Author's Corner.

Scarlet: Did anyone notice that White has more dark-type Pokémon despite her air-headedness?

DISCLAIMER: SLYBILL DOESN'T OWN POKEMON.

It hurts…Oh Arceus, it fucking hurts…

For the first time in Alphinia's life, apprehension gripped her beating heart at the ghostly scene before her. Purple aura swirling. Ominous pokemon gathering. Bloodied Scarlet resurrecting. It almost seemed like they were gathering for some kind of apocalypse about to befall the world by their claws. The knight couldn't even stop the unfazed Joid as he sprang towards his target again, fangs bared and tongue expectant for another bite of Scarlet's heart.

Like a robot, the seemingly-hypnotised hunter raised a gloved hand and grabbed the freak by the sides of his mouth. In an instant, black energy swirled around his other hand and with a loud BOOM, Alphinia realised that Scarlet had just blown a clean hole in Joid's middle. Before the boy could react, Scarlet crushed his jaws with a simple flex of his fingers and hurled the freak into the wall beside the knight.

"Salamence," she snapped and the dragon pokemon landed beside her with a loud THUD before roaring loudly at the group. "Dragon Rush!" She had a feeling that something might happen if she attacked now but even so, her curious mind allowed her to anyway. With a grunt, Salamence charged at Scarlet again and was just about crunching the swaying boy to bits when fangs and claws sank into its neck making it scream loudly. Zweilous, Deino's new form, sank its razor sharp teeth deeper into her opponent before flinging it into the air and executing a lethal, savage Dragon Rush of her own. On first sight, one would have known instantly that that wasn't White's battle style and Alphinia gasped as Salamence crashed down before her with telltale signs of...blood, real, red, pokemon blood, oozing from its neck and loins. As if on cue, Hydreigon appeared from nowhere and went straight for the trainer herself only for its course to stop as Scarlet's hand snapped up and grasped its tail tightly. Without so much as a heave or grunt, the entranced hunter repeatedly slammed Hydreigon onto the tarmac before flinging it at the slowly rising Salamence. Crashing into its ally, the Brutal Pokemon groaned as Salamence roared in complaint.

"You killed her..." Scarlet moaned once again and took shaky steps towards Alphinia. You'd be shocked to know that his wounds hadn't, in fact, closed up and blood splashed against the road as he slowly went for the girl. "You killed Skyla...Unforgivable, Unforgivable, Unforgivable..."

"This is new...I always thought you didn't care," she asked defiantly despite the unknown feeling washing through her chest. "What're you gonna do, kill me?"

In spite of the open wound in her side, the knight hefted the car next to her easily and threw it right at Scarlet, the latter of which made no move whatsoever. Unfortunately for Alphinia, Emboar stopped the vehicle and volleyed it back at her before rushing putting out a large fist to stop the incoming Hydreigon again (Yeesh, that thing never stops). As the pokemon's jaws collided with her fist, Beartic and Scraggy came down on its back with a devastating Ice Punch and Hi Jump Kick respectively that sent it back into the ground, this time creating a massive crater in the road. As the dark/dragon type struggled to rise again, a searing blue ball of energy came down hard on its back, creating a massive explosion that rocked Alphinia off her feet. Judging from the pained gurgle emanating from the injured pokemon, Hydreigon had finally hit its limit and with a loud slam, the seemingly unstoppable dragon passed out, this time for good.

"To have taken down Hydreigon with that level of attack," the blonde remarked, peering through the smoke. "Looks like White's power has gotten stronger."

A hand shot through the smoke and grabbed her throat before lifting her slowly until her feet left the ground. Smirking in anticipation, she looked down at the murderous-looking Scarlet and let out a cough as the hand began to clamp. Honestly, what was with people and her neck?

"But it's not like you could do it even if you tried," she stated and threw a glance to the silent trainer behind him. "In the state you're in, your actions're governed by her desires. I'm sure she just transferred all the anger and vengeance into you and her pokemon so she herself won't remain at fault."

"Unforgivable..." and he squeezed again, eliciting blood from her parted lips.

"Of course *COUGH* That's all you can say right now." She kept her gaze on White. "Hey, trash!"

The girl remained frozen but slowly, her head tilted upwards and Alphinia caught sight of the half-lidded, almost dream-induced, shiny blue eyes staring back at her. They held little emotion and somewhat pierced the knight's incomplete soul. Was that a small smile playing on her lips?

"I'm sure you probably can't hear me," the blonde continued. "But I want you to know that that power of yours is killing Scarlet slowly. And that wouldn't be good for me now, would it?"

Silence. SQUEEZE.

"Pouring all your negative emotions into him instead of doing it yourself. I don't really care what Ghetsis said, your so-called innocence is the real danger to this world."

The white-haired trainer gave a robotic tilt of the head and eyed the girl with that same blank expression.

"Fortunately, your nature works like a double-edged sword. If you really wanted, Scarlet could've crushed my neck by now but deep down, you don't want that...do you?"

White's lips parted but stopped midway. Nothing but a moan came out.

SQUEEZE!

"Talk about sarcasm." And with that, Joid jumped down from above and bit into Scarlet's arm before wrenching him off the knight. Gasping, she held a hand to her heart in order to stop the erratic beating and with a start, she realized just what that unknown feeling was. Fear. Plain, primal, almost-human fear for the ominous whiteheaded girl kneeling before her and clutching that dead body in her arms. Just what is up with me...? Why do I feel so many of these human emotions after meeting those two...?

Her train of thought was further derailed as a sharp squelching sound was heard and her eyes widened to see Joid, missing the entire left side of his torso. And both Zweilous and Scarlet had blood dribbling down their mouths and arms. Wobbling, the doozy psycho slowly walked up to Scarlet in an effort to attack again only to have his right leg severed from him as his target gave a casual swipe of his hand. Joid fell flat on his face but continued onwards, pulling himself by his remaining hand. Just what was it that made him so intent on killing Scarlet?

Just as quickly as Joid crawled, a boot slammed down on his head making him eat tarmac once more as Scarlet lurched towards Alphinia. Reaching out, he grabbed the sword sticking into the ground and held it beside him menacingly as he continued towards her slowly. Although her senses screamed for her to move, her feet stayed rooted to the spot as her eyes stared into his mesmerizingly-purple orbs.

It was only when Scarlet swung the blade at her that she gained full-control of her senses again and stepped away from the attack. However, she tripped against a large chunk of road behind her and fell flat on her back, yelping as her foe pinned her hands above her head with one hand and caressed her cheek with the back of the claymore in the other hand leaving a fine trail of ruby-red in its awake. If Alphinia was startled before, she was definitely disturbed now. She was going to die. And she couldn't move a single muscle no matter how much effort she put in. And from the glazed-eyed look on Scarlet's face, she would most likely be tortured slowly until she gave up the ghost.

The claymore raised high into the air, glistening in the reddish sky and at that point she closed her eyes and anticipated the lethal blow. She, however, didn't expect the cough from her attacker and the short droplets of blood dotting her cheeks. Peeling her red eyes open, she stared in shock as blood forcefully erupted from Scarlet's mouth and the blade dropped to the ground with a small clang. After which the hunter gave a low groan as his eyes went back to blue and collapsed atop the knight, unconscious.

On cue, Emboar, Zweilous and all of White's other pokemon slumped heavily until only White herself was left, still conscious, still ominous and still holding on to Skyla's body.

"It's wearing off…" Alphinia gasped in relief and sat up slowly. "That was short…"

In seconds, the eerie wave of purple died down and White's eyes reverted back to yellow before she blinked twice and looked around her surroundings like she had just awoken from a trance or dream.

"…Huh? What happened…?" she muttered at the battered scene before her. Suddenly, she winced as her head began to pound furiously and she put a hand to her face before withdrawing it and staring at the fine line of blood on her palm. "My eyes are bleeding…?"

On close inspection, one would've noticed that she was in fact crying red tears as her forehead once again screamed and throbbed painfully. Looking up, she gasped at the sight of her fallen pokemon and partner before freezing as Joid stumbled up again (arm and leg fully regained) and approached Scarlet with his mouth wide open.

"Graaaahhhh…." He moaned and Alphinia snapped up suddenly to look at him.

"Wait Joid, it's over," she said quietly.

The white-haired boy continued onwards until he reached her and stretched a hand out for Scarlet.

"Joid, I said enough." Her tone was serious now. "We're not supposed to kill them."

"Guuuaaahhh…" he moaned again, ignoring her completely and picking him by the collar.

"Joid!" Alphinia growled as his mouth opened wider. She tried to stand up and restrain the freak but instead fell back with a whimper as her wounds got the better of her.

"…S-s-scar…let…" he murmured as his teeth came closer to the unconscious teen's neck. "…My…soul…"

KA-BAM!

Joid's neck bent with a hard crack as a man wrapped in bandages landed feet first into his head making him lose hold of Scarlet and fall to the ground. Without giving him so much as a breather, Mr. P pressed a gloved hand deep into the back of Joid's skull and with a scream, the boy's eyes dimmed and closed slowly as his life functions were shut down temporarily.

"Geez! I thought I told you guys not to kill 'em!"

"Draco…" Alphinia started but trailed off as he hefted Joid over his shoulder and walked over to the stunned White. Crouching before her, he put his hand over her forehead and pressed lightly.

"Who…are…you…?" she slurred as drowsiness over took her.

"A servant of the king is all you need to know," he replied coolly as darkness clouded her vision. "And just remember, we let you live."

Oh…It doesn't hurt anymore…? Damn…slipping away again…probably gonna get a nightmare since Deino's a part dark-type…hope…White…is….okay…..

White….

That was the ever-dominant colour that stretched as far as the little boy could see as he and his best friend were quietly ushered into an awaiting helicopter by their guardian and maternal figure, Jillian.

"Why do we have to go already?" Jade whined sleepily, dragging a sleeve across his droopy eyes. "It's too early."

"It's okay, Jade. We're leaving the facility for good now and the sooner we do it, the better," the brunette replied quietly and let out a slow breath as they neared the copter.

"You mean we're leaving forever?" he asked again, eyes widening in realization.

"Of course," she replied again as she lifted him into the copter and ruffled his auburn hair. "We'll go far, far away and start a family of our own. But we'll have to be very patient and quiet if we want that to happen."

Scarlet's finger twitched in anxiety. What if they got caught? What would happen to the professor herself if this boss of hers finds out? Sensing his worry though, a soft hand came to rest on his head and all he needed to do was look up to once again see that no-need-to-worry smile of hers upon which all his worries flew into the harsh wind.

"Worrying's my job, Ginger," she stated and lifted him into the machine before climbing aboard. "We'll get outta here in no time." Turning to the pilot, she whispered a few things into his ear and with a nod, the engine purred and revved before the copter lifted off the ground slowly. Watching as their snowy world got farther and farther away, the excited children smiled to each other and inwardly said their goodbyes to the place they had come to see as home.

…Then the tragedy began…

It started when the copter started to make a sudden descent after an hour of peaceful flying. Puzzled, the professor asked the pilot what the reason was for the unexpected landing. However, she was surprised to see a familiar grin on the man's face and before she could pull out her Dragonite's pokeball, the "man's" eyes glowed blue and all three passengers were lifted into the air and slammed against the wall of the copter. Scarlet's pupil's shrank in horror as the supposed pilot's arms morphed into tentacle-like extensions and his head twisted 180 degrees backwards to face them.

"D-Deoxys," the redhead muttered as the pilot glowed and was replaced with an orange and green, alienish pokemon with a purple crystal buried in its chest.

"But how…?" the stunned brunette blurted in shock.

"Those so-called helpers of yours aren't so reliable now, are they?"

Eyes shifted to the crackling radio behind the pokemon.

"You're pretty much the only one who disapproves of the boss's goals," it crackled again in a familiar voice and the copter touched down on the soft snow. Sliding the door open, the man from before grinned at them with a walkie-talkie in his hand and a Machamp on his side. "Looks like you're out of luck, Jillian."

"What's going on?" Jade asked in confusion. "Who're you? And what're we doing here?"

"You'll find out soon enough, piggy," the man replied cruelly and snapped his fingers before ordering for a Confusion. Instantly, their heads started to pound heavily and before they knew, all went dark.

Something clanked and Scarlet slowly came to before rubbing his aching forehead.

"Jade!" he exclaimed and looked around to find himself alone in a dark room of some sort. Iron bars surrounded him and with a start, he realized he was trapped in a cage of some sort. "Where am I...?"

The door opened slowly and the boy looked up to see some oddly-dressed guards walking in and a man dressed in a black robe following closely behind them. As it was dark, Scarlet could only make out the shape of their heads and green hair falling down the robed man's shoulders.

"Sir," one of the guards started. "This is the subject S that the traitor tried to smuggle out of the facility."

"Where am I...?" Scarlet mumbled as the addressed man, most likely the boss, crouched low and reached his level. One red eye stared into the boy's green eyes and it almost looked like it smiled upon seeing his fright and nervousness.

"If that woman tried to smuggle them," he stated in a deep, melodic yet somewhat cruel voice, "...then it's obvious that he is the one necessary for my plans." Reaching out, he brushed a gloved hand against the black lock covering the boy's eye, the latter shivering against his touch.

"Where's Jade...?"

The green-haired man chuckled darkly. "Inquisitive, aren't we. Don't worry Scarlet. You'll see him soon enough."

"Where's Jillian...?"

Silence. "Now that's one person you won't be seeing again."

SNAP!

Scarlet was sure he tasted blood as his teeth crunched deeper into the man's hand. Unfazed, the boss pulled it out of his mouth sharply and eyed the blood-soaked glove. To the boy's surprise, the man let out a short laugh and shot the same hand towards his neck, grabbing Scarlet roughly and pulling him up to his feet. The boy kept up a defiant face and spat out the blood in his mouth.

"Beautiful," the boss remarked in a quiet yet somewhat excited tone. "Those defiant eyes, that scowl, his soul is even riper than I imagined. He'll definitely be perfect for my plans."

"I want Jade," Scarlet growled, masking the fear in his heart. "And I wanna see Professor Jilli-!"

BANG!

His head spun at the sudden impact to the iron bars and with a low moan, he collapsed to the ground.

"You're not in the position to make demands, Guilty," he heard as darkness started to grip him again. "Have a nice night for it will be your last."

When Scarlet came to again, he found himself atop the broad shoulders of a Machamp and would've struggled if not for the chains on his wrists and feet. Taking a careful look at his passing surroundings, his eyes narrowed at the brightness of the area. They were in a hallway. A fancy one too, judging by the golden walls and long red carpet stretching across the smooth floor.

'A ballroom…?' He thought to himself. 'Is there a party going on here?'

The pokemon holding him grunted and stopped on the spot before turning to the familiar man who captured them in the first place.

"S," he greeted and Scarlet gave the meanest scowl he could think of. "Sorry, no hard feelings. I just need to see our boss' plans to the end and as such, we can't let you escape."

"Bonehead!" the child hissed. "Where's Jade and Professor Jillian?"

The man let out a sudden giggle and shifted to the right, showing a large door behind the throne-like seat. "The name's Cain. And you'll be seeing your bro soon enough."

Machamp shifted Scarlet's weight a little before heading through the door which actually opened up to form a rocky tunnel of some sort with ancient-looking murals and weird cave paintings on them. With each passing mural and painting, Scarlet's green eyes shrunk smaller and smaller in slight fright and disgust at the somewhat horrific depiction of a monster devouring dozens upon dozens of people and pokemon alike.

Smirking at the boy's look, Cain slowed down until he and Machamp were practically shoulder to shoulder and said to his captive, "Looks nice, doesn't it? Apparently, a monster appeared from nowhere and started terrorizing certain parts of the world, devouring all in its path in a bid to fill its missing parts."

Scarlet froze. "That's just a story...right? Is that the beast you guys are going to wake up?"

Cain's smile grew wider and he huffed before getting ahead of his pokemon and stepping into a underground, dome-shaped field ten football pitches long in length and width. At the centre was a large, black hole with ice-crystals projecting from it.

"This is where the ceremony shall take place. Hopefully, this'll be the last time I see it," the black-haired man stated as he stopped in front of the hole and gently patted a giant ice crystal.

"What ceremony? How come you guys won't tell me anything?!" Scarlet asked, exasperated and getting even more nervous. Just what was going on-

"STOP IT! LET ME GO!"

Scarlet's ears perked up as he recognized the voice. Looking up, he saw Jade being held roughly by another Machamp and yelled at it to let him go.

"Scarlet!" Jade cried in relief, running up to said boy as soon as both Machamp dropped their cargo.

"Are you okay?" Scarlet asked as his friend hugged him and sobbed into his shoulder. "They didn't hurt you, right?"

Jade quickly shook his head, tossing his auburn hair to and fro. "But Scarlet, you're the one who's hurt!"

The redhead sighed as the pain he had been ignoring in his forehead seized full-control again. "It's okay, just a bruise. Where's Professor Jillian?"

Jade, once again shook his head. "I don't know...but I don't like this place."

"Be patient. You won't see it for long." And with that, Cain tore Jade off Scarlet and dragged the screaming child to the front of the giant crystal before tapping his foot on the ground twice. Instantly, the floor before him opened and metallic stairs emerged through it and ran right into the top of the largest crystal. In a minute, he had ascended the stairs and stood at the flat top of the crystal. From his position below, Scarlet made out what looked like a crystal table, in-laid with fine diamonds and silvery metal. If he didn't know any better, he would've assumed it was an altar of some sort. An altar for sacrificial purpo-

"JADE!" he cried, catching a faint idea of what was going to happen. "STOP! CAIN!"

Even in his childish mind, it started to make sense now.

"He said they're gonna use our souls to awaken a powerful, giant monster-pokemon that lives far, far away."

"We have determined, after several trials of course, that the chasm can only be opened once in 8 years, Jillian. The boss cannot afford to lose this opportunity."

Thanks to that, I know that tyrant can only go so far for his evil cause and I will not allow the boys to become the sacrificial pawns for his twisted plans!"

His guess should be wrong, he hoped to whatever god was out there that it was. But back then, Scarlet's guesses were always spot on. Always.

He and Jade were going to be sacrificed to some monster living here. The story was true after all.

"Let the ceremony begin!" a voice rang out and Scarlet turned to see that same robed man from before walking through the hallway accompanied by several men and women dressed in black and blue hooded gowns similar to what the boy was wearing. Walking before the robed man was another person, an underling most likely, carrying a long, case in his arms. In time, the robed man crossed the stairs grandly and stood before the men and women standing on the stone corridors running along the dome's smooth edges.

"My brethren in search of change!" the boss boomed, raising both hands to the silent audience. Scarlet found himself smirking at the bandage on his right hand. "After several years of fruitless trials, I have finally found the answer to our worries. We can finally see the dawn of a new world this very night with the help of these two brave children!"

'Brave?! He makes it sound like I wanna do this!' Scarlet mentally screamed.

"Tonight, we shall watch as the painstaking research and technology of our scientists come together to light the path that will inevitably show forth our ideals to the entire world! But first of all, I would like to thank those who have made this and foremost, my sincerest thanks to Professor Jillian for cultivating these boys into the worthy souls they are today. You must be proud."

Through the door, two guards held the brunette professor and forced her towards the foot of the stairs, putting her in a kneeling position before the green-haired man. Brown eyes seething, Jillian huffed defiantly at the boss.

"You're twisted," she spat acidly and he laughed darkly.

"Next, I thank you, Cain for retrieving them and bringing them here."

Cain dropped to one knee and bowed his head before him. "Much Obliged, My lord." He shot a glare at Jillian as she hissed out a "heartless buttkisser" and turned her head.

"I also thank the numerous scientists for gathering the previous 100 souls for the preparation."

Scarlet's ears perked up. 100? That's the number of kids at the facility that were supposedly moved to another facility when they were deemed unneeded and never came back. Doesn't that mean-!

"And lastly, I thank the boys themselves for volunteering to be the important souls needed for the final awakening."

Again with the lying!

Something clicked in Scarlet's brain and suddenly, tension and apprehension gripped the air. Also, there was something else. Something he had never felt before. Stiff. Nauseating. Dangerous.

Turning, the man clapped his hands twice and immediately, Cain slammed Jade onto the table.

"What's happening?" the confused and scared child mumbled nervously. "Please, let me go! I'm scared!"

"Don't be," Cain whispered harshly, holding him down with his Deoxys. "Shut up, be quiet and it'll be over quickly." At the same time, Jillian snapped up suddenly and her lips began to quiver.

"Stop! Please, he's just a child!" she pleaded, struggling against the guards' iron grips. "Don't you even have a single shred of pity?!"

"If I recall correctly, you were the one who suggested using them in the first place...or am I wrong, Jillian," the man barked harshly.

Scarlet stared at the professor as she bit her lip and faced the floor. Was that true? Was she indirectly the one who got them into this mess in the first place? Please say no! Please!

"...Yes..." she whispered and her shoulders shook. "I did. But I was just another foolish scientist looking for change." Raising her head, tears streamed from her eyes. "Growing up with those boys, those so-called sacrifices of yours actually made me realize just how selfish our ideals are. I desired change but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I found out that the true change happened within me and that's all the reason I need to save these children."

Silence.

"Jillian..." Scarlet muttered, taken aback by her statement. The audience itself began to whisper and stir uncertainly until the boss cleared his throat and peace returned to the area.

"I didn't expect that, Jillian," he stated coldly and walked up to the whimpering Jade. "But I want you to bear in mind that not everyone here feels the need to replace their dead children with sacrificial Mareep, knowing full well what would happen to them later on. And besides, this is for the greater good."

The underling opened the box and with a flourish, the robed man pulled out a long broadsword with a patterned hilt and a blade that sparkled like blue diamonds...or ice.

"Behold, this sword is made from the hide of the empty shell left behind when (-) and (-) were separated. This shall be the key to reawakening it fully from its long slumber."

Jade saw the blade and began to wail loudly making Scarlet's heart ache in agony.

"What're you doing...?" he muttered, seeing the man stand before Jade and raise the sword.

"Jade!" Jillian cried, desperately struggling to pull herself away from the guards.

"Stop it..." Scarlet mumbled shakily as the man pulled up the glistening sword. 'This couldn't be real, this couldn't be happening, this was supposed to be the pokemon world, where stuff like this shouldn't happen!'

"Jade!" the professor screamed, freeing herself from the guards and pulling out a pokeball from her pocket.

"On this night of the Red Moon, let this innocent soul awaken the beast that shall usher in a new world," the man declared loudly as Jillian's Dragonite raced towards him. The pokemon stopped however as the two Machamp unleashed powerful Ice Punches to its underbelly. From the hole in the top of the dome, red light poured in and illuminated the crystal table upon which Jade lay like a spotlight.

"STOP IT!" Scarlet screamed as the blade went down and drove itself deep into his best friend's heart. It was all he could do not to pass out as he watched Jade scream and writhe in agony, his blood dripping down the table and running down the crystal. Strangely, the huge crystal began to glow blood-red too and the ground trembled slightly beneath their feet.

Scarlet didn't care though as he was more concentrated on the dying screams emanating from the table.

"It hurts!" Jade wailed, making Scarlet's heart wrench. "I don't wanna be sacrificed! I just wanna stay with Jillian and Scarlet as a family!"

"Sorry kiddo," Cain said heartlessly, "but not everything goes according to plan. You should've realised it first hand."

The robed man pulled the blade sharply out of the boy, eliciting a scream, and watched as it glowed red too. "Perfect."

"JADE!" Jillian cried, running up the stairs and rushing beside the gasping boy. Dragonite blew the Machamp away with a sharp Hurricane and engaged Cain's Deoxys in battle, sending Dragon Rage here and there and scattering the crowd haphazardly. In the fray, Scarlet staggered up the steps and rushed to his friend's side.

"Scar...let?" Jade choked out, blood pouring from his lips. The scene wasn't exactly suitable for a child Scarlet's age but he pushed the feeling deep down and brushed Jade's hair from his face.

"It's okay, Jade. We're here," he replied, trying to sound calm but failing all the way.

"Stay with me Jade, Stay with me!" Jillian cried, pressing her coat against the wound.

"I'm scared," Jade said slowly. "It hurts all over. Am I gonna die...?"

"NO!" Scarlet cried suddenly. "Don't say that, Jade!" He and Jillian knew all too well however that a direct blow to the heart was fatal and there was no way they could've saved him. Even so...

"So...dark," the dying boy muttered, squeezing his friend's hand. "I'm gonna die...I guess we won't have a family after all..."

"We will," Scarlet mumbled, choking back a sob. "We'll stay in a big house and call Professor Jillian mummy and when we're old enough, we'll become pokemon trainers and see the world together. Just like you wanted..."

Tears spilled from Jade's dimming eyes and Jillian clutched at his pale hand slowly.

"Jade," she sobbed, lowering her head. "I'm so sorry..." The hand moved from her grip and patted her head slowly. Looking up, her chest practically burst at the innocent smile on his small face.

"It's okay Mommy," he muttered weakly. "If I go, at least you've got Scarlet..."

"You're not going!" Scarlet cried, grabbing his hand like his life depended on it. "You're not dying, Jade! Soul Brothers, remember? We can't leave each other cos our souls are tied nice and tight, remember?!"

Jade's eyelids drooped and his hand began to slacken. "It's okay...Scarlet...even if I die, the monster won't eat my soul...cos it won't be complete...without yours...cos we're tied together...like mommy's shoe laces. That's why you should live...Scarlet...and be happy with mommy..."

"Jade!" Jillian cried as he coughed out more blood.

"Don't...forget me...I love you guys...thank you...for being...the family I never had..."

His hand fell from Scarlet's and hung over the table lifelessly. Scarlet stared. And stared. And screamed. Loudly. Clutching his chest, he fell against the floor as he inwardly felt a piece of himself literally rip away from him leaving a big, black hole in his centre.

"Touching." A hand grabbed Jillian by the waist and shoved her away from the dead child. With one swift motion, Cain swept Jade's body off the table and reached for Scarlet. "Your turn kiddo."

"No! Lemme go!" the boy cried harshly, struggling against his tight grip.

"Stop it, Cain!" Jillian barked and Dragonite swooped in from above in an effort to push Cain away only to be hit by a Psycho Boost from the ever-persistent Deoxys.

The robed man raised the sword high as soon as Scarlet was pinned to the table. "Almost complete," he remarked lowly. "I've been waiting so long for this! I've kept my silence so no one could piece together what I planned. Now, those painful days are at an end!"

"Scarlet!" Jillian cried and was just about rushing to him when the two Machamp from before landed before her and pinned her to the icy floor. "You heartless murderer!"

"On this night of the Red Moon, let this guilty soul control the beast that shall usher in a new world," the robed man exclaimed, and Scarlet tensed as the sword came down on his chest. However, the blade stopped midway as the ground trembled violently and the dome's top exploded in debris and ash.

"What was that?" Cain exclaimed, looking up sharply. His eyes widened however as he recognized the brown haired boy atop his Unfezant flying through the gaping hole. "YOU!"

"Sky Attack!" the brunette ordered and his pokemon gathered white aura around itself before racing right through Deoxys, blowing a clean hole where it's purple core was. Screaming, the psychic pokemon fell to the ground and stayed dead still. "Good Job, boy! That should us some time before it regenerates."

"A Champion?" the boss stuttered, eyeing the boy's cloak. "No...don't tell me you're-!"

"Finally found you, geezer!" the boy cut in, hopping off his pokemon. He parted the hair covering his gleaming-yellow eyes and pulled out another pokeball. "Glad to see you remember me!"

"But how did you know I would be here?" the robed man spluttered, frustration and slight fear dripping from his tone."Unless-!"

"Don't tell me you never thought the good professor would call for help. For shame, Ghetsis. Oh for shame."

Ghetsis eyed the professor and his red eye narrowed dangerously. "You..."

The Machamp holding her suddenly fainted away as Dragonite brought its Thunder-charged fists down on their skulls.

"Thanks Dragonite!" she said, getting up quickly. "Let Scarlet go, Ghetsis!"

Ghetsis laughed. "Sorry, but I'm this close to awakening the monster-pokemon of this chasm and neither you nor that accursed champion can stop me!" He raised the sword again and was about plunging it into Scarlet when a flurry of leaves blew into him. The champion's Serperior huffed in contempt and prepared anothe Leaf Tornado.

"You killed enough people, psycho!" the brunette declared and patted his Grass snake. "Drop the souvenir or I'll make sure Serperior gives you another eyepatch."

Ghetsis fell back from the force of the leaves and spluttered foe a second before snapping his fingers. Immediately, Cain and several other grunts pulled out their pokeballs and the area turned into a showdown as dozens of pokemon surrounded the Champion, Serperior and Dragonite.

"Been a while, Dragon Knight Cain," he remarked and the dark-haired man hissed. It was obvious that this wasn't the first time they had met.

"You've gotten taller, (-)!" he shot back and tossed his own pokeball in the air. A big, angry-looking gargoyle-like pokemon erupted forth and roared at the intruders. "I don't care if you're some hotshot now. You will not stop my King's plans!"

"Attack!" Ghetsis ordered and the pokemon complied ferociously. The brunette champion sighed and adjusted his cloak.

"Some people never learn."

5 minutes later...

"Amazing..." Jillian remarked in awe at the piles of fallen pokemon at Serperior's feet/tail/whatever.

"Give it up, Ghetsis," its trainer stated, dragging an unconscious Cain by the collar. "It's over."

Ghetsis shook in rage. The cool, calm mask fell off and his maniacal expression unnerved Scarlet.

"It's far from over..." he growled and burst out laughing. "I may not have completed the ritual, but I can still awaken the pokemon!" The man turned and ran towards the biggest crystal in the hole.

"Stop Ghetsis! There's no telling what you'll-"

CLANG!

Ghetsis stepped back as the glowing sword sank into the crystal and everything went red. Scarlet's eyes widened as the crystal began to move and shake forcefully. The smaller ice crystals cracked and shattered to dust with each tremor and before long, a giant crack ran up the biggest crystal.

Silence.

Silence.

A black cloud passed over the reddish moon above and the darkness swept through the underground dome before leaving it red again a moment later. Immediately after, a guttural cry was heard and the trio gasped as the crystal exploded, sending deadly shards flying in different directions.

"Protect!" the champion cried and his pokemon quickly set up a green force field around them, shielding them from the shards. The scattering crowd weren't so lucky however and it wasn't too long before the entire arena resembled a massacre scene from resident evil. It was so horrific, Scarlet's mind began to whirl and wrench in horror and fright.

"Arceus..." Jillian whispered, shielding Scarlet's eyes. "What in the world...?" The monster before them looked nothing like they'd ever seen. Yellow, pupil-less eyes shone through the red atmosphere and through the cracks in her fingers, Scarlet could make out a gray and blue colored, bipedal Pokémon of indefinable but seemingly draconic basis. One thing was for sure, it was incomplete. Somewhat damaged as its entire right side was deformed and the parts there were shorter than the left.

"He's awake..." The trio turned to see Ghetsis behind the monster, gawking at it. "He's finally awake!"

"That fool!" the champion hissed. "Get outta there!"

The pokemon before him tilted its unique blue head to the side before opening its giant jaws and roaring at the man loudly. In no time at all, Ghetsis was sent flying into a wall from the very force of the roar and the champion's Serperior set up another barrier of light as the monster-pokémon unleashed a ground shaking hyper beam into the ceiling, sending rocks and ice down on the arena.

"There's no way I'm gonna let you outta here!" the champion declared as soon as the attack was over. Pulling out all his pokeballs, he called forth the rest of his pokemon and had his Darmanitan let loose a powerful Fire Blast at the Pokémon . His eyebrows twitched however as the attack left nothing on the dragon-like Pokémon.

"Dragonite, Dragon Pulse!" Jillian ordered and her orange dragon shot a giant ball of light at the monster. Despite the explosion upon impact, the giant stayed intact and it growled menacingly before its damaged-turbine-for-tail glowed brilliant blue.

"Take cover!" the champion cried and ducked as the monster roared again and several ice-crystals erupted like rain from its body, hitting everything in sight. Scarlet screamed in terror as the shards pierced the ground and walls with a deafening screech. In a minute, the onslaught stopped and the trio opened their eyes to see the entire arena coated in ice from top to bottom.

"Woah..." Jillian gasped and shivered at the cold air.

"Powerful. Isn't he?"

BAM!

Jillian fell down flat as Ghetsis' Drapion slammed a hand into her side. Before Scarlet could react, the green-haired man grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him up roughly.

"And that's why I need to sacrifice you to him to gain his absolute control."

"No!" Scarlet screamed again, thoroughly scared for his life. "I don't wanna die!"

"Let him go, geezer!" the champion barked and made a step towards them. Unfortunately, several more grunts appeared from above and engaged his pokemon in battle while some others began to attack the monster-pokemon.

"I may have lost the sword but I can still make him swallow you whole!" Ghetsis stated wickedly and began walking towards the rampaging dragon-pokemon. At the sight of Scarlet coming, the pokemon froze for a second before bulldozing the tiny grunts and pokemon in its way, towards Ghetsis.

"NO! GO AWAY!" Scarlet cried hysterically. "I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

The dragon opened its mouth and increased in speed towards them making Scarlet scream and wail. At the last minute, he shut his eyes and a heavy SNAP rang throughout the arena.

"It's okay, Scarlet. You're safe now."

The redhead opened his green eyes slowly before looking around his surroundings. To his relief, he was safe and Ghetsis lay sprawled on the floor a little way beside him. Then he faced forward...and his pupils shrank again and brimmed with tears.

"P-professor...?"

Jillian's entire shoulder bled profusely as the monster sharply withdrew its large fangs from her flesh. In an instant, it began to scream and writhe as her blood seeped down its throat.

"You! What did you just do?!" Ghetsis roared, getting up from the icy floor.

Jillian fell to her knees and threw a bloody smirk at the fuming man. "If it's Scarlet's soul that pokemon wants then it should be sorely disappointed when it tastes mine. I had a feeling your plan might be ruined if the last required soul happened to be incorrect."

"You idiot! After all the years I sacrificed and hard-work I put in!" he cried, shakily getting to his feet. "Who knows when this opportunity will ever show itself!"

"That's a good thing," Jillian shot back. "It just means no one else will have to die to bring back that abomination!"

Ghetsis fumed. "This will be the last mistake you will ever make!" And as he said that, Drapion clanked its pincers together and loomed in for the kill.

However, a giant icicle slammed into the pokemon and sent it flying into another wall. Just as they turned in the direction of the icicle, Dragonite fell to the ground, fainted and bruised and Jillian gasped as the monster began to launch icicles left and right in its dying frenzy.

"He's gonna burn out at some point," Jillian remarked and faced Scarlet. "Scarlet, I want you to go with the champion and get outta here."

The redhead looked up. "Huh?"

"I have to put that thing back in the hole before he blows. That way, no one will ever see it again."

"But...professor..." he blurted but stopped as she took hold of the sides of his face.

"Mommy," she stated and smiled. "That's what I was to Jade and that's what I am to you. Just as you're a son to me, Ginger."

"But..."

"Scarlet, I'm sorry I can't give you the family you always wanted and it's pretty much my fault that we're in this mess. That's why I want you to live on. Someday, you'll make lots of friends and find someone who loves you as much as I do and I'm sure you'll be happier then than now. So please, go."

"But-!"

The monster gave one pained screech and sent another barrage of icicles as its legs began to freeze over completely. Thinking fast, Jillian enveloped the boy in a hug and screamed as she took a large shard to the back.

"Hey, Champion (-)!" she cried out. "Take him and leave now!"

The brunette kicked off a grunt and looked at her. "Don't be silly! I just can't-"

"This isn't over (-)!" Ghetsis cried suddenly as a copter descended from the sky. "I'll revive him again and again if I have to!"

"Get back here, Ghetsis!" he snapped, ready to chase after him. He hesitated though as his mind wandered to the boy and woman behind him. Running up to them, he pulled Scarlet off Jillian and his Darmanitan snapped the chains off his wrists.

"NO! JILLIAN!" Scarlet cried, reaching out to her. Said woman staggered to her feet and pulled out a pokeball before returning her Dragonite to it and tossing the orb at the brunette.

"Go," she mouthed and pulled out the icicle in her back before taking out a remote and detonating the hidden charges she had set up around the dome (most likely done when she had visited the site previously). The ground rocked and Ghetsis stumbled a little way before the copter.

"NOOO!" he screamed as the area around the trashing monster collapsed and it stumbled into the deep hole. Jillian fell to one knee and smiled back at Scarlet as the pokemon champion dragged him back.

"I love you," she mouthed to him and fell as Cain's Deoxys reappeared from nowhere and sent a tentacle through her heart.

"MOMMY!" Scarlet cried, feeling his heart practically die. "Let me go! I want mommy!"

"Hey! Hold still, will ya?!" the boy replied, doing his best to carry Scarlet away. Both failed to notice the monster's claw holding on to the edge of the hole. Both failed to notice the large oddly-coloured ice shards it sent right through Cain and Deoxys, killing them instantly. Both also failed to notice that they were still coming right for them.

"LEMME GO! I-"

SHLUK!

Scarlet's head arched back as the shard lodged itself right into his face, cutting deep into the bridge of his nose and the skin below his eyes. As if that wasn't enough, another one sank deeply into the entire right of his face, tearing into his eye. If Scarlet was traumatised before, he was definitely scarred now.

That night, an animalistic roar of pain reverberated through the air as blood sprayed from the gory injury.
Thinking quickly, the brunette quickly pulled out the lethal shards and tore off his cloak's sleeve before wrapping it tightly around the right of the boy's bloodied face.

"Hey kid!" he called, seeing Scarlet's eye begin to droop. "Don't die kid! Didn't your mom tell you to live!"

No response.

"C'mon Scarlet! A man shouldn't let this get to 'im!" he said desperately as he put a hand to his chest before letting out a sigh of relief at the beating inside. "I've gotta get you to a hospital!"

A slab of rock fell before them and the boy picked Scarlet up before whistling to his pokemon and running out quickly. In minutes, they came to the big door and Serperior arched an eyebrow as it began to slide down quickly. Thinking fast, the champion tossed Scarlet through the opening before calling out his Darmanitan who slipped under the door quickly and held it long enough for him to peer at the redhead.

"Hey, Ginger!" he called out and passed a pokedex under the door and towards his hand.

"What's...this...for?" he asked, grasping the device weakly and sitting up slowly. "Aren't...you...coming?"

"Something you may need in future. You look like a smart guy so I'll leave it in your care!" He took out two pokeballs and rolled them under the door. "Darmy's gonna carry you outside and I think you'll need these pokemon for protection. That Dragonite was set to carry you to the nearest Pokemon Center."

"But...what about this one?" Scarlet asked, eyeing the other ball.

"I caught that guy in Kanto but he didn't like me so much. Take care of him!"

"But, what about you?"

The brunette smiled and blood rolled down his mouth. "I kinda got a six-inch icicle in my spine so I mightn't last very long. Besides, I've still gotta bring that psycho behind bars. Later!"

"But-!" Another wave of pain flashed across his face and he grabbed the cloth in agony. Darmanitan let go of the door and let it slam down shut before scooping up Scarlet and taking him through a passageway and out into the snow-covered landscape. Taking the pokeball from Scarlet, it called out Dragonite and gave it some instructions to which it nodded and placed Scarlet on its back.

"Wait...mommy...Jade...!" he slurred, vision dimming as the Darmanitan went back into the crumbling building. With a mighty flap of its wings, Dragonite lifted off and flew into the cold night sky. Minutes later, a deafening explosion lit the air and Scarlet passed out.

Where am I...? Why's it so cold...? What happened...? How'd I get here...? Oh yeah...Jade died...Mommy too...they were killed by...by...I don't remember...why can't I remember...? And why do I feel so empty...? So...so...empty...But I remember one thing...Mommy told me to live...I've gotta live...I've gotta fill this hole...I've...gotta...find...that...monster...and kill it...

A short, slim boy with a mop of steely-grey hair poking out from under his winter cap skied across the snow and laughed as the dark-haired woman behind him huffed and puffed in an attempt to keep up.

"Too slow, Luca! Too, too slow!"

His Arcanine yipped and pranced about ahead before stopping and barking suddenly. Puzzled, the boy raced after it and froze at the sight of the seven year old redhead lying face-up in the snow. Any ordinary child would've gagged or screamed at the horrendous wound on the pale face of the dead-looking child but this boy squealed in delight and pulled Luca towards the boy.

"Can I keep him? Pretty please?!" he asked excitedly and the woman rolled her eyes.

"I guess. If he's alive anyway. Wonder how he got here anyway..."

The boy eyed the pokeball in the pale, frost-bitten hand and he smiled widely.

"I've got a feeling that he'd make a great addition to my crew!"

Author's Corner.

Slybill: That was the longest chapter I've ever written and sorry if you got a little confused during Scarlet's flashback. But at least now we know what happened and how Scarly got his scar.

Scarlet: Be grateful, punks. I'd never show this to just anyone.

White: Also also! The next volume's gonna be the last one too!

Violet: Hey! Don't spoil it!

White: Sorry...guess what pokemon the champion gave Scarly?

Draco: I think that's pretty obvious. It's also obvious who that champion was...

Slybill: Okay! So this volume ends and the next one begins! The cast and I are having a bit of a round trip so I may go on vacation for a little while. But never fear! There's gotta be internet somewhere in Dubai!

Everyone: PEACE OUT GUYS!

END OF VOLUME TWO: CUMULONIMBUS & THE VIRGA OF MEMORIES!

By Slybill. (Thanks for staying up till now ;)