Author's Corner.

Slybill: Guess who got killed by the Zekromshippers last week.

Awesome: And you're alive because...?

Black: He was too whiny when he went to hell and he was too giggly when he went to heaven so they sent him to S-block. In the end he faced his fears and accepted his true self! The true Slybill who loves writing gory and plot-twisty stories for the sake of screwing with the readers minds!

Polar Dawn: Okay...Make Up is ready everyone!

PikaMewGirl: Places, you crazy kids! Let's get this show on the road!

Alpha-bread: By the way *check's clipboard* WHAT'S A DEAD PERSON DOING HERE?!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON! ELSE THERE WOULD BE SOME SERIOUS PLOT TWISTS IN THE ANIME BY NOW!

Hall of Aqua, Castrum De Glacies.

Aqua drew a slow, very ragged breath before pointing at Lucario again. "Hydro Cannon!"

Worried but still complying anyway, Kingdra summoned a pulsating ball of water before launching it at Cynthia's Lucario who, without the need for orders, jumped out of the way and charged an Aura Sphere. Kingdra let itself out of the water and flew towards Lucario with another Hydro Cannon forming at its muzzle before letting off a close range shot that collided with Lucario's attack and sent them both flying in opposite directions from the force of the watery explosion. Landing beside Cynthia, the Aura Pokemon wiped the small trace of blood off its chin as its blonde master once again observed their opponents.

"What's the matter? Possible backlash from over-syncing with your pokemon?" she asked, earning a haughty, but slightly raspy, sneer from Aqua.

"Don't make me laugh. You should be more focused on the beating you're receiving," she jeered and narrowed her eyes before adding in a low tone, "Though I'd better finish this quick or Ghetsis'll be real mad..."

With that, Kingdra's halo increased in intensity and it levitated again before summoning a ring of fire, lightning and ice above its head. A Tri-attack.

"Charge forward, get close enough and see if you can find an opening," Cynthia instructed. Nodding, Lucario closed its eyes before casting off a light aura wave necessary for detecting changes in its environment. Suddenly, it dashed forward, leapt off the floating pad, spun in the air before firing an Aura Sphere and a Focus Blast in succession. Kingdra also let off its attacks, two of which collided with its opponent's moves and resulted in another smoky explosion. However, the Aura Pokemon burst through the smoke with a solid bone-shaped bar of Aura and landed before Kingdra. Roaring it engaged in a quick round of close-quarters Bone Rush, swinging at Kingdra with all its might. The latter dodged most of the attacks but took a solid hit to the gut and another hit to the side, breaking its concentration long enough for Lucario to slam a palm on its chest and let loose a bright Force Palm at Cynthia's command, knocking Kingdra through several floating pads. The dragon pokemon's body skipped across the water five times before landing into a wall.

"Focus Blast!" Cynthia ordered once more and Lucario formed one more red ball before launching it at the weakened Kingdra. However, Aqua saved it from fainting with a quick rip of the space between them, absorbing the finishing attack although blood suddenly spurted from her mouth. Kingdra rushed over to her as she coughed before quickly catching her when her legs buckled.

"I'm alright," she dragged, eyes going redder at Cynthia's somewhat pitiful smile. "What's so funny, hag?"

"I was just thinking about how sickly you had been as a little girl," the blonde replied calmly, making Aqua grow angrier.

"Just what the heck are you talking about, grannie?! Every time it's always 'you did this' or 'you always did that' or some other piece of melancholic bull! I'm not human! I was born to serve Ghetsis and see to it that your foolish race is put down!"

Cynthia stared at her for a minute. Then she tilted her head back and laughed. "Poor Clarissa, you never got past your temper tantrums did you? Grandfather always remarked how much of a handful you'd be whenever you got mad."

"Kingdra, Earthquake!" Aqua screeched. The pokemon hesitated. "What're you waiting for, dammit! Beat those pathetic idiots!"

Sighing, Kingdra raised a glowing tail and sent it into the ground again, kick-starting another horrible tremor that forced Lucario to jump again. However, a Zap Cannon was ready for it and Cynthia had to admit that the circumstances were getting slightly dangerous for her team. With all the taunts and outwards confidence, she knew that they were in a very tight spot. Hell, Aqua was forcing her up the wall now that she was absorbing most of Lucario's long-range attacks. And with that Kingdra's intimidating power and move-pool, Lucario was slightly out-gunned. Not to mention Aqua's suddenly-heightened battle sense.

"Extremespeed!" both women called and the two pokemon gathered light around themselves before disappearing in fast blurs that tore across the air, making loud hits every two seconds from their repeated collisions until Aqua suddenly grinned and called for a a Flare Blitz just as they made another impact. Eyes widening, Cynthia watched as Kingdra suddenly burst into flames and engulfed Lucario who yelped in agony as the fire razed its steely hide.

"Giga Impact!" Aqua yelled, eyes going even redder. Still engulfed in flames, Kingdra slammed its target so hard into the watery floor that the bottom developed a massive crack and began to drain the water slowly away. Not even bothering to care, Aqua called move after move after move until Lucario was left barely able to stand from the merciless hits.

"Are you okay?" Cynthia asked, normally-calm voice edged with concern. Slowly, Lucario rose again and opened its eyes before nodding and putting a hand to its chest.

"I've found the problem," it whispered telepathically. "Now I can defeat the Kingdra and not worry about its master's interference."

"I see," the blonde said and listened thoughtfully to its observations before smiling a little. "Oh dear, so it comes to that eh?"

"Just what are you talking about?" Aqua asked intrusively as Kingdra primed itself for another attack. "Whatever it is, I know it won't work-"

"Clarissa, have you looked seen your reflection at all?" Cynthia cut-in, making her pause and stare at herself at the draining pool. Shock slowly etched itself into her expression at her near-ghostly features. Pale skin, whitening hair and pinkish eyes that looked ready to bleed anytime soon.

"Eh? H-how did this...?"

"Ghetsis fitted you with Black's blood, didn't he? Probably so you can emulate that special power he and White possess, no?" Cynthia asked and received a glare from the knight. "Bingo, eh?"

"Shut it! I'm just stretching my powers a little!"

"And receiving the aftershocks as a result," the blonde shot back. "Alphinia told me of your history, 'Aqua Mareen'. Apparently, you were the first real dragon knight. Ghetsis was quite enthusiastic on testing your limits so he pumped you chock-full of odd powers. You can regenerate, kill pokemon via somewhat polarised sound waves from your throat, bend space, release a pokemon's limiters and also control your sanity for the most part, unlike your kin. Overkill, that's what I call it."

"You bitch! A-are you trying to call me a-"

" Pro-to-type."

Aqua froze. Slowly, her fangs ground together and an audible, inhuman snarl escaped her lips. It was true, Ghetsis had used her more as a subject for experiments and it was thanks to her that he could fine-tune the processes necessary in dehumanizing the other chosen subjects.

"Why..." she growled, expression contorting. "Why do you know so much about me?"

Cynthia smiled wryly. "Most of what I said was a guess. One you've graciously affirmed. However, like all prototypes, you bore the brunt of his mistakes hence your rather terrible rebound. I see now why you don't fight much often."

Aqua's fist clenched and she opened her mouth to call an attack. A second later, blood spewed down her parted lips again and she found herself once again on the floor.

"I'm very sure all that space-bending took a chunk out of your strength," Cynthia remarked. "You should stop. Even Kingdra's worried about you."

"Why should you care?!" Aqua roared and Kingdra summoned another Tri Attack. "It's not like my problems are your business!"

"It is my business," Cynthia replied coolly. "Humans are supposed to care about each other, aren't they? You said so yourself back when you were younger, Clarissa."

Aqua froze as very briefly, a short memory broke into her skull.

"What is this..." she whispered and grabbed her pounding head. "What kinda trick is this, human?!"

"No tricks," Cynthia answered and nodded to her Lucario who cast a Heal Pulse on itself, healing its injuries. "I simply prodded your chained humanity."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Aqua cried. On cue, Kingdra launched its attacks.

"Extremespeed," the blonde called and Lucario darted headlong into the attack. Deftly, it dodged each wave of fire, lightning and ice before jumping up as Kingdra summoned another earthquake. Without missing a beat, it summoned its signature bone-shaped aura bar and beat off the Stone Edge Kingdra resorted to firing before launching an Aura Sphere to dissipate its opponent's Focus Blast.

"What the hell?" Aqua stuttered as Lucario bulldozed each attack. "Why's it suddenly stronger?!"

"Because you got considerably weaker," Cynthia answered right as Lucario landed before Kingdra and drew back its fist. "Close Combat!"

With that, Kingdra was subjected to a flurry of punches and kicks that literally knocked the stuffing out of it in the form of aura spewing through its tube-like muzzle with each hit. For some reason, Aqua noticed that Kingdra's halo and wings decreased drastically with each hit and Lucario's palms glowed brighter and brighter in turn. Then she finally understood when she caught Cynthia smirking again. For Lucario was actually Drain Punching Kingdra and drawing its aura away from the dragon and into itself, thus powering the Aura Pokemon's attacks.

And that spelled bad news for Aqua as it meant whatever power she was pouring into Kingdra was virtually wasting away rapidly, draining her further. By the time Lucario was done, Kingdra looked just about deflated and Aqua cursed as it fainted on the spot.

"You lose, Clarissa," Cynthia stated, watching as Aqua struggled to even straighten up. "I suggest you stand down now."

"Ha! Never!" the pale brunette screeched, expression maddening at the thought of losing. "I'll simply order for your pokemon to die and that's that!"

Raising her head, she locked her glowering eyes with Lucario's and parted her bloodstained lips.

"Die!" she cried.

...Lucario stared at her unflinchingly. Two seconds, five seconds, thirty seconds.

"Eh?" Aqua murmured. "I said Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die, you stupid pokemon!"

Lucario still stood there, not even showing signs of pain or distress.

"W-why?" she stammered as Cynthia began walking towards her. "Why won't it die?!"

"Earmuffs," Cynthia replied coolly as Lucario gestured to the buds in its large ears. "Simplest trick in the world, really."

"But-"

"I only shouted orders for the sake of deceiving you...and it was fun. If Lucario needs orders, it simply needs to read my mind," the champion explained further and stopped a few meters away from the sickly-looking brunette. "You're at your limit, Clarissa."

"...Screw you."

"You should stop while you still can."

"No!"

"Please, Clarissa!"

Aqua stopped upon hearing the pleading edge in Cynthia's tone. Looking into her grey eyes, the brunette could've sworn she saw pity and a pure will to help her. It reminded her of someone...

"You'll just end up dying at this rate," Cynthia continued and stretched a hand. "You can stop trying to prove how strong you are now...You're powerful enough as it is."

Those words...why are they so familiar...? Aqua thought to herself as she stared at the hand. Faintly, another memory brushed against her train of thought and her eyes widened upon hazily recognizing the blonde champion before her.

"...S...is...ter...?" she murmured unconsciously and slapped a hand over her mouth in surprise.

"So you finally remembered," Cynthia said, a small smile of relief etching into her features.

It was rather surprising but yes, Aqua was Cynthia's younger sister. A talkative girl who, despite her poor health, was always out and about around Celestic Town in Sinnoh where they resided with their grandmother, the then Clarissa Goodshow was known and loved by its residence for her kind nature and boisterous attitude. Cynthia tended to be more reserved (slightly) and laid-back compared to her sister, leading most to believe they weren't even related due to their contrasting behaviors and appearances.

Unfortunately, Clarissa's illness steadily worsened over the years and though she went on and on about travelling with her sister to go on a journey together, she knew she wasn't strong enough for the task and instead, bade Cynthia good luck when the time came for the blonde to leave on her training journey. Emotionally, it hurt them both to part though more of the hurt fell on Cynthia as she worried for her sister's frailty. Smiling like she usually did though, Clarissa told her not to worry, that she was strong enough and could somehow be of use to the world even in the state she was. More so that their famous grandfather, Charles, had established contact with a scientist who claimed to have worked on a cure.

Eventually, Cynthia did leave on the promise that when she came back after becoming champion, she'd whisk Clarissa (who by then would've received this cure and gotten stronger) away and show her the world.

Cynthia started her journey at 14. She became champion at 17. When she came back for Clarissa, she was told by their grandmother that the girl had died from complications that arose after receiving her so-called cure. Her grandfather made no comment whatsoever and the distraught champion had to bear with the loss and move on. Since then, she had always adopted a "Smile-Mentality", dubbed by her late sister and explaining why she always smiled in bad situations.

But as time went on, Cynthia never fully believed Clarissa to be dead. The circumstances were too vague to satisfy a smart girl like her and she knew that one day, if she snooped around hard enough, she would get some answers.

"And now I've found them," Cynthia finished and crouched before her wide-eyed sister. "That scientist was Ghetsis Harmonia. He promised grand-dad that you'd be cured. Then he took you and never returned you to us again. Horrified at himself for his blunder, grand-dad covered it up with your supposed death and he was forced to partner with Ghetsis since that bastard used you as a bargaining chip."

Aqua stared at Cynthia before feeling her memories choke up again. Visions, she was seeing visions. Needles, surgical equipment, blood, a smile and a promise to be useful to the world. Then blackness.

"W-What...is all this...?" she stammered again, gripping her banging head. "All I ever knew...was a lie...?"

"Well, your life as Ghetsis's Dragon Knight probably was. Now you know that you were once human at least."

Aqua's expression hooded and she suddenly began to giggle, making Lucario tense up and causing Cynthia to raise a brow.

"I see now..." the brunette chuckled in a raspy tone. "So I was human before...but if I look at it this way, I'm more useful now than I ever was!"

Suddenly, Lucario pulled Cynthia back as the floor underneath her transformed into a large pool of empty space.

"Clarissa!"

"It's Aqua, bitch!" Aqua cried and staggered to her feet before spewing blood from her lips again. "I don't care if I was human before! I prefer the way I am now! I can walk, run and fight without having to worry about straining myself!"

"But you're limited by your powers!" Cynthia shot back and scowled. "You're just the same as you were before! Hell, I'd say you're worse off!"

"Oh, so I'm weak, is that what you're trying to say?!" the brunette retorted before tearing her collar buttons and taking hold of the glowing pearl on her chest. "I'll show you who's weak! I'm gonna summon Palkia! What do you have to say to that, huh?!"

Cynthia's fist clenched. "You're better than this, Clarissa. Is it that inferiority complex of yours that's manifesting into this mad monster?"

"Yes! 10 points goes to the old blonde who finally understood my problems!" Aqua laughed maniacally and let her hands dangle at her sides. "I was useless back then. I couldn't do much. Couldn't play anyhow I wanted, couldn't attend contests, I couldn't even travel with pokemon! But then Ghetsis gave me this new heart of mine! He gave me a life! He promised me he would make me useful and I won't disappoint him!"

Silence.

Silence.

"Even after unlocking your memories, your humanity still wishes to serve Ghetsis...?" Cynthia asked downheartedly.

"20 points! Wow, you're on a roll, though I'd say you're half-right," Aqua jeered before adding scornfully, "Sis."

Slowly, Cynthia's lips curved up into a sad smile and Aqua froze at the grey eyes she was staring into. They were different this time. Sad, regretful.

"Those eyes...whose are they?"

Aqua paused upon hearing that familiar sentence.

"You always said that whenever I was sad," Cynthia continued. "I used to wish I had blue eyes like you. I always thought mine were an ugly grey but you once called them the eyes of a goddess. You always knew the right words to say to make me smile...for real. And now that I've finally found you after all this time, now that it looked like I could finally smile for real again...it turned out that I was too late..."

The brunette lowered her head before holding the pearl on her chest again. "This is the path I took. And I'll see to it that I reach the end of it."

"Even if you die?" Cynthia asked and saw Aqua flinch. However, the brunette smiled. Not a crazy one but a truly pitiful one.

"I love Ghetsis. And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I failed him," she murmured before giving the pearl a slow twist. "However, the human in me wants you to finish us. My body's already taken enough damage now. Even if I call out Palkia, I doubt I'll be able to keep it out for long."

Suddenly, the space behind her exploded and tore open, causing wind and energy to whip around the hall, nearly blowing Cynthia and Lucario off their feet. Aqua was screaming now as her eyes went violently pink and her hair turned white, giving her a crazed appearance. Behind her, two red eyes emerged through the portal and Lucario tensed up as Palkia's jaws tore open and let loose a ferocious bellow.

"It's over for you," Aqua murmured as the deity's hands grabbed the sides of the portal and slowly started to drag its bulk through. As it did so, the room began to bend and twist as if trying to accommodate its sheer size and power. "So please, just surrender already…"

Surprisingly unfazed by the heart-stopping sight ahead, Cynthia recalled Lucario and began to walk towards Aqua.

"Hey, stay where you are!" Aqua barked before clutching her chest and spewing blood again. Her vision was growing worse and her seventh sense was dulling drastically. Even so, she had to keep Palkia out, at least to scare Cynthia into standing down. From the way the blonde was walking forward though, her plan wasn't working.

Slowly, Cynthia parted her lips and Aqua froze as at the song wafting through the air.

It was one that triggered the last of her hazy memories and reminded her of how she herself would try and encourage the socially awkward blonde to sing when they were far younger.

"No way…" she caught herself murmuring as a tear involuntarily fell from her right eye.

Cynthia continued to sing, not minding the gradually increasing density of the air (so heavy that the breath was virtually getting sucked from her lungs). She kept up her tempo, rising and bringing down her tones in a way that would shame even Aqua herself.

"Stop…" Aqua mumbled and grabbed her head again as her senses went haywire. "Stop it!"

Palkia, who was nearly-halfway through by now, raised a claw and sent a blast of energy at the ground beside Cynthia, tearing it up completely. Still unfazed, the woman continued walking towards Aqua, increasing the volume and thus driving the knight crazier and crazier with each note.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Aqua cried and this time, Palkia compressed the very air around the brunette into massive daggers of wind before raining them down on the blonde. Some deliberately missed due to Aqua's low but present attempt at restraint but Cynthia winced as a dagger sliced past her cheek. But she didn't stop. She kept singing.

Even when a fat ball of air slammed hard against her middle, knocking the air out of her.

Even when the ensuing hurricane nearly blew her off her feet.

Even when Palkia let loose a blast of energy that nearly burned her skin off her bones.

She didn't stop until she was standing right before the screaming Aqua who, in her sudden burst of madness, sank a fist into Cynthia's side with enough force to crack two of her ribs. The blow would've been far worse but as Cynthia surprised the brunette by wrapping her arms around her, Aqua now knew that the sisterly love she thought Ghetsis had killed still lingered and had bored deep into her frozen heart.

"I once scoffed at you for trying to teach me how to sing," Cynthia murmured into her ear and smiled as blood rolled down her chin. "Never in a million years did I think I'd be forced to do that now. I guess you won that bet after all…"

Slowly, a bloody tear ran down Aqua's cheek as all the memories washed through her mind like a whirlpool.

"So…I finally got you to sing…" the brunette murmured unconsciously and felt the regret scratching at her heart for hurting her sister.

"You'll always be of importance to me, Clarissa," the blonde whispered and held her tightly. "No matter what form you assume."

And as the sudden happiness flooded the brunette, her hold on Palkia shattered as her Kyurem-corrupted heart developed a massive, audible crack. Cynthia quickly pulled the brunette out of the way as the berserk Spatial Pokemon took a heavy snap at them before calling out her Garchomp.

"It's time we ended this," the blonde stated, laying her severely weakened sister gently on the ground. Straightening up, her signature smile stretched across her face as she gave the escaping titan a determined glare. "It's been a while, Palk! I don't suppose you're trying to get out of your spatial realm again, are you?"

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" was all the Spatial Pokemon replied savagely before starting to pull the rest of its massive bulk through the portal.

Garchomp smirked as Cynthia looked upwards and smiled.

"Just a few more seconds…alright then." Facing Palkia, she gave her commands. "Garchomp, Dragon Rush."

Garchomp smirked…and disappeared from sight.

Palkia froze and let its red eyes roam the hall wildly. Slowly, the wind around the area began to whip and twirl, making the legendary pokemon grow much fiercer in its attempt at getting through the portal, going so far as the crack the very sides of the portal itself. However, it was too late for it now.

The wall beside it cratered.

The pillars around it were sliced in half.

And just at that moment, Palkia looked up to see a glowing claw right before its eyes. Even if it was a titan of space, it knew that at the speed that claw was going, it would sport a noticeable black eye for a good number of centuries.

Garchomp made sure of that and Palkia screamed as a pain akin to fire spread across its eyes. Now temporarily blind, it couldn't see its target and sent haphazard Dragon Pulses everywhere, hoping to catch the annoying landshark in its tracks. They missed horribly and Palkia was rewarded generously with a painful round of Dragon Rushes on its head, neck and back. As if that wasn't enough, an Aura Sphere exploded across its side, followed by three more Aura Spheres.

"Keep up the good work, Lucario and Togekiss!" Cynthia ordered before smirking as Palkia finally opened its jaws wide.

"YOU BLOODY WENCH! CAN I NOT HAVE MY WAY WITH THIS WORLD!"

"Foul as ever, I suppose," Cynthia sweatdropped. "You're outnumbered, Palkia. I suggest you return to your dimension."

"HA! NEVER! I FINALLY HAVE THE WORLD IN MY GRASP AND I CAN BEND IT TO MY HEART'S CONTENT!" Palkia bellowed before pulling itself again. "AND I SWEAR WHEN I'M OUT OF HERE, I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU-"

BOOM!

Milotic huffed haughtily before charging another Hyper Beam. I suggest you mind your language, Mr so-called titan.

"BITCH! HOW DARE YOU-!"

BOOM!

Palkia swore hotly at Roserade blowing the tips of her smoking petals where that annoyingly-effective Solarbeam had come from.

If anyone's calling tha overgrown Arbok a bitch, it's me, Palkie, she remarked, earning a hiss from Milotic.

That was when Palkia now noticed that it was surrounded on either side by Cynthia's formidable team.

"SO THAT WAS YOUR PLAN…" the dragon growled. "YOU MERELY TOYED WITH AQUA WHILE GAINING TIME TO SPREAD YOUR POKEMON OUT AND SURROUND ME!"

"On the contrary, I took my battle with her quite seriously," Cynthia replied. "Who wouldn't want to see how much their baby sisters had grown as trainers. But that's neither here nor there in this matter, is it?"

"OH, JUST WAIT UNTIL I'M OUT OF HERE-"

"I can't do that. I'm in a bit of a hurry." The blonde looked up again. "You know, Aqua might have lost some of her personality due to Ghetsis's experiments…but she always was an obedient girl."

"THE HECK ARE YOU ON ABOUT, TRASH?!"

Cynthia faced Palkia, tilted her head, smiled and pointed up. Palkia followed the direction and felt its eyes swell with shock. Remember that Draco Meteor Garchomp had sent into the air a good while back? Well, that floating rock was now the size of half the entire ceiling and considering how vast such a room was to accommodate Palkia, one can imagine just how BIG such a meteor was.

"I had Garchomp send it there and let it charge up. A new technique I had been working on just for you. And it was very kind of you and Aqua to actually ignore it."

"I-I'LL SIMPLY ABSORB IT WITH MY POWERS!" Palkia cried and was met with six Aura Spheres to the face.

You lack concentration, Lucario stated firmly.

And without concentration, let's see how you can conjure up a void big enough to accommodate THAT while getting out of your portal, Houdini, Togekiss sang.

Suddenly, Garchomp raised its arms and the meteor assumed a brilliant glow, indicating that it was high time Palkia left.

"DAMMIT! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED AGAIN!" Palkia cried, conjuring its most powerful move, Spatial Rend. "I'LL RIP THE VERY WORLD IN TWO BEFORE THAT HAPPENS!"

"Too late," Cynthia chirped, putting on earmuffs as the meteor came crashing down on Palkia with an explosion loud enough to shatter all the windows in the castle and then some.

"NOOOOO! CURSE YOU, CHAMPION CYNTHIA!" Palkia cried, tumbling back in to its realm as its grip on the portal loosened. At the same time, the dimensional rip closed and the air around the hall trembled from the exploding Draco Meteor on the other side, indicating that Palkia wouldn't be causing any trouble for a long time.

Dropping the confident smirk, Cynthia rushed back to Aqua's side and lifted the brunette's head, noting her shallow breathing and completely white hair.

"Heh...I...look like a mess...don't I..." she laughed weakly.

"Don't speak. You'll only hurt yourself more," Cynthia said softly. "More so that it was you who closed the portal after Palkia got forced back in."

"...I guess the human in me wanted to...do some last minute good stuff," Aqua replied and smiled as more blood rolled down her hazy pink eyes. "Great...now I'm gonna die...and after all that stuff I said...about wanting to be of use too..."

"But you're important to me," Cynthia encouraged. "And though I would've gladly told you off for saying you're going to die..."

"You know as well as I...that my body's taken too much...damage..."

"But if I can rush you to a hospital-"

"Don't be stupid..." Aqua cut-in and took a few deep breaths. "I doubt I'll make it...before we get there..."

Cynthia gazed sadly at her sister as she hacked up another mouthful of blood.

"Clarissa..."

Stiffly, the brunette raised a bloodstained hand and let it rest on Cynthia's cheek. "For once...I don't feel like ripping...you apart. It's almost like...the Kyurem crystal within me...is dying as well...Hey, Cynthia...I remember it all...the pain...the regret...the sadness...and the happiness. The ups and downs...of being your sickly baby sister..."

"Clarissa, please..."

"You know...even though I lost...I'm sorta happy I failed Ghetsis..." the brunette sighed. "I guess I'm also happy...that I was of use...at least to you..."

"That's it, I'm getting you out of here," Cynthia stated as more blood dyed her shirt red. The woman easily scooped up Aqua who laughed weakly.

"You've gotten so strong...sis."

"Stop talking," the blonde half-ordered, half-pleaded, feeling her sister's body go ice-cold. "If you can talk so much then I'm sure you've still got enough life left in you to survive a trip to the hospital."

"Ha...blunt as always..." Aqua chuckled hoarsely. "I know...you know...that I'm done for..."

"But you're a fighter, remember?" Cynthia suddenly barked, more angry at herself for not having a teleporting pokemon at hand. "Whining was never your strong suit so pipe down and focus on surviving!"

"...Wish I could...but it looks like my illness...had never actually disappeared..."

Cynthia stopped walking upon hearing that statement. It was then that she caught the look in Lucario's eyes. It knew a dead person when it saw one and with the way it was giving Aqua that sympathetic stare, Cynthia knew that Aqua was right.

"So you mean, you were never cured?"

Aqua shook her head. "Kyurem's crystal...only paused the process...It never cured it...at all-AHHH!"

"Clarissa!" Cynthia yelled as the brunette clutched her chest and writhed in her arms.

"Shit...I don't wanna die," Aqua hissed and took a deep breath to calm herself. By now, Cynthia had called Togekiss over and was about placing her sister on it when Aqua clutched her jacket. "No...I'm done for now. No use...trying..."

"But-"

"You need to get outta here..." Aqua warned and buried her head in Cynthia's chest to suppress another scream as the fiery pain swept through her deteriorating heart. "Everything...was a big trap..."

"What do you mean?"

"Not sure...Castle...Soul Flayer...Ghetsis...Trap..." Aqua coughed out in between gasps before smiling and reaching for Cynthia's face again. "Dark...so dark..."

"Clarissa!" Cynthia pleaded, grabbing her hand like a lifeline. "Clarissa! Don't-!"

"T-Those eyes..."

Cynthia froze as Aqua opened her pale blue, human eyes and gave a bloody smile.

"Whose...are they...?"

"Mine..." the blonde replied shakily, memories of their childhood welling up in her head and manifesting as brimming tears. "And yours..."

"Save the world...sis...and tell your kid, Aedan...I said hi...Love...you..."

And Aqua's hand gradually felt like heavy lead as all life drained away in one final breath. Gently, Cynthia lowered the hand and placed it over the owner's chest before smiling sadly as her tears splashed against her sister's pale skin.

"Love you too," she replied and kissed her forehead before laying the body down and wiping her face. Garchomp gently put a claw on her shoulder as Lucario crossed itself and bowed to the late Aqua, making her chuckle wryly at how in tune her pokemon were to her masked sadness. Even Kingdra had awoken and, upon seeing its dead mistress, gave a sad cry before turning to the window and hovering away as it was no longer tied to Team Plasma.

After what seemed like an eternity of silent mourning, the castle trembled again and she knew it was time to move on.

"She said there's a trap," Cynthia piped up and turned to the exit. "Let's be extra careful, guys!"

Her pokemon roared in unison and as one, they bounded out of the hall.

And on that night of the Red Moon, a Champion's sister was saved.

Hall of Time, Castrum De Glacies.

Smoke and debris were in excess in the once-magnificent hall. Fainted pokemon were strewn across the floor like battered litter and if one looked closely enough, they could see the cross-eyed Garchomp rocking itself senseless in the corner from sheer fright and anxiety.

In the centre of the hall lay two men, the green-haired one propped against a broken pillar with his head bowed low and the black-haired one struggling to get himself up from beneath the piles of debris atop his back. Both were bloodied beyond the reasonable amount and their shallow breaths were all that echoed through the silent hall.

Before them stood the mighty titan of time, Dialga, and staring wickedly at his injured foes from atop its massive head was Terra with a crooked smile of victory on his tattooed face.

"I win," he stated matter-of-factly and was met with a defiant sneer.

"Don't get so cocky," Cheren growled, finally getting himself out and pushing up his cracked glasses. "But I have to say, that addition of yours deserves some credit. We can't even touch you, let alone give you the beating you deserve."

"I agree," N spoke up and spat out some blood. "It's almost unfair if you ask me."

Terra arched a brow sadistically. "Oh, is that a whine I hear? Making excuses for your humiliating weakness-"

"On the contrary, seeing you with a deity like that pisses me off the more!" Cheren cut-in sharply.

"I can pretty much guess why. Black had Reshiram, I have Zekrom, Ghetsis has Kyurem and you have no legendary pokemon to your name," N remarked mischievously.

"Shut up, Hippie!" Cheren snapped anime-style before pointing his scowl back at Terra. "It just makes me angry when people use underhanded tricks. And angrier when I can't beat those tricks and show them how pointless unfairness really is."

"Bark all you want, you foolish Stoutland. You're a mere weakling with all bark and no bite," Terra scoffed, giving his nails an inspection to emphasize his waning interest in them. "In fact, I'm not sure why Ghetsis chose people like you to be sacrifices. Food for Kyurem must be tough, decisive and-"

"Stoutland, Hyper Beam!"

"Archeops, Rock Slide!"

From below, Terra caught sight of a fast beam of energy heading straight for him and smirked as N's Archeops sent a ball of energy that exploded into a multitude of rocks above he and Dialga.

"Pathetic," he yawned and raised a hand. Instantly, Dialga's markings glowed brilliant blue as a clock-like patter of light appeared above its head. Cheren hissed and N gritted his teeth as their pokemon's attacks stopped in mid-air. "With my time-control ability, I could still your heartbeats if I wanted."

"Giga Impact!" the men cried and their pokemon coated themselves in aura before launching off towards Dialga again. However, their speed gradually slowed as soon as they were within meters of the legendary and with a growl, Dialga batted them away with its large tail. Both pokemon spiralled back before slamming into the walls and dropping stiffly on the ground, unconscious.

"In just one hit," Cheren whispered and his hand instinctively went to Emboar's pokeball. "Dialga's a Dragon and Steel Type. The logical thing to do is have a Fighting-type on hand to stop it in its tracks. Ground-types would do as well but..."

"With its abilities and Emboar's current status, I'd say this legendary is next to unstoppable," N chipped in.

"So do you acknowledge defeat, humans?" Terra jeered.

"Of course not!" they both replied and in no time, Cheren's Zangoose and N's Klinklang were called to the fore.

"Why can't you see that there's no hope of victory for you," the injun sighed.

"Because we've still got a fighting chance! Focus Blast!" N ordered.

"Follow up with Close Combat!" Cheren barked.

Terra immediately raised a hand to stop the pokemon but was surprised to see Kilnklang's ball miss by a long shot. He would've scoffed at its aim had he not noticed the ball heading for the frozen-Hyper Beam beside Dialga.

BOOM!

Dialga stumbled sideways as the explosion engulfed its side and Terra barred his teeth in annoyance before stumbling again as Zangoose's punches and kicks made impact with Dialga's long neck.

"You really are stupid, aren't you!" Cheren remarked with a smirk as Dialga accidentally brushed against a frozen Focus Blast nearby, triggering it and thus inflicting more damage to its side. "You actually think our pokemon's attacks would've been rendered completely useless in mid-air? Don't make me laugh!"

Terra froze and finally looked around himself. Frozen Hydro Pumps, Focus Blasts, Solar Beams and other attacks leftover from the previous battle hung in the air all around he and Dialga.

"We intentionally went reckless and continued with our little blitzkrieg just for the purpose of having our attacks frozen," N explained as Klingklang charged up a Thunderbolt. "You've just driven yourself into a mid-air minefield, friend."

"Accursed humans!" Terra yelled and Dialga opened its mouth to fire a Flash Cannon. The attack was instantly deflected though as Zangoose's foot connected with the Temporal Pokemon's cheek, sending the attack sideways, lighting up a string of frozen attacks and thus setting off an explosion that literally blew the skin off Terra's face and engulfed Dialga's own face in smoke and slight misery.

"Keep this up and we'll have that legendary down in no time," N said to Klingklang.

"Don't give that injun any chance to recover! Get him off while you can, Zangoose!" Cheren called to his pokemon who nodded and began running towards Dialga again.

"Like that will work! Thrash them!" Terra barked and Dialga raised its tail before bringing it down on Zangoose. However, Cheren chose Zangoose for a reason and it was no surprise when the pokemon gained an extra burst of speed, dodged the attack and began running up Dialga's tail.

"Speed boost, nice," N commented as the furry pokemon dodged a round of Flash Cannons before reaching Dialga's back, climbing up its neck, leaping into the air and coming straight for Terra in a Close Combat stance.

"Tch!" the injun hissed and began to dodge each slash. "Like your puny moves can work against my Limited Omniscience!"

BAM!

Terra stopped the pokemon's arms with his and smirked. "I can read you like a book."

Zangoose in turn smiled...and kicked him hard where the sun didn't shine, making Terra's expression and grip crumple. Now free, the pokemon subjected him to a devastating beatdown with kicks to the chest, uppercuts to the chin and finally a roundhouse swing of its foot into the side of his head, nearly sending him over the edge of Dialga's head.

The legendary fared no better as Klinklang put the distraction Zangoose caused to good use and sent long-range attacks left and right, blowing up every attack Terra had previously paused from the first round with Dialga. Each explosion sent Dialga deeper and deeper into a pained frenzy and it was only a matter of time before it lost most of its concentration and therefore temporarily lost hold of its abilities, hence undoing its time lock on the remaining attacks and setting everything off.

Terra swore.

Zangoose jumped.

N and Cheren hid behind Klingklang.

And the entire room was enveloped in light.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OMMMMMM!

...

If the hall could have gotten any more damaged, N was sure the very floors would've collapsed under their feet.

"I think we got him," Cheren sighed and finally sat against Klinklang before coughing up some blood and grabbing the piece of rock lodged into his shoulder. "I hate flying debris."

"That's why I told you to wear some kevlar," N advised, grimacing as Cheren pulled the offending item out and took off his tie to press against the wound.

Zangoose mewled in concern and Cheren patted its head reassuringly. "I won't die from just this, if that's what you're saying."

N slowly gripped his own stiff left arm and pulled out a piece of metal. Shrapnel from Dialga's stray Flash Cannon most likely. It wasn't anywhere near hazardous so he flicked the piece away and straightened up. "You should rest. It's obvious you're not used to this kind of situation."

Cheren laughed a little. "Don't tell me you forgot the Black-White incident. I still haven't forgiven you for nearly running me through with that broadsword."

"I'll admit that seeing my fake dreams almost come to fruition made me go a bit insane," N replied with a sweatdrop before rubbing his jaw. "But then again, you and Black got me good with that double uppercut. But we've got more important things to do. Like getting out of here and helping Scarlet."

"Right," Cheren stated and rose up before recalling his pokemon. N did the same and the young men looked back at the destruction they had caused before turning to the exit.

Then N heard a rumble.

The next scene was rather iconic. Terra shot out of the ground behind them, all bloody muscle and bones with his large hands reaching past them and grabbing their faces completely. His lipless smile was the last thing Cheren saw before experiencing pain like no other as they were flung backwards and into the wall with the force of an angered Throh.

"Dammit!" N cursed, immediately rolling to his feet. Cheren followed suit though he staggered a bit from the pain in his shoulder.

"Impressive! Very impressive!" the skinless monster before them laughed maniacally. "So that was your little plan. Blow us to kingdom-come and hope our souls don't come back to haunt you, eh? Very impressive indeed! However,"

A spark jumped from the injun's chest and his Adamant Orb slowly formed a greyish covering over the knight's body, making him look like he was painted in diamond-hard steel.

"You forgot that I am a Dragon Knight. One of a higher species than you. Smarter, stronger and far more durable!"

"Again with the unfair advantages!" Cheren snapped, taking out a pokeball. Before he could press the button though, the same clock-like pattern appeared above Terra's head. In zero time at all, Cheren was face to face with the metallic knight and was punched in the gut so hard that he could've sworn his organs nearly came out of his throat.

"Cheren!" N cried, seeing the ravenette get flung several meters away. Terra licked the blood on his steely fist before pointing his mad, red eyes at N who had already whipped out a gun. A trigger pull later, he cursed as the shots glanced off Terra's hide before stepping back and dodging a punch that would've shattered his jaw.

"I can see you're more experienced with monsters," Terra remarked as they engaged in close combat that would've put many martial arts fights to shame.

"Let's just say you're not the first Dragon Knight I've faced," the greenette replied, intercepting Terra's punch and flinging him over his shoulder. The knight laughed as he hit the wall before manipulating time again and zooming up to N at breakneck speed.

"So it WAS you!" he cried and sent a punch flying straight for N's chest, the latter blocking stiffly with his hands. "You're the one who killed the fake knights all over the world!"

"That's what made me late to this Kyurem-related nightmare my father cast on Unova for the past three months!" N replied, dodging another punch and kicking at Terra's chest. "However, they weren't nearly as strong as you."

"Charmed." The knight grabbed his leg. "And now, please die."

With that, he hefted N into the air before grabbing his collar and knocking foreheads with him with a loud, metallic "BONK!"

Ever slammed head-first into a street lamp (the author has xD!)? Well replace that with a moving wrecking ball and it wouldn't be surprising to see N's nose stream blood. The young man was sent a good 20 meters away before landing on the floor and grabbing his bleeding head.

"Wow! Absorbing Dialga really gave me the power I needed!" Terra bellowed, laughing into the sky. "I feel like I could even take on Lord Ghetsis if I wanted!"

"Keep dreaming, bastard!"

And Terra turned just in time to duck under Zangoose's Focus Punch.

"Not this time," he growled, grabbing its foot before flinging it easily across the room. Almost as soon as he took his eyes off the sailing pokemon, the butt end of N's gun kissed his big nose, making him stagger back. That was all Cheren needed to sweep his legs from under him and pin to the floor.

"Absorbing pokemon, just how low will you sink yourself to for something as simple as victory?!" he barked angrily and smacked Terra across the face with the gun, cracking his cheek a little.

"If you want to beat us so badly,"

BAM!

"Then,"

BAM!

"Fight fair like a real man!"

BAM!

The gun had dented considerably by now and Cheren panted while glaring at the dented face below.

"Stand down, Terra. As much as I'd love to, I don't really want to kill you. I hate to say this...but you're gonna need saving. And I plan to do that whether you like it or not."

"...Saving?" Terra echoed scornfully. "From what then?"

"Yourself. Believe it or not, you're a human."

The knight's face contorted.

"Don't. You. Ever. Call. Me. That!" he roared, grabbing Cheren's injured shoulder and tossing him off like a bag of sugar. The ravenette parried and cushioned his fall by rolling across the floor before getting up again. This time, Terra was bounding up to him and he dodged a fast slash to the neck, wincing as he felt Terra's cold talons tear across his right cheek.

"You look mad," he jeered and grabbed Terra's arm before twisting it behind his back. "Did I strike a nerve?"

Terra's reply was to use his other arm and elbow Cheren before getting himself free and making a grab for his face again. The young man ducked and Terra's fist collided with the wall. Before he could remove it, Zangoose's Focus Punch was back with a vengeance and it sank into the left side of his face with a wet crunch, crushing his eye completely.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he roared savagely, grabbing the pokemon and smashing it head-first into the wall.

"Zangoose! Hang in there!" Cheren yelled, seeing a trail of blood left behind as the pokemon slunk down the wall, unconscious.

"You said I should fight like a man."

Cheren quickly turned with a fist ready only to have it blocked by Terra's steely palm.

"Yet you hide behind your pokemon and let them do all the fighting. Where's the manliness in that?!" he roared and flipped Cheren onto his injured shoulder again, making the ravenette yell at the sharp surge of pain. Gritting his teeth, Cheren began to get up but Terra was already beside him and a crack reverberated through the air as he sent a brutal kick into Cheren's ribs.

"GAH!" he coughed out, rolling across the floor. His glasses were long gone now and in his blurry vision, he could see Terra's foot coming from the side. By the time it had registered where that foot would land, the kick had connected with his eye and blood flew through the air as he was sent even further down the hall.

"Had enough? I'm just getting started," Terra scoffed, staring down at the gasping man. Cheren was lucky he had such a strong head because that kick would've surely taken his eye otherwise. But that didn't seem to matter as even from his reddening vision, he could see Terra's boot raised high. The boot landed on his weak shoulder and pinned him to the ground, drawing blood and a sharp intake of breath from the ravenette.

"You know, I'm almost regretting trying to help you," he growled stiffly.

Terra raised his talons. "You're a snarker. I hate snarkers."

"Then you must really LOVE people like me!"

And a spinning mask smashed into Terra's head before ricocheting back to its green-haired owner's hands.

"You little-"

"I acknowledge the fact that you're way older than me but we're all adults here so don't call me little, Mr. Human!" N barked, making Terra's eyes go bloodshot again.

"I'm not like you scum!" he cried, dragging his claws against the floor as he rushed towards N. Right before he could cleave N's face in two, the young man dipped his hand in his jacket and produced an item a split-second later that made Terra freeze in his tracks.

A doll.

"W-what...?" the knight stuttered, taking a step back.

"It's a doll. You remember it, right?" N smirked and held it to Terra's face. The doll was a simple one, woven together from bundles of straw and vaguely resembling a Drilbur. It seemed quite old and looking closely at it, Terra could spot the splotches of dried blood on its sides.

Papa!

Terra jumped at the sudden voice in his head. What was that? Where had that come from?

"Rung any bells? Or do I need to do the reminding," N stated, taking some steps forward and smirking as Terra backed up a bit. "This belonged to your daughter. I'm sure you must've gotten a brief glimpse of your human memories upon seeing her most precious treasure."

"M-my...daughter..." the knight murmured and narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about-"

Papa! Look, look! I made this for you!

The knight grabbed his head and stared wide-eyed at his reflection on the shiny floor. "What was that...? What kind of brainwashing is this?!"

"It's not brainwashing. It's simply your memories," N corrected and cast him a pitiful look. "For all of Unova's technological and industrial growth, there are still some places untouched by time or man's annoying sciences. You, Terra Maka, are the last of one of such clans that prospered in such natural abundance. I believe you're of the Maka Tribe, one of the few true Unovans in this country next to the people of the Vale."

Yes, Terra had known he had come from a extinct clan. Ghetsis had told him that once. But...

"No...how does this even relate to the matter at hand!" he barked, trying to attack again but suddenly finding his will drained.

"Well, your clan's prosperity didn't exactly last too long. At some point, more people were migrating to this relatively new region years back. Forests were cleared and lakes were sand-filled to make more room for industrialisation. Your people were slowly being driven away from their precious land. As expected, riots broke out. And that's where you came in."

N pointed a finger lazily at the silent knight whose breathing had quickened considerably.

"Whereas your fellow clansmen violently rejected the change, you were willing to accept it and see how the future of pokemon and people in Unova would look like. Also, you wished to never see a second coming of the great Unovan War."

"The one that occurred over two hundred years ago and wiped out a good fraction of our natives," Terra unconsciously blurted.

"See? You do remember a good fraction of your past life," N pointed out and was met with a snarl.

"I don't see how that will help you!" the injun exclaimed, stepping forward again to attack.

"You were framed."

Terra paused as N toyed with the doll.

"You sought peace and approached the government with an aim to somehow convince them that your people merely felt threatened by their savage machinery and ungodly deforestation. As an influential young man of your race, they listened to you and resolved to aid your people as a means of easing their hostility. However, on that very night after you had left, there was a bomb attack on the Unovan Council building. Several members were killed and it was thought that you had only visited as a spy or the perpetrator of that horrendous attack. The Council retaliated and deemed your clan a danger to Unova's overall growth."

N opened his eyes a tiny crack and smiled wryly. "Human wickedness knows no bounds. I'm sure this doll must reinforce that fact in your mind."

Like a flood, memories began to bloom in Terra's head. Fire, gunshots, screams, blood-thirsty pokemon and blood everywhere. And foreign soldiers, pillaging the village, wrecking their peace and rending their natural haven asunder.

Papa! Help!

"You were married then. You already had a young daughter and your wife was expecting another child. I think the girl's name was...Jura?"

"Asura..." the knight echoed and felt his legs buckle at the last wave of memories. His crying daughter. His dying wife. An explosion. And his life as a human ended.

N held up the doll again. "Now that you're fully aware of how human you really are, what will you do now."

Slowly, a laugh echoed through the hall and Terra raised his head to glare madly at N. "I see now. All this time I've had this thirst for something unknown. I couldn't place my finger on it but ever since I awoke as a Dragon Knight, I knew I had something to do. And Ghetsis approached me, saying he would give me the power to fulfil it. Now I know what I must really do."

The knight raised his talons high and summoned a large ball of steely energy. "Humans must be eradicated for their wickedness! And I will aid Ghetsis in bringing Kyurem's judgement upon you all!"

"Ah, shut up already!"

BANG!

Terra fell forward before landing on his hand and doing a quick handspring that propelled him unto a balcony. Looking down, he spotted the ever scowling Cheren with a dented steel pipe in his hands.

"You keep going on and on about how much you wanna destroy us for something as blunt as a tragic misunderstanding. Give it a rest already because it's starting to get whiny!"

"Insensitive fool!" the knight spat angrily and blue energy began to build around him. "You only say that because you haven't lost something important to you! Your heartlessness is what killed my people! And I will punish you for it!"

"So you'll punish the many for the sins of the few? Pathetic!" Cheren barked, equally boiling. "I've lost important things to me too. In fact, I probably have the worst luck among all the relatively normal people here!" the man clenched a fist. "When I was young, I lost my sister to illness. When I was a trainer, I could count on my fingers the number of graves I dug for my first ever team of pokemon. And to make matters worse, I lost a good friend of mine who provided support in those times. When I got married, Aurelia wasn't our first child. Bianca suffered a miscarriage and though she acts so carefree, I know how many times she had cried herself to sleep in the past years."

"But that's-"

"Drayden was my grandfather. And I lost not only him but my cousins and friends in the Opelucid Massacre. I was actually born there so that makes me a resident. And you and your Team Plasma bastards wiped most of them out in your bid to kidnap my best friend's innocent sister and ruin all possible chances of happiness in her life! You even took N's sisters, his only living family (Ghetsis does not count), hostage just to drag someone who frankly wanted peace into this mess!"

"Cheren..." N muttered, sensing how angry the ravenette had gotten.

"And now..." Cheren took a breath. "...You want to drag every human and pokemon on this world into this icy nightmare and make them suffer just as much as you and I did."

Terra folded his arms. "I see. So we're both victims of poor circumstances. I can sympathise with that-"

"Don't. You. Dare!" Cheren barked so gruffly that Terra flinched. "Don't take it the wrong way, Terra! My whiny past might've seemed bad but at least I chose to move on positively! You on the other hand abandoned your memories, cast aside your family's wishes and sought for massacre and destruction! What would your daughter say if she saw her father in such a state?"

"Shut up! Don't bring personal matters into this!" Terra boomed.

"Oh this is very personal," Cheren boomed back and tore off his shredded jacket. "You're gonna hurt my family if you succeed so it's very, very personal."

"Well screw you and your ideals!" Terra barked harshly and twisted the Adamant Orb again, beginning to re-summon Dialga. "I have had it up to here with your insolence! I don't care if people and pokemon die! I want the world to suffer just as much as I did!"

"...My my, this has gotten deeper than I thought. I was never one to get so flustered about a simple flurry of heated words between two anger-prone men." Both men glanced at N who was also taking off his coat. "But that last statement of yours has finally given me all the confirmation I need to destroy you."

"Destroy me?" Terra sneered. "What happened to saving me from myself?"

"If the human itself is hell-bent on wiping its own race then there's no point in trying," N replied.

"You can take a Rapidash to a lake but you can't force it to drink. That's basic," Cheren added, rolling up his sleeves.

"Brace yourself, Terra Maka!" they boomed in unison, standing back to back with their pokeballs raised at him. "You've picked a fight with human men. And we'll show you how powerful our ideals really are!"

"How idiotic!" Terra jeered and in a flash, the released Dialga stamped intimidatingly behind him.

"Keep Dialga at bay. This time, I will be the one to end him," N requested.

"Sorry man but no can do."

"Eh?"

Cheren threw a grin that vaguely reminded N of Black's determined face. "I'll beat Dialga and Terra. You can just give me back-up."

"That's pretty much the same thing," the greenette sweatdropped before getting into a stance. "Try to keep up then."

"I'm using my most powerful team. Just who the heck do you think you're talking to?" Cheren replied and flung his pokeballs into the air. "Excadrill! Haxorus! Gigalith! Samurott!"

Terra and Dialga gazed down at the team of six below, two human and four pokemon but all carrying a rekindled fire that no doubt would take all his might to quench.

"I'm getting fired up," he murmured to himself and Dialga's muscles rippled. "Come then. End me if you can!"

"With pleasure," Cheren replied, fishing out his old pair of red-rimmed glasses and placing them in their rightful place before his eyes. "Excadrill! Drill Run! N, get on Samurott!"

"Right!" N replied hopping on the Formidable Pokemon as Excadrill clasped its claws together and zoomed off towards Dialga like a wild drill.

"Like that will help!" Terra replied and the familiar clock-like patter formed ahead of them again. However-

"Gigalith, Rock Wrecker!"

"Huh?!"

Without missing a beat, the rock giant stamped its four feet hard against the ground, sending up several chunks of earth. Roaring, it joined each chunk together till a massive red boulder had formed and the attack was launched after Excadrill. The move was a fast one. So fast that it passed Excadrill and smashed into the pattern before it could disappear. The entire floor trembled as a loud crack reverberated through the air and Terra was stunned to see the pattern of light shatter before his very eyes.

BAM!

Excadrill slammed into Dialga's chest, making it stumble back considerably.

"Now, Aqua Jet!" Cheren called and N took a deep breath as Samurott coated itself in a watery missile.

Rocketing off, Samurott charged for Dialga and Terra cursed before pointing at them. "Dragon Tail!"

All of a sudden, the neglected, cross-eyed Garchomp appeared from the side and Samurott had to veer off course to dodge its deadly tail. The dragon continued its onslaught and N had to hold on as Samurott dodged and parried each blow with its Seamitars. Hissing, Garchomp leapt into the air and executed a Dragon Rush that beat Samurott left and right before using its tail to smash against the water-type's face, sending them both sprawling against the ground.

N cried out as he landed painfully on his bleeding arm and slowly pulled himself up to see Garchomp's opened jaws primed to take his head off. Luckily, Samurott's Focus Punch came from the side and smashed Garchomp's mouth in before letting loose a Hydro Cannon that sent Garchomp into the air. The dragon roared as it fell before feeling its crossed eyes go wide as Cheren's muscular Haxorus waited for its landing below with a one arm drawn back.

"Brick Break!" Cheren barked and Garchomp was batted like a baseball from Haxorus's swift and crushing punch. Right into Gigalith's incoming Take Down.

BANG!

Garchomp flew head-first into the wall and Terra scowled before huffing as Excadrill appeared right before him with its claws raised high.

"Rapid Spin!" its trainer ordered and Excadrill's claws rotated like angry buzzsaws before clashing against Terra's raised arms, shredding his metallic hide completely. Now the injun finally realised how powerful Cheren's pokemon were and he began to dodge each deadly swing while keeping his focus on maintaining Dialga's power.

Meanwhile, N had gotten back on Samurott and the latter readied another Aqua Jet again. Suddenly, its senses buzzed and it leapt into the air, instantly dodging four surprise attacks from the Gabite in the ground.

"Oh no you don't!" Cheren barked and Gigalith leapt into the air. "Rapid Spin!"

In an instant, the giant went upside and spun with its powerful legs outstretched, resembling a rocky spinning top. Samurott rammed one Gabite away with a Seamitar and Gigalith bulldozed the others with its spinning kicks, clearing a path for them to Dialga.

"Go!" Cheren barked and Samurott tore through as more Gabite sprung out of the floor and kept Gigalith busy. In an instant, the gym leader ducked as a normal Garchomp took a slash at him from behind. "Tch! What a hassle!"

The pokemon slashed again and the searing pain in his chest nearly drove him crazy. However, he kept his cool and bent back sharply, letting the Garchomp's slash go right over him. Immediately after, he grabbed its claws and used its momentum to throw it over himself and out the big glass window beside them.

Terra, on the other hand sent a fist into Excadrill's steely hood, making the pokemon cry out from the intense vibrations it caused. However, it retaliated and Terra spewed blood as its spinning claws tore into his sides, sending blood into the air. Grabbing the pokemon, he hurled it over Dialga's head and turned to the oncoming Samurott and N.

"Stop them!" he barked and Dialga summoned another time seal. Samurott began to slow but N sharply jumped off and landed on Dialga's back. "Don't let him up here!"

And instantly, three Garchomp landed around N.

"My sincerest apologies!" he quickly cried, dodging under the first one's Dragon claw, sliding underneath the second's legs and jumping onto the third's head before propelling himself onto the ridge on the back of Dialga's neck. In his place, a gas bomb lay between them and Dialga screamed as a loud explosion blazed across its back, sending the three smaller dragons sky high. Hoisting himself up, he soon got to Dialga's head and was just in time to avoid Terra's swift kick though the knight sent his other foot into N's side.

"In terms of physical prowess, you have no hope!" Terra barked.

"I've taken blows from Igglybuff twice as hard!" N replied, grabbing the foot and pushing sharply, causing Terra to lose his balance. And just as he nearly tumbled off Dialga's head, N's mask was suddenly shoved against his face. All went dark for a second before an unknown fire coursed through his veins.

"GRAAAAAAAAGH!" Terra roared as his chest was enveloped in a searing blue blaze. Grabbing the mask and ignoring how his hands burned at the act, he wrenched the cursed item off and flung it over the edge.

"Scarlet infused it with the ice on his arm. I figured it help when fighting Kyurem-corrupted individuals," N explained.

"Die!" Terra screamed madly and his personal Garchomp came once again, ready to cleave N in two.

"Hell no!" Cheren cried, suddenly coming down on the dragon from atop his Unfezant. Gigalith smashed the dragon towards the side and Haxorus Dragon Tailed it for good measure, knocking a good number of teeth out before Samurott sent it flying out the window with its signature Shell Blade.

"Damn you! What kind of humans are you?!" the injun screamed, summoning another time seal as the pokemon fired their attacks at him.

"We are MEN!" the young men cried, rushing forward together and slamming their fists into the time seal, shattering it before it could do its work and thus getting Terra right in the nose. The very force of the punch was so hard that it destroyed the metal on his face, broke his nose and had his eyes rolling backwards until just the whites were showing. The knight stumbled backwards for a bit before stopping at the edge, wobbling and flailing his arms in an effort to keep his balance.

"I hate to say it, but you're just like me," Cheren remarked, picking up the dropped doll. "We've both got the worst luck."

He tossed it. Terra caught it. The latter lost his balance. And he finally noticed the frozen Draco Meteor behind him.

Cheren smirked as he, N and their pokemon leapt off the other side of Dialga's head. Terra smiled as he made contact with the searing ball.

"And we're both fathers," they muttered in unison.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

The resulting explosion tore the Adamant Orb in Terra apart and Dialga screamed once more as a portal ripped open behind it. The Temporal Pokemon struggled and fought against its suction-like pull before looking forward to see a poisoned but standing Emboar, a weakened but smirking Serperior and a battered yet still powerful Samurott, all charging their most powerful attacks.

And behind them, two men covered in blood and glory raised their fingers and flipped the bird at the deity.

"Gotta catch ya later!" they echoed and with one final blast, Dialga fell into the portal after taking a Hydro Cannon to the face, a Blast Burn to the chest and a Frenzy Plant to the knees with the portal closing right after it.

And on that day of the Red Moon, Terra Maka was saved.

Catacombs of Despair, Castrum De Glacies.

"I have to live!" Joid cried, taking another deadly slash at LP who narrowly avoided it and gave the raving hybrid two quick jabs in the face. Joid staggered back using his better hand to cup his bleeding nose while glaring angrily at the pompadour.

"Boxing was a past time of mine," he remarked and ran forward once more. "One I never thought would help till now!"

Joid dodged the first punch and blocked the second but LP quickly drew him forward before kicking him back with his knee. Before Joid could retaliate, a surge of energy burnt through his system and he pointed his angry eyes at the annoying ranger.

"Five loops complete," Rain stated and caught the unnoticed capture disc in the air. "I can see that even if your monstrous side overrides it, Hydreigon's cells are still responding to my styler."

"Stop sending those annoying waves of friendship at me, you retard!" the ravenette screamed, arching back as a giant Dragon Pulse formed at his open jaws. As soon as he fired it, Latios put up a Light Screen and both ranger and partner were thrown back from the resulting explosion. Rain however got to his feet and jumped away from another incoming Dragon Pulse before sending his capture disc whizzing into the air again, joined to him by a single track of rainbow light emitting from his gloved fingers.

Joid avoided the path of light but suffered a box to the head from LP. Snarling, he snapped forward and nearly bit the man's arm off had LP not shifted quickly and jammed his boot into Joid's mouth. The boy's red eyes swelled as electricity went through him again but he stood firm and crushed the soles in his powerful jaws, rendering LP's shock-boot useless. He was lucky the boots had big soles. Joid would've taken his foot otherwise.

"Why won't you let me live?!" he barked, slashing at LP again, making a clean cut on his cheek. "Is it so wrong to enjoy life once more?!"

"Hey, I gat no problem with the living dead. But when they turn on others and start stirring up shit in the society, I can't exactly stand-by and watch!" LP retorted, letting another steely fist fly into Joid's face. The latter dodged and grabbed the passing arm before flinging LP over his head and into glassy statue of a Hydreigon. The hunter smashed back-first into it before falling onto the floor in a sea of glass.

"Are you okay?" Rain asked, eyes still focused on the whizzing capture disc desperately trying to loop around Joid.

"Yeah. Fucking glass hurts like a son-of-a-bitch though," the pompadour hissed, pulling a small shard out of his leg. "I can't say we're making progress though. That lil zombie's regenerating like a ditto."

"But as you can see, he gets weaker with every successful loop I make," Rain commented as Joid screamed once more from the energy jumping through his veins as the spinning disc make another loop. "Just get him into a corner so he doesn't crush my styler in his rage."

"Yeah, yeah." LP raised his boxing gloves again. "Just so I'm clear, how many loops will it take to bring him down?"

Latios gave the ranting boy a glance. I'd say about 150.

"The fuck?!"

"Don't ignore me, trash!" Joid cut-in and they looked up to see him in mid air with the fur-trimming around his neck glowing bright along with his tail. In no time, he was enveloped in blue energy, one that signified a Dragon Rush, and rocketed down on them in a blue haze. The trio scattered, letting him crash head-first into the floor though he quickly pulled himself out and turned his drooling grin at Rain. "You look like a blue carrot. Can I eat you?"

"Yuck," was all the ranger replied in his ever deadpan tone before putting up to fingers and drawing them back sharply, bringing the capture disc with him and thus completing another loop. Joid stiffened for a second from the pain before letting out a throaty sigh as the pain soaked in.

"Haha, I think I'm getting used to this," he said in an almost drunken tone and coated himself in the blue haze again. With an explosion similar to a less powerful sonic boom, he darted towards Rain and nearly ran him through with his claws when LP's fist pierced the blue haze and collided forcefully with his side, knocking him off course. Skidding and making a left turn, Joid came back at breakneck speed and slammed past LP before hitting Latios and jumping into the air. The capture disc followed defiantly, struggling to keep up with his amazing speed.

"Shit! He's gotten faster!" LP hissed before taking a blow to the gut. Before he could hit out, Joid was gone again and Latios narrowly ducked under his punch before stiffening as Joid's foot crashed into his injured jaw, sending him meters away.

"Latios!" Rain cried as his partner hit the wall and let out an involuntary cough of blood.

I'm fine! the Eon Pokemon barked back and quickly flew out of the way of Joid's incoming attack, letting him smash into the wall. Just focus on looping him while we keep him busy!

"Easier said than done!" LP yelled coming from above and landing behind Joid before grabbing him tightly. Latios joined in and Joid struggled wildly against their tight grips. "We got him! Do your magic, blueberry!"

"Super Charge, go!" Rain barked and the capture disc glowed brilliantly before zig-zagging rapidly across the floor, tearing it up and throwing up debris in the process. Within centimetres of Joid, it spiralled rapidly around them, enveloping the three in a ferocious tornado of violent light that sucked even the air around it. With the rate at which the device was looping constantly around Joid like mad and the increased pitch in the ravenette's scream, it was obvious that his power was coming to a quick halt.

In one last burst of strength, the struggling monster opened his eyes wide and LP was shocked to see his arms slowly breaking free of his grasp.

"I..." Joid wrenched one hand free and sank his elbow so hard into LP's shoulder that it dislocated. "Will..." He grabbed Latios. "LIVE!"

And he let loose the most powerful Dragon Pulse he could muster, letting it explode within the tornado. The blast knocked Latios into Rain and slammed them on the far end of the room while LP was flung against the railings, gasping as he could hear his ribs crack. The blast soon died down and the capture disc fell clattered uselessly against the floor.

Right before Joid's feet.

Rain stiffly looked up and his eyes widened upon seeing Joid smirk and raise his foot.

"DON'T!" he cried as the foot came down hard on the device, crushing it and resulting in a smaller explosion. As the precious item was reduced to dust, Latios cried out upon seeing Rain arch back as if shot by a gun. Rangers were obviously connected to their stylers but in Rain's case, his soul was somewhat attached to that custom-made device. That was why his styler was far more powerful than the other rangers in the world (There's quite a lot of backstory behind that stylers importance which this author is too lazy to explain).

That was also why a single string of light projected from the frozen ranger's chest as he fell back stiffly.

Rain! Latios cried, rushing over to his partner's face. It almost looked like he had suffered petrification as his dull red eyes stared back lifelessly at the Eon Pokemon. Not again, Rain! We can't lose you again!

"Quite crying, you'll join him soon," Joid sneered wickedly and Latios raised his angry eyes at the lithe beast.

You accursed wretch! he screamed summoning a Lustre Purge and charging wildly at the ravenette.

Joid wound his fist back before sharply side-stepping the blow, making Latios miss by just a few millimetres. "Bye."

With that, he let Latios slam neck-first into his outstretched arm before using both the dragon pokemon's momentum and the ensuing recoil to throw it back against the wall above the seemingly-dead ranger. Latios not only smashed through the wall, he broke through two others before landing in a fountain.

"R-Rain..." he muttered before finally passing out.

Joid stepped up to the petrified ranger and grasped the string of light extending all the way to the ceiling (and reaching the sky if one looked out the window). "Wonder what'll happen if I eat this."

Slowly, he brought his jaws close to the string of light and was just about unknowingly severing the only bond tying Rain to the world when a rock smashed into his head. Turning back, he saw LP, pompadour a mess, left arm dangling uselessly and thoroughly battered, leaning against the railing with a rock in his working hand.

"Rain's a dick but I can't let ya kill him," he spat and tossed the rock up and down. "If he dies on my watch, they'll most likely pin it on me, ya see."

"Do I look like I care?" Joid replied menacingly, extending his claw-hand and letting the fur trimming around his neck envelop it completely to form a fat, black tentacle.

"See, this is why I'd hate to let ya live," LP stated, eyebrows furrowing. "Ya keep going on and on about wanting ta live when you don't give any consideration for others! All the folks you killed wanted ta live too, didn't they?"

"You calling me inconsiderate?" Joid barked.

"Hell no! I'm calling ya a selfish, snot-nosed prick with a fucked up eating disorder!" LP barked back and earned a heavy hit to the shoulder.

"You know what, I don't care!" Joid laughed and smacked him across the face with the extended tentacle before bashing him left and right and finally hitting his injured shoulder again. "I am a selfish prick with no regard for others! But I must live! Live, live, live, live LIVE!"

"Hey, Blueberry!" LP cried, biting back a hiss as the tentacle hit his shoulder again. "Whatever happened to that justice crap you were spouting all this time?! You think I'm just gonna let you leave this battle for the rest of us? I'd be fucked if I let that happen! So get the fuck up and gimme a hand here! You heard what this idiot said! He doesn't care if lives are destroyed! I don't know about you but I don't think such a person's fit to return to earth, do ya?"

"Quit talking to a dead guy!" Joid scoffed, giving LP a blow in the gut that made him double over.

"Ya hear that? Even the brat thinks you gave up and died! What kinda man goes out like that? Real men go out with a bang, you stuck-up excuse for a ranger! Besides...you wanna protect that Rhythmi-girl of yours and live for your dead friend, right, Rain?!"

Joid's tentacle bashed him in the gut for the final time and LP fell back against the railings, dizzy.

"I've had enough of you yammering," the boy hissed and reared up his tentacle, changing its shape to form a large, hard pillar. "I'll smash your head in and mince you down to size for good."

Joid raised the deadly battering-ram-for-an-arm and LP's eyes followed the movement before narrowing as a smile spread across his face upon seeing the blue-haired ranger become enveloped in a big wave of light.

Joid froze and turned back, eyebrows shooting up in surprise as Rain's body rose ominously.

"I'm ashamed," he said and opened his glowing red eyes. "To think I needed a lecture from a criminal before being able to get up again, I must really be getting influenced by your crooked nature."

"And why are you still alive?! Stay on the floor where I can kill you!" Joid yelled, rushing forward. "Besides, what do you think you can do without your pokemon or a capture disc?!"

"Ah, that." Rain's hands dipped into his pocket and he brought out an old, rusty capture disc that belonged to his unknown late friend. "Hey LP, I've only got a few more loops left to make. Think you can keep him busy while I charge up?"

"Do I have a choice," the pompadour deadpanned and stood tall before grabbing his dislocated shoulder. With a pained smirk, he snapped the bones back into place before winding his arm. "Don't think I'll be stopped by this, Joid. Pain like this is nothing compared to all the shit I've been through as a Pokemon Hunter!"

On cue, his pokeballs rattled and in a flash, Machamp and Gliscor were standing beside him, visibly injured but refusing to back down.

"Well, let's get 'em boys," the hunter declared, knocking his steel gloves together. Machamp cracked his knuckles while Gliscor brandished its claws. "For the sake of Scarlet's girl and for our precious friends and family!"

With a joint roar, the trio began their assault, dividing and coming at Joid from three different angles.

BOOM!

Make that four different angles as Latios flew in with another Psycho-cut in the works.

"Jeez, just die already!" Joid barked, rushing towards LP only to get a surprise uppercut to the jaw as Gliscor sprung out from the ground in a Dig attack. The boy staggered back and bumped into a solid chest. Turning, he caught the angry glint in Machamp's eyes before receiving two Dynamic Punches that knocked him into the air where an Latios was waiting with a Psycho-Cut that ripped Joid's arm clean off. Before he had time to regenerate, Gliscor's Fire Fang sank into his shoulder and he screamed as his entire body caught fire, cauterising his wound completely before it could grow out a new arm.

"I noticed one thing about you freaks," LP stated as he ran forward. "And it's that scars and stitches remain even after regeneration! So if the wound somehow gets closed before regeneration, your abilities can only copy the form at hand!"

"Damn it!" Joid hissed, unable to sprout a new arm from the cauterised lump of flesh where his arm had been. As soon as he landed on the floor, LP's fist collided with his face before giving him two uppercuts and one right hook. Joid staggered back with each blow till he hit a railing. "Arceus Dammit, you are really annoying with those hands!" he cried, ripping the stone railing out and swinging it at LP who rolled out of the way and got behind him.

"Submission!" he called and Machamp landed before Joid before taking him in one swoop and placing him across his broad shoulders. With a grunt, he jumped high into the air and came down hard using Joid as the cushion and thus breaking his back. "Vital Throw!"

Before Joid could recover, he was hurled across the room and right into Latios's Psychic hold.

Payback time, the Eon Pokemon growled and gave him a close range Dragon Pulse that blew up right in his face.

"Graaagh! Damn it, I am sick and tired of-"

"Gliscor, Giga Impact!"

Joid stopped mid-rant and broke out of the hold before landing on the floor and avoiding Gliscor's attack. Raising his remaining hand, he summoned a Draco Meteor and stared defiantly at LP and his team.

"Forget eating you. I gonna blow you straight to hell!"

"Ultra Charge: Complete. Target's Threat Status has been updated to 110%. Reconfiguring power to be discharged in one strike."

Joid stiffened upon hearing that mechanical voice behind him. He turned his head and came face to face with a glowing capture disc held out by the smirking Rain.

"Checkmate."

And the entire room lit up in red, blue, green and yellow as a rather colourful blast enveloped Joid's 'oh shit' face.

...

Joid sank to his knees and bowed his smoky head. "I...I lost..."

"No shit," LP deadpanned, joining Rain as they stood before him. He was virtually helpless now as Rain's attack had quelled the hostility within him needed to fight back.

"S-So..." Joid swallowed. "D-does this mean I-I'll...die?"

LP was actually struck by the fear practically rolling off his tongue. "You're scared of dying? After all ya did?!"

"I just wanted a chance to be happy!" the ravenette screamed, looking up at them with hateful tears building up in his eyes. "I was five when I died! Could barely remember anything at all other than getting sick and dying like a Magikarp! But Ghetsis brought me back to life years ago! He gave me a new body! He even helped me get a soul! I had to repay him! He promised me that he'd let me go and see the world if he succeeded! He promised me a life of happiness!"

Slowly, LP's fist clenched and he grabbed Joid's collar before butting foreheads with him. "And you'd sacrifice humanity for something like that?! Do ya know what real happiness is?! How can you be happy when there's no one to share it with?! If there's one thing I learned in life, it's that throughout your stay on earth, shit gets tossed at you in all directions. You only find the true happiness when you've got a partner or a friend to lean on! Someone who sympathises with you and yet sets you straight before you hurt yourself! I'm talking about friends, boy! That's why us humans and pokemon gotta stick together. Too bad you ate the only friend you could've made!"

"But..." Joid's eyes widened. "I...I didn't mean to...I just wanted..."

"Power? Trust me, I know what it's like to lose something important for the so-called 'greater good'," Rain piped up stoically and his eyes softened a bit. "As much as I hate to agree, LP's right. If you and your gang had actually communicated more, I'm sure you'd have made a change the way Alphinia did."

Joid stared up at them before looking down.

He laughed.

"My soul doesn't hurt anymore. I see. So that's it, eh? That was all it took to quell this wild soul in me..."

LP arched a brow as Joid put a hand to his chest and winced. A wet crack was heard as he pushed his fingers through his it before stopping as he took a breath, obviously fighting the pain building up in his head.

Rain raised a brow. "What're you doing-"

"You said so yourself. Friends were what I needed and now I have none. I won't be happy anymore and well, that means I don't need to live."

"Hey! That's not what I meant!" LP exclaimed and grabbed his shoulders. "You can start over, ya know. You can make real friends and build real relationships with people and pokemon."

"What's the point when I'm a danger to them as well!" Joid snapped and looked down with quivering lips. "I'm a misfit to human society. A threat to pokemon as well. Plus, I barely fit in with the living since I'm technically not of this world anymore. My fate was decided as soon as I was resurrected. I had only wished it could come later than sooner."

"But-"

"LP. It's his decision."

LP glared at Rain for the nonchalant comment. "How cold can you get, blueberry! This guy clearly wants to live!"

"Even if we did give him a chance, what would become of it?" the blue-haired man barked and pocketed his hands. "Society wouldn't accept him. They'll treat him with disdain for his crimes and genetic inconsistency. In the end, they'll probably throw him in some secret lab for experiments. He'd be worse off then than he is now, don't you think?"

"Why the heck d'you have to be so negative, man! It's almost like someone shoved a brick up your ass and if you weren't so fucking uptight all the time, maybe you'd realise how bad his situation is!"

"...I do know how bad his situation is," Rain stated after some seconds of uncomfortable silence. "I knew someone who was pretty much the same."

Both LP and Joid jerked their heads to look at him.

"He was in the same position you were in, Joid. Alone and unfit to return to society after an...accident. I tried to help in every way I could but in the end, he resigned himself to fate and died for it. This styler I'm holding is his. And it reminds me everyday how utterly short and realistic our lives are."

Joid lowered his head again and bemoaned his fate. But surprise etched into his shadowed features as a hand laid itself on his head.

"He did tell me something before he died." Rain smirked as Joid looked up. "Realism and Pessimism are two different things, kid. I never said those stuff could really come true. Maybe you could find real happiness if you wished hard enough. In this world, people and pokemon are a lot more forgiving than you and I thought. That's something I picked up during my stay in Unova."

Joid found himself gritting his teeth. Why...why're you two being so nice all of a sudden? It's not fair! We're supposed to be enemies, right?

"Besides," LP piped up, giving his back a hard pat. "We may not have known each other too much but I enjoy the fights we have! Don't know about Rain or the talking jet-plane but you've got a friend in me!"

Damn it! Joid inwardly cursed as a tear rolled down his cheeks. I don't understand! What's this feeling in me?

"As long as you behave, I suppose we can get along," Rain huffed.

"So the robo-ranger actually has a heart, eh? I'm impressed!" LP joked, elbowing him playfully. This earned a short lecture from Rain and Latios about how impossible it was for the former to have a brick in his butt and how the latter did NOT, in fact, resemble a jet-plane.

Why are these goons' statements affecting me so much?! Humans are trash, right? But I was human too! Does this make me acknowledge their statements because we have the same origins? I don't know anything anymore! Why am I so-

Joid froze.

"Happy."

The men and pokemon stopped to look at him. All traces of the narrow-eyed, beastly monster was gone and in its place was a yellow-eyed boy, smiling.

"I'm happy," he said again and his hand went deeper into his chest, much to everyone's shock. "I finally understood why this soul never wanted to be here in the first place. It's rightful owner had just discovered true happiness and it just had to return no matter what. Now that I'm happy you guys of all people accepted me, it's quelled itself. I'm at peace even though I've committed so many crimes."

His hand went even deeper, drawing more blood and a "Hey! What're you doing?!" from LP.

"I've found what I've been looking for all this time. Now I can truly say I've lived."

Joid tore out a purple ice-crystal and his hair slowly went snow-white as he slowly fell back, hearing the fading voices of the two men who had changed him completely.

"Thank you..." he mouthed as his body dissipated into ash before he hit the floor. "For teaching me how to be human again..."

LP watched the rest of Joid's body disappear into the wind as ash, leaving the glowing crystal behind.

"Damn it!" LP barked, punching the floor. "That idiot..."

Latios carefully picked up the crystal via telekinesis and Rain bowed to the spot where Joid had once been. "It was his decision after all. The best we can do now is end Ghetsis so this won't repeat itself."

"Right," LP stated and he gave the spot a parting glance before turning to the exit. "Scarlet, you'd better be faring better up there."

And on that night of the Red Moon, a happy boy was saved.

Hall of Awakening, Castrum De Glacies.

Scarlet's trembling hands gripped the seemingly-dead White's shoulders tightly.

"Come on White! Open your eyes! Say something!"

Jolteon licked her cheek in his own attempt to wake her, seeing as no matter how hard Lucky had tried, she wouldn't stir. Something was wrong. Scarlet knew he had trained the Ralts hard enough. It wasn't Lucky who was weak. Whatever Ghetsis used must've been far too strong.

Thoughts of being too late seeped into his concerned mind as he jammed his head to her chest. A heartbeat. Good, she was still alive though he wasn't sure how long that would be given how weak it sounded.

"Lucky, try again," he requested and Lucky placed its hands on her arm before closing its eyes. "Heal Pulse."

A gentle and faint pink light enveloped the girl and Scarlet pressed his forehead against hers, wishing and wishing for it to work. Unfortunately, disappointment smiled once again on them as the light cracked and shattered, revealing White still looking blue and dead in Scarlet's arms.

The look of near-hopelessness was evident in the beastly faces huddled around them. Scarlet gave her pokemon one quick glance before shaking the feeling out of his own mind.

White was strong. Everyone said so and he refused to believe something as easy as mind-poison (literally) could render her so far from his reach. But Vann had also confided in him that there was a certain limit to which null consciousness was induced. It was akin to bending a toothpick without breaking it. You could concentrate all you want and keep it from reaching that breaking point but it would eventually have to go SNAP.

So was White's situation the same? Would she sleep forever in his arms, unable to smile or laugh or harmlessly poke fun at him just to make him respond to her childish antics?

Was White gone forever?

Scarlet closed his eyes and remained in the position they were in with his forehead on hers. What was he going to do now? He knew he had to think. To keep his mind afloat. He was a planner by nature, almost always steps ahead of his peers. But how was it supposed to help him when his only chance at restoring her to her innocent, happy and lively state had backfired miserably.

Sandy was starting to cry. That was definitely not a good sign for a dark-type as tough as nails to be the first to breakdown. Scarlet forced himself to think harder. This was a poison that clouded one's consciousness considerably. Scarlet had been poisoned quite a number of times in his life so he knew a thing or two about handling those. But this was different. Who knows how long or how often Ghetsis had been pumping her with the vile liquid.

Scraggy joined in the short sniffling and the redhead explored his options. Could he have White rushed to a hospital and gotten her stomach pumped? Idiot! It's already in her bloodstream, his mind chided. Plus there wasn't enough time given how noiseless White's breathing had gone. Arceus, his thoughts had better get a move on before-

Teddy let out an involuntary sniffle. It could've been from a cold or an itch in the nose but Scarlet was sure that if he turned and looked into the Arctic Pokemon's eyes, he would find his most-likely unpleasant answer.

"Come on...think...Everyone wants you back, White. I can't let them down but you have to be awake to ensure that."

No response. Not even a stir.

Jolteon whined. That was it. Scarlet had nothing. Nothing at all to help. Ghetsis had truly won in the end. Now all he could do was watch for the darkness to take her soul...forever.

And he never even got to give her the promise ring in the end.

"Stay with this girl, young man."

Scarlet's eyes snapped open.

Protect her for the rest of your life and do everything in your power to see her smile and laugh and I guarantee that you will never see a life more blissful and glittering than the one you spend with her.

Scarlet's arm dove for the side pocket on his waistcoat.

Can you promise me that you'll stay with her forever?

Scarlet pulled up the glowing white ring and held up White's pale hand. "White, I'm not alone anymore. I've made friends now. Lots and lots of friends who've helped me through a lot these past few days. Please wake up. Wake up and see just how much I've has grown. Come back to us, White."

The redhead slipped the ring onto her finger and all at once the pokemon's eyes went wide as a gentle yellow glow akin to sunrise itself spread through the entire room, briefly eliminating the redness of the outside world.

And like a miracle (for Scarlet had no other way to define it), White's skin tone gradually returned to its normal colour and Jolteon sighed in relief upon hearing her comforting breathing.

White coughed and opened her golden yellow eyes before flinching at the wetness on her warm cheeks. Rain? No...tears? Looking up, her hazy vision finally cleared and she was greeted with a face she had thought she would never see.

"Scarly...?" she murmured and slowly sat up, eyes wide. "Scarlet...?"

"Heh...in the flesh," he replied, not even bothering to restrain the tears running down his face. Before White knew it, the redhead grabbed her tightly and buried his head in her shoulder while weeping without a care in the world. Screw embarrassment or humiliation! The kid was freaking happy!

"I'm sorry," he wailed, holding her like his life depended on it. "I'm so sorry for almost losing you..."

"It's okay," she whispered soothingly and wrapped her own arms around him. "I'm just so happy I could see you again. I thought you were really gone."

"Ha. It'd take a lot more than death to stop me," he half-sobbed, half-scoffed before pulling back a little. "A lot happened and it's a really long story. All in all, we did it. We won. We won't have to worry about Kyurem or Ghetsis Harmonia ever again."

White smiled. His heart lifted. Right now, nothing else mattered. All that mattered was that it was over. Everything was finally...over-

SHLUCK!

Scarlet's eyes dulled considerably.

White's eyes widened considerably.

Both looked down to see a long, familiar blade running through their middles.

And from behind Scarlet, White could see two gleaming red eyes framed by a mass of green hair and sporting the most crooked smile anyone had ever seen.

And as Scarlet (who had suffered quite a lot of recoil from the rebound effects) slumped against her chest, she heard four words that assured her that the nightmare Scarlet and Jolteon had fought to end...was in fact just beginning.

"All according to plan."

Author's Corner.

Slybill: 'Sup guys! Hope I haven't been away for too long. Yesterday was my birthday so I was too busy writing up, drawing and uploading a celebratory AU on my deviantart account to update. But anyhow, I liked this chapter. In fact, the last part was my masterpiece. The brunette sister to Cynthia in the game finally got her big reveal in this story and Cheren and N showed their bishounen manliness against Terra. LP and Rain were pretty cool too. But that last part. God, I could almost here the "You've just been trolled" line right now (along with some tough and choice words from a few angry reviewers). Anywho, plans changed a bit. I initially planned for this stuff to end at chapter 70 but it might just break a bit into chapter 72. MIGHT! That may change too in the near future. SO! Let the Confusion, Comments, Reviews and Possible Flames begin!

Preview:

I've done it! I rounded all the sacrifices up! I actually never thought they'd fall for such a simple trap. I lied, Scarlet. You are still an important piece in my plan, more so that you resurrected from the very dead! Kyurem will awaken, boy. HAHAHAHA! KYUREM WILL FINALLY AWAKEN! LET US HAVE A TOAST, MY BOY! A BLOODY TOAST TO THE BLOODY END OF THIS BLOODY WORLD!

And I have you to thank for it, Scarly.

NEXT TIME: A TOAST TO THE END OF THE WORLD!