Draco: Colosseum and XD both had encounters in the post-game that only set off if you had Snagged every Shadow Pokémon in the game except for that one. In Colosseum, there were three other Shadow Pokémon only available in the post-game, including the fricker at the end of Deep Colosseum I mentioned in Chapter 13. Once you have them, you get a sequence of messages leading you all around Orre, with each message triggered by changing map locations (I don't know if going from the Under to Pyrite via the elevator in Pyrite Building counts). In XD, "every Shadow Pokémon in the game except for that one" was available before you fought Greevil on Citadark, but that last fight was only triggered by visiting the right location, so you couldn't hope to find it just by wandering around Orre blindly.

I'm gonna try and get the best of both worlds. If you've Snagged every Shadow Pokémon beforehand, the start of this chapter waits until after you've visited Deep Colosseum once (but does not require you to fight at Deep Colosseum). Otherwise, it's right after you've Snagged the last one. Once both flags are set, change locations and you'll get the message. Obviously, for story purposes, Wes is gonna get the message at a different time.

Also, for the amiibo compatibility I mentioned in Chapter 17; Shadow Mewtwo is not required even if you've tapped the card before.

Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo and the Pokémon Company.

Chapter 28: The False Hero

"Ardos was right, they do make a good Slowpoke Tail."

Wes and Rui stepped out of the Coronet Diner with full stomachs and broad grins. At Wes' comment, Rui found herself giggling. "I mean, it's not like the other courses were bad," she retorted.

"True enough," Wes conceded. "I just-" He was cut off by a ping from his pocket, and made sure his hands were clean before drawing out the device and opening the message.

It was from Nett. Wes, what's going on? I'm getting reports from Phenac City about you and Rui going around attacking people. What's the meaning of this?

Rui blinked. "Attacking people?" she murmured. "What is he talking about?"

"I don't know," Wes admitted, typing out a response.

"We'd better check it out," Rui observed. "Phenac City, right?"

+x+x+x+

There was a familiar truck parked outside of Phenac when they arrived.

Miror B. and his peons were on their way out of the city as Wes and Rui pulled up; he abruptly started on seeing them standing there. "O-ho-ho!" the former Cipher Admin cooed. "Come back for more, have you?!"

Wes' confusion only grew. "What do you mean, more?"

"Playing dumb, eh?" Reath reprimanded. "Everyone in town is talking about it - you two come in here, putting on a big show, and start attacking people with an Eevee!"

Rui started. "You don't mean... a Shadow Eevee?"

"And here I was wondering where that last little one went!" Miror admitted. "But it turns out you'd gotten your hands on her first. They said you took off for the Outskirt Stand - but here you've come back! It's my lucky day!" He grinned. "Let the music play!"

You are challenged by Wanderer Miror B!

That heavy track began to play around them as the other four cleared the path, Miror's confounding footwork putting distance between him and Wes despite keeping his fore on the Snagger. Wes reached for his belt as the dancer spun round, brandishing one Poké Ball before swinging two down and hurling them forward; two Ludicolo appeared before him, and Wes sent out Espeon and Umbreon in return.

The Sun Pokémon quickly unleashed a Psychic around one Ludicolo, leaving him reeling as the other whirled into a Rain Dance; Umbreon charged at the dancer, hitting her with a Payback as the storm gathered above them. The other unleashed a Hydro Pump in Umbreon's direction, leaving the Moonlight Pokémon tumbling back; he managed to right himself, but with the falling rain, they couldn't heal themselves up very well.

They had to take out Miror's Pokémon before they were taken out.

The two Eeveelutions switched targets, Espeon knocking out the dancer with another Psychic before the offensive hit her with the second Hydro Pump; Umbreon charged at him, his next Payback finishing him off as well. An angry Miror withdrew the two of them, sending out a Jumpluff and Shiftry to take their place; they couldn't benefit from the rain like the Water-types, but it would weaken any Fire-type offensives that came their way.

Fortunately, Wes had an alternative strategy; he withdrew Espeon and Umbreon, sending out Octillery and Hitmontop to take their places. As Shiftry gathered a Shadow Ball in his hands, Hitmontop charged towards him; the Handstand Pokémon got close as the projectile was flying, soaring towards Octillery a moment before a ferocious Close Combat bombarded Shiftry. Jumpluff promptly leapt at the attacker, striking him with a fierce Aerial Ace; as Hitmontop spun away, Octillery unleashed an Ice Beam to hit the Cottonweed Pokémon in mid-flight, knocking her out.

Miror gasped, shocked, as he withdrew his Pokémon; the rain was starting to subside, and he sent out a Probopass and Electrode to take their place. Wes decided not to take his chances, withdrawing Octillery and sending out Ampharos instead; Hitmontop whirled towards Probopass, hitting the Compass Pokémon with a sequence of Triple Kicks as Ampharos unleashed a Dragon Pulse at Electrode.

Probopass was knocked out; Electrode was a bit more durable, and promptly brought down a Thunder that successfully slammed into Hitmontop despite the clear skies. Wes withdrew the Handstand Pokémon, sending out Altaria in his place; she and Ampharos promptly followed through with two more Dragon Pulses, knocking out Electrode in short order.

Miror yelled in anger as he withdrew his Pokémon. "You awful little things!" he snapped. "Always giving us so much trouble!"

"Master Miror," Ferma suggested, "maybe this would be a good time to take off!"

With a low growl, Miror shook his head. "Fine! But I'll get you back for this!"

He and the Peons dashed past Wes and Rui, with Folly and Trudly climbing into the truck and Miror, Reath, and Ferma leaping into the box. Once they'd taken off, Wes gave a deep sigh, withdrawing Altaria and Ampharos. "Guess he missed the memo," he observed.

"Did he say the Outskirt Stand?" Rui asked.

"Let's ask around here in Phenac, first," Wes insisted. "See if we can get more information on who's trying to claim they're me."

+x+x+x+

The most concerning thing about the inquiries was that everyone seemed to recognize Wes and Rui as their attackers. Deciding that desperate times called for desperate measures, the two of them reconfigured their teams at the Pokémon Center before taking off for the Outskirt Stand.

They found a news reporter and camerman standing there; Willie was backed against the side of the train, his Linoone knocked out before him. Standing before him... were Wes and Rui; the other Rui had a sinister grin on her face, and the other Wes was holding two Poké Balls in his left hand as though he'd just withdrawn his Pokémon.

Said hand was lacking a Snag Machine.

Wes quickly brought the bike to a stop next to the fueling stations, the roar of his engine getting the attention of everyone gathered there; the reporter quickly got her camerman's attention, and the camera swept around to catch Wes and Rui's faces as they leapt off the bike, Rui leaving the Manaphy Egg in the sidecar.

"How...?!"

The other Rui giggled, and the other Wes only smirked, stepping away from the confounded Willie. "What's the matter?" he taunted. "You look pale." Wes was frozen, his hand hovering over his belt. "Hope you didn't see a doppelganger, because, you know..."

He chuckled threateningly as Rui regarded her own double; she was oddly silent, regarding the two of them with that ominous smile. Scared she would lose track of who was who, Rui closed her eyes, her braids shaking in the air behind her.

"You don't understand, do you?" the other Wes accused. "But there's no one else who looks quite like me. Let you and I-"

Rui dashed forward, charging at her opposite - and both Wes and the other started at the motion. The other Rui stepped back in surprise as Rui approached her; one hand lashed out, and the mirror raised her arm to meet it...

And a black-furred arm stopped the blow.

Wes started at the sight; Rui opened her eyes, finding her hand making contact with a Zoroark. The Illusion Fox Pokémon was briefly surprised at having her deception exposed; a grin rose on her face, and she pulled her arm away, leaping back to land on the opposite side of the other Wes as Rui retreated.

"Illusion?!" Rui realized.

"Faker!" Wes accused.

The Other grit his teeth as he rounded on them. "Calling me a fake, are you? The way I see it, a fake isn't as good as the real thing!" He aimed a threatening finger at Wes. "Let's you and I fight, and see who walks away!"

You are challenged by Shady Guy Wes!

Each Wes reached for his belt, seizing two Poké Balls and throwing them forward; an Espeon and Umbreon appeared before the one wearing a Snag Machine, and found themselves facing a Leafeon and Glaceon. Espeon was the first one to act, unleashing a Psychic that ripped up around Leafeon; the Verdant Pokémon retaliated by dashing forward as Umbreon charged the Fresh Snow Pokémon. The leaves around Leafeon's forepaws glowed bright green, elongating for a wicked Leaf Blade that lashed across Espeon's side; Glaceon unleashed mighty Blizzard that howled forward, striking the Sun and Moonlight Pokémon both, and Umbreon managed to charge through it and connect with a ferocious Payback.

Espeon managed to hold on through the cold, but just barely; she turned a Psybeam on Glaceon, and as it connected the Fresh Snow Pokémon was left dazed and off-balance. Leafeon took a low stance, and light began to gather around her; Glaceon made to attack and stumbled, harming himself, and Umbreon circled wide before charging forward and finishing him off with a Feint Attack. The Wes that lacked a Snag Machine withdrew him, sending out a Minun to take his place; as the light around Leafeon reached its apex, the Verdant Pokémon cried out, unleashing a Solar Beam that soared into the air and then came down on Umbreon, knocking him out.

The Snagger withdrew him as Espeon unleashed a Psychic, the attack finishing off Leafeon; Minun promptly unleashed a Discharge that connected with Espeon and finished her off in return. Each Wes withdrew his remaining Eeveelution; the Snagger sent out a Plusle and Lucario, and the Other sent out a Medicham in return. Minun quickly twisted into a Rain Dance, dark clouds gathering above the battlefield as Lucario and Medicham charged each other; the Meditate Pokémon slammed into Lucario with a Zen Headbutt, and Lucario promptly retaliated with a Bone Rush, bombarding her with thrusts before bringing the bone up to throw her back.

Plusle and Minun both unleashed blasts of Thunder the moment the two Fighting-types separated, one coming down on each combatant. Lucario quickly realized he'd be better served with a different target, charging at Minun for another Bone Rush that hit much harder; Medicham made to pursue him, leaping at him for a High Jump Kick, but Lucario managed to sidestep the blow as his bombardment ended, leaving the Meditate Pokémon crashing to earth hard enough to knock her out and giving Plusle free rein to hurl a barrage of Swift stars into the fray.

Minun was already on the verge of fainting, and the projectiles were enough to finish him off; the non-Snagger withdrew them both, seizing his last Poké Ball. As he threw it forward, the Zoroark at his side charged into the fray; Plusle had no chance to react before she found herself on the receiving end of a powerful Night Daze that knocked her back, the critical hit nearly knocking her out. The Poké Ball hit the ground while she was still tumbling, and an Eevee appeared there, crying out angrily.

Rui and Lucario started as they recognized the dark aura coming off of the little one. Plusle managed to right herself, and was about to attack again before Lucario warned her off; with a low cry, she turned her attention on Zoroark, bringing down a blast of Thunder to strike the Illusion Fox Pokémon. She was still trying to fight off the voltage before Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at her from behind; the attack finished her off as Eevee charged forward, and Lucario found himself struck by a Shadow End that sent him tumbling backwards, but didn't have much impact behind it.

The Snagger had his attention on Eevee, watching as the darkness invaded the Shadow Pokémon in the aftermath of the blow. Wait, that could work...! With the strength difference, it's too hard to limit the output, but if I let the recoil do the job...! I just have to throw before it's too much!

He reached into his Bag, seizing an Ultra Ball in his left hand as Lucario and Plusle put themselves on the defensive. Eevee charged at Plusle this time, connecting with another Shadow End; the strength difference was still substantial, but with Plusle's already-weak condition it was enough to knock her out. The Snagger withdrew her with his right hand, slapping the Ball to his belt as the Eevee was struck by the recoil. Lucario stepped back defensively as the Eevee righted itself; after a moment, the Shadow Pokémon charged at him, connecting with one more ferocious blow.

Wes quickly converted his Snag Ball, and as Lucario tumbled back, he hurled the Ball forward. The Eevee had no chance to react before it opened up, enveloping the Shadow Pokémon and drawing her in before slamming closed and falling to the ground.

Shake...

Shake...

Shake...

Click!

The Ball bounced back towards one Wes; the Other scoffed angrily, withdrawing his Zoroark... and the Illusion broke over his face. A Cipher Peon's helmet lay over his head, the body of the helmet a deep purple to go with his imitation of Wes' coat and the visor sharing the hue of his riding goggles.

"Who are you!?" Rui demanded.

"My name is Fein," the Cipher Peon retorted. "I'm Cipher's master of disguise."

"Cipher is finished," Wes reprimanded.

"You think I don't know that!?" Fein yelled back. "I was on Citadark when you took out the Grand Master! I was the only one who managed to escape the police ambush that was waiting for us when we got to Gateon. I try and contact General Nascour when he gets to shore, and I find him in the holding cell in Pyrite, waiting for a transfer! He told me to get back at you - ruin your reputation and make sure you suffered for what you did to Cipher!" He lashed his hand out. "And if you hadn't run into me, I would have!"

"What can I say?" Wes retorted. "A fake is a fake - and no matter how much you dress it up, the real thing always wins."

Draco: Never had a Zorua or Zoroark in a Double Battle or Triple Battle. I have no idea what happens if it ends up on the field at the same time as the Pokémon it's disguised as.

In Colosseum, Fein's team consisted of the Shadow-replacement Pokémon for every Cipher Admin and Gonzap, plus a Togetic which was the last Shadow Pokémon in the game. For the pseudo-remake, Greevil got the Shadow-replacement team, and I made Fein into a little more of a #MirrorBoss. His team is designed to reflect the Pokémon you get without (player-induced) Snagging: Leafeon and Glaceon to counter Wes' Espeon and Umbreon, a Minun to counter Duking's Plusle, a Medicham to counter Rui's Lucario. The Zoroark is because he's a master of disguise (and so that it makes sense for a fake Rui to be accompanying him), and the Eevee is, again, the last Shadow Pokémon in the game.

No, you don't have to face him with Wes. I just thought that more appropriate. There might be different dialogue for the immediate pre-fight if you face him with Rui.

Shadow Pokémon have their gender fixed when the player faces them in battle for the first time, which led to an amusing possible glitch in XD involving a Shadow Zangoose that appeared in two different cutscene-esque fights first. For the pseudo-remake, Shadow Eevee would have its gender fixed during the flashback for the Snag tutorial. Just for the bonus affirmation that yes, it's the same Eevee.

Also, in Colosseum, Fein would consistently appear outside the Outskirt Stand for as many rounds as it took you to catch his Togetic. In the pseudo-remake, I would instead have him appear in the lot outside the Shadow Pokémon Lab (with helmet) for a rematch with False Hero Fein.