Authors' Note: If there are any questions, please leave a review and we will do our best and try to answer it!
Disclaimer: We don't actually own Pokemon.
Chapter Twelve: The Declaration of War
"Fools!" Darkrai snarled angrily as he stormed around the throne room of the Northern Kingdom. Matilda and Doomsday looked up from their prolonged chess game to see what the fuss was about. Several officers that had just reported in from Nuvema, Accumula, and Striaton knelt stiffly before the dark Pokemon.
"Check," Doomsday pointed out, and the two went back to their ceaseless chess game.
"B-But sir," One of the officers, an apologetic Bisharp, was trembling in front of his lord. "We were cut off from the outposts, which had been raided by rogues. There was no way―" he stammered, quivering with terror as the legendary Pokemon slowly moved towards him.
"You don't see a way because you're a numskull!" Darkrai's voice dripped with anger. The words sunk in like the poisonous sarcasm they were made of. "If you had defended Nuvema Town against that pawful of wretched buffoons, we wouldn't be in this mess right now!"
"Quite a pawful it was, wasn't it?" Doomsday murmured. "Took out the entire mighty Nuvema Police Force." Darkrai shot her a withering glare, but the general simply laughed and returned to her game.
"I expect that you all have the same excuses, don't you?" Darkrai turned back to the officers in front of him and snarled.
"I-I don't," a shaky commander said. "The magic globe would've worked had Charnette not been there! Which was General Blobby's fault!"
"Oh, go ahead and blame it on the quivering gelatin," Darkrai snapped crossly. "It's your fault for not shoring up the defenses around the casters! Ten more minutes! All we needed was ten more minutes to kill those pathetic rebels! And yet―you failed! And you didn't just fail... you failed deplorably."
A Conkeldurr officer made the mistake of snickering, which turned the Nightmare Pokemon's ferocious glare on him.
"And I suppose you thought you did better?" Darkrai fulminated irately. "A Tyranitar! That was all it took to knock you halfway across town and make us lose to the Accumula Rebellion!"
"Losing that battle was General Nova and Lieutenant Shaw's fault! They were the commanders for that! Why me?" the Conkeldurr complained indignantly, which was quite an imbecilic comment, as that turned up Darkrai's rage-o-meter.
"You were there! They might've been the commanders, but it was your army!" Darkrai berated angrily. "Your miserable army wasn't enough to hold back a couple of rebels. How many Pokemon were in your army, fool? Three hundred! Three hundred soldiers, idiot! And you lost to around thirty puny, little rebels driving stupid trading caravans!"
"It was Lieutenant Shaw that gave the order to retreat!"
"It was Lieutenant Shaw who had to take command of the entire force because you spent the fight knocked out like a rotten sack of turnip!" Darkrai reprobated harshly. "And you still dare to talk back to me, you little wretch?!"
"Well, yeah. It's how you have a conversation."
The entire room fell silent with dread.
Every pair of eyes turned towards the dim-witted Conkeldurr. Nervous glances and horrified gasps were all that could be seen and heard, excluding General Doomsday's cackling laughter.
"Oh, dear," she purred. "A mere coordinate talking back to the Great Lord? What disrespect! This certainly can't go unpunished, right?" She stood, her red robes enveloping around her as she did. "May I, my Lord?"
Darkrai's eyes were a mixture of horrifying hate and pure, unadulterated anger. There was nothing he hated more than being talked back to. There was nothing he hated more than being taunted, laughed at, and made a fool of.
"Finish him," he snarled fiercely.
The commanders scattered as Doomsday suddenly materialized in front of them. Her speed was so astonishingly and insanely fast that she seemed to have teleported, though she had not. The Conkeldurr only blinked once before Doomsday knocked him halfway across the room, sending him crashing against the ivory floor with such force that the glassy marble tiles broke.
"I hope you're paying for that," Matilda told Darkrai with a tone of mild annoyance. "Those were all the way from Sinnoh."
The Conkeldurr struggled, barely able to get back on his feet, but it was too late; General Doomsday's claws were already at his throat. He gulped, trying to rise, but the general's frigid stare had rendered all the muscles and nerves in his body useless. A thin, red claw traced the short fur round his neck.
"Tell me what the scenery's like down there, okay?" she purred, claws digging into his jugular.
The last thing the officer saw was the gleaming arctic eyes of the general.
The silence that followed afterwards was deadly and tinted with foreboding. The metallic clang of Doomsday's last attack reverberated through the entire room, resounding over and over again until all the Pokemon there were sick with apprehension. Doomsday laughed as she finished delivering the coup de grâce to the unfortunate commander and licked a white paw, her fur now stained a crimson red.
"L-Lord!" the Tranquill commander gasped. Her legs felt weak. She had never had one of her co-workers so mercilessly and brutally slain in front of her. Another commander supported her as she staggered, dizzy from the sight of the corpse of her slaughtered comrade. "W-Why did you..."
But Darkrai was no longer paying attention to the commanders. He was staring at a tapestry on a wall of the throne room. It depicted the machines of the Industrial Revolution at work, during which aircraft and explosives had been invented. A wild, somewhat psychotic idea crossed his insane, bloodthirsty mind.
"Aircraft and bombs... heh..." He smiled darkly. "Just perfect."
In Striaton City...
"Vindictus!" Lumiere called from across the Striaton Church, where he was mixing together a healing potion. "Do you have any Colbur berries? I need to make another Dark Burn healing potion."
"Last one. No more." Vindictus said, handing it over. "Supply of growing potions depleted. Fast-growing berries are ineffective. Useless."
"May, how are your plants, then?" Lumiere asked worriedly.
"I'm following the berry-growing formula for maximum fruit of [(a-b)+(d-1)+c]/4+b, but it'll be three more days before the first plants bear fruit," May answered, sighing quietly. "Even if they make it to three days, it's still not enough to treat all of the wounded Pokemon."
Lumiere suspired heavily. "I don't suppose we should tell Ralph our medical supplies are running low? Nuvema and Accumula Town didn't send many medicinal items after the battle..." he trailed off.
"But he looks so happy," May modulated. "Besides... the Shadow Force were just badly defeated. They won't counterattack immediately, will they?"
"You never know..." Lumiere uttered darkly.
"How're the medical supplies and potions coming along?" Ralph asked cheerfully as he strolled into the church. All three medics jumped.
"F-Fine!" May stuttered. "We're not running low on any of the supplies at all!" Not wanting for cheerful leader to worry, the Gardevoir did her best to lie and a rather weak smile appeared on her face. Lumiere and Vindictus kept their eyes on the floor, but didn't say anything. None of them wanted to ruin the happy atmosphere that their leader had around him.
"That's great!" Ralph said happily, oblivious to May's flawed lying. "There's a party going on. Since all the patients are well, are you joining?"
"We're going to clean up, then join you." Lumiere declared. "But don't let us hold you back. Go on! Have fun!" He waved off the happy Lucario with a forced smile. As soon as he was gone, the Chandelure frowned and sighed.
"Have bad feeling. Not good." Vindictus intonated nervously. "Do you not?"
Lumiere opened his mouth to reply, but just then a yell drifted across the church.
"I'm telling you, Charna, you need ta rest!" Amethyst yapped as she chased her friend across the church.
"I don't need rest!" Charnette jumped over a pew and slammed into May, sending them both skidding backwards into a marble statue of Arceus.
"Amethyst is right, Charnette," Lumiere spoke sternly as the Liepard untangled herself from May. "You might look and feel fine, but the internal wounds in your body still need time to mend. At this rate, you're going to tear yourself apart with all that activity."
Charnette let out a long huff of disgust, but obediently marched back to her bunk. "I've been torn for years, what more of me could rip..."
"I'll get you some food!" Amethyst said, and hurried off. She was quite light-hearted, as her friend had been so close to the grave but was able to come back. There was nothing that made her happier than knowing her best friend was alive and well.
Lumiere and the other medics watched her go, smiling a bit.
Then it happened.
It was only a quick shiver, and cold shock that ran through the body of each Pokemon. It was an intuition that meant disaster, calamity, tragedy, and most certain doom. Normal Pokemon wouldn't have felt it, but Lumiere, May, and Vindictus were no ordinary Pokemon. They were expert magicians and healers trained in the art of witchcraft, augury, and magic. They felt it, and they knew what a fallacious omen it was.
Charnette, who was about to get into bed, also felt it in her darkest marrow, and it made her come running back. "Lumiere!" Her breath was heavy, coming in short gasps, "Did you just―?" Her normally low heartbeat thudded faster as she read the look on their face. Her dark aura flared with seriousness as she studied the three's frantic expressions. This wasn't something to be overlooked.
"We all did." Lumiere looked grimly around the room, as if he expected an attack at the drop of a hat. "Something bad is happening..." Another tingle went through his body as the dimension of discernment shuddered nervously, sending out freezing pulses as more of the dark future was revealed.
Outside...
Unaware of the disturbance of freezing shock sent through the clairvoyance dimension, the other Revolutionists were singing and partying as they rebuilt the damaged parts of the city. Exuberance flowed throughout the city as if it were pouring from the sky. Motivated by uplifted spirits of glee, the citizens had predicted that the city would be restored to its former glory and much more in only a few weeks.
"Trent!" Charlez called. "Can you haul this block to the top of the structure?" she shouted.
"YEAH!" the dinosaur returned loudly, and lumbered over, shaking his long, green tail and knocking over several Pokemon and a tractor. Several citizens grumbled good-naturedly as they struggled to uplift the tractor again. The knocked-over Pokemon, however, weren't so happy about it.
Ralph looked around as he wandered through the city. Left and right were excited Pokemon celebrating everywhere without a care in the world. Jason was also everywhere, handing out poffins and waffles while singing at the very top of his lungs. He felt an ecstatic, shining glow in his chest. He had done the impossible. He had defeated a supposedly impossible-to-defeat magic globe and blazed the mark of the Revolution smack-dab in Darkrai's ugly face, without losing a single Revolutionist.
If he could break through one of Darkrai's strongest defenses, then there was nothing that he couldn't do to defeat the Dark Void Pokemon. This time, Darkrai was out of tricks. He couldn't beat Ralph with his best move, which meant that none of his other tactics would be able to quench the fires of the Revolution.
"Nice commanding, sir!" a Drilbur hailed him as he walked by. "It's all thanks to you that we were saved!" He clamped his huge claws triumphantly and started doing a queer version of the hokey-pokey dance with a bruised block of cement.
"That's right! There's no way Darkrai can stop your Revolution now!" a Swadloon yelled felicitously, hopping up and down with excitement and happiness as the Lucario passed by.
"You're the best!"
"You're totally OP!"
"There's nothing you can't do!"
"Three cheers for our leader!"
As the citizens whooped and hollered with shrill screams, Ralph felt himself glow with happiness and strength and confidence as he walked on. They were right. He had defeated Darkrai right here and then. He had just liberated three cities right in Darkrai's stupid, pitiful face. There was nothing that Darkrai can do to stop him. There was nothing the Shadow Force could do to stop or vanquish the Revolution. The Revolution was going to blaze its trail straight through Unova like a sea of scorching lava. Every town and city was going to be saved. It was already over for the Shadow Force. They were out of moves, tricks, and sneaky tactics. Unova was already in the Revolutionists' paws. Ralph perceived a vivid ray of brilliance radiating from his content soul. It was an intoxicated feeling made of pure euphoria and jubilation, surrounded by the frenziness and joy of knowing that he had succeeded and the overjoyed fact that he was undefeatable.
There's nothing I can't do!
In a room of the Northern Palace...
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ranark jumped with a start as General Doomsday appeared behind him. For the first time, the presence of the dark mistress didn't annoy him. He was longing for company.
"I think so." Ranark sighed and turned to his colleague. "This isn't just some short skirmish or small rebellion anymore, is it? This is turning into a war."
"Agreed." Doomsday circled him, her dark robes sweeping elegantly across the marble tiles. "But that is how it was always supposed to be." Her expression hardened, turning from snow to ice. "There will be many, many deaths. Loyalties will be tested. Tables turned again and again and yet again. Friendships made, allies lost. Rivals joined, enemies made. It will be the greatest of all battles, but it will be the worst of all wars. It will lead to a brighter future, but it will contain the darkest sorrows. It will be a war that nobody wins... and nobody loses."
"I don't get what you mean, but I agree that dark times are coming." Ranark shivered, not just from the dark general's icy aura, but from the darkness he felt certain was coming.
Bzzt... bzzt...
Ranark looked up to see that the monitor screen that took up an entire wall of the room was flickering with a new message containing a video chat... from a general. He walked forward and pressed on the screen, allowing the video chat to start.
"Hello, Ranark." The voice that floated through the loudspeaker was familiar and feminine. "You're looking well. Same to you, Doomsday."
"Long time no see, Stary," Doomsday said.
The Staraptor facing them via cyberspace was slender, unlike the usual stocky Staraptors. Her face was bright but battle-worn, and her wings and claws were tipped with sharp metal blades that made a shink-shink sound when she moved. Her eyes sparkled with intelligence, and several medals gleamed on her uniform.
But there was something different about her. The normally perky general seemed tired to Ranark. He noted that her metal blades were stained with the rusty signs of blood. Her usually sleek feathers were ruffled as if she'd gone through a blender, and the red-and-black crest hanging over her eyes was missing a few chunks. Her amber eyes glittered with exhaustion. Behind her rose a landscape showing a cliff next to a dull gray sea.
"Is there a problem over there? Darkrai said for you to come immediately like, four weeks ago. Why are you so late?" Ranark asked.
Stary made an annoyed, snapping sound with her beak. "The Sinnoh Rebellion has calmed down, but I'm being forced to fly to Hoenn. Our submarine blockade there is thinning due to those idiotic rogues. Kalos is already free, as you might have heard. Personally, I think Darkrai is making a stupid move, focusing all of his energy on Unova. Let that land be wasted, I say!" Her tired eyes flared with flames as she reported her situation.
"Hold on..." Ranark looked confused. "I thought Unova was the only one with Rebellions."
"Me too," Doomsday added, although she didn't look as surprised as Ranark. "Why would other regions rebel?" she asked playfully, her dark, clear eyes hinting that she already knew something about what General Stary was talking about.
"Are you stupid? There are rebellions everywhere. Don't tell me Darkrai recruited you two without telling you anything," Stary groaned. "Fools. There are rebellions everywhere."
"Darkrai just became leader, like, a month ago. There're already massive-scale rebellions?" Ranark asked, shocked. "How is that possible?"
"Care to enlighten us, featherbrain?" Doomsday asked.
"I am not a―... okay, fine. That's not the point. I'll tell you our little history." General Stary paced along the length of the screen. "The rebellions first started two years ago, originating in Hoenn. News about them have been cut off from the rest of the world by Darkrai, to prevent other rebellions from taking place. That obviously hasn't worked out."
"But... how can Darkrai be tangled in all of this? He just became leader like, five weeks ago!" Ranark emphasized.
"He was the creator of our Shadow Force, fool. Remember? Five years ago, Darkrai, as the first legendary to ever be engaged in politics, founded the Shadow Force, an elite army of Ghost and Dark type officers trained in every form of martial art and fighting technique. Two years after, the Shadow Force was in charge of all the weaponry and police forces. One year after that, the Rebellions against the Shadow Force started in Sinnoh. Two years later, here we are."
Ranark shook his head in amazement. "How did the rebellions even start?"
Doomsday laughed. "It started out as a small-scaled event that caused a chain reaction of rebellions. Remember how, years ago, all of the oracles in the world were in a group called the Xatu Divination Services? Back then, oracles never told others great prophecies, unless it warned of upcoming doom. They were secretive about the future, and kept to themselves and the group. Well, two years ago, the oracles told a huge prophecy about how Darkrai's Shadow Force would bring doom to our civilization. Darkrai sent an army to destroy the oracles, thus scattering the Divination Services. But it was too late; the message had already gotten out. Petalburg City, in Hoenn, was the first to rebel. The rebellion was successful, as all first rebellions prove to be, and soon all of the major cities in Hoenn began to rebel. The Shadow Force cut off other accesses to the region and lied to other regions that Hoenn was under weather distress. But an explorer from Kalos found out about it, and the rebellion spread to Kalos. Darkrai also cut off accesses to the outside world for Kalos. That was just two years ago. That's how the Great Rebellion actually started."
General Stary nodded, a surprised look on her face. "How do you know all this, Doomsday?"
"I was and still am an oracle, after all," the dark Pokemon said. "Two years ago, I escaped destruction by fleeing with two of my friends. We were separated shortly afterwards and I ended up in Unova, far from home. Like other oracles, I managed to make a living by telling fortunes and even got my own Oracle Hall." She sighed. "It was a good life."
"Then..." Ranark eyed her warily. "If Darkrai nearly killed you, then why did you join the Shadow Force?"
"We all have our reasons, don't we?" Doomsday replied, snapping her gleaming teeth. "I have my own as well." Her glittering eyes warned the frog that back-talking to her would be a fatal mistake.
"Whatever." Stary fluttered her wings. "Tell Darkrai I'm off to take care of Hoenn. Bye." The screen flickered once, followed by pitch black.
"Where's Darkrai?" Ranark asked as the two generals headed out.
"Good question." Doomsday gave him a sinister smile similar to that of a murderous serial killer. "Let's go find out."
Sometime later...
General Doomsday slipped silently towards the stage, where Darkrai was about to make his grand entrance. She wore a small, swirling pendant around her neck. As she was about to reach the stage, the pendant began to glow dangerously. Doomsday set it down with a sigh and tapped on the stone.
"What is it, snake? I'm busy, you know," Doomsday snapped, looking around, her gaze searching every corner of her surroundings.
"Oh, Shinee, how have you been?" The teasing voice that the general knew so well echoed from the pendant. "Aren't you the one picking the side that's about to win?"
"You know my reasons. And don't call me 'Shinee'. I go by Doomsday now," the general replied. "What do you want? I'm in a hurry."
"Darkrai is about to make a speech, and there's something I must teach to him," the voice replied cheerfully. "Could you send a message to him? It's just a short, lecturing hymn."
Doomsday felt like face-planting herself. "I have my own plan. Screw yours," she replied roughly.
"Hey, hey... not nice, Shinee. Don't be so mean to me," the voice whined playfully. "Listen: remember every word I say."
"I hate you," Doomsday sighed, but she listened to her old friend's message, memorizing it perfectly. "Okay... I think I got it." Her white paw hovered over the glowing pendant, ready to shut it off, but she couldn't resist one last, tempting question. "How have you and Pearl been? Did you find a safe place?"
"Sure! It's nothing we can't endure. I'm right here in Unova, and Pearl's in Hoenn. The rain where I am is just pouring."
"Hoenn? Unova? You call that safe?"
"Although your concerns are true... Yes, I do." There was a crackle on the other side. "Ah... I must go now, old friend. There is a conversation now that I must attend. Farewell, and keep a paw on the old communication spell." The pendant glowed faintly, then turned back into a dull stone.
Doomsday closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and went looking for Darkrai.
In an official meeting place, surrounded by the media...
Darkrai took several deep breaths as he awaited his entrance to the stage. He looked at the Odd Keystone in front of him.
"Speak to me." the dark legendary commanded.
Immediately, a purple smoke, glazed with dull green sparkles, trailed around the stone like an aura, filling the air with a strange incense of tombstone rubbings. A Spiritomb, flickering and glowing with power appeared in front of his master. "Ah, you've finally summoned me," the Spiritomb said eerily. "What do you wish to speak to me of?"
"Should I do it, Hallows?" Darkrai stared anxiously up at the stage, where a Chatot was reading the minutes. "This will work, right?"
"Of course," his adviser said. "With this one speech, you can turn all of Unova against those pathetic Revolutionists. It will be a perfect strike against those foolish twerps. They will fall from the glory that they are standing atop of now. There is nothing that can go wrong!"
"You sure about that? I have a message for you." Darkrai nearly jumped as a feminine voice drifted around him. He turned to see Doomsday stepping out of the shadows. "This battle will be perfect, your speech will lead to their fall. But do you honestly think that that is all? Like phoenix from a fire, they rise once again. And once they've gotten smarter there's no hope for you to win. You can bring them down now, but just how low will you go?" She tipped her head to one side teasingly. "This is a game of chess, and you've just moved your king. Did you make the right play? I hope you get what I mean." Laughing, she faded back into the shadows.
Hallow made a uncontent growling sound from his swirling mouth. "That one is dangerous," he snarled. "She will make a difference no matter which side she goes on. She can lead us to our victory, or to our demise. She must be used like a queen in a chess game. Be careful, my lord."
Darkrai felt simply annoyed. "Why is everybody referring to chess now?" he half-complained. "Is it like, a new, popular trend or what?"
"Lord Darkrai, it's your turn," the Chatot called. Darkrai took a deep breath and floated onto the stage. Below him, thousands of glittering eyes turned his way and clapped, welcoming him. Numerous cameras rotated to focus their attention on Darkrai, broadcasting him to every television screen in Unova. Darkrai waited for the applause to die out, and then he began.
"We have unfortunately met the first little bump in our path to the Golden Age," Darkrai said in a regretful tone as he addressed his officers. "As you have heard, a group of delinquents from Nuvema Town have started a Rebellion. They have brainwashed the citizens of Nuvema, Accumula Town, and Striaton City into assisting them. As you may have also heard, they have attempted trapping some of the Striaton City citizens who refused to aid them in their sinful activities in a magical black globe to torture them. Luckily, some officers were able to free them. However, those malicious rebels brought a building down on top of the officers using black magic." He lowered his head. "Let us have a moment of silence for all the comardes and innocent lives that were lost."
The officers below quickly bowed their heads and were silent.
Darkrai then cleared his throat. From the corner of the crowd, he saw Hallows bob his wispy head. Go on. Darkrai raised his head defiantly. "But we will fight back!" he announced in a voice like rolling thunder. "We will not let a couple of fools destroy our peace! We will crush them and snap them until they're afraid to get up again! We will annihilate them entirely and completely, leaving no more of this nonsense." His ice-blue eyes gleamed. "So the rebels think they can fight against us with no consequences? Never! We will fight back! And we shall win! This is not a simple skirmish against you anymore, rebels!" he shouted as the media's cameras turned to catch his face. "This is war!"
Somewhere in the middle of nowhere...
"War..." Lunis bowed before his leader as she said the word thoughtfully. "Perhaps their little Revolution is succeeding, after all."
"Yes, they seem to have the good luck on their side," Lunis replied. "I believe they have the ability to drive those scums out of Unova."
"Maybe so..." The leader stood abruptly. "How are our defenses in Kalos and Hoenn?"
"We're doing well," Lunis replied. "There's no way the Shadow Force can break through our defenses."
"But Hoenn is still surrounded by Shadow Force submarines, right?"
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." The leader flicked her long tail. "Let's use the distraction they are giving us to deal with those submarines."
"And the deserters have split," Lunis added. "Even though one cannot be without the other, the Leafeon deserter has left the Revolutionists."
"None of our concern."
"But―"
"Besides, we have our talented agent keeping an eye on him, do we not?"
"Y-Yes..."
"And Monnie is off tracking the Shadow Force, so the stage is all set."
Lunis nodded and turned to leave, but he couldn't resist asking one last question. "What about the Revolution?"
The leader flicked an ear up. "What about it?"
"I mean... those fools are doing better than I had originally anticipated. Is it possible that they'll succeed?"
"I couldn't honestly care less."
Lunis was taken aback. "But... they're starting a Revolution. Just like we did. Shouldn't we help them or something?"
"Several of our groups, Monnie, and you and other spies have helped them plenty. To be honest, they're not really of our concern. Their little Revolution is doomed to fail. I'm only interested in using them to draw the Shadow Force's attention away from Hoenn."
Lunis twitched an ear nervously, but did not argue. "Are you sure, though?" he asked. "About their fate, I mean."
The leader sighed, her eyes wary. "I see two paths," she half-murmured. "They both lead to the death of their Revolution." Her eyes glowed. "They will fail... there will be death, depression, and pain beyond anything that they've ever felt or seen before. This is not a simple game where there is a clear victorious side and a defeated side. Those Revolutionists have guts and spirits―I'll give them that. But guts and spirits aren't enough to win this war." She swung her tail and lowered her eyes. "This is a war, Lunis. Sometimes, nobody wins." Then she disappeared into the shadows.
Back at Striaton City...
VROOOOOOOOOOOM!
The alien sound sliced through the atmosphere of the city. Every Pokemon looked up, ears alert and eyes wide. The temperature seemed to drop fifty degrees.
A neat pattern of flying jets formed a diamond. As the astounded Pokemon watched, the jets split into two long lines like a flowing ribbon.
Ron was the first to shake out of his daze. Being a skilled mechanic, he recognized those jets. With his sharp eyes, he saw the glint of something... black? A black case being dropped through the air like an oversized raindrop. The packages made a screaming sound as they dove through the air. Ron's experience as a weapon maker and engineer told him exactly what those were.
"RUN!" the Treecko hollered. "They're bombing us!"
May stared at the air with an air of amazement and fear. "How can they counter-attack so fast?" she cried. "We only just defeated them yesterday."
"Get the patients out!" Lumiere ordered. "Into the forest!"
Immediately, the serene city, which had hosted such a pleasant atmosphere minutes ago, was thrown into immediate chaos. Pokemon were screaming in terror and running about.
"Into the forest!" Rachiel yelled. "They're only bombing the city! It'll be fine!"
"Those are magical firebombs!" Charnette yelled. "With the element of Pyro magic, it'll cause eternal fire to the city! Get everyone out!" She grabbed several small Pokemon and hurled them into the forest. "Ame! Don't just stand there. Help!"
"Get to the forest!" Ralph yelled. "Hurry! Evacuate the city!"
"It's no use―the city's too big!" Mayor Akhelios shouted.
"We can do this!" Ralph encouraged the Revolutionists and panicked citizens. "Get to the forest and we'll be safe! Don't run back for anything!"
"But my children are back at home!" a Swanna wailed.
"I'll teleport them!" May darted away, vanishing into thin air.
"Psychic-types! Use teleport to speed this up!" Akhelios' sister, a Pansage named Pagina, was trying to command the mass of confused and scared Pokemon. Several of the braver Psychic types ran back into the city while others simply ran into the forest, leaving others to their fate.
"This isn't working!" Xeno appeared and yelled into Ralph's ear. "There are too many Pokemon to rescue!"
"I just had thought," Trent said, waddling over.
"You had a thought?" Charnette asked, materializing next to them. "It must've had a long and tiring journey."
"Not the time, Charna!" Amethyst barked.
"Ah, sorry." Faced with ultimate annihilation, Charnette strangely seem to be the only calm and joking one. "Go on."
"Can't we just teleport the bombs somewhere else?" the Tyranitar asked. "Or use telekinesis on them? Or put up a magical shield to deflect them?"
"You think we have that much magic?" Lumiere appeared next to them. "The weight of the bombs plus the velocity and gravity is too much to be simply overcome by Telekinesis. Magical shields take too much time to set up, and teleporting includes the Pokemon touching the bomb, which will make them blow up like a piñata. We can't do anything. Besides, there's too many."
"Don't any Pokemon have the ability Damp?" Xeno asked desperately. "They can touch the bomb and teleport them."
"Pokemon that can teleport them probably don't have Damp," Lumiere said drily.
"Can't they use Skill Swap?"
"Too late. They're all panicked anyways," Charnette said loftily. "And why are we standing here chatting pleasantly like a bunch of fools while the bombs are dropping down on the city?"
"Right!" Ralph took charge. "May, Charnette, help evacuate the citizens. Amethyst, you too. Trent, Victor, and Charlez, regroup all the citizens in one place and lead them to the forest. Lumiere and Vindictus, set up a healing base in the forest. Xeno, Rachiel, try calming everyone down. Jebodiah, Jason, Mark, Ron, round up the scattered citizens. We can do this!"
"Roger that!" The Revolutionists spilled away, running through the trees or back into the city to save the little they could save. Ralph took a shaky breath. This will work out fine, he told himself, then ran towards the city.
At a pizzeria in Undella Town...
"Melodia, are you done yet?!" Marcus smacked his head against the round table as Melodia munched on a slice of pizza.
"You don't need to call; just another pizza, then that's all!"
"You've already had twelve!" Marcus snapped.
"Hey, hey, don't be mean," Melodia sang. "After all, we're a team!"
"That doesn't mean anything!" Marcus growled.
"Hey, I got us out of that shipwreck and you off the deck! Otherwise, you would've been wrecked!"
"You're the one that talked us onto the rocks into the first place!"
"You kept interrupting me and won't leave me be!"
Suddenly, Marcus stiffened. Melodia followed his startled gaze to the TV, where Darkrai's speech was being broadcasted.
"We will crush their Rebellion!" Darkrai was shouting. "Look at what those dark-hearted fools are doing, citizens of Unova. Look!" The screen flickered once, and they saw the image of Striaton City in flames, with more aircraft flying around the city, tossing down bombs.
"The rebels have bombed Striaton City," Darkrai narrated. "This is war!"
"How? Ralph would never do that!" Marcus growled. Melodia glanced at the table to see that Marcus was digging his sharp claws into the wood.
"That idiot," he growled. "I bet Darkrai set this entire thing up!"
Melodia sighed and wrapped up her pizza. Mission now, pizza later. "Let's go help your friends, then," she said. "And to this madness put an end. Go ahead first; there is something in which I must first immerse." Marcus gave her a quick nod, and ran off.
Melodia glanced over to a dark-clothed figure with golden eyes sitting in a corner. The figure nodded, and the Milotic nodded back as she floated over, her elegant tail slapping two lesser Pokemon aside.
"Long time no see, Monnie. Did you miss me?" Melodia asked. The figure shook its head. The Milotic understood its body language. "Why am I talking to you? Well, there's something I need you to do. Could you send a note to the leader of the Revolution, to warn him of the Shadow Force's restitution? Remember the second part of the prophecy? He needs to know that, you'd agree."
Monnie nodded, her golden eyes gleaming. She took out a golden pen with her mouth and started writing.
Melodia got up and floated away, after Marcus.
Monnie got up, with her note, and walked out of the pizzeria. As she turned around the corner of an alley, a shortcut that led to a forest, two robed figures appeared in front of her. They pulled off their robes, revealing the Shadow Force crest on their officer uniforms.
"You've been a pretty good spy," one of them, a Shiftry, said. "But this ends here."
"Don't think you can get away with the two of us. We know it was you who spied on the Accumula Outpost," the other one, a Linoone, hissed, her blue eyes sparking hotly.
Monnie didn't move. Instead, she waited for them to attack. The Shiftry attacked first, sending a furious swirl of wind towards her. Sensing the disturbance in the air, Monnie made an agile leap, jumping straight over the Pokemon in an elegant curve, and landed on the Linoone with an Aerial Ace. The Linoone howled and tried to aim an attack, but Monnie kicked her off easily, directly into the Shiftry's gut. One well-aimed Energy Ball, and the two went down.
You're no match for me, Monnie thought silently. The dust from the short skirmish rose over her. When it settled, the spy was gone.
On the other side of Undella Town, Marcus and Melodia found the Shadow Force.
It contained a strange assortment of different-type Pokemon―a Mightyena, an Exploud, a Mawile, a Malamar, and a Gothitelle. They were watching the news on a flat-screen TV.
"Idiots!" the Mightyena growled as Marcus and Melodia edged in closer, trying to act like random travelers. "Wasn't taking over Nuvema and Accumula enough? Now they want to destroy Striaton as well!"
"If I were there, I'd tear those fools into pieces!" the Gothitelle snarled.
"Too bad we're on a different mission halfway across Unova," the Mawile muttered.
"Rawhr," the Exploud growled.
"Why, thank you, Annie. We totally need your sarcasm right now," the Malamar sniped. "What a great addition to team morale."
"Pardon me, little squid, but you are not in Group R. You just got stuck with us on this mission because you wanted to stick close to Lieutenant Shaw."
"Are you dissing me, little metal trap girl?" the Malamar snapped. "I'll eat you for breakfast!"
"Aren't you fat enough already?"
As they quarreled, Melodia and Marcus moved in closer.
"Should we attack them?" Melodia whispered. "For their sins they must be condemned!"
Marcus nodded. "We'll knocked them out save those two quarreling ones. On my mark... one..."
The argument was getting more heated as the two stalkers prepared to pounce.
"You're just mad because I'm cooler than you!"
"That just makes me hotter than you!"
"Since when were Metal-types hot?"
"Since you became cool!"
"Two..." Marcus murmured.
"I didn―you're the most annoying Pokemon on Earth!"
"Why, thank you. I'd give you more burns, but you're too stupid to insult."
"Are you calling me stupid, miss?"
"I don't know. Did I or are you?"
"I did and you... AGH!" The Malamar lunged at the Mawile, who whipped out of the way easily.
"One," Marcus snarled. "Attack!"
It might've been a tiny cat-like Pokemon plus one ginormous floating serpent against five officers trained for death, but the officers stood no chance. Marcus took on the Exploud, blasting him far from sight with a highly destructive Solar Beam. Melodia blasted the Mightyena five feet into the ground with an high-velocity Aqua Tail and smashed the Gothitelle into the TV with a Dragon Tail. The TV sparked and crackled, electrocuting the dark officer. Marcus then unleashed his vines and grabbed the Mawile that'd been bickering only seconds ago, while Melodia curled tightly around the slimy Malamar.
"Hey... I recognize you!" Marcus snarled into the Mawile's face. "You're the escapee from Nuvema!"
The Mawile growled but didn't say anything.
Melodia raised her tail, which was glowing with the bright blue aura of a Dragon Tail. "Now you'll tell us what we want―that's a must. Otherwise I'll blast you into ectoplasmic dust."
"W-What do you want to know?" the squid whined. "I'm just trying to live here!"
"Well, your pathetic life will be very short-lived if you don't tell me Darkrai's plans," Marcus replied. "Sing your schemes, or I'll allow Melodia over there to slice your body in half and turn you into fried calamari."
"Don't, Ero!" the Mawile yelled, but Marcus clamped a tight vine around her mouth.
"W-We're only delivering supplies for the Shadowia Bomb to the Northern Kingdom," Ero stammered. "It's nothing much."
"Did I hear wrong? A bomb?" Marcus looked around at the supply boxes. "What's in the boxes?" Melodia raised her tail menacingly.
"T-Those are dark Stardust, used for the outer covering of the Shadowia Bomb."
"And why does Darkrai need this bomb? What is he planning to do with it?" Marcus demanded.
"He p-plans to blow up one of the big cities in U-Unova to break the Revolutionists' spirits," Ero replied shakily. The Mawile pantomimed a faceplant.
"Interesting. What other groups are delivering supplies?"
Ero pointed his head in the direction of the unconscious Mightyena. "Lieutenant Shaw has a device that can locate them. Just please don't kill me!"
Marcus went over to the fallen beast and snatched up a black GPS-like mechanism. It had four red blinking signals on an Unovian map. So this is what you're planning to do, Darkrai? Is this how low you're willing to go? Marcus thought. Then fine. He gave Melodia a meaningful glance and released his grip on the Mawile.
"You fool!" the Mawile snarled as soon as she was freed. "You love your life so dearly you're willing to give up every clue?! Haven't you learned to fake stupidity or were you born stupid?"
The Malamar started to answer, but Melodia unengaged herself from him, flying into the air, and fired a Hyper Beam point-blank into his face. The Mawile yelped and made a mad scramble for it, but Marcus lashed out and put her down with a Magical Leaf.
"So... are we going after the supply trucks now?" Melodia asked. "Or are we going to the Revolutionists' town?"
Marcus hesitated. He wanted badly to go back to his friends; Mark, Ralph, and the others. But if he did, Darkrai would be able to build his bomb and ruin the Revolution's progress. He had to do his duty as a Revolutionist first.
"We're going after the supply trucks," he finalized firmly.
Back at Striaton City...
"Ralph!" The Lucario looked up to see Charnette and Amethyst running towards him. He was sitting in the emergency shelter that the Revolutionists had temporarily put up in the forest.
"What?" he asked.
Amethyst's expression was grim. "Bad news. You need to take a look at this."
Feeling bad vibes, Ralph slowly got to his feet and followed the two through the tangled undergrowth. The burning skylights of the destroyed city flickered on the horizon, and the heat of the enchanted fire flared brightly against his eyes. He wondered how many Pokemon had been killed in the explosion. Guilt burned his ears as he reflected on his uselessness to save them.
Amethyst and Charnette led him to a small clearing, where several other Pokemon were seated around a small, holographic image of Darkrai.
"This is war!" Darkrai was saying. "Look at them! They're trying to destroy our Golden Age! Taking over Nuvema and Accumula wasn't enough for them―they had to destroy Striaton as well!" Darkrai raised his head. "You know what, rebels? You can keep on doing what you want. I'll show you what happens when you rebel!" A screen flickered on behind him, showing the carnage and wreckage of several Northern Kingdom towns and cities. The camera rested on an image of Stonesthrow Town's destroyed Town Hall. "This will be your only warning, you only hope for justice. Surrender within twenty-four hours... or be destroyed." The holographic image flared brightly once, then dissipated with a deadly hiss.
"That's a lie!" Ralph yelled, then remembered that Darkrai couldn't hear him.
"We know it's a lie." One of the Striaton citizens scowled. "But you brought this upon us."
"What? No, I didn't!" Ralph protested weakly, then horror washed over him. He did bring destruction onto Striaton City, hadn't he? He was the one who started the Revolution, after all. If he hadn't, the city wouldn't be in ruins, the dead would still be alive...
What exactly had he done to help the other Pokemon with his Revolution? Did it help them? Or did it ruin their peaceful lives? Was the Shadow Force really evil and wrong, or was he just seeing things from his own, selfish point of view? He started shaking all over. What am I doing?
"Shut up, you bastard," Amethyst barked. "You're the one who decided to join the Revolution. Ya didn't halfta join, got that?"
The citizen huffed. "Well, you guys were the one who―"
"If I were you, measly rat, I'd cut off my tongue," Charnette hissed angrily. "It was your decision, and we only supported you. Besides, I have about five thousand death curses on paw right now. Are you sure you want to argue?"
As they bickered, Charnette noticed that Ralph's normally bright and cheery aura had started to take on a dim sheen. She then detected the small black vines in his aura that others couldn't see. Sick with horror, she slowly realized what the darkness in the leader's aura was.
Mother of Zygarde... no. Not that. She stopped arguing with the citizen to stare at Ralph. The darkness was expanding, turning from a stringy mass to a smoky cloud, blotting out the brightness of Ralph's aura. Anything but that! Anything but that! Her emerald eyes flashed with panic, though she did not show it. As she watched the darkness had already consumed the brightness of her leader's soul.
No... it's too late.
In the Northern Kingdom...
Am I doing the right thing? Matilda shook her great head as she paced her throne room anxiously. What am I doing? What is there to gain from supporting Darkrai? Visions of the destroyed towns flickered across her eyes. She knew that Darkrai was behind all of the supposedly rebel-caused explosions. He was using lies to control his coordinates; generals, lieutenant... even Matilda herself. She knew that much.
So what was she doing... helping him? Who was the good side in this game of wits? What exactly was Darkrai planning to do with her, the Northern Kingdom, and all of Unova? What was she on Darkrai's chessboard? A queen? A bishop? A rook? A knight? Or... or just a pawn?
"M'lady." She jerked her head up to see Xiawa kneeling silently in front of her. "You seem to be troubled today."
"Ah... yes." Matilda stared at a tapestry depicting her coronation hanging on the wall. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Xiawa? Do you think that supporting Darkrai was the right play?"
"Your Highness, I believe that you make no mistakes," Xiawa answered smoothly. "And supporting Darkrai is our best hope for peace."
"But what is peace?" Matilda wondered.
"Pokemon living together; no battles to worry about. No famine to toil over. No problems of right and wrong to ponder over," Xiawa replied.
"Are you sure?"
"Like you, Your Highness, I never make mistakes."
"Ah, but even great queens make mistakes," Matilda murmured quietly to herself.
"Pardon me?" Xiawa asked.
"Nothing. How's the battle situation?"
"Oh... yes. All of the rebelling towns in your Northern Kingdom has been put down. The rebelling southern towns―Nuvema and Accumula―are unfortunately too well-protected for us to attack. Striaton was recently fired on, as you may have heard, in hopes to bring down the rebels' spirits." Xiawa clawed anxiously at the lush carpet beneath his feet. "But I am concerned about something I heard before Darkrai's speech..." He leaned over and quickly whispered into the old queen's ears.
Matilda perked up with a shock. "Hoenn and Kalos? I didn't hear about that... Darkrai never told me!" She flared up with anger. "How dare he!"
"So... are you thinking of rebelling against Darkrai now?" Xiawa asked politely, a dark thought circling his mind. He almost smiled, but caught himself.
You just have to turn her against us... that's all,Darkrai had told him. Then you can become king instead of that frail queen.
Trust me, Darkrai,Xiawa thought darkly. I never fail.
Matilda paced her throne room even more furiously as she considered what Xiawa had said. Suspicion wrapped around her mind. The Rebellion was not just a battle of strength... it was also a war of tactics. Who could she trust? Xiawa? She knew that the Weavile had great respect for Darkrai. She couldn't trust him.
"No." Matilda sank down on her throne. "I won't rebel."
"W-What?" Xiawa stammered. "B-But..."
"Leave me, now," Matilda said forcefully. "I must think about this proposal."
Xiawa bit his tongue and bowed stiffly before leaving. Matilda watched him with an expert, narrowed eye. She had not been named queen for nothing, after all. She had been through wars of this kind as well... and she knew well enough that even unyielding loyalty and the hearts of the most justified Pokemon could not be trusted.
She could not trust Darkrai.
She could not trust Xiawa.
She could not trust any of the other generals.
She couldn't even trust herself.
Matilda opened the palm of her hand to reveal a shimmering blue heart-shaped pendant. A long time ago, five years from today, she had been visited by a friendly serpent oracle who had warned her of the upcoming Rebellion.
When you're doubtful, listen to your heart, the serpent had said in a singsong voice. There is a dark time coming, and you will surely play a part. Then she had placed the pendant before Matilda and disappeared.
"Play a part, indeed," Matilda murmured to herself. "Let's see how you play this board of chess, Darkrai... let's see what your true intentions are..."
Credits:
alpha2275: LoG Representative on Fanfiction and Fanfiction Manager
reshikrom: Editor, Plot supporter
MarcusUCOD: Dialogue Writer
Esther Hung: Chief Writer, Editor, Video Maker, and Character Creator
Anisa Krieg: Writer, Artist, Character Creator, and Tweaker
(More TBD...)