Draco: ...Sigh. I'm an absolute moron. I went through all that trouble of rearranging Venus' Ghost-types per team so that she had a Mega-capable Pokémon for her best team. But... I can't really justify these guys getting their hands on Key Stones. Honestly, I can barely justify the Hoenn Elite Four having Key Stones, but the Champion is a jewel enthusiast who digs up rocks personally, so I can let that slide with some grinding of the teeth. I still feel that was unnecessary, but hey, it produces a challenge.
Confession, when I theorized which Pokémon would receive Mega Evolutions for another Generation VI game, Milotic was one of them, just because that's Venus' Shadow-replacement slot and Dakim and Ein have Mega-capable Pokémon in their Shadow-replacement slots.
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Chapter 22: Subsiding Darkness
Rui was still more concerned when she arrived at Mt. Battle and found no sign of Cipher's transportation.
"This better not be another decoy destination," she muttered as she turned off the bike. Lucario was walking at her side as she stepped into the courtyard... and the door to the lobby was flung open. Several figures in familiar white pseudo-armor began to charge out; Rui grinned as she realized she'd found them, and Lucario moved between her as the approaching Peons as she seized another Ball off her belt and brought it back to throw.
The first Peon to come out the door ran right past her without a second look.
"Run! Run away!"
Rui blinked, dumbfounded as the rest of the Peons followed suit, dashing past her and Lucario without even seeming to notice who was standing there. The last two Peons out the door were tripping over each other as they got out, and they ran on either side of Rui as a familiar custom in darker grey stumbled out, landing on his butt in the courtyard and scrambling backwards away from the door.
A muscled figure in bright white emerged after him, looking angry.
"Get out of here, Skrub!" Dakim yelled. "You come talking to me about Cipher again, I'll do to you what I did to Vander!" Skrub forced himself to his feet, turning around and dashing past Rui; he didn't react, but Dakim sure did. "Huh? You're the one who can see aura."
"And you're Cipher's Administrator of Enforcement," Rui observed.
"Former Administrator of Enforcement," Dakim corrected. "Cipher's ditched me, said I wasn't worth retrieving. Now I'm just running around, telling the Peons to back off while I look for a good fight." He grinned. "But if you're here at Mt. Battle, you must be worth a good fight!"
Rui stepped back. "Hold on, I'm just-!"
"Come on!" Dakim yelled, pounding his fists together. "Show me what you got!"
You are challenged by Atoner Dakim!
Rui groaned in exasperation as Dakim threw a Poké Ball forward, sending out a Claydol and Flygon; she quickly sent out Entei to join Lucario, and the Volcano Beast regarded his opponents with a glare as Rui drew out her pocket watch and set off Lucario's Mega Evolution. The moment it broke, he and Entei charged towards Cladydol as Flygon invoked a Sunny Day, the Orrean sun becoming harsh; Lucario's Extreme Speed connected first, and Claydol was about to loose an Earthquake before Entei slammed a fierce Bite into him.
He threw the Clay Doll Pokémon to the ground, knocking him out; Dakim withdrew it, sending out a Solrock to take its place as Flygon unleashed the Earthquake instead. Rui's side was shaken, but not knocked out; Lucario quickly struck Solrock with a Metal Claw as Rui withdrew Entei, sending out Suicune in her place; the Northwind Beast promptly unleashed an Ice Beam that took out Flygon hard and fast.
Solrock saw its defeat coming and decided to go out with a bang, unleashing an Explosion that Lucario just barely managed to endure. Rui decided not to risk it, withdrawing Lucario and sending out Ho-Oh as Dakim withdrew his Pokémon, sending out a Houndoom and Swampert to take their places. Ho-Oh went for the Dark Pokémon, invoking massive stones of Ancient Power that slammed roughly into Houndoom; when he was still standing, Suicune elected to finish him off with a Gust, knocking him out as Swampert unleashed a tide of Muddy Water.
The wave crashed down on the two legendary Pokémon; Suicune fared better, launching an Ice Beam that slammed into Swampert full-on. It didn't knock him out, but to Rui's immense satisfaction, it did freeze him solid. Ho-Oh quickly followed it up with an Extrasensory pulse that had the Mud Fish Pokémon shaking in his icy prison.
That didn't seem to knock him out, either; Suicune glanced at Ho-Oh before releasing another Gust, shattering the ice as it finished him off.
Dakim grumbled, withdrawing his last Pokémon. "Yeah, I thought as much," he admitted. "Hangin' around with the Snagger, you had to be at least as tough."
Rui sighed as she withdrew the legendary Pokémon. "I'm not here for a fight," she insisted. "I'm looking for Wes."
"The Snagger?" Dakim echoed. "Why did you think he'd be here?"
"Because Cipher goons took him," Rui insisted. "They gave me a false trail to Eclo Canyon and took off this way." She shook her head. "You said Cipher ditched you?"
"Yeah," Dakim muttered, "I got the message, like, the day after the disaster at Realgam. The Grand Master told me I wasn't worth retrieving."
Rui blinked. "Grand Master?" she echoed. "I thought Evice was still in prison."
Dakim laughed. "Evice was just a scapegoat," he insisted. "Just something to keep their attention off. I figured the Grand Master wasn't gonna be acting for quite some time, but I guess he's getting impatient." He shook his head. "Anyways, if you're still looking for the Snagger, you should check the Under."
"What's the Under gotta do with it?" Rui asked.
"It's under the radar," Dakim replied. "Might be they're laying low while they've got a hostage."
+x+x+x+
The elevator on the northwest corner of Pyrite Town didn't have any crowds coming up on it when Rui arrived; she and Lucario rode down to the Under Colosseum, finding it relatively un-busy. Keeping a look out for familiar auras, she stepped out into the main section of the Under - and while she was riding the UFO platform across the gorge, the jumbotron lit up, blaring a tune through the under.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" proclaimed the broadcaster. "It's time for the Under Time again today! Without further ado, let's bring out that special someone we've all been waiting for! Lady Venus, please!"
The display shifted as Rui was stepping off the UFO. "Hi, everyone! I'm your Venus!" She seemed a bit hastier than last time Rui had seen a broadcast, continuing even as the crowd was cheering. "I have some terrible news for everyone. Some most unpleasant people have recently come down to the Under. I happen to have their photos right here for everyone to see."
Rui bit back a curse. If Venus had photographic identification this time, there was no way she was gonna avoid being mobbed by-
"If you see this girl, or this Peon, anywhere in the Under, I want you to tell me right away!"
The images on the screen caught Rui off-guard. It wasn't her and Wes - it was Lovrina and her brother, Naps. "What?"
"I'm counting on you, everyone!"
The display shifted to the broadcaster, who continued with the send-off as Rui was contemplating what she'd seen. What the...?
"Hey, Rui!"
The call from nearby drew her attention as a familiar figure dashed into town. "Bitt?"
"Nice timing," Bitt greeted. "You're here for Wes, right?"
"What?"
+x+x+x+
Wes was in the Kids Grid base, sitting in a back room; he looked like he'd been handled rather roughly.
"A bunch of Cipher Peons barged into the Super Grand around midnight," he explained. "The one time I couldn't get to sleep with the Snag Machine on. I went to take it off, put it in my bag, and heard them outside. I go for Espeon and Umbreon's Poké Balls, but before I've even got them in the air, the door opens, and someone's Roserade hits me with a cloud of Sleep Powder."
"You should consider yourself lucky they were satisfied with Sleep Powder," Nett observed. "The drowsiness will wear off, over time."
"And the way they treated me," Wes groaned. "How'd I get all these bruises when I woke up in the cage across from the elevator?"
"I think they just weren't careful when they were moving you around," Megg observed. "You weren't able to stand up by yourself, so they ended up hurting you a bit.
Rui sighed. "Espeon and Umbreon are waiting for you back in Pyrite. Once you're in condition to move, you should go pick 'em up."
"Will do," Wes insisted. "But in the meantime..."
"Don't worry," Rui assured him. "I'll keep an eye out for Cipher."
"Appreciate it."
+x+x+x+
After some consideration, Rui decided to check out Venus' recording studio; if Lovrina and Naps were considered 'most unpleasant people' that she wanted the Under residents keeping their eyes out for, perhaps she could be of help.
No sooner had she stepped into the recording studio than she saw Venus dashing down the back room - the same room that Rui knew to lead to the Under Subway. A most confused Rui made to follow her, finding her in the open area at the bottom of the walkway; she seemed to be battling Naps, and had delivered a most ferocious curb-stomp by the time Rui got the elevator down.
"Naps!" A ferocious yell from the station drew the Peon's attention, and Rui could see Lovrina on the subway. "Hurry up! We're going!"
"Get back here, Lovrina!" Venus shrieked. "You're not going anywhere!"
After only a moment's longer hesitation, Naps dashed into the subway, which was already moving as he got his foothold on it; Lovrina was yelling out the window. "Don't think you're gonna do anything after you got thrown off! Cipher's not done yet just because you're not here!"
Rui started as she noticed a strange darkness around Lovrina as the subway vanished into the tunnel.
"I'm gonna send XD001 to the Grand Master, and Nascour's gonna make you regret getting in our way!"
Venus was left screeching, grabbing at her hair angrily as Rui stepped up. "What was she talking about?"
"Who-!?" Venus whirled around, and still looked most furious as she saw Rui. "You!"
"Uh, me," Rui confirmed, stepping back. This is gonna end up like Dakim, isn't it.
"Why weren't you here sooner?!" Venus insisted. "If you'd been faster, you could have dealt with Naps while I stopped Lovrina!" She reached behind her head for her Poké Balls. "Or are you saying you don't have enough?!"
You are challenged by Atoner Venus!
Rui sucked in a frustrated breath through her teeth; Venus threw out a Blissey and Banette, prompting Rui to send out Lucario and Suicune. As soon as her hands were free enough, she drew out her pocket watch, touching the Key Stone to set off the Lucarionite; as soon as the Mega Evolution shattered, Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at Blissey as Suicune unleashed a Hydro Pump at Banette.
The Marionette Pokémon was knocked out by the blow and quickly withdrawn; Blissey was a bit more durable, and hit the Northwind Beast with a Psychic as Venus sent out a Raichu. He quickly followed through with a Thunderbolt, striking Suicune before Rui could withdraw her; she quickly sent out Raikou to take his place, and Lucario switched targets, charging Raichu with a Bone Rush as Raikou loosed a Thunderbolt of his own at Blissey.
That didn't knock her out either, allowing her to interrupt Lucario's Bone Rush with another Psychic; Raichu quickly followed through with a Thunder Wave, leaving him sparking. Lucario stumbled back through the paralysis, but managed to land another Bone Rush for three more hits as Raikou finished off Blissey with a quick attack; Venus quickly withdrew them both, and Rui elected to withdraw Lucario as well, sending out Ho-Oh in his place as Venus sent out a Meganium and Milotic.
Ho-Oh's wings swept forward, a mystical pink flame gathering in the air before soaring towards Meganium; at the same instant as the Sacred Fire enveloped her, Raikou brought a blast of Thunder down on Milotic. The Tender Pokémon was the one who managed to endure, sending a Hydro Pump of her own at Ho-Oh; as the Rainbow Phoenix was reeling, Raikou rapidly finished her off with a Thunderbolt.
Venus sighed, withdrawing her Pokémon. "Looks like you're not lacking for strength." She sounded calmer now.
Rui withdrew the legendary Pokémon, stepping forward. "Let me guess, Cipher ditched you too?"
"Straight-up abandoned," Venus confirmed. "Me, Dakim, Ein, and Miror were all considered 'not worth retrieving', and they hung us out to dry." She shook her head. "Not like it wasn't for the better. Cipher went in directions we weren't planning."
"What were you expecting Cipher to do?" Rui accused.
"I don't know," Venus insisted. "Nascour told me to distribute Shadow Pokémon here in the Under, and the people loved me for it. I guess I just sort of stopped paying attention to what the Shadow Pokémon were doing after I realized that. But after you and Wes beat me a couple times... it sort of opened my eyes."
Rui took a deep breath. "What can you tell me about the Grand Master?"
"He's stayed hands off ever since Cipher started really taking action," Venus replied, "watching things from Citadark Isle. It's a volcanic island southwest of Gateon Port. Him and Nascour have private cruisers, but the rest of us aren't so lucky."
"Good to know," Rui sighed. "Guess I'd better head to Gateon and make sure we have transportation for when Wes is on his feet."
+x+x+x+
"Can you at least give me a reason?"
Rui had figured the primary difficulty in getting a ride to Citadark was going to be finding a boat and sailor who wasn't occupied. In fact, there were numerous sailors with boats that weren't occupied - but all of them refused when Rui asked to be ferried to Citadark, without even context.
The last sailor she could find was a bit more willing to give her a reason in response her outburst. "Citadark Isle is surrounded by stormy seas," he insisted. "There's not a ship in this port that can sail through that safely. Even if we survived the trip, we'd be as likely to end up en route to Pokétopia as reach the shore. I'm sorry, miss, but no one in their right mind is gonna agree to take you there."
He took off leaving Rui fuming. "Great," she muttered. "We've got the Grand Master's location and no way to reach it."
"A bit quick to exhaust your options, wouldn't you say?"
The question from nearby drew Rui's attention; she turned around to find a familiar figure in a high-collared coat standing there. "Ein," she realized.
Ein smirked. "Venus told me you'd be coming here. No luck finding transport to Citadark?"
"Nothing of the sort," Rui admitted.
"Small wonder," Ein confirmed. "The Grand Master has kept the most impressive defenses active for years."
Rui shook her head. "I think I need to change my focus," she insisted. "Do you know what Lovrina's up to?"
"I might," Ein admitted. "However... how can I be sure that you can handle such a thing as well as Wes does?" He seized a Poké Ball out of his pocket, throwing it over his head before catching it in his left hand. "Perhaps, if you prove yourself capable... I will share."
You are challenged by Atoner Ein!
Rui sighed, stepping back as he flung his Poké Balls forward; a Mantine and Rhydon appeared there, and she seized Lucario and Raikou's Poké Balls. "That's one way to vent my frustrations," she conceded, sending the two Pokémon out before drawing out her pocket watch; the Lucarionite reacted as she touched the Key Stone, and Lucario quickly acted, charging forward to bombard Rhydon with a Bone Rush before Raikou loosed a Thunderbolt at Mantine.
The Kite Pokémon was quickly knocked out by the voltage; Rhydon still had more in him, and released a Toxic whirl around Raikou's direction as Ein sent out a Gyarados. Rui let the Thunder Beast stay out just long enough to knock out the Atrocious Pokémon with a second Thunderbolt before withdrawing him; Lucario finished off Rhydon with a Metal Claw as Rui sent out Entei, and Ein withdrew both of his Pokémon with an approving huff.
A Crobat and Manectric appeared next; Rui quickly withdrew Lucario, sending out Ho-Oh as Entei loosed a Flamethrower to wash over the Discharge Pokémon. As the smoke was clearing, Ho-Oh gathered a Sacred Fire, propelling it towards Crobat; the Bat Pokémon was just releasing a second Toxic to hit Entei before the mystical pink flames washed over her, knocking her out in one shot. Manectric still had more in him, making to hit Ho-Oh with a Thunder; the voltage was less-than-accurate in clear skies, and the Rainbow Phoenix was barely skimmed by the voltage before Entei charged at him and finished him off with a hard Bite.
Ein smirked, withdrawing his Pokémon approvingly. "Very well done," he conceded. "Seems you're no less capable a Trainer than he is."
"You doubted it?" Rui demanded, withdrawing the legendary Pokémon one-handed.
"Pokémon are prone to act poorly if they do not trust their Trainers," Ein observed. "But clearly that concern is unfounded. You who identified the Shadow Pokémon have earned the same trust in purification as the one who Snagged them from those unknowing or unworthy."
"Like you?" Rui accused.
Ein surprised her by nodding in agreement. "Quite. Now, as promised, I will tell you all I know."
Rui sighed. "...Lovrina mentioned something about 'XD001'," she explained.
"The XD Project," Ein mused. "So that's what the Grand Master wants."
"What's the XD Project?" Rui asked.
"By affecting an existing Shadow Pokémon with further endarkenment," Ein explained, "the Shadow Pokémon will require extended rehabilitation to open the door to its heart enough to purify. I theorized that, via the application of eXcessive Darkness, a Shadow Pokémon will have its heart lost entirely. Upon hearing that theory, we were instructed to apply such a thing to the strongest Shadow Pokémon that had been created. I assumed it was merely for confirmation..."
"And you were still willing to do it?" Rui demanded. "You thought that was possible, and you were willing to find out?"
Ein sighed. "I joined Cipher because they presented the opportunity for me to develop," he insisted. "The Snag Machines, the darkness of Shadow Pokémon... the opportunity presented itself to create. And Cipher encouraged that - so that I would create what they could use to destroy." He shook his head. "That is how the Grand Master acquired all of us - by encouraging us to do what they wanted, under the guise of enabling us to do what we wanted."
He held something out to Rui - a familiar grey binder. "I'd suggest you check the Shadow Pokémon Lab," he advised. "That's where Lovrina will be working on the XD Project."
Then he turned off, leaving Rui standing there confused. After a moment, a ping emerged from her pocket; it was Wes' PDA.
Draco: I was gonna have the sixth Ein File be in the Under after fighting Venus, but writing-wise it's easier for me to have Rui acquire it in Gateon. And I wouldn't have you interrogate every Sailor in Gateon, just have one NPC that you can speak to and be turned away on.