This is the one hundred sixty-third chapter in Pokemon Heroes. This chapter takes place around the same time as the last chapter, only in a different place. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the songs.

(Opening song)

It all began at the lake by Ecruteak City.

Ecruteak City, the major city that revolves its culture and its architecture around the legendary Pokemon, Ho-Oh. The Bell Tower stood proudly at the center of the city, and the castle of the Alberto Family stood beautifully.

The city had a lake by it. From the shore, the lake seemed to be empty with nothing but water, but some have spotted an island at the center. But whenever someone tried to get there, they found themselves in a heavy mist, and when they exit, they are heading back to Ecruteak City. No matter what anybody tried, nobody could get there.

It doesn't matter to people at all, believing it is due to the activity of the Psychic-Type Pokemon in the area. And even if there was an island there, it was believed to be uninhibited.

But there was someone on that island. Just one man.

This man lived within a log cabin on that island. He had long, long, silvery hair that could fall to the back of his knees. He was dressed in a blue robe, with sleeves so long they covered his arms. He seemed to be in his fifties, but he was actually younger than that. But his age was unknown.

He was within a room in that log cabin. He was sitting crossed legged by a low table with papers in his hands. His expression showed a sly look. It was impossible to imagine what he was thinking.

His train of thought was interrupted when a tray was placed on the table. He looked up to see Misty already leaving the room, and a teacup with tea on the tray by him. He looked back at the papers.

"Misty," he called out, stopping Misty's movements. His voice was calm and smooth, hiding the sinister personality that he held inside. "I need you to check up on the boy. I can't have him dying on me."

Misty simply nodded. After feeling as though the man was done, she prepared to walk out, but his voice stopped her once again.

"Oh, and Misty, I already have a mission prepared for you. Go get ready. You will be out by the end of the day."

Misty half turned to look at her uncle with a glare, but he only looked back with the same sly expression. She turned away and nodded and then walked out of the room.

Sephiroth looked down at his papers, and then pulled a stack of papers behind the ones he was currently reading and placed it on top.

"All the pieces are in place," he said, "except for one."

He stared at the picture on the paper with words written by it.

"The last step to Plan A."

He smirked.

This man was Sephiroth, the most mysterious man to Ash and his comrades.

But it was not a mystery to know he was the enemy.

"Drew Hayden, the last player in this fun little game."

Sealed Memories

On a sunny day within a dense forest, a married couple walked down a path. They were on a quest, but they seemed to have gotten lost within this forest.

"Hun, do you think we should just keeping heading east rather than circle around this area?"

"We are not circling. I'm trying to grasp the geography of this area. We may find a way out if..."

"What is it?"

"Shh. Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

It was quiet. The woman didn't hear anything, but slowly, she began to hear a buzzing sound. It got louder and louder, and the man quickly took his wife's arm and went behind a large rock. They stayed silent as the noise got louder.

"What is that?"

"Don't worry, sweetie. Just some wild Pokemon. We stay here and-"

He was interrupted once a boy suddenly jumped on top of this rock, followed by an Absol. The woman let out a terrified scream at the sudden appearance. The boy jumped off the rock and ran deeper into the forest.

They got a good look at this boy.

He had green hair, turquoise jeans, and a black long sleeved shirt with an open, short sleeved purple jacket over it.

He had a smirk on his face, and a bag over his shoulder.

This boy kept running, looking back to see a whole pack of Beedrills on his tail.

"Absol!"

Absol's horn glowed, and it turned and swung its head, sending blades of wind at the Pokemon coming for them. The Razor Wind struck many, but more took their place.

The boy quickly jumped across a fallen log and Pin Missiles struck the wood.

He went for the Pokeballs on his belt and pulled out a ball. He tossed it, releasing a Pokemon with a red and blue rose on its hands.

"Roselia, now!"

With grace, Roselia spun around and released yellow pollen from its roses. They went into the air, and as the Beedrills came closer, some suddenly fell to the ground, paralyzed. Others quickly evaded the Stun Spore and kept going.

The boy looked back and saw that he had gotten farther. He looked ahead and smirked.

"Perfect!"

He reached for another Pokeball and tossed it over the cliff that was ahead. Out came a Flygon. The boy jumped off the cliff edge without a second thought, landing on Flygon's back and catching the Pokeball that was in midair. Roselia and Absol followed, and Flygon flew away.

The boy looked back to see the Beedrills catching up. He looked down at his Flygon.

"Into the trees, quickly!"

Flygon obeyed, and it ducked onto the trees while continuing the dodge the Pin Missiles and the trees that were coming its way.

"Come on. Come on. Almost there..."

Some of the Pin Missiles struck Flygon, and Roselia and Absol tried deflecting others before they caused more harm.

With a worried look, the boy began to realize he wasn't going to make it.

So he had to go to Plan B: be a coward.

"Stop!"

Flygon made a sudden stop, and the boy flew off it. His feet landed on the ground and he skidded until he hit a large rock. He didn't move. His Pokemon hid in the bushes and trees beside him.

He took a large gulp and he heard the buzzing sound get louder and louder and slowly get quieter and quieter.

They stayed silent for a few more minutes, and then the boy smirked.

"Score one for Drew Hayden," he said. He motioned for his Pokemon to gather around him as he sat down. He put the bag on the ground. "We did it guys. We did the impossible and succeeded. And it all paid off for this moment."

He slowly opened the bag and pulled out what was inside.

It was a stack of photos that showed a party of some sorts, but instead of people it was just a bunch of Beedrills. Drinking, dancing, and just messing around within their hive.

Drew let out an annoying laugh as he flipped through the photos.

"High five for everyone today!" he exclaimed as he proceeded to do so. "Do you realize how much money we can get for discovering this?! Dressing up as a Beedrill and infiltrating this thing was truly worth it! No wonder they wanted them back! This is embarrassing! Look at this one! It's the Queen giving a lapdance!"

As he shared the victory with his Pokemon, he started to hear the buzzing again. He silenced his Pokemon, and then looked toward the sky. It was quiet, and it was coming closer, but not in their exact direction.

"They must be chasing somebody else now."

Somewhere above him, he heard grunts, and then a body crash into things, and muffled yells. The Pokemon were prepared to help whoever was in danger, but Drew stopped them.

"This voice..." he said, and then a sweat fell from his forehead. "It can't be."

And just as he thought, a long haired brunette dressed in black popped out from the forest above Drew and crashed into him. They both tumbled down an elevated area that just magically appeared until a pond finally stopped them. Well, just Drew. The brunette luckily stopped at the edge of the pond as Drew fell right in with his bag of photos.

"Ow," she said as she sat up and rubbed her head. "What the hell was that for?"

Drew popped out from the pond and glared at the girl.

"What the hell were you trying to do?!" he yelled. "Was this some type of elaborate plan to mess up my day!?"

The girl looked back at him with an uninterested look. This was the girl Drew despised to the core. The girl that Drew could feel would lead him to his death.

This girl was Green, and according to Drew, she was one mean bitch.

"Oh, it's you," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"You bumped into me!"

"That was you?"

"YES!"

"The girly cries of pain I heard as we fell didn't sound like a guy, though."

"That was you!"

"No, I'm pretty sure that was you."

"I don't have time for this! What are you here for?!"

"It's not like I hit you on propose," said Green as she crossed her arms. "The others and I were suddenly attacked by a whole swarm of Beedrills. They were pissed about something and took it on us. What asshole would've provoked them anyway?"

"My lips stay sealed," thought Drew. "Thanks to you, I-"

And then he remembered. The bag.

On the water were the photos, but biting at them were two Carvanhas. He had then noticed that one of them was biting at his head, but he didn't care. Seeing his stuff get eaten was way more terrifying to him now.

He let out such a horrified shriek that made the married couple from before think that a Loudred was giving birth to ten eggs at once.

He quickly grabbed onto the destroyed photos with tears rolling down his face.

Currently, there was no man here.

"What have you done, woman?!" he yelled as a shaking finger pointed at the photos. "These were going to make me rich! I was going to be loaded!"

"Relax," she said. "It doesn't matter anyway. You would've only gotten a buck for each of them."

"TWENTY DOLLARS WAS GOING TO FEED ME FOR A WEEK!" he yelled. "Then I was going to find Ash and mooch off his food."

"Uh-huh," said Green, looking away. "I wonder where I fell from."

Drew's world turned to black as he sunk deeper into the pond.

The Carvanhas's poison was starting to kick in.

"You were with Red and Yellow?" asked Drew, still down about his lost profit. He had a towel around his head, and he and Green were sitting on two different rocks as they faced each other. Roselia and Absol were by Drew's side.

"Yeah, before we were attacked though," she said with her arms crossed. "They should be okay though. Well, Yellow should be."

"So those guys, huh?"

"You know 'em?"

"Well, we met once when my best friend tried to kill me," said Drew as his eye twitched. "I'm just surprised they're able to travel with a crazy bitch like you without any casualties."

"Repeat that. I dare you."

"You and I both know it's true."

Green stood.

"I've got to get back to them eventually. Red has my stuff. I have important things in there."

"This forest is pretty dense, and there are a bunch of angry Pokemon," warned Drew. "It's dangerous to go alone."

"Well, we made a rule that if you ever get lost from the group, you go and wait at the nearest town or city's Pokemon Center. They'll find you there."

"Wow, you guys came prepared. But why do I feel as if that rule was made especially for you?"

Green glared at him, and Drew felt his whole spine shiver.

"Well, good luck then," he said as he got off the rock and proceeded to walk with his Pokemon as well. He walked a few steps before stopping and turned back to see Green staring at him. "What?"

"You know I'll be traveling with you until I see them."

"No...way," said Drew angrily through clenched teeth. He turned around and kept walking.

Green stood alone for a bit.

"Oh he knows I'm tagging along whether he wants me to or not."

She went after him.

Just a mere two hours later, and the two kids were running down a path as hard rain beat down on their bodies.

Drew was in front with Green behind him. She had on a green raincoat, and Drew could only hold a large leaf over his head, pissed off that Green just stole his raincoat.

It just happened so suddenly. The dark clouds built up at an abnormal rate, and then rain came seconds later. It got worse and worse, and it continued to as well.

Drew and Green stopped under a tree to catch their breath. Green looked up at the sky, seeing no end to the rainfall for a while. A harsh wind came at them, causing the two to hold onto the tree tightly before being blown away.

When it stopped, Green looked toward Drew.

"We have to find shelter!"

"And how can we do that?!" yelled Drew. "This is a pretty dense forest! There is no shelter for miles!"

Green looked around, and then pointed behind Drew.

"What about that?"

When Drew turned, his jaw dropped.

Standing high behind him was a castle. It had a white exterior with pointy tops. A staircase led up to the big brown door decorated in jewels that served as an entrance.

But rather than being amazed at what he was seeing, Drew was more shocked.

"How did this get here?!" he yelled. "This place is big enough for us to see a while back! How do we notice it now?!"

"For whatever reason, shelter is shelter!" yelled Green, running toward the castle.

"Don't just go there! What if people are living in it!?"

Green went up the stairs to the door, pushing it. It cracked open.

"And she opened the damn door," said Drew.

"Come on!" she yelled. "You'll catch a cold!"

Against his better judgment, Drew decided to follow her. He ran up the stairs and the two entered the castle, closing the large door behind them.

Drew let out a sigh of relief as he looked at his wet clothes. He turned to Green, who was looking around. He decided to look as well, and he was surely amazed.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were painted white. The lights were on, and they noticed that they were in a circular room with a large door at the end of it. Two staircases on each side of the room that spiraled to a platform above them that also had a door. Paintings and vases filled with flowers were lined up by the walls.

"This place looks great," said Drew. "It's pretty obvious someone already lives here. We should go n-"

Green was already heading toward the door at the end of the room, removing the green jacket and tossing it to the ground.

"Where are you going?!" yelled Drew.

"Exploring."

"But we could get caught! We don't even know who lives here!"

"Then let's find out."

"Green! You're just gonna steal stuff!"

"It depends if it's valuable," she said, opening the door and looking back at him. "You're coming?"

Drew hesitated, but he eventually nodded.

"Why me?"

The color and the lighting was the same as it was back in the first room the kids were at, but this time it was just a long, almost endless hallway. There were paintings and vases lined up on or by the walls, and a red intricate carpet was laid down on the ground for them to walk on. Doors were everywhere.

Drew was walking alone. He looked around nervously.

"Where the hell is she? We were supposed to be in this together. I can't call out to her since it may alert the owner of this place. Then how the hell can I find her?"

At that moment, he heard glass.

"There she is."

He ran toward the room where the noise was, and saw an open door.

"Hey, Green, let's-!"

He stopped, for whoever was inside was not Green.

It was the same man on that island by Ecruteak City. The man with the long silvery hair and the blue robe.

It was Sephiroth, sitting down in an empty room with nothing but a table and two chairs. Two plates that held teacups were on each side of the table. He had a teacup on his lips, sipping at the liquid within until he placed it back down. He looked toward Drew.

"Hello, young lad."

Drew was quiet and frozen with a blank look. Sweat was falling profusely down his forehead.

"Sorry sir," he said, and proceeding to walk away. "I didn't mean to barge into your place. I'll be on my way."

"Hold on a minute," said Sephiroth. "It wouldn't be wise to walk back out to that storm. You might get hurt. I would've let you in anyway. Just come and sit down. Have some tea with me."

"I don't think I should."

"I have crackers."

Drew was already at the table. He didn't take a sip from the cup or eat his crackers. He only stared at Sephiroth as the man drank his tea.

It was silently awkward.

"Um..." he said, trying to bring up a conversation. "Have you seen my friend? I came in here with her."

"Your friend's fine," said Sephiroth, putting the cup back down. "I'm more interested in you, boy."

"This guy's a pedo?" thought Drew, looking around the room as the two entered another awkward silence. He even started to think that taking a sip from that cup may not be a bad idea.

"Child," said Sephiroth, catching Drew's attention. "I would like to tell you a tale. Would you like to hear it?"

"Um...sure. Why not?"

"It's a story that you should know about. You've heard about the story of the boy whose heart turned to stone?"

"Did it involve a Mightyena?"

"No."

"Then no."

"You should," said Sephiroth, looking deep into Drew's eyes. "It's the story of a young boy who was too kind for his own good. He was carefree and adventurous. He helped people and Pokemon alike, and never showed complete hatred to anyone in his life. He could be considered a little angel. But that kindness would only lead to his downfall. One day, an evil man was hurting a powerful Pokemon, and this boy got in the way of the conflict. It only resulted in the boy getting critically injured. The evil man, rather than letting the boy die, took this boy and changed him. His kind heart was stained in darkness. This boy changed into a bloodthirsty warrior. He now killed Pokemon, hurt others, and even tried to kill his own best friend. He even hurt the Pokemon he was trying to protect from the evil man. Eventually, his best friend realized he couldn't let this go on, so he killed the boy with his own hands. Thanks to the mercy of Arceus, the boy was brought back to life, but his memories were wiped. He returned to the little angel he was before, unbeknownst to the things he did. Do you remember now, Drew?"

Drew, midway through the story, had started to feel dizzy. He held his head, and didn't even notice that the man he just met had just said his name, even though he never said it.

"Hey, old guy," said Drew as he closed his eyes. "Did you place some sort of scent in this room? It's making me dizzy."

"Do you want to know the Pokemon this boy tried to protect, and then eventually hurt as well?"

"Y-Yeah. What was it?"

Sephiroth was silent for a few seconds, and then the words left his mouth.

"Latios."

Something pulsed within Drew's head. He groaned.

"Seriously, did you-"

When he looked up, he saw no one. The chair that Sephiroth sat on was now empty.

Drew's eyes darted left and right, and then a smile appeared on his face.

"Well, I'm out," he said as he got off the chair. "I'm not dealing with this shit today. Green can go take care of-"

He turned to the exit, and his eyes widened.

There, standing at the exit, was one of them: The Dark Signers. This one wore the same black jacket, gloves, and boots with the hood over the head, hiding the features of the face. Silver chains were around the chest area, clanking as they hit one another. Also, this one seemed to be at the same height as Drew.

"A-A Dark Signer?! Why's this one here? Where's Ash?!"

Suddenly, The Dark Signer ran, running down the hallway.

"HEY!" Drew yelled, and he suddenly ran after The Dark Signer. He didn't know why. He just had to.

The Dark Signer made it to the end of the hallway and went through a door there. Drew didn't see a door there before, but now wasn't the time to be thinking this.

He kicked open the door and looked inside, almost yelling out of terror.

Flames were everywhere. It was a very dark room in endless darkness. Even the light from the flames couldn't illuminate the place.

"Ho-How did this happen?! Where's Green? I need to-"

That's when he realized the flames were surrounding him. He almost let out another yell, but he noticed that they weren't burning him.

He slowly let the palm of his hand touch the tip of the flame. He could feel that it was hot. It was real, but it wasn't burning him.

"How-"

"These flames are apart of you."

"Excuse me," said Drew, looking around for the source of the voice.

"These flames are your anger, your rage. Would it be nice to wield these flames once again?"

Drew looked back at the flame and let his hand enter it. He just stared at it and a flame ignited in his eyes.

He quickly pulled his hand away and looked around.

"What the hell are you saying? Is that you old man?"

He looked ahead, and noticed that a door had appeared. Standing in front of it was the same Dark Signer he saw before. This one turned around and entered the doors.

"Why are you running away?!" yelled Drew, running through the flames toward the door. "Get back over here!"

He ran up the stairs and opened the door, expecting to see more flames. But he didn't. He saw something more surprising.

He saw the back of his best friend, Ash Ketchum, in front of him. He had his Aura Blade in his hand. Like the last room, it was completely dark. He could see Ash clearly though.

"Ash!" yelled Drew. "You were here! There's a Dark Signer running around the place. We need to-"

He didn't get to finish, because a kick was sent to Ash's face, sending the boy bouncing across the ground until he finally came to a stop.

He tried getting up, but then the Dark Signer's foot slammed his head back to the ground.

The foot continuously crashed down on Ash over and over again without any sign of stopping. Eventually, it did stop. The Dark Signer rose a hand, and then a Chakram materialized. The Signer spun it around a few times, and then held it tightly, ready to strike Ash with it.

"STOP IT!" yelled Drew, his eyes filled with rage. Without even knowing, a Chakram materialized in his own hand. He took aim and tossed it at the Dark Signer. It struck the other Chakram, and the two weapons were sent into the air, and then they disappeared.

The Dark Signer looked at Drew and then started running away again. A door was there, and the Dark Signer ran into it.

"Ash, are you..." said Drew, but he didn't see Ash there.

Drew stared at the spot, and then turned to the door. A lot of strange things were happening, but he didn't have much time to ponder about them all now.

He ran toward the door and entered the next room.

This time, his face was really covered in horror.

He watched as The Dark Signer rose one hand that held one of the two Chakrams. The Chakram was rammed down on its target, and blood was sent across the ground. The other hand rose the other Chakram, and after sending it down as well, new blood filled the dark, empty space.

Drew vividly heard the screams of the Chakram's target with every strike, and he felt the urge to throw up.

It was Latios, its eyes wide, showing the pain it felt as blood left the stab wounds all across its body.

Drew was frozen, and then rage replaced his horror. He glared at The Dark Signer.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Even though he knew he stood no chance at all, Drew charged at the enemy and knocked them both down to the ground. Drew was on top, raising his fist and slamming it down on the face of the enemy over and over again.

With every raging strike, the hood started to fall off.

Drew rose his fist once again, and then stopped.

He froze as he stared at what was under him.

The face, the features, the hair.

It was him, with white eyes and purple lines on each of his cheeks.

His fist shook as he looked down at himself, whose mouth slowly turned onto a large smirk.

"Do you remember now?" asked Sephiroth, standing behind Drew.

Drew was silent, not a word leaving his mouth. He couldn't believe this. It must have been a dream.

"Do you remember that you were one of them?"

The Drew on the ground slowly disappeared. When he was completely gone, Drew realized that something had changed.

His own clothes were replaced with the jacket of The Dark Signers and the two Chakrams with blood falling from the spikes were on each of his hands.

"Do you remember being a monster?"

In front of him now was Latios, staring at him with fearful eyes. Its blood was staining Drew's knees.

It was silent as Drew watched a purple substance cover Latios, its eyes turning yellow.

It was turned into a Shadow Pokemon right before his eyes, and then proceeding to get sucked into a strange Pokeball with purple on top, white on bottom, and black lines going across the top.

It was quiet.

"St..."

"Hm?" asked Sephiroth.

"Stop...just stop SCREWING AROUND WITH ME!" yelled Drew, spinning around as he clutched the Chakrams in his hands, aiming them at Sephiroth. His face was filled with rage. His eyes were completely white.

He could only care about murdering the man behind him.

But he never got the chance.

A fist was driven into his gut, causing an impact that shook the darkness around them.

Drew coughed up blood, and the Chakrams fell from his hands, hit the ground, and disappeared into the darkness.

Sephiroth pulled back his fist and Drew fell forward to the ground as he held his gut.

He coughed a couple more times.

"He's there, you know," said Sephiroth. "He's flying around Altimore Town. If you don't believe me, then go ask him yourself, then you'll see the truth, Dark Signer."

Slowly, the boy's vision turned dark.

"Drew! Drew! Drew! DREW!"

Drew's eyes shot open.

His vision was blurry for a few seconds until it finally returned. He was looking upward at Green. He realized that he was on her lap as her hands were placed on the sides of his head.

"Thank Arceus," said Green. "I didn't want to be accused of killing you."

Drew didn't say anything, but then his memories suddenly returned.

The blood, The Dark Signer, Sephiroth, and Latios.

Fear appeared on his face, and he jumped off of Green's lap and moved away from her quickly. Green watched this, and then she became annoyed.

"I wasn't going to hurt you. I was just checking if you were okay."

Drew stared at his hands, not saying anything at all.

The continuous silence made Green curious.

"Drew?" she asked.

Drew looked left and right quickly. He then turned to Green.

"What happened to the castle?" he asked.

"Castle? What castle?"

"The castle we walked into! It was raining and we entered it! Where is it?"

Green stared at him confused, and then sighed.

"You know, you were knocked out for quite a while," she said. "You know that pack of Beedrills you pissed off before? They came back and beat you senseless out of nowhere. Now if you're gonna ask where I was during all this, I will assure you that I was NOT taking videos of you getting beat up to sell to Ransei's Funniest Videos."

Drew stared at her and an eyebrow rose.

"What?"

"They must've smacked your head a good enough of times for you to think of a castle," said Green.

Drew looked away, and he was silent again.

"Green...where's Altimore Town?"

"Altimore Town?" she asked. "That place is far away to the west of here. But we're heading into Camphrier Town down the road."

"You're going by yourself," said Drew, suddenly jumping to his feet and walking off. Green was baffled, but then she picked out the words she needed to say.

"What?! Where the hell do you think you're going!? I need to mooch off your stuff! You can't really be ditching me now!"

"I'll owe you later," he said, reaching for a Pokeball, but he stopped. He looked at his shaking hand, and then curled his fingers into a fist. He then started to run.

"Drew!" Green yelled, but he was already too far away. When he was out of earshot, she sighed. "That guy. Who knows what goes on in his head."

Sephiroth stood behind a tree, and he heard Drew's footsteps pass by.

He smirked.

"That's right, boy. Ignite that fury."

Drew kept running, not looking back. His expression was angry, but his eyes showed that he was broken.

(Ending Song)

Next Time on Pokemon Heroes: After hatching Manaphy's egg, May has now become the foster mother of Manaphy. They bond quickly, and everyone knows that a mother's love can break down any force that goes against their children. How will the Hiromi Family deal with this sudden development, and how will Ash react learning that he's the father?! Next Time: The True Prince of the Sea.

That was that chapter. Drew finds out about his other self, and how that will affect him will be viewed in future chapters to come, but right now we return to Ash and his friends with Manaphy. Profile is updated, and this time's spotlight is Dawn. Check it out if you want. Also I want to tell you guys that the normal updates will be back by the 25th. Everything is fine now, and I'm trying to get back into writing Pokemon Heroes every week (seriously, there hasn't been a normal update since November of last year). See you next chapter!

Read and Review please :-)

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