Chapter 12:

The Midnight King's Court

"I wept not, so to stone within I grew," Dante Alighieri

Shadow found that the Darklings, as they called themselves, were almost always ready to submit to his desires, so long as they didn't contradict their duty. He secured food, water, and comfortable beds for all of the Starchasers, even Keski. The Darklings were very reluctant to give the lucario anything, but Shadow said very firmly that the lucario was his personal servant and was his to treat as he wished.

"And what about the riolu?" the commander asked, "It's been a while since we've had any sort of real fun."

"He's mine too," Shadow said, "And what do you mean by 'fun', because I'm pretty sure that it's quite different from the normal use of the word." The bisharp grinned and held up his claws. Alarmed, Shadow took an involuntary step back. "Ah. That's quite out of the question."

Over the next two days, the zoroark grew increasingly uneasy about his position. For one, the Darklings all fawned on him, bringing him all sorts of extravagant gifts and 'sacrifices', which he quietly divided among the Starchasers. They honestly believed he was Darkrai, which was uncomfortable but Shadow didn't want to try and disillusion them. After all, half the Starchaser Guild was depending on him. He couldn't afford to lose any leverage he had.

They passed through vast underground cities, all filled with Darklings. They were dark and gloomy places, with towers that soared high into the darkness above, narrow bridges crossing bottomless chasms, and dim mazes of passageways lit by too few torches. The air was always close and suffocating, even when they were in the open. The mood among the Starchasers became increasingly grim.

Both nights of their journey, the Darklings stuck the Starchasers all together in small, cramped caves. Only Shadow was spared. On the second night, Skipper asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Ye don't think that Shadow really be Darkrai, do ye?"

"Of course not," Keski said, "That would be ridiculous. Darkrai is the epitome of all that is evil. Not even Shadow could be that."

"Not even Shadow?" Yuki repeated, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's a zoroark…" Keski muttered, "But, granted, he is a much better one than the norm."

Yuki's eyes narrowed in fury. "Shadow is a Starchaser! Get that? He deserves a lot more than just 'better than the epitome of evil'!"

Cyon laid a paw on his sister's shoulder. "Give it a rest, Yuki." She huffed and rolled over to face the wall. "Yuki…"

"But how do ye know he isn't Darkrai?" Skipper pressed.

Keski sighed. "Well, if he were, we'd all be having nightmares, right? Now, I've had some, but if you all haven't…" He trailed off and looked around at their nervous expressions. "You've…all been having nightmares, haven't you?"

"Well…" Cyon said with a nervous grin, "Yes."

"I dreamed that I was all alone," Ryke said.

"Cold, hard stone," Slicer said.

"Great, so we've all been having nightmares!" Keski threw his arms up and turned around. "Wonderful."

"What about you, Keski?" Bolt asked, "Did you have scary nightmares?"

Keski stiffened. "Very." There was a long silence.

"Well…" Skipper said, "I suppose it will all be cleared up tomorrow, aye?"

The next morning, they arrived at the palace. It was a large, rough-hewn structure cut into the wall of a giant cavern lying in the heart of a mountain. Clanking gears and the roar of forges echoed in the cave and red fires lit up the darkness. The main gate swung open to greet them like a great maw. The place stank of sulfur and despair. "Behold the court of King Tyrone, Lord of the Northern Mountains!" the commander of their escort proclaimed, "Not even the Golden Demon himself could find it. We hid down here for years until he died. Now, though, we've returned and we're ready to wage war once again."

"Fascinating," Shadow said not too enthusiastically.

"Best get a move on," the commander said, "You're expected." To the Starchasers, he added, "And when you meet the king, kneel."

They were ushered inside, quickly and without ceremony. Keski felt the glares of hundreds of eyes fall on him, though they were hurried along too quickly for him to see who all was staring. Then, they entered into a large room, hewn straight from the rock. Of all the rooms in that subterranean kingdom, it was the most well-lit. Great pillars of stone rose into the air, supporting the roof. Great, iron chandeliers hung down to give more light, though the ceiling and corners of the room remained shrouded. Many species of Pokémon stood around the room, mingling and talking in loud voices, but as soon as the Starchasers entered their conversation turned into whispers. And in the exact center stood a great, obsidian throne upon which sat the largest and fiercest tyranitar any of them had ever seen. He was at least ten feet tall, with limbs as thick as boulders. His eyes flashed like wildfire and it seemed that at any moment the flames would burst out and envelope the room.

The commander saluted and bowed. "All hail King Tyrone! On your knees, trespassers!"

"Thank you, commander," the king said. He looked directly at Shadow and the zoroark took a step back. "So, you are Darkrai. We've been waiting for you to come back. What took you so long, eh?"

Shadow blinked. "Sorry?"

"It's been years since you appeared to us," Tyrone said, "And I hear you've changed. I'd like to hear an explanation for that."

Shadow rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, about that whole 'Lord Darkrai' thing, I think you have the wrong person."

"Take me for a fool, do you?" Tyrone said with a rumbling chuckle, "That cannot be the answer. I know your power when I sense it. I stood near you too often to forget. And I sense it now."

"I'm afraid I have total amnesia," Shadow said, "Don't remember anything. Even if I were Darkrai, I'm completely different now than I was. Understand? I'm no longer your god."

This caused quite a stir in the court. Cries of disbelief and despair. Of anger and outrage. The room threatened to devolve into chaos, but Tyrone raised a clawed hand and it fell silent once more. "Alzam," he called, "What do you make of this?"

A bejeweled zoroark stepped forward. His back was crooked and he walked with a limp, but a permanent smile as crooked as his back was stamped on his face. It was like everything he saw were tolerably amusing. "Well, I believe that he is telling the truth. His amnesia would match reports of de-stabilized portal transportation. The human from the future experienced similar effects."

"Human?" Shadow said in confusion, "What human?"

Alzam turned to him. "The one who foiled your plan, my lord. He came from the future to stop the destruction of the Temporal Tower, but while he was in transit, you attacked him in the timestream. This caused backlash all the way down the portal route and resulted in the exact same symptoms as you described."

Shadow folded his arms. "And what would this have to do with me?"

"Palkia's last attack, of course," Alzam answered, "After you were, pardon me, defeated by Cresselia, the human, and the human's friend, you opened a portal through the Dream World to escape. However, as you were going through it, Palkia appeared and fired one last shot. It struck you in the portal and…destabilized it." Alzam paused when he saw that Shadow did not understand a word he was saying.

"Dream World…? Backlash…?"

The zoroark priest sighed and smiled tolerantly. "Allow me to show you then." He extended his jeweled claws and before the eyes of the court an image formed. First, they could only see a dark, cavernous opening with dark clouds hanging overhead. Then, one by one, several Pokémon came into focus. In the foreground stood three: Cresselia, a leafeon, and a lucario.

Keski gasped. That lucario, that was the perfect image of… He paused. Well, a younger image perhaps, but it was unmistakably him. He would stake his life on it. After all, how could he forget the one person in Northmarch who had treated him like a son?

"Master…" he said under his breath.

The image came fully into focus and the fourth figure was revealed. A revolting being wrapped in a black cloak lay on the ground, wounded. A strip of rotting, bloody flesh hung around his neck like a necklace and his one good, blue eye made anyone who looked at it shiver.

"We…did it," Cresselia said in disbelief. Her face hardened. "You've got no one left to hide behind, coward!" Light radiated from her, swirling around a point at her forehead.

"Face your fate!" the lucario challenged. He put his palms together and an aura sphere appeared between them. "I won't be deceived by your nightmares anymore!"

"We're going to stop you once and for all!" the leafeon added. She stepped up next to the lucario and her tail began to glow.

The light on Cresselia's forehead blazed like a beacon. "This is the end for you," she said and fired a sphere of pure light.

The dark-specter screamed as it struck him and flung him backwards. He lay still for several moments. Then, he rose again and chuckled weakly. "C-Cresselia, don't you see? I said you could never catch me." He raised his hands and, before their eyes, a hole was torn in the fabric of space and time.

"Hey! What is that?!" the leafeon said in alarm.

He glanced behind him at a shimmering hole in the air itself. "I do not know where this leads. This Dimensional Hole may take me to the future…or the past…" A horrid grin split his face. "Wherever it does, you can be assured that I will succeed! I have only been stopped in this time! I will simply plunge the world into darkness in some other time!"

"Stop!" the leafeon ordered.

"You're not getting away this time!" Cresselia ordered, but the dark specter dove ran to the portal. The three pulled to a stop.

"Too bad for you," Darkrai crooned, "I can slip away through time with just one step. You cannot catch me." He grinned and gave them a mock-salute. "Good-bye to you!"

"Darkrai! Wait!" the lucario ordered, but the specter stepped through closer and he stopped.

"Well how do you like that?! Finally, in the end…it ends with my ultimate victory! Without any of you to stop me…no one will have the power to stand in my way! My victory is assured!"

A voice from the sky shouted down to them. "I WON'T ALLOW THAT!" Darkrai looked up in alarm as the Master of Space, Palkia himself, plummeted down from the heavens and splintered the ground as he landed. The great dragon glowered and space itself seemed to warp and twist around him.

Now, Darkrai looked well and truly alarmed. "P-Palkia?!"

"YOU WILL PAY A GRAVE PRICE FOR MEDDLING WITH MY DOMAIN, DARKRAI!" Palkia roared to the heavens and began to glow. "I WILL NOT PERMIT YOU TO DISTORT SPACE ANY LONGER! THIS STRIKE SHALL END YOU!"

"I believe I have overstayed my welcome," Darkrai said, "Farewell!" He dove into the portal and disappeared, leaving only the echo of his laughter behind.

"THERE IS NO ESCAPING ME!" Palkia bellowed and unleashed all his power on the rift. Darkrai's scream echoed throughout the entire world and then suddenly stopped. The rift in space and time cracked and sealed itself. Alzam snapped his fingers and the scene disappeared from sight.

"That is how it happened," the zoroark said, "Now, my theory is, and this is where it gets a little self-laudatory, when you came out the other side, weakened and with no memory, you took the physical form that was most familiar to you: that of a zoroark, your humble servants."

Shadow's eyes went wide and his frown transformed into a look of bewilderment. He slumped back against the pillar. "I…remember that. Vague after-images and impressions, but I r-remember…" He swallowed. "So all those stories, the stories of fear and terror, of darkness and destruction, are about me?"

"Yes! And now you've come back to us at the pivotal point! The tide of history has once again swung in our favor!" Alzam said with glee, "Never fear, my lord. Things may seem a bit confusing now, but once we restore your memory everything will make sense."

Keski sighed. "Well, I hoped it wasn't true…"

Shadow looked uneasy. "I'm not so certain that is the best idea…"

"Well you're not really in a position to judge right now, are you?" Alzam said, "Once you're restored, then you can decide. And, you will receive the respect you deserve. For now, though…" He turned to King Tyrone.

"You will be under my protection," Tyrone said, "Means you can't leave. We wouldn't want to lose you again, now would we?" Alzam smiled and nodded in agreement. "And when you recover, we shall welcome you amongst us properly. Though, I will warn you, you are no longer our patron. We have another, older one who guides us now."

"But…" Shadow protested.

"Guards, prepare a room for Lord Darkrai," Tyrone ordered, "One of the comfy ones, understand? The rest can go to the slave pens."

"Slave pens?!" Shadow said in alarm, "Now hold on just one moment here!"

Slicer rose with a primal hiss. "Slaves, we will not be slaves."

"Oh ho! Resist, would you?" Tyrone said, "Too bad. I don't tolerate spies and assassins I my kingdom."

"Spies?!" Ryke spluttered. The riolu rose angrily. "We're the Starchaser Guild! We aren't spies!"

A ripple of alarm went through the court and for a moment Ryke was proud of himself. He'd scared them and now they'd have no choice but to release everyone! But then, Tyrone's face split into a vicious smile.

"Well, well," he said, rising, "Starchasers, eh? Oh, I've heard about you. My old friend Lord Sable told me all about you. Said the Management was very interested in you." Now, it was the Starchasers' turn to be alarmed.

"Should have known Sable was working for the Midnight Kingdom," Keski muttered.

Tyrone looked around and frowned. "And where is Guildmaster Majyk, hmm? I want to smash his skull into little, bloody pieces on the floor, see? Can't do that if he's not here."

"W-why?" Cia asked, "Why do you want to kill the Guildmaster?"

The fire in Tyrone's eyes flared up. He strode forward, a wicked grin on his face. "Why? 'Cause She ordered me to, that's why! I'm going to kill him, and all the other Seal-Bearers! Then, I'll conquer the whole world and burn it to the ground! An' whatever's left, I'll rule." He turned to his assembled subjects. "Isn't that right, boys?!" They cheered, whistling and clapping with delighted grins on their faces. "So Starchasers…if Majyk isn't here, where is he?" The Starchasers stared at him in shocked silence. "TELL ME!"

They exchanged glances and nodded. "We won't tell the likes of ye!" Skipper shouted.

"We won't betray our friends," Cyon said, "That would be unthinkable."

Tyrone glared. "Then I guess I'll just keep you all imprisoned here until he comes to running to the rescue. He won't leave his 'precious children' in my hands if he can help it, will he now?"

"You can't do that!" Ryke shouted, "That's illegal!"

"SILENCE! I AM THE LAW HERE!" Tyrone roared.

"Yeah? Well I…"

Keski laid a paw on Ryke's shoulder. "Just a suggestion, shut up and let us handle this, okay?" Ryke gave him a sideways look, but obeyed anyway.

"And now…" Tyrone's gaze fell on Keski. "Concerning the lucario."

Keski stiffened and met Tyrone's eyes unflinchingly. "Yes, your majesty?" he said with barely veiled hostility.

"First, you will kneel in my presence. On your face. And you won't look up," Tyrone said, "Second, you will tell me exactly who you are and what you are doing here." Keski glared at him. "Well? What are you waiting for? KNEEL!"

Slowly, ever so slowly, Keski dropped to his knees. Then, he bowed his head and lowered his eyes and knelt before King Tyrone. "That's better," the tyranitar grunted, "Now, who are you and why are you in my kingdom?!"

"Why do you think he's here? Because you kidnapped us!" Yuki said, eyes flashing.

"And it's really put us behind schedule," Cyon added, "I don't know how we'd make up for lost time, even if you released us right now."

"I wasn't asking you, little morsels," Tyrone said.

"J-just because he's a lucario…doesn't mean that you have to hate him so much," Cia added. The king glared at her and she let out a squeak of alarm.

"He's just a servant of mine," Shadow said, "A personal servant. His black fur is my work."

"You gave him the Mark of the Night?" Alzam said in horror.

"Well, no," Shadow said, "I don't even know what that is." Alzam's mouth worked silently and the veins in his neck seemed almost ready to pop. "I-it's just dye!" Shadow assured him, "I haven't given him any gifts, no special powers or blessings, if that's what you're worried about."

"Dye?" Tyrone said, "So what color is his fur naturally then?"

"Uh, blue?" Shadow said. Bolt glanced at Keski nervously.

"If you don't mind, I'll see for myself. Soldiers!" Tyrone called, "Bring water! Give him a rinse! I want to see that fur and I don't care how much he struggles!"

"Um, there's really no need," Shadow said, "It's plain, ordinary…"

"He has mange!" Bolt shouted, "Ooh, don't want to touch him! All your…skin, your very rocky skin, will fall off and you will…um, die."

Tyrone was unimpressed. "Then why isn't he dead, hmm?"

"He's a…steel-type?" Bolt offered, "Duh. And it's a well-known fact of contemporary medicine that…steel-types are immune to mange. And very, very smexy."

"Smexy?" Tyrone repeated.

"Yes! Don't you know what smexiness is?"

"I believe," Alzam said, "That you put an extra letter in there."

"No, no." Bolt waved the concern aside with his paw. "Not at all. Course not. Smexiness and sexiness are completely different."

"And what is the difference then?" Tyrone demanded.

"Good question!" Bolt said cheerfully. He beamed up at Tyrone with all the happiness and good cheer he could muster. Unfortunately, Tyrone's skin was specially reinforced against good cheer and he glowered back. "Give me one moment to find a good answer!"

Tyrone stared at him impassively for a moment. "Bring that water!"

"Oh! I just remembered!" Bolt said, "What smexiness is, I mean!"

"Shut up, mutt," Tyrone grunted.

"Don't you want to know? I'm sure the curiosity is killing you!"

"You're the one who will be killed if you don't SHUT UP!"

"…did someone get up on the wrong side of the-"

"Bolt…don't bother. It's hopeless." Keski rose slowly.

"I told you to kneel!" Tyrone roared. He strode forward, looking ready to clobber Keski.

"Keski…" Bolt whispered, "Trying to save your life here…"

"Well you can't," Keski snapped. Bolt took a step back, a hurt expression on his face. Keski sighed and then took a deep breath. "King Tyrone! My name is Keski, son of the King and third prince of Northmarch! My fur is golden, for I am the Golden Saint, the greatest enemy of your kingdom!" All eyes stared at him. "And I am willing to trade my life if you will let my friends go free."

For a long moment, there was complete silence. Then, Ryke said, "You're a prince?!"

"Let them…go free?" Tyrone repeated suspiciously. He gestured to Keski. "Come here a second." Wordlessly, Keski approached, head held high and shoulders back.

"Your majesty?" he said coolly, "Will you accept my offer?"

Tyrone regarded him for a long moment. "You there, floatzel. Wash some of this dye off him. I want to see this for myself."

Skipper glared and made as if to refuse. "Do it," Keski said. Reluctantly, Skipper took a deep breath and doused Keski in a stream of water. It ran down his fur and pooled underneath him. It was noticeably black. Keski, on the other hand, was both wet and slightly, ever so slightly, golden. But it was enough.

"Oh-ho!" Tyrone said. The fire in his eyes flared up to even greater heights. "Well! This has been an interesting morning! Darkrai, the Starchasers, and the Golden Demon all delivered to me at once! The Management will flip when they hear about this! Heh, even the Boss 'll find this funny!"

"So how about it?" Keski asked, "My life for my friends' freedom?"

"Boy, do you even know where you are?" Tyrone snapped, "My kingdom, surrounded by my armies! My strongest troops are right here! I don't need to make a deal. You're already mine, got it?"

"That is true," Keski said, "But unless you accept, then you will die."

The tyranitar king leaned forward, towering over the lucario. "Oh? Why's that?"

"I've killed many of your subjects. Unless you release my friends, I'll kill you." Keski's voice was confident. There was no hint of uncertainty in it. "So what will it be? Me, your hated enemy, or will you try to keep them?"

Tyrone's expression was impassive. "Guards, take the Starchasers into custody. Send them to the pens and have the Slavemaster assign them their new roles."

Keski growled from the back of his throat. "Last mistake, your majesty." Flares of blue aura appeared in both his hands. "Care to rescind that order?"

"And after you've done that," Tyrone continued, "Bring chains and whips. We're going to have some fun."

Keski's paws clenched into fists. He chuckled softly. "Well guys," he said to the Starchasers, "Stand back. I'm going to make a mess." His aura flared and enveloped him for a moment. Then, he shot forward and it trailed behind him like the tail of a comet. He slammed into Tyrone's stomach with the force of a pile-driver…

…And bounced right off. He stumbled and fell on flat on his back. Tyrone looked down at him, but made no hostile move. With a roar, Keski bounded to his feet and unleashed an aura-charged punch on Tyrone's knee. It didn't budge an inch. He struck Tyrone's other knee, his stomach, his sides, and even gave him a stunning uppercut right on the jaw. The tyranitar took all this punishment with barely a blink. Keski fell back, panting, and the assembled Darklings laughed.

"Give it up, boy," Tyrone said, "My armor is impenetrable."

"I trained by shattering rocks," Keski said with venom, "And I proved my strength by shattering your people's skulls! Your armor won't stop me. I just have to hit the right spot."

"Bolt," Cia whispered, "Just…who is Keski?"

The jolteon gave her a weak smile. "Um, my best friend and adopted brother? But before that, the half-noble prince of Northmarch…"

"Well he might have told us that," Skipper grumbled, "Before we was captured, I mean."

Tyrone sighed and stood still. "Come on, pup. Show me what you got."

"Gladly." Keski leapt high into the air and slammed his fist into the floor. The ground shook and small rocks fell from the ceiling. But Tyrone stood unmoved. Keski unleashed a flurry of punches, kicks, and jabs with his spikes. Only a few chips showed that he had done anything at all. He gathered a small packet of aura in his hand and drew it back for a strike.

"Force Palm!" He slammed his paw into Tyrone's stomach with all his might. An explosion of blue fire tore the air around them asunder. Normally, it would be a crippling blow. But all it did was drive a little extra air from Tyrone's lungs. The crowd jeered at him.

"Satisfied yet?" Tyrone asked with a bored tone. Keski growled and pulled back his fist for another strike. Suddenly, the tyranitar brought his tail around and smashed it into Keski's side. The force behind it picked the lucario up, carried him a few feet, and then threw him off and straight into a nearby pillar. It cracked behind him and shards of stone flew across the room.

"Are we just going to stand here?" Yuki asked angrily, "We should be fighting too!"

"And how long do you think we'd last?" Cyon asked, "Look where we are! We're surrounded! As long as it's just Keski fighting, they're all content to stand back and watch. But as soon as we try to step in and help, they'll attack. And then we'll all go down faster than that cake we made last harvest festival."

Yuki huffed and turned to Bolt. "What do you think? He's your friend!"

Bolt bit his lip. "Um…well, I don't think Keski would like us interfering…He likes his fights, see."

"You're all cowards!" Yuki snapped.

"Now sis…" Cyon said, but she turned her back and huffed.

Keski slumped and fell to his knees in front of the pillar. A few trickles of blood appeared on his back. He grunted and rose to his feet, wobbled for a second, and assumed a battle stance. "Ow."

"Ya know," Tyrone said, "Doing the same thing over and over again is the definition of insanity, right?"

"I just hit you with enough force to start a landslide," Keski said, "And you aren't even scratched?!"

Tyrone grinned. "Oh ho! You're beginning to understand the situation, I see." He punched both fists together and crouched slightly. "Good…"

"Keski," Bolt called and glanced over at Yuki, "Do you need any…"

"Stay out of this, Bolt!" the lucario snapped, "Everyone stay back!"

"Well, there's your answer, Yuki…" Bolt muttered. She didn't look too pleased though.

The Commander stepped forward. "Alright, you lot!" he shouted, "That's enough sitting around! Follow me!"

"We're not going until Keski beats your king to the ground," Yuki retorted.

"Come with us now," the Commander insisted, "Or we'll all gang up on him and tear him limb from limb right in front of you!"

They exchanged worried glances. "We, we are in no position to resist," Slicer said.

"Ah, I see you understand," the Commander said, "Come along then."

"Rest assured," Slicer continued, "You will pay for this, you will. We will not be here long."

"If that helps you sleep at night," the Commander replied with an amused smile, "All of you! Come with me! You have an appointment with the Slavemaster."

"NO!" Keski darted toward them. Tyrone's tail swept around at his feet, but he hurdled it and delivered a flying punch to the tyranitar's stomach. Then, an overwhelming force crashed into his back and drove him straight into the ground. Something cracked in his body and pain flooded his mind. He tried to rise, but Tyrone's foot crushed him back into the ground. There was a loud 'whoosh' as all the air left his lungs and he gasped for breath.

"I'll admit, boy, you're stronger than the average lucario," Tyrone said, "But unlike any other Pokémon on this earth, I no longer have any weaknesses. My armor is impenetrable and the darkness that lives inside of me repels all mental attacks." He leaned down and pressed harder with his foot. "I've become the incarnation of anger and hate, boy. Ya didn't really think you could beat me in a fight, did you?" For a moment, he put all his tremendous weight on Keski. "Did you?!"

Keski growled and squirmed, trying to get out from under his foot. "Let me go, you scum!"

"Scum! Scum?!" Tyrone seized Keski by the scruff of his neck and hauled him into the air. "Who's the real scum here, because I don't think it's me! I prefer to use that term for the Pokémon who murdered hundreds of others just because his dear old daddy told him to!"

"I…" Keski fell silent and glared at him.

"Oh HO! Don't have much to say to that, do you?" Tyrone said with a dark chuckle, "Well, now it's time for some good, old fashioned revenge!" He tossed Keski into the air and brought his fist back. The lucario didn't even have an opportunity to try and form a block before Tyrone Dynamicpunched him all the way to the other side of the room. He spun head over tail, hit the floor, and bounced up into the air again right into the wall.

"Ugh…" Keski lay still. His eyes glazed over. Then, he shook his head to clear it and stood carefully. But as he straightened, a crippling pain lanced through his right side. He staggered and clutched at it. It was no good. He could only grit his teeth and endure it. Against his will, tears welled up in his eyes. He wiped them away defiantly. Broken rib. Maybe two. So what? Many soldiers had received the same injuries and kept fighting. Still, he hesitated. It was notoriously hard to break a lucario's bones. It was also very hard for them to heal…

"Aw…is the little mutt hurt?" Tyrone said mockingly. Keski let his eyes close. He swayed back and forth, almost ready to fall. "Oh-ho! All out of spunk already? Well, this is going to be a lot less fun than I thought." Keski slowly raised his head and one arm. Golden aura flared to life around his paw. There was a sharp intake of breath from the crowd, but Tyrone paid it no mind. "Oh? Some last trick of yours?"

"Boss! That's…"

Keski's eyes snapped open. They were pure, radiant gold. "Burn in the fires of perdition, King of Midnight!" Hunched over, with the golden flames of aura wreathing one paw and clutching his side with the other, he darted forward. The crowd backed away quickly, watching the flames with fearful eyes. Keski drew closer and closer to Tyrone, but the tyranitar refused to move.

"Well come at me, pup!" he taunted, "Show me this legendary power of yours!"

Keski's fist slammed into Tyrone with an explosion of blinding light. Bright flames raced up Tyrone's body and engulfed him. With a triumphant grin, Keski stepped back. "You should have run," he said, "Now you will die and nothing…"

A black mist enveloped Tyrone and swallowed the flames. The tyranitar stood unharmed. His mouth curled into a mocking smile. "Well, well! That wasn't so bad." He flexed and stretched, testing to make sure he was unharmed. Then, ignoring Keski, he turned to his subjects. "The power of the Forgotten One protects me! Heh, with me leading the charge, not even the stone walls of Northmarch's cities will stop us!" He clenched a fist and raised it high. "I will smash right through them! After all, I am invincible now. The Forgotten One has given me great power, the power to wield our wrath as a weapon!"

Keski stared at him in disbelief. "You…you aren't dead…"

Tyrone chuckled. "Stating the obvious a bit, aren't ya? Yeah, I just survived your 'legendary fire'." Keski took a step back. "Well? Anything to say?"

"But…no one ever survived…"

"First time for everything, pup!" Tyrone declared with something almost akin to gregariousness. He pulled back his fist. "Now, it's time for you to take a nap!"

He struck. Keski's eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground. Tyrone withdrew his clenched fist and smirked. Stupid lucario hadn't even tried to dodge. Probably still trying to process the fact that his aura hadn't even left a scratch.

Tyrone turned to the crowd and grinned. "Lookee here! The Golden Demon is ours! Without him, Northmarch has no hope of defeating us. In the meantime, we can finally get our long-delayed revenge!" The crowd cheered triumphantly. "Now, bind him! Chain him! Then, let's see that golden fur in all its glory so we can stain it red with his blood!"

Meanwhile, Alzam extended his paw to Shadow. "Come, my lord. You should rest. Besides, in your current state I don't believe you will enjoy watching."

Slowly, Shadow came out of the daze he was in. He nodded. "Yes…that sounds like a good idea. I need rest…I…I need to think…" He frowned. "Darkrai…is that really me? I still don't quite remember…"


"Alright! All of you, line up!" An imposing luxray stood on a raised podium and glared down at the Starchasers. "Friends of the Golden Demon, are you? Well, isn't that nice? Now stand in a straight line or I'll have you all whipped!"

"Whipped?" Cyon repeated in disgust, "What a crude, inelegant form of punishment."

Skipper looked around and his eyes narrowed. "Slicer. Ye know, there are much fewer guards down here…"

"Yes, yes I noticed," the kabutops replied softly.

"So what be the plan? Are we escapin' now?"

Slicer crossed his arms. "No. We need more information first. Avenues of escape, ways to avoid the garrison, and the quickest route to Northmarch. We need, we need supplies, and places to hide. Escaping now, it would be the quickest way to suicide."

"I was hopin' ye wouldn't say something like that…" Skipper sighed. "But I won't argue. As of now, you're the boss. What should we do then?"

"We protect each other, yes. Keep each other safe. If they start to focus on one, we divert their attention to the rest of us. That way, no one bears the brunt of this alone," Slicer said, "We do have one advantage, however"

"What be that?"

"They need us," Slicer said, "They can't kill us. We're bait for the Guildmaster. Kill us and they have no trap. It would be best if we made sure they kept needing us. All of us."

Skipper nodded. "Aye. I catch your drift."

"You! In the back! Shut up!" the luxray said, "Now, as I was saying, you will all be divided according to skillsets. Those with no other function will be sentenced to the mines. And believe me, you do not want to go there. So be sure you are very thorough with your resume, clear?"

"One question, if you please," Slicer said, "You are not a dark-type."

The luxray drew himself up. "No, I am not. That is why I am the here with you lot and not a member of the court."

"Question answered," Slicer said, "My…condolences."

The luxray smirked. "Save those for yourself. You'll want them."

"That, that was sarcasm."

The luxray scowled. "Funny…I'll deal with you personally." He shifted. "I am called Gaizer, but you are to refer to me as Slavemaster."

"So what's your name then?" Bolt asked.

"Gaizer. I just said that."

"No. You said you were called Gaizer," Bolt countered, "You never said that was your name."

The luxray bristled. "You! Name and talents, quickly."

Bolt grinned. "My name is Bolt and I'm a bard. Story or poetry for me isn't hard. I'm a master of words and thinking on my feet. And I'm the craziest jolteon you'll ever meet!"

"Very nice poem," Gaizer said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Thanks!"

"That was sarcasm, jolteon!"

"I know!"

"You…you…GAH!" Gaizer pointed at Skipper. "You! Name and talents! NOW!"

"I'm the cook, mate," Skipper said, "Former pirate too, I might mention."

"Good. You're going to the kitchens, then. The head cook will decide what position to put you in," Gaizer said, "Oh, I should mention that poisoning the food is punishable with death by torture." He pointed at Cyon. "First glaceon. Talents? Start talking."

"My name is Cyon," he said, "And my sisters and I are entertainers, when we're not bringing evildoers to justice."

Gaizer looked closely at them. "You the sexy kind of entertainment?"

Team Snowpaw stared at him. "And what, do tell, is 'the sexy kind'?" Yuki asked with a dangerous tone.

"I believe he's asking if we're the kind of dancers that Chief Pyre likes to watch…" Cia said.

"Well we are most certainly not!" Cyon snapped, indignant, "We organize parties. We sing songs. We are especially good at ice sculptures. We make art, understand? We do not perform to satisfy base desires."

Gaizer shrugged. "You and the jolteon will just have to learn then. Disobedience is punishable with death by torture. You, kabutops."

"Slicer, I am," he replied, "And I hunt things. Kill them, if necessary. Is it necessary to kill you?"

"That would be unwise if you wish you or your friends to remain…alive." Gaizer smirked. "It's the mines for you then. We have no need of slaves on the battlefield. Same for the zigzagoon. The mines can always use the little ones who can fit in tight spaces." He grinned. "Now you, little riolu, what's your name?"

"Ryke."

"Do you know where you are, Ryke?"

He shook his head. "I lost track after we went into the tunnels. Somewhere up north?"

"I'll tell you where you are," Gaizer said, "This is the closest your kind will ever come to knowing hell on earth. Here, you will learn pain and torment. You will learn to scream, and when the blood finally drains from your body no heaven will await you. You will curse Arceus before it is over and renounce him entirely."

"He's just a kid!" Cia said in horror."

"The children of Northmarch will find no pity here."

"But I'm not from Northmarch!" Ryke protested, "I'm an orphan. I come from the Seafoam Empire!"

Gaizer's eyes were cold. "Then you are very unfortunate, aren't you?" He looked over the Starchasers. "Any who help him will be punished with…"

"Death by torture?" Bolt guessed.

"You're catching on," Gaizer said, "Maybe you'll survive a year."

"You seem to like this whole torture thing," Bolt said, "Ever consider another hobby? Perhaps ceramics? I've heard gardening is quite therapeutic. Never tried it myself. I always enjoyed digging holes in gardens instead. Once, I even dug through solid rock."

"Well put any thought of digging to freedom out of your mind," Gaizer said sternly, "Or else…"

"Death by torture," Bolt said, "Is that just the go-to punishment around here?"

"Yes. Hardly a week goes by without someone getting executed like that. It's the primary method of entertainment around here."

"So…what's going to happen to Keski then?" Bolt asked.

"Oh…him." Gaizer grinned. "He's special. They'll make sure he lasts a very long time…Guards! Take them away and give the riolu to the Keeper! She'll take care of him until his time comes."

Thirty guards stepped out of the shadows and herded the Starchasers out. Still, Slicer had to turn and give one parting remark. "This, this is only temporary. When we are free, you will regret the part you play."

"I'll keep that in mind," Gaizer said condescendingly.


Sable sat back in an armchair and went over the reports from the day. Good, Pyre's orders had been sent out. He should be arriving in the Capitol shortly. And since he was only allowed to bring one subordinate to the wonderful city of Tidewater, Lt. Cascade would be arriving too. Honestly, who else would he chose? And once they were here, well, it would be very easy to keep an eye on them, wouldn't it?

There were other reports, but they held little to no interest. Sable flipped through until he found the one on Mist. Daughter of Raikou…that had been a shock, no pun intended. That made Bolt the old thunderer's son. A disturbing thought… He carefully read the words on the page. Apparently, she wasn't exactly enjoying the grooming process. She probably needed a personal talk to convince her to go along with it. Get her to follow instructions here and eventually she'd obey in other areas as well. Possibly, she'd even become a loyal servant. Ha! Wouldn't that be ironic!

No news about the Starchasers as of yet. Hmm…maybe it was time to up the reward. Money always gets the guilds clamoring for the job. After all, they were greedy, just like everyone else.

"Greed."

Sable jumped when he heard a voice in his head. Then, he smiled. He recognized it all too well. "Hello, Wrath. Nice to hear from you again! Gets a bit lonely, after all. Envy won't speak to me, of course, and Sloth won't respond."

"Not surprised. You and Envy were always at each other's throats and Sloth is a lazy son of a muk. By the way, Envy says you owe him a castle."

"Yeah, yeah, shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up! Remember who I am, after all!"

Sable grimaced. "Oh don't get twisted all into a knot already, Wrath. Now, what did you have to say?"

"I caught half the Starchaser Guild for ya."

"Only half?"

"What, aren't you grateful?"

"Did you catch the Guildmaster?"

"No. But you'll never guess who was with them."

"Spare me the showmanship, Wrath, Lust was always better at it anyway. If you didn't catch Majyk, then who did you catch?"

"Darkrai. He's lost his memory and looks like a zoroark, but it's him. The priest here confirms it. Also, I caught the Golden Lucario. They're washing the dye out of his fur now and putting him against the pillar."

Sable's eyes widened. "Hmm…perhaps we could make a trade."

"Oh-HO! That's rich! What did you have in mind?"

"I have…interest in that lucario. I'd be willing to trade for him. And the jolteon he travels with."

"The jolteon? What's special about him? Other than being a first class pain in the tail."

"He and the lucario are friends. That makes him interesting." Sable intentionally withheld what he had discovered about Bolt. After all, Wrath was easy to trick, so there was no need to pay him more. "Well…I'm sure we can come to a deal."

"I'm thinking! Give me a moment…" Wrath snarled. "Sure, take the jolteon. I don't care. But that lucario caused my tyranitar host a lot of pain. I'm going to use that to stir up this entire kingdom to war. And you know how much I like war."

"Fine. Save the leftovers of him for me. And make sure you're not distracted by this war of yours."

"Oh, don't worry. The White Seer lives in Northmarch. I'll make sure to pay her temple a visit and smash it to pieces over her head. Who knows? Maybe she's a Sealbearer too! Now, I've said all I wanted to. Anything more you'd like to say?"

"No. That's all."

"Good, because I'm about to wake up the golden lucario and induct him into his new life of misery…"


Keski awoke with the feeling of choking. He gagged and tried to pry off whatever was doing it, but found it both cold and unyielding. Then, he happened to lean back against hard stone and discovered he could breathe normally again, if not comfortably. His eyes fluttered open. He immediately shut them again to block out the light that lanced into his brain and the pounding headache that threatened to collapse it.

"He's awake! He's awake, boss!"

"Oh-HO! Well isn't that nice?" Tyrone said.

Keski quickly took stock of his situation, using all his senses other than sight. He was sitting down. The thing around his neck was a collar made of steel and bolted to the wall behind him. No, not a wall, a pillar. A pillar in the middle of the throne room. The collar would not move forward or backward at all, though it did slide up and down slightly. Other than that, though, he was not bound in any way. They must be confident that this collar would hold him. Well, there would be plenty of time to test that theory.

Keski cracked one eye open cautiously and, when his head didn't immediately explode, took a quick glance around. A horde of Darklings surrounded him, though not one of them stood closer than twenty feet. Keski smirked. Well, at least they were still scared of him.

Suddenly, Tyrone stepped in front of him. His great bulk blocked Keski's view of the others. "Well, pup!" he said in an almost friendly manner, "How ya feeling?"

"Like I was hit with a boulder dropped from a high cliff," Keski answered, honestly but with venom, "And I'm still ready for another round."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah." Keski tugged on his steel collar. "Take this off and I'll show you by breaking your face in!"

Tyrone chuckled. "Feisty, aren't you? I like that. So your name is Keski, I hear. Good to finally stick an actual name to you. Not just 'the Golden Demon'."

"And you're Tyrone." Unable to make threatening gestures without choking himself, Keski resorted to glaring.

"Not to you," the tyranitar replied, "You can call me 'your majesty', 'your highness', or even 'master'. Yeah, I like that one. Master."

Keski scoffed. "Master? Ha! You aren't my…" Tyrone's fist slammed into his chest, narrowly avoiding the spike. Spots danced before Keski's eyes. If his tongue had been in between his teeth, he would have bitten clean through it. He moaned and pain and curled up defensively, much to the crowd's delight. They cheered and jeered and laughed.

"Well now, that was effective," Tyrone said with a chuckle, "Did I hit something sensitive?"

"No…" Keski lied. He surreptitiously crossed his arms over the area to protect it. It may have been a futile gesture, but he didn't want to let Tyrone hit his broken ribs again.

"Well call me master and I won't hit it again!" Tyrone roared, "Bow! Kneel! Grovel! Beg for mercy you don't deserve!"

"Or what?" Keski snapped, "You kill me?"

Tyrone's eyes flashed. He drew back his fist for another strike. Keski flinched and shied away, but the tyranitar's fist smashed into the stone beside his head. It splintered and pelted Keski's head. One shard embedded itself in the tip of his ear. Another struck right above his eye. When he looked up, Tyrone's face was inches from his own.

"You bet I'll kill you," the giant lizard said in a low, dark voice, "But first, you will watch as each of your friends are tortured, torn limb from limb, violated, and finally, executed. Well, whatever remains of them at that point."

"Don't you dare!" Keski snapped, "They have nothing to do with this! It's me you want, right?! Well, you have me! Torture me! Tear me limb from limb! But don't lay a claw on them! Why would you even need to? I'm your enemy, not them!"

"Because it would hurt you too," Tyrone said almost gently, "You underestimate the power of hate. The overwhelming desire to hurt and hurt again. To tear something, or someone, apart bit by bit until there is nothing left. It's an intoxicating, all-consuming emotion. All other concerns, decency, propriety, morality, come second to it."

"If you hate me so much, why not just kill me then?" Keski asked bitterly, "Why bother with this…showmanship at all?"

Tyrone smiled, but there was no hint of kindness in it. "Killing you is not enough. We're going to destroy you entirely. Every emotion, every memory, every thought! And we're going to take out time about it." A shiver ran down Keski's spine, all the way from his neck to the tip of his tail. "Now…" Tyrone raised a fist, "It's time. What do you call me?" Keski was silent. "SPEAK UP!"

Keski flinched. Fear and fury clashed inside his chest. He wanted to strike out. Smite Tyrone and beat him to the ground. But the pain in his chest, both literal and physical, made him want to curl up and hide. He gritted his teeth and spoke. "Will you spare them if I surrender completely?"

"Now isn't that the question?" Tyrone grinned. "Tell ya what, you do exactly what I say when I say it and I'll even let the…" He paused. "Hmm…the jolteon go free." Keski's head snapped up. "He's more trouble than he's worth anyway."

"Then…" Keski took a deep breath and fought down the conflicting emotions in his chest. "I will call you master."

"Good…" Tyrone nodded to one of the soldiers in the crowd. There was a whirring sound behind Keski. Suddenly, the collar around his neck began to rise. Keski scrambled to his feet. It stopped again when he was standing on tip-toe. Tyrone grabbed a whip and said, "Now turn around. We're going to extract payment from you, drop by drop of red blood." Keski turned awkwardly. Even after he finished, his head was still turned to the side so he was looking over his shoulder. The collar was too close to the pillar for him to turn it all the way.

Tyrone held up the whip. "Now, who's first?" An old honchkrow hopped forward. "Ah, Mrs. Nightwing. How are you getting on without your late husband?"

"The nest is cold without him," she said in a croaking voice, "During the war, two of my children starved to death. I couldn't leave them or the ice wraiths would have taken them. I had to watch them die, right in front of me. If it weren't for you, milord, I and my two remaining sons would be dead too. Mr. Nightwing's death…" She choked. "…it killed all my happiness too!"

Tyrone handed her the whip. "Would you like to take revenge on the one who killed him?"

The crow sniffed and nodded. "I would, your majesty."

Despite her best efforts, not a single one of her strokes so much as made Keski flinch. Age had made her too weak. Eventually, she grew tired and passed the whip to another. But even the stronger ones barely did more than sting him. A lucario's skin is very tough and hard, much like living steel. But this was a torture far worse than a simple whipping.

"He killed my daughter! She'd barely become an adult. She'd be his age if she was still alive."

"M-m-my brother…that bastard killed my b-brother!"

"I found her body after the attack. She was completely split in half!"

"I was once a devout person. I once worshiped Arceus even. But after that mutt killed my entire family…"

"I miss him so much…"

"Curse Northmarch! I'll tear it down with my own two paws if I have to!"

"We weren't even a part of the war! We…we were peaceful!"

"All I want is my little sister back! That's all I want!"

"I don't care if I die! I want to lead the charge against Northmarch! I've got nothing else to live for now that they're gone!"

Tyrone held out the whip to each of them. "And would you like to take revenge on the one who killed them?"

"Yes."

Eventually, they stopped and left him. The lights were put out and only the dim illumination from the hall allowed Keski to see anything. His back was a bit sore, but other than that no physical damage was done. It somehow struck him as familiar, as if he'd experienced it all before. Then, he remembered his dream. A pile of bodies dragging him down into an ocean of blood. His paw went to his collar. Dragging him down…like a chain around his neck.

He let out a small sob. Tears welled in his eyes. He raised his paws to wipe them away, but ended up staring at them instead. "I am a demon…" Part of him felt relieved to say it at last, but another part filled him with self-loathing for giving in. Surrendering his pride. Bending the knee before a Darkling. And worst of all, for agreeing with them.

Tears fell and he didn't wipe them away.

His ears twitched. What was that noise? The pattering of little feet in the hallway? Then, there was a voice. "Come on, Nightshade! He's in here!"

"Who's in here?"

"The golden lucario!"

"There's a golden lucario?"

"Yeah! They caught him and put him in the throne room! Hurry, before the Keeper comes and takes him away for the night!"

Two kits, an eevee and poochyena, ran into the room. The quickly spotted Keski and ran over. "Whoa…" the eevee said, eyes shining, "He really is golden!"

"I know!" the poochyena replied with a grin, "Pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" the eevee tilted his head. "But he's crying…"

"Hey, you're right. You okay, Mister Gold?"

"I'm…" Keski quickly wiped away his tears. "I'm fine. Just…fine. Please, you shouldn't be here. I'm…dangerous."

"You don't look dangerous!" the eevee said.

"I…don't?"

"Nope! I think you're pretty! In a…male sort of way." The eevee looked sheepish. "Sorry…that wasn't quite what I meant to say. You're cool, not pretty." Despite everything, Keski chuckled. "I'm Nightshade! That's Moonpaw. What's your name, Mister Gold?"

"Keski. My name is Keski."

"Cool name," Moonpaw said, "Hey, I think I know how to lower this thing, if you wanted to sit down."

"Um…sure, thanks."

The poochyena grinned and ran behind the pillar. Seconds later, Keski was once again seated on the ground with the two kits in front of him. They stared at him curiously. "Why are you chained to the pillar?" Nightshade asked.

Keski's shoulder slumped. "Because I am your enemy."

"No you're not," the eevee countered, "Enemies are mean. You seem nice."

"I am mean," Keski said softly, "I am…very mean. I'm a demon."

Their eyes widened. "A demon?"

Keski nodded. "Wherever I went, there was strife. Because of me, my father and mother fought. Because of me, thousands lie dead. And I killed them."

"Why'd you do that?" Moonpaw asked.

"All my life…" Keski's vision blurred. "All my life they told me it was the will of Arceus… Later, they told me it was Arceus' will that I die, for I was 'conceived in sin and an abomination before the divine throne'. That was when I realized that the 'will of Arceus' was just their way of justifying whatever they wanted. But it was too late to go back and change what I'd done…"

He sighed. "When father asked me to join the war, I thought it was a chance to finally get him and my brothers to love me. I wanted to hear people cheering my name for once, and I got that wish. But after the fighting ended, when the cheers died down, nothing had changed at all. I was still an inconvenience in my father's eyes. So I ran. I fled by boat, but they sent soldiers after it and sunk it. I washed up on the shores of an island, a wonderful, magical island. For a while, I was happy there. I forgot everything. I forgot the war, my brothers, and my father. I even got a new father, of sorts, a better one who really served Arceus."

"What was his name?" Nightshade asked, leaning his head on Keski's knee.

Keski chuckled and patted his head. "Raikou. Ever heard of him?"

"No."

"Ah, well he's quite impressive. He's like an enormous jolteon with giant fangs and a thundercloud on his back."

"Whoa," Moonpaw said, "He sounds cool!"

"He is," Keski replied, "But I couldn't stay there forever. And even though I tried to forget the past, here they remember it too well. And now I've dragged my new friends into it, including the one person I was supposed to protect. The one task Raikou gave me, and I failed." He sighed. "I've really screwed it all up, haven't I?" he said, more to himself than to them, "Everything I touch, I destroy."

Moonpaw put a paw on Keski's knee. "There's always tomorrow…right? Maybe tomorrow will be better."

"I may not have one," Keski said.

"That remains to be seen," a new voice said.

Nightshade and Moonpaw jumped to their feet in alarm. "Keeper!"

"Yes, I see you two. Run along now, or do I have to tell your mothers that you were wandering around in the king's throne room?"

The two kits paled. "We better go…" Nightshade said, "It was nice meeting you, Keski!"

"See you later!" Moonpaw called as they scampered away, "We'll bring toys next time so we can play!"

"Next time…?" Keski repeated.

"Well! Looks like you're popular," the Keeper said, "Oh, let me introduce myself. I'm the Keeper. You've already met my father, Alzam, I suppose? Yeah, I'm his daughter. I'm in charge of keeping the…special prisoners alive for as long as possible."

Keski looked her over and sighed. "I am really getting sick of zoroarks…"

"Hey!" She huffed. "Growing up really hasn't helped your manners much, has it?" She pulled a key off the large ring on her wrist and unlocked his collar. He stared at her in confusion. "Well go on! Get up. You didn't think you were eating and sleeping out here, did you?"

"Aren't you afraid that I'm going to attack you?" Keski asked.

"Nah. I know you. You'd never harm me."

"Oh?" Keski crossed his arms. "And why's that?"

The female zoroark blinked. "You don't remember? Well here, let's see if this helps." She snapped her fingers and transformed into a scrawny zorua. Keski's eyes widened and she grinned triumphantly. "There you go!"

"Roa…" he said, "of course you'd be here…now I know Arceus has abandoned me."