Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story.
They belong to their representative owners, except for most of the OCs in the story.
"We've arrived." Lapras said as they all hopped off of her while a certain few were still carrying the heavy Aggron that is Gajeel. "This small island here is in the middle of the eastern sea and it is where you'll find the undersea cave that connects to the base of the Prehistoric Ruins. This is the entrance to the Submerged Cave. You must head below the very seafloor, there you'll find the Prehistoric Ruins."
"Cool." Ruby said.
"They were built on a continent where Pokemon once prospered long ago, but it sank to the bottom of the sea." Lapras continued, and then, finally… the exhausted Flying Pokemon put Gajeel down.
"Hmph, about time we got here. You're so slow." Gajeel said.
"Well MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T WEIGH A THOUSAND POUNDS, WE WOULD'VE BEEN HERE AGES AGO!" Rogue yelled, panting.
"I can't… feel my wings anymore…" Wendy said in exhaustion.
"Well, better him than me." Happy said, referring to Natsu.
"Oh… bite me…" Natsu muttered.
"You okay?" Sarah asked, looking at the Braviary.
"...G-Give me a minute..." Ven panted.
A few rested Pokemon later…
"Okay, we all ready? I'll show you the way through." Beheeyem said. "But, I'll still ask you to take the lead when we're in the dungeon. I'll be supporting you from the rear."
"WE'LL take the lead while YOU support US from the rear?" Munna asked. "What are you planning to do, petrify us again when our guards are down?"
"…I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with her." Sabrina said, growling lowly.
"We all do." Luxray said, his mane sparking a little.
"You could just be planning to attack us again." Pikachu said.
Beheeyem sweatdropped. "What would I stand to gain, attacking all of you in the middle of the dungeon? We're in the middle of the ocean… and the fact that there's too many of you." He said.
"Hmm…" Riku looked at Cobra. "Is he telling the truth?"
"For some reason, I can't use my abilities while I'm a snake Pokemon, which is pretty ironic if you ask me, but even then… we still shouldn't trust this guy."
"I'm totally with Cobra." Isaac said.
"Yep." Greninja nodded.
"Alright, let's just go." Cyndaquil said as they all nodded and proceeded to enter the cave.
BGM: Submerged Cave (Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)
They proceeded to go around the Submerged Cave, proceeding to take down some Armaldo, Wailmer, and Tentacool in the way and then went forward. A Sharpedo and Mantine got in the way and used Hydro Pump, knocking most of them down but Sabrina and Munna got past that and both used Ice Beam and Psybeam, both of them merging together and slamming into the both of them, causing an explosion to deal massive damage to the both of them, not to mention knocking them out.
"Whoa…" Sabrina said in amazement.
"Did that really just happen?!" Munna asked as they both looked at each other, and then to everyone's amazement, they both high fived each other.
"Huh, it amazed the both of them high fived each other." Ruby said the obvious.
"Gee, thanks for pointing that out…" Weiss muttered.
"…Well uh, let's just keep going." Pikachu said as they continued forward, until they eventually went deep into the cave.
"Man… how far down are we?" Sora wondered.
"I imagine we're pretty far." Kairi said.
"We are." Beheeyem nodded as he stopped. "We're basically at the bottom of the ocean."
"I was wondering if it was getting humid down here…" Tristina muttered.
"Oh good, it wasn't just me." Julia said.
"This is…?" Pikachu wondered. "How could a whole continent with this kind of culture just sink…?"
"It happened a long time ago." Beheeyem replied. "But now we need to hurry onward. Nuzleaf and his lackeys aren't here now. This is our chance to strike at Dark Matter."
"Right." Demyx nodded, really determined to rescue his wife as they proceeded to move forward… but Pikachu had something on his mind.
"W-wait!" Pikachu stopped them. "Beheeyem, when Dark Matter lost control of you, you came back to yourself, right? When that happened, what happened to your memories of when you were controlled? Did you forget everything, or do you still remember it all?"
"I… I don't really want to remember the things that I did when I was being controlled…"
Pikachu's eyes widened. "Then, you do remember?! If you do, then there's something I gotta ask! Why did Nuzleaf lie to Cyndaquil?"
Now it was Cyndaquil's eyes to widen. "Pikachu!"
"Sorry, I was just curious!"
Beheeyem said nothing.
"Come on, Beheeyem, you worked together with Nuzleaf to trick Pikachu, right?"
"…You really want to know?" He asked. "But you still don't even believe me, don't you? You still think that I might be bringing you here as some sort of trap, don't you?"
Pikachu sweatdropped. He hit the nail on the head… He thought.
"So you really want to make me tell, even though you don't even trust me?"
"Yeah, I know it's not very smart… but I still have to ask. I mean, you guys went to so much extra work to make this elaborate ruse. Why do it? I just can't wrap my head around it."
"…I see. Yes, it might seem strange to you… but no, I won't tell you."
"What?! Why not?!"
"Because I don't want to. I don't want to say it."
Something doesn't add up here… Gajeel thought.
I swear, if you double cross us… Sarge thought.
As soon as we get out of here, the better. Grif thought.
"Come on! If you know the truth, just tell me!" Pikachu growled. "I can't believe you're being such a brat!"
Beheeyem sweatdropped. "A Br-brat? Fine then… I'll tell you just one thing… the reason that Nuzleaf tricked your friend…" He turned to Cyndaquil. "Cyndaquil, It is because who you are and what you might remember."
"Who… Cyndaquil is?!" Pikachu asked in shock.
What I might remember…?! Cyndaquil wondered.
"You still had your memories of who you were when you first came to this world... but then… no… no… I'm sorry, I can't say anymore. Please don't make me…" He turned around. "I'm afraid we've wasted some of the little precious time we have. We should hurry onward."
Gajeel just about had enough of this. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" He yelled. "You've got to tell us more than that!"
"…I'm afraid you're out of time."
"WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"
"YEAH!" Pikachu agreed as they all proceeded to argue against the alien Pokemon as Cyndaquil began to wonder about while Nuzleaf singled him out.
While they were arguing, Munna pulled Sabrina to the side. "What, you want to kill me right here?" Sabrina asked in suspicion.
"Wow, way to jump to conclusions there." Munna muttered.
"Well, what do you want then since you basically pulled me?"
Munna sighed. "Look, I know we have our differences and all… but I just want to say… I'm sorry."
"…What?" She looked at Munna in surprise. "Sorry for what?" She asked, tilting her head.
"For every-"
"Hey! Get a move on you two!" Isaac said. "You can kill each other later, let's just get to Dark Matter and save Xarina!"
"…You know, you just encouraged them to kill each other later…" Nan told him.
"I'm not going to let that happen." Erza said.
"Oi vey…" Isaac muttered.
"…I'll tell you later." Munna said and walked away.
Sorry for what? Sabrina wondered as she followed the others to the entrance of the Prehistoric Ruins.
End BGM
BGM: Prehistoric Ruins (Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)
"Okay, is it just me or have we been going around in circles?" Carla asked after a few minutes in the dungeon.
"It feels like it." Aria said as they kept on going.
"We should be getting close but… I'm not sure." Beheeyem said.
"Oh great, even the alien is lost." Flare muttered.
"We should be able to find our way around." Flame said.
"Yeah, and not bump into any Hairyama along the way…" Isaac said, looking behind him to see a few knocked out Hariyama, Pangoro and Electivire. "…Not to mention Pangoro and Electivire."
"Wait a minute! Nan's a Lucario!" Rose said. "Doesn't he have aura?"
"I'm already doing that." Nan said, as his eyes were closed. "…This way." He said as he took off running as they all followed him as his eyes were still closed, guiding them around the wild Pokemon… and then he saw four figures as he stopped running and opening his eyes, as they all looked to see what he stopped for… and there they saw a petrified Mawile, Buizel, Dedenne and Bunnelby.
"No!" Pikachu exclaimed. "Mawile… Buizel…!"
"Dedenne… Bunnelby…" Cyndaquil muttered.
"That's sad…" Lucy quietly said as they all nodded.
"So… this is where…" Pikachu angrily turned to Beheeyem. "Beheeyem!"
"…That's right, we turned them into stone. But now is no time for grief." He said, which made Pikachu growl. "The Tree of Life still lies ahead of us. We have to move on." He said and floated away.
"…Don't worry, you guys…" Pikachu looked at them. "We'll save all of you, I just know it!" He said and took off running.
"I still can't help but feel we're being led into a trap." Laxus said.
"That's what we're all thinking." Lily said as they took off once again, being guided by Nan as he used Bone Rush on a couple of Wild Pokemon, plus using Aura Sphere on a Staraptor that was coming in on them from behind.
"Next time, warn us!" Weiss shouted.
"You're welcome." Nan said and then looked at Caliburn. "You'd think she'd be more grateful that I took down a bird."
"Well, what can you do… she's an ice queen after all."
"Hey! I heard that!"
"Can we just get on with it?" Natsu asked as they kept moving.
"We've come so far down…" Pikachu said after a good ten minutes of silence. "Are you sure we're not at the Tree of Life yet?"
"We're nearly there." Beheeyem said. "If we can just make it through this area…"
A few minutes later…
Nan slowed down and then Beheeyem got ahead of them once again as they proceeded into a room. "...Hate to be THAT guy, but… I don't see a tree here." Isaac said.
"Are you sure this is the area?" Mew wondered.
"…This is odd." Beheeyem said. "It should be right here, that's what I heard." He said and then his eyes widened.
"Well, they are big ruins." Pikachu said. "Let's just keep going a bit farther, maybe it's just on ahead." He said, and then suddenly he heard Nan's arm going into its arm cannon phase and aimed it directly at Beheeyem. "NAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He yelled, and then Beheeyem started laughing.
"I KNEW IT!" Gajeel yelled as they quickly got in battle positions.
BGM: The Coming Danger: Arrangement 1 (Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)
Pikachu growled. "You know what, Beheeyem?! I may not have trusted you much, but I did believe in you a little bit! I thought you might be telling us the truth about Cyndaquil's memory and all… but the whole time, you've been leading us on, is that it? What could you hope to gain?!"
"Gain? Nothing at all."
"Wha…? But this place is a trap, isn't it?"
"That's right! A perfect trap… for all of you… and for me too!"
Pause BGM
"…I'm sorry, what?" Grif asked.
"I don't care if you believe me or not… but the one who told me that the Tree of Life was here was Nuzleaf. It was after I'd broken free of Dark Matter's control."
What…? Cyndaquil thought.
"He must've realized it… that I would betray them sooner or later… and that's why he lied, telling me that the Tree of Life was here."
"Wh-… then that means…" Pikachu said… and then there was some slow clapping.
"Oh great… THIS cliché…" Sabrina muttered.
"Heheheheh… I do thank you for explaining it all for me."
It was then that Nan turned his arm cannon from Beheeyem to the source of the slow clapping, as they saw Nuzleaf and two other Beheeyem approaching them. "Two more?!" Julia exclaimed.
"Why I oughta…" Cobra growled.
Resume BGM
"It's just like you reckoned, Beheeyem. There ain't no Tree of Life here. You… rotten filthy traitor!" He smirked, as Beheeyem stiffened. "I applaud you for bringing in the so-called Heroes of Light as well, for I personally believe they had a key part on somehow bringing Pikachu and Cyndaquil out of the Voidlands."
"We did nothing of the sort!" Lucy protested.
"And why should I believe a stupid little Klefki?" Nuzleaf asked.
"Hey!" Natsu got in front of her. "No one calls her stupid!"
"Yeah!" Gajeel nodded.
Nuzleaf chuckled. "I don't know how you wrangled it, but I think I'll just send y'all back at the Voidlands right now and you will NEVER see that dumb little Smeargle ever again!"
Demyx growled. "Don't you DARE talk bad about her in front of me!"
"Or me." Nan growled.
"And how is a Samurott and a metal armed Lucario going to stop me? I reckon you can't do jack squat."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure we can do something… like tearing you into pieces for example!" Demyx exclaimed, which made Nuzleaf laugh.
"Just go ahead and try!" Nuzleaf smirked.
"ENOUGH!" Pikachu yelled, glaring at Nuzleaf. "You sure had us fooled… me… Cyndaquil… AND EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE! Who do it?!"
"You wanna know why? You serious, kid? You mean you ain't heard it from that Beheeyem right there beside you?"
"Well, we did ask! But all he would tell us was that it had something to do with Cyndaquil's memories!"
"Oh, so you haven't heard it all? I just went and figured you'd know the whole sorry tale by now." He said, causing Beheeyem to look down in shame. "Oh, so that's it, huh? Didn't want to admit to what you'd done? Sure enough… no one in his right mind would." He chuckled. "Then you just let me do the talkin'."
Beheeyem's eyes widened at this. No…!
"The only reason Cyndaquil here ain't had no memory all this time… is because that Beheeyem right there went and erased it all."
Their eyes widened and looked at Beheeyem. "You did… WHAT?!" Sora exclaimed in shock.
"You erased Cyndaquil's memories?!" Pikachu asked in shock, as Beheeyem looked down once more.
"Cyndaquil, you still knew who you were when you first came along to this here world. Before you lost your memories, you even tried battling me and my pals here. While we were all fighting, though… you got hit with a dose of ol' Beheeyem's psychic power…and plumb forgot who you were."
He then turned to the others. "And so that's when we hatched our little plan, that's when we decided to trick Cyndaquil."
"You rotten bastard…" Laxus growled as his whole body was crackling with electricity.
"But… why?!" Pikachu asked.
"It was all to get our hands on the Luminous Water, of course. No one but a human could break the barrier on that spring… That's the way them ancient Pokemon had set it up to be. And Cyndaquil here… well, he was summoned here by the spirit of an ancient Pokemon… and was brought right through the bounds of time and space, all in an effort to save this world."
"So… Cyndaquil was brought here to save the world?!"
Saw that one coming… Sabrina thought. But by ancient Pokemon? That's new.
"It was all planned by them ancient Pokemon that had seen what the future held, but we managed to find out that there would be a human brought to this here world, and a human could help Pokemon turned to stone return to normal with Luminous Water. That'd be a real problem for us, if that started happenin'. So we decided to strike first, before any pesky human could break that barrier…and we headed out with a plan to put Cyndaquil there to an end."
He looked at Cyndaquil again. "You remember the spot, there by the waterfall? Never wondered why you were there? That's where we fought you, and during that battle, you lost all of your memories thanks to a real fine psychic hit. Soon as I heard that from the Beheeyem there, I knew just what to do… the plan just popped into my head. Sure, the Luminous Water was a real pain, but if we could absorb its power, we could get even stronger than ever! All I had to do was guarantee that the barrier would be broken while I was there, and that's why I nee-"
An Aura Sphere hit him on the head. "OOOF!"
End BGM
"God, would it kill villains to stop monologuing?" Nan asked. "Just do the nutshell version; you did all of that just to get the freaking Luminous Water and gained a lot of power. Plain and simple. It saves everyone a migraine."
"You fool… You're going to pay for that." He growled. "I'll turn all of you into stone for that! And this place right here is where y'all be sent to the deepest pit of the Voidlands!"
Beheeyem's eyes widened. "The… deepest pit of the Voidlands?!"
"You know what I'm talking about at least, don't you, Beheeyem? You well know how frightening that place is. Once you're down there, in the pits of the Voidlands… you ain't never comin' back up! Not even you pesky Heroes of Light!"
Pikachu growled. "We'll get out of there somehow... we had our friends with us and they'll help us again!"
"Friends?" Nuzleaf evilly laughed. "How precious… do you realize who set this beautiful trap up? It was one of your so-called 'friends'." He said as they heart tiny footsteps as they saw Espurr coming over to them.
"Espurr?!" Cyndaquil exclaimed.
"Pikachu, Cyndaquil… and everyone else… hello. The fact is that when I was hiding and saw the both of you turning to stone, I was discovered by Mr. Nuzleaf and forced to help him. He told me that if I didn't want to be turned to stone myself, that I had to help him. I certainly don't want to be sent to the Voidlands. So that's why… I went and joined sides with Mr. Nuzleaf!" He said with a smile.
"Why you little…" Sarge growled.
Nuzleaf chuckled. "Espurr here's been helpin' us all keep in touch ever since then, you see… while pretendin' to be helpin' Ampharos and them with the same, naturally. Thanks to that, we know every move those fools make. It's been giving us a real upper hand in this fight!"
He then turned to Beheeyem. "Hey you, you traitor." He said. "If you wanna come back to our side right about now… I'll let your little slip here pass." Beheeyem looked down. "How about it? You think you could take 'em all on?"
"Everyone… I'm sorry…" Beheeyem said, tearing up. "I wanted to help save the world, but… not there… I can't… I don't wanna go the Voidlands… I can't…!" He said, crying a little.
Nuzleaf chuckled again. "How about that…. There's your friendship for ya. The friends you thought you could trust… and even the ones you're none too sure about. They're all the same in the end!" He smirked. "Havin' faith in someone else might rightly give you the courage to keep on fightin'. But how about now, when you ain't got nobody left to believe in? There ain't nothin' left for you in this world… so you be good little pawns…"
Darkness formed into his hands. "AND LET ME TURN Y'ALL BACK INTO STONE! YOU CAN KISS THAT SMEARGLE GOODBYE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!"
"That's quite enough!" A voice yelled and suddenly, three Pokemon appeared in front of them, a Jirachi, Ampharos and Celebi.
"Wh-what in the world…?!" Nuzleaf exclaimed in shock.
"It's a pleasure to meet you… oh wait, no it's not." Ampharos said. "Ampharos at your service!" He said and used Thunder to distract the three of them.
"Now Celebi!" Jirachi ordered and then Celebi teleported all of them away from Nuzleaf and the Beheeyem.
BGM: Tree of Life: Island of the South (Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)
It was then that they teleported safely somewhere in Primeval Forest. "Whoa… where are we now… and why do I feel so dizzy…?" Weiss asked.
"That's nothing, you should've teleported when we were at that… uh… what was that place called where we got that dragon?" Natsu asked.
"Gringotts?" Isaac asked.
"Bingo. It was a whole lot worse there."
Weiss sweatdropped. "I don't even want to know…"
Jirachi smiled and looked at Celebi. "We did it! It actually worked!" She cheered.
Celebi sighed with relief. "That was close, though…"
Pikachu was still trying to comprehend what just happened. "Ampharos… Jirachi?! Why are you here… and where are we even?"
"A certain island to the south." Celebi replied. "What matters most is that we're far from the Prehistoric Ruins. So rest easy."
"…Um, sorry… but who are you?"
"This is Celebi, he has been a friend of mine for many years. He has been helping me with investigating the current turn of events." Ampharos introduced. "…And speaking of friends, who are all of these guys?"
One long introduction later…
"Fascinating names… I'm not surprised that you're all human especially since Cyndaquil is a human as well."
"Should we tell him we're not human but Exceeds?" Happy whispered to Carla.
"That probably wouldn't be a good idea because I'm pretty sure they don't know what an Exceed is… and even if they did, they'd probably think it'd be some kind of new Pokemon."
"…Fair point."
"Celebi…" Pikachu rubbed his chin in thought. "Oh! Cyndaquil, remember those times when Celebi was mentioned?"
"Hmm… I do recall that Electrike and Amoongus mentioning something… and Entei did say something as well." He said. "But he wasn't there."
Celebi smiled. "I was probably still traveling through time just then."
"Travelling… through time…?" Pikachu asked.
"Well, Celebi is known as the Time Traveling Pokemon." Sabrina said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he went to the past regarding these events."
Ampharos looked at Sabrina. "…Are you some kind of wizard Pokemon? That's exactly right!"
Seriously? I was just actually guessing that last part. Sabrina thought.
Gajeel coughed. "Nerd." He coughed again, but it was loud enough for Sabrina to hear and giving him a glare.
"We also saw some ancient writing when we were turned into stone regarding these events too." Pikachu spoke up.
"Fascinating…" Celebi said. "Then that'll definitely save us some time for Entei wanted me to look into it and investigate why the Pokemon have been turning to stone."
"Wait, are we talking about the same Entei that can tear you into pieces if you get on his bad side?" Wendy asked.
"Yes. Even though he may be rather frightening and tends to rub Pokemon the wrong way." Celebi said nonchalantly, causing many of them to sweatdrop. "But he was serious about this as he felt that the world was in danger."
"He wasn't wrong. Things are looking pretty bad right now." Jirachi said. "You do know that the Tree of Life is withering because of Dark Matter?"
"Yeah…" Pikachu nodded.
"And do you know what will happen if the Tree of Life dies? The spinning of our planet will begin to slow, causing us to slowly be drawn toward the sun."
"…I'm sorry, but did you just say TO THE SUN?!" Lucy yelled.
"Yes." Jirachi looked up. "Eventually, our world would be swallowed up by the sun." He said as everyone else looked up. "To be perfectly blunt, this planet is already being pulled closer to the sun. That is why it's been so hot lately."
"I wondered why the sun looked closer than usual…" Cyndaquil muttered.
"Well that's certainly frightening." Emerald said as Neo nodded.
"Clearly we must do something." Ampharos said. "But before we rush into battle, we need more information. That is why we had Celebi investigate the events of the past… while Jirachi and myself looked into what was happening in the present world…" He then looked at Espurr. "Then we had Espurr compile all of the information that we were sending her."
Pikachu tried to argue. "B-But… Espurr has been working for Nuzleaf all this time… He threatened her and-!"
Espurr glared at him. "Did you really believe that?! I suppose I could have just let Nuzleaf turn me into stone when he threatened to do so… but that wouldn't have been very interesting. So I pretended to fear him and subscribe to his side's beliefs. That allowed me to pass along information about Ampharos to Nuzleaf while also keeping Ampharos abreast of what Nuzleaf was doing."
She then smiled innocently. "I suppose I'm what you might call a double agent? At any rate, threats don't work on me."
Pikachu sweatdropped. "Espurr… you're frightening sometimes…"
Sarge laughed. "I never doubted Espurr for a second!"
"Oh fuck you! You were growling 'traitor' the whole time and wanting to tear Espurr into pieces!" Grif exclaimed. "Not to mention asking me for a shotgun!"
"Did I really say that, Grif? Did I? Because I don't recall saying that." He said and then looked at Espurr. "Hey kid, how's about working with the Red Team?"
"…What's a Red Team?"
"NO WAY, I WILL NOT HAVE SOME GOD DAMN POKEMON IN THE RED TEAM!" Grif protested.
"Grif, have you ever heard of being flexible?"
"What is THAT supposed to mean?!"
Espurr sweatdropped and looked back at the others while the Arcanine and Slaking were still bickering. "Don't you recall when we caught Beheeyem?"
"When you tried to contact Ampharos?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. To be honest, I actually did contact him and told him that Pikachu and Cyndaquil had returned from being turned to stone while bringing in a huge party in the process, and then I filled him in about Beheeyem. Then he said I was to pretend that I hadn't been able to reach him. So that was why I acted the way I did." She explained.
"…So, you just let us walk RIGHT into that trap?" Gajeel asked. "And while we're at it! A certain Umbreon told me that a certain metal armed Lucario knew what was going on!" He said and glared at Nan. "How come you didn't tell us that?!"
"Wanted to keep you in suspense." Nan replied.
"…Sometimes, I don't understand you Keyblade Wielders…" Gajeel muttered.
"At least they provide us with knowledge… even if it is a bit… insane and over-the-top explanations." Erza said, glancing at Sabrina.
"Hey, I saw that glance!" Sabrina exclaimed, which made Erza chuckle.
"Anyway, I couldn't have imagined that things would have turned out quite the way they did. But thanks to what Nuzleaf said there, in the deepest part of the Prehistoric Ruins, we've been able to connect some very crucial dots. It's time we had a talk about everything… you ready?"
"Sure." Pikachu nodded.
"Oh, this ought to be interesting." Aria said.
End BGM
BGM: Peril (Halo 2)
"Dark Matter is just one bundle of hate, unhappiness and pain… it comes from all the Pokemon of the world." He began.
"…So it's just… hate and other nasty things?" Carla asked.
"Yes. Every time you feel annoyed with someone, every time you feel jealous of someone, every negative feeling that any of us have all come together and grow, and they form what is now attacking the Tree of Life."
"Wait, hold on a second." Levy said. "You said negative feelings, but don't we all have those every once in a while? If that's what creates this Dark Matter, then wouldn't it be pretty much impossible to destroy it?"
"That's right." Ampharos nodded. "In the past, it was stopped with the alignment of stars, and so the worst danger was averted… but Dark Matter was never defeated and it'll never go away."
"WHAT?!" Demyx yelled. "There's gotta be a way, right?!"
"Unfortunately, we still don't have an answer for that… but we still have to do something, or our world is finished. That's why we've been trying to examine some breakthrough by examining the past."
"Why don't I tell you what I found out?" Celebi asked. "Long ago, as is happening now… this planet did begin to be pulled too close to the sun. The Pokemon living in that ancient time tried to fight against Dark Matter, but… it wasn't just them alone. There was a single human who battled alongside them."
A single… human? Cyndaquil thought.
"Now this is only my own theory, but, if I had to say, I'd guess that…." He looked at Cyndaquil. "That human was you."
"What?!" Pikachu exclaimed in shock.
"Of course we can't confirm the theory due to his memory loss, and whether or not it really was him… the fact remains that this human continued to fight on until the stars could do their work, this one human was able to stop Dark Matter in its tracks, if only for a time… but Dark Matter rises time and again with the movement of the planets. The day will come when it rises yet again, perhaps knowing that and wanting to help those who would fight it in the future, the Pokemon of that ancient age prepared certain countermeasures, measures such as the sealed spring… and the scarves you two wear now."
"Our scarves?!" Pikachu asked and the two of them looked down while the others looked at the scarves as well. "I mean, sure… they do seem to have some kind of strange power…"
"That is because those scarves were made by an ancient Pokemon… known as Mew. They were made using materials from the Tree of Life itself. Through countless generations, those scarves were passed down from hand to hand, until they were handed to you, Pikachu." Celebi explained.
"Wait, hold on… Mew as in… our Mew?" Natsu asked, looking at Mew.
"I never even made anything in my entire life, what makes you think I made those?" Mew asked.
"As in our Mew." Celebi chuckled.
"But… why should I have something so important?" Pikachu wondered.
"That's exactly what I'd like to know." Celebi said. "As soon as I brought up the question of the ancient scarves with Ampharos here, he told me to look at the scarves that you and Cyndaquil wore around your necks… and they do look identical to the scarves that I saw in the ancient past. I couldn't believe it, to be honest!"
"…Neither can I. My old pops has always said that I had these scarves on me when he found me. He said I was wrapped up in them."
"But how did that come to be?" Jirachi wondered as everyone went deep in thought about it. "…I suppose thinking about it isn't going to help us any right now."
"You said that the ancient Pokemon was called Mew… and basically a different Mew?" Espurr asked. "The one who made the scarves from the Tree of Life?"
"That's right." Celebi nodded. "Mew was something of a leader back when Pokemon first battled Dark Matter."
Ampharos looked at Cyndaquil. "Cyndaquil, do you remember what Nuzleaf said when we were in the Prehistoric Ruins? Nuzleaf said that what called Cyndaquil here from the human world was the spirit of an Ancient Pokemon. Might that not be referring to Mew?"
"It's just a theory, of course. But we believe that you did fight Dark Matter once before in the past… so your experience and knowledge of that battle would be necessary in the future, and that is why Mew, or at least his spirit called you back from the human world to help us once more." Celebi said.
"But then you lost your memory when fighting against the Beheeyem." Ampharos pointed out. "Cyndaquil, if you can remember anything… anything at all, no matter how small…"
Cyndaquil tried but shook his head. "Sorry… I can't…"
"Well, even if your memories are lost, there is one thing we can say for certain, the scarves worn by Pikachu and you… were made to battle Dark Matter. So those scarves must serve somehow as keys to defeating Dark Matter." He then looked at the others. "Aaaand… whatever you might have to help us."
"We'll find some way to help. We always do." Sora said.
"Damn straight." Gajeel smirked.
"Let's go, comrades… we have no time to lose!" Ampharos said.
"Wait, hold on! Where's the Tree of Life at?" Pikachu asked.
"On this island and just in front of us is Primeval Forest." Ampharos said.
"Fire Island is also quite near from here." Jirachi said. "It has taken us a great deal of work to find this place, but we're finally here."
"But for now… we must move!" Ampharos moved forward and then stopped. "Oh, I just remembered something…" He turned to the Heroes of Light. "Have you heard of something called Looplets?"
End BGM
"…Loop what?" Isaac asked as Ampharos pulled out several of them.
"When you put these on, you'll find these Emeras that are like crystals, and when you put them on… you can either feel stronger, tougher… whatever it may be!" He grinned.
"…Ampharos… where did you get those… and specifically, WHERE were you hiding them?" Jirachi asked as Ampharos gave them all Looplets.
"I'd tell you the details, BUT WE GOT AN ENEMY TO FIGHT POSTHASTE!" He said. "Let's go!"
Demyx felt something in his heart, feeling something that he hasn't felt for years. "…Is this…" His eyes widened. "Xarina's nearby… I can feel her…"
"So she's probably somewhere in Primeval Forest." Luxray said.
"Let's go… she can't be too far." Cobra said as they all took off.
Later…
"Dag nabbit, I can't see two feet in front of me!" Sarge complained.
"Nan, can you see anything?" Julia asked. "…Nan?"
"I'm trying to see with my aura… oh, it's getting lighter!" He said.
"Oh good." Natsu smiled as they emerged out of the dark Primeval Forest, having tons of Emeras on their Looplets and then they looked up to see the Tree of Life in front of them.
"Is that it?" Celebi asked.
"It's got to be the Tree of Life, what else could it be?" Jirachi asked as what they saw before them… was a wilting Tree of Life.
"Wow… it's bigger than I thought it'd be." Aria said.
"Look at all those branches…" Espurr said in amazement.
"But… no leaves anywhere." Jirachi said.
"It's… nearly dead…" Celebi said quietly.
"Look at the top!" Pikachu pointed up. "There's some black… thing smoldering from up there!"
"Is that it?" Jirachi asked.
"Yes… I'd say that's our Dark Matter." Ampharos said. "And I think we're out of time… let's get up there at once!"
"But… how are we going to do that?" Ruby wondered.
"We climb the tree, naturally!" Ampharos smiled.
"Well, a few of us can fly up there." Celebi said. "We'll go up there to scout things out."
"HALT!" A voice yelled, grabbing their attention as they saw Nuzleaf and three Beheeyem in front of them.
"Well, look what the deadbeats dragged in." Natsu said.
"We'll stop 'em for sure." Erza said… but then suddenly, they noticed darkness swirling behind Nuzleaf and the three Beheeyem.
BGM: Surprise Attack! Yveltal (Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)
Yveltal has arrived.
"Ooooh, maybe we won't be able to stop THAT." Grif said.
"Auuugh…" Nuzleaf groaned in agony as the other two Beheeyem and Yveltal seemed to be in agony too as darkness was pouring out of their bodies, but the other Beheyeem was perfectly fine… and a bit scared.
"They are acting… oddly." Ampharos said.
"They seem to be in pain…" Espurr said.
Beheeyem flew over to them. "Th-that's it!" He said, as it was the same Beheeyem from before! "Nuzleaf and the Beheeyem… they've been acting strange all this while! Like they're not even there… like they've lost all sense of self!"
"What does that mean?!" Rose asked, looking mighty pale at the Yveltal in front of them… in fact, Maria Jr paled a little too.
"Dark Matter's control must be getting stronger… which means…" Celebi said grimly.
"Then we have no more time to waste!" Espurr exclaimed as Nuzleaf and the Beheeyem seemed to snap out of it and growled deeply.
"Th-that's enough!" Beheeyem exclaimed, getting in front. "I don't want to be sent to the Voidlands, but this… this is just too much! I just want all of this to stop! Can't we all ju-"
Nuzleaf answered Beheeyem by unleashing dark energy at him, immediately transforming him into stone, shocking everyone. "H-H-H-H-HOLY SHIT!" Grif yelled.
"Did that… did I just really see that?!" Sabrina exclaimed in shock.
Celebi growled. "That's gonna be our greatest hurdle for sure…"
"If we get hit with a blast like that, we're finished." Ampharos said and then Beheeyem aimed a blast of energy at Espurr.
"WAIT, YOU'RE AIMING AT ME?!" Espurr yelled and then suddenly… to their amazement, a shield blocked it from hitting Espurr. "…Huh?"
Another wave of blast aimed right at Tristina, but Isaac quickly got in the way. "Isaac, no!" Tristina exclaimed, but to their amazement, a shield blocked it.
"Huh…? I'm alive?" Isaac asked.
Oh thank god… Tristina thought, putting her hand over her heart and then Pikachu and Cyndaquil got hit… but then, it happened again… and every other time they were about to get hit.
"What…?" Terra wondered, and then to their amazement… Pikachu's and Cyndaquil's scarves began to glow and then more surprisingly, they suddenly evolved into Raichu and Typhlosion!
"Whoa!" Raichu exclaimed. "It happened again?!"
"How in the…?" Typhlosion wondered.
"This happened before at Fire Island!" Jirachi exclaimed. "And now it's happening again because of the Tree of Life…"
"Which means…. The Tree of Life repelled the attacks that Nuzleaf threw at us and saved us from being turned into stone." Celebi said.
"Then that means…" Raichu muttered.
Ampharos did a fabulous pose. "Bingo! The Tree of Life isn't dead yet! It's still alive and kicking!"
Jirachi smiled. "There's still hope! As an aside, Ampharos… trees don't kick."
It was at this moment when a few certain Pokemon felt something from their Looplets and began to glow brightly… while also a certain Mega Evolution symbol appeared in front of them.
So basically, Natsu, Yang, Kairi, Gajeel, Riku, Nan, Wendy, Flash, and Levy all Mega Evolved from a certain Emera called the Awakening Emera… and Natsu just so happened to evolve into Mega Charizard X.
"Did… we just Mega Evolve?" Nan asked.
"It seems we did." Flash said.
"Alright, I get to kick some ass in this form!" Gajeel exclaimed.
"Oh! I've heard about this Emera that can make you Mega Evolve called the Awakening Emera… I thought Mega Evolving was just a myth, though…" Jirachi said.
"Awakening Emera, eh?" Ampharos wondered. "I wonder if…" He started to glow, Mega Evolving as well. "Aw yeah! I Mega Evolved too!"
"Whoa, Ampharos… you-"
Ampharos interrupted Espurr. "Please, I'm not Ampharos… I'M AMPHABULOUS!" He yelled, causing all of them to sweatdrop. "Now, let's take these tools of Dark Matter down!"
Nan smirked. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this!" He exclaimed.
"Sabrina, take Rose and Maria Jr to someplace safe. We'll handle Yveltal." Riku said.
"Got it." Sabrina nodded.
"Aww…" Rose pouted.
"As much as you guys want to fight, you might want to sit this one out." Sabrina said, guiding them to a bush. "Stay here." She ordered, quickly hugging the two of them and running off as everyone else dealt with Nuzleaf and the two Beheeyem while the Mega Evolved Pokemon (And Raichu and Typhlosion) went to deal with Yveltal.
"To arms, comrades!" Ampharos ordered.
BGM: Battle! Successor Korrina (Pokemon X/Y)
Yveltal began the battle with Oblivion Wing, but everyone quickly dodged it as Nan quickly ran over and used Bone Rush repeatedly and fired several Aura Spheres at them.
"MOONBLAST!" Kairi yelled, using it on Yveltal as Yveltal roared in pain and tried to use Snarl, but Levy got in the way and used Protect on them, then Natsu flew up in the air.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" He yelled, using Fire Blast on him while Raichu used Thunderbolt and Typhlosion used Flamethrower while Flash ran up and used Close Combat on him.
Riku used Swords Dance and then ran over and proceeded to use Night Slash on him as Yveltal tried to whack them with its tail, but it didn't work out as Wendy used Wing Attack as Gajeel ran over and proceeded to use Iron Head to deal damage, then Yang ran over and let out a war cry while Natsu and Wendy were distracting Yveltal and she then used Sky Uppercut to knock Yveltal into the air.
Yveltal recovered and used Oblivion Wing on the two flying Pokemon, but they avoided and then he used Oblivion Wing on the ground, but they dodged as there was a huge explosion, but Kairi and Levy used Protect on them as Ampharos quickly used Electro Ball on Yveltal.
Nan quickly jumped into the air and used Close Combat then using Power-Up Punch right on the head, then backflipping and launching a powerful Aura Sphere right at the same time when Riku used Night Slash again and Levy using Hyper Beam.
Yveltal growled and used Roost to heal himself, but then Raichu used Thunder to deal major damage and Typlosion using Fire Blast, then using Flame Wheel, as Yveltal looked ready to be knocked down anytime soon as he used Oblivion Wing, but they quickly avoided as a few trees were knocked down.
"Gajeel! Let's take this guy down the old fashioned way!" Natsu suggested.
"Got it!" Gajeel nodded as the three got in formation as Kairi and Audino used Protect in case Yveltal got ready to attack again.
"SKY DRAGON…"
"FIRE DRAGON…"
"IRON DRAGON…"
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!"
With the powers of Flamethrower, Dragon Breath and… surprisingly enough, Hyper Beam combining into the Triple Dragon Roar (Or in this case, Triple Dragon Beam) and smacked right into Yveltal as it roared in agony and then fell to the ground in defeat, right as the same time as the Beheeyem and Nuzleaf.
End BGM
"I think I need to eat more iron… that was definitely NOT an Iron Dragon Roar…" Gajeel muttered.
"That was Hyper Beam." Nan said.
"I don't care WHAT it was, it wasn't my usual roar!"
"Oh, stop complaining… we already beat him." Levy said.
It was at this moment that Yveltal, Nuzleaf and the Beheeyem woke up, seeming to have snapped out of it. "Ugh… where in tarnation am I?" Nuzleaf wondered and before anyone could answer, they suddenly disappeared on them, much to their shock.
"They… disappeared?!" Weiss exclaimed in shock.
"Where did they go?!" Raichu asked.
"I don't know… For a moment there, it seemed as though they had recovered themselves, but…" Celebi muttered.
"That isn't what matters, team." Ampharos said as Rose and Maria Jr returned to them as Sabrina smiled at them. "We have to keep moving."
"Xarina's really close, I can feel it." Demyx said.
"Then let's go." Nan said as they proceeded to walk.
Heh Heh Heh…
"…Uh… Espurr? Did you just laugh?" Jirachi asked.
"It wasn't me… it sounded nothing like me." Espurr replied.
Heh… heh heh heh… heh hee… AHAHAHAHAHAHA!
"That… doesn't sound like any of us." Blake said.
"It's like it's coming from inside my head!" Celebi said.
Heh… all of creation… at last… AT LAST THE TIME HAS COME! NOW I SHALL LEAVE THIS WORLD!
"It sounds like… several different voices… and yet, they all speak as one…" Typhlosion said and then his eyes widened. "No… it can't be… could this be the voice of…?!"
Jirachi's eyes widened. "Is this… Dark Matter?!"
Suddenly, the world started to shake. "N-Now what?!" Ampharos wondered as they then saw the Tree of Life suddenly being uprooted from the Earth and slowly moving up from the sky, much to their shock… and then adding insult to injury, Raichu and Typhlosion changed back into Pikachu and Cyndaquil, probably because the Tree of Life was uprooted.
And also, the Mega Evolved Pokemon turned back to normal, not because the Tree of Life was leaving; it was most likely because they willed back into being normal Pokemon at the time being.
"Celebi, can you teleport us up there?" Jirachi asked.
"I've been trying since the second it pulled away from the ground, but the distortions created by Dark Matter are too strong!"
BGM: Make It! (Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon)
Pikachu clenched his fists. "No, I won't end it this way!" He exclaimed as he took off running, hopping off on the rocks that were falling and he tried to reach it, but it was getting farther away… but Jirachi and Celebi gave him a boost… and then surprisingly, Cyndaquil sprung into the air and also gave Pikachu a boost.
"Almost… there…!" Pikachu exclaimed as he tried to reach the root… he was so close… and yet… he started to fall back down to the earth with him screaming… and then he landed back on the ground and on top of Ampharos no less.
End BGM
"Agh…" Pikachu groaned. "A-Ampharos… did you… b-break my fall?"
"Th-that… I did… Even for someone as marvelous as me, though, absorbing such a blow… was a bit… tough…" He groaned.
"Jirachi, we can still fly!" Celebi said.
"And that we'll do!" Jirachi exclaimed as the two flew up as the Heroes who could fly joined them… but… it was so far for them that they wouldn't be able to reach it in time.
"No… it's getting farther and farther ahead…!" Celebi exclaimed.
"Agh… we can't even catch up to it…!" Natsu exclaimed, and they were forced to stop and watch it go up even further.
"Ugh, now what do we do?!" Jirachi asked.
"This can't be good…" Ven muttered.
It was then that the world was starting to be covered in dark energy once again while the Tree of Life had entered space.
BGM: Organization XIII (Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix)
AUUUUUUGH! ALL OF CREATION… HARKEN TO MY WORDS!
Dark Matter has started to speak once again.
THE TREE OF LIFE SHALL WITHER AND FALL! DEVOID OF ALL POWER, THE TREE NOW FLIES THROUGH SPACE… TO BE DRAWN INTO THE SUN!
The Earth was getting dangerously close to the Sun as it was getting bigger by the second.
THE WORLD NO LONGER SPINS. THE COURSE OF THIS PLANET IS NOW SET! IT SHALL BE CONSUMED BY THE SUN AS WELL! I AM… NO, ME! I'M… WE ARE… ALTOGETHER… DARK MATTER! AND WE SHALL RETURN THIS WORLD TO THE VOID!
WE WERE BORN OF YOU ALL… ALL OF CREATION BROUGHT US FORTH. THE HATRED AND JEALOUSLY YOU ALL BEAR… THE DARKNESS FOUND IN ALL CREATION. THE QUARRELS AND THE WARS… THE GRUDGES, THE PREJUDICES… ALL OF IT COMES TOGETHER TO GIVE BIRTH TO THE UGLINESS THAT I AM!
The Flying Pokemon came back down. "I'm sorry, we couldn't catch it…" Celebi muttered.
"It's not your fault." Ampharos said.
THIS IS WHAT YOUR NEGATIVITY HAS BORNE! THIS DOOM IS OF YOUR OWN MAKING! ALL BECAUSE THE UGLINESS WITHIN THE HEARTS OF POKEMON GREW TOO GREAT… YOU INVITED THIS UPON YOURSELVES!
"W-we're to blame…?" Pikachu asked.
"Grif, this is your entire fault! If you weren't so negative, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Sarge scolded.
"MY FAULT?!" Grif yelled. "WHAT'S THIS GOT TO DO WITH ME?!"
"Oh, you know why!"
CLING TO YOUR PRECIOUS PLANET…AND TOGETHER WITH IT…BE RETURNED TO NOTHINGNESS! THIS IS THE END!
"So… is this it?" Flare wondered. "Nothing to do but… watch this world get destroyed?"
End BGM
"It seems like it…" Cyndaquil muttered… and then suddenly, they heard a Pokemon roaring.
"Wh-what was that?!" Espurr asked as Celebi looked up.
"Everyone, look up! The Tree of Life!" Celebi exclaimed as they looked up.
Jirachi's eyes widened. "The space surrounding the Tree of Life is being distorted!"
"And look, something's stopped it!" Ruby said.
"But… who would stop it?" Aria wondered.
Up above, two certain Pokemon were stopping it with attacks… and they just so happened to be Deoxys and Rayquaza. "Do not… underestimate the power of Pokemon!" Deoxys said as Rayquaza roared, Mega Evolving as well and unleashing a powerful attack to stop the Tree of Life from moving.
Pikachu… Cyndaquil… Heroes of Light… A voice telepathically called out to them.
"Where's that voice coming from?" Isaac asked.
Listen to my words carefully… my name is Arceus… and before you ask, I am not the same Arceus the Heroes of Light are used to.
"Arceus?" Pikachu wondered.
Well, that answers THAT question. Nan thought.
Bringing together the power of all the Pokemon in this world… we will slow the ascent of the Tree of Life. We will prevent it from reaching the sun. We are using the psychic powers of a certain Pokemon to the fullest.
What Arceus is referring to is actually Mewtwo in its Mega Mewtwo Y form.
And those who can fly are attacking directly from the sky.
Up above, several flying Pokemon including three certain Legendary Birds were in view, attacking it as well.
Yet, if we get too close… we will all be turned to stone. Ampharos, the same is true for you all.
"Us?!" Ampharos exclaimed in shock.
That is right. Dark Matter's power is too strong from atop the Tree of Life. Your scarves may have protected you all during your recent battle against Yveltal, but that will not be the case where you are to go next. Only those in direct contact with the scarves will be protected from Dark Matter's ever-growing power.
"I see… then that leaves…" Ampharos looked at Pikachu and Cyndaquil.
Yes, Pikachu and Cyndaquil. As soon as all of you are ready, we will transport you to the Tree of Life.
"We?" Aria asked.
Yes, a certain Pokemon came into this world to help you. She is a Gothitelle that goes by the name of Yukari.
"Yukari?!" Sabrina exclaimed.
Indeed. She came to help as soon as she realized what was going on in this world. She will accompany you for the rest of your journey to save your friend and defeat Dark Matter. All of you are our final hope to save this world while we hold the Tree of Life back.
"We still have hope, Ampharos!" Jirachi grinned.
"What do you mean?" Pikachu asked.
"Ampharos and Jirachi traveled far and wide to try and reach the allies we need for this day. While you were in the Voidlands, they prepared for battle… and now the Pokemon have heeded the call… including a Pokemon named Yukari too. I guess she's a friend of these guys."
"Yep." Natsu nodded.
"But that seems like our end from this battle. The rest… is in your hands." Ampharos said.
"We'll take to the skies again!" Jirachi said as he and Celebi took off.
"Alright, let's do this." Sabrina said as a gap opened up in front of them while Arceus prepared to teleport Pikachu and Cyndaquil away as they ran into the gap, but all of them were unaware of Shadow Mewtwo quickly flying in and heading inside the gap.
Luckily, the gap closed before Homura could go in.
"Dammit…" Homura growled. "…No matter, I will wait for them until they defeated this Dark Matter." She said, proceeding to shroud herself in the trees and bushes.
I wasn't planning on having Yukari join them, but when Arceus explained that Yukari was going to help them get to the Tree of Life, I thought "...Eh, why not? Let's have Yukari join them."