"It feels so much like falling, separated from the fear, aware of a destination far away from here" - Flyleaf "Much Like Falling"

12 Rain

The most powerful Pokemon in the world paced his lair in the Hall of Origin, growling menacingly. His fury was so intense that he pitied the fool who got in his way. His ghostly feet did not touch the ground as he trekked back and forth. The only sound in the hall was the whisper of wind as he moved.

"Father Arceus," called a voice.

Outraged, Arceus whirled around. "What do you want, Mesprit?" he snapped.

The pink fairy Pokemon blinked patiently. "You are angry, Father," she replied softly.

Arceus let out another growl and continued to pace the white floors of the Hall of Origin.

Mesprit looked at him curiously. "Is it Mother?" she asked.

"You know better than to pester me, child," Arceus replied coolly. He deliberately turned away from her.

Determined, the fairy Pokemon soared over him and appeared right in front of him. "Do I?" she said. "Won't you tell me what's wrong?"

Arceus suddenly felt compliant. Why not tell Mesprit? She may be able to help… he shook himself. "I will not fall into your emotional games," he told her. "Leave before I do something I'll regret later."

Mesprit's expression was that of a teenage girl who didn't get her way. She floated out of the room, her nose in the air. "Careful," she warned whoever was coming in next. "He's not in a good mood."

Arceus narrowed his eyes. Who could it be now? "Leave now or face my Judgment," he commanded without turning around.

"I apologize, Father. I have no intention of disturbing you."

The Great Creator gaped, shocked. Suicune. Arceus hated Suicune. He reminded him far too much of Yacaeli. "Too late, son. What do you want?"

Suicune watched him impassively. "Absol has arrived," he reported.

Arceus blinked. Was Suicune showing him respect? The insolent child had never shown even a glimmer of care for his father before! The water beast had always been more affectionate to his mother. "Very well, send him in," he said.

Suicune dipped his head in a respectful nod and disappeared, whisked away by the wind that always followed him.

A moment later Absol entered the Hall. A beautiful and confident Umbreon trailed after him, her head held high and her coat shining. Instead of feeling intimidated to stand in Arceus's presence, her expression told him that he should be the one feeling intimidated.

"Good morrow, Father," Absol greeted, dipping his head. He sat down and waited for a response.

Arceus nodded. "Welcome, son. Are you ready?" He noticed the Umbreon merely sat and glared at him. Evidently she did not feel the need to show him respect.

"Yes, Father," Absol breathed. He was extremely excited to be doing this for Arceus.

The Great Creator cast a wary glance at the defiant Umbreon. "What is that doing here?"

"That has a name," Umbreon snapped. "And it's Tenebri."

Arceus recognized it as a name that meant "darkness". Fitting for a sassy Umbreon. "Alright," he said. "Then what is Tenebri doing here?"

Tenebri flared up in an instant, sensing the distaste in his voice. Absol strategically placed his paw on hers so she wouldn't attack. "She is one of my accomplices, and I have chosen her to assist me on the task you have presented me with."

Arceus arched an eyebrow, but decided not to anger the Umbreon further. He really didn't want to have to hurt the little thing. "Very well."

Absol waited, and when Arceus said nothing, he began to squirm uncomfortably. "Father," he began, "what exactly did you want me to do?"

Abruptly, Arceus spun and resumed his furious pacing. "Yacaeli is a demon," he said, though Absol wasn't sure the words were meant for him. "A mistake that never should have happened. She has stolen back her abilities."

Absol gaped. "But how?"

"I. Don't. Know," Arceus said forcefully, emphasizing each word as if it were its own sentence. "I need you to go to her, find out how she did it, and…"

Tenebri sneered. "You want her dead, don't you?"

Arceus whipped around so quickly that Absol cowered, but Tenebri met the larger Pokemon's glare with one of her own. "And what makes you say that?" Arceus growled.

Tenebri narrowed her yellow eyes. "She humiliated you, turned your own children against you. And now she has again, by stealing back what was hers right from under your nose. And you're sick of it, so you want her gone, right?"

Arceus was fuming, but the obnoxious little Umbreon was right. He was sick of being humiliated by Yacaeli, and every time she tricked him, it only reminded him what a foolish creator he was. He had made creatures more powerful than himself, and that was a mistake.

But he was afraid to give the order to kill Yacaeli. He still loved her. Deeply. He wanted to be with her again, to nuzzle her creamy fur against his, to gaze into her moon-like eyes and see only love. He didn't want to be lonely anymore.

"No," Arceus said finally. The Umbreon arched a skeptical eyebrow. "Don't kill her. Take her powers away again." He closed his eyes, and a stone sparkling on a silver chain appeared. "This will do it for you. A Genesis Stone."

Absol and Tenebri stared at the stone in awe. It shimmered with a soft glow, and was the color of scarlet blood. It was shaped like a teardrop, glistening in the pure light of the Hall.

"Of course, Father," Absol said obediently. "We will not fail you."

The chain with the Genesis Stone went to rest around Absol's neck, where it looked more like a red scar than an exotic stone. "Good," Arceus said. "After you take them, take the stone off your neck. Then stand guard around her until I arrive."

Absol nodded eagerly. He stood and padded out of the Hall. Tenebri followed at a much more hesitant rate, her mind quickly forming a plan. Yacaeli didn't deserve to live, she reasoned. Arceus would be happier if they killed her. It only made sense.

Perhaps she could convince Absol to see it her way. After all, she was an awfully pretty Umbreon…

*************************************************************Paragraph Break************************************************************

"MAY!!!" Max screamed. He sprinted towards his sister, panic causing his voice to crack.

Now that I could see May, I could see Max's reason for distress. May was crouched down in the middle of where our campsite had been, soaking wet, and her hands clutching her hair. Her mouth continued to siren off a high pitched scream of terror, and she was shaking with cold and fear.

"May!" I exclaimed, suddenly terrified. What could have scared her to that kind of state?

She didn't seem to hear. She just kept screaming, wailing like a Screech attack.

Drew rushed up to her, not far behind Max. He knelt in front of her, staring down at the back of her soaking head. Her face was practically buried in the ground. Timidly, he placed a hand on May's back. "May?" he asked gently.

May leapt up, standing so quickly it was incredible. "I'll fight you!" she screamed. Her eyes were red with tears, but in her fury the redness made her all the more terrifying. "You won't take me! I'll kill you first!"

I was too scared to say anything. This wasn't a temper tantrum; this was pure animal-like self defense. She felt that her life was threatened, and she would fight for it. I had seen Pokemon in situations like this, and most of the time… they couldn't be reasoned with.

Cautious, I stepped forwards, watching her. Her chest heaved as she panted for air, while her arms quivered with fright. Despite her terror, her eyes blazed with a rage so intense I was sure they would burn right through me.

The more I looked at her, the more I noticed how wrong everything was. May shouldn't have been attacking us! Something had scared her, I was sure. And why was the rain on her exposed stomach pink?

I glanced over at Max, the cut on his forehead still bleeding. However, the blood wasn't as thick now that the rain was washing over it. It raced down his face in pinkish streaks, rather than pure red. Suddenly I knew what was wrong with May.

"You're bleeding!" I cried.

May wiped her face and held up her fists. "You think that makes me weak? Come and get me!"

Dawn placed her hand on May's arm, causing her to jump. "May, what's the matter with you?" she interrogated.

To everyone's surprise, May shoved Dawn behind her. The blunette was thrown into the mud. "Get behind me," she growled. "I'll protect you, Dawn."

"From what?" Dawn gasped. She struggled to get up, her elbows apparently in pain from the force May had used, but the brunette pushed her down again.

"Them," she hissed. "They took Max, Drew, and Ash. I won't let them take you too."

May was delusional. There was nothing there save for the heavy rain and us. Misty wrenched her from behind and shook her violently. "Snap out of it!" she commanded. "Wake up, May, or I swear I'll knock your brains out."

Blinking, May looked directly into Misty's eyes. She seemed to wake. Then she looked around, bewildered. "But," she began feebly, "they were here. I saw them… take Drew… and Max… and Ash."

"Who?" Brock pressed.

She took a shuddering breath, and Misty relinquished her death grip. "They said they were the Sky Warriors. They… they were carrying…" she pointed nervously to me, Max, and Drew, "their heads on poles. And they said soon they would have the rest of us."

Brock knelt down close to her, cupping her wet face in his hands. "What did they look like?" he asked.

May blinked, still dazed. "They looked like birds."

*AN: Wow. Scary, huh? I was practically having a panic attack while I was writing this. I guess because in my head, it's a lot more real. I hope you guys can picture it the way I did, and totally psyche yourselves out. That's when you know you're reading something that was well written. You feel like you're IN it.

The annoying **Paragraph Break** is so you can tell the transitions. I thought the little separators were uploading, but they weren't.

Thank you for reading and all the reviews you've given to me!*