Breaking the Gilded Cage

by CreatureMan88

For a group of young Pokémon living in a constricted land, their lives had always been full of peace and blessings. But when they acquire a book depicting the lore of the Legendary Pokémon, they are soon opened up to the truths of The World. Join them as they experience both the joy and the turmoil of an unbound life.

9. Chapter 9: Aspirations

Fighting Realm - Just Before Sunrise

A caravan loaded with supplies and equipment lay positioned in front of the Fighting Realm's currently closed main gates. Gates that were flanked by a pair of Hariyama on standby, waiting for the word to allow the exit of the small group of pokémon that would be leaving on an early expedition.

Standing by the caravan was a Lucario who held his head low with his arms folded and a Gallade that had a hand on his hip and was gazing upwards. His unique blue and white coloration made him stand out from the rest of his kind. Both of them were waiting for their remaining two partners before they could begin their early morning mission.

The Gallade lowered his head and looked at the gate; a massive fifteen-meter-high structure of wood and steel composed of two doors with large, circular handles which could only be manipulated by pokémon possessing great strength. Extending from either side of the gates were equally as tall wooden pillars one meter thick and sharpened to a fine tip, embedded firmly into the ground and spanning a great number of acres around the entire Fighting Realm. Barbed wire coiled about the tips of the pillars as a means of defense as well as a warning against intruders. Not that any would be suicidal enough to breach the territory of a settlement composed of pokémon that could throw a punch with the devastating force of an earthquake.

The Gallade continued to stare absentmindedly, thinking about just how long it had been since he became a part of the Fighting Realm and wondering how his family back in the Fairy Realm were doing. The land of the fairy types is, will be and always has been his first home. It all started out with him leaving his realm for the first time and finding work in the Pokémon Settlement as a mediator to help with the trade between the Fairy and Fighting Realms. He would offer them rare plants and berries that were of great benefit and performance enhancers in exchange for their training equipment that continues to see use in the Fairy Realm's Training Hold to this day. Months of this mutually beneficial partnership eventually lead to an invitation to the land of the fighting types; He was offered the green flag to come and go in and out of the Fighting Realm as he pleased. An honorary member of the land of the fighting types, so to speak. It made handling the heavy lifting and occasional fighting on their side not as strenuous when he was closer to his 'second home.' However, this also meant time less spent from his family. He hadn't seen them for six months now and could only communicate with them through the letters they sent each other from time to time.

"Shard for your thoughts?" The Lucario said, noticing his partner's far away expression.

"Thinking of home." The Blade Pokémon replied, not taking his eyes of the gate.

The Lucario tilted his head and looked at his fellow fighting type, not sure how to respond. He had never been away from his own home for an extended period of time before, so he couldn't share the Gallade's sentiment. Still, it would be rude to address him and remain silent about the matter he brought up. As such, he decided to keep the conversation going.

"What's it like? The Fairy Realm, I mean?"

"It's... Pretty amazing." The Gallade gave a small smile as he recalled the Fairy Realm's beauty. "It's a distant land, really out of the way, surrounded by vibrant forest. Different colors, shapes and sizes. Because of the Florges that live there, we're able to grow any and all kinds of plant life. But of course, you already know that. The pokémon that live there are all reclusive but friendly. We have our own system that's mostly independent of the Pokémon Settlement. Our master legendary, Lord Xerneas, is the reason we've been able to flourish for so long." The Blade Pokémon turned to the part steel type. "I would like to show you one of these days. You'll want to see it with your own eyes."

The Aura Pokémon chuckled and leaned against the caravan. "I'll hold you on to that offer then."

"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask about it."

"That's because it took you this long to call attention to it. I'm not a prying pokémon."

"'Shard for your thoughts' kinda sounds like prying to me." The Gallade smirked.

"Heh. In my defense, it's hard to ignore such a focused expression. Your aura was giving off a pretty intense vibe too."

The Gallade turned his attention back to the gate. "I guess between me being sensitive to emotions and you being able to read auras, we really can't hide anything from each other."

The two fighting types continued to chat with each other as the sun inched ever so slightly above the horizon, tinting the sky with an orange glow. It was then that the final two members of their crew had finally joined up to meet them. A Machamp with a bag almost as large as he was hefted over his shoulder and a Hitmontop that brought up the rear.

"Well, good morning... It's about time the two of you joined us." The Lucario addressed them.

"Chill out, Beowulf." The Machamp replied, yawning and gestured to his bag. "I had to sort through all this mail when I woke up hours before either of you. I'm bushed."

"Yes, yes. I just hope your fatigue won't hold you back during our trip to the Pokémon Settlement." The Aura Pokémon replied.

The Machamp just grinned at that while the Hitmontop chose to remain silent. "You know I'm never too tired to knock out a fool. I always have the strength to spare. Besides, this mail won't deliver itself."

"Excellent. Since we're all here, I gather everyone is ready?" The Gallade asked.

The other three present fighting types nodded their heads in the affirmative. The Blade Pokémon nodded back. "Alright. Let's be off then. These supplies need to be in the settlement before the end of tomorrow as per our buyer's request. Let's move out." The Gallade turned to the gate but was halted by the four-armed pokémon.

"Oh, Knight, hold on a second." The Machamp pulled out an envelope from a side pocket of his mail bag and handed it over to the psychic type. "Lest I forget, this came in for you last night."

"Hm? For me?" The Gallade, identified as Knight, accepted the small envelope. Inspecting the front, he found that it was a letter addressed to him from his mate and daughter, Sana and Angel. He felt a small pang of happiness just looking at their names on the front. Quickly, he opened it and began to read.

'Dear, Knight/Daddy!

Hope you're doing and feeling well. Things here have been much the same since you left. We really hope things are more interesting on your end. Angel's doing great. Still the little Book-Wurmple. She's actually helping me write this letter. Look, she even decorated the paper with little drawings of flowers and stuff. She's a fast learner too. I can't wait for you to see how much better our daughter has become at using her power. She's having a bit of trouble with Future Sight but who didn't, right? Haha! You should see her face right now. Her pouting face is the cutest thing ever. She's getting along well with friends as usual. Business is fine as always. What we really want is to hear from you soon. We really miss you, you know? Please write back when you get this, my beloved. We're waiting for you.

XOXO, Sana & Angel.

P.S. Angel says to bring her back something. Our daughter's so spoiled, fufu...'

By the time he was done reading, Knight had a smile on his face so wide, it threatened to split his face in half. He couldn't contain his joy from hearing from his family and knowing how great they were doing. It made him feel both happy and relieved. Yes, he would definitely write back as soon as his errand was done.

"Hey, Knight! You finished? We got work to do." Beowulf called out.

Knight looked ahead and noticed that his peers were situated just outside the gate that had been swung open by the stationed Hariyama. His team looked at him expectantly but not impatiently. The Machamp had dropped his mail bag onto the wheeled caravan with the rest of the cargo and was lifting the handles mounted on the front of it with the barest minimum of effort despite its size and added weight.

"Yes. Sorry for the hold up." Knight placed the letter in his travelling bag and rushed to join his comrades, smiling all the while.

Now fully prepared, the members of the Fighting Realm started down the marked path towards their destination.

---

Undisclosed Location

His body ached all over, feeling like he had run a marathon before getting hit by a pile of bricks. His muscles cried out to him not to make any quick movements that would just make the pain worse. How long had he been out? He could feel the warm sunlight against his face but he didn't open his eyes, instead focusing on resting his abused body. That fight really took a turn for the unexpected, ending with him being bested by the three grass type pokémon he fought against. He clenched his fist. Even his pride was wounded and, unlike his body, that couldn't be recovered. He would forever be remembered as the Legendary Pokémon that lost to some standard pokémon he had a type advantage over. It was ludicrous. Scowling, he recalled the night time raging battle. He could remember how... Wait... Clenched his fist?

Slowly, his eyes opened, taking some time to adjust to the morning sun. Wincing a little, he raised his arm and looked at it. His suspicions were confirmed. He was back in his Incarnate Form. He could not feel his legs either, as he had none. His lower body had reverted back to being a single cloud with his purple tail extending out from it. On the flip side, this also meant he no longer had a broken leg. His eyes properly focused, Tornadus looked around. He appeared to be on an elevated cliff-side of a mountain range. The sun had risen ahead of him and over the land below, giving him quite the view. The legendary pokémon supported himself upright with his arms behind him and grunted from the exertion before proceeding to float his body above the cliff surface. He looked down at his body and was surprised to find that it had been treated. Though his body still ached, his wounds were cleaned up and covered in a few bandages. Did someone do this for him? He could only wonder...

"Feeling better?"

Tornadus immediately twisted around and whipped his tail out, firing a defensive Air Slash from it at the potential threat that snuck up on him. The attack hit home but did nothing to hamper its target. Slowly, it emerged from the settling dust. Once in full view, illuminated by the sunlight, Tornadus recognized him immediately. His body type was exactly the same as his own. A muscular upper body that sat upon a cloud that made up his lower body. The major difference between them was the color of their bodies. Where Tornadus' was majorly colored green, the body of the pokémon he was facing was orange with smaller patches of dark pink here and there on his skin with a teardrop shaped patch over his naval. On his chest were a pair of dark pink conjoined diamond shapes that formed some kind of makeshift armor, much like his own. Where Tornadus' head protrusion was shaped like a wisp of cloudy substance, his counterpart's was shaped like a log situated horizontally at the back of his head. He had a jagged moustache on his face, three small dark pink horns coming out of his forehead and his face was framed by two pointed ears. His tail resembled a tree's root and had flat protrusions lining across its length. Yellow eyes stared back at him in a commanding manner. Sweat formed on the side of Tornadus' face as he stared down the Abundance Pokémon: Landorus.

"Are you finished?" The ground-flying type dusted himself off, unfazed by the attack from the injured pokémon.

Tornadus continued to glare defiantly at Landorus but didn't push his luck beyond that. Landorus wasn't exactly his or Thundurus' master but he was the strongest and most intimidating of their trio. If he tried hard, he could put up a reasonable fight but ultimately would be unable to handle the ground type's overwhelming force. He sighed and rubbed one of his arms that throbbed in pain.

"You treated me?" He finally spoke.

"I did."

Tornadus looked down at himself then back up at Landorus. A word of gratitude never even crossed his mind. "What happened to my Therian Form?"

"Hm? You forgot? Well, I can't say I'm surprised. You were in such terrible shape that I was barely able to get you to look into the Reveal Glass." The ground type legendary reached into his cloud and pulled out a stylish circular mirror with a cloud-patterned frame. He held it so that the reflective surface was facing behind him and not at Tornadus. "A small gaze was thankfully enough to get you to revert."

"So, that's how it happened..." The Cyclone Pokémon muttered. He watched as Landorus placed the Reveal Glass back into his cloud and made a frustrated grunt. "Tch. I still do not understand why you insist on not using it to draw out your latent strength like we did. Why do you hold back?"

"At least one of us has to be responsible with how we use our power."

"Spare me. To hold back on that power... How can you even call yourself a lege-"

"Cut the crap, Tornadus." Landorus interrupted and caught the flying type's undivided attention with his harsh tone. "The Reveal Glass is a special tool that should only be used to grant us an advantage in battles, not to go on some power high-induced rampage. The behavior of Thundurus and yourself has been disgraceful to say the least. What were you thinking? How are we to govern the lands if the pokémon we are trying to protect become convinced that this is how we behave? They will look down on us, call us worthless. We risk losing their aid, their alliance. Their loyalty. We cannot afford that kind of imbalance between our dynamic. They are pokémon, just as we are and your battered state is proof of what happens when they get pushed too far. We have to respect them or they will not respect us." Landorus closed his eyes and sighed. "While the two of you are mostly at fault, I can't say I hold you entirely responsible."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tornadus addressed the Abundance Pokémon with a slightly more respectful tone.

"I'm referring to the side effect of our Therian Forms. You noticed it too, did you not? It empowers us but also gives way to our baser, bestial instincts. The heightened desire to hunt, battle and dominate. I was able to resist it long enough to look back into the Reveal Glass... But you and Thundurus are already needlessly violent to begin with. You stood no chance against the temptation and went off on your 'merry way'. So until we can properly handle the changes, our Therian Forms are benched."

"..." Tornadus didn't know what to say to that. Well, he did but he was looking for a way to say it that didn't offend his fellow legendary. "It does not bother me, regardless."

"I would imagine so." Landorus narrowed his eyes at the Cyclone Pokémon. "Where is Thundurus now? The two of you were together during your little stunt in the Tempest Peaks."

"I do not know. We went our separate ways after that."

"Then you will help me look for him." Landorus tossed Tornadus a Sitrus Berry and he caught it on reflex. "Not right now, of course. You aren't of any use to anyone with those injuries. Rest well. I will start searching on my own for the time being, however, I expect you to do your part in helping me fix this situation as soon as you're back in top form." Landorus floated towards the sky but gave one last look at the flying type legendary. "And, Tornadus..."

Tornadus flinched and felt his muscles tense under that powerful gaze.

"...Do not disappoint me again." With that last warning, the Abundance Pokémon took off.

A few seconds passed before Tornadus finally took a bite out of the offered Sitrus berry. Not that he was willing to take orders from other pokémon but Landorus' word was final. He had no say on the matter, that much was made clear. He had dug himself deep with his actions and if he wanted any measure of his freedom and dignity back, he would have to do as he was told for now. The Sitrus Berry barely did a thing to help him swallow the bitter taste of defeat.

---

Psychic Realm - Eon Chamber

The living quarters of the Eon Pokémon wasn't much different from Cresselia's in terms of design. A tall cylindrical room with a domed ceiling held up by strong ornate pillars. The centre of the ceiling was made of glass so that starlight would filter in during the night and sunlight during the day. In the middle of the room were two lovely beds upon which lay Latios and Latias, engaged in a discussion.

"Okay, one more time. You spoke with Darkrai but he wasn't doing anything?"

"Yeah."

"Then you said he could spend his time in the Spirit Peaks as he pleased?"

Latias gave a hesitant nod.

"Yeah, okay, we'll get back to that... Then Thundurus, of all pokémon, showed up and Darkrai fought with him on your behalf?"

"Kicked his electric butt too." Latias emphasized.

"Explains the sudden rain." Latios said offhandedly. "And then what happened after that?"

"I... Don't know. I remember towards the end, Darkrai used this moved where he sent out these weird dark bubbles all over the place like 'woooosh!'" Latios rolled his eyes as he waited for his sister to continue. "One of them hit me and I blacked out."

"That's when I found you..." Latios recalled.

"And you apparently overreacted."

"You were unconscious in his clutches." Latias' brother reminded her. "It made my blood boil. How did you expect me to react?"

"Well, I don't know what to say about that. I'm happy you care that much about me but I doubt-"

"I care about you more than anything." Latios stressed.

"Aww, thanks!" The female Eon Pokémon blushed cutely. "Anyway, I doubt he meant any harm considering our chat and his battle."

"What did you two even talk about?" The psychic dragon lifted his pinkie. "You said you wouldn't engage him without informing me."

"Look, I wasn't thinking straight, alright? I'm sorry." She frowned in apology. "I mean, I didn't expect to run into him so soon after we split up. I panicked. He looked and sounded really scary. I didn't want to risk provoking him so I… talked to him instead."

"Mm-hm. What did he say?"

"Um... He said he was regretful for what his powers did. He was in the Spirit Peaks because, thanks to Lady Cresselia, it was the only place safe from his ability. He mentioned how our territory was the only place he could roam freely without bringing harm to other pokémon. He wasn't trying start a conflict. He said he was only there a little while to escape his isolation, that's all. That's why I said it was fine. It's only fair, right?"

"Not to Lady Cresselia."

"Latios-"

"I understand, Latias. Your heart was in the right place as always. I can appreciate that. But his powers mean Lady Cresselia has to work double time and exhaust herself. You know we both don't like seeing her like that."

"I don't like seeing any pokémon suffer, either. What would you have me do, Latios?"

Latios settled on a softer expression. He should at least be thankful that the situation was defused without either of them getting hurt. He never got to see the lighter side of the Pitch Black Pokémon but Latias did and he trusted her more than anyone else. If she said this was the best case scenario, he was inclined to believe her. Besides, if Darkrai was as bad as his reputation implied, he could have done a lot worse to him and his sister. He was stronger than they were, after all. Instead, he had protected her and then proceeded to carry them both back to their home, risking making himself an enemy to whoever saw him in or even near the Psychic Realm. Continuing to condemn him after everything he learned would be irrational. He sighed in resignation.

"Nothing. You did great, Sis. You handled the situation better than I could. I'm proud of you." Latios looked at his fellow Eon Pokémon with a smile then blinked in shock. She had moist eyes and a wore wide smile on her face.

"Latios!" She jumped from her bed to his own and squeezed him in a tight hug.

"Ah! Latias! We're gonna fall!" And fall they did, off his bed and onto the marble floor. He sighed again but happily hugged her back. "Finished?"

"Nope!" Latias nuzzled her face against his. A few more seconds past before she decided to let him go. "Now I'm finished."

"No kidding." The male dragon type laughed, still on the floor. "I wonder where Darkrai flew off to, though. He never left the Spirit Peaks, did he? His powers could end up hurting other pokémon if he ended up anywhere not protected by Lady Cresselia's Lunar Wings." Latios played with his own wrapped around his neck.

"That's one thing we don't know, unfortunately. I said it was cool for him to stay in the Spirit Peaks but that night just ended up being one big mess." Latias poked at her Lunar Wing. "It's beyond our control. I just hope all sides of this whole ordeal will turn out fine."

"Always the optimist. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be a pretty deadly killing machine when unrestrained. I've seen your Draco Meteor plenty of times."

"Oh, come on, I at least practice some restraint. I ain't no Gyarados." He raised himself off the floor. "Have we agreed on what we'll report back to Lady Cresselia?"

"When she wakes up, yeah. For now, she should get her rest, Arceus knows she deserves it." Latias crawled back onto her bed. "What do we do until then?"

"We can meditate?" Latios offered.

"I'm already 'meditating.'" The female psychic dragon closed her eyes and slumped down on the comfortable mattress in a lazy fashion.

"Right." Latios rolled his eyes at his sister yet again before closing them, levitating above the bed and carefully focusing his psychic power throughout his body. As he meditated, he could only wonder what had become of the fourth legendary of the other night's events. He was defeated by Darkrai but what happened after that? Was he still incapacitated? Did he awaken and flee? Or is he still out there, ready to pick up where he left off? Whatever the reason, he supposed he could only deal with that problem when it arose. It was all they could do for the moment. If Thundurus or any kind of impulsive scumbag attacked his home again, they would most definitely see the 'killing machine' side of him.

---

Fairy Realm

Two fairy types walked down a grassy path on their way towards their usual meeting spot. One of them held a paper box full of freshly baked poképuffs in his arms, soon to be shared between himself and his friends. They walked without saying a word to each other, as neither of them had much to offer in the way of small talk. The uncomfortable silence was starting to get to Gallant, though. Enough that he just had to break it.

"Say..."

"Yeah?"

"Where's Sylvia? Wasn't she with you earlier?"

"She remained behind because she wanted to finish her book."

"She reads books now?"

"Just this one romance novel called 'Sunset.' It doesn't look like she's enjoying it but she can't stop reading it, either."

"Hmmm... Our Sylvia's a strange one."

Angel stifled a giggle.

"What about you? Reading anything interesting lately?"

The female Emotion Pokémon looked down at her book bag. "Not particularly. I wanted to ask Miss Jubilee if she could order something new for me but she left extra early for her rounds and will only be back this evening. Said it was something important."

"Oh? What were you gonna get?" Gallant looked at her inquisitively.

"A... Um... A Battle Item Catalogue like the one you used. I would have asked to borrow it but I want one of my own. I'm sure it'll help with my training." Angel replied, scratching her cheek.

"Oooooohhh?" Gallant leaned towards her with a smirk. "Developed an interest after your first taste of a real battle? Giving yourself wider options on how to serve your opponent, hm?"

"Nothing like that. I just want one for practical reasons is all." She looked away.

Gallant frowned at her flat tone. "That's it?"

"That's it." She insisted.

"Hmmmm?" Gallant stared at her a little while longer before walking past her, turning off the path and into the small forested area.

"What?"

"Nothing." The male Kirlia turned to face her with a smile and walked backwards, inspecting her carefully.

"What, Gallant?" Angel frowned accusingly at him.

"Nothing."

"Got something to say?"

"No but I'm sure you do."

"What are you-"

"It was great, wasn't it?"

Angel faced away from him like she was hiding something. "I don't know what you mean."

"Come on, I've noticed it for a while now. You can't hide your feelings from me, Angel. I can feel it in my horns and I want to hear you say it properly." Gallant used his psychic power to levitate the box of poképuffs above his head and grabbed Angel's arm.

"Kyah! Gallant!" The male Kirlia proceeded to spin and dance around with her as his kind were prone to doing when overjoyed. The emotional feedback from him caused her mood to lighten up enough to follow him along in his ballet routine, twirling with him as their feet masterfully stepped to and fro, unable to resist.

"You gotta be more honest about how you feel. It was great, wasn't it? How you defeated that fully evolved wild pokémon by yourself? You could have teleported to safety but you didn't. You stayed and fought. And you won!" He dipped her and she performed a dramatic stretch. "Well? How'd it feel? Tell me!"

"It felt awesome!"

"It certainly looks that way. I mean wow." A third voice interjected.

Their eyes snapped open and looked to the side. Sylvia had a paw on a closed book and was looking right at them with a playful grin. They had danced their way to their destination. Gallant lost focus and the box of poképuffs fell above them. Luckily, Angel pushed Gallant so she could catch it before it hit the ground but in doing so, imbalanced the male Kirlia who fell to the grass with a startled cry.

"That looked like it was a lot of fun. How come you guys never dance with me?" The Sylveon gave a fake pout.

"Uh... Do you want to dance, Sylvia?" Gallant offered as he got up.

"Oh no, I can't dance with these four legs. What was the point of even asking?" She stuck out her tongue cheekily.

"I should have known." Gallant deadpanned.

"You really should have." Angel commented as she placed the box of baked goods down on the wide flat stone. She tightened the ribbon around her horn and straightened her 'skirt,' back in her stoic mood.

Gallant took a seat from across from Sylvia and noticed her novel. "Ah, the book. I heard you're not enjoying it."

"It's compelling me to finish it, that's the only reason I'm still reading." She quickly replied. "Nevermind that for now, what's with the dance fever? That only happens when you're really feeling it, right? What's gotten you two so worked up?"

"Just him. I got swept up in the moment." Angel took her place on the soft grass and picked out one of the tasty treats.

Gallant rolled his eyes. "Even though she's good at hiding it, she's happy about dominating her first wild pokémon last night. A Fearow, no less. There's nothing wrong with feeling good about it, I say." He picked up a poképuff. "I wish I was there to see the whole of it."

"You and me both. I'm just glad you didn't get hurt, Angel. I nearly had a heart attack when that thing snatched you up." Sylvia spoke, reaching over to with her ribbons to pick up a poképuff of her own.

"Nothing to worry about. As I said, it wasn't an intelligent pokémon... But... Thanks for caring." She smiled.

"No problem, cutie."

"What about everything else?" Gallant asked, crumbs and mint cream now staining his lower face.

"Everything else?"

"Yeah. The Brilliant Meadow. Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Oh, yes." The shiny Kirlia smiled gratefully as she recalled what she experienced. "It was beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. Thanks for showing me."

"No problem. We'll do it again sometime soon, right?"

"We will...?" Angel asked hesitantly.

"Darn right, we will." Sylvia established. "It's fine to stay behind if you still have reservations."

"No! Uh... No, I wanna join you guys again. Really."

"Woah, check out our little rule breaker, Gallant. Rawr." Sylvia teased.

"Yes, we're glad to hear that." Gallant smirked at her. "So, Angel..."

"Um, yeah?"

"Do you have the book about the Legendary Pokémon Pantheon with you?" The male Kirlia was on his third poképuff.

"Oh. Um... Yeah. I have it here." Angel pulled out the book in question from her bag and placed it on the flat rock. "Is there something you're looking for?"

"Not in particular. I just think it's an interesting read."

"Well... Help yourself." The female Kirlia pushed it towards her male counterpart. Sylvia watched in silence.

Gallant blinked at his friend and noticed her odd behavior. His horns told him she wasn't angry, sad, scared or anything like that. So he could only wonder what exactly was bothering her.

"Something wrong, Angel?"

"Not really." Angel looked at the book dismissively. "I'm just not all that interested in the information it has at the moment."

"Why's that?" Sylvia asked. "You were all over this book when you just got it... Is it because of Darkrai?"

"Not exactly him, it's just-"

"It does suck that you were literally the only one affected when he passed by here." Gallant recalled.

"You guys, I don't want-"

"Do you think he'll come right back and affect even more pokémon this time?" Sylvia interrupted.

"That isn't what-"

"That would be really bad. Wouldn't it, Ang-"

"Listen, you guys!" They blinked at her in alarm, crumbs and cream lining their faces. "It... It's not just about Darkrai anymore. I'm... Scared... But it's a different kind of fear. When I had that nightmare, I had written it off as just a bad experience like Miss Fleur suggested but that book gave me... Gave us context... It gave us a reason why we should be afraid... And now I can't help but be hesitant on what else we'll learn from it. I guess what I'm saying is..." She sighed. "It was really nice when we were ignorant, wasn't it?"

Gallant and Sylvia looked at Angel then to each other before setting their gazes on the hard covered book. Sylvia looked back at the uncomfortable Angel with a worried frown. She shuffled over to her friend and wrapped her ribbons around her, channeling that serene aura through them which helped put the psychic type at ease.

"Sorry, Angel. We hadn't realized how upset you've been, lately. Why didn't you tell us?" The Intertwining Pokémon rubbed her soft fur against the Kirlia's skin.

"Don't worry about it. It's just how I personally feel, don't let it bother you."

"How can it not bother us? You're our friend. You need to tell us these things or we won't know how to help." Gallant scooched up next to Angel. "Yeah, it sucks when you learn things that make you feel frightened and insecure but it's also important."

"Important?"

"Yes, very. Look... Remember when I said that those two legendary pokémon, Tornadus and Thundurus, attacked the Tempest Peaks? It was something unheard of to me at the time and it scared me. That could have been anyone. Even us. We could have been attacked by a fabricated storm and when we would go out and survey the damage we'd be like 'Oh it must have just been a natural occurrence,' and the perpetrators would get away with it. Probably be confident enough to attack us a second time. That's why it's important that we're informed. So we don't suffer from being ignorant. So we can fight back against what would have otherwise been unknown to us. That's why I say you having this book is a good thing. It would be a waste if you didn't use it to learn as much as you could, so..." Gallant pushed the book back in front of Angel. "Please?"

It was Angel's turn to look down at the book, then to her friends. Sylvia gave her a warm smile while Gallant gave her an encouraging nod. Even if she wasn't so sure herself, her friends made it clear that they were there for her in her times of need. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. At Gallant's empowering words, uncertainty gave way to confidence and she pulled the book closer to the three of them. Then, with a reassured smile, she opened the book to read, her two friends huddled close to her and watching expectantly.

---

Tempest Peaks - Forest Base

"This is the last of it." The Rhyperior informed, handing the remainder of the shortened steel poles to Centrifuge, who placed them in their designated bag.

"Thank you, Carapace." He replied before turning to face his allied grass types with a bow. "And thank you, Chartreuse."

"No trouble at all." Valiant bowed back. "We all did good work here."

The gathered pokémon looked up at the statue of Zekrom, now fixed thanks to the fighting and rock type pokémon that had worked on it overnight. It was back in perfect shape. The cracks filled and the chipped parts replaced, it was easy to mistake it as a completely new statue. Indeed, very good work had been done.

Carapace and his team of rock types used the elastic bands attached to the barrels that once held water and hoisted them over their shoulders like makeshift bags. It was much easier to move them around this way and now that they were empty, easier to carry back as well.

"We'll be off then." The Rhyperior said as he and his crew prepared to leave. "It's quite a trip back for us. We'll need to return these barrels back to the Rock Realm before we can collect our share of the reward. We shall see you hence. Let's go everyone." Carapace motioned for his crew of Rhydon to follow as they left for their home.

"Safe travels!" Valiant yelled with a hearty wave before a sharp pain reminded him of his injury and he cradled his arm with the other. The rock types disappeared into the forest and the Chesnaught's partners started down the path to the Pokémon Settlement, the Conkeldurr following closely.

"Don't push yourself, Valiant. You'll open your stitches." Saber commented, a long, thin blade of glass hanging from his mouth.

"Hrm! No worries, Saber. It'll take more than this to bring me down!" The part fighting type joyfully boasted.

"I'll say it would. What with the three of you fighting Tornadus. I can't imagine such an experience being a pleasant one. All the more since you're grass types." Centrifuge said as he walked among them, using his short concrete pillars like makeshift walking canes.

He was right. Though they had achieved victory, throwing down with a legendary pokémon didn't come without its repercussions. Despite his bravado, Valiant was hurt the worst. The cuts on his arms and midsection he suffered from Tornadus' wind attacks and sharp talons required stitches plus more than a few bandages. Suffice it to say, he wouldn't be fighting for a while without the risk of reopening his wounds. Serpentine had medical wraps coiled around her upper body, stopping just below her head and not much else as Valiant had shielded her and kept most of the aggro on himself. Even though Saber sustained the lightest damage, he still required small wraps and bandages on a few spots of his body. Ointment was applied and that would have been enough but the bandages were there to keep his shallow wounds from being exposed to dirt and the elements.

"I can't say it was a pleasant experience, that's for sure. My injuries could have been much worse if Saber and Serpentine hadn't arrived to even the odds." The Spiny Armor Pokémon rubbed his chest.

"And even then, it was ssstill an uphill battle. He was a strong one." Serpentine reminded with her thick feminine accent.

"In the end, we won." Saber finished.

"What became of Tornadus?" Centrifuge inquired. "Did he flee?"

"Valiant knocked his ass out." Saber 'tactfully' informed. "Then he got picked up by another pokémon before any other actions could be taken. We couldn't make it out properly in the darkness and rain but it didn't appear to be hostile. Just came for Tornadus and left."

"Who do you think it might have been?"

"I hadn't considered." Saber looked at his two partners to see if they had anything.

"No clue, either. Sorry." Valiant shrugged.

"Ssssame." Serpentine closed her eyes. "Although..."

"Hm? Think you got something?"

"Just speculation on my part but its body type looked strikingly similar to the Forces of Nature when they're in their Incarnate Forms."

The other pokémon looked at her curiously. She, as well as pokémon like Arbok and Seviper, where partially known for having a different kind of vision from just about most pokémon with eyes. Theirs allowed them to see the heat signatures of other pokémon rather than having an acute visual perception. Because of that, she was able to 'see' the mystery pokémon better than her allies in the dark and, according to her, it resembled Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus.

"There's a possibility..." Valiant considered. "We can rule Tornadus out because, well, you know... That leaves Thundurus and Landorus. I don't know what their relationship is like but I can at least see them coming to each other's aid. Unless of course, they really are that heartless."

"We have proof that Tornadus and Thundurus are." Saber stated matter-of-factly. "But Landorus has always been known to be benevolent. So maybe him?"

"Again, all just ssspeculation on our parts. We can't conclude on anything for sure." The Serperior twisted her head to face her teammates. "What I really want to know is why they chose now to start behaving the way they do. Did sssomething happen? Were they provoked? Are they just ruffians all the way through and I'm overthinking this?" She made a thinking noise, accompanied with a hiss.

"Now that you mention it..." Valiant begun and Serpentine looked at him expectantly. "This is the most I've heard you talk in a while."

"Ugh!" She couldn't physically roll her eyes so she slithered dismissively ahead of him instead. "Nevermind then."

"I don't know what to tell you, Serpentine. None of us have the answers." He walked up next to her. "Let's just focus on getting back to the settlement and resting. Hm? We can deal with all this when we need to. Right now, we don't have to. It's been a tiring enough mission, don't you think?"

"I suppossse." She looked up at him. "We'll have to make periodic stops, though. No way I'm having you walk all the way back in one go with those injuries."

"Hm? You know this is hardly a big deal for-"

"Can it, Valiant, I'm not hearing it. You'll do as I sssay for your own good."

"Uh, yes." The Chesnaught muttered in defeat. Then he heard a snicker. "Oh, hush up, Saber."

The four pokémon reached the edge of the forest, the trees opening up to a view of a very slightly downward sloping grassland, not quite enough that anyone would trip. There was a path framed by tall rocks used to help keep wild pokémon away from travelling parties and even had signs which held suggested camping spots. The road would be a long one, as the Pokémon Settlement was quite far from the Tempest Peaks but they had enough supplies and company that it wouldn't be a problem. With that, the group of four started down the path and continued their trip back home.

---

Mirage Island - Noon

"Okay, you ready?"

"How did I get you to convince me to do this?"

The New Species Pokémon gazed at him with a heavy dose of weapons-grade adorableness. He lost the battle of will in an instant.

"Ah, of course."

Mew closed its eyes happily before glowing and changing its form. After a few seconds, a Victreebel was standing in front of Darkrai, gaping mouth pointed in his direction. "Alright, hold still and close your eyes." It instructed.

Darkrai did as he was told before feeling his entire body get drenched by a fluid that gave his body a minor burning sensation. Instead of it being adhesive, it just kinda rolled off him. After he felt it completely drip off of his body, he opened his eyes, feeling no different.

"I certainly hope this works."

"Oh, it'll work." The Victreebel transformed back into Mew. "That Gastro Acid won't last long but it'll suppress your ability long enough for me to show you."

"Show me...?"

"The world, Darkrai." Mew spun around him. "You said it yourself that you don't get to see the world too often and experience how awesome it is but that's gonna end today. I'll be your tour guide. I'm going to show you everything that's been going on in your absence. Everything I can."

"How will you do that?"

"Easy-peasy."

With a dim flash, Mew transformed into a small yellow pokémon that had its eyes perpetually closed; the Psi Pokémon Abra. Then... Nothing happened. Over a minute passed before Darkrai realized Mew had fallen asleep because of his new form. Sighing, he reached forward and poked its forehead.

"Hm...? Ah! Sorry..." The Abra rubbed the back of its head. "When I transform, I get the chosen pokémon's powers but also its drawbacks. I'll try to focus a little more. Anyway, are you ready?"

"I suppose."

"Great! Oh wait, let me say goodbye first." Mew, still an Abra, turned around and waved at his small pokémon friends. "See you soon, guys. Be good to each other. We'll be back before dark, 'kay?"

The gathered pokémon on the small island made multiple cute sounds of agreement. Satisfied, Mew floated up and sat on Darkrai's shoulder.

"Alright, here we go!" With a flash, the New Species Pokémon teleported them both off the island to start on their tour.

---

Brilliant Meadow

What could be said about the Brilliant Meadow? It was peaceful as always if one discounted the acts of violence wild pokémon would inflict on one another but that didn't count as that kind of behavior was just the natural flow of things. It had one open path for miles, the rest of it was tall grass, tall trees and a heavy abundance of assorted plant life. A pair of Furret scurried across the path but stopped midway and fled in alarm when a flash in front of them alerted them to potential danger. From the flash emerged a menacing dark pokémon and a disarming small yellow pokémon perched on his shoulder.

"Tada! It's the Brilliant Meadow! It's one of the biggest locations in the world and branches out to the Fairy, Grass and Normal Realms." Mew, disguised as an Abra, pulled at Darkrai's arm to get him to float higher. At the new vintage point, it smiled as best as it could at the dark type legendary. "What do you think?"

"I've been here before." Darkrai looked around at the healthy field brimming with colorful life. "I passed by here on my way to the Spirit Peaks."

"Is that right?"

"Yes. The Fairy Realm is not too far from here." His mood dropped. "I really hope I didn't-"

"Stop right there." Mew held up its currently yellow paw. "Forget about any of that. It's not why we're here. Look." Mew held his hand and led him down to a bed of pink flowers. "Ever seen flowers like these before?"

"No."

Mew giggled. "Because of the peculiar aura given off by the Fairy Realm, the flowers here started developing some real funky colors. Look, that one's red and pink. And this one's all white. These are all the same kind of flowers but the environment affects each of them in unpredictable ways. Kind of like those purple rocks in the Spirit Peaks. Isn't it amazing?"

"I... Suppose." Darkrai looked at the way some of the flowers differed from others yet still seemed to complement each other perfectly. It really was strange but in a good way.

"We're just getting started. Come on. I've still got a lot more to show you." Mew teleported them again.

---

Dragon Realm - Top of Sky Pillar

A flash of light heralded the dark and psychic type's presence to their next location. The very top of a tall tower. A large, circular, flat platform made of stone. Meter high bricks ran along the edges of the platform and in the centre was an entrance hole to the lower levels. What really caught the two pokémon's attention, though, was the statue of a coiled up Rayquaza and the many, many precious stones piled around it.

"This is the Sky Pillar of the Dragon Realm." The psychic type informed.

"You had us breach the Dragon Realm?"

"Don't think about it like that. Check it out." Mew floated over to the statue. "The dragon types here engage in worshipping rituals almost as strongly as the fairy types. Rayquaza is pretty much a deity to them and they show that by bringing him all kinds of valuable gems. Just this amount is enough to set any commercial pokémon for life but they choose to use them to pay tribute to Rayquaza as thanks for creating their realm."

"Then this tower..."

"Was created by the dragons, yes. They didn't have to but I guess that's just how much Ray means to them. He isn't always here but on rare occasions, Ray would come down to rest on this tower and check up on his brood. Bet he gets delighted to see all these sparkling gems set just for him. I know I would." Mew floated back to him. "Now let's get out of here before we're seen. Regardless of our combined strength, I'm sure neither of us want to provoke an entire nesting ground of dragons. It'll be a real drag if that happened. Tee-hee. Get it? I said it'll be-"

"Let's be off, Mew."

"You're just a big bundle of joy, aren't you?" Once again, they teleported.

---

Inner Volcanic Summit

Hot. Hot... Hot!

"...Are we in a volcano?"

"Yes." Mew had indeed spawned them in a volcano. In a large, orange dimmed cavern with a few holes dug out by pokémon that were conveniently large enough for them to fit through. "We're nowhere near the lava flow, though and I highly doubt it'll erupt for no reason so it's fine."

"Still very hot."

"I'll have to agree with you there." Mew held Darkrai's arm again and led him down a long rocky corridor but stopped just before they entered the next room. A wide and spacious chamber with a high ceiling and nothing particularly interesting about it except for a glowing orange rock that sat on a pedestal in the centre.

"What could that be?" The Pitch Black Pokémon asked as he looked down at Mew.

"That's the Magma Rock. Its energy keeps Heatran dormant. Sort of has a calming effect on it. That's why it's best we don't enter this room. This is Heatran's chamber."

"...You mean to say that Heatran is literally a few feet away from us?"

"Yes. No need to worry, it won't attack us if we keep our distance. Heatran isn't a violent pokémon unless provoked. It wouldn't be the guardian of the Volcanic Summit if that was the case."

"All very interesting, I assure you but I don't want us to push our luck any further than this. The heat is also becoming unbearable. Can we please leave?"

"I'm with you on that, yeah..." Mew fanned itself with its paw before warping them out of the boiling chamber.

---

Still Lake

"This is the sea as you can see... Actually, it isn't. It's a lake. Still Lake. I just always wanted to say that." Mew giggled and hugged Darkrai's arm.

The dark type looked around. The lake was incredibly wide, spanning several kilometers on either side of him and filled with placid water inhabited by fresh water pokémon. That was about it for the lake. An opening north of the lake was a trench about thirty meters wide that went on beyond his vision.

"See that trench?" Mew interrupted Darkrai's inspection of the environment. "It leads to the Water Realm. Want to take a look?"

Darkrai looked down at Mew then at the trench before flying off into it, noticing the series of large rocks placed on either side of the water channel. A couple of flying types perched on them watched them fly by.

"The rocks are new." Mew explained. "They were placed at the edges of the lake and this trench to keep the water from overflowing onto the mainland and also to keep pokémon that can't swim from falling in. The moss growing on them really brings the look together, me thinks."

"How often do you visit the mainland?" He had been wondering about it for some time now.

"Quite a lot but I always disguise myself as something inconspicuous like a Pidgey or Butterfree. Can't draw too much attention to myself, after all. Even though I'm not the head of any realm, it's still part of my duty to see how the world is holding up every now and then. I promised Arceus at least that much."

Darkrai studied the pokémon on his shoulder for a little while before facing back toward the trench. They flew... Well, he flew just fast enough that the wind resistance didn't make Mew uncomfortable. About ten more minutes of flying passed until the trench opened up to water as far as the eye could see.

"It leads to the ocean." The Pitch Black Pokémon observed.

"Yup. A few more miles from here is an island inhabited by water types; the Water Realm. The Water Realm isn't just limited to the island, by the way. That's mostly for the amphibious ones. The ones that can't live on land instead live in the waters around and underneath the island. Everyday they would swim through this trench and into Still Lake. The lake itself has an opening at a low depth that leads to underneath the Pokémon Settlement where it meets with the narrow vertical route that would lead up to the artificial lake, Apex Lake, within the settlement itself." The psychic type explained.

"Mew?"

"Hm?"

"If I may ask, how are the pokémon in Still Lake able survive if it's connected to the ocean? Wouldn't the salt water be bad for them?"

"Ah, I can answer that. The water from Still Lake all the way to the Water Realm is purified by the Water Realm's Legendary Pokémon, Manaphy. Thanks to that, salt water predators like Sharpedo aren't able to swim to and hunt the pokémon inhabiting Still Lake. Isn't it amazing?" Mew held his hand and looked up at him as well as it could while disguised as a pokémon that refused to open its eyes.

"It... Really is." Darkrai looked around him, taking in as much of the magnificent view as he could. When he focused, he could make out various aquatic pokémon leaping up to the surface and diving back in just as fast. He even saw a Wailord in the distance that broke the surface for a brief moment and then re-submerging, singing its Wailord song all the while. "Mew... Thank you for showing this to me."

"Save your thanks for the end 'cuz we ain't done yet, hot shot." Mew teleported them away with that distinctive flash.

---

Rugged Peaks

The two tourist pokémon warped in on the next location. A mountainous region surround by rocky terrain spanning for miles around them. From their height, he could make out a few rock and steel types on the surface of the land, some of them even engaged in battle. Such was the life of wild pokémon.

"This is the Rugged Peaks. It leads to the Steel Realm. East of here is the cold climate of the Blizzard Peaks, home of the Ice Realm. Any questions?"

"I have one, yes... Why is it that the word 'Peaks' is used to refer to every location that has mountains in it?"

"Hmm... My honest opinion? Laziness and lack of creativity. The names could have been better but it's too late to change them now. Come on. We're heading that way." Mew pointed in a specific direction for Darkrai to fly.

Following Mew's instruction, Darkrai soared in the specified direction for a good ten minutes. Eventually, they came across an opening in the high mountains which led to a narrow canyon that brought Still Lake's trench to mind.

"We're going through here this time. Watch out for hostiles." Mew crawled up from Darkrai's arm and onto his shoulder.

After he waited for the small pokémon to get comfortable, Darkrai took off into the canyon. It slightly curved this way and that with many large holes dug into the cliff's walls, presumably nests for the pokémon that inhabited the area. He passed by one hole and for a split second, he saw a Steelix's red eyes glaring back at him.

"This place is dangerous." He pointed out.

"Don't worry. You're flying too fast for any wild pokémon to be prepared to fight you. It's fine if we keep going like this."

The dark type nodded at Mew's logic, continuing to maintain his speed and altitude. Before long, the end of the valley came into view and upon exiting it, they were greeted by a marvelous sight. The land below was pretty much the same as before they entered the valley but there was something else. A very tall, very thick metal wall circling around a private land that went outside their field of vision. It was huge. So huge that he would have to fly high towards the clouds if he wanted to see the whole of it.

"What you see here is..."

"The Steel Realm." Darkrai finished Mew's introduction.

"Oh? You've been here?"

"Not this close but the Spirit Peaks is not too far from here."

"Then here's your chance to take it all in. The pokémon of the Steel Realm are responsible for manufacturing every known Battle Item as well as a few other things like fossil extraction and-"

"Fossil extraction?" Darkrai repeated, surprised.

"Fossil extraction, yes. I don't know how they do it, myself but they have the know-how to breathe life into pokémon from the distant past. Pokémon that should no longer exist in today's age. Because of a wish Jirachi granted a long, long, looooong time ago, they've grown over the years to become the most technologically advanced pokémon in the world. I'm actually not kidding. See those reflective surfaces lining along the top of the wall?" Mew focused Darkrai's attention to the slightly slanted boards resting along the top of the wall. "Those are called solar panels. They use solar energy to run their power. And thanks to Sunny Day, this means they can never run out of power for their production. It... It's... Uuuhhh..."

Darkrai had all his attention on the Steel Realm but it was soon taken away by the New Species Pokémon's strange behavior.

"Mew? Are you not well?"

"I'm fi-" a sudden gleam of light emanated from Mew and it reverted back to its original form. "Uh, whoopsie. Looks like I ran out my transformation time. Eh heheh..." Mew scratched its cheek and stuck its tongue out in embarrassment.

Darkrai stared blankly at the small pink pokémon then gave a small chuckle at Mew's antics.

"Hah! I got you to laugh! Score!" Mew started laughing along with Darkrai's more reserved growling laughter. Even when he was expressing joy, he still sounded terrifying but Mew wasn't about to say that.

They were so in the zone that they nearly failed to notice a bright object getting closer and closer to them. Just as it was about to strike them, Darkrai became aware of it just in time to spring into action.

"Watch out!" The legendary dark type shoved Mew out of the way at the last moment while moving back himself. He made it out fine but the unprepared Mew suffered a graze from the aggressive pokémon that cut into its skin and drew blood. It became clear at that moment that the pokémon attacking them was a Skarmory, a blue and white-striped scarf wrapped around its neck and the afternoon sun reflecting off its metal body.

"Um... Ow." Mew poked at its injury as it watched the flying type blitz passed them and circling back around for more. "What was that abou-"

"It's coming back." Darkrai's visible eye narrowed dangerously, ready to brawl. He raised an arm and created a black-purple vortex in front of it.

"Wait! Darkrai, no!" Just before he fired it, Mew tackled him from the side, making his Dark Void shoot out off-mark. The black sphere just barely missed the Skarmory and activated behind it, expanding into a sucking mass of swirling energy that threatened to pull it in.

"We absolutely cannot get violent with the mainland pokémon." Mew transformed back into an Abra while the Skarmory, wearing a look of terror and desperation, was still trying to escape being drawn in by Darkrai's attack. "Come on, we're leaving."

And just like that, they were gone, the flying type only now managing to pull itself free from the Dark Void's reach as it started to diminish. It looked around and huffed in frustration and more than a little relief when it noticed its targets had left. Nothing else that could be considered a threat around, it returned to the Steel Realm from whence it came.

---

Mirage Island

The harmless, happy go lucky wild pokémon that inhabited the island were busy doing their thing and enjoying the grassland scenery when a nearby flash of light told them of Mew's return. The ones nearby rushed at the distortion in the air and waited in patience for the arrival of the Legendary Pokémon. The haphazard manner of how Mew teleported them from the Steel Realm resulted in the two legendaries landing in a heap on the grass, confusing and startling the small flying and field pokémon gathered there.

"Heheh... Hahahahaha! Sweet!" Mew laughed from its position on Darkrai's stomach. "That was fun! But it's a shame we had to cut the tour short."

"You got injured." Darkrai, lying on his back, reminded the joyful legendary.

"Oh, this?" Mew got up and used Recover, the green aura healing Mew's cut to the point that it looked like it was never there to begin with. "Crisis averted. Tee-hee."

"..."

"You sure got a mean streak, you know that? Is your response to provocation always to attack?"

"Only when it concerns unfounded hostility. I was only going to put it to sleep. My ability would have done nothing, you made sure of that."

"Perhaps... But that Skarmory came from the Steel Realm. You know, unless a wild Skarmory got its talons on a Choice Scarf and somehow tied it around its own neck which we can both agree is poppycock... Heh. I don't get to use that word often. Anyways, the point is it wouldn't do well for us legendaries to attack the prestiged pokémon and their territories. We can't be their enemies."

"I wish Thundurus knew that." Darkrai offhandedly commented.

"Hm? What about Thundurus?" The Abra transformed back into Mew and it sat upright on the dark type's slim belly.

"He attacked or rather, attempted to attack the Spirit Peaks the night before I found myself on your island."

"Mrrmmmm? Quite a bully isn't he? What happened to him?"

"I defeated him." He simply stated.

"You're pretty scrappy."

"He was 'pretty' repellant. I could not stand his attitude. He planned to attack the land for no reason. And who knows, he might have taken his rampage to the Psychic or Fighting Realms."

"Do you know that for sure?"

"He didn't hesitate to attack Latias and I. It's not hard to imagine."

Mew's eyes widened by a small margin. "Latias was there? What for? What about Latios? Was he there too? What happened?" The psychic type rubbed the red ridges around the dark type's neck to emphasize its curiosity. At this point, the other pokémon gathered around the two legendaries moved close and cuddled up next to them. It was a welcomed form of affection.

"Latias spoke to me. She was there looking for me on Cresselia's behalf and I assume Latios was there for the same reason but he hadn't yet shown up at the time. She told me that my presence forced Cresselia to overwork herself in making Lunar Wings." Darkrai looked at the one on his arm given to him by the New Species Pokémon. "Despite all the trouble I caused, she said I could stay. The Lunar Wings had been made to keep the pokémon under Cresselia's watch safe and because the problem, my problem, had been solved, she said it was okay for me to stay in the Spirit Peaks. That was quite... Thoughtful of her."

"Latias always has been really kind." Mew lied down on his stomach, resting its cheeks in its paws. "What happened after that?"

"Thundurus appeared in this new form I hadn't seen before. He looked wildly different but the colors, electricity, thunder storm and poor attitude was all I needed to recognize him."

"His Therian Form. Both he and Tornadus have been rocking that look lately."

"Hmn. Is that so?" Darkrai sounded like he it didn't matter any to him.

"Uh-huh. It makes them more powerful than they already are but also seems to give them a volatile temperament as well."

"It didn't do him any good."

"Um... You didn't kill him, did you?"

"I put him to sleep."

Mew paused for a moment, its tail swishing around. "I would have said that's a better alternative if it were any other pokémon that was putting him to sleep... What happened to him after that?"

"He fell into the valley."

"Yikes. Do you think he's okay?"

"I hope not."

"Oh, Darkrai..."

"I'm not remorseful. He had it coming. I gave him multiple opportunities to stand down but he just kept on attacking. He made his choice, it was too late for regrets." Darkrai closed his eyes. Mew could tell that he had no sympathy that the electric type Legendary Pokémon could have been seriously hurt or even killed.

"And Latias?"

"She..." The dark type sighed in regret. "She got hit by my Dark Void as well. I noticed fast enough and caught her before she hit the ground but that's when Latios showed up."

"Ooooohhh... That couldn't have been a good image for him to stumble upon."

"He immediately tried to attack me."

"Did the two of you fight?" Mew asked in worry.

"No, I put him to sleep too. It was safe, they were both wearing Lunar Wings. From there, I carried them back to the Psychic Realm... They were heavy." Darkrai added the last part as an afterthought.

"..." Mew kept quiet and the dark type opened his eyes to find the psychic type staring at him with a small smile.

"Something the matter?"

"You're... Really nice, Darkrai."

This time it was Darkrai that remained silent for a short while. "With the way things get when I appear, does it really matter?"

"It matters to me." Mew nuzzled against his chest. "What led to you coming all the way out here, huh?"

"I was shot."

"What?"

"The Sigilyph in the Psychic Realm shot at me when I returned Latios and Latias. They did a really good job of it too. I fled from the Spirit Peaks, off the mainland and eventually found myself here."

"That's terrible! But at the same time also good because you found your way here... And then you met me! This story is happy end!" The psychic type threw its arms up.

Darkrai blinked at Mew's atrocious choice of grammar but it put him at ease and legitimately made him feel better about his situation. Talking casually like this. He felt... Free. Just as Mew promised. He reached up and placed an arm around the small pokémon lying on top him. Mew was startled at first, not expecting the Pitch Black Pokémon to show him this level of affection. It was surreal to say the least but it didn't matter to Mew who smiled and got comfortable on Darkrai's stomach. The psychic type purred in contentment and begun to drift off to sleep. It was a good time indeed when Mew could get comfortable enough to fall asleep right on top of the nightmare inducing dark type legendary with no worries.

"Good night, Darkrai." Mew giggled.

"It's not night."

"You're just a big bundle of joy... Aren't you?"

---

Fairy Realm

Angel closed her book with a small thump, her hand resting on the hard, front cover. Her friends in front of her stared downwards in contemplation of what they had just learned. The afternoon's subject had been about the Creation Trio. Dialga; the steel/dragon pokémon who moved time forward with every beat of his heart. Palkia; the water/dragon pokémon who could rend space with the sheer power of his attacks alone. Giratina; the ghost/dragon pokémon whose power could breakdown, alter or completely destroy any form of matter. All very deadly, that's for sure. As the pages noted, Dialga and Palkia could have been the leaders of the Dragon and Water Realms but their power was too strong and important for them to be readily exposed to the world. For that, with the help of fellow Legendary Pokémon; Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf, they locked themselves away in a plane of reality different from the one inhabited by the world's pokémon. The trio of legendary psychic types then hid themselves away in parts unknown, never to be disturbed.

The Renegade Pokémon, Giratina, however, remained on the mainland and went on to create the Ghost Realm, uplifting and educating as many of the ghost pokémon as he could and placing them under his thrall. Any pokémon, even other ghosts, not within his dominion would be struck down for just approaching his territory. Years of this behavior amassed enough of a body count to turn a once marvellous forest into the Spectral Forest known today, inhabited by the spirits of the pokémon he had slain in the defense of his realm.

Eventually, Arceus had enough of these wanton acts of violence and confronted Giratina on his cruel mannerisms. Failing to reach a compromise, Arceus and Giratina engaged in a battle that is said to have shaken the world itself. After several days and nights of being locked in battle, Arceus emerged victorious and punished Giratina for his insolence by banishing him to the Distortion World. A separate plane of existence in which neither time nor space exist and where the Renegade Pokémon remains to this day. With the Ghost Realm no longer protected by Giratina's presence, the vengeful pokémon of the Spectral Forest began chipping away at its walls. But even with the Legendary Pokémon no longer watching over them, the uplifted ghost types continue to mount a defense against them. How long they will last remains to be seen...

The three young pokémon continued to sit in silence as they processed the information laid on them. Looking back and forth between her friends, Angel decided to be the first one to speak.

"So... What do you guys think?"

"I'll state the obvious. Giratina sounds terrible." Sylvia replied.

"Killing pokémon so much that a whole forest ended up being overrun by the spirits of the dead certainly is something extreme." Gallant commented.

"Not to mention fighting against his own creator like that. I think that may be the most selfish thing I can imagine." Angel thought about the implications of what could happen if someone would be so ungrateful as to rage against their Lord Xerneas. It was too appalling for her.

"He deserved getting banished if you ask me. From what the book says, it benefited every pokémon." Sylvia said.

Gallant held up one of his fingers. "Every pokémon except the ones in the Ghost Realm. I mean sure, their leader's actions were questionable but where does that leave them? The book doesn't say anything about them taking part in Giratina's carnage. Their situation could be a byproduct of his negligence and in no part their fault."

"Way to keep an open mind, Gallant." Sylvia poked his cheek with a ribbon. He just let her have her way.

Angel placed a finger under her chin in thought. "Hmm... I hadn't considered something like that."

"Who knows? Maybe because of the way he acted, they're glad to be rid of him." Sylvia replied.

"Whatever the case, they have no master to maintain their realm. It could be fine, it could be crumbling. It could even be that they're suffering more than anyone else. We don't have any of the answers. Not yet." Gallant stretched, getting up.

"Going home already?"

"I just wanna take a short stroll. Been sitting in one spot for so long, I think my ass fell asleep."

Angel looked at him and fought to keep from laughing at his immature form of humor. Sylvia on the other hand, laughed it up plenty.

"Hahahaha! Funny Gallant is funny but you do have a point. Eating poképuffs and lazing around won't do us any good. Come on, Angel."

"Yeah, sure." Angel picked up her book and placed it in her bag. "Don't forget your novel."

"Ah... Right." The Sylveon picked up her novel using her ribbons and held them close to her body.

"How strong are those ribbons of yours anyway? They look light yet I've seen you pick up things like books, bags and even small rocks with them."

"Give me your cheek and we'll find out together." She brandished her ribbons.

"I'll pass."

"Booooo, Gallant."

He ignored her. "So how do you feel now, Angel? Your book has a lot of important information to give. Isn't it great that you have it? We could have never learned as much as we have if you never got it."

"Yeah... That's true. Thanks, Gallant." She smiled at him.

"Not a problem. Not to say I'm not happy living here, that's the farthest thing from the truth. I love it here. This is our home. But a little exposure couldn't hurt us. I need to know as much as I can about the world. We all do. So we can protect the things we care about." The young fairy looked down at his small hands. "Sometimes I wonder, though, if I have the power to back up that claim. All this talk about rampaging Legendary Pokémon makes me... Afraid."

Angel and Sylvia looked at each other before the Intertwining Pokémon sauntered up to Gallant. "Hey, don't sweat it, champ. I don't think there's any one pokémon out there that can get things done by themselves. That's why you have us. And why we have you. It's why we get stronger everyday, right?" She wrapped a ribbon around his arm and her aura coursed from her body to his.

Gallant smiled wide, both from her words and the serene sensation taking over his body like a drug. He closed his eyes as he walked. She didn't do this for him very often and he had nearly forgotten what it felt like. They kept walking through the forested area and soon emerged to the more populated part of the realm. They were immediately spotted.

"Hey! Gallant!"

Said pokémon opened his eyes to see two Kirlia running up to greet him. His friends and training partners, Valor and Intrepid.

"Hello, ladies." He greeted.

"Oh, ha ha." Valor dryly replied while Intrepid chuckled by his side. "Hello, Sylvia and Angel."

"Hey, y'all." Sylvia greeted back. Angel said nothing but waved at them.

"Hope we're not interrupting anything but we have a message for Gallant." Valor spoke.

"Ja. We were told by Edge that you, Valor, Resolute, Stalwart and I have to meet up with him in front of the Life Tree by nightfall. He said it's very important. Something about a blessing. Other pokémon will be there as well." Intrepid said before turning his attention to the two female pokémon. "You guys may as well come too. We don't know what it is yet but why not join us?"

"Sure, sounds fun. Right, Angel?"

"Sure, we'll be there." Angel nodded.

"Great! See you tonight! Come on, Gallant." Intrepid yanked his friend away from Sylvia's soothing ribbons.

"H-Hey, what are-"

"We saw you carrying that huge box of poképuffs earlier and I'll be damned if you gain any extra weight. We're going to train. Farewell, ladies." He bid Angel and Sylvia goodbye as he dragged Gallant off in the direction of the Training Hold.

Valor bowed politely at the female pokémon before he too joined Intrepid and Gallant. The remaining Kirlia and Sylveon watched them go in silence. When they were out of sight, the two pokémon resumed their stroll in the opposite direction. They couldn't help but wonder what would be happening by the Life Tree later on tonight and couldn't wait till they could get their answer now that their curiosity had been piqued.

"It's still a ways. What do we do until tonight?"

"20 Questions?"

"Oh! Heck yeah!"

---

Fairy Realm, Life Tree - Night

Gallant, Valor, Intrepid, Resolute and Stalwart walked through the entrance to the Life Tree. Immediately they were greeted by the garden of unparalleled beauty but their attention soon fell to all the pokémon gathered there. Approximately two thirds of the realm's population. In front of them was a line composed of Flora, a Clefairy, a Jigglypuff and a pair of Togetic. Ahead of them were Edge and Fleur de Lis and Jubilee, posed in front of the large white tree that was Lord Xerneas. The remainder of the pokémon stood around the inner skirts of the garden, leaving a great deal of space between them and the pokémon stationed in front of the Life Tree.

Edge smiled at them and motioned for them to join the line. From where he was, Gallant could see Angel and Sylvia in the crowd. He waved at them and they waved back. After the five had joined the the line, Edge stepped to the side to give Fleur centre stage.

"It brings me great joy to see all your lovely faces here like this." She smiled gently at the small group in front of her before turning around to face the Life Tree. "Oh, our dear Lord Xerneas. We hope that you grant these pokémon your favor and see them through all trials and tribulations that await them in the near future. We ask for your blessing on this momentous occasion, that you may grant us the strength to continue to protect your legacy." She bowed her head and so did every pokémon gathered there.

Not a moment too late, an empowering aura basked over the garden. The plants around the white tree grew and bloomed gracefully, regardless of their growth cycle. The pokémon that felt the sensation of Xerneas' energy flowing through them were left motionless and speechless, focusing only on the warmth it provided like a supernatural security blanket. It didn't last long but that wasn't important. They had received Lord Xerneas' blessing. Slowly, they raised their heads.

Fleur faced the Togekiss, Jubilee, who had been clutching a bag with her feet the entire time. She flew in closer to the pokémon in lineup, dropping the bag and revealing small black boxes that were packed inside of it. Then, one by one, she delivered the boxes to the pokémon, each of them clasping one in their hands. Eventually one of them made its way to Gallant. Done, Jubilee withdrew back to Edge and Fleur with her now empty bag.

"Feel free to open them any time." She said with a smile.

Gallant took Jubilee's advice and opened his box, his eyes lighting up at what he saw. A blue oval-shaped stone that shown with a dim but fascinating light. A Dawn Stone. He looked to his left and noticed his friends were equally in awe. This was it. Their wait had paid off. They were finally allowed to evolve. He looked up at his instructor and Edge smiled at him with a small nod. He looked back down, gently taking the Dawn Stone into his hands and dropping the box. There were flashes of light coming from either side of him and he knew what was happening. With a smile that barely hid his joy, he closed his eyes and absorbed the hidden energy within the stone, his body starting to glow before being consumed in an all-engulfing light.

---

Steel Realm

"Fascinating."

A Metagross, large even by his species' standard, stood in front of a thick, one way viewing glass wall as he observed the system taking place on the other side of it. A super-sized terrarium made for and inhabited by pokémon of days long since passed that the Steel Realm had restored using the genetic code of their fossilized remains found deep underneath the world's surface. The terrarium itself was large. The size of a small colony. Big enough that several species of the once fossilized pokémon could claim entire territories of their own. There were tall trees, bearing all kinds of nutritious berries. There was a lake, to the utmost delight of the water dwellers. The grass and vines that made up most of the terrarium were thick and rich with life. Finally, at the very end, obscured by everything before it, was a rocky terrain for pokémon like Aerodactyl to enjoy. An Archeops ran right in front of him with an Omanyte captured within its mouth as its prey. Being able to grant new life using old DNA may have been the Steel Realm's greatest achievement yet. The Metagross couldn't help but marvel with swelling pride.

A sliding door behind the psychic type opened, telling him of new company.

"Sovereign." A Skarmory with a Choice Scarf wrapped around his neck entered the room he stood in. "Krane, reporting back from my rounds, sir."

"Ah, yes." Sovereign voice was deep and robotic as he continued to monitor the activity in front of him. "Anything of interest?"

"Not in particular but I came across two pokémon that got too close to the realm for my liking. They fled before I could properly engage them."

"I see. So, it was another uneventful patrol then?" Sovereign started for the automated sliding door and Krane followed after him.

"I suppose... But they were both pokémon I had never seen before so I was a little concerned. One of them used an attack that caused a gravitational pull effect. I was hoping you could shed a little light on what kind of pokémon it was." The Skarmory replied.

Sovereign contemplated that information, only privy to a few of such moves himself. "Do you mean Hurricane?"

"No, not Hurricane. It was black and purple and it moved like some kind of vortex. It missed me but quickly expanded and tried to draw me in like some kind of black hole..." The Skarmory shuddered just remembering it.

"Hmmm... That is quite strange. This is the first I'm hearing of it. Can you describe the pokémon to me?" The Metagross turned and begun walking down a long corridor with many doors lining its walls.

"Yes, of course. Um, let's see... It was all black, with a white wavy substance on top of its head. It had red ridges going around its neck. It was slim, three claws on each hand, no legs that I could see, a single visible blue eye... And... Um, sir?" The steel/flying type noticed that Sovereign had stopped walking and was now staring ahead of himself.

"Krane... The pokémon you're describing sounds a lot like Darkrai."

"Darkrai?" The Skarmory tilted his head quizzically.

"Yes. You may not know him because he keeps himself isolated and he's not exactly a pokémon others would be compelled to talk about." With heavy steps, Sovereign turned to face Krane. "He is a Legendary Pokémon that can end the lives of anything asleep within his vicinity. Even without his ability, he is still a frighteningly powerful pokémon. Be glad you were able to escape with your life."

Krane gulped and if he could sweat, he would have filled a bucket. "Y-Yes, sir. Fortunately, he and the pokémon he was with fled the area while I struggled against his attack."

"Ah, yes. You mentioned another pokémon that was with him. Care to tell me?" He was very curious as to what kind of pokémon would be willing to put itself in mortal danger by allying itself with Darkrai. Perhaps a friendly wild pokémon that didn't know any better? Or a pokémon with Insomnia?

"Let's see... It was small and pink, had a long tail with a bulbous tip. Small ears, blue eyes, short arms-"

"Krane..." He said the Skarmory's name but it didn't look like he was beckoning him, instead lost in thought.

"Sir?"

"No it couldn't be... To have so much luck as to encounter both Darkrai and Mew, together at once... It's... It's unfathomable." It was such an insane coincidence that Sovereign didn't even question why Mew and Darkrai were together near the Steel Realm.

"Mew? As in the mythical pokémon, Mew? And I attacked it!?" Krane looked like he was about ready to pass out at this point.

"Indeed. You may have the greatest luck in the world, Krane. To not only see both Mew and Darkrai at the same time but to also survive an encounter you instigated." The Metagross gave a low, mirthless chuckle.

"So... What you're saying is that this is Mew's blood?" He drew attention to one of the blades that made up his right wing, a small splotch of dried red substance staining the tip of the uppermost one.

Sovereign just stared blankly at the dried blood on the Skarmory's wing. Mew's blood. He was staring at Mew's blood. It couldn't be... He refused to believe it but he had to be sure.

"Krane, come with me." He tucked his mechanical limbs into his body and flew down the long corridor. Krane chased after him as he was told, his talons clanging loudly on the metal floor.

Reaching halfway across the hall, the Metagross stopped and turned to face a hexagonal door larger than all the others. He raised one of his arms and manipulated the panel that was to the right of it. A series of beeps later and he was granted access, the doors sliding away to let them through. In the room were a large selection of monitors situated against the left and right walls, currently being worked on by some Metang. Ahead of them sat a large six-by-six meter screen and below it, some kind of terminal only members of the Steel Realm would know about, much less operate.

With his psychic power, Sovereign plucked the blood off Krane's wing and headed for the terminal. There was a small opening at the top where a thin plate of glass lay as well as a panel with which to operate the device. The steel/psychic type placed the blood sample on top of the small glass tray. Then he used the claws on one arm to type in a command. Slowly, the glass tray sunk into the terminal and after a short wait, the large screen above came to life. Normally, it would just show a record, statistics and accompanying image of the pokémon the sample belonged to and that would be it. The machine, however, did something truly odd.

Had Sovereign not been a Metagross, his brain would have been unable to process how fast the images on the screen were flying by one after the other. Bulbasaur to Dragonite, Chikorita all the way through to Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde. It's like he dumped in all the DNA samples of every known pokémon and waited for it to process all that information. The other pokémon in the room joined him in observing this strange phenomenon. The pictures kept cycling, looping back around whenever it reached the end. It kept on going and going in a series of noisy beeps until Sovereign decided he had seen enough and shut off the machine which then ejected the glass plate that held Mew's blood back to the top of the terminal.

The Iron Leg Pokémon said nothing, instead choosing to contemplate the possibilities of what could be done with the New Species Pokémon's DNA. Sovereign gave a low, almost inaudible laugh. Oh, what joy this brought him. Even now he still thought it was untrue but the proof stared him right in the face.

"Sovereign, sir? Are you okay?" Krane approached his leader with unsteady steps, equally as shaken by what he had just witnessed.

"Krane..."

"Sir...?"

The Metagross turned to face him, his red eyes burning with deep desire and inspiration.

"What would you say if I told you that we can grow our own Legendary Pokémon?"

---

END CHAPTER.

A/N: I noticed too late that I spelled Zygarde wrong. Sorry. It's hard to keep up with all these names _ This has been corrected.