Chatper 5: Black Storm

Note: There's getting to be more dialogue, as well as (at the end of this chapter) more mysterious coincidences that aren't as described as the regular storyline. This is where the story starts to kick off. My longest chapter yet. Enjoy~.

Disclaimer: I don't claim possession over characters originating from the franchises of Square Enix, Disney, Game Freak, and The Pokémon Company, Chun Soft, or Nintendo. They belong to their rightful owners. Few characters are original.

"Sora, you say?" Chatot spoke a few moments after the Eevee's confident introduction. He had managed to, or attempted to, digest what had just occurred, though he still couldn't understand it. And he gathered the lot of Pokémon around him lacked any inkling whatsoever. If he couldn't grasp it, how could they? "Well, Sora! ...It's safe to say you've left us all speechless with your outburst, although I assure you we could have managed the situation quite well on our own." Chatot held a wing out as he spoke, his head raised once again.

"Chatot!" Wigglytuff huffed at his assistant. "Let's thank him for what he did! He looks like he can be a great friend! " The guildmaster repeated the word "friend" a couple times accompanied with childish gestures, such as hopping a little. "Thank you, Sora friend!"

"No problem!" Sora smiled warmly with his head held high. Now... what was going on? He remembered his name, so that was not quite an issue. He remembered what the Keyblade was, and he knew how to wield it in combat, even in this form. He also knew he had dealt with situations such as these in the past... But it was an understatement to have called it a blur to him. He felt ignorant. He lacked any sort of knowledge as to what may have occurred not five minutes ago. He blinked a couple times, still unable to truly gather his bearings on this small area. "How long was I out...? Where... am I...?" He questioned, instantly appearing much more vulnerable.

"Well! I do not know how long you were asleep, but I was informed you were found at the beach and brought here by Futachi." Chatot explained, gesturing to the otter Pokémon with a wing. Wigglytuff stood more to the side to allow Sora a sight of this "tribal warrior" they have stumbled upon very recently.

Futachi, with his arms crossed, merely grunted and nodded at this. True, he remained shocked at the little Pokémon's impulsive power and rise to action, but it was difficult to read Futachi. Some of the guild members doubted he had emotions at all. He possessed an unparalleled ability to shield them behind a veil of solid secrecy. Often, he preferred to work in solitude. Occasionally, he aided his good friend Chillarmy, who was probably the only one who knew he had emotions to begin with. To him, Chilarmy was the only value his life held anymore. When he fled to this continent, Chillarmy held close, he remained tormented by the horrible misdeeds of his past. He hoped, with the motivation Chillarmy gave him, to renounce his status as a, put simply, a terrible Pokémon by joining the guild.

"Oof, that sure was scary though. I don't reckon I've seen a Pokémon like that one, yup yup." The voice came from one of the livelier members of the guild, though, understandably, he was a tad shaken at the idea of Chatot being struck down from behind by that phantom of a "Pokémon". The apprentice who spoke was shaped like a beaver, though some differences were evident. His name was Bidoof, in alignment with his species. Bidoof was a tad timid, but he managed to get things done when necessary. It had not begun this way. One of his fellow apprentices responded to his statement.

"I got worried too. I still am. What if there are more of those Pokémon?" The body this voice belonged to was younger. He was the very same round, blue mouse who spoke out earlier. His name was Marill, and he had only just been recruited prior to the arrival of Chillarmy and Futachi. He was no stranger to the town or the guild. He had lived here for the length of his life, yet never came around to joining the guild due to his lack of self confidence. That changed in a heartbeat when he was separated from his younger brother, Azurill. Following the kidnap of his brother by and unknown trio, he cursed himself for lacking the strength to save Azurill. That day had forever changed Marill himself. He was scarred emotionally, though he desperately tried to stay cheerful in high hopes that he would one day be with his little brother again... His mother had passed away because of an illness, his brother had been kidnapped... This was his family now.

"I saw it go underground, I think! What if that's where they are?" A small, quite cylinder-shaped Pokémon panicked. It was brown with a round, pinkish nose. It was very simple a Pokémon. It's name was Diglett, and it appeared to have a relative in the guild.

"Do not worry, son. I will not let these foul Pokémon harm you." The triplet of "Digletts" was the source of this voice, although the one in front spoke... His name was Dugtrio.

"Settle down, everyone!" Chatot fluttered his wings in front of the murmuring apprentices. He managed, as usual, to calm them down. "Guildmaster and I will see to it that none of these Pokémon disturb us any longer! We cannot afford to dillydally now, can we? This interruption will not go unnoticed, but for now... recite with me!" He raised his wings. Instantly, the guild members came alive with a spur of joy!

"A ONE, A TWO... A ONE-TWO-THREE! ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" Each member of the guild shouted, attempting to match one another's spirit, or perhaps exceed it. Jovany found himself reciting the chant for old time's sake He truly missed the guild, but it seemed he would be dealing with far different matters this day. On another note, he wasn't surprised to see Futachi remain silent throughout the chant.

"Now, let's all work hard today! At this last call from Chatot, the guild members gave a rousing cheer before dispersing to their usual duties. Futachi glanced at Jovany for but a moment before grunting softly and exiting the scene by making use of the ladder. Jovany heard a familiar voice from above. It was Riolu. He must have accidentally bumped into Futachi on the way down.

"Oh, pardon me, Futachi." He spoke courteously. Jovany was relieved to hear him awake. He climbed into view and turned his head before touching down tot he soft ground. "Oh, there you are! You woke up before me? Wow! What'd I miss?" He planted his feet on the ground, his paws on his hips, and smiled almost playfully.

"Good morning, Riolu~." Jovany spoke to him in something of a singsong voice before approaching his partner and standing at his side, chuckling as he looked down at the Riolu. "You missed out on some excitement, wouldn't you say so, Chatot? Guildmaster?" He faced each of them as he spoke their titles. There was an elegant beauty to his look, his voice, and his passion. That often led others to question him impersonally about certain things...

"Most certainly, thanks to this fine young Eevee." Chatot replied, focusing his attention on the one called Sora, or so he recalled. "Sora, was it?" He asked the boy, simply to be sure. Upon receiving a nod from the relatively quiet fighter, he deemed it time to introduce himself. "My name is Chatot. I am the head of knowledge around these parts, as well as the assistant of the much admired Guildmaster Wigglytuff you see before you! " He motioned with a wing to his superior, who waved with a wide grin, mentioning the word "friend" a few times again. "This is the famed Wigglytuff's Guild. The many Pokémon you saw moments ago were apprentices. Each of them work very hard towards becoming top-form explorers!" He explained with enthusiasm. Though, upon watching the boy, it was clear that this information was sailing over his head like a flock of Wingull. "Oh, yes. And these are our former apprentices of Team Crimsongleam. He is Jovany, and he is Riolu." Chatot explained, believing in some way this would lead to the end of a disturbingly blank stare from the Eevee...

Sora was overwhelmed already. He had sprang into action so quickly, and it was surely taking its toll on him. He jumped into the fray without understanding a single aspect about the world around him. Why did he feel so out of place in this world? Furthermore, why did he feel so out of place in this body...? He could not even identify what it was that he had slain mere minutes ago. Was it a Pokémon? There were many questions to be asked, but he felt he might have well been better off understanding what these Pokémon were if they were to be his friends and foes.

"Sorry, but... What's a Pokémon?" Sora asked with an ignorant smile plastered to his face. Judging by the reactions of the four nearby, as well as another apprentice going about his duty, it was a question not received often. "Am I a fox?" He asked again, quite soon after his previous question. He glanced back at his fluffy, brighter brown-tipped tail, then lowered his head to examine his fore paws. He felt the weight of tall ears upon his skull and bobbed his head to the left, then to the right.

Yes, he was absolutely sure of it!

He was not a fox prior to all of this. He was a human!

"Sora friend?" Wigglytuff watched the boy with a curious expression, concern evident as well.

"Oh, this will not do. Where to begin...?" Chatot raised a wing to his forehead again in intense yet brief thought...

"Wait!" Riolu called out, leaning forward a little. "What did I miss? This Eevee, Sora, doesn't know what a Pokémon is? Well," He paused for a moment before addressing the newcomer. "Sora! You are a Pokémon. We're all Pokémon also."

"I'm a Pokémon...?" Sora tilted his head in utter curiosity.

"My, this is a serious case of amnesia." Chatot nodded to himself. "Sora, do you remember anything before coming here?"

"I don't remember a lot... I remember there being a voice." He hesitated to finish explaining with the concern that he would be giving false information. He wondered if it even mattered. "And then I remembered the Keyblade, then my name."

"Keyblade?" Jovany wondered aloud. "Was that what you defeated that strange Pokémon with? It was unlike anything I've seen."

"Yeah, that's the one." Sora affirmed, raising a fore paw slightly. The air beneath his paw shimmered and brightened before manifesting into a flash, which then cleared to reveal the same weapon he battled with. He placed his paw over it once again. "This... I don't know where it came from, but I felt like I had to use it against that... shadow... Pokémon?" He faced the bird-resembling Pokémon, worried about the pronunciation of the term. Apparently, he got it right.

"Sora friend!" Wigglytuff started with a childish expression, though it quickly morphed into something a tad more serious, which was quite unlike him. "When Riolu said you were a Pokémon, you acted like you might not have been."

"Oh yeah! I'm supposed to be a +human. I don't know what-"

"A human?" All four of them exclaimed, almost vociferated, simultaneously. Sora stepped off of the Keyblade, startled at this outburst. Before any of them could speak any further, a hasty guild member scrambled down the ladder, calling the names of both Wigglytuff and Chatot. Her name was Sunflora, a veteran apprentice at this point. She was a spirited one.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She panted as she stood before Chatot and Wigglytuff.

"G-get yourself together, Sunflora! What is the matter?" Chatot responded to the girl, who was clearly shaken by something.

"I-it's Treasure Town! It's being attacked by those shadows!" She answered, almost unable to finish the sentence due to her frantic breathing.

"What?" Chatot squawked in alarm, backing away with his wings aflutter. "I will alert the guild members! Guildmaster, you must stay safe for now!"

"...I'll handle this." Sora spoke with a fierce confidence, a paw over his Keyblade once again.

"Team Crimsongleam will help you!" Riolu stated, honestly unsure about the situation... This was new to the team.

…

Outside, Pokémon were fleeing, seeking refuge in any spot that, quite simply, wasn't near the previous spot they had settled at. It was pandemonium. Screams of terror filled the atmosphere as streaks of black invaded the town like a swarm of dark insects, crawling over tents and mercilessly making chase after innocent townsfolk. A few of the innocents appeared to be capable defending themselves, come the worst. A few experienced exploration teams had joined the action and were already working to evacuate the townsfolk before too long, but that was easier said than thought, as there was little time to even do so. A few of the shadows, which none knew were called Heartless, had already fallen to the Pokémon. Just as well, it seemed some townsfolk had been felled by the rapidly increasing numbers of the Heartless. Some of these Heartless where shaped differently. They were far taller, black with blue vein-shapes throughout their body, and had more of a humanoid shape than that of the smaller shadows. Their crooked antennae fall behind them and nearly reach the ground. These "neoshadows" were as menacing as they were powerful.

Sora faced down the path through Treasure Town, standing between Jovany and Riolu. The Keyblade was held tightly in his mouth. He glared and snarled, ready to battle. Jovany and Riol faced each other, each giving the other a confident nod.

"Let's do our best to keep these things at bay! Sora, stay with us!" Riolu called out before dashing into the once peaceful home, now to be called the battlefield. Sora led the dash, immediately swiping away at a few lowly shadows, which were defeated with ease. Jovany carried his own weight of shadows, elegantly spinning and conjuring energetic storms of leaves which, at his command, shredded through the Heartless like a frenzy of knives, often ending in their immediate vaporization into dark gas. Should a Heartless have come to close, which a couple did, he simply slapped it away with his tail and finished it with a second, vertical tail strike. Riolu was fairing nicely against his opponents. He ignored those who sank into the ground, aggressively lurching at any open shadow. His movements were swift, so any attempt at striking him was quickly evaded. A swing of one shadow's arms did not come unseen. Riolu ducked before this swipe and retaliated quickly. He reached up to grab the arm of the Heartless and noticed another approaching him swiftly from the front. With toned reflexes and strength, he lifted the Heartless over his head and struck down upon the oncoming shadow with its fellow, following this move with a rushed shoulder tackle. Having sent the two tumbling away momentarily, he dropped one foot back while keeping one forward and motioned his paws behind him as if he held an orb of some sort. A spherical vortex of blue aura began to build in his paws. At the moment of their recovery, Riolu unleashed this sphere on the two Heartless, slaying them...

Futachi found himself battling alongside Sora. He knew why he was here. He itched every now and then for a decent fight, and this supernatural occurrence would have to provide for him. Unlike most Pokémon, Futachi fought with heavily modified versions of his original moves. With each move he used, it seemed to trigger a light blue pulse that ran up and down his tribal markings. Surrounded by Heartless in less than seconds, he retrieved the two seashells from his sides and, with a flicker of light running up his body, he hurled each shell in unison, his arms raised on level with his chest. The two shells flew around Futachi in a nonstop circle, slicing through the shadows until nothing was left to slice. The speed of the shells reduced enough, along with the distance from Futachi they were flying at, for the water-type to catch them... With a ferocious glare, he jolted ahead, shells in paw, ready to annihilate the "scum", as he would have put it, who stood in his path.

Sora had finished unleashing a rally of skilled combos on a horde of Heartless, though he had yet to face a single neoshadow. He knew that was imminent, but wished to know where the other citizens of the town were. Perhaps they had all been evacuated by now. If so, he would have been elated. This swarm of shadows felt endless as it is. It was then that it had dawned on him that he wandered a bit far into the town. He was told to stay with Riolu and Jovany. With that in mind, he hurried back to the duo, who looked capable of finishing this wave of shadows off. His eyes went wide at a frightful sight only just inches behind the Servine. He wish he could have called out to him, but the darned Keyblade was in his mouth! He feared if he spit it out for but a second, he'd be defenseless.

"Jovany! Watch out!" The Servine heard a voice come from far behind him. It sounded like someone he knew vaguely, like Wynaut from the café. Before the Pokémon could even consider facing the other direction, it was too late. Large, black hands gripped tightly at his sides. The pain was evident. This larger shadow was squeezing with enough force to cause Jovany to raise his head and cry out. And it was a sound that his partner wished he had not heard.

"Wh-wha? Jovany?" Riolu turned, paying no heed to the Heartless he had down at the moment. He saw the greater shadow being crushing his partner in a deadly grasp. He sprinted with that horrible feeling of despair in his heart. What if he didn't make it in time? His partner—his closest friend—was in mortal danger, and Riolu knew this. He also knew he was growing slightly fatigued, but he didn't care! He saw that Jovany's life could have been slipping away right now!

Sora peeked over as he sprinted. He caught a glimpse of Riolu nearby. They were headed for a common enemy with a common purpose. Adrenaline flowed through his small body as he charged with Riolu at his side. Mere feet from Jovany, however, a second neoshadow broke free of a dark puddle from beneath. Its body was spat from the earth, causing it to catch a bit of air. As its feet made impact with a ground, a shock wave of energetic darkness prevented their advance. They were blown back quite a ways by such force. Sora was hurdled against one of the totem poles that stood in the town, each of them resembling certain Pokémon. He groaned briefly as a continuous sharp pain assaulted his backside. The Kingdom Key vanished from his mouth in a radiant flicker. He raised his head, his vision obscured by blurry speckles. The last thing he saw was a sudden dark presence emit from the ground. Excruciation. Blackness.

Riolu had not been slammed against anything, though he rolled backwards quite a ways. Pain riddled his muscles. He stood on one knee, his fist against the ground for balance he watched his close partner begin to fade away, or, more accurately, sink into the ground with this nightmarish creature. Despair amplified. He felt a shove from behind. His weight increased. Another. More weight. He was pushed flat against his chest. More weight. He lifted his head and watched as Jovany's upper body sank ever so slowly. More weight. He began to feel the antennae of the many smaller shadows which were piling on top of him, holding him down. More weight. One of the shadows blocked his view slightly, though he could have sworn he saw a large group of Pokémon he knew quite well make for the path beyond the crossroads. It was the guild. They were fleeing. Leaving him. Riolu saw they had no choice, for they were being driven away by another horde of the larger shadows.

"Jovan-...Jovany...! No, d-don't go!" He screamed out for his partner, throwing an arm forward in one final attempt to make himself useful in any way. "Don't leave me! Please! Jovany!" He cried desperately, tears falling from his cheeks. More weight. He could barely see beyond shadows crowing around his face. He did see his partner's head, which was all that was upon the surface now. He heard one last shriek from Jovany as the Servine's descent with the dark creature reached its conclusion. More weight. Excruciation. Blackness...

…

"So, you're the boy..." Came a deep, calm voice.

The teen knew not where he was. He knew not where the voice emanated from. He knew it was a man speaking, but where? He could not see a thing. What happened to him? Where was he? How did he get here?

"A feeble attempt to use a corridor of darkness to reach this world, hmhmhmhm..." A different voice emanated from an unknown source. It was not as deep, though possessed an equally ominous tone.

"Yes, truly... Boy... Who gave you the coat...?" Came the calm voice...

"The coat...?" The teen responded. His mind raced for a moment, though it shouldn't have. It was a simple question. He was wearing a heavy, black coat that he had been given by another in the same attire. "That's none of your business... Wh-who the hell are you? Where the hell are you?"

"We will be asking the questions here." Came the second voice...

"I assure you that it is very much so my business to know about your origins... wielder of the Crossblade... Who. Gave you. The coat?" The calm voice asked once again, although irritation was present in his voice.

"I'm not telling you a damn thing, you hear?" The teen retorted, about to demand the name of his location. What had the second one said? Something about a corridor of darkness gone wrong? What was wrong? He simply conjured one of the portals at the place people called Radiant Garden and set his sights on a certain destination he was slightly more familiar with. What could have gone wrong? That red-haired figure told him specifically that he was capable of using these corridors to travel through safely as long as he wore the coat. As long as the coat was at least over his shoulders, he could have traveled freely to other worlds without suffering negative or bothersome effects! So what was wrong now? "And how do you know about the Crossblade?" He hadn't actually expected himself to ask this...

"If you will not tell us, then we will not tell you. Pity. You would have made an excellent ally. But you would likely have proven to be trouble. I know little of your true power, boy. I predict it is foolish to underestimate you, but to abuse the coat's power so wildly... Perhaps you're the fool. You've lured yourself into the darkness that we have created.. Might I add... thank you for your help... Now, begone. I will be taking that coat. You do not deserve it..."

He couldn't respond, though he seethed with anger. Whoever this guy was, he certainly had a mouth on him. The teen had dealt with these kinds of characters, but, likewise to him, it would have been foolish to underestimate his foes, no matter how cliché or predictable they seemed. But the fact that this man mentioned the Crossblade, and the other fact that this man mentioned something about the teen helping him weave a world of darkness made no sense in the slightest! …

The teen felt cold. He felt the warmth of the cloak slip away. Light and color returned to his vision, but unfortunately, devastation was the first thing he saw...

...

"Now, where did that brute go? I told him not to rush, yet he did so!" The feminine, British accented voice was heard by two others.

"Ah, this isn't good." A second voice came. It was male, but it was oddly high pitched... "He got away from us again."

"He'll show up." Came the third, and most masculine, voice. "Kid's got brawn for it."

"Well, certainly not the brain! Ugh, what a migraine..."