Part Two: Bolt the Fugitive

Chapter 1: The Shroud of Darkness

"Indeed, I tremble for my country when I remember that God is Just." –Thomas Jefferson

My, the past few months have been eventful, haven't they Arceus, my love? Oh, I know you probably aren't listening. Or maybe you are. I don't care, it changes nothing.

Let's tally up all that's happened, shall we? My servants, Greed and Envy, ascended to your beloved world. Greed merged with a noble in the Seafoam Empire named Lord Sable and managed to locate the Seal of the Mind. Envy merged with a condemned bandit leader in the Northern Mountains, a blaziken named Warhawk. They broke out, of course, and slaughtered the guards and other gladiators. Impressive on its own, but then he actually managed to find and destroy the Seal of Earth.

I can feel my power returning to me. It was wise of you to seal it separately from me. The Four Seals of the Elements bind it and the Seals of Mind, Body, and Spirit for me. But one has fallen and Guildmaster Majyk, bearer of the Seal of Mind, shall soon fall as well. Greed drove him from his home and now he flees the Seafoam Empire for Northmarch. It will be his last journey!

Anger stirs in the North. The citizens of the Midnight Kingdom hunger for vengeance. I will send my third servant, Wrath, to them. He will stir up the embers of that glorious war. With him as their leader, not even the power of aura will be able to stop the horde of darkness that will sweep over the land like a tidal wave! Northmarch will fall!

As I sit here, alone except for my servants, I cannot help but wonder, do you regret what you did to me? I was the firstborn of creation! If you were the father, then I was the mother! And yet you let them, your children, suffer and die! Well, I will rise and destroy this world of yours! I will rebuild it; I will make a new world! A DEATHLESS World!

And now, I send the fourth of my servants to begin the process of this world's destruction. A soft-spoken fiend to lull it into slumber so it cannot see the knife poised to strike. Sloth, Indolence, whatever you should choose to call him, will go as an advisor to the great kings of the land to divert them with petty amusements and games. He will blind them to the world so they cannot see it.

But there is also the fifth, who is eager to make her mark on the world once more. But her time is not quite here. She will wait for just a little while longer until the time is right. Perhaps she will even take that pathetic, pink kitten you made to replace me!

The world will burn…

A new one will rise…

On my return…

The Day of Burning Skies…


"For the last time, yes! They're gone already!"

Ninetales blinked in surprise at the quilava's vehement response. "I'm sorry, my child. I did not realize the question was such a touchy one."

"Oh really?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "Well then, you can tell your higher ups at the Capitol that, yes, the Starchasers are gone and I'm getting rather tired of them sending messengers to ask me every other day if they are still here or not!"

"I am not from the capitol," Ninetales replied.

"Secret Service then. I don't care. Just go away and leave us alone!"

"You misunderstand me. I am not from your government at all."

The police chief scrutinized him carefully. "You from another guild then?"

Nintales shifted. "Well, no…"

He sighed heavily. "Sir, this conversation is going nowhere, so I'm just going to ask. Who are you and where do you come from?"

"I'm Ninetales."

"Yes, I know what species you are. Your name please?"

"No," Ninetales insisted, "I am Ninetales. The species is named after me."

"Well you must be old as dirt then," the police chief retorted sarcastically.

"Older than some of it, yes," Ninetales admitted, "I'm immortal, you see. Now, I really must speak to Master Majyk. He's an…well, I suppose he'd call me an old acquaintance, but we've really only known each other a few centuries."

Pyre frowned. "You don't look very old for a ninetales."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ninetales replied with a pleased grin, "But I'm actually around, oh, sixty-nine or so."

"I thought you said you were centuries old."

"I am!"

"Then why," Pyre said slowly, "Did you just say you were sixty-nine?!"

"Sixty-nine centuries, dear boy," Ninetales corrected, "Though I suppose it's getting closer to seventy now. Ho-hum. Time marches on, I suppose."

"Well then, sorry about snapping at you," Pyre muttered. Even if he didn't wholly believe his visitor, he decided to humor him a bit. It wouldn't do any harm. "They left about a week ago now, with every other guild worth its salt hot on their heels."

"Do you have any idea which way they went?" Ninetales asked.

"No I do not," Pyre snapped, "And if you knew Master Majyk well, you'd have a better idea than me!"

Ninetales blinked. "You know, I believe you're right! Well, I'm afraid I don't have time to stay and chat. Thank you for your time, Chief Pyre. I can show myself out."

"You do that," Pyre growled. He turned his attention back to his work. There was a letter for him in his box. He picked it up and sighed. After this, he'd go down to the inn and see about getting a massage from the girls. That'd relieve some of the stress he was feeling.

He read the letter and clenched his jaw. "Oh this is just great…" Pyre read through the letter one more time, just to be sure he wasn't missing anything. "Cascade! A moment, please!"

She appeared in front of his desk as if summoned out of the ground and saluted sharply. "Sir?"

He tossed her the letter. "Read that and tell me what you think."

She scanned it. "I'd say congratulations would be in order, sir, on your promotion. 'For excellent work above and beyond the call of duty in defense of the township of Seaside Crest'."

"Thank you," Pyre growled, "But that's just what I don't like about it!"

Cascade raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Don't give me that look. I know that look. You know exactly why I don't like it."

"Humor me, sir, and tell me yourself."

"Alright," Pyre growled, "Nowhere, not even in a footnote, does it mention anything the Starchasers did!"

"Officially, they are outlaws now," Cascade replied, "And officially, we are to treat them just the same as any other criminal. However, I am personally glad they managed to escape."

"They did leave rather abruptly though…No one even saw them slip away," Pyre muttered.

"Probably for the best, sir, since Lord Sable was still in town."

"Well, at least he left after they were gone." Pyre leaned back and sighed. "And the worst part of all this business? All this blasted paperwork! I can barely see over my own desk!"

Cascade rolled her eyes. "Then you'd best get to it, sir." She frowned. "A thought just occurred to me…if you are already the chief of police here, what does it mean when you are promoted?"

Pyre stiffened. "Oh Arceus…they're going to transfer me! Probably put one of Lord Sable's lackeys in my place. This is bad…"

"Or it could be an opportunity," Cascade countered, "Higher rank, more resources, more authority, more…access to hidden records. I'm pretty sure we both agree that the Starchasers are not guilty?"

"Yes, of course!" Pyre snapped, "Only someone from outside the town could be stupid enough to believe that they killed Kachi!"

Cascade nodded. "Then Lord Sable is still the prime suspect. This promotion could be the chance you need to take him down."

"If only I could have gotten a chance to talk with Medi…" Pyre lamented, "I could have straightened a lot of this out."

"She went with Lord Sable, so I was told," Cascade said, "Arceus knows what he intends to do with her…"


"Roxy?"

"Yes Lord Sable?"

"I just discovered something I really liked about Seaside Crest."

"What's that?"

"There was no frickin' traffic!"

Roxy giggled and patted him on the shoulder as their carriage jolted forward a few feet. "But just think, soon you'll be back in your own bed eating your own food! Besides, just being back here is nice after all that time spent in that horrid little hole of a town!"

"I rather liked it…" Medi muttered from the corner. She stared out the window through a crack in the curtains and tried not be impressed. The city was absolutely beautiful and soared high as if to pierce the sky, but it was so crowded! Throngs of Pokémon pushed their way past the few carriages marooned in the middle of the street. Sable took one look out and groaned.

"Tomorrow, I'm proposing a fine for obstructing the street," he declared, "That should keep this scum out of my way." There was a knock at the door. Sable hissed in annoyance.

"Excuse me sir!" a voice called from outside, "But my family is starving. A few coins, sir, to save my daughter's life?"

"Out of the way! I'm on the Council of Lords and I demand to be let through!" Sable snapped.

"A Council-member! Oi! Boys! We got a Council-member here!"

Immediately, his carriage was surrounded. Like pale wraiths, beggars of the street crowded around him, paws extended hopefully. Their cries echoed in Sable's ears, cries for mercy, pity, help. "For my family, sir", "Until I can get a new job", "Just a few coins! That's all!" Medi sat frozen in shock. Their cries were like the cries of the damned!

Sable ground his teeth in annoyance. "Now we'll never get through!" he hissed, "Maggots! They'll never let me leave until they've drained me dry!" He looked out the window and froze, transfixed. A look of horror crossed his face, just for a moment. Suddenly, he tore himself away and violently knocked on the roof of the carriage. "Driver! You have permission to ride them down! Just get us out of here!"

"Yes, Lord Sable," the Rapidash called back.

"What?!" Medi stared at him with wide eyes. The carriage lurched forward and there was a scream. Then, the right wheels of the carriage ran over something soft and there was a horrible squelching sound. The weavile looked at Sable in horror. "Why would you do that?! They just wanted money!"

"My money!" Sable growled. He saw her expression and leered. "Oh don't be so self-righteous, cultist. They're all pests anyway! Little better than fleas. They don't do anything of use. We'd be better off without them. Besides, I didn't want to stay there any longer!" He knocked on the roof again. "Don't stop until you reach the Imperial Palace!"

"Yes, Lord Sable! You! Out of the way!" Something struck the side of the carriage and there was another scream.

"We're going to have to get this washed when we reach our destination," Roxy noted, "Blood can have a negative effect on the paint."

Sable turned to Medi with a sinister grin. "Let this be a lesson to you, cultist, if you are of no use to me, I will not hesitate to trample you!" Silently, she shivered and looked away.

Lord Sable looked out the window and scanned the crowd. Good, both Roxy and Medi believed him. They couldn't know the true reason for his haste. Back there in the intersection, there had been a most disturbing thing: a pikachu with a scar across his throat and another in the center of his chest. The police insignia on his blue sash had blazed brightly like a star pinned. And his eyes, his eyes! Staring, angry eyes! Eyes like an angel guarding Hell! Sable, or more properly, Greed, knew what those were like. He wanted away from that Pikachu and his eyes and he didn't care who he had to run over in the process!

The carriage rattled through the streets, careened around corners, and burst through the gates to the Imperial Palace with sparks flying around it. Without waiting for a footman to come, Sable threw open the door to the carriage and sped into the palace.

"Lord Sable! Wait!" Roxy called. She leapt from the carriage and took to the air, flying after him.

Slowly, Medi descended and stood looking around in concern at her surroundings. The rapidash driver was breathing heavily and traces of blood were on his hooves. A wave of revulsion washed over Medi. She shuddered and flexed her claws instinctively. Damn Sable! She'd kill him if she got the chance. Wouldn't even be here if it hadn't been for that stupid Shift Orb! He'd made it very clear that if the police started interviewing the townspeople, it would be her they reported seeing and not Sable!

"I didn't want to betray them…" she reassured herself for the thousandth time, "But I have one life and one life only. I'm going to hang onto it for as long as I can."

No sooner had Lord Sable reached his office and slammed the door than someone knocked on it. "What?!" he growled. One of his assistants, an editor for the advertising section of the newspaper, poked his head in.

"Excuse me, Lord Sable? We figured you'd want to know this as soon as you got back. We found that female jolteon you were looking for."

Sable frowned. "Female jolteon? What female jolteon?"

"Well, you told us to put out an advertisement for a female eeveelution to do some modelling, sir," the assistant replied, "And to only accept ones with the name Mist who said they were from the Island of Rainbows. Only one applied who met that criteria, sir, and she's a jolteon."

"Odd name for a jolteon," Sable muttered, "I would have thought she'd be a vaporeon, but hey, I'm not complaining if you found her. Is she here?"

"Yes sir. We gave her a bed and told her to wait until you could approve her."

"Good, good," Sable purred, "Excellent job. Send her up and then take the rest of today and tomorrow off. You've done well."

"Th-thank you sir! I'll get her right away!"

"Oh, and tell Roxy to wait outside until I call her."

"Yes sir!"

Sable grinned and poured himself a glass of wine to ease his nerves. So, things were still well in hand. He'd probably just imagined seeing Kachi before! Yes, that was it. That had to be it. His imagination was getting the better of him. "Never mind that now," Sable muttered to himself, "It's time to meet Bolt's dear sister. And I sincerely hope they don't act the same way."

"Announcing Ms. Mist of the Island of Rainbows!" the doorman said.

The door shortly opened again and a slim, female jolteon entered. She fidgeted nervously and stood by the doorway. "Um…" she said, "Hello. I heard you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I did," Sable replied.

"Did?" she repeated, voice rising, "Past tense? What, so you don't want me anymore, is that what you're saying? Rude. I waited here for ten days, basically imprisoned, and then you arrive and say I'm no longer wanted?"

Sable sighed. Apparently, being annoying ran in the family. "No. That's not what I meant. I both wanted and still want to see you. Clear?"

"Oh, well in that case, hi! I'm Mist." She smiled at him in a way that reminded him very much of Bolt. He cleared his throat.

"Right, I am Lord Sable. I'm in charge of the press around here." She stared at him blankly. "That means the news."

"Oh," she said, ears drooping, "Sorry. I probably should have known that, right. I still have a lot to learn about life on the mainland…but I'm doing my best!"

Sable put on his best friendly smile. The one that didn't quite show off his sharp teeth as much. "Well, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Now…tell me a bit about yourself."

"Do you have all day?" she asked jokingly, "I'll give you the short version, m'kay? I was born and lived all my life on a little island. My dad's one of the big 'three guardians' there, so I was never allowed to go anywhere by myself. They were always afraid that someone would kidnap me or my brother Bolt. It got very boring. So…I ran away, you know? Wanted to see the world for myself instead of just hearing about it from the few traders that were allowed to come to the island."

Lord Sable took a sip of wine and nodded. "So why aren't you? Why are you here and not out there?"

"Well…you see, back home, I never had to worry about money…Like I said, my dad was pretty important. But here…"

"Ah, say no more." Sable chuckled good-naturedly. "Now money I can help you with. Maybe I could even arrange for you to see a thing or two, hmm?" He took another sip. "By the way, what sort of Pokémon was your father."

She blushed and looked down. "I'd…rather not say. It'd sound like bragging."

"Oh please." Sable stepped out from behind his desk. "First lesson, always be ready to tell everyone what's special about you. Otherwise, they'll forget you and you'll never get ahead in the world." She hesitated and he smiled. "Hey, I'm just saying, if your father's someone impressive, it'd do you no harm to share that information."

"Well…my father is…" She took a deep breath. "Raikou, my father is Raikou, okay?"

Lord Sable blinked and cast an appraising eye over her. You could almost hear his mind whirring as he processed this information. "Very interesting…"

Mist fidgeted nervously under his gaze. "Um…could you stop looking at me like that? It's creeping me out."

"That's another thing you'll have to get used to," Sable said, "You're applying to be a model, after all." He paused. "We'll need to get you a bit…cleaned up first. A fur trim, for instance. I'll hand you over to my assistant, Roxy. She has some experience with this sort of thing. Be a doll and do what she says, no matter how strange it might seem to you, okay?"

"Ah…okay?" She didn't seem terribly pleased with the prospect, but didn't protest. Instead, she took a deep breath and smiled at him. "Thank you, Lord Sable, for agreeing to hire me."

Sable grinned just a bit too widely. "Oh believe me, daughter of Raikou, it is my genuine pleasure."


"Right, this looks like a good place to start."

Cyon set his basket down and pointed to the berry bushes. "Grab the Oran, Sitrus, Pecha, and Cheri berries first. And remember, we need to be quick because…"

"We need to keep on the move so we can meet the other half of the Guild on time," Yuki finished for him, "Seriously, Cyon. We know. We were there."

"Sorry…" the male glaceon muttered, "I'm just…nervous is all. We're so close to the border…"

"Don't worry!" Bolt piped up cheerfully, "If we get in trouble, Keski will sense it and come running!"

"We should still keep an eye out, though, right?" Cia asked, "I mean, I don't want to be ambushed again…"

Yuki rubbed a bandage on her forehead ruefully. "Yeah…that wasn't fun."

"Well, just think of it this way!" Bolt said, "If they chase us, we can throw leppa berries in their eyes! The spiciness will burn them!"

The three glaceons giggled. "Right!" Cyon said, "Yuki, you're with me. Cia, would it be too terrible if I asked you to go with Bolt?"

Cia glanced at the jolteon and blushed. "No…that won't be a problem…"

Cyon nodded. "Well then, I suggest we keep picking berries until the sun is directly overhead, then head back. Any objections?" The three others shook their head. "Right, Team Snowpaw, move out! Oh, and you, Bolt."

The jolteon shrugged. "Don't worry. Hey! Bet Cia and I can pick more berries than you can!"

"Ha! You're on!" Yuki replied, "Come on, Cyon!" She and her brother immediately began picking berries. Bolt turned to a different spot, but paused short when Cia didn't immediately follow. She sat still, staring at the ground and deep in thought.

"Hey Cia, coming?" he asked gently.

She jumped and returned abruptly to reality. "Oh! Y-yes. Coming, Bolt." Embarrassed, she picked up her basket and followed. They quickly found a nearby patch of berries and began picking, tugging each one loose with their mouths and gently setting it down in the basket. Bolt glanced over at Cia. She seemed distracted and only picked berries at half-speed. Her eyes kept wandering around the forest and she let out a heavy sigh.

"You okay?" he asked, "You know we're never going to win unless we both work quickly, right?"

Cia looked up quickly and blushed. "Sorry…"

"Sorry?" Bolt repeated with a confused expression, "I wasn't saying you were doing anything wrong…"

"Oh. Sorry…"

Bolt frowned. "Um…apology accepted, I guess? But really, I was only trying to make you smile…" She sighed and nodded. Feeling awkward, the jolteon fidgeted. "Um, Cia? Is something wrong?"

"No. Well, not exactly. It's just…" She sighed again. "I don't like running from people who should be our friends. It makes me feel…sad."

Bolt set his basket aside. "I understand…" he said with a comforting smile. "I'm still worried about my sister…wondering what's happening to her makes me feel sad at times. Plus, Lord Sable said something about getting his hands on her." He bit his lip worriedly.

"I…I suppose you could leave and look for her…" Cia said in a soft voice.

Bolt thought about it and shook his head, frowning. "No, Keski and I still have no clue where she is, and now there is a bounty on our heads. Even if Keski were to dye his fur a different color, I don't think it would…"

"Keski's fur is dyed?" Cia stared at him in confusion.

Bolt's eyes widened and he grinned sheepishly. "Um…please don't tell him I let that slip…"

"What's his fur really like then?" Cia asked, leaning forward.

"Well it's…"

"None of your concern," the lucario finished with a growl. He stepped into the clearing. "Shadow says there are enemies coming up from the south. Whatever you managed to grab, bring it now. We're packing up and leaving."

Cia sighed heavily. "Another day on the run…"

"Yeah…," the lucario growled, "It's tough. Believe me, I know. Just be glad your own family aren't the ones looking to kill you." Cia looked at him in horror.

"Is that…is that what happened to you?" she asked.

The black-furred lucario sighed. "Yeah…something like that."

"Don't worry, Keski," Bolt said, "You're like a brother to me and Mist! I mean, Dad pretty much adopted you and all. So cheer up!"

"Cheer up? What are you talking about?" Keski said with a smirk, "I'm a veritable fountain of happiness and good cheer."

Bolt shrugged and grinned. "Eh, fair point. Now keep it up or I shall have to tickle you mercilessly!"

Keski immediately stiffened and backed away. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Try me!"

Keski calculated the odds and found they weren't in his favor. "Fine," he growled.

"He's ticklish?" Cia whispered to Bolt.

The jolteon grinned. "Very. Especially on the pads of his feet."

Keski muttered something uncomplimentary under his breath. "Just…gather the berries and head back…" He made to leave.

"Hey!" Bolt pinned his tail to the ground. "Not so fast! If something's actually bothering you, tell me!"

"Does it matter?"

"Well sure it does! I worry about you, you know!"

"Likewise…" the lucario growled. He looked at Bolt's expectant face and sighed. "We're headed north."

There was a moment of silence. "Aaaaand?" Bolt prompted.

"Blast it, Bolt! That's where my…" Keski glanced at Cia, who was watching this interchange with a mixture of bewilderment and interest. "Where I used to live," the lucario finished.

"Um, excuse me?" Cia said hesitantly, "if there are more attackers coming, shouldn't we be headed back to camp?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Keski growled, "Grab Cyon and Yuki and then let's go."

Hidden in a small ravine, a circle of tents sat under an overhang around the remains of a large campfire. Half the Starchaser Guild bustled around, in a hurry to tear down the campsite before their pursuers caught up with them. Again.

Keski looked around and wished for the fortieth time that they had more allies with them. Other than Team Snowpaw, there were Ryke, Mina, Skipper, Slicer, and Shadow. The plan had been to draw their pursuers after the group with Master Majyk in it. Eona flew back and forth between the two, carrying messages and the like. In theory, this would allow some of the weaker members to slip by with less resistance while still allowing some communication. However, less resistance didn't mean no resistance, as they'd discovered.

Skipper scurried over to them. "Ah, ye have the berries." Good. We'll have to eat as we run. Hand 'em out t' everyone and grab your stuff."

"I don't have anything other than my necklace!" Bolt replied.

"Then hang onto that," the floatzel advised before moving on to the next thing he had to do. Team Snowpaw followed, handing out berries wherever they went.

"Coming through!" Ryke ran past with an armful of tent stakes. Even though they weren't all that long, in the riolu's grip they looked almost comically large.

Keski watched him pass and sighed. "I bet a lot of those will end up on my back…" he muttered.

"Hey, cheer up! At least you won't be pulling a cart behind you!" Bolt said.

"Neither will you…"

"That's not the point, Keski…"

Keski sighed. "Let's just get a move on. We're close to the border. Might as well get this over with."

A voice spoke behind them. "Hello, Keski. Hello, Bolt."

Bolt turned and smiled. "Oh hey, Shadow! How are you?"

The zoroark sighed. "I'm…not doing so well. I'm used to the dark, see. The sunlight…well it seems that it and I don't get along very well together…" He smiled weakly. "Anyway, enough about that. What…"

"What do you want?" Keski demanded brusquely.

"Um…" Shadow shuffled his paws. "I wanted to make sure you two were doing okay. I'm checking on everyone, actually. It's been tough on all of us, so…"

"We're fine," Keski stated.

"Well…that's good!" Shadow tried to sound upbeat, but Keski's glare made it very hard. "I will just…go help elsewhere…"

Bolt stepped forward. "I'll come with you!"

"No," Keski said, "I need your help with something."

Bolt blinked and regarded the lucario for a moment. "Well…okay."

"I'll just be on my way…" Shadow muttered, "We're leaving shortly. Um…make sure you're ready, I guess?"

As soon as he was gone, Bolt turned to Keski. "Sheesh! What got into you?"

"I don't trust him," Keski growled.

"This again? Look, I know you don't like dark-types, but Shadow is a Starchaser! He's on our side! Right?" Bolt said.

"I said I don't trust him. I trust Team Snowpaw and the others, but not him. Besides, we're very close to the old border of the Midnight Kingdom," Keski said, "Of course, it's Northmarch's territory now, but still. I'm just being cautious."

"Well there's no need to be mean about it," Bolt muttered, "Please, Keski, be a little nicer to him? Maybe smile at him once in a while?"

Keski took a deep breath and pasted a smile on his face. "Like this?"

"Yep!" Bolt said cheerfully, "Otherwise I will pester you with bad puns until your brain dies!"

"Perish the thought…" Keski said with a roll of his eyes.

"You bet your tail! Oh, and we'd better make sure your fur is all dyed before we head out again."

They trekked all day. The land grew rougher and rockier and a few hours into the journey great hills rose to block their way. They wound their way between them, meandering across the landscape. At nightfall, they reached the first mountain. It was short as mountains go, but they still had to go all the way around it. Snow began to fall, much to Team Snowpaw's delight. No one else really shared their joy. Soon, they were trudging through drifts of the stuff.

"Why is it so cold?" Ryke asked. The riolu shivered.

"Deal with it," Mina, his zigzagoon friend, said. She shivered. "On second thought, would you walk next to me?"

"Hey! Better idea!" Ryke said with a grin, "Will someone with warm fur carry me and Mina? Shadow? Bolt? Keski?"

"Nope, sorry!" Bolt replied, "Too busy trying to eat the snow!" He crouched and leapt into the air, jaws spread wide. "Got it!"

"Congratulations," Keski said, "Want a medal?"

"Yes! And I want it to say 'Best Snow-Catcher'!"

Keski threw a snowball at him. "Oh, looks like you didn't catch it. Sorry, you lost the award."

"Ooh! Snowballs? I want to play!" Ryke said. Another snowball slammed into the back of his head.

"Oh, did I do that?" Yuki asked innocently. A snowball struck her in the face and she fell over, giggling.

"Snowball fight!" Bolt called.

Chaos descended. Shadow stood in bewilderment as snow began flying every which way. "What in the world are you all doing?"

"Pick up snow and throw it at someone!" Bolt said, "Well, I can only kick it at people…Unless…" He dove into the nearest snowbank and came up with a large mouthful of it. Then, he twirled around and tried to throw it at someone. It missed and sailed off the nearest cliff.

"L-look out Bolt!" Cia called. She fired a blast of snow and struck him right between the eyes.

"Well, as fun as this looks, we should really find a place to stay soon…" Shadow said, "It's going to be very cold tonight."

Keski nodded. "Well, we can actually make shelters out of snow, but I don't recommend it. A cave would be my first choice."

"Then we will look for a cave!" Shadow declared.

"There's one over there," Slicer said. The kabutops pointed over toward a cliff. "I found it while you all were throwing snowballs." They looked at him. "It's quite large too. And it will be warm, when we get a fire going."

"Right," Shadow said, "Then, as the de facto leader, I say we should camp there! Uh, any objections?"

There were none. Soon, they were settled in comfortably if not cozily. Skipper cooked up the berries Bolt and Team Snowpaw had managed to gather and made them into kebabs. It was a testament to the floatzel's skill as a chef that they still tasted good, even with only a campfire and rudimentary cooking tools to prepare them.

After dinner, Bolt rose and struck a dramatic pose. "Alright! Back to the snowball fight!"

Ryke let out a wide yawn. "Sorry. I'm tired…" the riolu said.

"Same…" Mina agreed.

"Well, I think it is a good idea if we all get a good night's rest," Cyon said, "After all, the girls and I need our beauty sleep."

"I'll take first watch then," Slicer said with a grunt. No one contested it either. Bolt looked glum, though. They spread out various mats and bedrolls on the floor and prepared to rest. After all, travelling cross-country all day was tiring and even the fittest of them needed sleep. However, before Bolt could join them, Slicer called him over. Curious, he hopped up and joined the kabutops at the cave entrance.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Slicer assured him, "I just…wanted to talk to you."

Bolt tilted his head to the side. "What about?"

For a moment, Slicer stared out into the night silently. "Snow is picking up," he said, "We may have to dig our way out."

"Oh, well in that case, it shouldn't be too hard! I love playing in the snow! There was never much of it at home, though," Bolt said, "But…that's not really what you wanted to talk about, is it?"

Slicer chuckled. "You are perceptive. Sometimes. Other times, you act like an idiot."

"Thank you," Bolt said with a grin, "I try. It cheers everyone up when they can laugh at someone other than themselves. I learned that with Keski."

"You two are close," Slicer stated, "yet you're complete opposites."

"Well, I don't know about complete," Bolt said, "Though we used to be. Years of each other's company has kind of bent our personalities around each other, if you know what I mean."

Slicer nodded. "I see…"

"But that's not what you wanted to ask either," Bolt said, "So…do I have to beg?"

"No, no," Slicer dismissed the thought with a wave of his arm. He hesitated. "Before I ask though, let me explain. Yes, explain. I am…not from this time. My tribes died eons ago. Then, we were…revived, the word is. My bones, they had been on display in some…structure. But when I was reborn, even those who had built it had come and gone."

"So…what's this have to do with your question?" Bolt asked.

"Well, it's just…I wonder how you remain so…the word I look for is joyful," Slicer said, "I'm used to the feeling of homelessness, of being set adrift. This, this situation of ours is nothing new to me. I've been flung across time, homeless and alone. Now, the same has happened to the Starchaser Guild and you, you remain…happy and content. Death or imprisonment follows close behind us. I fear only the latter, but you fear neither. How?"

Bolt looked away and stared out into the snowstorm. "Hmm, never thought about it," he said, "I guess…I just always trusted that everything would work out. If I just looked for Mist, I'd find her. If we do what's right, things will work out." He smiled. "Am I right?"

Slicer frowned. "You do not know this world very well. If you were right, we wouldn't be on the run."

Bolt sighed. "That's true. Back home, that's how it worked. I guess the real world's more complicated then." He pondered the question for a few minutes. "Hope," he said at last, "That I have in abundance." He laughed. "Guess I haven't learned enough about the world yet to realize how stupid it is! Then again, I'd probably hold out anyway, just because! After all, a world without hope is no fun at all."

"In that we agree…" Slicer grunted, "How do you have hope?

Bolt was silent for a long time. "It's like I said. But…I suppose I just look for it, even when bad things happen." He let out a yawn. "Well looks like I'm a bit tired myself."

"Sleep, then," Slicer said, "I've kept you, yes, kept you too long. You should sleep now."

Bolt nodded. "Yeah…I'm more used to sprinting. All this walking kind of wears me out." He yawned. "Night."

"Good night, Bolt the hopeful Jolteon." Slicer turned and set his gaze upon the world outside. Inside, he pondered the words Bolt had spoken and many other things besides. His eyes began to droop. He was tired, so tired. Sometimes, like tonight, he felt the cold, stone imprisoning him once again. Weighing down, pressing him deep into the earth. The weight of ten thousand years. He was so tired. He felt himself slipping. He tried to fight, but something… something fought back. He needed to sleep. He needed to rest. To regain his strength. Yes… rest… He fell asleep looking up at the stars in the sky staring down at him like eyes.


"Keski, my son."

"Yes, father?"

"Execute them."

"Yes, father."

It was easy. Terribly easy. A blast of aura and the bodies crumpled, all life burnt out of them. He went down the line and grabbed the prisoners one by one. After the deed was done, he tossed the body back to one of the soldiers. Terror, pleas for mercy, none moved him. He was resolute, immovable, inexorable, and unbreakable as justice. No, he was justice. Those who opposed the will of the King would perish. It was his divinely-appointed duty to carry out the King's wishes. He was the savior of Northmarch, bringing judgment upon the Darkrai-worshiping spawn of the Giratina in the Midnight Kingdom.

There was a pile of corpses now. They would burn them shortly, and then their ashes would be scattered to the four winds. He frowned. Why was there blood? Aura-burning was a completely sterile method of killing. But there was a pool of blood under the pile. It grew rapidly and he had to step back or he'd be standing in it.

"Soldiers!" he called, "What is this? Clean it up at once!" But he was alone. Alone with a pile of bodies. No, not just one. Hundreds. Hundreds of corpses that stared at him with dull, sightless eyes. He couldn't meet their gaze, their horrible eyes like demons risen from Hell, and looked down. He let out a cry of disgust. The blood was up to his knees now, and still rising. It rose and rose higher and higher.

"I can't swim in this," he said. Suddenly, those piles looked like a pretty good place to escape from the rising tide. Steeling himself, he clambered up to the top. Had it always been this high? It seemed to be growing as he climbed it, but whenever he looked down the blood was only a few feet away. Was it really rising that fast?

Then, he reached to top. There was nowhere else to go, and the flood was catching up with him. Panic slowly wormed into his mind, devolving into mindless terror when something closed around his ankle. He looked down. One of the corpses stared up at him, a houndoom, with one of its legs bent unnaturally around his ankle. In a flash, Keski remembered her. He'd killed her in one of the many battles he'd been in. She'd leapt in to defend her mate and he'd ended both their lives.

He recoiled and tried to shake out of her grip, but another stirred beside him. An umbreon with half its face broken in. He'd been a doctor in the cave where Keski had rescued several of Northmarch's soldiers. Keski had stridden into his medical ward and executed everyone there, according to his orders.

The umbreon sank his teeth into Keski's arm. More stirred and wrapped themselves around him. They dragged him down, down, down.

"Let me go!" Keski shouted, kicking and punching at them, "I am the Golden Saint! I am above you scum! Arceus' favor rests on me!" A growl escaped his throat. "Burn!" An explosion of aura escaped him, but it was not the same as before. Sickly black and blood-red, the colors of corruption and rage, those were its colors now. The breath caught in Keski's throat.

"No…" he said, "NO!" He looked at the pile of his victims he was standing on and his throat tightened. "Get away from me!" he cried, but this time in fear. He dove off the side and into the red ocean surrounding him. Immediately, he sank an kept sinking until red turned to black and his lungs burst for need of air. But then, a soft light appeared off to the right of him.

"If you seek true repentance," a gentle voice said, "Then come to my temple. The White Seer, my servant, will tell you what you need to do. Otherwise, the weight of your deeds will drag you down into oblivion."

Keski reached out for the light, but he felt his mind drifting away. His eyes closed and he fell into the darkness below.

Keski woke up in the middle of the night with claws at his throat. "Don't. Move," a harsh voice ordered. The lucario snapped fully awake in an instant and he tensed. A growl rose from his throat. "Your hands and feet are bound and we have soldiers standing beside every one of your friends. One false move, lucario, and they die."

Keski's mind raced. Cave was dark. No way to tell what sort of Pokémon the attackers were. Still night too. The eyes, though. They were a very familiar kind. He briefly scanned the Pokémon's aura and took a sharp breath.

"You're not from a guild, are you?"

"No."

"You're from the Midnight Kingdom," he said.

"Perceptive, but I should have expected that from one of you lying pieces of filth," the unknown Pokémon said.

"But this is the border of Northmarch."

"That is where you, my aura-wielding friend, are much mistaken." Keski could barely make out a sharp-toothed smile appear on its face. "As of last week, this territory is once again under the rightful rule of King Tyrone."

Keski cursed under his breath.

"Now, tell me who you are and what you're doing here and maybe I won't slit your throat in the next few seconds, hmm?"

"What have you done to everyone else?" Keski demanded, "Tell me!" The sound of many voices quietly laughing met his ears.

"The spores secreted by grass-types are wondrous things, as are the eyes of a malamar."

"You put everyone to sleep," Keski said, "And you woke me up. Because I'm a lucario and you want to know why I'm here."

"Correct. I'm so pleased you've caught up with the rest of us. Now…" The pressure on his neck increased. "Talk."

"I'm just a traveler…" Keski said.

"Liar. There are no 'just travelers' of your kind. Shall we wake up the riolu and ask him? We will not be gentle with him."

"An exile, then. Why does it matter?" Keski asked.

"Then why are you returning home?"

"Well, I've been exiled from two countries now," Keski snapped, "Doesn't leave me a whole lot of places to go, does it?"

"Then consider yourself very unfortunate," the Pokémon said, "You are now prisoners of the Midnight Kingdom. You will be taken to the Citadel and interrogated at Tyrone's leisure."

Keski glanced around. "You knocked everyone out, correct?"

"Yes."

"So…what did you do with the zoroark?"

There was a brief pause. "Zoroark…?"

"That would be me," Shadow said, "Now, step away from my friends, including Keski."

The Pokémon above Keski turned and replied haughtily. "Fool! This is the Midnight Kingdom and we are her soldiers! We will not let spies and invaders trespass without any conseque…"

Like a blur, Shadow shot forward and knocked the speaker away from Keski. He crouched down protectively in front of the lucario. "You hurt, Keski?"

"No." Keski tried to rise, but found he couldn't. "Tied up, but not hurt."

"Well, try and get yourself untied then," Shadow said, "Meanwhile…you there! Surrender and leave or I will put you all in an endless sleep."

Keski frowned. Shadow's help was nice and all, but why was he offering it? In all honesty their relationship had barely been a cordial one. Later, worry about that later. He raised the vines binding his rips to his mouth and bit down. Bleh, bitter. Oh, there was one other thing too. Normally, you'd assume that 'endless sleep' meant death, but the way Shadow said it implied he meant something…else.

"Impossible!" one of the assailants snarled, "How could a zoroark be friends with a filthy lucario!"

"Um…" Shadow hesitated. "I'm afraid I don't understand…"

"Besides, we aren't exactly friends…" Keski muttered.

"Foreigners…" the Pokémon said in disgust, "Well if you're friends with him, you're no friends of ours! Take him!"

Two, glowing blue spots appeared above Keski. He gulped. Well, that was intimidating. Shadow's eyes could glow. Keep that in mind. "Don't say I didn't warn you…" Shadow said with a wry chuckle. The darkness in the cave deepened and the ominous crackle of energy filled it. "Now, I believe it's time you all took a nice, slow rest." There was the sound of several falling to the ground, fast asleep.

"He uses Dark Void!" one of the Pokémon shouted, "The power of the King of Nightmares! Darkrai has returned to us!"

"Hail Lord Darkrai!" the others cried in unison.

Keski choked and bit all the way through the bindings on his wrists. "Um, what now?"

"Darkrai?" Shadow said in confusion, "My name is Shadow…"

The first speaker laughed nervously. "Only one Pokémon can use Dark Void. I understand now. You've been tricking these Pokémon into working for you, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't. Now please, go away and leave us alone," Shadow said.

"You're DARKRAI?!" Keski snarled.

"No!" Shadow protested, "Maybe! I don't remember my past! The Starchasers took me in and gave me a place to call home! I…I…"

"Hail Lord Darkrai!"

Shadow sat down and put his head in his paws. "I'm feeling very confused right now. If everyone could just calm down and be quiet for a minute…"

"Yes, Lord Darkrai!"

"Don't call me that!"

Shadow sat perfectly still for ten minutes, eyes closed tight and body tense. Meanwhile, Keski finished freeing himself from the vines and ropes he'd been tied with. One of the Pokémon moved to stop him, but he growled. "Leave him," Shadow ordered and the Pokémon backed off.

"What species are you all, even?" Keski asked, "Can barely see anything in this darkness."

"We are many, but we are all Darklings."

Keski huffed and sat cross-legged. "So I'm surrounded by enemies, eh?"

"Yes."

"Peachy."

Bolt stirred beside him. "He's waking, Commander," one of the Darklings said, "Shall I…"

"Leave them all alone. And please, stand a little ways off. I need to think," Shadow ordered and they reluctantly acquiesced. Keski leaned over toward him.

"Please tell me you're not really Darkrai…" he said.

Shadow's shoulders slumped. "I don't remember…sorry."

"Are you still on our side?" Keski asked.

"Always."

"Well this is just brilliant," Keski said with a slight growl in his voice, "Look, I'd prefer not to fight them all, but they're more likely to kill me than let me speak. Since you're the only one I think they'll listen to, I suppose I'll have to trust you. But if Bolt is harmed in any way, I am holding you responsible. And you wouldn't like that, powerful as you are."

"What about if you get harmed?" Shadow whispered back.

Keski looked down. "That may not be possible. But I owe Bolt my life and I will do anything in my power to make sure his does not end."

"I understand," Shadow said, "And I think I have an idea. They're not just going to let us walk out of here, are they?"

"No," Keski growled, "Not me, at least, and probably not you. They hate my kind and they think you're they're god."

"Then we will have to go with them," Shadow said, "Hopefully, I can bargain with them to make sure we're going as honored guests and not prisoners."

"What about fighting?"

"You didn't notice?" Shadow said in surprise, "After they started going on about me being 'Lord Darkrai', a hundred more ran up from that tunnel in the back of the cave."

"A hundred…? Tunnel in the back of…?" Keski looked around wildly.

"We can fight, but there's no telling how many there are. There will be casualties on our side, maybe some deaths. And possibly Bolt," Shadow said, "I prefer to avoid that. And, if they think I'm their god, I can hopefully win them over. Make them obey me."

"Yeah…" Keski said, "Um…I have something to tell you. About my golden fur and why I thought that you were an assassin when we first met."

"Yes?"

"I'm…well, let's just say I'm public enemy number one here."

"Ah…that complicates things." Shadow mused for a second. "They're getting impatient. I think we're out of time. You said you'd trust me, right?"

"Right…"

"In that case, you are my personal servant. None of them may touch you or be near you. Understand?"

Keski weighed the suggestion and the situation in general. There really was no good option here. In hindsight, any plan they made would probably look very stupid. However, in the middle of the night with impatient enemies just a few meters away, he doubted they would come up with anything better than relying on Shadow's new position as 'Darkrai'. The very thought of it sent a wave of revulsion up his throat. Darkrai, the King of Nightmares and the one who had almost destroyed the world countless times. Even the idea of pretending to serve him was repulsive. But, it would give an excuse for his presence here and might keep them from looking at him too closely. All it would take was a little sacrifice of dignity. "That might help…" Keski said.

"It will have to." Shadow stood up. "Starchasers! Awaken!" He snapped his fingers. Like a spell had been lifted, everyone woke up at once. Shadow smiled at them. "Please, don't panic." Immediately, everyone became very nervous. "Hmm, maybe I should have started with something else…"

Slicer burst into the cave. "Is everyone all…" He spotted the large division of Dark-types in the back. "...Well, well that's interesting."

"Everyone," Shadow said, "It appears we are trespassing. Now, these kind Pokémon have agreed…" He gave the Dark-types a pointed look. "…To take a lenient view of the matter. They will take us to someone in authority to get it straightened out. Isn't that correct, commander?"

A bisharp stepped forward and saluted. "Yes, Lord Darkrai. Though what happens once we reach our destination is not up to us."

"Right. Oh, and one more thing." Shadow looked sheepish. "According to them, I'm Darkrai. There you go, nice short summary of what's happened tonight. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to trust me. I'll explain more on the way." He looked back at the commander. "Are we leaving now or is tomorrow morning do?"

"Now," the commander replied firmly.

"Well, okay…now then," Shadow said, "Um…everyone get up?"

"Do we have any time to discuss this?" Cyon asked, "You know, democratically?"

"Afraid not," Shadow said, "They outnumber us and all. And no, I'm not a traitor, I just don't want you to die."

In the end, they accepted Shadow's plan. More and more dark-types kept pouring out of the rear and soon it was entirely packed full. Their numbers put the idea of fighting or running completely out of the Starchaser's heads. Bolt stepped up beside Keski and nudged him.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, "You know, with the whole…"

"I don't know."

"Well, I'd think you'd know. You're the one who told me about it."

"No, Bolt, that's not what I meant." Keski sighed. "I don't know if I'll be okay."

"What do you mean?"

"These people…hate me. They hate my entire race, but most especially me. I highly doubt I'll be 'okay'." He sighed. "I'm not even sure I'll survive…"