All righty, here we go!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon. Duh. xD But, seriously, no stealing my stuff. Okay? Get it? Got it? Good.

…~-CHAPTER SEVEN: Making the Impossible Possible

"Now, tell me, who's Shadow again?" the Riolu asked, cracking a demonic grin.

This was probably the worst situation Treecko could imagine. Solay was out cold, thrown into a tree by her ever-trusted partner, who now had a dark side and was booku times stronger than he and Mudkip. And there was also a psychopathic psychic-type hunting them down. Oh, yes, this was the best day ever.

Shadow turned, his gaze boring into them. "You…you aren't worth my time right now. I need the girl." He turned his head to where Solay lay.

Treecko found his strength, and ran in front of him. "No! You can't have her!" His bravery died when Shadow looked down at him. What did I just get myself into…?

Mudkip bounded to his side. "That's right! You'll have to go through us first!"

Shadow, or what they supposed was him, was silent for a long time. Then, he looked them both in the eye. "Fine. I'll get rid of you two, and then I'll kill her."

Mudkip swallowed. "Here he comes, Treecko!"

…:: BOSS BATTLE: Shadow! ::…

Shadow lashed out at them both, sending them skidding with the force of his fists. Treecko recovered first, and, shouting "Razor Leaf!" attacked. His opponent was unusually slow, and only dodged the first flight of leaves. A second hit him in the back, which sent him to his knees.

Mudkip narrowed her eyes a little. Something was weird…and not just how Shadow was acting. Deciding to risk it, she shouted, "Hey, you, with the mask! Over here!" She jumped around a little bit, drawing attention to herself.

He took the bait, and rushed at her. Mudkip jumped out of the way and hit him in the back with a Water Gun. As Shadow was sent staggering, she landed by Treecko's side.

"Treecko, do you notice anything different about him?" Mudkip asked in a low tone, as so not to be heard.

"Besides the fact that he's assaulting us?"

"Yes, besides that," she hissed. "Like in the way he attacks."

Treecko studied his enemy. He played the incidents over from when Solay was slammed into a tree, and the lightbulb went off. "He's not using any moves! He's just punching us!"
"Right," Mudkip replied with a nod. "But why?"

They didn't have any more time to talk, because Shadow was back for Round Two. He went after Treecko, who was having a heck of a time dodging all the flying fists. One met its mark on his middle, leaving him doubled over and gasping. Shadow socked him across the clearing while he had the chance. Treecko got unsteadily to his feet to see Mudkip getting pummeled as well.

He ground his teeth. "Hey, over here you big jerk!" he yelled, waving his arms.

Shadow looked up and turned his way. Mudkip opened one eye, but else wise stayed on the ground.

Shadow started running for Treecko. Treecko waited until he was too close to dodge, and then shouted, "RAZOR LEAF!"

"What?" Shadow gasped, eyes widening, but it was too late. The razor-sharp leaves engulfed him just as his punch slammed into the side of Treecko's face.

They were sent flying in opposite directions. Treecko slammed into the Weeping Elder Birch, and Shadow skidded to a halt, still on his feet, near the middle of the clearing. Treecko was out cold, and Shadow was still standing.

"Treecko, no!" Mudkip screamed from where she lay.

Shadow exhaled. "Whew, little twerp nearly had me." He shifted his gaze to the blue creature not far from him. "Your turn, missy."

…

Treecko heard none of this. Everything was strangely peaceful and tinted white. He knew he was still in the clearing, but Shadow, Mudkip, and Solay were no where to be seen. The sun was shining, and the wind was blowing.

"Am…I dead?" Treecko asked himself aloud. Surprised by his own voice, he looked around.

"No, no, you are not deceased," rumbled an oddly familiar voice from behind him.

Treecko's breath caught. If he turned around, what would he find? Something bad, maybe? But no…this place was too…too pure for that. Figuring it was worth a shot, he turned around.

There was nothing there except for the swaying branches of the Weeping Elder Birch. Puzzled, Treecko looked around. There wasn't anything else except for him and the old tree. Then where could the voice–?

"Right here, young one," the voice said again, and Treecko knew – without really knowing he knew – that it was the tree. Very carefully, he walked towards it. He feared one wrong step, one slip up, and the whole scene would shatter into a thousand pieces. "It is stable, I assure you," the voice came again, slightly amused.

"Who…are you?" Treecko breathed.

"You already know." The tree creaked, as if cracking an ancient smile. The voice was so old, so filled with experience…perhaps this tree really had been around for as long as Solay said.

"You…you're the Weeping Elder Birch." Treecko stated it, not asked it.

"Yes… I am the Weeping Elder Birch tree… Treecko, you don't know what lengths these enemies are going to go." The tree paused. "It is unclear for me as well. Right now, one of them has warped young Shadow's mind."

"Gallade," Treecko said immediately with a hint of venom. "I should have known. Maybe that's why he won't use his moves and is kinda slow."

The tree creaked again. "Correct. I can do nothing in my current state to help you…except for this."

The most amazing thing happened next. As Treecko watched the tree, it was replaced with a sleeker, younger version of the same tree. The lightning fork wound healed, and it stood tall and proud in the sunlight. A lower branch came down and stopped in front of him. It moved up and down a little, then slowly reached out and touched Treecko on the forehead.

Images, sounds, words, feelings. They all poured into his head at the speed of light. The power of sunlight, the quenching thirst of rain, the heart-wrenching sorrow to know you're left alone in the world, and the joy of a new awakening. And Treecko felt reenergized. His body was light as a feather and drumming with power.

The branch pulled away, and the image started to fade.

"My gift to you…" whispered the Weeping Elder Birch.

…

Treecko slowly opened his eyes. The light was strong, and he squinted, trying to see. He was back in the battle. Solay lay unconscious by the tree with the massive indent. Shadow stood over Mudkip, who wasn't moving much. They both had weakened each other a lot. But by how much? Treecko didn't know how long he'd been out.

It didn't matter, though. He could take a thousand enemies stronger than Shadow. He could take them all right now with his hands tied behind his back and blindfolded.

"Shadow!" he called, standing. "Or should I call you Gallade?"

At the mention of his real name, Shadow-Gallade's head swung around. The eyes were narrowed to slits. "How did you find out?"
"Wild guess," he replied, hopping from the tree roots. He looked up into its branches. Thank you, Weeping Elder Birch. Now I can finish this fight and save everybody. He switched his gaze to Shadow, who stepped away from Mudkip to face him.

"Fine," he replied, but there was a note of uncertainty in his voice. "Just try and defeat Shadow! He's stronger than you will ever be."

"Okay, I will!" Treecko yelled back, taking a running start. He was faster now, but Gallade had gotten a better handle on Shadow's body, and was also moving faster. They ran at each other. Treecko raised his fist and felt the swirling energy around it. "Mega Drain!"

They collided in the middle. Shadow-Gallade was thrown back and lay on his stomach. Treecko slid back a few paces, but kept his footing. The Riolu lifted his head, a snarl creeping across his face.

"You did not…"

"I will and I will again," Treecko replied matter-of-factly. "Come on! I can beat you!"

"Your pitiful parlor tricks won't work on Shadow that well," he replied, getting to his feet.

Treecko hated to admit it, but it was true. His Mega Drain wouldn't do that much damage against someone like Shadow. He needed a more powerful attack.

The answer came to him at once. Solar Beam. But…I don't know that move! Maybe…with the new power I have, I can figure it out. But I need someone to distract him while I charge it up…

Mudkip lurched to his side, determined. "You have that look in your eyes," she muttered. "What are you planning?"
He started, looking at her. "Mudkip? Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I've still got some fight left in me."

Treecko hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. Do you think you can distract him for me?"

"No sweat!" she replied, leaping straight into battle.

Treecko closed his eyes. He concentrated on the old tree's memories. The power of sunlight…how did it feel again? The memory was fresh, and easy to pull up. Treecko lost himself in it, and he was dimly aware of the same occurrence going on in the real world. He was learning Solar Beam!

Mudkip was thrown away, and didn't have the strength to get up again. Her vision was fuzzy, and it was all faded black around the edges. Shadow-Gallade stood over her, grinning that demonic grin.

"Say goodni—"

"Hey, you!" Treecko shouted. He wasn't finished charging the attack, but if Shadow ran slow enough, he might be able to finish. He wasn't about to lose Mudkip for the sake of time. "Yeah, you! Over here!"

Shadow-Gallade snorted. "You want to die first? Sure!" He came running. With every step he took, Treecko was another step closer to finishing. It would be close. Very close. It would probably catch them both in the blast. But he no longer cared. Both of them were just set on winning the fight.

Three steps away, and Treecko's energy was finished charging. Two steps away, and he was shouting "SOLAR BEAM!"

One step away. Everything was in slow motion. Shadow-Gallade's eyes were widening, and the bright blast was coming from Treecko's mouth. He screamed, but everything went white.

Treecko was enveloped in the blast. It shot straight up like a signal beacon and engulfed both Shadow and him.

His last thought was Solay would've been proud.

…~-

:3 I had actually been meaning to split this fight into two parts, but I figured it would be better just to post the whole thing, so here you go.