Chapter 4: The Tale

The snow continues to fall as Zorua lies in the middle of the opening still knocked out. As he lies there, Mienfoo rushes into the opening and cries out Zorua's name. But Zorua does not reply. Mienfoo looks at the piles of ashes covering most parts of the opening, "There's no question about it. These are the ashes of the demons. But,"

Mienfoo is looking down at Zorua, standing right next to him with a worried expression on her face, "Did Zorua did this all on his own? Did he defeat all of these demons by himself?" Mienfoo kneels down and grabs a hold of Zorua's body.

When she gets him off of the ground and over her right shoulder, she starts to make a run for it back into the forest, getting out of the opening. After she leaves with Zorua, Darkrai appears from the shadows with a serious expression on his face.

"Zorua… that power you have received is a gift from me to you. You can use that power whenever you like. But remember this," Darkrai closes his eyes, "If you don't do as I say from now on, I'll force that power to take control of you."

Darkrai turns his back on the direction that Mienfoo went and disappears into the shadow once more. After he leaves the area, wind blows back through the area as if the disturbance in the area has finally vanished. The piles of ash vanish into the ground.

It takes Mienfoo twenty minutes to get back to her cabin. When she opens the door and gets inside, Audino looks right at Mienfoo and she asks, "So… did it happen again?" Mienfoo has a concerned expression on her face as she replies, "No. There are signs of life in him, but he's knocked out," Mienfoo looks down at Zorua's face, "He hasn't woken up yet."

Audino looks right at Mienfoo's bed and she says, "Place Zorua on your bed for now. I have something very interesting to tell you." Mienfoo nods her head, lays Zorua on her bed, and walks to Audino. When she gets to her, Audino says, "It's Riolu,"

Audino looks down at Riolu's face, "He's been talking in his sleep. But the words he's been saying is troubling me." Mienfoo asks with a troubled look, "What has Riolu been saying?" Audino replies with a serious expression on her face, "He's been screaming slightly as well. It's like he was being chased by something. He also kept on repeating the words Underworld, Darkrai, demons, and…"

Before she can finish her sentence, the door opens and Maractus comes walking in. Maractus has twenty Rawst Berries in her arms. Audino has a relieved look on her face as she says to Maractus, "Good work. That should be plenty of berries to recover Riolu's fever. He should also be able to wake up too."

Audino stops using her Heal Pulse on Riolu and says to Maractus while standing back up, "Place those berries on the table over there. I'll make those into Rawst Berries into a juice so Riolu can drink it." Maractus nods her head and places all of the Rawst Berries on the table top right by the front door and there's a window on top of the table.

While Audino goes to the table and brings out a bowl to put the Rawst Berries in she says to Mienfoo and Maractus, "As I was saying to Mienfoo before, Riolu was talking and screaming in his sleep. Riolu was only saying the words: Underworld, Darkrai, demons, and something called Hell Spirit Blade."

Mienfoo and Maractus have confused expressions on their faces as they ask, "The Hell Spirit Blade? What's that?" Audino replies while crushing the berries in the bowl with her hands, "It's one of the legendary swords of the Afterlife. The Hell Spirit Blade is a spirit blade that forms into the host's body. However, there is only one type of Pokemon the blade will accept,"

the berries become juice and Audino pours the juices in a cup, "The only type of Pokemon that it'll accept is one that has made a deal with Darkrai." As Audino walks towards Riolu with the Rawst Berry juice in the cup, Maractus asks, "How do you know so much about the two blades of the Afterlife, Audino?"

Audino helps lift Riolu's head up in the reclined position with her left arm which got Riolu to slightly open his mouth and she places the lips of the cup up to Riolu's lips and pours the juice down slowly into Riolu's mouth and she says, "Let's just say I've been studying about the legends of the afterlife,"

The cup empties and Riolu starts to slowly open his eyes, "But I'll talk to you all about that later. Riolu's waking up." But when Riolu opens his eyes partly, he says out of nowhere with a dazed look on his face, "N-no… don't… kill… them…"

After Riolu opens his eyes and regains his normal face, he sees Audino, Mienfoo, and Maractus looking right at him with looks of concern on their faces. Audino asks, "What do you mean by that, Riolu? Who was going to kill who?"

Riolu has a look of concern on his face as he says, "I don't know how to explain it, but I had a strange dream involving," Riolu looks directly at Zorua, "Zorua." Mienfoo asks with a look of worry on her face, "About Zorua? What was he doing in your dream?"

Riolu replies with a serious expression on his face, "For some reason, I saw Zorua going into a murderous rampage and killing Pokemon left and right," Riolu stops going further and just says, "But it was just a dream. I'm sure Zorua is not like that."

Mienfoo looks back at Zorua with an adoring smile on her face and she says, "You better believe it. I know Zorua isn't that type of Pokemon." While Mienfoo and Maractus looks at Zorua, Riolu just stares at Zorua with a troubling look on his face and he thought, "This feeling…"

Audino looks down at Riolu with a look of curiosity on her face, "Is everything all right, Riolu?" Riolu looks up at Audino with a calm look on his face and he replies, "I'll tell you about it later. Besides," Riolu looks right at Zorua and says, "Zorua is waking up." Audino looks directly at Zorua and sees him waking up slowly.

While Zorua slowly opens his eyes, Riolu thinks with a troubled look on his face, "Zorua… why am I feeling the spirit blade's aura radiating out of your body?" After Zorua opens his eyes all the way, he looks right up at Mienfoo and smiles. Mienfoo smiles back at Zorua and give him a hug on the bed.

As she hugs Zorua, Riolu thinks with a troubled look on his face, "My dream can't be right. Those two seem so close…" While Riolu stares at the two, Audino asks in a whisper with a troubled look on her face, "What are you thinking about, Riolu? What do you mean by that?"

Riolu looks up at Audino with a shocked expression on his face and he sees Audino's palms now hovering over his face with the Heal Pulse move still going. "So you heard my thoughts with that move, huh?" Riolu looks straight at Zorua and Mienfoo and he thought to where Audino can only hear,

"My dream involves you, Zorua, and your two teammates over there. I don't know if this all a coincidence, but…" Riolu closes his eyes and explains to Audino about his dream. After he finishes his thought, Audino replies back with a look of shock on her face by transmitting her words into the Heal Pulse technique, "That's impossible! That dream can't be right!"

Riolu has a troubled expression on his face as he thought to Audino, "I suppose I can tell you who I am and you can tell Mienfoo and Maractus later. Let me just start by saying that I've been trapped in the Underworld for about two months. I was on the run, trying to find the blade that you called the Hell Spirit Blade."

Audino has a surprised expression on her face as she replies, "Why were you in the Underworld, though?" Riolu replies while closing his eyes with a natural look on his face, "I'll explain it to you if you close your eyes and keep a straight face. We don't want Mienfoo and Zorua to know that we are talking in our thoughts,"

Audino closes her eyes and calms down, "Audino, I'm a human of the Milky Way Galaxy. I'm afraid I don't have any memory of why I was sent to the Underworld. The only thing I remember is waking up and finding myself being chased down by the demons of the Underworld. However, something told me to hunt down the Hell Spirit Blade and take it away from the Underworld. I still don't remember where that voice came from, but the one thing I know is that I was probably sent there to take the sword away from Darkrai…"

Before Riolu can finish his thought, he and Audino hear Zorua ask, "How's Riolu doing, Audino?" Both Riolu and Audino open their eyes and Audino replies, "His fever has gone down. But he still has a long way to go before the wound on his right arm recovers."

Riolu looks down at his right arm and his eyes widen when he sees the puncture would, revealing the muscles. Riolu has a calmer look on his face as he says to Audino, "I appreciate all that you've done, Audino. But…" Riolu places his left hand over his right arm and he says, "Why don't you take a break and let me take care of my arm."

When Audino looks down at his left hand, her eyes widen with shock as she sees white aura flowing out of Riolu's left palm and forming into his right arm. As the white aura went into Riolu's wound, it starts to close itself up at a slow rate, but far faster than what Audino is capable of doing on her own.

Audino thinks while canceling her Healing Pulse, "What kind of healing technique is he using? I've never seen anything like it! But," Audino focuses on the white aura coming out of Riolu's left palm and she thinks with a surprised expression in her face, "That white aura he's using is so powerful. Where did he get such power?"

While the three girls look right at the white aura with surprised expressions on their faces, Zorua is looking right at Riolu with a mesmerized expression on his face and he thinks, "Riolu… that white aura of yours can't be natural. Does that mean," Darkrai's voice comes into Zorua's head and he replies, "That's right, Zorua. He is indeed a threat."

Zorua has a serious expression on his face as he thinks to where only Darkrai can hear, "Why are you in my head, Darkrai?" Darkrai replies in a serious tone, "I'm here because I have a task for you accomplish. However, it will not be easy for you to accomplish." Zorua asks Darkrai, "What do you have in mind?"

After Darkrai tells Zorua his task, Zorua has an appalled look in his eyes and he replies, "N-no way! You want me to…!" Before Zorua could finish his sentence, Darkrai replies, "That's correct, but only when you find an opening to where no one can find you."

Zorua replies with a serious look in his eyes, "I d-don't know if I can do that… I mean they are…" Darkrai interrupts by saying in a serious tone, "You don't have a choice in the matter, Zorua. Remember, you signed the deal by taking my sword. If you don't do as I say, I can easily kill you and take you down to the Underworld to suffer for all eternity. So what's it going to be?"

Zorua closes his eyes and tries to calm down from the outside, but from the inside of his soul, he is staring at Darkrai face to face. Zorua replies while in his demon form, "I guess I have no other choice, Lord Darkrai. If that's what I must do, then I'll do it."

Darkrai says to Zorua with a serious expression on his face, "This'll be a difficult task, but you must be sure to be in a different form. Use my form when you're about to finish the job. Got it?" Zorua nods his head and he replies, "I understand… but you want me to take care of the others in town as well?"

Darkrai nods his head and he replies while disappearing into the shadows, "Yes… just be sure to use my form as many times as you can." After Darkrai disappears, Zorua thinks in his head with a troubled expression on his face, "What have I done?"