Ready? Here it is! The second part of the double update and my very own first Halloween special! Yay!

The 'spooky' stories suck. I will tell you that. I actually only remembered that today was Halloween yesterday, so I didn't have much time. Ahem.

This chapter can't be exactly placed on the storyline, but you will see that it is in a general period. The chapter itself can be completely skipped, since it is not necessary lecture, but believe me when I say it will have a much deeper meaning. And you'll never figure it out... hehehe!

So, ready or not, here it comes!

Less than Legends, More than Myths

Bonus Chapter: Halloween Special!

Halloween.

A day of tricks and treats, a day of scares and sitting around the campfire, telling horror stories to spook friends. A day of fun, fear and fright.

At this moment, four bodies sit around in a circle in the middle of a dark room. They are all already dressed in their nightclothes. Their backpacks and fanny packs are all packed up for the next day. Their beds have been assigned and are ready to be slept on. In any aspect, they are ready to fall into sleep. But they want to enjoy this night, and they decide that telling horror stories with a flashlight is the best way to do it.

One of them, a tall and muscular boy, rubs his chin thoughtfully, thinking about his story. His friends are all looking at him expectantly. Finally, he takes a deep breath and begins.

--XXXXX--

"Long, long ago, through great oceans and mighty deserts, there was a kingdom called Expodilian. It was a rather large kingdom, with a long family of kings and queens ruling over it. The town was prosperous, with much timber and deep mines. They had everything to be happy. But they weren't."

"It just so happened that the town had received both a blessing and a curse since its creation. Or rather, its creation had been both a blessing and a curse. Baalor, the Legendary Pokémon of Shadows, had built that very town out of the essence of his very heart, wanting to create a kingdom he would rule. But things did not go as the Demon Lord had wished for, for like inside even the deepest shadow there is light, so was there good inside the terrible evil that gave origin to the town. Just as dark cannot exist without light, so evil could not be without good."

"And as such, some of the townsfolk rebelled against their lord. Secretly, they built a holy sanctuary and prayed for Shida, the Legendary Pokémon of Light, to help them destroy their own kingdom. Touched by the pure dedication of their prayers, she answered and fought Baalor while the rebels assaulted the keep. As strong as the spawn of evil were, using dark secrets to bound the will of the lingering spirits of dead Pokémon, they could not match the resolve and fierceness of their enemies and their Light-born companions, the Light Pokémon, and failed to defend their king. Krenghan, the High Executor of Baalor, lost his life. And so, the keep fell."

"Baalor, knowing he could not fight any longer, ran away from the conflict and hid in the darkest and deepest caves. But all was not well. Shida had been gravely wounded during her fight, and did not have the power to assist those in need any longer. The rebels, now leaders of the kingdom, offered their eternal service to her, and were sent far and wide to help maintain peace and prosperity. That is how the Order of the Paladins was created. Blessed with divine power and their trusted Light Pokémon, they fought against evil and oppression wherever it was seen."

"Once Shida had recovered, she released the Paladins from her service. Some of them continued on as protectors of all that is good and pure, the highest followers of Shida. The others, weaker at heart, abandoned their duties and settled down as teachers and priests, together with their Pokémon. The remaining villagers created a festival to celebrate their new position as the Kingdom of Light. They named it Krinshonna, the Festival of Balance. In it, they remembered how even inside the darkest places there is light, and did not forget that the opposite is also true. They also venerated Shida and her Light-born Pokémon, as well as the Paladins."

"Through the ages, the Krinshonna was slowly altered. Nowadays, it is called Halloween, when Ghost Pokémon roam free and everybody is happy while dressed in creatures of the shadows. That is how balance keeps on existing, and all is well. No more was heard about Shida and the Light Pokémon, or the Paladins, but some say that the famed Aura Guardians of old were the successors of these champions. The Kingdom of Light is now Sootopolis, and up to this day people have an annual celebration to Legendaries, in which young Trainers recreate the battle between Shida and Baalor by being split into two sides, Light and Darkness. If the Light team wins, the next year is guaranteed to be good, while if the Darkness team wins, it is forecast to be accompanied with sorrow. And, to keep balance, a prize is given to whoever wins, be he good or evil."

--XXXXX--

After he is done, the humans laugh and talk. One of them, a little brunette girl, passes around shyly with a tray filled with small foods and four drinks. Each person takes one, and they begin to eat the different foods. The last of them, a bigger girl, also brunette, walks away for a few moments before returning with something that resembled a Teddiursa in her arms. The white-haired boy laughs at her, but soon stops.

Humans. I have yet to see greater fools. Here they gather, listening to the truth of the tales of old, and yet they dare to laugh at them? To ignore them? It is no wonder that humans are bound to extinction, bound to destruction. They consider me evil, and yet I am only a pale shadow of the humans' evil. They consider me the most horrible, soulless creature ever to be? The humans have taken that title away from me. The humans are my proud spawn, darker at heart than evil incarnate. Darker even than Death!

But they remain oblivious to my thoughts. Like everyone else. Like Time itself. And as so, after some more moments of talking, that same white-haired boy clears his throat and begins a story of his own, uncaring and unconcerned. Fool.

--XXXXX--

"A good time ago, there was a lone traveller knows as Skratchdat. He was a great Pokémon trainer, the best the world have ever seen. He travelled from town to town and fought in many competitions and contests, winning them all. With his trusty Raichu and Alakazam, no one was a match to his power. Until one day."

"Skratchdat was walking near an abandoned tower when he heard a ghostly whisper. Immediately curious, and wanting to add a Ghost Pokémon to his team, he hurried inside. The tower was falling apart, but it was still strong enough to hold the human and his Pokémon. Carefully, they moved in deeper, towards the bowels of the tower."

"At each step, the ground creaked. Wailing whispers filled the air, carrying the sound of eternal suffering. But the man carried on. On the total darkness, he stumbled forward, stopping at nothing. He was determined to get that Ghost, no matter what."

"Through the many halls, the stench of death and decay filled the air. Bones of dead creatures could be clearly seen, impaled by iron spikes and dusty arrows. The wailings grew stronger, and the group walked closer together. They completely missed the group of Ghost Pokémon emerging behind them, nor did they noticed when those same Pokémon prepared orbs of dark energy, ready to strike. It was only when it was too late that Skratchdat and his Pokémon realized what was happening."

"Alakazam, not hesitating a second, jumped in front of the oncoming attack and took it all. Deeply hurt, he fell to the ground, near death. Skratchdat and Raichu tried to help him, but they were cut off by the Ghost's evil tricks. Locked behind an invisible cage, they were forced to see Alakazam be tortured, every inch of life slowly drained out of him, every thought being erased, by a dark Gengar. And then, finally, the cold claws of Death took hold of the Psychic Pokémon, a long relief to all his pain."

The Ghosts then departed, but they kept a barrier impeding Skratchdat to go back towards his dear Pokémon or leave the tower. Soon, grief hollowed his heart out, leaving nothing but hatred towards the creatures responsible for this. He vowed to hunt down each one of them and kill them the same way they had killed his trusted Alakazam, his trusted friend."

"And, with no other choice, he proceeded up the stairs. The ghostly whisper that had lured him into the tower was louder than ever, but it now filled Skratchdat's heart with hatred. Burning, boiling hatred. The man no longer wished for anything else than to get rid of that whisper and to burn the tower to the ground."

"He and Raichu continued their walking. The former, consumed by hatred, did not notice when a blade cleaved down from the wall, ready to cut him in half. He did not see, but Raichu did."

"The Electric Pokémon selflessly pushed his trainer aside and faced the blade on his own. As Death came to meet him, his only thoughts were 'Take care, Master.'. And then the blade hit. Skratchdat was absolutely horrified. Not only he had lost Alakazam, but now Raichu as well. For the first time, he was alone. For the first time, he was afraid."

"He lost all care for his own life. The only thing that powered his body was hatred, sorrow, and grief. Nothing else mattered than to get rid of this tower and of all those that occupied it. He raced forward, not caring nor even noticing when arrows traps were sprung and scratched his body. Not noticing when Ghost Pokémon hampered his efforts, nor when the whisper rose in volume. The only thing he noticed was the door, the last door."

"He pushed it aside, burning with hatred. And what he saw inside shocked him."

"The room was circular, and in the middle stood the most beautiful woman the world had ever been graced with. At once, all of his troubles vanished. He felt as if he was in complete peace, as if he could never be hurt again. Slowly, the woman approached him, whispering a low tune."

"Transfixed by her beauty, Skratchdat forgot all about Alakazam or Raichu, all about his vowels, all about the tower. Greed overcame all the rest. Greed and lust."

"When the woman was close, almost touching him, she bent forward and delivered him a soft kiss on the lips. And Skratchdat fell limp off the ground, drained of all life. For eternal solitude was the curse of the woman. It was her that delivered the soft kiss of Death. It was her that took all life, chained to her dark tower by a being more powerful than herself, and ten times ten thousand times as evil. That was the curse of Death."

--XXXXX--

A silence follow his words. I laugh at their reaction. I remember that story clearly. I remember it to the last detail, for it is I who killed Alakazam. It is I who triggered the blade that ended Raichu. And it is I that chained Death and built the tower.

Finally, the foolish humans spoke again. I can see the girls are still shaken. Good. Even millennia after I am gone, humans still remember me through legends. And they still fear. That is the only human flaw. As cruel and pitiless as they are, they still fear.

The bigger girl is thoughtful. I can see she thinks about her own tale. What would it be this time? A useless bunch of lies that people normally tell or another deeper story like the ones I've just heard? The girl speaks, and I listen.

--XXXXX--

"Many years ago, there was a huge kingdom. Ruling this kingdom was a king and queen, and their beautiful princess. Jaina was her name, given to her after her grandmother. She really liked that named, saying it had a 'royal air' to it."

"Jaina wasn't far from a normal princess. She did not want to govern, true enough, but she enjoyed the rest of being a princess. She even had a nice friend, Melanie. Melanie was Jaina's private servant, and took care of all her laundry, cleaning, dressing and all sorts of things. The two were very close, even though Jaina's parents did not enjoy to see her hanging around a simple servant. She should be with princes and dukes, not with a maid."

"The life at the kingdom went on easy and without trouble for a long time, until Jaina was seventeen years old and Melanie was fifteen. Jaina was becoming a talented Pokémon trainer, but she didn't like to battle very much. She preferred to look at the beautiful side of Pokémon. At that fateful year, things changed."

"Silently, two people moved into the city, deep in the night. One of them was tall and very strong, while the other had wisdom and intellect far superior to those of his age. Together, they walked around the town, checking if any inns would take them at such a late hour. They finally settled for a decent inn not far from the palace. Since they had slept during the day and were not tired, they decided to take a look around the town. And what better place to start than the palace?"

"When they approaching the majestic building, they noticed something was wrong. The guards at the gate were fast asleep, and the gate had been broken down. Without hesitation, the two entered the palace and followed the traces of the invaders, which varied from confused footprints to broken windows."

"They found a rope going up one of the windows. The taller person went first, climbing into the window with ease. Inside, he found a note, saying:

'Dear father and mother;

This is Jaina speaking. I know that my eighteenth birthday's coming up, and that is when I have the Queen Passing ceremony. But I don't want to rule this land!
I want to be free, to train Pokémon and become one with mine like everyone else. I certainly enjoy having the privileges of a princess, but I'm not cut out for this life, to do the same thing every day! I want to do more than that! I want to feel like every day was the best day of my life, like I always made the right choices and have no regrets. I know that's not true, but when I'm with my Pokémon, I feel like it is! It's the best feeling in the whole wide world!
Please, don't worry about me. Melanie has offered to came along with me, should any misfortunes come my way, so I am not alone. Plus, I have my Pokémon, and
I will meet lots of different people down the road. I'm no longer Princess Jaina. From now on, I'm Jaina, proud Pokémon trainer!

With ten times all the love in the world;
Jaina.'

And he understood that the break-in was actually a break-out. When the other human reached him, he showed him the letter and the two agreed on it. They would find Jaina and Melanie, and they would travel with them. Since they were both trainers of decent power, they could always help out if needed. And they shared many of the young girl's dreams and hopes."

"So they began their travel. Quick as lightning, they descended from the room and left the palace. As soon as they were out, they called their Pokémon and took flight towards the west, where the only town before the huge Dryswallow Desert stood. They travelled for the rest of the night, and reached Drymarch Town by the break of dawn."

"It wasn't hard to find the two girls from the palace. Jaina was a young woman of extraordinary beauty, and was sure to attract eyes wherever she went. Maybe too many eyes. But it made things easy to find her, sitting in a tavern, wearing a travelling robe and cloak that covered most of her body, leaving only a thin slice of her face showing. Melanie was there too, shorter than the princess, but dressed in the same way."

"The two stalkers decided to stay in the shadows for the time. They did not want to scare the princess, and they couldn't tell her what they knew. So, they remained neutral and pretended they were just more drinkers at the tavern."

"But problems soon came. It did not take long for a drunk man to come to Jaina's table and humiliate both himself and the princess. Many others joined, and the two damsels were forced back against a corner. Deciding they could not stand by any longer, the two guardians took off their hoods and stepped between the crowd and the two damsels."

"The oncoming men were hardly intimidated. It was only when the first Pokémon were released that they backed off. Most of them weren't even trainers, and those who were lacked any form of talent. The two, now clearly distinguishable as young men, easily fought them off."

"But then a bigger problem came. Rolaab, the cruellest thief and assassin in the region, was at that very inn, and he decided he wanted the two young women for himself. He stepped in and fought against the defenders with his own Pokémon, Dark and Ghost Pokémon of great power."

"As difficult as it was, the two young men were almost winning when the taller one suddenly ordered his Pokémon to strike at his partner's. Surprised and hurt by the betrayal, and unable to fight against the forces of the two combined, the remaining man faltered, and would have lost his life, if not for Jaina and Melanie."

"Unable to just watch the battle any longer, Jaina released her few Pokémon to fight, and Melanie tended to the man. The two evil-doers fought hard, but Jaina fought with determination and spirit, and ultimately triumphed. Defeated, the two retreated away to places of which only Arceus knows. Jaina and her saviour, who had also been saved, travelled together for a long time, and eventually got married. Melanie always accompanied them, and she found her own charming prince as well."

"And they lived for many years after. Not the richest life, not the easiest life, but certainly a life worth living."

--XXXXX--

That story... I remember it from somewhere... what was it? Where was it? And why can't I place it on the right place? Why does this memory, out of all the others, do not fit? This has never happened before. Even when I was defeated, I still had clear thoughts.

The humans are finishing up their petty talks and going to slumber. But I do not pay attention. This memory is just outside my grasp, elusive, toying with me! I know it is something important, I am sure of it. It is something that will allow me to take back my great shape and my powers, so I can once more unleash my wrath upon this world! And yet, it refuses to fit! What kind of sorcery is this? It must be the work of those damned Legendaries, the ones that sealed me so long ago...

I must pay close attention to this. I must find the truth. I have never been so close to freedom again, and I will not let the opportunity pass. I WILL be free!"

That was the second part of the double update and the Halloween special. The narrator was scarrier than the stories. Oh, well. What can you do?

Thank you everyone for reading! And let me repeat this:

"...but believe me when I say it will have a much deeper meaning. And you'll never figure it out..."

It will be very important. Not in a usual way, not in anything vaguely resemblant to a usual way, but still very important. So, stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!

Gotta Go With The Flow!
BlackShadowKnight