The Power of Shadows:

A sharp pain jerked through Keiko's arm as the creature's teeth sunk in. A burning pain followed the jaw's attack, making Keiko try to move her arm.

She couldn't.

Opening her tightly shut eyes, she looked down to her covering arm. The creature's teeth and face greeted her, along with a gray color seeping through the blue pelt the Riolu once knew.

Panic set in, must so that it covered Keiko's lungs so that she could not yelp or call for help. The creature's menacing face glared and burned into Keiko's wide and frightened eyes. It twisted it's face and flung the limp Keiko it's right onto the hard, cold earth.

Keiko's eyes closed once more as she held her bitten arm in pain. She could feel it bleeding, the red liquid staining the shivering body she held it close to. Another snarl signaled one of the other creatures were charging for her.

'This is it' Keiko thought to herself, 'I'm done,'

Suddenly, the snarl turned into a yelp. Slowly opening her cemented eyes out of curiosity, Keiko found herself being faced with a fighting Roga attacking back to the creature. The yelps in the background continued, and looking past the Lucario, Keiko saw Roserade tossing vines at her will and attacking the creatures with moves she had never guessed the flower Pokemon would pull. Next to her, fought the nonspeaking Yoru, clawing at the creatures with fire in his eyes.

The fighting drew to a background noise as Keiko unwillingly closed her eyes once more, everything ending with Roga's worried voice calling, "She's been bitten! We have to stop i--" the rest muffling.

---

A twittering Starly call awoke Keiko. The sun brightly shined in her eyes. She moaned as an aching pain rang through from her arm.

Looking down to it, the gray fur was back to it's normal blue. A bandage wrapped it's way around the wound, however a dark maroon still puddled under it. What happened to her last night?

A surprised thought arrowed to her mind. Where was everybody. Sitting up quickly, Keiko looked all around her. The place looked different. She was on a mossy bedding with a cheerful glisten to the scene. Where was everyone? Where was she?

"Hello?" Keiko managed to rasp. Her voice was scratchy and almost inaudible. Nothing responded.

"Hello?" Keiko called again, her voice becoming less of a squeak.

"You're awake? Thank Goodness." A voice sighed behind her. Keiko knew that voice.

"Roga?" She asked as she turned. Surprise shot through the young Riolu as her eyes did not show Roga, but the Great One known as Arceus himself.

"Arceus?" Keiko gasped. Her voice quivered as she inquired in a soft voice. "Am I....Dead?..."

Arceus chuckled, "No, my daughter. You are very much alive." Turning to the woodsy clump next to him, Arceus called, "You may come out now, son."

The bushes rustled, and spat out a Lucario that matched the voice before: Roga.

"Roga." Keiko said. "Roga, where's everyone else?"

The Lucario shook his head. "I don't know. After that last Houndoom was taken down, I went over to take you back to camp. Upon touching you, I was sent here."

Arceus smiled, "You are both here, this is good." He nodded, "All in do time shall we met again."

Questions shot through Keiko, "But! Why are we here? What's the purpose? How do we get home? What am I?" Her final question left her voice crackling. This all didn't make sense. He brought them there, and now he was leaving them?

"Calm yourself, child." He replied, "You both will be sent home. Rest well, your purposes are soon to shine." Then, the Great One began to fade, the area darkening into blackness.

---

Keiko's mind was brought back to reality once more to the sound of everyone's voices.

"Are they alright?"

"I think so, their breathing has gone back to normal."

"Hey, they're stirring!"

"Keiko.." This voice sounded like Mewtwo's, "Keiko, wake up.."

The Riolu's eyes slitted open. The world was a dizzy mix now, everything moving to it's place. The warm sun shined on Keiko's face, telling her this was real.

Sitting up, she looked around. Everything was the same as the dream she had! Roga drowsily sat up next to her, noticing this too.

"You almost got Morphed there." Mewtwo chuckled next to Keiko. The Riolu turned to Mewtwo, her mind still full of unanswered questions.

"I suggest you be more careful." This was the sound of Hiro, walking in from the group, all nearby, "No apprentices of mine are going to be lost to that army."

The next voice was a hissed mixture of ice and a cloudy day, "So that is it." Yoru said, leaning against a tree within earshot.

"Surprising you'd speak." Roga muttered in an annoyed way, so low that Keiko thought only she heard.

"They begin it that way? Trying to take out their biggest threat in one blow..." His eyes opened from the closed lids Keiko knew by heart.

"So The War Begins."