Chapter 27: Evolutions…

As Riolu continues to slide down the mountain towards the snow covered ground, Snivy is out in the middle of the forest, training as hard as she possibly can for the upcoming war.

As Snivy swings her Leaf Blade at a cut up tree bark, she thinks with a serious expression in her eyes, 'I need to become stronger…'

After she hits the tree three times, she continues as she attempts to go for a forth cut, 'Riolu… I will become stronger and stay by your side through the war.'

After she hits the tree trunk for the fifteenth time, she has a serious expression on her face as she finishes, 'I won't stand by and wait like I did the last time!'

She slashes right through the tree trunk, sending the whole tree timbering down to the ground. After she lands on her feet in the snow, she starts recalling the time when she was left behind at the dock while Riolu went into the Underworld.

As she looks down at the palms of her hands, she thinks with a downed expression on her face, 'Riolu… I hope you come back from the Reverse Dimension soon…'

After Snivy closes her eyes, she thinks as she starts to glow bright white, 'Riolu… you are my… inspiration to keep going.'

After Riolu reaches the center of the forest, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Snivy standing there with her eyes closed while glowing bright white.

Riolu stays quiet and he thinks as he watches Snivy's appearance slowly changing, 'Snivy… you're finally evolving…'

After Snivy opens her eyes and looks in Riolu's direction, she finally evolves into Servine.

After her white glow faded away, she says to Riolu with a grin on her face, "It's about time you got back, Riolu."

Riolu walks toward Servine and he asks with a grin on his face, "So you finally decided to evolve, huh?"

Servine nods her head and she replies softly, "Yeah… I finally made my decision, Riolu…"

Riolu asks after he stops walking and is standing ten feet away from Servine, "What made you decide to evolve now, Snivy? I know you had the chance to evolve a long time ago, but what made you do it now?"

Servine replies as she looks down at her leaf hands, "I decided to evolve… because of what is coming up…"

She looks right at Riolu with a serious expression in her eyes and she says, "Arceus has told me that the war is going to be in at least three days. So I decided now's the time to evolve… because… I…"

Her voice trails off as she starts blushing slightly.

Riolu closes his eyes and grins with a calm expression on his face and he finishes her sentence, "You want to protect me, correct?"

Servine nods her head and she replies, "Yeah… I don't want to stand by doing nothing like the last time."

Her blush vanishes as she starts saying with a serious expression on her face, "Back then, I felt guilty letting you go through that Underworld mission on your own. If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't have to go through with this!"

Riolu's grin vanishes from his face and he asks, "What do you mean, Servine?"

Servine continues with tears of sadness rolling down her rosy red cheeks, "The fact that you have to fight an old friend! The heartbreak of fighting a good friend that you have to end up killing in the end! If I went along with you and managed to keep you safe, you wouldn't have to go through this emotional pain of fighting an old friend like Zoroark!"

But Riolu remains with an expressionless look of his face and he replies, "Servine… this is not your fault. None of this is your fault."

But Servine replies with the tears growing thicker, "But it is, Riolu! Now you have to go through the pain of fighting an old friend to the…!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Riolu blurts out with a serious expression on his face, "Servine! None of this is your fault!"

Servine stops in mid-sentence and she listens as Riolu says with a serious expression on his face and in his eyes, "What happened back then wasn't your fault! It was my own fault for being caught by Darkrai! Everything happens for a reason!"

Riolu lowers his voice to normal levels and he continues with the same expression on his face, "Servine… if you actually went with me that day, you would be caught up in the same thing that I went through. You would have lost your memory like me, or far worst…"

Servine asks with a curious expression in her teary eyes, "What do you mean, Riolu? What happened on that day that caused you to be caught?"

Riolu closes his eyes and he repeats in a serious tone, "Darkrai… he showed me proof that he didn't have an apprentice yet by destroying his own fortress with both of us still inside. He weakened me severely from the collapse and took me into his chambers,"

He Riolu told what happened, Servine started to picture it in her head as well.

Riolu is in Darkrai's chamber, his wrists and ankles tied up to the corners of the wooden table.

Riolu says to Servine as Darkrai forms out of the shadows right by the wooden table, "Servine… if you went with me that day, he would have killed you. He knew that I had the Heaven Spirit Blade within me, so he took advantage of that,"

As Darkrai places his right palm over Riolu's forehead in the story with black aura radiating out of it, Riolu continues to say to Servine, "He used me to take the Hell Spirit Blade out of the Underworld. He knew that if I took the blade out, the gates of Hell would finally open up again. That means Zekrom's purposes as the Hell Spirit Blade were for nothing,"

As black aura flows throughout Riolu's head in the story making him scream in pure agony, Servine asks with a confused expression in her eyes, "What do you mean?"

As the black aura forms back into Darkrai's hand and he disappears back into the shadows in the story, Riolu continues as he opens his eyes and replies, "The two spirit blades of Afterlife. They are not actually blades, but they are keys to the gates of Heaven and Hell. Not only that, but the spirit blades were made by the sacrifices of Reshiram and Zekrom."

As Riolu slides down the wooden table after the restraints on his wrists and ankles disappeared in the story, Servine replies with a shocked expression on her face, "Unbelievable! What else happened while you were in the Reverse Dimension?"

As Riolu gets back up onto his feet and looks around the chamber with a confused expression on his face in the story, Riolu replies with a serious expression on his face, "I confronted Reshiram within my soul. The Heaven Spirit Blade has reverted into its true form, allowing Reshiram to come out as a spirit and he told me the full truth,"

As Riolu walks to the Hell Spirit Blade and grabs a hold of the hilt, Riolu continues while looking down at his opened palms, "Arceus… he's the one that fused the Heaven Spirit Blade into my soul. He must have done that before I arrived in the Pokemon World. Anyway, Reshiram told me that once Arceus found out how to remove the Heaven Spirit Blade from the gates of Heaven, he was highly concerned that Darkrai would soon find out,"

As Riolu runs down the hallways of the underground chamber with the Hell Spirit Blade in hand in the story, Servine asks with a serious expression on her face, "I see what you're talking about now, but what will happen to the Heaven and Hell Spirit Blades now, since they are useless as keys now?"

After Riolu is suddenly sent into the snowy forest area that was once Zorua's home in the story, Riolu replies with a serious expression on his face while looking straight at her, "Once Zoroark and I engage in battle, the two spirit blades' powers will slowly combine in the area, causing an ice age to take place. However,"

After Riolu places the Hell Spirit Blade up in a tree and is swallowed up by darkness once again in the story, Riolu continues while putting his right palm over his chest,

"Once I manage to bring Zoroark to a close death, he'll lose his grip on the Hell Spirit Blade, releasing it out of his body. Of course, my Heaven Spirit Blade will also form out of my body, and once both blades shatter and the dead spirits of Reshiram and Zekrom remain, their dead souls will combine together, creating a more powerful blade,"

As Riolu wakes up in the forest once again and notices that he is surrounded by demons in the story, Riolu continues, "Of course, my main goal as a Pokemon is to kill Zoroark. But I still believe my other main goal was to help Reshiram and Zekrom create a new powerful spirit blade that Arceus and Darkrai won't be able to get to. But once I do kill Zoroark in battle, Servine,"

As Riolu tries to flee from the demons with cuts on his arms, chest, and face, Riolu says with a serious expression in his eyes, "Once I complete my goal, I will disappear along with Zoroark, Reshiram, and Zekrom… which means you will be left alone in this world. Arceus will be sealed away in his own world… once this is all over,"

As Zorua meets up with Riolu and fights against the demons on his own trying to save Riolu, Servine says with a concerned expression in her voice, "I see… but besides that, how do you plan on fighting against Zoroark, knowing that he was your friend?"

As Zorua runs away in his Riolu from, fleeing from the giant demon with the knocked out Riolu in his arms in the story, Riolu answers with a serious expression on his face, but a concerned look in his eyes, "I just have to go through with it… even though he was my friend back then…"

As the story fast forwards to the point where Zorua tried to kill Riolu by piercing his heart with his Night Slash attack, Riolu continues with a serious expression in his eyes now, "Zorua still tried to kill me that day. There's no question that he'll still try to kill me now, with Mienfoo by his side and in constant danger of getting killed. No matter what it takes,"

As Zorua disappears into the shadows with Dark Riolu, Maractus, Audino, and Mienfoo leaving Riolu behind in the snow in the story, Riolu finishes in a serious tone, "I need to complete my goal. Otherwise everything here will be destroyed, disappearing into darkness."

The story ends there and the mental picture vanishes from their heads.

After Riolu was done telling the story and what he heard from Reshiram, both Servine's and Riolu's eyes widen with shock as they feel a surge of power coming from an unknown area.

When Riolu looked in the direction where Hell's Island is located, Riolu's eyes widen with shock as he sees shadow black lightning flying up into the sky, brightening up the sky in an ominous black glow.

Servine looks in that general area and she asks with a shocked expression on her face, "What the hell is that?"

As Riolu looks in that direction, he hears Reshiram reply in his head, "Oh god… its Zekrom's energy! The Hell Spirit Blade has reawakened!"

As Riolu stares at the black lightning, he says with a serious expression on his face, "Zoroark… it seems as though our time for war is almost upon us,"

As Riolu continues to talk, large amounts of white aura fire erupts from Riolu's body as he began to glow bright white.

Servine looks right at Riolu with a shocked expression on her face and she says as Riolu's form began to change, "Riolu… you're…!"

But Riolu continues to say during his evolution, "Zoroark… I won't allow you to win this battle. Once the time comes for war, I won't go easy on you,"

He continues as the white fire aura grows stronger, reaching for the skies like the black lightning, as if letting Zoroark and Darkrai know what's coming, "I'll use my full power against you. I will keep you from being a piece in Darkrai's strategy!"

Servine looks up at the rising white fire and she thinks with a look of shock on her face, 'H-his power is equal to Zoroark's! How is that even possible?'

After Riolu stopped glowing white and evolved into Lucario, the white aura fire still reaches pass the clouds as he says, "Darkrai… be ready for me, for I will be sure that you lose!"

After the white fire dies off and forms back into Lucario's body, he looks back at Servine with a serious expression on his face and he says, "We must get ready for the war, for I have a feeling it'll come sooner than we originally thought…"

Servine has a concerned expression on her face as she asks, "Why do you think that?"

Lucario replies as he starts walking towards the mountain direction, "From the energy levels I've just released during my evolution, there's no doubt that Darkrai will notice it. He will notice that my power is now equal to Zoroark's…"

He starts running towards the mountain with Servine following from behind.

As they both rush to the mountain, Zoroark and Darklone are going through another never-ending training battle.

Darklone is standing his ground using his two webbed-hands like wings as shields, as the surges of power coming from Zoroark's black lightning aura rams into him like tidal waves.

As Zoroark howls like a demon in the middle of the massive discharge of black lightning, Darklone thinks as he looks in the Mirage Island direction, 'Lucario, huh?'

When he looked back at Zoroark, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Lucario's power is now equal to Zoroark's power! I guess that mean the time for war is about to arrive.'

After the discharge of black lightning dies off and forms back into Zoroark's body, Zoroark falls onto his hands and knees, panting heavily with a look of exhaustion on his face.

After Darklone slightly moved his wings, he has a shocked expression on his face as he sees both of his wings fall to the ground with blood pouring out of the wound like water in a vase.

As Darklone looks down at his destroyed wings, he thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'Zekrom… it seems like you're finally starting to reawaken into your true form.'

When Darklone looked directly at Zoroark, he says as he begins to glow bright black, "It seems as though the time for war is about to arrive, Zoroark."

When Zoroark turned his head in Darklone's direction, his eyes widen with shock as he sees Darklone changing once more.

Zoroark thinks as he sees four webbed-hand like wings grow out of his back, three spear like bones growing out of each side of his back, and Darklone's hair growing longer and turning into black and purple fire, 'So this is your true form, huh? But why does your energy level feel slightly weaker than mine?'

After Darklone stopped glowing black and fully evolved into Darkdeath, he says with a serious expression in his black colored eyeballs and red colored eyes, "Zoroark, it is time for you to rest! For tomorrow, the war shall begin!"

As Zoroark slowly gets back up onto his feet, he hears a female voice ask, "Shall I rest as well, Lord Darkdeath?"

Zoroark and Darkdeath looked where they heard the voice and they see Mienshao standing there with a shadow black, three bladed scythe in her hands.

Blood drips down from the three blades as Darkdeath replies with a serious expression on his face, "It seems as though your training battle was a success after all. How many of them did you kill?"

Mienshao replies with a serious expression on her face, "All that went against your will, Lord Darkdeath."

Darkdeath has a serious grin on his face as he replies, "Very good. Get yourselves prepared for tomorrow!"

As Zoroark and Mienshao headed out of the forest area of the island, Darkdeath thinks with a serious expression on his face, 'It's been a long time since a war like this took place. But now, the second war between Heaven and Hell shall begin tomorrow!'

After Darkdeath disappears into the shadows, an island out in the middle of the ocean in one hundred miles away from Hell's Island forms out of the water.

As the island slowly forms out of the water, a deep and powerful voice says, "My rebirth… shall come tomorrow. Reshiram and Zekrom… good luck tomorrow."

After the voice vanishes, the island is out of the water and is slowly flying up into the sky near the clouds of the evening sky.

After it reaches the sky, a huge coliseum takes form out of the ground in the middle of the floating island, waiting for the next day to come.