The Sword of Arceus

by Andrew2013

The kingdom of Floroma has asked for assistance from the Four Swords Academy and they respond by sending three of their best unfortunately one of them doesn't even want to be there. Shadow a Lucario will have to face his past if he ever wants to protect the princess of Floroma from the threat to the Sinnoh Nation. And the threat to everyone he cares about. Can he protect everyone?

4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Old Wounds Opened

Morning came rather quickly for the Pokémon of the Floroma Kingdom. Shadow had woken up feeling a little different then he usually did. He remembered how nervous he felt when Grace was saying all those things about him and felt that he had found a true friend in her. At least that's what he hoped for because if it turned out like Lola's betrayal he'd never be able to come back to this kingdom let alone defend any of its kings, queens, princesses, or princes.

Shadow was worried that he had made a mistake last night accepting Grace as a friend. However as Shadow sat up in his bed he began to think that having her as a friend wouldn't be so bad. She reminded him of her, but at the same time he was glad that Grace wasn't her because she was alive while the other wasn't. The memory made Shadow grind his teeth, he still couldn't believe how easily they had been found.

But that's not what was making him cry though. Shadow rarely cried but when it came to this memory, it always brought him to tears. He could never handle all the pain that he had caused or all the damage he had done. It was the first time he had actually fully lost it. Although it hasn't happened in a while, that doesn't mean it made him feel any better.

All this memory served was to remind him of how monstrous he really was and what he could do with the power that he held. It was causing him to get angrier with himself. He knew if he got any angrier his Rage Mode would set off so he tried to calm down thinking of other things as he heard the sound of the knob on his door turning.

Shadow turned his head to see Lola walk into the room looking a little worried which caught Shadow by surprise. He had expected any entrance from her to be one that was a little more energetic. She walked in wearing another one of her dresses, but this one wasn't as big as the others and provided a lot more room for walking or even running if needed. He was a little skeptical at first thinking this was all just her trying to get into his head but then he saw the look in her eyes, it was that of complete concern.

Shadow again was shocked by this because he didn't expect her to be worried about him. "Are you doing better Shadow?" Lola asked getting a humph from Shadow who just turned away from her. Lola felt that Shadow would never open up to her. But at the same time her heart was telling to keep trying, miracles do happen.

"Listen," Shadow said as he stood up facing away from Lola, "if you're hear just to check on me, then I can tell you that I'm fine alright. I don't need everyone checking on me like that." Shadow said somewhat brutishly which wasn't uncommon when he spoke with someone he couldn't care less about.

"That's not the only reason I'm here though." Lola said as she took a few steps toward him before he saw his hands start to move. She thought he was going to attack her or something, but she didn't waver as she took a few more steps closer to him. "I also came because well I wanted to see you. I know you could care less about me but I care more for you than anyone would."

Shadow found that hard to believe after what he saw Grace do yesterday. Even though he had only been here for couple days he still found it hard to be here. And yet everyone here was trying to help him adjust to it, the coming back part anyway. "Thanks for the concern but I don't need it right now." Shadow said as he put a hand to his head as it began to pound.

"Are you sure because it looks like you're in pain?" Lola asked as she tried getting closer but then found herself stopped by a field of aura.

"I have that to keep anyone from trying something I wouldn't want and only someone with the power of aura can bring this down." Shadow said as his headache was getting worse. He didn't understand why his headache was getting worse but it was at the point to where he was breathing heavily. IT was like something was trying to knock him unconscious.

Suddenly his vision was starting to waver as he dropped down to one knee. Lola wanted to go to his sided but the field of aura was blocking her. Shadow was finding it harder and harder to stay up as his lungs felt like they were being twisted. His whole chest was on fire. He couldn't understand what was going on. He began to think that this might actually be Lola's doing, but then again he was too weak to do anything to him so this couldn't be her.

Lola was beginning to panic as she watched Shadow fall even further down as he now had both of his hands on the ground and was on both knees. Lola couldn't think of what to do this has never happened before. Then Shadow grabbed his head as the pain was beginning to get even worse. Shadow screamed to the heavens.

In the room next to him, Grace shot out of bed after hearing the scream. She immediately knew it was Shadow as if something was telling her, she got out of bed. However she then thought that it could have been her imagination. She had gone through a lot yesterday. That is until she heard several footsteps outside the door. She was in her black nightgown but she wanted to see what was going on.

When she opened the door she saw Yami, Cass, Melody, and Lanax all standing outside of Shadow's door. Then she saw Lola come up to Yami. "Yami he has an aura field up can you take it down?" Lola seemed desperate to get that field down, whatever she was talking about. Grace couldn't tell what was going on.

That is until Yami unleashed a Dark Pulse attack into Shadow's room. Grace's eyes widened thinking that they must be crazy. Yami seemed to be trying hard to get through something. She didn't know what though and that made her worried. Grace couldn't help it any longer as she ran to the door. When she looked inside she was horrified and saw Shadow holding his head in great pain. He was trying to hold it all in.

Yami stopped his attack as Grace ran into the room. Grace was beginning to feel the sting of tears come along as Shadow stood up and began to shout even louder. Grace couldn't stand to look at this any longer as Shadow looked to be really suffering. However before she could do anything Shadow just stopped screaming and his hands dropped. Grace thought it was all over, that is until Shadow started falling to the ground.

Grace watched in horror as Shadow fell right onto the ground unmoving. She didn't think as she ran right for him. Yami tried to stop her as he reached for her arm but missed. "Grace no the field will stop you!" However when Grace was supposed to stop and get hit by the field instead she went right through it. Everyone was in shock at how Grace was able to get through the field without any struggle.

"SHADOW!" Grace shouted as she got next to him and picked his head up. His eyes were shut but he was still breathing. "Thank Arceus you're still breathing." Grace said as a smile of extreme relief and happiness came over her. She didn't understand why she was so happy to know that he was alright, but she guessed it was because they had become friends. Shadow would have done the same for her, at least she hoped he would.

Grace used her Psychic attack to help her lift him up as she went right back through the shield and gave Shadow to Yami who was still amazed at how easily Grace had gotten through the aura field. Grace looked at him somewhat angered and he took Shadow from her. "We need to get him to the doctor right now!" Grace said as she gestured for Yami and the others to follow her. When they all snapped out of their shock they nodded their heads and followed her.

They came to a room with many beds in it and a few windows as well that were letting in a lot of light. Grace ran to the doctor as the others took Shadow to a bed. Grace didn't know what really happened but she pleaded that the doctor help him. The doctor was an Audino from the Unova Nation and nodded her head and got to work trying to see what was wrong with him. Grace to everyone's amazement seemed the most worried for some reason.

When Grace realized that she was this worried about him she rushed out of the room and hid behind a pillar. She was breathing a little heavy as her face was flushed red. She was confused as to why she was so worried about him, it didn't make any sense.

"I have to calm down." Grace told herself she was trying to snap herself out of this fear that was gripping her. The doctor here at the castle was experienced in almost all illnesses so she had to be able to help him. "Shadow isn't going to die and if I have to use that move then I will." Grace said as she nodded her head and headed back into the room.

When she got back into the room the Audino was finishing up her Heal Pulse attack that was giving Shadow a great amount of his strength back. "Arlene is he going to be okay?" Grace asked hoping for a yes.

"He should be alright but what I am wondering is how he collapsed as Yami explained to me." Arlene, the Audino said as she looked at the concerned face that Grace was giving off.

"Lola was the first one in the room when it happened, in fact she saw it happen before her eyes." Cass said as Grace looked to her with suspicion in her eyes.

"Grace what are you giving me that look for?" Grace was a little shocked that she was questioning if her princess had anything to do with Shadow's mysterious collapse. "I'm just as worried as you are about all this. I have no idea what happened, I was just as shocked as you when he started having that headache. It was like something inside of him was taking it out of him or something."

Grace looked to Shadow and began to wonder if that was really the case. If it was then Shadow needed more help then she thought, but why was he the one given such a curse like this. If it even was a curse. Grace just wished that he would pen up his eyes. Then she realized she was getting too worked up about this. She shook her head and tried to calm down again.

Meanwhile in the confines of Shadow's mind…

Shadow opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by this fog. He felt like he was going to be jumped at any moment and got ready for it but at the same time he felt a calm presence around him. It made him feel relaxed. But he wasn't letting his guard down one bit.

"It's about time the two of us met." A voice sounding somewhat strong and deep said. Shadow began turning left and right until he saw a large shadow behind him. Shadow was a little stunned at first but then was ready in case it attacked.

"What do you mean by that? Other than that who are you?" Shadow snarled as he was ready to tear this thing piece by piece. He didn't care how big it was he's killed much bigger at least he thought that he did.

"Settle down young one. I am not here to harm you and you would have been in less pain had you just let me inside your head." Shadow was confused as to what this thing was saying until he remembered the massive headache that eh ahd right before coming here. "Now you're getting it. I was trying to reach you but you were denying me entry so I had to fight my way in, sorry if it hurt you."

"Hurt me!? I collapsed you son of a…" Shadow was grinding his teeth now imagining how worried everyone must be right now. "What couldn't send a post card or a letter?"

"HAHAHA! The shadow said as what appeared to be its head jerked back as it continued to laugh. "Oh you have the same humor as your mother. It's good to see that my son was raised well."

Shadow's eyes widened when he heard that. "What the hell does that mean? You aren't my dad, he died when I was six years old!" Shadow shouted as the more this thing spoke the angrier he got.

"I don't expect you to believe me right away my son. But the one you called father was not truly your father. Yes he raised you but he was not the one who conceived you." Shadow threw an Aura Sphere at the being not caring what happened. The sphere hit its mark but the figure remained unturned by its hit. "Well I can definitely see that Cobalion has trained you well. IT was right of me to put you under his care."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shadow spat as he felt he was going around in circles.

"I was the one who led the one you know as Master Cobalion to you when you left the Floroma Kingdom and headed to Unova. If not for me you might be dead." Shadow couldn't believe what he was hearing, who the hell did this thing think he was?

"How do I know you aren't lying to me?" Shadow asked as he started to feel less and less threatened by this thing.

"Well that's not up for me to decide now is it? Anyways all I wanted was to see you that is all. I am sorry for putting you and your dear friend Grace I such worry." Shadow now felt like he was threatening Grace. "Do not worry I have no intention of harming Grace for if I did I would have done so already."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you could kill her without a second thought?" Shadow said as he could feel his blood coming to a boil now.

"Yes if you want to put things that way. But I cannot harm her for she is my son's friend. Ten years ago I wouldn't have hesitated if you had asked me to destroy the entire kingdom. I couldn't believe what Lola had done to you. Sure she might have been put on the spot like that but that didn't give her the right to betray you like that." The being, whoever he was, sounded genuinely angered by what Lola had done.

"Other than that though what you hold in your heart it must be told to someone." Shadow looked at him with wide eyes, how could he know what happened all those years ago? He wasn't there when it happened. "You're probably wondering why I know about that incident that happened ten years ago."

"Yeah not many Pokémon saw what happened and any who did were sworn to secrecy by my master so how would you know?" Shadow asked as his anger began to rise again. This time he was close to the point of losing absolute control and being lost to his Rage Mode.

"Stop it now!" The being shouted causing a large tremor to go out through wherever the hell they were. Shadow was on his knees and hands when he realized that he was close to Rage Mode, but how did this being know? "Sorry about shouting son, but I don't want to see what I saw ten years ago. It gave me nightmares to no end."

"You don't know the meaning of nightmares to no end you bastard!" The being looked at him as Shadow began to cry. The being gasped because never has he seen him cry except that one time. "You don't know what it is like to relive that moment over and over again. IT's horrifying that if I didn't have my friends I'd be dead by now. All these recurring nightmares have made me so afraid of going anywhere with someone and…"

"And that's why you need to tell someone about what happened." Shadow looked up at the being with wide eyes and a little bit of surprise. "Truth is I know better than all Pokémon how it feels to do what you did. And to have the nightmares that follow." The being had a tear run down the side of its face, its really long face at that.

"What do you mean by that?" Shadow asked in somewhat of a scared voice. He is rarely scared but he wondered what this being could mean.

"I know what it is like to get angry at yourself for just remembering these kind of things. Thinking of all the horrors you have committed, I know it better than any Pokémon." The being's tears grew in number as they continued to fall. "I wish more than ever to take it all back but if I did more suffering would ensue, and I can't let that happen."

Shadow didn't know what the being was talking about but he couldn't believe that there was someone else other than himself who thought the same way. However there was still something on his mind. "Thank you for telling me that I am not alone in this world when it comes to that pain but I have one question. How can you be my father? You are way too big and my mother was shorter than I am."

"Well at least now you know why you're so tall." The being said before he started to laugh again. Shadow just had this pouty like face as he didn't find at all funny.

"Okay but that doesn't explain how you and my mother mated." Shadow said as he blushed. He didn't want to have to say that word but he felt like he had no choice. This thing wasn't going to go anywhere unless he told him what he was talking about.

"OH that!" The being said as the dark face that the being had suddenly grew a little red. "Well, um I'd rather not say that at this point so let's just say that we did and leave at that for today."

"What!? NO!" Shadow said but before he could even get another word in a bright light came from the being and he was blinded.

Shadow's eyes opened wide and he found himself on a bed in what appeared to be the castle's infirmary. He began to wonder why he was here until he remembered that he had collapsed right in front of his friends, well most of them anyways. But his shield was up so that wouldn't allow anyone to enter except someone he wanted to enter. But then how did someone get in?

Shadow was about to get up when he felt something squeeze his hand. He turned his head and saw Grace laying her head on the bed. Grace was still in her nightgown, she never left to take it off.

Her right hand was clutching Shadow's left. He was surprised to see no one else in the room. Then again when he looked outside he noticed that much time had passed since he collapsed which would have meant that the others would be busy protecting Lola while she did her duty as this land's princess.

"Grace?" Shadow whispered as he couldn't believe that she would be here instead of by Lola's side. Shadow sat up in the bed his hand still in Grace's. He blushed as he tried to get it out but before he could even move his hand Grace began to sit up. She looked at him with half open eyes. She must have been sleeping for some time.

Grace's eyes widened when she saw that Shadow was sitting up in his bed. "Shadow you're alright." Grace said as what looked like a tear came down the side of her cheek. Shadow was actually shocked to see that happen.

"Grace why are you crying?" Shadow asked as Grace wiped the tear from her face.

"I don't know, guess I'm happy to see that you're alright." Grace said as she then looked down at her hand as did Shadow. They both blushed then looked at each other. They stared at each other for probably three seconds before they both took their hands away from each other. They looked away from each other as their faces turned red even more. But then something unexpected happened. Shadow began to laugh.

Grace looked at him a little weirded out. Shadow hasn't laughed since being here. Not even when someone told a joke that made his friends laugh. Grace was just shocked to see that from him. "It's been awhile since someone has made me feel embarrassed like that." Shadow said as he looked at her with that same gentle smile that she hasn't seen from him. Not even when he accepted her friendship, this smile was different.

"Who gave you this feeling before Shadow?" Grace asked as she sat on the bed interested in what Shadow had to say.

"Maybe I could tell Grace, maybe she wouldn't tell everyone about it." Shadow thought as he still looked at her with a smile. "Grace I need to know something, can you keep a secret?" Shadow asked as he looked down.

"Of course I can. I have had to keep many secrets for the king and queen, so I think I can keep yours." Grace said as she felt Shadow was actually going to open up to her. So then why was she so nervous? Grace couldn't believe how badly her heart was pumping.

"Well only the Pokémon at the academy know of this as do Yami and Cass but I asked them to never talk about her again." Shadow said as he began to think that maybe this wasn't a good idea.

Grace could see that Shadow was struggling with this, and she didn't like seeing him so nervous or upset. "Shadow if you don't want to tell me I'll completely understand, its things about your past and I wouldn't want you unable to trust me because of it." Grace said as she looked at the ground thinking that he would feel better about that.

"No, I have to tell you this, it's only fair actually." Shadow said as he took in a deep breath. "About five years ago there was this girl who entered the academy. She was a natural when it came to fighting, then again she was of the Mienfoo race. When I first met her she treated me like I was her best friend. Even then I was the best student Master Cobalion had, which even today I don't think is true."

Grace nodded her head as Shadow continued. "Her name was Mia, she had this look about her that was always friendly. Everyone would always be so happy to see her get up and smile at you. She was very popular with the boys around my age. It was kind of funny watching all of them get turned down as they did. It'd make me laugh actually." Shadow smiled remembering what she said one day that didn't make sense to him at the time. But now it was clearer than daylight.

"The more I would laugh at what she did the more that she would try and stay near me. At first I wanted nothing to do with her but soon I came to accept her as my friend. But that's not where it ended though," Grace was greatly intrigued now. He met some other girl who made him happy, but why did it make Grace feel angry?

"As we started to hang out more she was slowly getting closer and closer to my heart and before I knew it she had her lips on mine." Shadow was blushing at that moment and Grace was a little embarrassed to be hearing this. So this girl had given Shadow his first kiss huh, Grace began to think until she was thinking of what it must have felt like to be kissed by a boy. She had never kissed nor has ever been kissed by a boy or man in her life.

"I was surprised at first when she did it, I still remember how hard my chest was pounding. That's when I knew I liked Mia maybe even loved her. We were like that for about three maybe four months I wasn't really keeping track of the time. How could I, all my thoughts were about her until that one day." Shadow said as he began to grind his teeth.

Grace was starting to get worried now because whatever this day was it had something to do with his anger and why he always seemed to get angry so easily. "As you know I have always had the ability of Rage Mode, but what you don't know is what happens to me when I become consumed by my own rage." Grace now felt like she was about to be told something that she shouldn't know. She had this feeling because Shadow was trembling.

"Do you remember what happened five years ago, the biggest event that happened that year?" Shadow asked as he seemed to be struggling even more with this.

"Of course, everyone who was around back then know of the Pokémon Massacre. One Pokémon single handedly killed over eighty Pokémon but they never found out who did it." Grace said as she remembered how terrible it was just to hear about it. Many of those that had died were men but in them were women and children.

"I know who did it Grace, I know the exact Pokémon that killed all those innocent Pokémon." Grace looked at him with a stunned look as though Shadow could have helped them stop whoever did this long ago.

"Why didn't you turn him in though if you knew who it was?" Grace asked Shadow seemed to be grinding his teeth. "Shadow?"

"The reason why I didn't turn him in is because that Pokémon, the Pokémon who killed all those innocent women and children like they were nothing but slaughter was…me." Grace's eyes widened as she looked at him in horror. Shadow must be lying there is no way that he could have done that he's too kind to others.

"Before you say anything I want to tell you what happened that day." Grace calmed down and nodded her head. "Master Cobalion had sent Mia and I on our first mission together as a team. I thought nothing would be able to stop us. I thought we were an invincible team until it happened." Shadow said as he gripped the covers very hard. Grace saw this and immediately knew that she was about to hear something horrible.

"We were taken by surprise. They got to me first and held me down while the rest of them grabbed Mia. I shouted at them to let her go that I would kill them if they didn't. There had to be five or six of them on me because I couldn't get them off of me." Shadow said as his eyes were wide as though he was reliving the whole thing over again.

"They started to laugh and that's when they began to pull at her arms and legs." Grace began thinking that these thugs had done the worst thing imaginable to a girl or woman but that isn't what happened. "They continued to pull at her arms and legs. She was screaming so loudly that everything was hard to hear even their laughter as they continued. She looked at me pleading for me to save her. I couldn't do a thing. I was powerless."

Grace was horrified even at this moment but Shadow didn't stop there. "The last thing she said was why and that's when they tore her body apart. She was in several pieces. Her blood scattered everywhere onto my face. I was horrified at what they had done and all they did was laugh about it." Shadow was now baring his teeth as his voice became darker and more menacing. Grace was beginning to worry about Shadow.

"They kept saying how amazing it was to tear her apart like that. When I realized what had just happened my mind snapped. I was filled with so much rage and hatred that I could no longer control my powers and my full Rage Mode went off. All the Pokémon that were on top of me were thrown away." Shadow was now beginning to cry. "That's when I went at each of them tearing something off of them. I slaughtered all of them within forty seconds. But what happened next is what everyone heard."

Shadow's tears were coming down like waterfalls now. "I kept on going, there was town nearby and I went right at it. I thought that they had a part in Mia's death. I thought everyone had a part in it. The girl I loved was murdered right in front of me. My mind had snapped and all my morals were gone. All I could think of was killing everyone who I thought was a part of Mia's death. To me that was everyone else in this world." Shadow said as he sounded horrified.

Grace couldn't believe what she was hearing. Shadow was the cause of all those deaths back then. "My masters were the only ones able to stop me. But by the time they had gotten to the town I had already killed more than fifty Pokémon on my own as though they were just small flowers that I had stepped on. They were able to defeat me and hold me down until I calmed down." Shadow said as his whole body seemed to be tightening up.

"When I had regained my senses and what I was doing I took a look at my masters who were all out of breath as though they had just fought a Legendary Warrior. They were covered in scratches and bruises that I thought they could never get. That's when one of my masters told me that they had just spent the last two hours fighting me." Shadow said as he put a hand on one of his eyes as though it was in some kind of pain.

"I started to look around for Mia and that's when I remembered what those thugs had done to her. I began to cry again but that's when Verizion shouted at me. She said that I had done something so disastrous that I wouldn't be able to return to the academy. I asked her what she meant and she looked at me confused." Shadow said as the memories kept coming to him.

"She told me what I had done and I said there was no way that I would do something like that. Cobalion was just staring at me with a stare that I didn't recognize. I told them there was no way and I swung my arms around trying to defend myself but that's when I felt blood on my hands and face and legs, it was everywhere on my person. I looked at my hands in horror, then I saw a head lying on the ground. A small child's head, I looked at it terrified and then looked up and my eyes widened in horror."

"Masters Verizion and Terrakion both said that this was all my doing that I had killed so many and it was all for nothing. I couldn't even defend myself I was so horrified." Shadow now had both of his hands on his head like it was hurting his head just to think of it. "Cobalion still had not said one word. I turned around and shouted at them as tears ran down my face that thugs had killed Mia and that I must have lost control of my Rage Mode."

"Master Verizion and Terrakion both looked at me like I was some kind of monster and that's when I fell to my knees feeling like I really was a monster. That's when Cobalion did something I thought he would never do." Shadow was no longer trembling. At least for now anyways. "He stretched one of his arms out and picked me up and brought me into a hug something that he never did not even with Verizion."

"Both of the other masters were shocked by this. I remember what he said to me at that moment. He said that it was okay to cry that I should cry if I needed to." Shadow said as he put his two arms around himself. "I slammed my head into Master Cobalion's chest and cried. I must have cried for a long time because Master Cobalion never let me go, not until I stopped. When I finally stopped crying other Pokémon came out all holding swords, axes and pitchforks. I thought it was the end until Master Cobalion stepped in front of me."

"I was wondering what he was thinking until I noticed that he was ready to fight again." Shadow said as he began to tremble again. "He was ready to defend me as everyone was calling me a monster. He then shouted at them that I wasn't a monster and that I had just witnessed the girl I loved die in front of me. He then asked everyone what they would have done if they had lost someone they loved."

Shadow was still crying. It was like this memory was something that he believed shouldn't have happened. "He started to tell everyone all the pain that I was in. How I had lost control of my powers. He had to explain to everyone how powerful I was but that didn't mean the Pokémon of that town didn't hate me. A few of them seemed to understand." Shadow was now lifting his face and removing his hands from his head now. Grace thought that maybe the worst of it was over now but then why was Shadow still crying.

"I was still in shock by what I had done that I was in disbelief that Master Cobalion wasn't agreeing with the other two masters or the town's folk. It was like he was my father or something. I just don't understand why he would protect a monster like me." Grace now got angry at Shadow not for the story he just told but for the fact he was calling himself a monster again. But she didn't blame him anyone would think that after doing something like that.

"Ever since that day I have been haunted by nightmares of what I had done. All those Pokémon, all of their blood is on my hands and body. I can never take that away and that town will call me a monster for the rest of my life. I'll always be a monster for the rest of my life because of these damn powers!" Shadow would have said more but he was slapped by Grace who had red cheeks and looked a little pissed off.

Shadow was confused as hell at that moment but then he thought that maybe she hated him now. It wouldn't be that hard to believe, even Shadow's closest of friends at the academy rarely talked to him after that incident. It was almost like they never had a friendship to begin with. Only Master Cobalion, Yami and Cass have ever truly accepted him for what he was. A fiendish monster who can do nothing but destroy.

Then Grace did something that Shadow didn't expect. She wrapped her arms around him and brought him into a hug just like Cobalion did five years ago. "It wasn't your fault that it happened Shadow." Shadow's eyes widened because the words that Grace just said were the exact same ones that Master Cobalion had told him all those years ago as he carried him back to the academy.

"I would have done the same thing if I had watched the Pokémon I loved get torn to pieces right in front of me. I wouldn't have been able to stop myself with the powers you have." Grace said as she pulled off to look into Shadow's stunned eyes. "I don't think you're a monster at all Shadow. Just a Pokémon with a great power he can't control right now. A power that you will one day learn to control."

Word for word Grace was saying everything that Cobalion had told him that day. He began to wonder if Grace and Cobalion had ever spoken but then again he would have known about it because he and Master Cobalion trained together tirelessly every day. "Shadow I told you that I wanted to be there for you when you felt like you were hurting inside. I can tell that that wasn't easy for you to do."

Shadow was looking at her with eyes still dripping tears but his gaze never left her. Although Grace was now saying her own words Shadow didn't care. "You're a great friend and even if you go into Rage Mode again I won't run away from you I'll run to you." Shadow couldn't believe what he had just heard. Grace was going to come to him if he was in Rage Mode; a power that he could barely control and she was willing to possibly die just to help him?

Shadow didn't know whether to be happy or angry at Grace. "I know that you'll probably say that it's too dangerous and if you go into Rage Mode you want me to run as fast as I can. But I don't care if it's too dangerous you're my friend and I promised I would help you through the hard times, and the times you lose control. I don't want you to feel like everyone hates you or is afraid of you." Grace looked down and smiled. Shadow's heart was pounding but he couldn't tell if it was from Grace or the fact that he just told her he was a mass murderer.

"Sure I was scared at first when I saw you go into Rage Mode. I had no idea what was going on, I thought you were going to hurt us. That is until I saw how much pain you were in." Grace said putting one of her hands on his cheek. Shadow blushed feeling a little embarrassed that he was letting her do this.

"I didn't think anyone could be in so much pain. I didn't think anyone could have such a terrible experience. I don't want to pity you at all, I just want you to know that I won't tell anyone what you just told me. I don't want to betray your friendship Shadow. I don't want you feeling like you can't trust me." Shadow looked down at the ground feeling like he might have actually judged Grace too quickly.

He thought that after he had finished telling her his story that she would hate him and tell every guard in the castle to detain him. But instead she's sitting right there telling him that she wants to help him with his power struggles and that she'll keep his secret. Knowing all this helped to calm Shadow down but that didn't mean he stopped crying. "Shadow what's wrong? Shadow?" Grace asked as she leaned closer to him.

Shadow grabbed her and pulled her closer to him until he had his arms fully around her and his head was crying into her shoulders. Grace was shocked at first but then realized what he was doing and just hugged him back thinking it would make him feel better. Shadow had finally thought he had made a true friend someone he could actually count on. Someone he could trust with anything including his life.

Grace was happy that Shadow was showing her this side of him. A side that he never shows with anyone except for Master Cobalion. He was the only one he would ever cry in front of but now Shadow felt like he could cry with Grace in the same room. After crying for a couple minutes he took in a deep breath and pushed off of Grace who was a little stunned by this.

"Thanks Grace." Shadow said as he wiped what was left of the tears from his face. "I know I might have told this to you before but no one has ever been this nice to me about my powers except for Master Cobalion. I don't know why you are so nice to me but I really do appreciate having you as a friend. It gives me hope that I will be able to trust more Pokémon again."

Grace felt so happy that Shadow was saying that, she felt she had helped him far more than she thought. "I'm guessing the others are in the throne room right now?" Shadow asked looking at her with this new look, a look that didn't show doubt or suspicion, which he rarely showed even towards his closest of friends.

"Yes, they all wanted to stay here with you but they had duties to attend to. I had a few errands to run but I put them on hold. I didn't want you waking up feeling like no one cared about you." Grace said smiling at him.

Shadow burst out into laughter which startled Grace a little bit. "I thank you for the thought but it wouldn't be the first time I woke up from passing out alone you know. Like I said a lot of Pokémon at the academy are afraid of me because of my powers. So I rarely did get visitors when I was ill. Even the nurses there had a hard time checking on me because they were afraid that I would lose control at any moment." Shadow said feeling all those lonely times come back to him.

"That's horrible, how could they do that. More importantly how did they find out about your powers?" Grace asked wondering how Pokémon could be so cruel to one of their own.

"Masters Verizion and Terrakion told everyone. I guess they didn't want me in the academy anymore and they wanted me out as quickly as possible. So I guess they thought if they turned everyone against me that I would leave on my own accord. I was lonely but I did have a few friends who although did fear me wouldn't leave me because of that." Shadow said smiling thinking of how Yami and Cass would stand up for him after everyone found out what he was.

"Those two are just scared then themselves." Shadow looked at her shocked. No one said that about Miss Verizion, those who did got a close up of her Double Kick right to the face. Then again Shadow wouldn't have let Verizion touch Grace. Now that she was truly his friend he vowed to protect her just as he would his own friends only he would protect her a little harder than most if what he told him was the truth.

"I mean they were barely able to defeat you, the three of them. I doubt they would have defeated you without Cobalion's help. They just didn't like the fact that one of their students could out do them so easily by tapping into some special power." Shadow had never thought of that since the incident. He had just thought that they hated him for doing what he did and wanted him gone. Not once did he think they were trying to get rid of him through jealousy.

Grace was opening so many doors that Shadow was barely able to keep up with her but he was glad that all these doors were opening. It was telling him he wasn't the monster that he thought he was. However, that didn't mean the thought of him losing control again left. He still feared the day that would happen. Because without his masters here he didn't know what would happen. He was stronger than he was back then. Ten times as strong now.

His power at their full was close to what it was when he had lost it back then. His masters had trained harder since that day in case he ever did lose control but Shadow also trained harder to learn how to control it. Unfortunately if he lost control he didn't know what would happen because the full power he had would be multiplied by a hundred and he didn't think his masters could handle that.

His masters had to go all out against him when they trained together even when Shadow was going all out. So if he had lost control he didn't think his masters would stand a chance and what was worse is the fact that they were three days away by boat and finding someone who could take them by air wasn't going to be easy. They were pretty big and the only ones who could carry them across the water were the three Legendary Bird Warriors. And lately they have been dealing with the Kanto Nation's weather problems.

That constant fear would never leave him but he felt that as long as Grace was here. He felt that he was a little stronger having her as a friend. He felt like he didn't have to worry about such a thing. "Alright then we best be getting to the throne room then." Grace looked at him confused wondering whether or not he was even listening to her at what she said.

He noticed that and gave a light chuckle. "Don't worry Grace I heard every word you said and you know what. I think you might be right. It would explain why they would always want to spar with me. I have beaten them when I went all out but I would always be covered in bruises after wards. They would be wiped and also covered in the same bruises however they would look at me with a great hate." Shadow said as he smiled at this almost like he found it funny.

Grace didn't know why he would think it was funny but she smiled. Shadow was happy that he had Grace as a friend. He offered her his hand and she put hers into it without hesitation. He helped her to her feet and they headed out. However when they got halfway there Shadow noticed that Grace wasn't wearing her usual dress. "Hey Grace?" Shadow asked getting Grace to look at him. "Why are you still wearing your nightgown, shouldn't you be in your dress or something else?"

Grace looked down at her person and gasped realizing that she was still in her nightgown as Shadow had said. "Guess I forgot to change in all the excitement." Grace said blushing as she laughed cutely at least that's what it sounded to Shadow.

"Grace how long were you with me in that infirmary?" Shadow asked confused as to why Grace wouldn't get dressed for the day.

"Truth be told I never left your side for one second." Grace said smiling and rubbing the back of her head. Shadow looked at her with wide eyes. No one did that for him except for Mia back then. And that only happened one time. "I guess I was so worried about you that it slipped my mind."

"Why don't we head upstairs first then?" Grace looked at him confused. "So that you can change into something a little more presentable for Lola and the Pokémon of Floroma." Grace blushed feeling like she hadn't realized what Shadow was talking about. "Don't worry I'll escort you to the throne room when you're done." Grace then looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. "What?"

"Alright but if I catch you looking into my room while I change you're going to get it." Shadow blushed heavily when he heard that remark.

"Who the hell do you think I am?" Shadow shouted feeling like he was being toyed with. "I wouldn't look at you nor any girl in a hundred years. I'm done with all that love stuff." Shadow said bringing his hands to his sides.

"Wait, does that mean you no longer have the feelings for Mia that you had five years ago?" Grace asked wondering how anyone could just give up love.

"Yes I no longer have those feelings. As the years went by the feelings I had for her faded rapidly. I didn't want to hold onto them any longer. All they did was serve to fuel my rage and hate. I didn't want my powers having a reason to go off." Shadow said as he grinded his teeth again. He wanted Grace just to drop the whole thing but felt like she wouldn't.

"I understand." Shadow turned around a little surprised hearing that. "What, I know you don't like talking about these things. Well I know now anyways, had you not told me what you did I probably would have dug a little deeper and would have asked you more questions." To Shadow that meant being like Lola. He was glad that Grace wasn't Lola or this conversation would never end.

Grace and Shadow nodded to each other as they headed for Grace's room. Shadow stopped a good ten feet away from her door and allowed her to enter on her own. When Grace got inside she rummaged through her dresses until she found one that was a little bit better suited to her. She grabbed a plain red dress that was long until it hit her knees and then split apart into two sword-like points.

Grace felt that this would be enough until she saw a different dress that she had thrown on the floor in her haste. It was a plain white dress nothing fancy like the one she was wearing. It was elegant and yet simple. She threw the dress she was wearing off and put the white dress on. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought that this would definitely be better than what she was about to wear. Why she thought that would do was beyond her.

Outside the room Shadow was getting impatient with Grace, she shouldn't be taking so long. And he wondered why he heard what sounded like an explosion going off in there. But he made a promise not to enter Grace's room at all no matter what. At least he did so in his head. He heard the knob turning and turned his head to watch Grace walk out.

He looked at her as his eyes slowly began to grow in width and height. She was in a plain white dress but for some reason Shadow found himself staring at her. His cheeks were flustered, he didn't remember her looking like that. She appeared to glow as the dress fit perfectly with the curves of her body. Grace turned to him and saw him staring at her and felt like he was judging how she looked.

"Do I look alright Shadow?" Grace asked as she blushed with embarrassment. It was the first time that anyone actually looked to be judging what she wore.

Shadow looked up and realized that he was staring at her and shook his head. He turned around turning his back to her as his face was completely red. "Yeah you look fine to me Grace. Why do you care what I think anyways? All that matters is your own opinion."

"Oh I see." Grace said as she looked down at the ground. She didn't think Shadow would snap at her like that. Shadow turned his head and saw that Grace was sulking and immediately felt the guilt rising within him. Why he felt guilty about saying anything was beyond him.

"You look great Grace." Shadow said as he gave a sigh before it. Grace looked at him a little confused. Shadow turned around and saw her staring at him and it was making him feel very uncomfortable. "You look great alright. That dress is amazing on you sheesh do I have to say it any louder?"

Grace just laughed a little as she realized it must have been hard for Shadow to say that. Shadow just put his hands into fists and began walking towards Grace. He looked at her then with a bit of a glare and then grabbed her hand and began to drag her down the hall to the stairs.

Grace was a little surprised by this actually; she didn't expect him to grab her like that. He held her wrist slightly tighter than he normally did, almost like he didn't want her getting lost. Grace smiled as she did her best to keep up pace with him. Shadow was blushing at himself but at the same time he was wondering something.

Was I actually admiring Grace, he began to think. Then he thought that that was impossible because he had no reason to admire her. She was a friend that was it and since when has he admired anything except for Master Cobalion. Then again he did remember how heavy his heart was pounding but then he thought it was just the moment of surprise really. Yeah, he thought, it was just the fact that I expected her to come out with some fancy dress and not something so simple like that. At least that's what he hoped.

Shadow was doing everything his mind could give him to tell himself that he didn't care that much about Grace. They were only friends and that's as far as Shadow wanted to go. He was done with love after what it did to him before. That feeling, he never wanted it again. He used the power of his own will to force the images from his head. When they were gone he was able to calm down however just as he was about to let Grace's hand go and act a little more civil, he heard what sounded like Lola calling for him.

"Hey did you just hear something?" Shadow asked as he became alert as he twitched his ears so that he would be more focused there. Grace kept quiet as she too tried to hear what Shadow was speaking of. Shadow closed his eyes as he let the power of his aura go throughout the castle. When it got to the throne room he saw his friends fighting what appeared to be an enemy and Lola looked to be scared out of her mind.

Shadow waited a second as he wanted to see what this thing could do. Then all of a sudden when he saw Yami's aura launch a powerful attack and make contact the aura of that Pokémon just cut off. Then Shadow saw the aura reappear behind Yami and send him straight into a wall face first. The aura surrounding the Pokémon was immense. Much greater than Yami's ever was.

Shadow started to run leaving Grace behind. He didn't know who they were facing but he couldn't allow his friends to get hurt. Shadow was grinding his teeth frustrated with himself, how could he let himself get so side tracked, he began to think to himself. Shadow turned a corner and watched as Lola fell to the floor. A large buildup of smoke had been created. Shadow saw the horror in Lola's eyes even though they weren't on him.

Shadow looked to his left and saw Cass lying on the ground completely beaten and bruised. Shadow got to her side and lifted her head. "Cass come on wake up. Don't you guys dare die on me to." Cass made some movement which gave him some relief. It meant that Yami was also alive but for how long? Shadow wasn't going to take his chances. He was going to give this Pokémon the full package.

The smoke began to fade as the shadow of the Pokémon appeared. Shadow immediately knew what kind of Pokémon it was. As it appeared Shadow walked over in front of Lola who was surprised to see him. "Shadow are you alright?" Lola asked as she stood up on her feet.

"I'm fine Lola now go and hide somewhere. I can handle this one." Shadow said as he got into his battle stance.

"HA!" The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Shadow but he couldn't tell where he remembered it from. The Pokémon was of the Mienshao race. Shadow knew how quick these Pokémon were and felt slightly happy that he was going to use more of his power than he usually used. But something felt off about him. It was probably the fact that he had a hell of a morning.

"If you're anything like the first two who tried to face me than you might as well give me the princess now. She has to pay for what she did to me and to the Pokémon I loved." The Mienshao said as she glared at Lola who just kept taking steps back.

"Oh really, what did the princess do to you?" Shadow asked as he really had to hear this. What could Lola have done that was so bad?

"She ordered the hit that killed the Pokémon I loved." Shadow looked at the Mienshao and then back at Lola. His only thought was who gave that bullshit information? "Than you might believe that I got the information from a princess who goes by the name Tatianna." Shadow's whole body froze. That name, that dreaded name.

"Are you working for Tatianna?" Shadow asked in somewhat of a snarl. Grace had just gotten to the door of the room when Shadow had spoken and stopped there. The Mienshao was a little freaked that Shadow had spoken to her in such a way. "Answer me now!"

"Maybe what's it to you?" The Mienshao asked in somewhat of a sassy manner which only furthered Shadow's rage.

"First off I doubt that the information she gave you is valid. Secondly, there's no way Lola could have ordered that hit on your beloved boyfriend. She's afraid of way too many things and, although I'm going to regret saying this later," He mumbled as the rest came out, "she's also too nice." Lola looked at Shadow with sparkling eyes. He just complimented her, something that no one thought would happen in a million years, at least everyone except for Lola.

"Thirdly, I have a feeling I know why she sent you here. To see if you would take me to her." The Mienshao looked at him a little startled. "Don't play dumb with me, I know her far better than most Pokémon. She's nothing more than a Zoroark with an attachment issue."

The Mienshao was horrified by these words. "That and there's the Sword of Arceus that lies within these walls." Shadow said looking at Lola with a serious expression that would have sent most Pokémon running for their lives. "I also take it that bitch wanted you to grab that. She really can't stand not getting what she wants. She's such a pain."

"How can you speak of Princess Tatianna so poorly?" The Mienshao asked in horror.

"Because she tried to force me into a marriage with her. I know that she'll do whatever it takes to get her sleazy little hands on me. Well after I'm done getting you out of Floroma tell her that I doubt she'll find anyone stronger than me. Unless she can hire a Legendary Warrior. If not than I guess you're just another casualty that she has caused trying to get to me." Shadow said as he bared his teeth.

The Mienshao was a little surprised by this but got into a fighting stance. Her battle armor jingled. She wore a battle skirt made of what appeared to be steel and her torso was covered by a cuirass. She was using light armor so that she could focus on speed but still have the necessary means of defense. Shadow grunted as he didn't even bother getting into a fighting stance.

He was focusing too much on keeping calm. All the memories that were brought up when he had to defend her for that entire year kept returning. All the lives she took just because someone told her that they might have a plot to kill her and her parents. She was a ruthless killer and she expected Shadow to be okay with that. Like hell if he will be.

Grace was beginning to worry about Shadow because from the sound of things he didn't have many good memories of this Pokémon. She was beginning to worry that maybe his Rage Mode might end up over powering his will. She wanted to believe that it wouldn't but that thought wouldn't leave her mind.

The Mienshao jumped into the air and began her descent as she came down with a High Jump Kick. Shadow remained unmoving even as she got closer to him. Grace was about to step in when she saw him move at the last second. The Mienshao crashed into the ground and cried out. Shadow appeared behind her with a malicious look in his eyes.

"That's the one drawback to that move." Mienshao looked up in complete horror as she was unable to turn around. "If you miss your opponent you end up hurting yourself." Shadow said as his hand grabbed a hold of the Mienshao's arm and then literally threw her over his head and straight into the ground. Grace was surprised by the amount of force that Shadow used on the Pokémon. Shadow however didn't seem like he was celebrating a victory.

Shadow waited for the smoke to clear because he had a feeling what he had defeated wasn't really the real Mienshao. When the fog around where he had smashed the Mienshao faded away he knew he was right. There was nothing more than what appeared to be a practice dummy in the ground now. Shadow could tell that he wasn't dealing with the original from the start. She was way too sure of herself.

Shadow heard her shouting as she was coming down but then something else came. "Shadow look out!" Shadow turned to his left in shock as he watched Grace let fly a Magical Leaf attack.

"Grace NO!" It was too late as the leaves were sent Mienshao used her other foot to kick herself away from the attack. When she landed on her feet she looked at Grace with a glare that showed death. The Mienshao raced for Grace who was in complete fear at this moment.

Shadow didn't hesitate as he shot in front of Grace right before Mienshao got to her shocking everyone. Shadow roared out as he began sending punch after punch, kick after kick into the Mienshao's body. Grace and Lola were horrified at how much force he was sending into the Mienshao's body. Shadow ended his onslaught with a simple kick that sent the Mienshao into the ground. Shadow landed right in front of the small impression he had made throwing Mienshao into the ground.

Grace couldn't believe how quickly and how fast Shadow had come to her aid. Her thoughts were running wild as to why he would do that. They had only just become friends, so why did he protect her like both of their lives depended on it.

Shadow picked the Mienshao up and threw her into a wall. She was trembling from the pain in her body. Shadow was already in front of her by the time she opened her eyes. She looked at him in horror, he held his metal claw pointed right for her face, as what she thought was her last was stopped by an outburst from Yami. "BROTHER DON'T DO IT!"

Shadow's head turned around and looked at Yami with eyes still filled with rage. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't Yami. If you can't give me a good reason I will kill her right here ad shed her blood across these walls!" Shadow cried as Grace was now looking at someone who she didn't recognize. What happened to Shadow in that mere second he went to defend her.

"Because, that Mienshao standing right in front of you, is your ex!" Shadow's eyes widened with horror as did Cass's when she heard that. Shadow looked back at the Mienshao to see if what Yami said was true but when he did he saw no resemblance to his ex-girlfriend.

"Yami if you're trying to screw with me stop it." Shadow declared with evil racking at his lips. "You know very well she died and what happened as a result. There's no way in hell this can be Mia!"

Grace's eyes widened when she heard that name. "Does Yami mean the exact same Mia that used to be Shadow's girlfriend five years ago? The same Mia who was torn limb from limb right in front of him? That's that Mia?" Grace was screaming in her head. How could that be her? Shadow said she was killed so that couldn't be her, right?

"Wait Yami?" The Mienshao said as she looked over to the Darkrai with confused eyes. Shadow released the Mienshao not sure what was happening.

"Yes brother look at her right arm and that will be proof enough." Shadow looked down at the Mienshao's right arm and right there on her wrist was a bracelet. Shadow's eyes were filled with not surprise or confusion but of horror. He ripped the bracelet from her arm to get a better look at it.

"You bastard give me that back!" The Mienshao shouted grabbing for the necklace. She got it back only because the way she shouted for it surprised Shadow. "Don't you ever take this from me again. This was the best gift I ever got in my life."

Shadow whole body was trembling at this moment. His anger was replaced with fear and horror. "Mia who gave that to you?" Yami asked as he slowly rose from where he had been imprinted.

"The greatest Pokémon in the world. Shadow Aurora!" Shadow felt like a castle had fallen onto him as he almost lost his balance. "Wait why would you want to know?" She looked at the Darkrai a little better with a little more of an open mind. "YAMI!" She cried realizing who he was then.

"Yes, dear sister." Yami said as his legs came forth reaching down onto the ground.

"I thought I would never see you again." Mia said cheerfully running to Yami and embracing him with a hug.

"Oh my God it really is you Mia, I can't believe it." Cass said as she ran to Mia who also looked happy to see her old friend.

"Cass I can't believe you're still alive too." Mia shouted with glee. "And what do you mean by that?" Cass looked at her confused. "You know the fact you can't believe it's me. You know I was second best at the academy and it appears now I'm the first."

"No you're not, Shadow is." Cass said as Mia looked at her with a startled look. Shadow was still not believing what he was hearing. This couldn't be her, it just couldn't be. Shadow felt sweat rolling down his fur. "Yeah he's right there." Cass said pointing at Shadow who Mia looked at with a confused and hate filled look.

"He can't be my Shadow because my Shadow was a Riolu." Mia said getting Yami and Cass to fall backwards on their heads. "What?"

"You evolved didn't you, what makes you think he didn't?" Cass said retorting a little irritated by Mia's obliviousness.

"But even if that's the case my Shadow was killed right in front of me." Everyone in the room looked at Mia with confused looks. Lola was the only one who wasn't that confused because she still hadn't heard what had happened to Shadow.

"He was ripped to shreds like a piece of fabric being torn at the seams." Mia said as tears ran down her cheeks. Her face was red as the emotions of the past came back in full force. "I don't care what this guy is; he just can't be my Shadow!"

Shadow felt his body getting heavier as all the emotions from the past were coming back. But he had to know one thing. Was this really her? Was this really his Mia? Steeling himself from his emotions he grabbed her shoulder forcing her to look at him. She was a little spooked by his sudden move and would have hit him had she not seen the seriousness in his eyes.

"I see you're trying to see if I'll believe you." Mia said as she pushed him away taking several steps away from him. "There's only one way for that to happen, when did you, if you really are Shadow that is, give me this bracelet?"

"On your thirteenth birthday." Shadow said his eyes hidden by his ears being down over his eyes. Mia looked at him with wide eyes, there was no way. "IT was late at night, we had finally gotten out of the mess that was supposed to be a party." Mia couldn't believe what she was hearing this was what happened in exact the same way it happened. "We had snuck out and had gone up to the tallest tower; where we used to look up at the stars together. I was happy at that moment but I wanted it to be special for you."

Mia wanted him to stop right there. Her eyes were watering from pure emotion alone. How did he know all those details? "You were looking out at the stars and while you weren't looking I grabbed your hand placing the bracelet there." Mia's eyes widened then shut halfway as her emotions were beginning to overcome her. "You looked at it and you were happy."

"I don't think I have ever seen you that happy before in my life. I remembered how you cried at that point." Shadow said holding something inside of him back. He knew for a fact it wasn't tears and it wasn't love. He actually feared what this could be. "You said it was the greatest gift anyone had ever gotten you."

Shadow's fist tightened in strength. Grace saw this before anyone and was beginning to worry when it suddenly hit her; if this was Mia then that means…oh no. "That night I got my first kiss." Shadow said as his body looked to be trembling.

Mia couldn't believe what she was hearing this was how she got and what she did afterwards. All in the exact order of occurrence no one knew about this except for him. "You told me to keep what we did last night a secret and you know how good I am at keeping those so I haven't told a soul not even Master Cobalion. He was the hardest to dodge but he soon gave up." His voice didn't sound like one who was happy to know that your first love was alive; in fact, it sounded more like he was angry.

"I am Shadow Aurora." Shadow said still looking down keeping his eyes off of her. He didn't want to look at her face.

"Shadow." Mia's eyes were filled with tears at this point. This whole time he had been alive. This whole time and she never thought once to g back to say her goodbyes. She would have found him alive. She jumped at him and wrapped her arms around him. Shadow's body jumped slightly more in surprise then in fright.

"I missed you so much Shadow!" Mia said crying into his chest. "I missed you so much."