Chapter 37

10/25/0046/Morning

Spear Pillar

Sander laughed as he stared at the Centaur Pokemon that was resting on its side, a pair of Red Chain's binding its legs together while the other two had been put around the cross like wheel around its body, causing the golden color it normally possessed to become a dark gray.

"Come forth Abyss Arceus!" He shouted, watching as the wheel on Arceus' body began to shine brightly. The separation of Pure Arceus and Abyss Arceus was nearing completion.

Mt Corenet

Battle Dome

'Something's definitely up with this thing today.' Blake noted, looking down at his right wrist which had lit up in its usual pattern a few minutes before. But the normally gray outline of the pentagon was now an eerie black. Blake wouldn't admit, but this was really bothering him. Maybe something was happening in Mt Corenet. If something really was taking place, this would be like a slap in the face.

But on the other hand, if it could wait until tomorrow after the Finals were finished, or even later today, that would be incredibly convenient.

"Grace?" Lana asked, looking toward her friend. "Is your Crest open too?"

"Yeah." Grace replied with a nod. "Is your's darker than normal too?"

"Yeah." Lana responded.

This was bad. Lana was sure something was happening in Spear Pillar, and whatever it was, she was certain it involved all of the Crests.

"The moment Blake's match is over, we're going up to Spear Pillar." Lana stated.

"Right." Grace gave her nod.

"This thing again." Matt said out loud, looking down at this wrist which had lit up with a familiar marking that he had seen when he first met Blake.

"You too?" Roy asked, glancing at Matt with a expression of shock.

"What do you mean?" Matt asked in return.

"You have a Crest." Roy replied, motioning to Matt's glowing wrist.

"This thing?" Matt said, pointing at the marking which gained a nod from Roy. "I saw it once before, but I don't really know what it's for."

Roy was surprised. He had no idea so many of the contestants in the IBF Tourney possessed a Crest. It was like they were all brought her for a reason. But now that made him wonder if there were anymore Crests that might have been present in the audience, perhaps even watching each of them.

"Mari, what the heck is that?" Robbie asked, staring at the girl's shining wrist. Mari on the other hand was speechless. Not because her wrist was glowing, she had grown used to that already, Robbie's was glowing.

"Robbie, you have a Crest?" She asked in return, her gaze directed at the wrist of her friend.

"Woah!" Robbie exclaimed, raising his hand for him to get a closer look at thunderbolt on his wrist. "This is like…the coolest tattoo ever. And it glows in the dark too…except its light out right now."

Mari deadpanned as she stared her close friend.

"It's not a tattoo, it's called a Crest." Mari said, feeling as though she had said something like this to Robbie already. Back when the two of them were attacked by Alan, Mari went through the trouble of explaining everything to Robbie so that he could have a better grip on what was happening, but even Mari's explanation left a lot of open ended questions that neither could answer.

"Gwen, your's is open now too, right?" Victor asked, looking toward the young blonde girl standing beside him. He was referring to her Crest since his had lit up without him ordering it to do so.

"Yeah, mine did too." She replied. "Do you think this has something to do with Groudon and Kyogre?"

"No, or at least I'm not sure. But based on the color, its seems like it has to do with something." Victor went on. "But now I'm getting nervous. What could forcefully open both our Crests?"

"Hmm, where the hell did this come from?" Griffen asked himself out loud, placing his fork beside to his plate to conduct an examination as to where the markings on his left wrist suddenly came from. Something like this had never happened, and Griffen didn't know if it was something good…or bad.

Little did he know that in just a few short hours his life would be taking a dramatic turn, one that would be deciding the fate of the entire inhabited earth.

Stadium

"Excuse me, but can I get a moment of your time?" A reporter asked, approaching the famous dark haired man that was making a special appearance at the IBF Finals. "This is the first time you've ever appeared at a tournament that isn't at the World level, so many fans have been wondering, is there something special about the trainers you've been seeing, Mr Champion?"

The dark haired man was known and feared throughout the Pokemon Battle Circuit as the greatest and strongest trainer to ever exist in the Battle Circuit. He was the first person to ever conquer all four of the World Circuits, and the first person to hold all four World Titles at the same time. All he did was grin at the reporter before giving her a nod.

"Yup. Not just the two finalists, but every trainer in the Top 16 have the potential to reach the WPO." He replied. "I was surprised at first to hear about how many young kids were making it to the Finals, so I had to see it for myself, and each of these kids will become something great in the future. Maybe they'll even beat me. Who knows?"

"Those are some high expectations from someone like you. Could you rate the two finalists since its clear that the two of them are superior to the rest of the contestants?" She asked.

"If I had to be honest, the two of them are complete mystery to me. I can see that the two of the have an enormous amount of potential, enough to become trainers that will be more than recognized at the World level. They'll be feared and envied once they start reaching for World Titles." He continued.

"So what do you expect to see in their battle later?"

"I whole heartedly expect to see something I've never seen before."

"And now, after three months of intense battles all over the world, two trainers have come from the depths of the Johto and Hoenn to determine who will have the right of becoming the first contender to the IBF Title. Waiting for the winner of this match is a battle against the IBF Champion to see whether or not they can conquer the Inter-regional Battle Federation!" The announcer began, but the match still wouldn't be starting for another few minutes. This was simply a cue for the critics that were speaking to the camera's to bring their arguments to a close since the match was going to be starting soon.

Up in the box was four critics were supposed to be seated around a large table that was designed to resemble a Poke-ball, but instead of the heated discussions that should've been taking place, a rather humorous scene had unfolded. The three of the men of the group were currently wrestling on top of the table while the fourth critic was the ever calm and stern looking Meegan J who refused to take part in their argument.

"I'm telling you this for the last time, Griffen is going to crush Blake!" The first critic shouted, trying to break free of the nelson hold he had been put in. "Blake lacks experience right now, which is something Griffen can and will easily take advantage of."

"But you have to remember that Blake is a trainer that grows as the match progresses. With an opponent like Griffen he's sure to have a sudden growth which I'm sure he'll use to claim victory!" The second male of the group shouted, holding the first in a nelson hold while he himself was caught in a sleeper hold by the third man of the group.

"You're wrong. In the Battle Circuit, raw talent has to cultivated properly, and Blake is a prime example of an underdeveloped trainer. He's a quick thinker and he can adapt, but compared to Griffen, he still has a way's to go before he can be considered a candidate for the IBF Title." Third male critic yelled, adding his two cents.

One of the cameramen waved to Meegan, telling her that their time was almost up. Meegan rose up from her seat with a sigh before whistling loudly to get the attention of the men.

"Time's almost up boys." She stated to the guys. "So I figured I would share my opinion since I am the only active trainer among us at the moment."

"Yes, enlighten us Miss Johto Champion." One of them muttered receiving a half hearted glare from Meegan. Even though Meegan J was a Regional Champion, she hadn't lost her Title to Grace since it wasn't an official Title match where it would be at stake. But Meegan J could see that there were trainers from Johto that exceeded the Champion in strength. She would have to triple her training if she planned to compete with Blake and Grace in the future.

"Both trainers have shown power and style that's even greater than that of a Regional Champion. The bond they have with their Pokemon must be deep, and the Pokemon they have chosen as partners must look at their trainers with deep respect and as someone they can trust with their life." Meegan began. "It's clear to me that both of them are trainers that can do well on the World level, perhaps even take one of the World Titles, but as of right now, Griffen holds one advantage over Blake, and that's experience. But Blake is a trainer that's still developing, so we don't know what to expect from this battle. So in other words, we can't make a prediction as to what the outcome will be."

Meegan then proceeded to wave to the camera as the cameraman motioned for her to stop. Time was up, and it was time for the final match of the IBF Finals to take place.

"And now the time as finally come for the closing match of the IBF Tourney!"

The fans became quiet. The tension was high as the fans had practically taken sides for the two trainers that would be battling. Blake's growing fan base had taken over about forty percent of the stadium stands, seated on the east side of the stands where Blake would be making his entrance. Fifty percent of the remaining sixty were Griffen fans that were holding the west side of the stadium where Griffen would be entering, all of them rooting for the undefeated trainer from Hoenn. The remaining ten percent would be classified as critics or people that simply couldn't decide between the two finalists.

"Are you all excited?" The announcer asked, looking up at the stands. The cheers erupted from the fans for a full minute before the announcer calmed them down to continue the introductions. "Well then let's get things underway. In the blue box we have a young trainer hailing from the Johto Region. A trainer that came to the IBF Tourney fresh out of the Rookie Kings in Johto, someone who no one thought would make it all the way to the final match. Conquering many hurdles as he rose to the top, he has taken his place as the Crowned Prince of Johto. Presenting Bla~ke!"

The stadium went into an uproar as Blake came out of his corridor with a slow walk, his Crest open and lit which gained a lot of attention from his fans. many of them asked each other what that was on Blake's wrist, but not a single person could come up with a believable answer. Taking his place in the blue box, Blake waited for Griffen to take his place with great anticipation. He had entered the world Griffen had been talking about, and now he wanted to test it out against someone who could do the same.

"And now, in the red box. We have another young trainer hailing from the Hoenn Region. A trainer who's strength was unrivaled throughout his early career and much of his time in the IBF. On his campaign to the top, the trainer has one-sidedly beaten two Regional Champions, and proved that the title Eternal Genius is fitting for him. Presenting Griffe~n!"

The stadium roared for the next trainer to come out, Griffen walking out slowly like Blake with his Crest shining brightly on his right wrist. He was just as excited as Blake. Now he would truly get a taste of what a real battle would feel like.

Blake, on the other hand, was now suspicious of Griffen. Eyeing his Crest, Blake could now see why Griffen had such a strange interest in him. He must be a part of all the craziness too.

"This is a very special match today since both of these trainers have come this far undefeated. One of them is sure to receive their first black star today, but not even the critics can come down to a solid conclusion as to who's going to win. So with out further ado, I'll hand things over to the ref." The announcer motioned toward the ref before making his way back over to the box where he would be providing commentary.

"Trainers, this will be an official, one on one Pokemon battle to determine of the winner of the IBF Tourney. Are you ready?" The ref asked, receiving a no reply. Not even the fans were prepared for that one. Most tournaments would end in a full six on six battles to determine the winner, and a three on three would pop up occasionally, but a one on one had never been done before.

Griffen and Blake only stared at each other for a moment, quickly deciding which Pokemon they would use for this battle.

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted, raising his flags. Blake and Griffen hurled the Poke-ball they had selected onto the field, the two of them using a combination that had only been pulled off by World level trainers. A Power Ball combined with powerful horizontal spin or in other words, a Spin Counter.

The Clash was nothing the crowd had seen during this entire tournament. A swirling white dome formed at the center of the field, creating a gust of wind that was far more powerful than a Clash between two regular Power Ball's. Many of the fans in the front rows had to block their eyes to make sure no dust was blown into them. After about thirty seconds, the dome and wind finally disappeared, revealing two Fire type Pokemon that were on the field, Blake's Typhlosion and Griffen's Magmortar.

The two Pokemon glared at each other, remembering their first exchange back in Hoenn outside Meteor Falls. Neither of them were in proper battling condition back then, but now was the time to settle the score.

"Battle begin!" The ref declared, lowering his flags.

"Magmortar, use Flame Thrower!" Griffen started the battle, not wasting a moment to attack.

"Typhlosion, press it back with Lava Plume!" Blake shot back. These two attacks were nothing more than a test between the two trainers who had recalled the first time they had met and the short battle they had held. It was a comparison to back then.

The two large Fire type attacks met with a large blast, neither of the attacks managing to over power the other. The scale of the attacks was ridiculous in terms of power and spread, covering practically the entire field with flames when the attack ended. Typhlosion smirked at Magmortar. Their power was even now.

"Did it get really hot in here?" One of fans in the front rows asked the person sitting next to them while loosening the collar of their shirt.

"I think it did." She replied, using her hand to fan herself.

"Typhlosion, let's use Focus Blast!" Blake shouted, planning to use the newest attack that had been added to Typhlosion's arsenal. The Volcano Pokemon gave a loud snarl before it clapped its hands together before separating them a bit where a light blue orb formed which it proceed to fire at Magmortar. "Then follow it with the Pyro Quick Attack!"

"Magmortar, knock it away with Fire Punch!" Griffen called out. Magmortar's left hand became engulfed in flames as the Focus Blast neared it. With ease Magmortar slapped away the attack that flew straight into the wall of the stadium, putting a sizable crater in it.

In the shadow of the Focus Blast was Typhlosion who rammed itself into Magmortar, but the Blast Pokemon was prepared enough to intercept Typhlosion's attack with its Fire Punch enhanced hand, reducing the damage that could be done before it pushed Typhlosion backward. Despite being pushed backward, Typhlosion lunged in a second time, but this time Magmortar dropped its hand down on top of Typhlosion with a heavy chop, slamming it down into the field.

Typhlosion's heat shield that came with the use of the attack broke through the field, preventing any physical damage from taking place on the Volcano Pokemon, protecting it properly. A large blast of scarlet flames forced Magmortar to back away from Typhlosion, preventing it from beginning a heavy assault on Typhlosion to break its shield.

"Alright Typhlosion, attack with the Pyro Quick Attack once more!" Blake called out now that their was some distance between the two Fire type Pokemon.

Griffen smirked as everything slowed down in his field of vision. It was time he got down to business and force Blake to follow him into the world of higher level Pokemon battles. Griffen shut his eyes for a moment to Synchronize with Magmortar like he had in his last match against Beck which allowed him to see everything from Magmortar's perspective.

'Alright, let's attack with Fire Punch again.' Griffen said, breaking down the Pyro Quick Attack, finding that its weakness was actually something that Blake had kept well hidden considering how long he had been using the attack. Even though the heat was being produced from Typhlosion's body, as it moved, a small point in the all the heat opened up at the front which could be used to break through the heat shield and attack the Volcano Pokemon.

Blake's eyes became wide as Magmortar drilled its fist into Typhlosion's heat shield, breaking through it with ease before hitting Typhlosion head on which sent the Volcano Pokemon rocketing backward. How did Griffen and Magmortar crack the secret to his Pyro Quick Attack?

'It…This has to be what the World stage is like.' Blake concluded, realizing that even though he was fighting for the IBF Championship, there was still another Circuit above this one. The World Circuit. 'That means their must be a ton of trainers that are just as strong as Griffen, maybe even stronger.'

Just when he felt as though he was closing in on the Golden Flash, Blake received his first taste of the World stage, and now he could clearly see that it would be no easy task to make it to the top.

"Typhlosion, up on your feet." Blake commanded, motioning for his downed Pokemon to rise up which it did with ease, showing that while it had taken a hard it, it was still ready to continue battling. "Lava Plume!"

Griffen would be his test. His test to see how he would measure up to World level standards.

'Flame Thrower!' Griffen said in a whisper to Magmortar.

The Blast Pokemon raised both its arms, pointing them at the approaching wave of scarlet flames. Producing orange flames from its arms, the two opposing fires met with a flaming hot battle for control. Screams from the crowd about the flames almost reaching the stands was a warning to the maintenance crew that the crowd was in danger.

This was something that was rarely used for matches at the IBF level, but the safety of the crowd came first to the stadium manager. Below the actual stadium was a large room dedicated for the workers of the stadium to oversee the battles as well as monitor the activity of any and everything throughout the stadium.

"Raise the barriers!" A woman shouted, looking at the temperature readings in the stands that had sky rocketed after the two Fire type attacks met.

The small wall that separated the fans from the field that encompassed the entire field possessed a thin line that split it in half from the top. Below the stadium field were dozens of Psychic type Pokemon that had just received an order to case a field of psychic energy over the field in between the fans and the field to prevent the flames from harming anyone.

A clear barrier rose up in between the fans and the field, blocking the flames and heat without distorting the viewing experience of the fans.

"The temperature is dropping."

"Good, but monitor the Psychic Pokemon."

"Yes ma'am."

Back in the stadium, the fans were terrified as they stared down at the burning field. Both the trainers and the Pokemon had disappeared inside the fire, and it appeared as though there was no sign of any of them reappearing. The ref had abandoned his usual post, taking safety in the announcer's box where even the announcer was struggling to speak. He was just as worried about the condition of the two trainers.

At the center of the flames, a space was blown open revealing Magmortar and Typhlosion locked hand in hand, trying to over power each other while snarling and growling at their opponent. Griffen was the first of the two trainers to reappear from the flames, slightly charred from the flames but otherwise he was fine.

'Magmortar, Mach Punch.' Griffen said to his partner who broke away from Typhlosion. Magmortar then began to race around Typhlosion leaving after imagers of itself as it moved, attacking its opponent with fast and sharp jabs. Typhlosion struggled to follow Magmortar's movements, unable to protect itself from any of the Blast Pokemon's attack.

In the stands, numerous people were beginning to panic since Blake had yet to show his face after disappearing in the flames.

"Come on Blake!" Mari and Robbie shouted together, hoping their friend and rival would show his face and win the battle.

"Blake, you had better beat this guy if you beat me!" Matt called out, cupping his hands around his mouth for the effect of a megaphone.

"Hurry up and beat this guy Blake!" Grace shouted along with Lana who was standing beside her.

'I expected better Blake, but I guess that means I really am ready for the World.' Griffen said to himself, watching Magmortar pound away at Typhlosion. 'Wait, what's that?'

Way on the other side of the flames, a silhouette in the flames.

"Typhlosion!" It was Blake, and as he made his way out of the flames, everyone could see he had received quite a harsh blaze from the flames. A large portion of his shirt had been burned straight off his body, and what had been covered by that section of his shirt was now blackened from the flames, but Blake seemed to be ignoring the pain just fine.

'Oh, so I guess you decided to join me.' Griffen said to himself a smile, glad that the battle wasn't over yet. Through Magmortar's vision, he could see that the aura surrounding Blake had become much stronger that it was at the beginning of the battle.

Blake could easily read through Magmortar's movements while it was attacking with Mach Punch, but he could clearly see that Typhlosion wouldn't be able to react to the fast attack. After his match with Grace the day before, Blake had locked himself away in his room to study what exactly he was capable of while he was in this state of mind. He could see that the only solution to utilizing his new vision was to Synchronize with his Pokemon.

But Blake hated that fact. Synchronizing with his Pokemon was out of the question if he was battling in the Battle Circuit. Not because it was against the rules, he doubted that the officials even knew about Synchronism, but because it seemed pretty cheap to use such a huge advantage against trainers who wouldn't be able to counter his moves, Blake had decided that he wouldn't use this ability in the Battle Circuit.

Now Blake was staring something he never thought he would meet in the Battle Circuit. In his black and white vision, Blake saw a pair of lime green eyes on both Griffen and Magmortar.

'Synchronism.' Blake stated, glaring at his opponent. 'Was he using this in all his battles?'

That didn't matter to Blake anymore, his number one concern was beating Griffen. And it was clear to him now how Griffen had been dominating the battle as well as cracking through his Pyro Quick Attack with such ease. He would have to pull out all the stops if he was going to beat a trainer like this.

Blake closed his eyes for a moment, creating link between himself and Typhlosion, greeting his Pokemon as the two of them began to exist on the same mindscape.

Magmortar came a quick stop before rushing in at Typhlosion for the finishing blow to its jaw, but before it could land the attack, Typhlosion's hand was in the path of the punch, catching it with ease. Griffen's smile became wider as both Blake's and Typhlosion's eyes snapped open, being lime green in color. Now he was truly impressed with Blake.

Synchronism and potential to become a trainer that would be legendary on the World Circuit. This would truly be his greatest battle.

'Quick Magmortar, use Hyper Beam!"

Blake could see the claws on Magmortar's extended arm recede into its arm before a large amount of energy began to gather into its cannon-like hand.

'Typhlosion, use the Scarlet Shield!'

The Hyper Beam was fired at point blank range at Typhlosion who hadn't moved, which surprised Griffen. The attack exploded just as soon as it was fired, creating a large cloud of black smoke. A moment after the cloud was created; Magmortar and Typhlosion came skidding out of the smoke on their feet, moving toward their trainers while leaving a trail of smoke as they moved.

'Marmortar, Flame Thrower!'

'Typhlosion, Lava Plume!'

As the two Pokemon came to a halt, they unleashed another Fire attack on the other, increasing the size of the flames that covered the field as the fans roared. Blake could hear their screams, and while he knew they were supporting him, he was slightly irritated that they had no idea who damn hot this battle was at the moment. He was sweating, his skinned was burned, and he had thrown away his sneakers long before, finding that his feet could actually withstand the heat better than his shoes. But at the same time, Griffen was in a similar condition, and this battle looked as though it would be making it to the climax soon.

Both of the participating Pokemon were clearly exhausted, suffering from a Burn status and were clearly on their last leg of strength. But Typhlosion was acting funny. The flames on the back of its neck exploded outward, becoming much larger than they usually were.

'Man, its special ability will raise the strength of its Fire attacks.' Griffen muttered to himself, seeing that this battle was beginning to turn in Blake's favor.

'We'll have to stick to using Fire type attacks if we're going to win. Typhlosion, use Lava Plume on the field to push yourself into the air!' Blake said. Typhlosion only had one shot at beating Magmortar, and that was to use its trump card right now.

'Magmortar, finish it with Mach Punch!' Griffen said quickly. If he could land the first hit, the match would be his win.

The two Pokemon quick took action, Magmortar racing across the field at Typhlosion, planning to end this all in one go. Unfortunately, the cost of using Hyper Beam finally caught up with Magmortar, reducing its speed by fifty percent which gave Typhlosion the time it needed to use Lava Plume as a trap.

The Volcano Pokemon opened up its mouth, releasing a powerful blast of flames which quickly pushed it up into the air, creating a wall of flames where it previously was located. Magmortar charged into the flames, unable to stop itself in time, but the Blast Pokemon found itself in a tough situation. The power of the Typhlosion's Lava Plume attack forced it down to knees.

'This power, it's so strong!' Griffen exclaimed. Typhlosion had become incredibly powerful since their first meeting on Meteor Falls. He could see now that Blake had strengthened its base stats to an impressive point since their last meeting.

'Now Typhlosion, let's end this with the Scarlet Shield!' Blake shouted. If this attack failed, Typhlosion's stamina would be completely drained and this battle would be over. It was an all or nothing bet now that Typhlosion had a clear shot at Magmortar.

Griffen stared at the situation from both his perspective as well as that of Magmortar's. The Blast Pokemon had been pressed down to the field with the power of the Lava Plume, and now it wouldn't be able to move out of the way of the approaching finisher. Hyper Beam was out of the question, and all of Magmortar's other attacks wouldn't be able to create an opening for it to move in the Lava Plume

'Blake huh…I guess I've met my match.' Griffen muttered as the Typhlosion fell toward Magmortar. 'The World Circuit is a big place. But I guess the only thing I can now is train my Pokemon and get ready. Hopefully we'll meet again in the Battle Circuit…Blake.'

A large portion of the field was blown up into the air on impact. Magmortar's eyes became wide as it was hit, being driven further and further into the field by Typhlosion. The fans could only stare in awe as the field fell back down in the chunks, creating a large cloud of dust that prevented the ref from making his judgment for a good bit of time.

The stadium manager dare not turn on the sprinkler system to out the flames to avoid doing anything to the two Fire type Pokemon that were present on the field. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin the judgment of such an amazing match.

Blake ran onto the field, trying to check for himself, but the mountain began to shake which threw him to the ground, beginning to frighten the fans as well. There was no way Typhlosion's attack could've caused a tremor inside of Mt Corenet.

Johto Region

Ruins of Alph

Lexor stood alone inside a dark room in the deepest part of the ruins, staring at the floating orb of energy that was surrounded by Unown. The small black Pokemon glowed in the darkness as they raced around the orb, casting Psychic energy onto the orb to combine the conflicting energy inside into one energy source.

'This process is taking a lot longer than I expected.' Lexer said to himself before jolt ran up his left arm.

His Crest began to glow in the darkness in a darker color than the usual hot pink it normally possessed. That was his cue to look up at the ceiling of the room, beginning to laugh.

"Well, it looks as though the Storm is beginning a lot earlier than I planned on. It's good that I have a few back up measures to buy me sometime to conquer Kanto and Johto." Lexer said to himself. The time he still needed to complete the Tanoby Keystone Operation would still far off in the distance, but that wouldn't affect him at all. All that meant was that his brothers would get a head like they had from the start.

Hoenn Region

Mt Pyre

Titus looked around at the wall that surrounded the flat top of Mt Pyre. Surprisingly, after coming all the way to the top of the now dormant volcano, Titus found that the very top of the mountain had been unaffected by its previous eruption. The top of the mountain had been sealed off from the rest, possessing a crasy plain with a small rock pedestal at the center of the enclosed area.

On the pedestal was three slots for each of the Orbs he had collected. He had put the Orbs in place weeks before, but for each Orb to override the control of a Crest to its respective Legendary Pokemon, a lot of time was required.

Titus groaned when the Crest on his left hand opened up against his will.

'I see that Sander was the first among the three of us to get his plan under way.' Titus muttered to himself, a bit irritated that he had been beaten by his older brother once again.

Sinnoh Region

Spear Pillar

"It's complete!" Sander shouted, staring at Arceus in its two separate forms. Abyss Arceus stood by itself, observing its surroundings while Pure Arceus lay on its side, too weak to move on its own. "Nadia, Aidan, Diana!"

The triplets looked up toward Sander, all of them just barely past the age of nine.

"Yes father?" They asked in unison.

"Take Pure Arceus and seal it away. The beginning of the Storm is about to begin!" Sander proclaimed, motioning for the three small children and the respective Legendary Pokemon to take away the body of Pure Arceus. Uxie, Mespirit and Azelf followed the three children over to the large white Centaur Pokemon, placing their hands on it before the group of seven disappeared, leaving behind a trail of sparkles.

Abyss Arceus, the source of all Pokeosis was now under Sander's control, and thus the Storm could finally begin.

"Come Abyss Arceus, the King awaits!" Sander called out, allowing Dialga and Palkia to disappear in a flash of light. The Space-Time Legendaries had to return to their Crests now, and that only left Giratina who returned the Reverse World. After being summoned by Sander, the man no longer wished for it to be out now that he had taken control of Abyss Arceus.

The mention of the word 'King' seemed to anger the black Centaur Pokemon, gaining a loud roar from it that shook the mountain.

"Can you sense the King?" Sander asked, reminding it that it possessed more than the regular five senses of a Human. It's dark red eyes began to glow as it scanned the mountain, looking down into the Battle Dome below where it could see multiple open Crests all over the stadium.

It roared once again before a dark orb formed in front of its head which it proceeded to fire at the floor, blowing a large hole through the base of Spear Pillar and the ceiling of the Battle Dome.

Blake gasped his right wrist, feeling surge of energy run through it before shooting up his arm, his Crest advancing to level two without his command.

'What's going on?' Blake asked himself, his concern for Typhlosion becoming second on his list when the ceiling to the Battle Dome was suddenly blow open followed by a loud gargled shout. The lighting of the stadium was directed up at the hole where a dark Pokemon was descending toward the field.

Lana and Grace gasped out loud, realizing what must've been taking place in Spear Pillar during the IBF Tourney.

"Lana! It must be after Blake!" Grace exclaimed, looking toward her friend who had already risen to her feet.

"Then let's move! We have to help Blake!" Lana shouted, rushing down the staircase from her seat toward the field.

"Right!" Grace said, following Lana who had gotten a huge head start on her.

Standing on the head of Abyss Arceus was Sander who was laughing, although this went unheard by everyone. Their attention was on Abyss Arceus who seemed to be glaring at Blake with its piercing red eyes.

"The time has arrived for the King to fall now that the Storm as begun!"

The Storm has started Abyss Arceus finally making its first full appearance, right at the end of Blake and Griffen's undecided match. As for the outcome of that match, you'll find out soon enough. But what did you think? I thought this one was better than Blake vs Grace and Griffen vs Beck.

Anyway, moving on to you guys. All of you who thought Synchronism was the answer, you were correct. Unfortunately, using Synchornism is incredibly dangerous to the trainer. At first I was going to have it be that the trainer experiences all of the damage the Pokemon takes in battle, but then I was like, a Hyper Beam might kill them so the trainer only experiences the physical damage a Pokemon takes.

And now I wanted to give a little more information about Abyss Arceus since its part in the plot will be out in the open within the next five chapters...I think. Anyway, Abyss Arceus isn't a corrupted Arceus, its a separate form of Arceus that was trapped inside it. Sander used multiple Red Chains to first tear them apart and then take control of Abyss Arceus. So at the moment, their are two Arceus' existing together, Abyss Arceus and Pure Arceus. I'll let the story explain the rest once we reach that point.

Once again, thanks for all the reviews guys. It warms my heart to see that someone appreciates this. :D Now that all my build up has finished, its time for this fic to get serious.

R & R!