Kill, Killed

Do you understand what it means to kill?

Perhaps you might naively say yes, but, just believe me for this one.

You don't.

Do you know how it feels like to be killed?

In my thirteen years of life, I am really glad to say that no, I don't.

Until now.

Before me, at the spot where the shattered chandelier lay, the creature made no sound, its tentacles making little movements, while its pupils darted about, scanning the Hall with silent intensity.

At the same time, the Hall was immensely quiet. No form of movement could be remotely detected from anyone, any Pokémon. It was a heart-stopping moment, and I could hear the thumping in my heart that was getting exponentially louder with every second that passed.

It wasn't just the heart-thumping. Every ounce of my being was frozen, a fearful sensation crawling all over my skin, and my mind drew a blank.

My eyes was fixated onto Deoxys, and I struggled to remind myself that I had to fight it, to remove this threat. Yet I made no moves against it, and that went for same for many of the other trainers, who were similarly afraid of the killing intent the creature was emitting.

Suddenly, Deoxys' white, crystalline eyes stared straight into mine, the creature letting out a small hiss, and I found myself in a dangerous predicament.

Move, idiot, move! I scolded myself urgently, trying to make my mouth open, and command Amphy to make the first move. But even my Ampharos was tied down by the unprecedented sensation of bloodlust given out by the enemy—and I was desperate to protect both of us.

Deoxys hunched over in a position to launch itself in our direction, and I panicked internally, my every fiber screaming for me to avoid the attack, and that was when I realized how inexperienced and powerless I was.

For Arceus' sake, I'm the Johto Champion. To be frightened by this, I must be an idiot.

Squeezing my eyes shut, my mind remained a blank as I braced myself for impact.

Until a piercing cry rang out throughout the Hall, and my eyelids flew open, while a blur of purple and white streaked past me, saving me at the very last second. I was thrown backwards, and upon landing on my bottom, I blinked profusely, dumbfounded, while waves of relief and disbelief washed over me. The killing aura was abruptly lifted, and breathy gasps could be heard everywhere, many trainers dropping onto their knees from the blood-chilling experience. The Gym Leaders around me were momentarily in a trance, many too shocked, too stiff to respond.

My eyes hurriedly followed to where Deoxys had been flung to, and to my surprise, a strange bipedal, humanoid creature was tackling the intruder, its strong-looking tail smacking Deoxys hard in the gut. It let out a loud screech, and soon it morphed into its Defense Forme, ready to defend itself.

A bright beam of light was then directed accurately towards Deoxys, which I recognized to be Hyper Beam, followed by a massive figure hurling towards it with a Meteor Mash, the attack striking upon its bulky body squarely in the chest. With those two strong moves, Deoxys was sent crashing into a nearby wall, while trainers near that area screamed, and ran away from it, clearly still fumbled by the earlier experience. While in the middle of trying to ease my breathing, I turned around, just to witness Lance and Steven Stone expertly handling their Pokémon. Nearby, the Elite Four of Hoenn and Kanto-Johto were also ready to fire out attacks. Embarrassed and angry at myself for being this weak, I stood up, while Amphy tried to collect himself. I knew that I shouldn't blame him, or myself.

Even though I was the Johto Champion, I remained inexperienced at dealing with Pokémon of such ferocity and viciousness.

Meanwhile, the mysterious humanoid creature landed on the ground, and I could vaguely sense a hidden bloodlust coming out from it. The fearsome look it had in its eyes was not at all reassuring to look at, despite it being the one who had just saved me seconds ago.

Deoxys emerged, appearing unscathed, the urge to kill still pulsating from it as it glared at the humanoid creature, which growled in return, a faint indigo glow lighting up from its body.

"...Mewtwo," a familiar voice called out. I jolted, my eyes trailing towards the older trainer who was commanding the creature.

Did he just say "Mewtwo"?

"Control yourself," Red said firmly, while taking a few steps forward. "...There are people here."

Mewtwo let out a displeased grunt, the glow on its body disappearing like smoke. The Hall hushed, everyone fixated upon the fearsome Pokémon and the trainer that was capable of taming it. His eyes merely glanced at the Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and all the other trainers, his gaze strong and fierce, and everyone instantly understood.

Leave this to us.

Suddenly, Deoxys screeched, its body switching to its Speed Forme, before it propelled its body headfirst towards Mewtwo, its tentacles extending and grabbing Mewtwo by the torso. The two powerful Pokémon were soon zooming towards the other end of the Hall, smashing into the wall with a sickening boom. Trainers started shouting, alarmed by the rubble that floated in midair, manipulated by telekinesis. Mewtwo and Deoxys then reappeared repeatedly, their teleportation powers on par with each other. Yet Deoxys was easily flung sideways by the stronger telekinesis powers of Mewtwo, its body flying across the Hall.

In the next second, Mewtwo was right before the foe, its heavy tail slamming into Deoxys, while it unleashed another Psychic Type move that pinned Deoxys onto the ground. Deoxys was then flung up again, and Mewtwo sent a barrel of telekinetic punches towards it. Loud booms were heard, the walls battered by the repeated crashes, the floor dented and cracked by the immense psychic waves. The one-sided battle continued on for quite a bit, with Deoxys very much on the losing side.

Everyone merely stared and observed the battle, where none could interfere the two Legendary Pokémon. My eyes were wide, trying to follow the every movement of Mewtwo, all the while waiting for Deoxys to fall.

Except, it never did.

I soon picked up the irregularity that was happening, and so did the rest. Red appeared rather confused, as he watched Mewtwo sending attack after attack, yet Deoxys was still capable of standing again and again.

Almost as if it was healing itself again and again.

"It should be down by now," someone exclaimed. "How is it... still fighting?"

Deoxys maneuvered itself away from Mewtwo, its tentacles curving into a single point. A zapping sound could be heard, and a multicolored ball of energy was constructed right from its chest, slowly but surely. Mewtwo's eyes widened, its fists clenched tightly.

"It's Psycho Boost!" a shout came, and the energy ball expanded, larger and larger, while before me, protective barriers were quick to be erected. Lance had used Protect to block as many trainers as possible from the impending attack that could possibly blow the Main Hall to smithereens.

Meanwhile, Red stood at the same spot, unmoving and unprotected. The Dragon Master was mere feet away from me, and I yelled at him to have his Dragonite to use a Protect on him, but Lance sternly motioned me to watch.

And so, I did. I watched him closely. How he called out to Mewtwo with a clear, pristine voice, how his eyes were silently observing the situation, how he merely mouthed one simple battle command that sent the ferocious Mewtwo to swing a deadly Psycho Cut towards the energy ball. The whole thing was instantly split into halves, while dark indigo colored spheres enveloped it and the whole thing dissipated into sparks, sending energy shockwaves around the hall. Everyone, including me, were awestruck by the powerful moves of Mewtwo, and its amazing maneuverability.

Deoxys, clearly agitated at how its attack was so easily countered by Mewtwo, dashed towards it, its tentacles coiling around it, and the two grappled with each other. The two monstrosities were back at it again, with Mewtwo sending out moves stronger after the other, and Deoxys seemingly on steroids and never going to fall.

Suddenly reminded of something, I found myself sprinting forward, with Lance calling out to me.

My right arm reached out, grabbing onto Red's. My hair was a mess, my hands still trembling from Deoxys' killing intent, but I hurriedly shouted, "The orb is its weakness!"

Red stared at me, his crimson eyes bright and surprised.

"...Thanks," he uttered, before he turned back, shouting a few commands towards Mewtwo. The beast roared, tearing itself away from Deoxys, while its arms glowed purple, ready to use a Psycho Cut.

The two were now opposite each other, Deoxys readying itself in its Speed Forme. And after a tense, pregnant pause, the two dashed at each other, their figures all a blur, with Deoxys dealing an Extreme Speed at Mewtwo.

A transparent clink reverberated throughout the Hall, and suddenly the two Pokémon hovered in midair, Mewtwo heaving out heavy, ragged breaths repeatedly, the bloodthirsty glint in its eyes seemingly glowing. Deoxys' eyes were white, round, surprised, and slowly, its head turned down, to its chest.

A crooked line started forming on the orb. Its eyes seemed almost furious, and at the next moment, a deafening screech could be heard throughout the hall. Everyone clapped their hands over their ears, trying to save their eardrums from the prolonged screaming. And when it finally quietened down, all eyes were focused onto the intruder, whose pupils blacked out, its body limp and motionless. Mewtwo gingerly distanced itself from the creature. And all of a sudden, Deoxys crumbled away, bit by bit, the dust falling down like snow.

The orb dropped, landing onto the hardwood floor with a sonorous crack, shattered into bits and pieces. And in the next second, Mewtwo arriving next to Red and I, looking proud and victorious.

"Thanks, Mewtwo…," Red said softly, and the Pokémon regarded him with a grunt, and it returned to its Poké Ball without much of a resistance. His Charizard, Pikachu, Espeon and Chikorita joined him, all four of them appearing pleased and proud about their trainer's victory.

The blanket of silence stayed, until it was abruptly lifted, gasps and cheers resounding throughout the Hall. I could barely stand, as I watched the trainer, the Undefeated Champion before me, his Pokémon standing behind him, dignified.

And my eyes were entirely fixated upon him.

All of a sudden, all those matches I seen it on the television and on the net rewound themselves in my head, and I was immediately reminded of one thing.

This trainer before me is the goal I have been trying to reach.

Clenching my fists, I felt a grin stretch across my lips. By now, a hoard of trainers were surrounding Red, each and every one of them giddy with glee and excitement as they chattered around him. The professors and researchers were off trying to salvage the shattered orb, evidently ready to use it for research. None of them even cared that one of the doors at the side was slammed open loudly, and Brendan dashed in, his Sceptile behind him, the Pokémon looking perturbed. Sensing that something was amiss from his troubled expression, I hurriedly weaved myself out of the crowd, and gasped for breath the moment I tore myself out of that human mass. My legs barely carried myself over to him, for I nearly tripped myself along the way.

"Ethan…," he breathed, his cheeks red, and his hair appeared messy, as if some mini hurricane had ran over it. Meanwhile, Steven Stone and May were coming over, looking surprised. As they approached, I felt a heavy, familiar feeling rising within me, and I could vaguely feel a tingling sensation around my body. A tiny flash of lightning dashed across my vision vertically downwards from the ceiling, and I blinked my eyes out of incredulity. Yet, the lightning disappeared.

"Where have you been?" Mr. Stone asked. "We've been looking all over for you."

"I got lost- Oof!" Brendan choked, when May nearly threw herself atop of him. She quickly freed him from the tight hug, a furious expression never seen before on her face.

"You..." She took a deep breath. "I was so worried!"

"Sorry," he murmured, his hand holding onto hers. He then glanced at both Mr. Stone and I, then at the busted ceiling, his brows furrowing down.

"What happened here?"

"Deoxys—," Mr. Stone began.

"Deoxys crashed into the Hall, and it was about to attack us, and then.. and then..." I paused, taking in a deep breath, and then continued to shoot off, "Red unleashed Mewtwo, and that Pokémon was so powerful! It just went whoosh, and then bam! It even stopped Psycho Boost, like it was nothing! After that—!"

"Basically Red's Mewtwo managed to stop and eliminated Deoxys," Mr. Stone cut in, looking amused. "It was really quite a show."

Yet Brendan did not look at all surprised, for the expression on his countenance seemed to become even sterner, his eyebrows arching down further.

"Was that all?" he muttered, his hands pressed against his temples. "It can't be all that they're after..."

"What's wrong?" May asked, her other hand pressing onto his tense arm. Brendan only bent his head down further, his eyes squeezed shut, clearly trying to think. All three of us watched him, while all the other trainers were still crowding around Red persistently, the researchers still buzzing among themselves.

"Deoxys... Licinius..."

"Licinius?" I exclaimed, and was about to ask a few more questions, but Mr. Stone placed a finger on his lips, prompting me to keep quiet.

"... Mewtwo..."

A prolonged silence surrounding us for moment, until Brendan's head turned upwards suddenly, and before any of us knew what was going, he was walking off towards the crowd. Our eyes trailed after him, and all I noticed was how authoritative and how he was walking towards the crowd with loud steps.

A few trainers at the edge of the crowd noticed his presence, and one by one, they shuffled to the sides, parting a way for him. It was awesome to look at, and I witnessed this scene with an awestruck look on my face.

"He's... like a Champion," I blurted out, before I slapped my own cheeks. What am I saying? Brendan Yūki is the—

"He is the Hoenn Champion after all," Mr. Stone said. I nodded my head in return, rather embarrassed at my comment. By now, a sizable part of the crowd had dispersed.

"Nobody move!"

His voice exploded within the Hall, clear, fierce, and attention-grabbing. At that very instant, an unprecedented silence grappled the Hall's atmosphere. Everyone hushed, and many watched the Hoenn Champion, astonished and puzzled by his sudden actions.

"Red."

And immediately, the crowd split into halves, and Red was now, standing in clear view, his Pokémon behind him, before Brendan Yūki.

"Where is your Mewtwo?" Brendan uttered.

"Check your belt."

Red cautiously lifted his suit jacket, where three compact-sized Ultra Balls and four normal Poké Balls were attached to it. His fingers seemed to grabbed for something, or nothing, I couldn't really tell from where I was looking.

But whether he grabbed something, or nothing, was soon shown on his face. It was a look of pure shock, his crimson eyes widening, the color of his cheeks disappearing so quickly that it reminded me of how he looked like when I first found him on Mt. Silver. Brendan clenched his fists, a stern and grim expression on his face.

"Mewtwo has been stolen!" Brendan yelled at the next moment. "Not one person is to leave this Hall!"

Exclamations and gasps emerged around the Hall, and none dared to move, as Brendan's eyes darted about, trying to search for someone. Everyone was in a state of fear and shock, while the Hoenn Champion scrutinized each and every person and Pokémon.

All of a sudden, a loud burst of sound rang, one of the lights hanging around the Hall extinguished. People screamed and yelped, while an unimaginable scene was playing before me.

I could see more flashes of lightning running amok in the Hall.

Another light went out.

I blinked my eyes, surprised, but the crackles of lightning were indeed present. The tingling sensation could be felt more than before, and somewhere, I could feel something resonating with me.

What was it?

Yet another light went out.

My head spun around, and before my eyes, Mr. Stone was holding up a glowing yellow slab. The slab vibrated violently, the glow on it intensifying, and the lightning flashes around me went even more violent than before.

Another loud sound. Another light busted.

"Ethan...," May began, her eyes lighting up in astonishment, "the Zap Plate...!"

"Something is here," Mr. Stone said urgently, one hand wanting to hand the Zap Plate to me, his other hand grabbing onto a Poké Ball. "Hurry, take it. Who knows how it might help."

The next light went out, the glass shattering, and two lights were left.

My arm gingerly reached out for the plate, and the closer I got to it, the more it was turning from tingling, to electrifying.

"Show yourself!" Lance's voice rang out. The next light exploded, and the sole source of light flickered precariously, and behind me, the air was slowly becoming thinner, a tight, constricting atmosphere was gripping the whole Hall.

My hand made contact with the Plate, and all I could feel was an immensely strong zapping force coursing through my body. Like I was being electrified by the Plate itself. I could feel electricity at my fingertips, and around me, the lightning intensified. Glancing at my chest, I could see small sparks lightning circling around it, as if it was embracing me. May and Mr. Stone were simply staring, looks of fascination written all over their faces.

The lightning only visible to me turned out to be residual electricity that was leaking out of the destroyed lights. And the sparks were helping me to see the whole Hall.

The last light went out.

Amidst the darkness, there were a few agitated shouts here and there, while I was on high alert, my eyes watching out for any suspicious figures, the lightning sparks illuminating the Hall for me. Sure enough, I soon spotted a mass of shadow and smoke whirling towards the centre of the Hall.

And it was mere inches away from Brendan, ready to strike an attack.

My mind short-circuited, and I let my body, and the electricity do the work. I felt the electrifying force around my heels, and I could see the people around me whizzing by, my legs already running towards the shadow at an inhumane speed. A nauseous feeling rose up to my throat, but I held it in, and in a split second, I was in front of the shadowy figure, my right leg already swinging upwards. I felt the blow connect, electricity from my body suddenly shooting out, paralyzing the shadow. The figure was thrown sidewards, and I could hear Brendan letting out a gasp from behind me, clearly surprised at my sudden entrance.

A few spots of light emerge, as some Pokémon were using Flash, and the Hall was lit up instantly, and many gasped the moment they saw the black shadow. I huffed, looking down at the shadow, while a large hand grabbed my arm.

I turned, just to see Brendan's eyes wide with shock, incredulity and wonder. The people around the two of us were seemingly confused, about how I come to be right next to them in a split second, and why was there a black shadow lying on the ground, immobile.

"What's that?"

"Is that the thief?"

Murmurs could be heard from around the Hall, while one of the Hoenn Gym Leaders, who I recalled to be Brawly, was approaching the shadow cautiously, his Pokémon that was rather short in stature, and had a strange pointy head and big, blue feet was walking behind him. I was similarly, looking at the big mass, which had a large, black, smoky body with a hourglass shape, a ton of white, billowing plume, and strangely shaped red ring around it's supposed neck. It was clearly a Pokémon, and it was a Pokémon I have never seen before.

"Brawly, get away from that Pokémon!" a loud, brash voice shouted hurriedly. I looked around the crowd, and a tall, lean man with blonde hair was pushing through the crowd hurriedly, towards the black shadow.

"The two of you as well!" he said to both Brendan and I, and we did as we were told. The man peered at the black mass, looking tense and horrified. Another man, who appeared neat and well-dressed, joined next to him, a look of pure shock on his face.

"Oh, my word, Palmer, is that—"

"Yes, Darach," he muttered. "But why is it here?" His left hand dug into his suit pocket, taking out a Poké Ball. The black creature shifted slightly, and Palmer froze, more cautious than ever.

"What's that...?" a red-haired Hoenn Gym Leader, whom i recognized to be Flannery, asked.

"Something no human should ever see," Palmer said, as his Pokémon, a graceful, serpentine Pokémon appeared beside him.

"Darkrai."

I blinked, surprised, and, meanwhile, the Pokémon laying on the ground stirred a little, and I felt my breath getting stuck in my throat. I gulped nervously, as the Pokémon called Darkrai slowly opened its eyes.

"Milotic, use Hypnosis," Palmer ordered.

Yet before any of us could move a muscle, the Pokémon sprang upwards so swiftly, it was as if its movement was unaffected by the paralysis.

It's arms, which were black, long and bony, extended outwards, a dark sphere forming in the middle. Palmer looked even more disturbed than ever.

"It's Dark Void! Use Protect!"

But the sphere suddenly multiplied, and the numerous spheres were zooming out towards almost every trainer at a blinding speed. Palmer and his Milotic were instantly hit by the move, and around us, the many trainers were similarly encased in dark spheres. Each of them lost consciousness, and Amphy and I looked around in horror, yet it was too late to stop Darkrai.

The Gym Leaders tried to retaliate, their Pokémon sending out powerful moves, but Darkrai deftly avoided all of them, and they were all quickly sent into a deep sleep. Even those who used Protect failed to evade the move, as the spheres persistantly hit the barriers, shattering it, and engulfed the Pokémon and their trainers.

"Amphy, use Thunder!" I ordered, and my Ampharos jumped, ready to deal an electric attack, but one of the dark spheres was faster than him, and he fell to the ground, unharmed but asleep. Even Brendan's Sceptile couldn't escape the attacks, and was soon snoozing. I gritted my teeth, while I watched the surrounding people and Pokémon falling asleep, the flashes of light going out. The dark spheres were zooming about, each hitting one target, but none of them reaching me at all. Surprised, I glanced at Red, who was also standing, the trainer himself stunned, and he had also quickly returned his team back into their Pokéballs.

"Steven!" a voice shouted, and we both looked back, just to see Mr. Stone being swallowed up by a dark sphere, and emerged, eyes closed. May gasped, and met eyes with Brendan, looking bewildered.

The multiple lights disappeared, and soon, the whole Hall plunged into darkness, an eerie silence lingering around.

"Hey, anyone else still awake?" a familiar voice called out.

"Lyra?" I shouted. "Where are you?"

"What's going on?" Green's voice came, loud and clear. Yet none of us could see him. The electricity was, for some reason, gone, and I had no idea how I was supposed to do a repeat of the previous occurrence. We were blind in the dark, and dared not move. My heart palpitated frantically, beads of perspiration running down my temples. The enemy was right in the Hall, with Darkrai, and Mewtwo was stolen. And if we were to use any of our Pokémon, they will be immediately knocked out. And another thing was for sure...

We were the only ones left standing in this Hall.

The Major Arcana.

"Ethan, are you still there?" Brendan softly called out.

"Yeah," I whispered.

"Red?"

"...Yes."

"Green?"

"Here."

"Lyra?"

"Yes!"

"May."

"Yes."

"Okay, seems like we are the only ones left," he murmured. "What is he planning to do?"

"He?" I asked. "As in... Licinius?"

"I see, you do know who I am. I suppose that dog told you about me?"

I jumped, startled and frightful, and almost immediately, my legs gave way. A massive, turbulent apprehension grappled my lungs, fear tying my whole body to the ground, and I heaved in loud breaths, my sweat coming out in large beads involuntarily. My hair was standing on ends, its tips shaking with fright, goosebumps lining my whole skin. My muscles were slack, the feeling inside them numbing as the seconds passed, while I could feel my corneas drying up, as if the fear was removing the moisture from my body. The sense of fright I felt from Deoxys was not at all comparable to the one I was feeling now.

It was vaguely something ancient, potent, powerful, the core of it fearsome. But most importantly, it contained a never before felt animosity, a deep feeling of hatred, full of thorns, and the maliciousness was suffocating, drowning, and burning. It was as if this feeling itself, was ready to kill me off.

I was scared. Of being killed.

"Ethan…," Brendan's voice rasped, and I shifted my head to face him, my muscles barely working, and from the corner of my eye, I saw him, on all fours, panting so heavily, and for a moment there, I was relieved that I wasn't the only one to be feeling this dreadful, strangling bloodlust and hate. I had to keep my sanity, to know that such a bloodlust was inhumane, and could be felt by a fellow human being.

"You've got... to be kidding me…," his voice hissed, and at the next moment, two silver glows was emitted, one from Brendan, and the other from May. Metallic clangs resounded everywhere, and I could vaguely see chains extending out in all directions, like a protective web.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," the chilling voice uttered, and I felt another surge of fear through my bones.

"Argh!" A painful cry came from next to me, and suddenly, a few lamps turned on, presumably due to the emergency lighting system, and then, I saw him.

A tall, lanky man, whose back was straight, shoulders firm, and his head was held high, with long, gray hair that was tied into a wispy, thin ponytail that reached to the middle of his back. A bone-white, flat, and plain mask covered half of his face, with only his eyes, mouth and chin visible. Meanwhile, Brendan was effortlessly held up mid-air, his throat gripped by the man's bony, yet strong hand. The large and long steel chains around us vibrated violently, before it was shattered into a million pieces that disappeared into thin air. May let out a yell, while Brendan gagged, his face getting redder from the lack of oxygen. His hands clawed at the man's arm, trying to release himself from the suffocation.

"So this was your... plan... to steal Mewtwo?" Brendan wheezed, as he glowered at the man.

"Indeed," Licinius chuckled. "Imagine how fun it'll be to clone it and see the looks of despair upon your faces when my army attacks."

"Dream on! That'll... never happen!"

"Is that so?"

Brendan coughed violently, as Licinius flexed his arms even further, lifting the Hoenn Champion higher, his grip tightening even more.

I willed myself to stand, and yet before I could even try to reach Brendan, and stop that horrid man from strangling him, I found my whole body slammed to the ground heavily. I coughed, and my eyes travelled to Darkrai, who was holding me down with its powers.

"Let him go!" May pleaded, but she herself was also held down onto the ground.

"Yeah, you... bastard!" I shouted, my body shaking, and my head not even knowing what was rolling off my tongue.

His eyes shifted, and I made eye contact with him.

The pupils were black.

And hollow.

Frighteningly so.

He smiled, not at all a smile of mercy or kindness or anything close to good. It was a smile of pure mockery, superiority and evil. I was shaking even more, my mind already telling myself to get as far as I could from this man.

"Well, I don't see why not. It's not his turn to die, after all," he slurred, and I could feel the disregard, the coldness and boredom in his words.

As if this was merely a game.

"But first," he continued, and my eyes widened as I witnessed him sending a heavy punch straight into Brendan's gut. Brendan choked, his eyes rolling backwards, his arms going slack and falling to his sides.

The man's hand finally relaxed, and Brendan was dropped to the ground, landing with a thump, limp like a ragdoll.

"Oi!" Green shouted from across the Hall.

"Yūki!" May screamed. Yet Brendan had no response, the Hoenn Champion out cold. Her whole body glowed, the female Coordinator having a very, very furious look on her countenance. Suddenly, a bunch of chains were materialized, angry knives ready to charge towards the man. The chains extended, the knives flew, but the man calmly stood there, and at the next moment, the knives halted, mere inches away from him. It hovered there dangerously, before a painful yelp could be heard from behind me. And from the corner of my eye, the same large sphere enveloped May. Very quickly, she fell asleep.

"You coward!" I yelled at the man, who had an indifferent expression on his face.

"My, these two have grown rather strong. It's a pity they had to hold back to protect these worthless humans." He chuckled, completely ignoring my shouts. His eyes appearing strangely amused and mocking, a sly smile creeping onto his lips as he looked around the ground, where all the sleeping trainers were lying. "Bad idea, Lovers, bad idea."

I helplessly looked at the unconscious Brendan and May lying on the ground, unmoving. Meanwhile, his shoes started clacking against the ground, the sound alone inciting fear. One step, two steps, and he was slowly getting closer.

To Red.

And the trainer himself, was still standing.

"Fearless, aren't you?" Licinius hissed. "Or should I say, foolish as the Fool you are?"

Red said nothing, and he merely stood there, erect, fists clenched. His eyes seemed to burn, his gaze seething with a mysterious red, fiery glow. Licinius stopped in his tracks, and an agonizing silence followed, the two people simply standing opposite each other.

"You are just like him," Licinius finally said. "Makes me want to shred you up so badly..."

I gulped nervously, because whatever he said was not at all simply a threat. All of the sudden, the man stepped forward, his hand thrusting towards Red like a deadly claw.

"Get away from him, Red!" Green's voice rang out from behind urgently.

"Run!" Lyra yelled out as well, but Red was frozen on the spot, too shocked to move. He squeezed his eyes shut, and I heard Green screaming himself hoarse.

A jingling of bells rang out, loud, clear, and fierce.

It happened all very quickly, and at the next moment, I witnessed ephemeral robes billowing, bells ringing, and there he was, his body slowly appearing from the waist down, one hand grabbing onto Licinius' wrist, stopping his momentum instantly.

Licinius smirked, his black eyes gazing at Sei.

"I'm surprised. You can actually touch me."

"Because you're not human," the ghost replied.

"Well, that is true," Licinius agreed.

"Leave him alone," Sei said, his voice trembling. "Twenty-one generations of card killing, haven't you had enough?"

"Same to you," Licinius replied. "Twenty-one generations of silence, why protect a card? And a Fool, nonetheless?"

"It's none of your business. Leave."

"Because it's his son? A loyal dog, aren't you?"

"Leave!" Sei roared, and a surge of cool, prickling air came, and I shut my eyes, trying to withstand the cold wind.

"Fine," Licinius said, and he tugged his arm out of the ghost's grasp. "But don't forget—this generation will fall. Just like it always did."

Licinius then turned around, his footsteps loudly heard throughout the hall.

"...Wait."

My gaze turned to Red, who stepped out from behind Sei. The ghost appeared surprised, and before he could do anything, Red was already walking straight towards Licinius.

"...Return Mewtwo to me."

Licinius stopped in his tracks, and glanced backwards, his eyes mockingly looking at Red.

"And what if I don't?" he said, laughing, his hand reaching into his pocket, taking out the Ultra Ball, looking pleased with himself.

"Charizard!" Red yelled immediately, and a red light flashed. The Pokémon roared, and in a blur of movement, it dashed towards Licinius.

"Hoho, taking it back by force?" Licinius remarked, and he posed himself, Ultra Ball in hand, the man calm, while his other hand beckoned something to come over.

And in a split second, Darkrai appeared next to him, looking absolutely creepy and powerful at the same time.

"You might have to listen to me for this one, my dear comrade," he said to Darkrai. He flicked his wrists, and Darkrai grunted, as the sleeping people and Pokémon were lifted, and shifted to the side of the Hall.

"Let us rid ourselves of any form of distractions." Licinius said evenly. "No one likes an unfair game."

The center of the Hall was very much spacious, the surroundings perfect for a match. Meanwhile, Darkrai's eyes narrowed, and slowly, it shifted its focus onto Red's Charizard.

"Now," Licinius grinned widely, as he turned around, facing Red. "It's been far too long since I was out on the field, but please, do entertain me well, my dear player."

"..." Red glared at Licinius, his eyes filled with determination.

"Let the battle began," Licinius announced, a calculative smile upon his face, eyes shining hungrily.