All that could be seen was darkness. Nothing but an empty void of pitch black. She didn't know how long she was lost in this abyss of unawareness. A swarm of code zoomed passed her as text started to appear in front of her.

"OFFLINE FOR TWO HOURS! REBOOT PROCESS COMMENCING!" A scene flickered into view, however it didn't seem different from the void she was witnessing before. The only thing that stood out were the trees overhead. She could see the glowing moss in her peripherals. She could feel some damage in the back of her head, most likely due to the impact she took awhile ago.

She pushes herself off the ground, making the splitting pain in her head more noticeable. She got up to her feet, unsteady at first, and observed her surroundings. All she could see was dark vegetation for who knows how far. She could feel an unsettling chill in the air.

"Okay…creepiness factor is through the roof." Laura switched her vision to infrared and looks for any nearby creatures. "Odd, there doesn't seem to be anything here. Just makes this place all the more creepy."

She turned around and actually finds something in the ground. It seemed to be struggling and, judging by the shape, had its head stuck in the ground.

"Geez…what kind of idiot would get his head lodged into the ground?" She switches off her infrared and identifies the creature. "Oh, that kind of idiot."

The creature trying to push its head out of the ground was Laura's closest friend, Meowth. His screams were muffled, which explained why she didn't notice him before. His situation did strike up a laugh at how ridiculous he looked.

Trying to control herself, she crouches down and lets out a small giggle. "Meowth-hehe-I don't think this is the appropriate time to-hehehe-do your interpretation of a Doduo." She couldn't contain herself and falls over laughing, ignoring the pain in her head.

Meowth was able to hear her and started screaming loud enough for Laura to make out, "Stop laughing at me and pull me out of here! I'm running out of oxygen!"

After a minute of laughing, she pulls herself together. "A-Alright, alright, hang on." She grabbed his leg and, effortlessly, plucked him out of the ground. "How you feeling, Doduo?" She joked lightly.

Meowth crossed his arms. "Haha, very funny. Put me down." Laura dropped him and dusted her hands off. He picked himself up and wiped the dirt off his body. "I could have passed out or worse."

"Well, you didn't. So quit acting like a-" She flinched and held her head in pain.

"You alright?" he asked in concern.

"Ugh…my head is ringing."

"Here, turn around." She complied and turned around. He opened up a hatch in her head and started picking at the wires in her hard drive. "Let's see…connect you to here…fix this little part and…done!" He closed up her head and dusted his hands off. "Now how do you feel?"

She knocked on her head before smiling. "Much better, thanks."

Meowth smiled back. "No problem." He looked around their new surroundings. "So, got any idea where we flew off to?"

"By my guess, a forest."

"Thank you, Sherlock, I haven't noticed," he sarcastically replied.

"But…something is definitely off about this place."

Meowth could feel some shivers run up his spine. "Agreed. There isn't much light in here."

Laura emitted some light from her eyes and scans the area. "And these plants don't look like anything I've seen before." She found something in front of her. A group of flowers with black stems, purple petals, and pinks accents. She picked one up and examined it. "Wow, this looks really pretty."

"Laura, put that down! We don't know if anything here is poisonous!" Meowth warned.

Laura gave him a deadpan look. "I'm an android, I can't get sick from poison."

"Oh, right," he mumbled lightly.

She felt something poke her. She looked at the stem and saw that a thorn extended out. "Huh, maybe it's some sort of rose with retractable thorns."

"I never heard of a flower that could do that." He looked at it himself. "Then again, we aren't exactly in an everyday forest."

They pondered this for a moment, until they saw something unusual. A trail of flowers bloomed from the ground, leading a path deeper into the trees. They darted their eyes at each other, wondering if the other had an explanation for it.

Meowth spoke first, "Okay, this is just getting weird. We need to find a way out of here and regroup with Jessie and James."

Before he could leave in the opposite direction, Laura grabs him. "Hold on. Maybe these flowers will lead us to someone who can help."

"Laura, when I see flowers blooming at a rapid rate, I think of Grass-Types. But, considering that we are in a forest with no sunlight, there aren't any here. Meaning, something else is trying to grab our attention and I prefer not to find out." He tried get out of her grasp, but she was too strong.

She rolled her eyes. "Meowth, you worry too much. Even if we see something, I can defend us against it. Don't forget all those upgrades you made into me."

"I guess, but-"

"No 'buts'. We're going to follow this trail and see where it leads us." Sighing in defeat, Meowth nods at her and they follow the flower trail.

They trekked past bunched up trees and bushes, trying their best to stick with the path. Meowth, being cautious of the plant life, tried not to step on anything. He felt a tree branch on his shoulder, almost liked it grabbed him. He shrieked and stayed close to Laura. He could sense a great darkness looming around them, filling him with fear. He questioned why Laura was fine. Then again, she would smash her head against a concrete wall without feeling pain, so she probably wasn't being cowardly like him.

Laura used her tail to slice down the branches that got in their way. She kept a close eye on Meowth as they walked. With him only knowing Fury Swipes, she had to protect him from any dangers that laid ahead. She didn't consider him weak, but he isn't exactly strong either. She placed an arm around him to hopefully calm him down. He looked grateful for her comfort and seemed to ease up a bit.

They kept pushing past the plants until they came up to an open area. There were creepy images etched into the trees that surrounded them, depicting a creature slaying another creature. Vines hung above them, either blooming beautiful flowers or sickly thorns. They saw a black residue stained across the ground, almost resembling blood. There were even slash marks that cut deep into the ground. And, like the rest of the forest, there was no sunlight.

But, what really stood out over everything was the wooden throne that stood high over them. Its menacing dark wood and torches of purple flames sent shivers through the two wanderers.

Meowth started moving backwards. "Okay, someone definitely lives here. Mystery solved, so we can get the heck out of here!" A bone chilling laugh sliced through the air, making him scream and hug Laura in panic.

With an annoyed expression, she rips him off. "Get a grip, you big chicken." She looked around for the source of the laugh. "Show yourself. We just want to talk."

"My, you sound as sweet as you look, miss." Laura was taken aback by this. "I never met someone with your ferocity, your bravery, your humor…your beauty."

She could feel her face overheat as she gave a bashful smile. "Oh, really? Well, I try my best to look great." She shook her head and glared. "H-Hey, don't change the subject! Where are we?"

"My dear, you are in my kingdom of darkness. The Forest of No Light."

"Forest of No Light?" Meowth parroted.

"Quite right. I rule over this entire forest, followed by my obedient subjects." They felt a cool breeze pass by and Laura could've sworn something tickled her chin. "Though, we don't get visitors like you often…at least, without being attacked."

Laura tried to use her infrared, but couldn't find him. She switched it off. "So…you're like some sort of king?"

"King seems too royal. I am simply the lord of this forest." A flower appears in Laura's hand, one that didn't sprout thorns. "And some even call me quite the charmer."

Laura twirled it in her fingers with a sweet smile. "Oh, you're too much."

Meowth, despite his fears, started to think something fishy was going on. Laura was too distracted by the mysterious figure's flirting to notice that his voice sounded strangely familiar. "Mister, if I may be so bold…who exactly are you?"

"Who am I? Well, I suppose I should be a good host and introduce myself properly." They saw a wisp of shadow appear in some shade. The body shape was awfully familiar. In fact, the more they observed it, the more they started to match the voice. That's when Laura's eyes widen and she growled, crushing the flower in her hand.

"Ryder! You little trickster!" She fires missiles at the spot, hoping to eradicate him. "I never thought I get to see your ugly mug anytime soon!"

A laugh permeated through the air. "Ryder? So you know Ryder? This is quite the surprise." They saw the figure appear behind them.

Laura turned around and aimed missiles at him. "I'm not stupid! I know it's you, Ryder!"

His chuckle irked her even more. "Well, you're half right. Technically, I am Ryder. Yet, at the same time, I'm not."

"What does that mean?!" Meowth shouted angrily. The figure walks closer to them and the illuminating moss revealed a shocking sight.

While he looked and sounded like their old foe, he was clearly different. He was a Charmeleon with dark purple skin and a light purple underbelly. His eyes were a sinister red and the whites of his eyes were light purple. His tail flame was a radiant purple. Unlike Ryder, he had no scar over his eye. He smirked evilly. "Take your time to process your shock. This must be overwhelming for you."

Laura and Meowth were indeed shocked. Never before have they seen a Charmeleon like him before. To make matters worse, Meowth started to feel that uneasy sensation he felt earlier become stronger just by looking at him. Could he be the cause of it? He gulped and asked, "Who…are you?"

He laughed deviously. "I am Lord Dark, Lord of the Darkmon! We are a race of Pokémon with power beyond your comprehension." He walked around them with his arms behind his back. "I must say, I wasn't expecting visitors today." He placed his hand under Laura's chin. "Especially you, Madame. You have a name?"

Heat was building up in her cheeks. "OH…I-I'm Laura. And this is…is…is…Melvin?"

Meowth's whiskers twitched in annoyance. "Meowth."

"Meowth! Yeah, that's right!"

"Laura…what a lovely name," Dark commented softly.

Laura giggled a bit, then shook her head. "H-Hey!" She slapped his hand away and glared. "Stop distracting me! How are you like Ryder?! Tell me or I send you twenty feet under!"

Dark chuckled at her aggressive behavior. "If you must know, Darkmon are genetic clones of Pokémon." He pointed at a patch of flowers. "See those flowers? They have thorns that prick their victims and take a drop of blood. The flower sinks into the ground and a growth process takes place. And, just when you feel it couldn't get stranger…" He vanished and reappeared behind Meowth. "YOU SEE YOURSELF BURST OUT OF THE GROUND!"

Meowth shrieked and hid behind Laura. She glared at Dark. "So, an army of clones?"

"Not clones, living life." He flew over to his throne and sat down. "I am the Prime Darkmon, the original. Ryder was the first Pokémon to get a Darkmon counterpart."

Laura crossed her arms. "Okay…so where did this forest come from?"

Dark tapped his chin. "Hmm…I don't know if I should divulge such information to you. Though, if you give me a little something in return, I may consider it."

She and Meowth looked at each other wearily. They both silently agreed on the same thing. There was something awfully shifty about his behavior. They only just met the guy and said he was Ryder's counterpart. After their last experience with him, things didn't go well. Now, they're in a dark forest with some unusual creature that is practically Ryder who has some unique abilities. Trusting him didn't seem like a smart move.

Meowth whispered, "We need to run."

"I agree, but…" Laura looked down at her feet. Back in Sinnoh when they mentioned Ryder to Giovanni, they learned he was some sort of spy. It did raise the question how that kind of background is connected to Dark and his forest. Plus, judging from how Dark spoke of him, maybe they could work together to eliminate him. The thought brought a wicked smile onto her face. "Let's hear him out first."

Meowth looked at her in surprise. "Why's that?"

She leaned towards his ear and whispered, "If we can get some information about Ryder and get this guy's help, we can get our revenge on him. Come on, we both know you want to finish off that shadowy pest just as much as I want to."

Meowth blinked and gave it some thought. After a moment, he smirked evilly. "Alright, I'm in. We'll give him what he wants and we can take action."

Laura nodded, then turned her attention to Dark. "Alright Dark, we accept your terms."

This made the Darkmon Lord smirk maliciously. "Excellent…" His hands emitted some purple sparks.

Meowth rubbed his hands together. "Now then, what is it that we can get for you?"

"Your energy!" Meowth gasped as Dark appeared in front of him and grabbed his wrists. He then becomes surrounded in a purple, electric-like aura that transfers into Dark. It felt like he was being hit by a Giga Drain, only ten times worse.

"Hey!" Laura shouted as she reeled her fist back and swung a punch at Dark. However, he vanished into a wisp of shadows before she could make contact. "Huh?!"

"I call it Shadow Step, a quick teleportation ability that is handy for getting out of danger. It's much more effective in the dark," he informed, laughing in delight.

Laura growled, but lets it go as she tended to Meowth. "Hey buddy, you alright?"

Meowth was breathing rather heavily. It took him a moment to regain proper rhythm. "Y-Yeah…I'm good." He felt his wrists for any injuries. "He sucked my energy out like some sort of sponge."

Laura glared at Dark, who reappeared in front of them. "What did you do to him?!"

He raised his hands innocently. "You said you'd help me get what I want. And what I want is a large sum of energy." His hands spark as he stepped closer to them.

Laura stood her ground. "And why's that?!"

He scoffed playfully. "My dear, you tried to attack me and you expect me to give an explanation for my actions? Talk about rude."

This made the android clench her fists. "I'll show you rude!" She thrust her arms out. They started to reconfigure themselves into miniature arm cannons with a blue ring of light surrounding the rims of the barrels. "Eat plasma, scum!" She fired balls of blue energy.

Dark grabbed them in midair and absorbed them. "You simply must try better than that."

Her eye twitched irritably. "Alright, try this!" She aimed downward and blasted rock debris in his direction.

Dark jumped over the rocks, irking the android further. "You're full of surprises AND have spunk to match. I like that." He landed and engulfed his hands in purple flames. "Now let's see if that spunk of yours can do some real damage!" He fired an inferno of flame at her.

Laura jumped over it and fired her cannons, but Dark vanished to dodge and appeared above her, delivering a swift kick into the face. She spun downward, but regained control and landed in time for a missile counterstrike. Dark snaked around the missiles, but grabbed one and threw it back at her, blasting her into a tree. With a smirk, Dark snapped his claws and a ring of fire surrounded the android, hoping to trap her. She shook her head and jumped over the wall of flames, but Dark manipulated them from afar to chase her. Noticing this, she aimed her right cannon backwards and fired a blast to cancel it out.

Laura deactivated her cannons and pulled off her tail blade. She swiped it at Dark with fierce power, but he mocked her by taking simple steps away from it with his arms behind his back. She clenched her metallic teeth and fired missiles from her back. Dark's eyes glowed purple, like how a Pokémon would use Psychic, and stopped them in midair. He clenched his fist at them and they explode on the spot.

Meowth observed the battle from a distance. "He has Fire-Type AND Psychic-Type attributes…how peculiar."

Laura clicked a button on her tail blade and several jagged blades formed from the edge, creating a tail chainsaw. It buzzed madly as she swung it. Dark jumped over as it ripped through a tree, taking it down. He landed and does a sweep kick to knock her off balance. He swiped her tail and threw it to the side. Before he could do anything to Laura, she fired missiles at his face, blank point. He flipped back to recover, but was met with a punch to the gut. She grabbed him by the neck and bashed her head against his skull. Thinking he was disoriented, she reactivated her right arm cannon and aimed it at his chest. What she didn't expect was him stomping his foot on the ground and a large chuck of earth sprouting out under her feet, flinging her into the air. Dark grabbed her in midair and slammed her back down, then proceeded with a barrage of fast punches directed at her torso and face.

Laura endured the hits to the best of her ability. She started to realize he wasn't limited to Fire-Type abilities. She opened up her shoulder and fired a missile into Dark's face, flinging him back. She flipped up and ran at him, picking up her tail blade on the way. She jumped and spun it in the air before landing on the Darkmon and impaling him in the chest. Dark smirked at her, not fazed by the attack, and sprayed a jet of dark water in her face, knocking her into a bush. She sparked badly for a moment before getting up once more. She gasped and dodged his palm strikes, most likely with intent on draining her energy dry. She kept backing away to keep her distance, leading herself to back into a tree.

Dark pushed her against it and leaned in close, so close she could feel his breath. "I haven't had this much fun in years. And I'm glad it's with you," he whispered deviously.

Laura growled and slammed her fist against the tree, causing it to topple over them. Dark was so surprised that he lost his hold on Laura and lets her escape as he got crushed under it.

Meowth ran over to the android. "Laura, are you okay?"

She shook her head to get her senses in check. "I'll live…" She looked at the destroyed tree. What the heck was that all about?

"Boo!" They screamed as the ground between them exploded and out popped Dark. He kicked them both in the face simultaneously. He chuckled as he dusted his hands off. "That was a pretty thick tree. You must be very strong."

Laura pulled herself up. "How…are you doing this? How can you control so many Pokémon types?"

He shook his head. "My dear, why do you persist on trying to pry these answers out of me?" He levitated a few rocks and spun them around in his hand. "Yes, it is true that I have the ability to use different Pokémon types. How I'm able to, however, is out of the question. Though…" He dropped the rocks. "I could tell you if you agree to a little deal of mine."

Laura clenched her fists tightly. "After almost hurting my best friend with your last deal, no way!" She charged at him in blinding rage.

Dark sidestepped from her continuous punches and said, "Really? You would rather spend the rest of your life with these fragile creatures? What would that offer to you?" He ducked under a punch and slid behind her. "You are a machine. You have greater power than these worthless creatures. All you will be doing is wasting your life away. Pokémon will eventually die…you, however, have no predetermined time. And I am an immortal being. You see, you don't need these pathetic creatures, all you need is me."

Laura's eyes glowed red as she turned around. "WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" She slammed her left arm cannon against his face and fired at full power. Meowth watched in horror as Dark's head and torso exploded, sending pieces of flesh and black blood across the field. There was an ominous silence after that as Laura deactivated her cannon with a horrified expression.

Meowth got up and slowly walked over to her. "L…Laura…are you okay?"

"I…I just…killed him…" She dropped to her knees and looked down at the ground. "I never killed anyone before." She felt horrible. Back when she fought Ryder and sent him into a critical state, she did feel a pang of guilt when she delivered the final blow. But, it wasn't as bad considering she didn't like him. Dark, however, was somewhat different, but she didn't know why. "Oh my Arceus…"

Meowth patted her back. "It's okay…" He helped her up. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, that guy tried to kill us. In a way, what you did was a good thing."

Laura looked at what was left of Dark, which was everything below his waist. "I guess…"

"See? Now come on, we can't stay here to mourn over this. We need to find a way out." She nodded in solemn agreement and reattached her tail before preparing to leave. Meowth took one last look at the legs when he noticed something odd. "Uh, Laura, you might want to look at this."

She turned around with a glum expression, but it quickly changed when she saw that Dark's tail flame was still lit. "How…is that..." They both took quick notice that the flesh and blood that was scattered everywhere was evaporating into shadows. "What is going-" They gasped when the legs stood up. But that wasn't the creepiest part.

Black blood started to ooze out of the waist, having the appearance of some sort of gunk. It built up into a pile and molded itself into a shape. The blood extended out on both sides of the pile, shaping into arms with claws. At the top, the blood took on the shape of a head. The process was both horrifying and disturbing to watch for the Team Rocket duo. The blood finished off the process by absorbing the excess blood into the newly formed body. Finally, it changed color and added features to it. Once finished, the duo gasped once they saw the newly formed Dark, as if he didn't explode earlier ago.

He smirked and open his eyes, flashing red for a brief second. "Surprise."

Meowth was too choked up to form words, so Laura spoke for him. "How did you do that? I thought I…"

Dark chuckled sinisterly. "Remember how I mentioned I am immortal? I have the power to regenerate from any damage sustained to me. Chop me up, burn me to ashes, or explode me into a million tiny pieces. As long as a piece of me still exists, I can come back good as new."

Laura's eyes widened in fear. "You mean…"

"That's right, I can't be beaten. Sure, I can still feel pain and I can still sustain some serious injuries, but you can't put me down forever."

Meowth narrowed his eyes and growled. "You little cheat!" He ran at him with his claws unsheathed.

Dark lets him slice his body as he kept his arms behind his back. Meowth furiously slashed him without thinking. All he wanted to do was defeat him. But it was proving to be tedious. He started running low on stamina and his efforts were of no use as Dark's damaged body slowly healed up.

He looked at Meowth with an amused look. "So, I guess you're done." He grabbed him and lifted him up. "My turn." His eyes glowed red as he stared into Meowth's eyes. He felt his own eyes give off the same red glow.

"What are you doing to him?!" Laura yelled in worry. She gasped when Meowth started screaming with fear in his tone. Dark lets him go as he thrashed around on the ground, screaming and kicking like a deranged lunatic. She could even see tears filling up in his glowing eyes. It was too painful to watch, so she looked away with only his screaming becoming the source of her rapidly growing worry.

Dark smiled malevolently, taking great pleasure out of his torture. "It hurts, doesn't it?" Meowth couldn't respond as he dug his claws into the dirt and pound his head viciously on the ground. "Well, it should. There is no such thing as happiness. Everyone has a fear in the back of their mind they desperately try to suppress. Humans and Pokémon cast fear aside, hoping to rid it from their minds." Meowth finally stopped screaming, but now he had trails of tears flowing down his face, like he saw something frightening. "Happiness is a useless trait. Fear and power is the only way to survive. With happiness, there will be loss. And with loss, there will be weakness. I'm going to show this entire world fear will always rule." He cancels his mental attack on Meowth.

Meowth's eyes return to normal and he drops from exhaustion. Laura ran over to him and helped him up. "Meowth! What did he do to you?!"

His eyes displayed terror in them. "He showed me horrible things. I was all alone, being mauled by thousands of Persian and they wouldn't stop coming. He showed me being electrocuted by millions of Pikachu, nonstop. And worst of all…he showed me graves…of Jessie, James…and you."

Laura looked at him in disbelief. Dark actually made him see all of that? What kind of power did he possess?

The Darkmon Lord chuckled with evil glee. "Relax, he'll be fine. Just be lucky I didn't amp up my Fear Glance's power. I could've stuck him in a never ending nightmare if I wanted to." He placed his hands on their heads and started draining their energy. Laura was too worried for Meowth to even dodge. She could feel her power slowly fade away, barely having the energy left to stay online. Dark, feeling he sapped enough energy out of them, took his hands off of them. "Normally I would knock my victims unconscious, but I like you two."

He snapped his claws, making giant vines sprout out of the ground and wrap around them. The vines tied them up to a tree tightly. Laura tried to break her way out, but she was too weak to move. Meowth wasn't in any better condition than her, so he wasn't going to be pulling any escapes either.

Dark tapped the ground and created a flower before plucking it. "You asked me earlier how I was able to use Pokémon types, correct?" He walked up to them, specifically Meowth. "I've drained so many types of Pokémon over the years that I gained a little something out of it. All that energy allowed me to use any type I wanted, and I don't even have to use a Pokémon move."

Laura shook her head lightly and asked, "So, you just drain Pokémon to gain power?"

"You're half right, my dear." He took the flower and made a small cut on Meowth's face, making him wince. "I drain out Pokémon energy for something greater. My ultimate plan for world conquest. Once I accomplish that goal, I'll enslave all of mankind and Pokémon, so we can show them the superior power of the Darkmon!" He threw the flower and let it lightly sway towards the ground before glowing and digging down into the ground.

Meowth and Laura watched as the ground exploded and a figure stepped out. A black furred Meowth with red eyes, red fur to replace the originally brown fur, and a shiny red charm. He bowed to Dark. "I am ready to serve you, my lord."

Dark nodded. "Excellent. I have a very particular mission for you. I want you to go out into the forest with another new member of ours. Find Ryder and his little posse. Make sure they don't find Pikachu."

Dark Meowth saluted. "I will not fail you, Lord Dark." He turned around and marched off.

Meowth's eyes widen. "Pikachu? As in the twerp's Pikachu?"

"He's alive?" Laura mumbled.

Dark looked at them. "Ah, so you know of the Pikachu we encountered earlier. I honestly didn't expect him falling into my forest. Then again, I didn't expect a whole group of Pokémon coming down here as well."

The other twerps' Pokémon are here too? Laura questioned.

Meowth found some strength in himself to yell, "What do you want with Pikachu?"

The evil lord grinned with narrowed eyes. "I sensed an unusual, untapped power within him. I'm not sure what it is, but I do know one thing. If I can get that power out of him, my plans will finally be complete."

"If that's the case, why didn't you drain him when you had the chance?"

Dark sighed. "Unfortunately, when we discovered him, those Pokémon started coming down. I had my new servant hide him out somewhere so he couldn't be found. Once I get them out of the way, I can move on with my plans." He flew up in the air and sat down in his throne. An orb came out of the tree the throne was built onto and floated in front of him. "Until then, let's enjoy the show." Laura and Meowth looked at each other in concern. This wasn't going to end well.