In the last adventure, Blessing and Monferno confessed the reasons behind their beliefs about the world. As it turns out, Monferno is related to the mysterious Alpha Bloodline, whose powers are currently unknown and are to be kept secret. Treasure Town was soon attacked by Weavile's gang. Darkrai made his reentrance to the world's public, intending once again to conquer all.
Chapter 8 – The Alpha Bloodline
"We had him right there!" Blessing roared at Fahrenheit and Celsius. "We could have been done with Darkrai in a second, but noooo, you had to put your tails between your legs and take us all with you in your cowardly escape!"
"Blessing, calm down—" Monferno attempted.
"Is the rest of the Alpha Bloodline as wimpy as you two?!"
"Pardon me?" Celsius asked irritably, Blessing having touched a nerve.
"Yeah, your son told me all about it, and I actually kinda respected you two after hearing your story. But after what you just did now, consider my respect gone. If you two seriously believed in doing what was right for the world, you would have taken Darkrai out right then and there! He's a threat to the whole world, and you two passed up probably the best chance you would have gotten to save all of Pokémonkind!"
Blessing continued just as Fahrenheit was getting ready to speak. "Oh, let me guess. 'It's not right to kill. Killing makes you as bad as the fiend.' Yeah, that would perfectly coincide with your stupid belief that pure evil doesn't exist, wouldn't it?!"
"Blessing, if you would just listen for a moment—" Celsius started, beginning to get irritated.
"Well I'll tell you something right now: any Pokémon that orphans someone doesn't deserve to live! I'm not going to rest until he's dead, not like you two! If you two are all that's keeping the world standing, then we have all been doomed from the beginning!"
During the course of the argument unfolding before her, Pelame couldn't settle on a side. Seeing her friend lose her cool in such a manner, as well as not even bothering to let the other speaker have a say, upset her greatly.
"It appears that the members of Team Space-Time are the only ones fit to save this world now, because you two, who claim to serve an order dedicated to the world's safety, can't be relied on for that!"
"Whose sake do you think we did that for, then?!" Celsius finally blurted out. "Did you not see what was happening?!"
Something strange was beginning to happen to Pelame. Even though it was a warm night at the end of the summer season, she started to shiver as if it were the winter season's coldest day. The angrier she got at the scene unfolding before her, the colder she got.
"Nothing was happening but Darkrai gloating like a cliché out of a bedtime story! He wasn't even trying to attack! In fact, he even called off his top minion from doing that herself! You just let him stand there and conquer Treasure Town! You've failed your Alpha Bloodline!"
"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU, JUST SHUT YOUR DAMN STUPIDMOUTHS!"
Everyone stared in shock at Pelame in reaction to her sudden outburst. As soon as she said it, she was shocked, too.
"Pelame, what's wrong with you?" Pugno asked, half upset and half concerned.
"I don't know!" Pelame shouted. "I wish I knew!"
"Do you see now, Blessing?" Celsius said. "That's why my husband and I whisked us all away! Because that energy wave Darkrai released implanted Pelame with a Dark Blessing!"
"That's why none of us were blasted back by that attack," Fahrenheit added. "All the buildings were blown apart, too, but that was a distraction."
Pelame started to get dizzy. Her vision went dark, and she heard a screeching sound.
"Where should be begin looking, Lady Weavile?" Arbok asked.
"Looking? For what?" Weavile responded.
"For Team Space-Time and their friends," Drapion answered. "Didn't the Leader just dispatch you to find them?"
"Of course he did. He dispatched me to find them. You two would just hold me back, so go on your own separate searches. I'm heading to Treeshroud Forest first. So you two don't."
"But, milady, you might need our help."
Weavile glared dangerously at Drapion for his implication. Did he not think that she could take care of herself?
"Milady, we want to help—"
"I don't need your help!" Weavile snapped. "You think a perfectly infallible Pokémon like myself needs anyone's help?! Well, too bad! I am your Team leader, and I command you to stay out of my way!"
Without another word, she was off toward Treeshroud Forest.
"Weavile's on her way here," Pelame said after coming to. "I just saw it."
"Did you touch anything just now?" Dusknoir asked.
"No, I didn't. That vision just came to be all on its own."
"Dusknoir, sir, we have some explaining to do," Fahrenheit said. "But we first need to leave this forest. Gather around, everyone."
All the Pokémon did as told. "Alpha Warp!" said the Infernape couple, teleporting everyone away from Treeshroud Forest using special amulets.
The group reappeared in the Crystal Cave's lake chamber. Azelf noticed immediately.
"Excuse me," he said. "This lake isn't public. I must ask you all to leave immediately…" As soon as he noticed who just entered, he changed his tone. "My apologies, Team Space-Time. But you should have told me you were bringing friends with you."
"Actually, this was our doing," Celsius explained. "A pursuer was on her way to our previous hiding spot, so we had to teleport away."
"Teleport? But Infernapes can't learn Teleport. Not unless you've been given those powers by…" Then Azelf put two and two together. He shut his eyes and contacted Uxie and Mesprit. In a moment, the other two guardians appeared.
"It's been too long," Dusknoir said. "To what do we owe the pleasure of meeting again?"
"The Alpha Bloodline," Uxie answered. "Or rather, why they're needed now."
"I guess now's the time we were waiting for," Pugno said.
"First off," Fahrenheit started. "The Alpha Bloodline is an order dedicated to protecting the world. Members of the Alpha Bloodline are given special powers by Arceus himself. These powers are classified as 'Alpha-type,' and that's the only power that can properly combat the Demon-type."
"Demon-type is super-effective against all other types," Celsius continued. "Including Alpha-type. However, Alpha-type, while it's a type that is also at a disadvantage against Demon-type, can resist Demon-type better than any other type. Alpha-type is the only type that can not only resist Demon-type, but match it. Like the Demon-type, Alpha-type is also super-effective against all other types. However, unlike Demon-type which is indiscriminate about who or what it will hurt, Alpha-type only harms evil. It will hurt nothing else. The Alpha-type came about because of the Dark Blessing becoming a threat to the whole world. Arceus took action against it by lending his divine power to two inhabitants of the world: an Espeon named Grani, and a human named Ken."
"A human?" Pugno asked. "This world had a human population?"
"Yes it did," Fahrenheit said. "No one knows what happened to them, but Ken and the woman he married were a few of the only ones left. And Pugno, when we heard you were once human, that made us think of something about you. Our suspicions were confirmed when you had that Dimensional Scream vision. The Dimensional Scream is one of the powers of the Alpha Bloodline. And since you were once human, like Ken, one of the original Alpha Bloodline members, we believe you're Ken's descendant. And Pelame, we believe you're Grani's descendant."
Pelame and Pugno pondered this new information, and they couldn't help being skeptical.
"But there's something we don't understand," Pelame said. "If Pugno and I are descended from the original two Alpha Bloodline members, why haven't we been able to use any of our powers other than the Dimensional Scream, which I only recently started having?"
"Unfortunately, we don't know the answer to that," Celsius answered. "The Alpha Bloodline's powers cannot be given out by anyone except Arceus, and he is no longer able to do that. Ever since he was sealed within the Alpha Sanctuary, he lost a lot of his power. He can only communicate with those who are of the Alpha Bloodline, like you two and ourselves, and our son, too."
"Alpha powers cannot be learned, either," Fahrenheit added. "One would quite literally have to be born with them. It's unfortunately a complete mystery to us why the both of you have been unable to use your Alpha Powers until now."
"But we never used any Alpha Power except for the Dimensional Scream," Pugno responded.
"Moreover, that's an ability that can't be used on a whim," Dusknoir added.
"However, if anything happens to one's Alpha powers, there is a way to restore them," Fahrenheit said.
"If a member of the Alpha Bloodline reaches the peak of the Destiny Tower," Celsius said. "Their power will be reinstated, regardless of what happened to them."
Pelame and Pugno perked up instantly.
"We did that!" Pelame said. "Pugno and I reached the top of the Destiny Tower! We saw the statue of Arceus and received a Space Globe! He also told us about what had happened in the future, that Grovyle, Dusknoir, Celebi, and the rest were safe!"
"So, our reaching the top of that tower restored our missing power?" Pugno asked.
"It did," Celsius answered. "Try one of your abilities out. Try calling your designated Alpha Amulet to you."
"Designated Alpha Amulet?" Pugno asked, confused. "How do I do that if I don't have one?"
"Repeat after me," Fahrenheit said. "Say 'Alpha Return.' Both of you say it out loud. Your Amulets should return to you."
Pelame and Pugno shut their eyes to concentrate. "Alpha Return," they both said in unison. When they opened their eyes, no Alpha Amulets appeared. Instead, Pelame felt her Explorers Toolbox get heavier. When she opened it, what she found inside surprised her.
"The Space Globe?" Pelame asked. "What's this doing here?"
"Weren't we supposed to summon Alpha Amulets?" Pugno asked. "Why did we end up just pulling this out from under the front tooth of Sharpedo Bluff?"
"The front tooth?" Pelame asked incredulously. "I thought you hid the Space Globe in the source of the fountain back in the bluff."
"Pelame, that would've been suicide if I did something like that," Pugno answered. "When we agreed to hide this, I had to be certain it stayed hidden, which was why I told you a different location. I'm sorry for lying to you about that."
"It's fine. After all, this thing made you dangerous."
"Heh, I remember that," Blessing said. "Pugno flooded the Drenched Bluff with his awful Aura Sphere aim. That's saying a lot considering that Space Globe spikes his abilities up to maximum, and he still missed with maximum accuracy!"
"Wait a minute," Pelame said, noticing something about the Globe she hadn't seen before. "Pugno, look at this!"
Pelame and Pugno took a better look at the Space Globe, noticing a sigil on it that wasn't there before. It appeared to be a small circle, surrounded by a bigger, but unfinished circle with beams connecting them and protruding out near the edges of the incomplete circle.
"It looks like that wheel on Arceus's torso," Pugno noted. "His 'arms,' right?"
"Come with me," Azelf said. "Pelame and Pugno only. There's something I need you two to see."
Azelf led the two to the lake's shore and dove into the lake. They dove in after him and followed him to a secret submerged cavern.
"Don't worry about air," Azelf said. "Members of the Alpha Bloodline can breathe this water perfectly. It's normal, unbreatheable water to anyone else, though."
"Are you part of the Alpha Bloodline, too?" Pugno asked, noticing that Azelf was also breathing normally.
"No, I'm not. But being the guardian of this lake has its privileges. In fact, since this is normal water to anyone except us, that factored into my fail-safe trap to keep the Time Gear beyond Grovyle's reach all those years ago. Needless to say, it's a good thing I activated it before he got into the water."
"Wow, how dark of you," Pugno quipped playfully. "What made you reconsider drowning him?"
"Remembering that he'd still get the Time Gear while he was underwater," Azelf answered simply. "We've arrived, by the way."
The three Pokémon surfaced in a secret chamber deep under the lake.
"Light the chamber up," Azelf ordered. "It's one of your Alpha abilities."
"O…okay then," Pugno said. "Alpha…light?"
"Alpha flash?" Pelame attempted.
"It's 'Alpha Vision,'" Azelf clarified. "That's the technique's name."
"Sorry," Pelame said. "Alpha Vision." At that, a good part of the cave lit up from the light generated by the Space Globe.
"Welcome to one of many Alpha Shrines," Azelf said. "This room is open only to members of the Alpha Bloodline."
"Then why did Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Monferno stay behind?" Pelame asked.
"They've already been here," Azelf answered. "Many years ago, actually. And Monferno visited me last week. These chambers are where members of the Alpha Bloodline receive a blessing from one of the Legendary Pokémon. I am one of them. Stand there, please." Azelf gestured toward a circle on the ground bearing a mural resembling the sigil on the Space Globe. "In the center of the Alpha Sigil is where you will receive my blessing."
Pelame and Pugno stood where they were told to. The Alpha Sigil on the ground started to glow a divine gold, lighting up the entire room. A statue of a human holding a sword lowered its sword to touch the staff held by the Espeon statue across from it. The tip of the sword and the tip of the staff generated a golden light that shone down on Pelame and Pugno. As if they had always known what to do, they held onto opposite ends of the Space Globe and pulled toward themselves. The Globe opened to reveal four Alpha Amulets, two of which responded to Pelame and Pugno. The Amulets put themselves onto the two Pokémon as recognition of their ownership. Azelf flew up to the touching sword and staff and began to glow golden, too. He then spoke.
"Orb, Warp, Heal, Defense, Vision, and Beam,
my gift to this Alpha Bloodline Team.
The Being of Willpower requests of you,
Visit my fellows, the other two.
And after them, still more to find,
To restore the Alpha power to your heart, soul, and mind.
Now accept my gift Pelame and Pugno,
And off to the other shrines you will then go."
Pelame and Pugno felt a rush of power enter their very existences. It warmed them to experience such a sensation. Once the glowing lights dissipated and the statues resumed their normal positions, Pelame and Pugno, almost as if they had known these abilities for their entire lives, demonstrated them. The Alpha Orbs harmlessly clashed with each other and dissipated, they teleported and reappeared in the same room, they recovered from injuries they hadn't sustained, they lit the chamber up, and their Alpha Beams collided harmlessly with the wall.
"Thank you, Azelf," Pelame and Pugno both said.
"My pleasure," Azelf said. "We should return to the others now. Follow me."
When the three Pokémon returned, they found the rest of the group cornered by Weavile. They were holding out against her fine enough.
"Pelame, shall we try out our new power?" Pugno asked rhetorically.
"You read my mind," Pelame answered. They both unleashed Alpha Beams at Weavile, hitting her directly.
"Leave my lake at once!" Azelf demanded.
"Letharg—"
"Alpha Defense!" Pelame and Pugno shouted, generating a protective force field around Azelf. The Lethargy move failed to connect as a result.
"You two, go where I told you to go!" Azelf commanded. "I can handle this Demon wannabe."
"We'll help you out, too," Guildmaster Wigglytuff said.
"Are you sure about this?" Pugno asked.
"Of course," Celebi said. "We'll take Weavile on while you two track down the other Alpha Shrines!"
"We'll back them up," Celsius and Fahrenheit said. "Son, go with those two."
"Got it," Monferno answered. "I'll be taking Blessing with us, too."
"Take me nothing!" Blessing snapped. "I'm not passing up a chance to see Weavile humiliated!"
"Sorry, Blessing, but yes you are," Monferno said. "Pelame, Pugno, let's get going."
"You're not going anywhere!" Weavile screamed. "You're dying right here! And so is everyone in this entire cave! EVERYONE! Including the cave's locals! DIE, ALL OF YOU!"
"I can't take this anymore," Pelame said. "Let's get out of here." Taking the opportunity given to them by the Infernape couple blocking Weavile's path, Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, and Monferno teleported out of the cave. Mesprit and Uxie followed suit.
"Fine, then," Weavile said. "I'll kill those four later. After I'm done with all of you, that is! Now, hurry up AND DIE!"
The four appeared at the Quicksand Cave Lake.
"Ugh, I hate running, especially from that hussy," Blessing griped.
"Blessing, you're in no shape to fight Weavile," Monferno said. "You're in no fighting shape, period!"
"Oh, that reminds me," Pelame said, brandishing her Alpha Amulet. "Pugno, Monferno, get your Alpha Amulets out and help me."
The two did as told. Monferno reached into the Charcoal bracelet he wore on his right wrist and found his Amulet. Together, the three recited, "Alpha Heal," and used it on Blessing. She attempted to stand up, but it still pained her to do so.
"It won't immediately heal an injury that severe," Monferno said. "But rest assured you'll be off your butt in two days. Our technique sped up the healing process."
"Cool," Blessing responded. "Then I can finally kick Weavile's."
Mesprit addressed Pelame and Pugno. "Follow me. I'll take you to my lake's Alpha Chamber now." Mesprit dove into the lake as Pelame and Pugno followed her. Monferno and Blessing stayed behind.
"Why do those two always get to have all the fun?" Blessing groaned.
"They're the newest additions to the Alpha Bloodline," Monferno answered. "Besides, you're still injured. And even if you weren't the Alpha Chamber wouldn't let you in."
"So? I still would've liked to accompany them as far as I could. I'm so tired of being on the sidelines! Why won't my stupid tailbone heal faster?! I hate being useless! I hate being nothing but a spectat—"
Monferno suddenly scooped Blessing up and hid behind a stalagmite.
"I can't wait to see the look on Weavile's face when she finds that we're the ones who got rid of those meddlers," said a hostile Pokémon Monferno recognized as Skuntank.
"Yeah, keep—" Monferno covered Blessing's mouth before she could finish her sentence. "They'll hear us," he whispered.
"Lmmmt vmm, vmmph!" Blessing mumbled as loud as she could through Monferno's hand.
"Hey, chief," Koffing said. "Over there by that pointy rock. I think I heard someone."
Blessing slapped Monferno, causing him to let go of her mouth. "Of course you did, stupid! Come and get us!" she shouted.
"Alpha Warp," Monferno whispered, teleporting the two away.
"Sounds like she got away," Zubat said. "No way are we letting Weavile know about this."
"Agreed," Skuntank and Koffing said in unison.
Pelame, Pugno, and Mesprit reached the lake's secret chamber, which looked much the same as the previous one. The only difference was that this Alpha Chamber was made of rocks and sand instead of crystals, like Azelf's chamber was. Without needing to be told, Pelame and Pugno assumed the position. The statues lowered their weapons to touch against each other as Mesprit assumed her spot, causing the Alpha Sigil, the tips of the weapons, the Alpha Amulets and Mesprit to glow gold.
"Water, fire, thunder, ground, air, dark, and light,
My gift to add to this Alpha Bloodline Team's might.
The Being of Emotion requests of you,
To seek Uxie and his shrine, too.
And after him, still more to find,
To restore the Alpha power to your heart, soul, and mind.
Now accept my gift Pelame and Pugno,
And off to the other shrines you will then go."
Mesprit's words intensified the golden glow of the chamber and filled Pelame and Pugno with even more divine power. After another seemingly automatic demonstration, the two had integrated their new abilities into themselves.
"Mesprit, thanks," Pelame said.
"We're very grateful," Pugno added. "We'll give Weavile a good punch in the face for you."
"Please do," Mesprit said. "Now, Uxie is waiting for you with the last of the Lake Guardian gifts. He'll tell you the rest. Off we go now."
"Stay in here!" Monferno ordered of Blessing. "You'll drown!"
"Let go of me!" Blessing retorted. "I don't need a tailbone to swim! I want to see the tunnel leading to the Alpha Chamber!" She kicked Monferno back, took a deep breath, and left the Alpha Defense keeping them able to breathe under the lake. Monferno, from within the shield, was about to chase after Blessing when Pelame, Pugno, and Mesprit emerged from the tunnel.
"Blessing, what are you doing?!" Pelame asked. She put a shield around Blessing immediately to replenish her air.
"Easy," Blessing answered. "I got tired of sitting on my broken butt on the sidelines."
"You've been incredibly reckless lately," Pugno noted.
"Oh, tell me about it!" Monferno added.
"Yes, do tell!" shouted someone the group would preferred to have heard the last of. Weavile appeared on the lake's floor, surrounded by a dark shield allowing her to breathe. "They'll be great last words for you!"
Blessing once again let her impulses get the best of her by rushing toward Weavile, abandoning the Alpha Defense that was giving her air. A Demon-type attack hit her instantly before anyone was prepared. Weavile unleashed a vicious flurry of attacks on Blessing, deflecting any attempts by the others to rescue her.
"Alpha Beam!" Monferno shouted, finally finding an opening. While Weavile was staggering, he scooped up the drowning Blessing and teleported everyone away from Weavile.
Blessing came to, coughing up water. "Why do you keep *gasp* holding me back?!" she demanded in-between gasps for air. "I can take her!"
"Blessing, listen to me, please," Monferno pleaded. "You need to hear this."
"There you are," Uxie greeted. "Come with me. My Alpha gift awaits you."
Pelame and Pugno followed Uxie into the lake.
"Wait!" Blessing shouted. "Let me go with you! I know I'm not part of the Alpha Bloodline, but at least let me see you off. Please!"
"Blessing, you can't do that," Monferno said.
"I know I can't enter! I just want to do something that matters! I'm sick of being helpless! I just want to help!" Blessing sounded desperate and close to tears. "Monferno, if you let me see them off, I'll listen to whatever it is you have to tell me, and I'll stop being reckless. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a Stealth Rock in my eye." She held Monferno's hands and looked at him pleadingly. Finally, Monferno nodded.
"Don't move too fast," Monferno said. "I'll be guiding the Alpha Defense along to give you air. Be back the moment your path is blocked. That is, if it's okay with Uxie."
"Of course it is," Uxie confirmed. "I must say, Blessing is quite loyal to her friends. Follow me, then."
Monferno generated an Alpha Defense around Blessing, who had crawled into the water. Uxie led the three deep into the newly restored Fogbound Lake. They reached the very bottom, which had a funnel-shaped opening visible only to members of the Alpha Bloodline.
"This is where we must leave you, Blessing," Uxie said.
"I understand," Blessing responded. "Pelame, Pugno, good luck. And Uxie, thanks. You don't know how much this meant to me." Blessing bolted out of the safety of the Alpha Defense to shake Uxie's hand. He seemed surprised at first, but gently shook back.
"The pleasure's all mine," he responded. "I won't keep your friends for too long."
Unable to speak underwater, Blessing simply nodded. She then returned to the Alpha Defense just as Monferno was moving it upward. Soon, she was back at the lake's shore where he was waiting for her. She crawled ashore to meet up with him.
"Finally," she said. "I got to be the tiniest bit useful. Of the things I hate in the world, being useless, being unable to speak, and use of power for bad things rank at the top of the list. Now, what was it you needed to say to me?"
"Come here, first of all," Monferno said, beckoning her forward. Blessing crawled toward him until she was able to lie down next to him. She rolled over to face Monferno, who was now also lying down.
"You've been acting very reckless, and you need to cut that out," Monferno started. "For crying out loud, you just about got simultaneously bludgeoned and drowned back at Mesprit's lake. Is it really because you felt useless?"
"Of course it is!" Blessing admitted. "With a broken tailbone, what good am I?! If I could just levitate and attack at the same time, things would be different. But no, I can't do that, so I have to sit on my useless, broken butt all the time! For a few more days! Meanwhile, who-knows-what is happening to Grovyle out there, who we still need to find, and we have my mother's murderer to deal with. And speaking of Darkrai, who knows how much of the world he could have conquered by now! Everyone's trying as hard as they can, and I can't do a thing to help! I just want to help them save the world!"
"I promise you'll get a chance to help out. But you need to rest. I can't stress that enough."
"I'm not done yet. I know I can be reckless, I admit that. In fact, I didn't even notice Pelame got secretly implanted with a Dark Blessing because I was too busy thinking of how I was going to kill Darkrai. And then I went off on your parents for getting us away from him, when they were actually nipping a giant problem in the bud. I want them to know that I'm sorry for doing that, but I can't do anything to make up for it."
"That doesn't make you useless, Blessing."
"Yes it does!"
"No it doesn't! It makes you a valuable member of our cause!"
Blessing couldn't respond to that. She was overwhelmed by the sudden admission that she wasn't useless.
"Listen to me, Blessing. You. Are. Not. Useless. Just because you're temporarily physically disabled doesn't mean anything. You can still fight. I've seen you hold out against Weavile as Treasure Town was burning. In fact, you saved Kangaskhan's life. Weavile would have pulled her back into the burning town if it weren't for you."
Blessing couldn't believe she had forgotten about that part.
"And let's not forget that I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. And as for the Grey Theatre incident, don't feel guilty about that if you are. There's still a chance to save Grovyle, I know there is. Plus, I heard you managed to really frustrate Weavile and escape from her when she recaptured you."
The Grey Theatre incident… just her luck that he had to bring that up. But he had a point; things could have gone worse. She had a lot to do with it going like it did. Grovyle could very well have not been the only victim.
"Blessing, I want you to know that you are one of the most valuable Pokémon who ever lived. You're a true blessing to all who know you."
Blessing giggled at the small play on words. "How did you know that that's where I got the idea for my nickname?" she asked sweetly.
"Because you just told me right now," Monferno answered dryly, yet genuinely. "It suits you, though. You've blessed my life, anyhow."
"Did I, now?" Blessing quipped playfully. After that, the two simply stared into each others' eyes. They got closer to one another. To their surprise, their lips connected with one another. They were kissing, and they were enjoying every moment of it. The moment was very satisfying. Pleased, they both eventually pulled away.
"Wow, you have a spicy mouth!" Blessing teased at exactly the moment Monferno chose to say, "Wow, you have a chilly mouth!"
At the bottom of the tunnel was the path to the lake's Alpha Chamber, which Pelame, Pugno, and Uxie finally reached. It became almost a sixth sense to them to assume their intended positions. The chamber glowed gold as soon as everyone was in their place and the statues modified their stances. Once Uxie was in his designated spot, he was ready to give his gift.
"My gift to this Alpha Bloodline Team,
Complete restoration of the Dimensional Scream.
The being of Knowledge now makes this request,
You must undertake this world-saving quest,
Seek out the other Alpha Shrines on the way,
to making the Demon-type marauders pay,
Now accept my gift Pelame and Pugno,
And off to the other shrines you will then go."
The gift fully assimilated into Pelame and Pugno, completing the initial three blessings and concluding the beginning of their new quest.
"Uxie, thank you for all your help," Pelame said.
"We promise, we'll beat those Demon-types back," Pugno assured.
"Excellent," Uxie responded. "The world is in capable hands, then. As for the remaining Alpha Shrines, they'll be marked on your Wonder Maps. I have done all I can do for you, as have my fellow guardians. The rest is up to you now." The three Pokémon returned to the lake's shore. "I wish you the best of luck in your quest."
"Thanks," Pelame responded. "We won't let you down."
Uxie disappeared beyond the horizon, resuming his job of guarding the lake.
"Blessing, you're looking a lot better," Pugno said, taking note of Blessing's chipper expression.
"Of course," she responded. "We just got a new member. Say hello to Kelvin!"
The Monferno now known as Kelvin simply waved. "Glad to be part of such a marvelous team. And I see you two have learned all of the most important techniques."
"We have," Pelame answered. "I can't wait to tell everyone!"
"Then let's not wait! Alpha Warp!" On Kelvin's initiative, they teleported away from the lake.
Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, and Kelvin reappeared on Mount Horn, where the rest of the group was waiting for them. They all had sullen expressions on their faces.
"Everyone, what happened?" Pelame asked.
"Darkrai has another top-ranking soldier other than Weavile," Dusknoir said. "And he's a familiar face, just like her."
"Who was it?" Pugno asked.
"I didn't want it to be true," Celebi said, sobbing. "But it is. Darkrai's new top soldier is…"
Celebi spent a moment to recompose herself. It pained her to impart this news. Finally, she was able to bear speaking again, though it upset her greatly to finish her sentence.
"…Grovyle."
Suggested music for this chapter:
The Alpha Bloodline Theme – The Cave Where the Crystal Lies (Final Fantasy III)
Opening the Space Globe – Master Sword (The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword)
The Alpha Shrine – The Room Where the Crystal Lies (Final Fantasy III)
Receiving an Alpha Blessing – Elemental Sanctuary (The Legend of Zelda – The Minish Cap, WindMageMaster's remix)
New Alpha Power – Finish Silent Realm Trial (The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword)
Cornered at Quicksand Lake - Hirogaru Fuan (Digimon Adventure OST)
Weavile's Theme – Seymour's Ambition (Final Fantasy X)
Monferno Comforts Blessing – Romance Theme Intro to Love (The Legend of Zelda – Skyward Sword)
Darkrai's New Top Soldier - Taiketsu (Digimon Adventure OST)
