Chapter 2: Darkness - Remastered
Ash's eyes snapped open; his entire body drenched in cold sweat. Almost leaping to his feet, he glanced about wildly; as if expecting one of the horrific creatures to suddenly lunge at him. Both to his relief and vexation, he found himself staring at the interior of his bedroom.
"Pi?" a familiar voice called out to him. Turning his gaze downward, his eyes were met with the curious orbs of his first Pokemon.
"Pikachu…" Ash said softly.
That's right. He was back in Pallet Town after the defeat of Team Flare and the cancellation of the Kalos League. "Just a dream…" he murmured to himself; falling wearily back onto his bed. Turning to face the open window, he saw the sun high in the sky. A quick glance at his bedside alarm clock told him it was nine in the morning. He'd slept in a fair amount.
"Better get up before Mom starts nagging," Ash said; grinning at Pikachu, who cooed in response. He quickly he sat up and stretched his limbs out. He froze, however, upon feeling something press against his chest as he was doing his stretches. A feeling of trepidation trickling into his mind; he slowly reached down and grasped the object.
Pulling the unidentified object out of his shirt, he could only stare at it in total shock. It was the very same charm he'd been given in the dream last night. 'Where did this come from?' Ash's mind was racing. He had no memory of owning something like this; let alone wearing it to bed.
"Pikachu, do you recognize this?" he asked; turning towards the electric rodent and holding the charm out. Pikachu sniffed at it for a few moments before shaking his head.
"Pika."
Apparently not. But that could only mean…
"It wasn't a dream…?" the sixteen year-old whispered; holding the star-shaped pendant up to the light. He admired it for several moments as it gleamed beautifully in the morning sunlight before placing it around his neck.
Almost immediately, he could… feel several unknown presences. One by one, the presences grew closer. The first did so without hesitation, while the other two approached at a more wary pace. He wasn't entirely sure how or why, but for some reason, he wasn't alarmed by it. If he were to be honest, he actually felt calmer than he did a few moments ago.
Ash smiled ever-so-slightly. It felt… nice.
A suddenly knock on his bedroom door broke him from his reverie. "Ash, honey?" the voice of his mother called to him from the other side. "Are you awake yet? Your breakfast is getting cold!"
"One second, Mom!" the teen replied; quickly tucking the charm back into his shirt before beginning to change into his usual outfit during his adventures in Kalos.
They'd returned to Pallet just yesterday after bidding a heartfelt farewell to Serena, Clemont and Bonnie. Though it'd been painful to say goodbye, they'd all promised to meet again soon. Clemont and Bonnie were actually due to arrive in Kanto sometime within the next few days, having just taken a day to check on the gym before heading out again. Serena had been asked by her mother to stick around for a few week or two but would most likely be soon to follow.
Shaking his head to avoid losing himself in memories of his companions, Ash and Pikachu quickly made their way downstairs where the smell of his mother's famous eggs and bacon was wafting. Feeling his mouth beginning to water, he eagerly sat down and proceeded to gorge himself; as usual.
"Oh, dear," Delia giggled to herself from where she was washing the dishes. "Still haven't learned your table manners, have you Ash? You and Pikachu... I honestly sometimes wonder how those girls put up with you…"
"Wha wash tha?" the teen asked through a mouthful of bacon goodness.
"Pi?" the yellow mouse similarly asked through a mouthful of ketchup.
"Oh, nothing," she said; shaking her head bemusedly. "So, what were you planning on doing today, sweetie?"
"Well, I promised Professor Oak I would show him my Mega Evolutions," Ash explained after successfully swallowing his food. "He wanted to see them yesterday, but we were just too tired from the plane ride back."
"Well, it would be bad manners to keep the professor waiting," Delia said; waving her hands in a shooing motion. "Go on, now. No need to lick your plate clean."
"Thanks, Mom," the raven-haired boy smiled. "I missed your cooking."
"You're welcome, sweetheart," she replied with a soft smile of her own. She ruffled his hair affectionately before placing his signature hat atop his head. "Now go. The professor is waiting!"
"Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed; offering his arm, which Pikachu gladly used as a springboard before taking his place on his shoulder. "We'll be back later, Mom!"
"Have fun!" Delia called out; watching as he took off out the door. Smiling to herself, she shook her head. "Just like his father…I wonder where you are now, beloved?"
Once again shaking her head, the brown-haired woman resumed her daily chores; humming a cheerful tune as she did.
"Hello?" Ash called out as he and Pikachu entered the eerily silent mansion owned by Pallet Town's resident Pokemon Professor. "Is anyone h—"
Before he could even finish his statement, he felt the ground beginning to rumble. He didn't even have time to share an alarmed look with Pikachu before someone came tumbling down the stairs and landed at his feet.
"Argh! My back!"
"Er… are you okay, Professor?"
"Ash?" Oak glanced up at him in surprise. "Ash, my boy! You're here!" The man leapt to his feet as though he hadn't just taken a potentially deadly fall down the stairs. "Excellent, now I can see your Mega Evolution firsthand!"
"Are you… sure you're okay?"
"Nonsense!" The professor scoffed and flexed his right arm. "I'm as right as rain! Now let's head out to the back!"
Ash could only watch as the somewhat eccentric old man made his way towards the backdoor. "Pika…" His Pokemon said in an exasperated tone.
"Took the words out of my mouth," the teen chuckled before following the man outside. Before his eyes could adjust to the light, however, he found himself being tackled to the ground by a large creature. "Argh! Bayleef!"
"Bay, Bay!" the grass-type cried out affectionately as she rubbed her face against him.
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Bay!"
"Now, now!" Professor Oak quickly pulled the overly-affectionate sauropod off of him. "I understand you're excited to see your trainer, but there will be plenty of time for that later!"
"Sorry, Bayleef," Ash said; patting her on the head. "We'll play later, I promise. Could you do me a favor and gather the others? I have some new friends to introduce to you guys."
"No need," Oak said; his eyes locked on an incoming dust cloud rapidly approaching their location. "It looks like they're already on their way."
"Oh, boy…" Ash gulped. Licking his lips, he moved several yards in front of the house and waited until the stampeding Pokemon were just twenty yards away. "STOP!" Amazingly enough, the Pokemon obeyed; skidding to a halt just a few meters away from his person. "Whew. That was close. It's great to see you guys again!"
A cacophony of noise was their response as they each called out to him in their own unique way. His thirty Tauros even began stomping their hooves in excitement; causing miniature earthquake. "Alright, alright!" Ash chuckled, a beaming smile on his face. "Are you guys ready to meet your new friends?" Once more, they each bellowed out their approval. "Some of them, you've already met. Talonflame, Hawlucha, Noivern. Front and center!"
The three indicated Pokemon stepped out from the crowd and stood single file in front of him. Patting each of them on the head, he leaned in to whisper. "I'm sorry you guys had to stay here," he whispered. "I needed as much firepower as possible to stop Team Flare and Zygarde."
They each gave him a reassuring trill. They didn't hold it against him. Ash smiled at this and turned to face his Pokemon as a whole. "Unfortunately, our friend Goodra decided to stay behind in Kalos to protect his friends in the wetlands," he said with a proud, albeit melancholy smile. "But I've still got two more friends to introduce." Reaching for his belt, he unclipped two Poke Balls and tossed them into the air; unleashing the creatures within.
One was a large, blue, bipedal, frog-like Pokémon with a pink tongue wrapped around its neck like a scarf.
The other was a white, bipedal Pokémon with a lower body resembling a slim ballroom gown and a head of blue hair. An intricate pendant hung around her neck, resting just over the heart.
"This is Greninja and Gardevoir, say hello, everyone!" Greninja simply nodded in his awesome ninja-way while Gardevoir gave the gathered Pokemon a graceful bow. Unbeknownst to Ash, Bayleef immediately zeroed in on this new addition. The psychic-type was standing far too close to their trainer for comfort...
"Bayleef, what's wrong now?" The teen gave his Pokemon a confused frown as she dashed forward and began nuzzling him again.
"Baaaay!" The sauropod whimpered, sending a glare at the blue-haired intruder. Gardevoir glared right back at her. Ash and Pikachu could only watch in growing confusion as lightning began crackling between their eyes. Standing on Ash's other side, Greninja simply shook his head, facepalming slightly.
Ash turned to see Professor Oak looking rather impatient with their antics. Chuckling to himself, he turned back towards his Pokemon. "Uh, a little help?" In response, a pair of vines extended from the crowd and wrapped themselves around Bayleef. The grass-type cried out in dismay as Bulbasaur dragged her away. Gardevoir sent her a smug look before letting out an indignant squawk as Greninja prodded her in the ribs with Night Slash.
"Nin." The frog's voice was deadpan as he stared at her. The psychic let out a whine, only to be silenced with a glare and another jab.
"Haha..." Ash smiled weakly. "Anyway, some of our old friends have gotten a new makeover, which is what the professor is dying to see. Up front you two."
The two Pokemon ceased their glaring follow his instructions, stepping away from the group in order to make room. Ash reached for his final three Poke Balls. "Heracross, Sceptile, Charizard, come on out!" The aforementioned Pokemon each appeared in a flash of light. While physically, they appeared unchanged, each of them had a gleaming stone strapped to their bodies; much like the accessories Serena was so fond of.
"I see that you look confused," Ash said; gazing at the faces of his Pokemon. "You'll understand in just a minute."
"Are these the Mega Stones?" Professor Oak questioned; eagerly examining the gems strapped to the four Pokemon. "What about the Key Stone? How will you induce the evolution?"
"Right here," Ash grinned; holding up his hand to reveal a black band around his wrist. Attached to the band was a translucent stone that shimmered in the presence of the Mega Stones. Placing his first two fingers against the stone, he watched in gleeful amusement as the five aforementioned Pokemon were each enveloped in a bright, iridescent light; prompting Professor Oak to leap back with a startled yelp.
As the light faded, the Professor and Ash's older Pokemon could only look on in awe. Each of the gathered five had transformed; power radiating off of each of them like the heat from a furnace.
Heracross had grown bulkier and now had orange markings etched upon his exoskeleton. His arms had thickened to the size of tree trunks and his horn had elongated. The Heracronite belt around his waist had been a given to him by Alexa, who'd found the stone somewhere in Santalune Forest while visiting her sister.
Stretching his elongated wings to their fullest extend, Charizard let out a proud roar. His tail had gained armor-plated spikes and his arms had grown sail-like protrusions. Likewise, the Charizardite Y band equipped to his tail had been a gift from Trevor, who'd decided to give up league battles in favor of becoming Professor Sycamore's assistant.
Standing beside him with a lazy expression on his face, Sceptile's head crest had become even more pronounced and his tail had likewise elongated; with a bright red, barbed stinger attached to the tip. His barbed tail was twitching almost unconsciously, as it could be launched at his opponents like a missile. The Sceptilite band around his arm had been given to him by Sawyer after his loss to Ash in the Kalos League.
In the excitement, Gardevoir had once again taken a position on Ash's left side, as was her custom. The Embrace Pokemon's gown had expanded to resemble a bridal dress; turning a deep black and the red crest upon her chest that represented her heart had grown even more prominent which, according to a certain Champion, symbolized her overflowing emotions. The Gardevoirite pendent around her neck had been entrusted to him by Diantha herself; along with the egg that housed the same baby Ralts that stood before them now, fully-evolved.
And of course, there was Greninja, his star Pokemon in the Kalos League. Standing on Ash's other side with his arms crossed, the crest on his head had changed to a pitch-black color, with a bright red streak running through it; greatly resembling Ash's hair and hat. On his back was an enormous Water Shuriken that could be thrown and returned to him at will.
Unique to him, Greninja had no Mega Stone. No one Ash had spoken to quite understood why this was possible. Not even the ninja village Sanpei hailed from understood it entirely. All that was certain was that it required both trainer and Pokemon to be in complete sync. But it was this unknown power that allowed the two of them to go toe-to-toe with a Champion's Pokemon. While is memories of that particular battle were fuzzy, (having passed out just as the battle reached its climax) according to Clemont, Greninja had very nearly defeated Diantha's Gardevoir; an incredible feat in and of itself.
"Incredible," Oak murmured as he examined each of them in detail. "You know, when Augustine first proposed the possibility of Mega Evolution, most of us wrote it off as preposterous. But to see it now, in all its glory… It's humbling, to be honest. There's still so much we don't know. So much we'll probably never know."
"You're telling me," Ash said; shaking his head. "I had trouble believing that they'd discovered a fairy-type of all things. But now here I am, with a fairy-type as one of my powerhouses."
"Yes," the professor turned his attention to his Mega-Gardevoir. "This Gardevoir of yours… I noticed that it is a unique color I've never seen before. I take it that she is shiny, but what I was not expecting was that it would cause such a dramatic change in coloration upon mega evolving."
He emphasized this by gently stroking Gardevoir's long black gown, not noticing the annoyed glare the pyschic-type was currently throwing him.
"Professor Sycamore was pretty shocked too," Ash nodded with a wry grin upon seeing his Pokemon's rapidly growing annoyance. She'd never liked being touched by strangers. "So was Diantha. She was the one who gave her to me as an egg; along with a Gardevoirite."
"A Pokemon bred from Champion-level stock," Oak whistled, as he began his examination even more fervently than before. "Her species is known to bond with their trainers on a psychic level. There's a reason they're known as the Embrace Pokemon. It's no surprise she grew so quickly or that it were able to Mega Evolve so soon after receiving her. Why, I—"
The raven-haired teen had to restrain himself from laughing as Gardevoir finally lost patience with the man's tomfoolery. With a deep breath, the Embrace Pokemon unleashed a deafening cry, sending the professor flying backwards and landing in a comedic heap several yards away.
"Argh! W-What was that?!" Oak cried out, his ears still ringing from the sheer volume of the attack.
"T-That was Hyper Voice." Ash snickered slightly. Pikachu had no such reservations and was openly laughing at the man's misfortune. His other Pokemon merely let out trills of amusement as Gardevoir gave an annoyed huff. Luckily she'd held back by a fair amount. A full-powered attack from a Mega-Gardevoir would have very likely ruptured the Professor's eardrums.
"I-I see!" The Professor said this with a small grin, to which Ash merely shook his head. Professor Oak had always been a bit of a weirdo. I mean, who actually enjoyed getting hit by attacks? "Well, I must say it packs quite a punch!"
"She is one of the strongest," Ash said proudly. And it was true. She'd come a long way from the baby Ralts that only knew how to Teleport. "Of course, all of my Pokemon are strong in their own way." The teen scratched Pikachu behind the ear, earning a coo of affection from the yellow mouse. "It just so happens that only these five are capable of Mega Evolution. Well, the only ones I have Mega Stones for, at least."
"Yes, well; that may not be such a big problem in the future." The professor said, rubbing his ears. "You see, there was a bit of an... incident in the Hoenn region. Someone challenged Steven with a full team of mega-evolved Pokemon. Of course, Steven and his own Megas still came out on top, but the damage caused to the stadium was extensive and the league is considering limiting trainers to only mega evolving one Pokemon per battle."
"Makes sense," Ash shrugged before stretching. "Well, are we done, Professor? Because—"
"Oh, we're not done," Oak said with an ominous smile. "I have quite a few tests I'd like to run with your new Mega Pokemon."
"...Eh?"
As it turned out, it wasn't until dusk that the professor let him go home. His Pokemon were all too eager to escape from the constant tests and with a farewell wave to his other Pokemon, Ash took his leave.
"I'm home!" The trainer groaned as he stepped through the front door. His mother said something unintelligible from the kitchen area but in his exhausted state, he paid it no heed; merely trudging up the stairs towards his room and collapsing onto his bed.
Minutes later, the sound of snoring reverberated through the house and downstairs, Delia could only roll her eyes with a giggle. "Typical Ash." Covering her son's dinner in plastic wrap, she placed it in the microwave. He would eat whenever he decided to wake up.
Yawning to herself, the woman stretched her limbs. Hmm. Perhaps he had the right idea. A quick nap couldn't hurt, could it?
Some time later, Ash found his eyes snapping open. Gazing about blearily, he looked for whatever it was that woke him up; only to come up empty. Strange. He was, admittedly, a pretty heavy sleeper.
"You awake, Pikachu?" he called out into the dark. No answer. "Still sleeping, huh?" Standing up, he glanced at the clock, only to find his eyes widening as he quickly focused his attention on it.
It was only 7:00PM in the middle of summer. It should not have been this dark out already. Moving towards the window, he gazed outside to see the entire street shrouded in darkness. It was… unnatural. Unnerving.
"Hey, Pikachu, wake up!" Ash called out. There was no answer. "Pikachu?" The boy grasped wildly for his bedside lamp and flipped the switch.
It didn't turn on.
"What's happening…?" he murmured nervously. Ash fumbled around his room, looking for the door. "Mom? Are you there?" Predictably, there was no answer. Carefully feeling his way down the stairs, he gazed about the living room. There was no light anywhere to be found. The house was silent.
Making his way outside, he saw that the street was likewise dark; the only sound for miles being the violent swaying of trees in the rapidly strengthening wind. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Ash reached for his belt. To his relief, his Poke Balls were still attached.
"Gardevoir, use Flash!" He ordered, releasing his Pokemon. The psychic-type appeared and raised her hands skyward. Within the palms of her hands, a bright orb of light appeared; illuminating the entire street.
And more importantly, the hundreds of eyes gazing upon them. The shadows began to move. 'No,' Ash thought in horror. 'Those things from my dream!'
Suddenly, one of them lunged at them. "Use Hyper Voice!" he cried. Gardevoir responded immediately, inhaling rapidly before unleashing an ear-splitting cry. obliterating the creature at his command. As one, the remaining shadows began surging forward.
"Charizard, Sceptile, Heracross, Greninja!" Ash called out, releasing each of his Pokmeon.
"Pikapi!"
"Pikachu!" He nearly collapsed in relief at the sight of his oldest Pokemon. "Where were you, buddy? Where's Mom?"
"Chu…" The electric-type shook his head. He didn't know.
"Well," Ash swallowed past a lump forming in this throat. "We can figure it out later. Right now, we need to deal with these things." Pikachu nodded his agreement and turned his attention to the shadows creeping closer and closer; his cheeks sparking. "Thunderbolt!"
"Chuuuuuuuuu!" The rodent cried out as several thousand volts of electricity were unleashed upon them. Whilst effective; it did little to stem the oncoming tide.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash ordered. "Sceptile, Leaf Storm! Heracross, Pin Missile! Gardevoir, Psyshock! Greninja, Water Shuriken!"
The party of Pokemon each unleashed their most powerful ranged attacks, combining their strength to deliver a devastating blow. An enormous explosion wracked the street and sent any remaining shadows scurrying away.
"Alright! Now let's go before—"
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out.
Ash felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and his body instinctively tense. He spun around just in time to see one of the shadows lunging at him; its claws gleaming in the moonlight. The boy instinctively raised his arms to protect himself and closed his eyes shut; gritting his teeth.
Suddenly, a bright light began emitting from the palms of his hands. The shadowy creature instantly shrunk back as though it were afraid. The Pokemon could only watch in awe as the light began to take shape.
When he felt no pain, Ash warily opened his eyes, only to do a double take at what he saw. "W-What are these?" In his hands were two incredibly strange weapons. The one in his right hand was white and blue in color. It had two white angel wings for a hand-guard. Its shaft held two hearts and the teeth of the blade were ornately designed into the kanji for 'hikari'. Light. A key-chain with the a star that resembled the charm he received in his dream was attached to the pommel.
In his left hand was a vaguely similar weapon. This time, however, the hand-guard was comprised of two black bat-like wings extending downward. The shaft was deep black and the teeth were designed into the kanji for 'yami'. Darkness. Attached to the pommel was a key-chain in the shape of a black crown.
In the back of his mind, Ash noted that each of them was beautiful in its own right. And although he had never seen them before in his life, they felt… right. Like they belonged with him. As he raised the two weapons into a defensive posture, he felt the charm around his neck start to grow warm. Almost as though reassuring him that everything would be alright.
There was no more time to think on the matter, as the creatures once again began creeping closer. Turning towards his stunned Pokemon, he spoke in a clear, confident voice. "They're coming. There's no time to explain. I'm not even sure what's going on myself. But from now on, we're fighting side-by-side. I won't be able to give you orders the same way I did before. Trust in your instincts. I'll be relying on you to support me and vice versa. Understand?"
Although confused, they each nodded; gazing at the blades curiously. Turning his attention back to the oncoming horde of shadows, Ash readied himself. As one of them lunged at him, he slashed it clean in half with his white blade before pivoting and slashing yet another with his black blade. Just like in his dream, the movements came to him naturally; as though he'd been using these weapons for years beforehand.
Exactly how this was possible, Ash wasn't certain but he wasn't about to complain; despite the timing being awfully convenient.
In front of him, Heracross rammed into a group of them with a Megahorn attack before Focus Punching another clear across the street. A spout of fire from above told him that Charizard had taken to the sky. The fire-type let loose a bellowing roar as it unleashed a flurry of flames upon the shadowy horde.
From the rooftops, Greninja and Sceptile were taking turns dashing through them with Night Slash and Leaf Blade; leaving nothing but dissolving bodies in their wake. And beside him, Pikachu and Gardevoir guarded his back with a more defensive approach; destroying anything that got too close.
In almost no time at all, their enemies had been defeated and the six Pokmeon and one trainer were left standing in an empty street; the only available light coming from Charizard's tail flame and the weak moonlight streaming down from above.
"Just what in the world is going on here?" Ash murmured.
"Pikapi…" Pikachu said softly.
"I know." The boy shook his head. "I'm worried too." He turned towards his Pokemon. "Sceptile, Greninja. You two are the fastest. I want you to search the houses for any signs of life or disturbance. If you see any more of those things, run. Do not engage. Meet up back at Professor Oak's lab. Understand?"
"Sceptile."
"Nin."
The two nodded their understanding and took to the rooftops once more. Turning towards his sole fire-type Pokemon, Ash continued. "Charizard, cover them from the air. You're strong. If things start looking ugly, carry them back yourself."
The dragon-like Pokemon let out a low, rumbling growl and took to the air; circling above the town once he'd reached a desirable altitude. Ash stared after him for a few moments before returning his attention to his remaining Pokemon.
"The rest of you are with me," he said. "Gardevoir, can you teleport us to the lab?" The dual psychic/fairy-type nodded and raised her hands skyward once again. Before Ash even realized what had happened, he found himself staring at the interior to Professor Oak's mansion.
"I'll never get used to that," Ash murmured; shaking his head. He cleared his throat. "Professor Oak? Are you here?" He slowly made his way towards the lab area; waiting to hear a response. "Professor, there's something wrong with the town. My mom is missing! Hello?"
There was no reply and Ash felt his hopes drop. "...Gardevoir, can you detect anyone here? The Professor? His assistants? My Pokemon?" The psychic-type's eyes glowed white for several moments before fading away. She shook her head. "Thought so…"
Suddenly, Pikachu's ears twitched. "Pi…?" Without warning, the mouse began running further into the house.
"Wha— Pikachu, where are you going?!"
"Pika!" The electric-type replied without stopping. Feeling hopeful, Ash raced after him. The party ran through the silent laboratory for several minutes; the only sounds echoing through the halls being his footfalls and the buzzing of Heracross's wings as he flew after them.
Eventually, Pikachu led them to a half-opened door. From within, they could hear a voice murmuring quietly to itself. "Professor?" Ash called out as he cautiously opened the door. "Is that—"
There was no one in the room and the teen once again felt his hopes plummet. Just where was everyone?! It turned out the voice had been coming from a computer. It was Professor Oak's voice, but it was clear that it was a simple recording.
"-ave won the Kalos League had Team Flare not interrupted. He has even mastered Mega Evolution! The boy truly has come far since he first left Pallet Town…"
"...Why was this left on?" Ash wondered as he walked towards the computer. The date read that it had only been recorded today a few scant hours ago.
"Pi," Pikachu shrugged. Ash glanced at the computer one last time before sighing.
"Well, we should probably go find Greninja and the others," he said. As he made to turn around, however, the computer resumed playing.
"...Something is terribly wrong." Professor Oak's voice sounded grave. Ash raised an eyebrow and returned his attention to the screen. "The Pokemon are all incredibly agitated. It's just like the incident on Shamouti Island five years ago. Pokemon as a whole seem to be deeply attuned with the inner workings of the world. Far more than humans, at any rate. What could possibly incite such a reaction?"
"The Pokemon were acting up?" Ash questioned. He turned towards his own Pokemon. "Did you guys feel this too?"
Gardevoir and Heracross both glanced at each other before nodding. Pikachu nodded vigorously and made some enthusiastic gestures. "Pika pi pikachu!"
"...That's why you weren't there when I woke up, wasn't it?" Ash asked. "You were trying to figure out what's wrong."
"Chu." The mouse nodded.
"Whatever is happening, it's getting worse!" The recording continued; the Professor's voice sounding noticeably distressed. "The Pokemon are panicking. It's all we can do to keep them— ARGH! The Poke Balls! Get them in their—"
A loud, bellowing roar suddenly broke through the ambient noise; causing all of them to flinch. It took several moments for Ash to realize that it hadn't come from the computer.
"That's Charizard!" he exclaimed in alarm. Wasting no time, he dashed out of the room towards the back door and arrived just in time to see his fire-type landing with Greninja and Sceptile in tow. "Guys, what happened?"
"Nin, ninja!" the frog Pokemon said frantically; gesturing towards the town. Following his gaze, Ash felt his heart stop.
The entirety of Pallet Town had been engulfed in darkness. Hundreds upon thousands of beady yellow eyes gazed back at him; a veritable tide of shadow washing over his hometown. His life.
"H-How are we supposed to fight that…?" Ash whispered; his knees buckling.
Don't lose hope.
"Speak for yourself!" the teen snapped; prompting his Pokemon to turn to him in concern. "Those things took everything! How are we supposed to fight them?!"
The light will find a way.
Once again, he felt the charm around his neck grow warm as feelings of reassurance flooded through him.
The closer you get to the light…
"...the greater my shadow becomes…" Ash whispered. He closed his eyes and focused. Remember how it felt… In a flash of light, the two mysterious blades once again appeared in his hands.
You are chosen by the Keyblade.
"The Keyblade…?" he muttered. "...the mightiest weapon of all?"
"Pika?" Pikachu questioned; gazing at him in concern.
"It's alright, buddy," Ash said with a small smile. "You guys ready for one last fight?"
Charizard let loose a burst of flames as he roared in agreement. Heracross bumped his fists together in anticipation while Sceptile scoffed; offended that he even needed to ask. Greninja simply nodded while Gardevoir gave him an elegant bow.
"Pikachu!" His oldest companion pumped his fist; sparks flying from his cheeks. Ash chuckled at their exuberance even in the face of such staggering odds. His Pokemon were always ready to go the extra mile. And this time, he would be right alongside them.
"Alright, then!" Ash roared; placing a finger against his Key Stone. "Let's go!" In a blinding flash of light, five of his Pokemon Mega-Evolved as they each let loose a bellowing war cry. As Ash charged forward, the six Pokemon proudly followed him into the oncoming tide of shadows.
And just a few moments later, all he saw was darkness.
A/N: Hey, guys. Sorry for the delay. Those who've been checking in know that my health has been declining as of late. Thankfully, I'm starting to recover, so I should hopefully be able to resume writing.
So, yeah. I took some creative liberties with this chapter. The original was painfully short. so I thought it wouldn't hurt to expand upon it a bit since this chapter isn't really important in the grand scheme of things.
Gardevoir kinda comes out of left field. Don't worry about it. She was based off my Gardevoir that I caught back in the original Sapphire. My first ever shiny! She's been with me ever since and is currently sitting in my Alpha Sapphire party xD
Originally, she was just supposed to have a cameo, but her role ended up getting expanded upon when I expanded the chapter as a whole. Did you guys like the extended appearance of Ash's Pokemon?
And most importantly, should they appear later in the story? They won't really play a part in the main story, but I can have them show up in Hollow Bastion or something like that.
I'll start a poll on my profile.
Anyway, I thank you for your time. Thanks for reading!
- Your King
