!"
The man growled, "What!? My powers must be acting up! I-aargh!"
He started shuddering, and then, right before everyone's eyes, began to morph and shift, growing into a massive glowing skeletal dragon radiating an intense amount of power.
"Holy Arceus!", exclaimed Rex, "He just-what!?"
The man screamed, staring in shock at his new body. The Dynamaxed Pokemon seemed to be struggling, snarling and growling.
Winona choked, "I can't-too. Much. Power! Too much rage! You have to shut off whatever he doing, or-RARRRRRR!"
Everyone jumped to the side as she summoned a massive swirling tornado of draconic energy, her eyes glowing with rage. Some of the other Pokemon seemed to be losing it too - Remi was summoning lightning all around her, while Cambria was growling and beating his claws together intimidatingly.
John cried, "Aaah! What do we do?!"
The man/Eternatus screeched, and a ferocious red wind whipped through the area, threatening to blow everyone off their feet.
Suddenly, a black portal opened up, and everyone trembled at the raging malice emanating from it.
"You are coming with me, Ethriel. Your lack of control is...infuriating.", the Darkness growled.
The man-turned-Pokemon roared as the portal dragged him in, but as soon as he was gone the Dynamaxed Pokemon returned to normal, looking quite distressed.
"You lucked out this time, Legendborn.", the Darkness snarled, "But watch your back. I WILL come for you, and you will wish you had never crossed me!"
With a horrific screech, the portal closed, and everyone crumpled, rain pouring around them. Sorting through his thoughts, Ray realized the raw malevolence pouring from that portal had nearly damaged their very minds.
Arceus, how in the world were they going to fight the Darkness if his very emotions were deadly?
Now that the battle was over, the newcomers turned towards him.
"So. Explain.", demanded the girl who'd been summoning a shield. (-o-)
AN: That's where we'll leave off for now! Next chapter, some intros!
Feel free to review, and see you all next time!