Episode 2a: Treacherous Confidants

Pandora: As someone experienced in the ways of evil, there's a golden rule one must follow. If you hire someone to carry out the grunt work for you, make sure they have your best interests at heart, lest they may seek newfound self-employment.

Lenny: The right-hand man is a staple of all villainous leaders. They stand as the greatest allies, but can also become the deadliest enemies. Scheming their way into power is the only way these devious snakes thrive, but our two combatants are more than powerful enough to get the job done right.

Pandora: Fang, the Grim Reaper of the Darkmon.

Lenny: And Zaros Delarosa, the Ancient's Assassin. She's Pandora, and I'm Lenny—

Pandora: Let's analyze our combatants and determine who will be the champion of—

Both: Ultimate Arena!


Pandora: According to the Pokémon world, no Pokémon is ever born evil, but taught to do evil things. I personally disagree with that notion, for I am the incarnate of evil itself!

Lenny: But like all great questions of science, there will always be someone hellbent on bending its rules. Kingpin of Kanto crime, Giovanni, sought to create an evil unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Pandora: Through a combination of scientific minds and vague dark matter nonsense, Giovanni was able to craft a seed that will blossom into the deadliest force ever conceived by the world: the Forest of No Light.

Lenny: This seed, however, was prematurely let loose onto the world, where it grew into a dwelling of evil clones made from the DNA of Pokémon. In a way, Giovanni's vision was realized, but now could no longer control the clones all thanks to the domineering willpower and command of the first Darkmon, Dark.

Pandora: Creative name choices aside, Dark led the Darkmon colony to blossom over the years into an unstoppable force that will one day spread its influence over the world. He was an evil mastermind without an equal, a self-proclaimed god that could not be matched.

Lenny: However, things took an interesting turn when one of the leading scientists, a mysterious figure known as Wrath, sent a Gliscor into those very woods to spy on the Darkmon. While we never meet this mysterious Gliscor, we do know he came in contact with the flowers that not only flourish inside the forest, but are the catalysts to create clones. And with a small prick of blood—

Pandora: Another monster was born from the dirt! A creature unlike anything the Darkmon will ever realize to be a nightmare in the making. He had no name, but he was recognized by his identification number. Darkmon 6-6-6, better known as…Fang.

(Fang: Oh, you poor, poor saps…who ever said you were in control?)

Fang
From: The Forest of No Light, Sealed Fate
Debut: The Forest of No Light, Ch. 14—The Evil Inside
Second-in-Command of the Darkmon
Also Known As: Darkmon 6-6-6, The Grim Reaper of the Darkmon
Species: Dark Gliscor
Age: Ageless (Technically 4-5 years old)
Pandora's Description: "Undermined employee rebels against his boss by literally burning his hard work to the ground."

Pandora: Oh great, as if calling himself the reaper wasn't edgy enough, he just happens to be the 666th clone. What are the freakin' odds?

Lenny: Odds, or perhaps fate?

Pandora: Just because you come from a world of mysticism doesn't mean I'm not calling bullshit.

Lenny: Well, regardless of how you see it, Fang worked his way up the internal hierarchy of the Darkmon and earned the favor of Dark as his second-in-command. Fang kept a tight shift of events inside the forest, monitoring everything in the name of his glorious leader. He truly believed at a time Dark would be the one to bring the Darkmon to glory.

Pandora: That is until he realized how unbelievably lazy his leader was. Actually, lazy isn't even the right word. Dark thought so highly of himself that he didn't even see traitors within the Darkmon as a liable threat. Dark had the potential to be a leader, but he was untrained in Fang's eyes. Unfocused.

Lenny: Any hopes of rebellion were squashed in Fang because he was fully aware of his lord's power. However, a chance meeting with the mysterious Warp gave Fang newfound ambition to take action by his own pincers. Rather than take the role of a fighter, why not do things in secret?

Pandora: Fang has projected himself as a master manipulator who reinforced fear in the forest. He cut down five rebel Darkmon and spread rumors of a grim reaper haunting the forest who will cut down any who defy Lord Dark. After that, he's been biding his time waiting for the perfect opportunity to destroy Dark's legacy and rebuild it from its remains.

Lenny: One of Fang's greatest feats was tricking Dark and the entire Darkmon population into thinking sunset wasn't for another several hours, all by manipulating the central bulb of the forest and messing with their internal clocks. Fang also had easy access to this bulb and occasionally used it to destroy a Darkmon's rejuvenation cycle, preventing them from being reborn if they were completely destroyed.

(Fang: Easy, easy. Tomorrow will be here sooner than you think. For now, I need a little something out of you. *takes out a rejuvenation orb from the central bulb*)

Pandora: Though, that's not to say Fang isn't above getting his pincers dirty. When called for, he'll rip and tear through his enemies without remorse.

Lenny: As a Darkmon, Fang possesses some supernatural abilities. Enhanced physicality, elemental manipulation of earth and air with a degree of poison, enhanced senses, superior night vision, and regeneration.

Pandora: That regeneration is pretty nuts, too. Darkmon can store up a near limitless amount of energy and convert it into new cells to reform lost limbs. Even if their heads get blown off, they'll still regenerate with no lasting consequences. They are even capable of regenerating from a small bloodstain if needed to.

Lenny: Though, it does have its limits. Repeated regenerations over a short period of time can wear a Darkmon out. The more they have to regenerate, the more energy it costs. Also, while that bloodstain feat is impressive, it takes a while for a Darkmon to reshape their form because there's so little energy to work with, so they have to consume whatever they can find. It's their most vulnerable state.

Pandora: Though, Fang rarely has to worry about that since he's stupidly fast. By manipulating his Flying-Type, Fang can turn his wings into a supersonic jetpack essentially. The air propels him at such high speeds that he's barely visible as a light trail. This is indicated by the whistling sound that accompanies him while in flight, and he make super sharp turns in rapid succession.

Lenny: Speaking of which, Fang is capable of utilizing moves like a Pokémon. He can use Dark Pulse for long range fighting. Sky Uppercut and Poison Jab for close combat strikes. And finally, Venoshock, probably his most dangerous attack.

Pandora: On top of its additional effect of doubling damage to poisoned targets, Fang's Venoshock possesses an additional acidic quality that can burn through flesh in seconds. It's incredibly painful and could even fell a Dragonite of all things in one shot. Dang, Darkmon are scary creatures.

Lenny: It gets worse. See, when Darkmon are created, they also retain the knowledge and skills of the Pokémon they were cloned from. While normally this is just a moderate level of bad, Fang is one of two Darkmon that were cloned from genetically altered Pokémon, all thanks to the enigmatic Wrath, a scientist that helped create the Darkmon.

Pandora: Fang inherited the genetic skill known as Devouring Pincers. This enlarges his pincers to the size of small coffins, which is an appropriate analogy given he uses them to slice his targets up.

(Fang: *snipping his pincers together* "These babies can cut through anything…and consume it.)

Lenny: Specifically, these pincers are capable of rending any solid matter they come in contact with and eating it. This allows Fang to basically one-shot anything that isn't a Darkmon, though even Darkmon can be easily felled by these pincers. Any biomass he takes in is converted to energy. The more life he takes, the more energy he acquires.

Pandora: The pincers also have a weird quirk to them, mirroring that of Dark's abilities. When Fang consumes a target, he has a random chance of mimicking certain abilities of theirs. Though, this is random as I mentioned, and it's really ineffective against most targets. Darkmon are the only suitable targets for these pincers.

Lenny: With the amount of times Fang has destroyed fellow clone, Koda, he likely gained access to his future vision, which allows Koda to see into the future. Fang hasn't fully demonstrated this ability, but it's very possible.

Pandora: And when all else fails, Fang can always fall back on Awakened Evil! By channeling his internal, evil energy, he gives himself a massive power boost that multiplies his abilities several times over. This technique could turn the docile Koda into a killing machine and the supreme Dark into an unstoppable god. Fang would be much faster, stronger, and more resilient. Though, this power does place him into a state of bloodlust, which can affect judgment calls if he's not careful.

Lenny: Fang eventually succeeded in his plan to topple Dark's empire, destroying the Forest of No Light and wiping out the majority of the Darkmon population. Though his plan waits to be seen, he has teamed up with the likes of Team Rocket to use Dark's power to take over the world, all so he can snatch that power for himself. Will he succeed? Only time will tell.

Pandora: Or when Brad finally finishes those side stories and gets around to the sequel. If he ever does.

Lenny: However, Fang isn't infallible. Despite his strength, he is more a manipulator than a brawler and will often try to weasel out of any situation he can.

Pandora: Not to mention he has two big weaknesses. For one, exposure to sunlight can disintegrate him, and he has no means of reviving because he basically destroyed his only chance of doing that. And two, while the Devouring Pincers can rend solid matter, they struggle against other states of matter, especially energy. Any energy-based attack that's fired into his claws will do substantial damage and temporarily disable his pincers.

Lenny: But even with all that against him, one should never cross paths with this bitter flying scorpion. If you're caught alone in the middle of the night, beware the howl of the Darkmon's Grim Reaper.

(Fang: You wanted to be released from your imprisonment? I can oblige to that request. But don't get too comfortable…Because your fates are sealed.)


Lenny: They say that those who control history controls the world. After all, when the narrative is written into your favor, who would dare attest to your claim? History is an important tool that allows us to learn from our history and make our own choices to succeed to a brighter future.

Pandora: So, it would be a real shame if someone decided to destroy all that wonderful, documented history in favor of some egomaniacal scheme to become overlord of all. Hmm, I should write that down. "Destroy all books."

Lenny: There's no other worthy of being called the enemy of all history. The diabolical, scholarly magician: Zaros Delarosa.

(Zaros: Such rudeness will not be tolerated around here.)

Zaros Delarosa
From: The Secret of the Idol, Souls Tied by Fate
Debut: The Secret of the Idol Ch.27
Apprentice of Count Aeternus, Historian
Also Known As: The Ancient's Assassin
Species: Watchog
Age: Mid-Twenties
Pandora's Description: "Totally goes around with a petition for burning all library books, plus the actual library."

Pandora: You expect me to believe this nerd is the enemy of all history? He looks like a stuck-up jerk.

Lenny: Precisely why he was selected by Aeternus to be his apprentice. While little is known about Zaros' past as of now, we do get a basic understanding of where he was in life to now.

Pandora: Zaros was just a humble historian learning about the passages of time and history to get a better understanding of what came to be. At some point, however, his thirst for knowledge led him down a rabbit hole uncovering the mysteries of time's past.

Lenny: Zaros is obsessed with history and its impact on the world's way of life. He proposes a question: is the history we know today the true history of our world and not the retellings of someone else? History is written by higher powers, but it can take the personal accounts of a third party to undo everything we know as fact. It's that drive to find the truth that drives historians to learn everything they can, especially in a world as bizarre as Mysto.

Pandora: For Zaros, however, he saw this as an inspiration. Those who control history controls the world. He sought out on a quest to rewrite the written word in his image. Unfortunately, operations were small at the time because…well, do you know how many freakin' books he would have to destroy?! He might as well count blades of grass in a town park, because that's about how many books he'll need to look for!

Lenny: He started small hunting down historians and archeologists, hoping to bully or even kill them out of their profession, limiting the ambitious souls aiming to recount history. One such soul would lead to a fate encounter many years in the future, that being Flint Ravenfield.

Pandora: This story really loves making blood feuds against people who haven't even met each other yet.

Lenny: Eventually, Zaros would find himself under the care of Anguis Organization and as the apprentice of Count Aeternus, who is—

Pandora: Batshit insane, to put it lightly! And that's coming from me!

Lenny: For the most part, yes. Under Aeternus' tutelage, Zaros learned the number one rule of succeeding in life: take every opportunity possible to get ahead of everyone. Once he was presented with an opportunity to overthrow the Shadow King and take the Idol of Origin for himself, he works toward his end goal of rending history of its precious knowledge.

Pandora: Unsurprising given how much of a conniving snake Zaros is. He manipulates others to get what he wants and will go to any lengths to keep his schemes secret. He plotted to kill Callista after she found out his schemes and manipulated Ambrosine into helping him corner Flint Ravenfield. He even had the audacity to manipulate Isidore through her grief after losing someone she cared about just so he can get something out of her. Talk about a low blow!

(Zaros: I am not one to be swayed by the heart, but I…understand that she was important to you. You two were childhood friends, I take it?)

Pandora: Oh yeah, I'm adding you to my list, buster!

Lenny: Zaros isn't a one-trick pony, though. When he needs to, he will subject himself to battle to personally put down his enemy.

Pandora: Being skilled in magic, he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. Vento Nero fires a blast of pressurized dark winds that can send targets flying. Geo Link melds a target into any solid surface, rendering them trapped unless they break up the affected area.

Lenny: One of his favorite spells is Everto, a dark beam of magic fired from the fingertip. Simple, effective, and capable of piercing through targets. Ignis Cast releases a torrent of flames at the target with a snap of his fingers.

Pandora: (reads her script) You know, I'm beginning to realize Brad forgot Zaros had some of these spells.

Lenny: There's also his Dark Escape, a portal that can be used to traverse great distances or, as the name implies, act as a handy getaway.

Pandora: Zaros has also shown he has a thing for plagiarism. As Flint once pointed out, Zaros is basically a better version of him, complete with similar spells. He can conjure unnamed barriers, and even copied his Verto spell, which allows him to switch places with anything marked by his magic. I wouldn't be surprised if this guy can conjure crystals, too.

Lenny: In many ways, it's true. Zaros sees Flint as an inferior copy to his brilliance, thus will go out of his way to prove he is superior in every way. This is best reflected in one of his best known spells: Tempus Point.

Pandora: Oh, you though having magic in general was broken? Well, do I have good news for you, because Zaros can also stop time! It is considered the improved version of Time Halt, which can only stop time and with great mental strain on the user. Tempus Point not only lessens the strain on the user, but also acts as the Swiss Army Knife of time spells.

Lenny: One of the basic applications of Tempus Point is the ability to perceive the flow of altered time via magic. If someone were to stop time or alter it within a localized area, Zaros can freely move through the space without suffering the negative effects. This allows him to essentially invade stopped time.

Pandora: For comparison, we have the Time Mage, Cicely, who demonstrates the versatility of this spell. You can skip through time or send someone several seconds into the future, taking them out of the fight for a moment when it only feels like a second passed for them.

Lenny: Through his studies into Aeternus' Particle Magic, Zaros came across a spell that combines the best of his time stopping abilities and the alteration of the environment. Temporal Destruction.

Pandora: Just as menacing as it sounds. Zaros can wither anything he touches to dust through the flow of time. Normally it can be fought off with a strong defensive aura, but it's only a matter of time before it chews through and takes effect.

Lenny: But then there's the spell that truly defines Zaros' presence on the battlefield: the Celestial Guardian!

Pandora: The Celestial Guardian is a manifestation of one's magic, taking the shape of a crystal, armored humanoid. They act in tandem to the will of the user, acting as both a powerful offense and impregnable defense. They can throw out a flurry of punches and kicks faster than the eye can see and manifest the spells of their user like a conduit.

Lenny: They can be called back to the user in an instant if they stray too far off. Users can also manifest parts of the Guardian to increase their physical abilities.

Pandora: Though, as they are an extension of the user's magic, too much damage can take cause strain on the user, hence why they come equipped with that outer shell of armor. If they're destroyed in battle, they'll be rendered temporarily disabled. Worst of all, if your Guardian has been reduced to pieces, the defensive aura will weaken significantly to the point of shattering.

Lenny: However, for a high stakes gamble, the user can shed their Guardian's armor to evolve it into its next form. The true manifestation of a user's soul and their passion for battle. The Awakened Guardian of Zaros, dubbed Woden!

(Zaros: Is it not marvelous? Woden is the embodiment of my desire to hunt down all who stand in the way of my dream. Once it sets its sights on a target, they can never escape)

Pandora: Woden is a Guardian Archer, equipped with a bow and an infinite supply of magic arrows it can conjure the second it pulls that bowstring back. These arrows fly at high speed, capable of taking targets by surprise. Or, if he wants to be a real scumbag, Zaros can just have Woden fire hundreds at once like a dirty cheater.

Lenny: All Awakened Guardians come equipped with a special ability to enhance their weapons, though the details of Zaros' are unclear. It is implied they're incredibly strong, though, as Flint was shocked that the arrows were chipping away at his own Guardian, noting that they didn't look any stronger than any other attack he deflected. Even still, these arrows can shred a target to pieces.

Pandora: The downside, however, is that Zaros' Awakened Guardian traded defense for offensive power. Now, any damage that is dealt to the Guardian will have the full force directed back into the user.

Lenny: Zaros has proven himself time and time again to be a relentless adversary in the heat of battle. He fought the likes of Flint Ravenfield, Tony Sapienti, Gwyn Belladonna, and even survived an ambush from Team Shatter Star.

Pandora: Zaros was once paralyzed by Ambrosine, who scrambled his electrical impulses so that they would affect different muscles than intended. However, after a bit of time, he was able to figure out which impulses affected which muscle and moved his body accordingly. That's right, this guy relearned how to work his muscles after his nerves got rewired!

Lenny: His intelligence in battle is not to be underestimated. Zaros will seek to exploit any weakness he can and tear his opponent down to his feet, even if it's his own team.

Pandora: The dude straight up murders Isidore's girlfriend and blames it on Tony just so he could trick Isidore into helping him steal the Shadow King's power. He weaponized her grief! This dude's coldblooded! I'd be impressed if I wasn't so disgusted.

Lenny: Zaros isn't perfect, however. He has an unfortunate habit of underestimating the potential of his opponent. And without his Guardian, he has a harder time keeping up with physical brawlers.

Pandora: Even so, he didn't get this far for nothing. With his plan to overthrow the Shadow King and take the Idol of Origin to remake the world into his vision, he has the means to crush whoever gets in his way. Be it enemy or ally, don't think twice of trusting this smug backstabber.

(Zaros: Even if I am to meet the same fate as King Rullu's descendants, I will leave a legacy behind. The damage will be set and I will leave this world scrambling for its lost records. That's my dream. My ambition.)