Chapter 39

10/26/0046/Night

Eterna City

Pokemon Center

The Crests that had been gathered together at the Mt Corenet Battle Dome were now located in the Eterna City Pokemon Center, grouped together in the lounge where they were watching yet another rerun of the biggest event in the Sinnoh Region.

"We have just received news from Professor Cedar that the two Pokemon that had appeared at Mt Corenet have been confirmed to Legendary Pokemon. While the reason for the appearance of these two Pokemon has yet to be determined, Professor Cedar has put out a warning for anyone living near Mt Corenet to leave the area for now as researchers come to investigate." The anchor went on before looking toward the co-anchor that was seated beside him.

"In other news, the IBF Tourney has come to a conclusion and while the winner wasn't declared properly, the officials that were present did come to a conclusion during the event that followed the final match." The co-anchor explained as multiple images appeared on the screen showing the havoc and destruction of the Battle Dome when Abyss Arceus appeared.

Specific spots in the images were zoomed in on, revealing Blake's still active Typhlosion saving Blake from Abyss Arceus's initial as well as Griffen returning his unconscious Magmortar to its Poke-ball.

"The trainer known as Blake from New Bark Town has been named this year's number one contender for the IBF Title. Unfortunately, the IBF Champion was attending the finals, but he hasn't been found yet in the Mt Corenet Battle Dome or the surrounding area. For now, stay tuned as we get live feed from the search and rescue team that's inside Mt Corenet.

"Blake, where are you going?" Grace called out to the boy that was headed for the exit of the Pokemon Center. Blake came to a stop before turning enough to see Grace out of the corner of his eyes.

"I'm going to Canalave City to catch a boat back to Johto." Blake replied. "Nurse Joy told me that Ryuu is suffering from some kind of infection called Pokeosis and she can't treat it at the moment. She suggested that I go to Professor Elm and Evergreen in Johto since the two of them put out a notice that they have been working on a vaccine for it."

"So you weren't going to tell anyone, were you?" Grace inquired through narrow eyes which gained a rather cold stare from Blake. That was something she had received from him in a while.

"I wasn't planning on it. Right now I have no time to waste." Blake replied, reminding Grace of why he was in such a rush to get going again.

"Blake, I know you want to find Lana as fast as you can. So do I, but you can't just go running around wherever you want to anymore. The Dark Crests will surely be targeting you now since they need you to break the seal on Abyss Arceus." Grace said, trying to reason with Blake who turned around to face her properly.

"Look...if this was a few days I would've been gone a long time ago. But after seeing Arceus ruin everything at Mt Corenet, I can tell that you guys clearly aren't spewing garbage. It has to be real." Blake began. "But I already failed everyone once, I'm not going to let it happen a second time."

"Well...if you're that set on leaving, then let me come with you." Grace pleaded, deciding that it was best that she join in him wherever he goes now.

"...Fine then. Ten minutes is all you've got to get your stuff." Blake said, receiving a cheer from Grace before she took off in a sprint toward the elevator so that she could return to her room.

'Man, just when I thought I would get some peace and quiet.' Blake muttered to himself, wondering if should just leave while he still had the chance.

The thought of traveling alone with his headphones on all the time was indeed a very appealing thought. but one fact stood out like a sore thumb to Blake.

He couldn't travel alone on the ground. His sense of direction was tolal crap, and he was sure to get lost on the way to Canalave City whether he wanted to or not. And the few times had traveled by himself he had been hopelessly lost most of the time. He had to rely on directions from passing travelers as well the map function of his Pokedex.

As the time limit he had given Grace approached, Blake stood by the exit. Looking out the door, Blake placed his hand on the handle, prepared to push it open to make is exit. But as he pushed forward, a voice called out to him.

"Sorry it took so long Blake, we had to say good bye to everyone before we left." That wasn't Grace's voice. It was too deep.

"Matt?" Blake turned on his heels to find Matt standing behind him along with Grace who only gave him a small grin. "Grace..."

"It's just so boring to travel with you alone Blake. You never talk, so I asked Matt to come with us." Grace explained, receiving a half hearted glare from Blake. In reply, Grace blew a raspberry at him before Matt took charge.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Matt asked, stepping toward the front doors of the Pokemon Center which he proceeded to open before motioning for the two of them follow him. "Let's make some tracks!"

Both Grace and Matt left first, leaving Blake to shrug now that he had managed to pick up a pair of traveling companions in a moment's notice.

'Hmm…maybe this won't be so bad.' Blake muttered to himself, recalling the times he had spent traveling with this duo. Maybe he was better off traveling with them.

11/17/0047/Late Afternoon

Canalave City

Harbor

The trip to Canalave City had been long and rather scary. The event on Mt Corenet nearly a month ago had caused mass hysteria throughout the Sinnoh Region as people that had been attending the IBF Finals spread their stories throughout the region. But every word of it was true.

"It was a freakin' massacre!"

"I never thought I'd see the day when Pokemon would kill humans."

"It was…horrific."

The dark tale of hundreds of people being killed by strange Pokemon at the IBF Finals had put all of Sinnoh in shock. People that owned Pokemon as pets or assistants were now keeping a distance from their Pokemon, even going as far as to release their Pokemon, believing that they were dangerous.

Now Blake, Matt and Grace stood on the ramp to border the ship that would take them directly to Olivine City which was also the location of Professor Elm's second lab. The line to get on the ship was long as many people had thought that it was best they leave Sinnoh for some time and allow the authorities to handle the situation with the Pokemon.

All of their Pokemon hadn't been released from their Poke-balls in days. In each city they went though, the citizens were paranoid. They were on the lookout just to make sure Pokemon didn't enter the cities.

Routes in between cities had been abandoned by regular people. Only trainers that had enough experience with Pokemon still possessed their partners, but the fear of Pokemon was steadily sweeping across the region. Hopefully things would be different across the seas in Johto and Kanto.

11/20/0047/Morning

Olivine Harbor

Matt gave a content yawn as he, Grace and Blake stepped off the ship that had taken them to the Johto Region. The past three days had been filled with nothing but card games and mindless chatting for these three trainers. After learning about the results of the IBF Tourney, all three of them were crushed with the fact that all of their efforts resulted in no clear winner because of the interference during the final match.

The Battle Circuit in Sinnoh had also been shut down for the time being, so none of them had participated in a single match since the end of the IBF Tourney. All they were sure about at the moment was that all of them had a very high ranking in the IBF, possibly in the top ten. But for now getting his Salamence and Absol checked out by Professor Elm was the top priority on Blake's list.

"So what's the plan now?" Matt asked, looking back at Blake how was stretching a bit.

"Now we head over to Professor Elm's lab. I want him to check out Ryuu and Absol to see if there's anything he can do." Blake explained as he motioned toward the large city that they were about to enter.

The trip to his lab took about twenty minutes, but when they arrived they found what had to be the messiest room in Johto. It was clear to them that two Professor that were working together were struggling to stay organized which was a sign that they were experiencing numerous discoveries that were taking up all their time.

The two Professors could be seen rushing around the lab in a hurried manner. Papers were scattered all over the floor and desks, and both of the two researchers looked like they hadn't slept in days. Resting in the center of the room was a large tank that contained a Pokemon that Blake was very familiar with.

It was the Heatran he had fought in Slateport City.

"Ah Blake, what can I do for you?" Elm said as he finally noticed the presence of the three trainers in his lab.

"I was in Sinnoh a few weeks ago for the IBF Tourney, and at the Finals, the stadium was attacked by Arceus." Blake explained as he took out two Poke-balls. " During the attack, Ryuu...my Salamence was hit but one of the attacks from Arceus, and it has been acting very strange ever since then. And my Absol has been the same after it was hit by one of the oddly colored Pokemon at the Battle Dome. Nurse Joy told me that they had been infected with something called Pokeosis, and she suggested I come to you."

Professor Elm raised an eyebrow. Perhaps this would be the missing link to explain the appearance of Pokeosis. But he had to check to make sure that his hunch was correct.

"Let me take a look." He said, accepting the Poke-ball Blake held which he placed in one of the scanners on the far side of the room. The scan only took two minutes but when it was completed, Elm had the answer to both his own dilemma and Blake's.

"Its body has taken on a high quantity of Pokeosis Blake." Elm began, calling over the boy.

"So what is it?"

"It's a disease that only affects Pokemon, although its original properties have altered. Several centuries ago Pokeosis used to enhance the growth of a Pokemon, although it rarely appeared. At the very beginning of the Dark Days its genetic make up was changed which caused it to become quite a common, and turned Pokemon in Abyss Pokemon. When they contract Pokeosis, they revert back to their original mentality where they depend solely on their instincts and fight only for themselves." Elm explained.

"Is there any way to fix this?"

"Fortunately, because you captured this Heatran I've been able to study Pokeosis. As it turns out, my hunch about Legendary Pokemon being the source of Pokeosis was correct, and after studying it for some time with Professor Evergreen, we've been working on a vaccine in the scenario that the return of the Legendary Pokemon causes Pokeosis to spread across the world like it did before the Dark Days began." Elm went on, motioning to the unconscious Pokemon that rested in the tank. "We've tested it on Pokemon that have contracted Pokeosis, but we haven't had any success so far. Our last test was about a month ago so there's no harm in trying again on your Salamence."

"So you can help us out?" Blake asked.

"Of course Blake." Elm replied, giving him a smile. "The whole process could take about three hours, so go pass some time in the city."

Blake gave him nod and a soft thanks before returning to Grace and Matt.

Olivine City

The change between Sinnoh was rather abrupt for Blake, Grace and Matt. Unlike the paranoid citizens of the Sinnoh Region, the people of Johto were still comfortable with Pokemon. It was rather comforting since they three trainers didn't have the freedom to release there Pokemon anywhere they wanted to in the Sinnoh Region.

There were numerous battles taking place all over the city, but at the center of the town was the location of the biggest battles in a large plaza. Matt had heard several people talking about it and insisted that they check it out, something that Grace and Blake couldn't pass of either. They hadn't battled anyone in quite some time.

Arriving at the battling site, the group three couldn't help but become excited at the sight of so many battles taking place. Now was their opportunity to get back in their groove.

All three of them jumped at the first chance they could get for a battle, but before they could even begin their battles, the bystanders quickly recognized them from the IBF Tourney. Initially Blake thought that this fact would scare away most of the trainers, but it did the opposite. He was receiving challenges left and right. Everyone wanted to test themselves against an IBF ranker.

"Gallade, finish this with Leaf Blade!" Blake called out to his Pokemon, pointing at their opponent who was using a Wartortle.

"Lade!" It said sharply as it rushed in toward Wartortle who couldn't keep up with its superior speed. Gallade crashed into Wartortle, slamming its forearms into the shell of the turtle Pokemon which sent it tumbling backwards.

Wartortle came skidding to a halt in front of its trainer, both of its eyes replaced with black swirls which marked the end of the battle.

"Nice job Gallade." Blake said, giving it a thumbs up. He had forgotten how easy some battles could be since he had only been battling against trainers that were at the IBF level for a few months now. It felt weird battling trainers that could barely keep up with him.

"Whoa, you're Gallade is so strong!" Blake's opponent exclaimed as they returned their unconscious Pokemon. Blake gave him a nod of acknowledgement before the sea of people that had been observing began to call out their requests of a battle against Blake.

Blake simply selected his opponents at random, although he had yet to face an opponent that could battle him on an even plain. Recalling the last time he was in Olivine City, Blake could remember battling numerous trainers but he was an unknown trainer that had yet to take part in the Rookie Kings. Now the whole region seemed to knew his name as trainers from all over the city flocked to battle him. He had come quite far since the beginning of his journey.

But his next opponent had broken through the crowd and stepped forward, saying that she had to battle him. Blake paid no mind to her at first, concluding that she was a highly aggressive trainer, but when she released a Meganium onto the battle ground, Blake's attention was drawn to the start Pokemon. Starter Pokemon couldn't be found to often, so he could only wonder who was trainer was. And that was when he found a familiar face.

"Mari?" Blake said, now recognizing the brunette who gave him a peace sign.

"I was just beginning to think you wouldn't say hi Blake, although you never seem to do that to begin with so…" Mari trailed off for a moment before returning her gaze to Blake. "Anyway, I saw you at the IBF Tourney and I want to battle you again."

Blake only blinked before his lips curved upward. His heart beat began to speed up as he anticipated the battle that was soon to take place. He could understand what Mari was thinking about.

This was like a rematch after the finals of the Rookie Kings.

"Let's do this." He said confidently.

"Meganium, use Vine Whip!" Mari hollered.

"Gallade, use Leaf Blade." Blake commanded.

Gallade lunged forward, its forearms becoming a dark green as Meganium threw out several thick vines at it from its neck. The psychic type Pokemon pressed forward, batting away the powerful vines close in on Meganium where it lashed out with its left arm aiming for its neck. But Meganium was prepared for this as used three of its vines to take a hold of Gallade's arm and halt its attack.

Mari took a step backward from the battlefield, but stumbled over her own feet which resulted in her landing on her bottom. Blake and Gallade had finished off Meganium with a combination of Double Team, Psycho Cut and Night Slash.

Mari had initially thought that using the two attacks that were polar opposites would result in the attack canceling itself out, but Gallade had balanced the two attacks appropriately. Not only had Gallade approached Meganium in a manner where it couldn't defend itself thanks to the confusion of the Double Team, but the finishing pink and black cyclone had sent a shiver up Mari's spine.

She had never seen anything like it.

At first she was holding her own against Blake, matching his pace, but Blake abruptly ended the battle as though he could've done so from the start. Looking up at the boy that Mari had deemed as her rival, she could see now how Blake rose to the top of the IBF. He was indeed a strong trainer.

Walking across the plaza, Blake came to a stop in front of Mari's Meganium where he proceeded to check the Pokemon himself. The finishing Night Slash-Psycho Cut combo had left a heavy layer of scratches on Meganium. But it was nothing Nurse Joy couldn't heal.

Blake then continued toward Mari, taking a moment to look down at her. Then he offered her a hand which she accepted with a smile before he helped her up to her feet. Mari thanked Blake kindly but as the crowd began to request a battle against Blake again, the dark haired boy decided to call it a day. He had battled over two dozen people with his entire team, and now it seemed like it was time to take a break.

Blake deadpanned with the crowd quickly dispersed since Grace and Matt were still battling like there was no tomorrow. But that didn't matter, he was more curious about how Mari got to Johto after he left the group in Sinnoh.

"Robbie's here too." She began, surprising Blake. "Right before you left, Grace and Matt came to talk to everyone and told us that its best we return to our home region. No one could really complain with that since everyone in Sinnoh is going crazy because that whole mess on Mt Corenet."

"I see..." Blake muttered. "But how did you guys get here before us?"

"Honestly, you guys are slow. Robbie and I saw you guys while we were passing through Floaroma Town. From there we thought you guys would keep up with us but we left you in the dust." Mari explained. "Assuming you guys got here today, we told the three days before your's."

Blake recalled their travels through Sinnoh. Were they really that slow? They had gotten lost in Eterna Forest so that was a waste of two days. Perhaps they did move slow pace, although that really didn't matter to Blake. But there was a topic he wanted to address Mari while he had the chance.

"Hey Mari, do you know anything about the word, Crest?" Blake asked, looking at the brunette who seemed to smile before looking directly into Blake's eyes.

"I was told that anyone with a Crest with either fight alongside the King, or against him." Was all she said. Blake seemed to cringe at the mention of the word 'King'. There were too many people addressing him as that now. But the whole thing was still shrouded with mystery. And now…he wanted to know more.

Unfortunately, his Pokedex began to ring. Blake halted their conversation for a moment to answer the call.

"Blake? It's Professor Elm."

"Yeah?" Blake replied.

"The vaccine was a success." Elm said which allowed a wave of relief to wash over Blake. "Although Salamence and Absol will need some immediate treatment at a Pokemon Center. There's still a lot of work to be done with the vaccine, but we're making progress. I'm happy to announce that your Salamence and Absol are now immune to Pokeosis."

"Thanks Professor, I'll be right over to pick them up." Blake said before ending the call. Blake then looked toward Mari, motioning for her to walk with him. "So do you know anything else?"

"I don't know much. But from what I've seen, Team Rocket seems to connected to this in someway, along with the Legendary Pokemon." Mari began as the two of the began to head in the direction of Professor Elm's lab. "I ran into Entei after the Rookie Kings, and that's when all this weird stuff started happening."

"Like what?"

"Well first it asked me to unite our Crests, and then it told me that the final clash between the Crests of Light and Darkness will fight again. I don't really get what that means at the moment, all I know is that Entei is my partner." Mari explained, revealing a small fact that Blake hadn't known.

He knew of the Dark Crests, but he only viewed them as people with bad intentions who had Crests. But it appeared as though the Crests were divided into two groups that must've been fighting beforehand.

He still had much to learn.

After picking up Salamence, Blake and Mari made their way over the to the Pokemon Center where they left Salamence under the care of Nurse Joy who said it should be fine in an hour. During this time, Mari related her experience when Alan attacked her and Robbie in Sinnoh to take possession of the Mystic Water and the Magnet.

From what Blake knew, Team Rocket seemed to be gathering specific items such as the Tidal Bell and Magnet. But what they were going to use these items for still didn't make any sense. What were they for?

The hour passed by rather quickly for Blake as he allowed the information he had gathered to settle into his mind. He and Mari sat in the lounge of the Pokemon Center, quietly watching reruns of the IBF Tourney that was still major subject for the media.

Nurse Joy stepped into the room, waving to Blake which gained his attention. She then motioned for him to come over to her which he did silently.

"Your Salamence and Absol are completely healed." She said with a smile.

"Thanks." Was all Blake said in return as he accepted the Poke-ball from the woman. As Blake clipped the Poke-ball back onto his belt, he turned around to find Mari standing up with her Pokedex pressed against her right ear.

"Yeah, we'll be there in a few minutes." She said before hanging up. "Robbie just called, he, Grace and Matt are heading over the Battle Dome and they want us to come too."

"Alright." And with the that, the two of them began the rather short journey to the Battle Dome which was on the other side of town.

Blake could easily assume that the plan was for all of them to have a match on the same night to show off the skills they had gained since their separation at Goldenrod City. And he was completely fine with that. After all, he had yet to see how much Robbie had improved.

The trip took about a half an hour, but Blake and Mari entered the Battle Dome, the found a rather strange sight. The front desk was completely empty which was odd for a Battle Dome. This was normally the most crowded area next to the stands on the night of match.

Instead, the trainers seemed to be packed into the lounge where everyone's attention was drawn to large television that was displaying a live feed from a special news report.

"We have two helicopters arriving at the scene that was once New bark Town. Most people known this town as a rest top where you're going to or from Tojho Falls, but its come to our attention that entire time has just disappear right off the map." The newscaster explained. "And its place is a barren, blackened field. It appears as though the area was razed to the ground by some unknown force, but we still haven't been able to determine the cause of this."

Blake's eyes widened as he saw the sight of what was once his home town. The green pasture he had grown up on was nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash. What happened?!

Blake felt sick to his stomach for a moment before he steeled himself. Was this a natural occurrence? Or could it possibly be related to the Crests? Either way, he wanted answers. And he was heading to New Bark Town to find out for himself.

Chapter 39.

I know's its been a long time guys, and I'm sorry for the wait, but here is the next chapter. Now we have Blake moving on from the event in Sinnoh, deciding to switch his focus from the Battle Circuit to mystery surrounding the Crests. But while Blake changes his focus, Sinnoh is in shambles as the trust between humans and Pokemon diminishes.

Sorry again for the long wait, and hopefully I will reduce the wait time some more in the future. I'm nearing the completion of my other Pokemon fic, so once that is finished I'll have more free time to work on this as well as my third fic.

What did you all think? Was this chapter any good? Give me something guys, and thanks for all the support during the IBF Finals guys, much appreciated! :D And while I'm on the topic of reviews, I'd like to mention that the incredibly long review from Farla is something I asked for. I'd like to thank her for that review and for tearing apart my work to see what I can work on.

Thanks for all the reviews guys and I encourage you to keep it up! Makes me all happy and giddy! Anyway, peace out!